Yeah, its a useless channel as far as I am concerned.

Oh and yes, INHD is definitely DD5.1, need to double check on KRON though.

i really think the special events channel will carry NFLnetwork HD games, and warrants a mention solely on my speculation lol. btw espn2HD is on 724 here.

from the programming thread again

It is my understanding that there will not be a full time NFL-HD channel added by Comcast for this season. It will be on for next year. However, the NFL HD games will be on as will the NFL HD games of the week. For me, this is fine and dandy. I was also told that the plans are for Comcast to donble their HD offerings, bandwidth permitting, by this time next year. It does not look like there is any chance that HDNet will be one of them unless Mark greatly reduces his fee demand. Believe me, I would not pay it either and I love HDNet. There will also be several new HD channels going up in the next two or three months. It should prove interesting! 2007 looks like it will be a huge year for HD as about 60 new national HD channels are anticipated being made available. Even Cartoon Network HD!

wow can you imagine if we get 60 national HD channels by next year?? well keep imagining, i bet we get 2 more next year. :)

from the programming thread again



wow can you imagine if we get 60 national HD channels by next year?? well keep imagining, i bet we get 2 more next year. :)
At the rate they add HD channels in Santa Rosa, which is "0" since they started the service, we should have another "0" in the next two years. I'm so excited I can barely contain myself.

Okay, so ESPN2-HD is on two different channels depending on the area, and there is no dedicated special events channel anymore...would that be a correct assumption?

Note re 550 Mhz systems: Not all (or any) HD channels may be available in some Bay Area systems because they are not yet "rebuilt" to either 750 mHz or 860 mHz...

These systems are located in, among other areas, Hayward, Saratoga, Milpitas, Los Gatos, Sunnyvale (part), Santa Rosa, Pittsburg, Antioch and Vallejo.

Does anyone know what part of Sunnyvale is NOT 550Mhz? I know it's not the part that I'm in. The Comcast web site has three Sunnyvale options to choose from to see what channels are offered, but the line ups are all the same.

I have no idea, someone from that area will have provide that info.

Tom, I can't really help much as I don't get FSNBA-HD up here, but I thought ground loop bars were usually horizontal..??

Keenan, yes, I just didn't write what I was describing very well. They are horizontal bars--from left to right--but they scroll vertically. I switched the box back to 1080i, and I'm not seeing them any more on any channels. I also seem to have lost some slight herringbone patterns. I know this is not a question of an HDMI cable not capable of the bandwidth of 720p, as I have an unconverting DVD that runs in the same setup at 720p with no problems. Oh, well, I can just leave everything at 1080i and let my Fujitsu worry about it. Still annoying that Motorola can't make a native passthrough so that ESPN/ABC come through at 720p and FSNBA, CBS, etc, at 1080i.

Keenan, yes, I just didn't write what I was describing very well. They are horizontal bars--from left to right--but they scroll vertically. I switched the box back to 1080i, and I'm not seeing them any more on any channels. I also seem to have lost some slight herringbone patterns. I know this is not a question of an HDMI cable not capable of the bandwidth of 720p, as I have an unconverting DVD that runs in the same setup at 720p with no problems. Oh, well, I can just leave everything at 1080i and let my Fujitsu worry about it. Still annoying that Motorola can't make a native passthrough so that ESPN/ABC come through at 720p and FSNBA, CBS, etc, at 1080i.
Yes, native pass-through would be nice, especially for those of us that have outboard video processors, or high-quality VPs like in your Fujitsu.

A note re the Giants on the local KTVU broadcasts: I may be misremembering, but I don't believe I've seen ANY games that are produced by KTVU in HD. In the last Arizona series, from Phoenix, they appear to have picked up the 720p(?) HD broadcast from FSN-Arizona for a couple of games. That same feed was used on FSN-BA for the game that KTVU did not broadcast. When they have home games, though, Fox gives us a lame upconverted 4:3 picture.

Even more annoying than their inability to do HD production on home games is that they frequently don't pick up the HD feed even when another Fox affiliate is originating that feed. A case in point will be tonight, at least if http://www.hdsportsguide.com is to be believed. The FSN affiliate in LA will have the game in HD, but there is no listing for us. Compare today's listings for the Marlins-D'Backs game, which is listed for HD both on the Florida and Arizona flavors of FSN.

Dunno, maybe KTVU will prove me wrong tonight. But I'm fully expecting a 4:3 upconverted broadcast.

Edit at 2:06 PDT: I stand corrected. The game tonight will be on low-def on FSN-BA, so we can blame a different Fox entity for failing to provide us with the high-def signal being produced by the LA Fox entity (FSN-PT). Absolutely no sign of a HD simulcast from FSN-BA on INHD2, Ch. 720.

keenan, for the 550 mhz write-up please include San Lorenzo and San Leandro as cities that do not have an upgraded system

keenan, for the 550 mhz write-up please include San Lorenzo and San Leandro as cities that do not have an upgraded system
Done, thanks for the info. :)

apoligize for the newbie question. i am thinking about buying the current 27" westy hd lcd tv for the bedroom. was wondering what HD channels i would receive here in cupertino with a basic cable (sans STB) hookup directly to the display.

i just unplugged my 6412 on my panny plasma in the living room and went direct and did a scan. all i'm getting is fox and cbs in hd. anyone else getting abc, nbc and pbs in hd without a box in cupertino?

tia

I'm in SF and have basic Comcast without STB, and I am also only getting Fox HD and CBS HD doing a channel scan with QAM?? Where are the other channels, and ESPN2 HD that others are talking about?

If I switch over to OTA, I get all the other local HDs, but would be nice to have everything coming in from cable, as my TV only has one TV input

Is there a channel mapping for Comcast/QAM in SF?
Thanks!

The other HD locals either don't have PSIP or lost PSIP mapping information. Try looking for them in the 100+ channel range. Have your TV do a full scan.

There are 2 ESPN2-HDs right now, one is encrypted and the other is not (last I checked for my area) You should be able to get the unencrypted version but don't depend on it being around.

You won't get all the OTA digital SD/HD channels over Comcast, you will only get the ones Keenan listed. The rest will need to wait for Comcast to reach agreements.

Is there a channel mapping for Comcast/QAM in SF?
Thanks!
You can take a look at the below post, but keep in mind that these mappings change all the time, and the below may not even be close to your area, but it might give you idea,

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8148023&&#post8148023
San Francisco, CA - Comcast - AVS Forum

Okay, the below is the current version for the first post, I re-posted it here so it will be seen and folks won't have to go back in the thread looking for it. I'm still not sure about KRON being DD 5.1 capable, and the Special Events Channel is in limbo, and ESPN2-HD on two channels is screwy, not sure how to put that.

Any corrections and additions, please let me know.





San Francisco Bay Area Comcast Information
============================================================ ==============

This thread contains posts regarding Comcast HDTV service in the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose Bay Area. (This covers San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Sonoma, and Napa counties.)

For Solano County see note below.

To summarize status as of August, 2006:

HD Channels:

Note: Not all channels are available everywhere. Check with your local Comcast office, or better yet, post the question here as you will get the most accurate, up to date, information from this group. Having a location/city in your profile helps tremendously.

702 KTVU-DT (FOX) 720p & DD 5.1
703 KNTV-DT (NBC) 1080i & DD 5.1
704 KRON-DT (MNTV) 1080i
705 KPIX-DT (CBS) 1080i & DD 5.1
707 KGO-DT (ABC) 720p & DD 5.1
709 KQED-DT (PBS) (on air 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.) 1080i & DD 5.1

719 INHD (encrypted in most areas) 1080i & DD 5.1
720 INHD2 (encrypted in most areas) 1080i & DD 5.1 (FSNBA-HD see note below)

FSN Bay Area HD (some Warriors, A's and Giants games inserted onto 720, pre-empting INHD2 programming) FSN Bay Area Website-- HD Schedule (http://fsnbayarea.com/FSNHD.jsp)

722 Discovery HD Theater 1080i & DD 5.1
723 ESPN HD (encrypted in most areas) 720p & DD 5.1
724 ESPN2 HD (encrypted) 720p & DD 5.1
725 HD Special Events(this channel is currently simulcasting ESPN2-HD on some systems-Aug-06)
-- NFL Channel HD (NFL Game of the Week, Weds. and Thurs. Evenings)
-- INHD programming (third INHD feed) whenever NBA game is on INHD
-- Other HD programming TBA

730 HBO HD West (encrypted) 1080i & DD 5.1
732 Cinemax HD West (encrypted) 1080i & DD 5.1
734 Starz HD West (encrypted) 1080i & DD 5.1
736 Showtime HD West (encrypted) 1080i & DD 5.1

Note re encryption: This varies from one head end to the next. Some premiums and/or ESPN HD and/or InHD may be unencrypted in your area, but that will change as soon as Comcast gets all the necessary equipment to encrypt. Only the local HD channels will be "in the clear" once all the head ends have the proper equipment.

Note re ADS: ADS, or Analog (or All) Digital Simulcasting, is when the analog channels are duplicated as digital subchannels. This allows for cheaper, smaller digital boxes as the analog tuner is not needed. ADS also eliminates the need for MPEG encoders in the DVR's. The primary advantage is the elimination of interference typically associated with analog signals.

Most 750/850MHz systems in the Bay Area have implemented ADS. The surest way of obtaining the digital versions of the analog channels is to incorporate at least one Motorola 3412 STB in your household. Once the headend receives the signal that you're in an "ADS-ready" area, your other STB's will automatically start using the digital channels. To find out if you're receiving the digital channels, tune both of your tuners to channel 2, go in to the diagnostics menu, and go to "d06 CURRENT CHANNEL STATUS". If both tuners say 'QAM 256" then you're receiving the digital version of the channel. If they say "Analog" then you are receiving the analog version of the channel.

Note re 550 Mhz systems: Not all (or any) HD channels may be available in some Bay Area systems because they are not yet "rebuilt" to either 750 mHz or 860 mHz and thus have less bandwidth to devote to HDTV. As it stands August 2006, there doesn't appear to be any plans to upgrade these systems to bring parity with the rest of the SF bay area. The prevailing assumption is that as we move closer to the analog OTA shutdown date, Comcast will be moving analog channels to digital, and thus, freeing up bandwidth for more channels and services on these systems. This looks to be a long and slow process covering years so don't expect anything new to appear on these systems anytime soon. On these systems you will NOT get: INHD*, INHD2,* FSN Bay Area HD*, Showtime HD, KRON HD and/or HD Special Events among others depending on the particular system.

But, you will pay the same rates as subscribers who do receive the full complement of channels and services. This is an inequity that Comcast, to date, has not addressed and continues to remain silent on.

These systems are located in, among other areas,

Antioch
Hayward
Los Gatos
Milpitas
Pittsburg
San Leandro
San Lorenzo
Santa Rosa
Saratoga
Sunnyvale(parts)
Vallejo

* INHD and INHD2 are available in areas of Saratoga, Milpitas and Los Gatos even though these are primarily 550 Mhz systems.

Note: Solano County. Information obtained from Comcast subscriber heyjjjaded in Vacaville.

1. Our local HD channels are all out of Sacramento
2. Unlike Sacramento though, all of our HD channels are in the 700's (the way they are in San Francisco)
3. We get standard network non-HD channels (NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox) from both Sacramento & San Francisco
4. The 800 telephone number on our Comcast brochure puts us through to the bay area
5. Our HD problems (break-ups, audio-drops, failure to switch from INHD2 to FSN HD) almost always coincide with the same problems reported by the Sacramento customers

For further Sacramento information, see the Sacramento Comcast Thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8175752#post8175752)


HD Capable Set Top Box/Firmware:

Motorola 5100 and Motorola 6200

The 6200 has a faster processor and two firewire (IEEE 1394) ports.

Firmware 7.15 (7.10 in some areas). DVI and Firewire are activated with both versions but are more stable and user friendly with 7.15.

Current software is 51.88-2002.

See the rest of the thread, below, or the 5100/6200 thread in the HDTV Hardware forum for more specific information.

HD-DVR/Software:

Motorola 6412-- first became available in December 2004. (6208 was originally projected to be available November/December 2003). Costs extra $9.95 per month (or $4.95 per month more than a non-DVR HD STB rental from Comcast) above what you are otherwise paying for now.

Software for the HD DVR the iGuide, by Guideworks (a joint venture of Comcast and Gemstar-TV Guide) with the potential for Microsoft Foundation Edition at some point in the future. Software for all other HD boxes will eventually be the iGuide but has not yet been downloaded to them as of February 17, 2005.

Current firmware version for the 6412:

Current software version for the 6412: 71.44 1203 (revision should be coming in the next couple of months)


Motorola 6412 PIII--same as 6412 listed above but has HDMI video output vs DVI for the above 6412.

Current firmware version for the 6412-PIII: 12.31


Motorola 3412--same as 6412 PIII only it has no analog tuner. The 3412 is a digital-only DVR and can be used only on systems where ADS has been implemented.

Current firmware version for the 3412: 12.22


Costs:

Limited basic cable, which is required for all subscriptions, ranges from $9 to $17 per month depending on your area. HD STB rental (non-DVR) is $5 per month. To get INHD and ESPN HD, if encrypted, you need Digital Classic tier at $9.95 per month. Premium HD channels, if encrypted, are received with any a la carte or package subscription that includes the SD versions of those channels.

HD-DVR (6412-3412) cost: $4.95 more per month than the standard HD STB. To be eligible to rent the DVR you must have a subscription to Standard Cable and at least Digital Classic--average cost--$57

Note: All the above prices prices and packages will vary somewhat from area to area, check with others in your location and/or contact the local Comcast office that serves your area.


I will update this summary as information changes. If anyone has different or updated information to the above, please post it to this thread and I will incorporate it.

You can take a look at the below post, but keep in mind that these mappings change all the time, and the below may not even be close to your area, but it might give you idea,

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8148023&&#post8148023

Thanks. For what it's worth, that mapping list I posted for Foster City hasn't changed for about 4+ months. (Except for odd cases. For example, ESPN2-HD appearing in the clear in July on HDSE channel 725 mapped to 78-1. I expect it to go away any day.) I have no idea how that list applies to the city of San Francisco. Although I'm pretty sure the city community channels, peninsula channel have no relevance for San Francisco.

I think 724 is the official channel location for ESPN2-HD. 725 looks like the temporary position of the 2nd broadcast. The guide data says 724 is ESPN2-HD.

I've heard ADS referred to as Analog Digital Simulcast as well as All Digital Simulcast. I don't know which one is the correct term, but I recall Mr. Johnson used All Digital Simulcast in one of his posts.

Thanks. For what it's worth, that mapping list I posted for Foster City hasn't changed for about 4+ months. (Except for odd cases. For example, ESPN2-HD appearing in the clear in July on HDSE channel 725 mapped to 78-1. I expect it to go away any day.) I have no idea how that list applies to the city of San Francisco. Although I'm pretty sure the city community channels, peninsula channel have no relevance for San Francisco.
I think Foster City is in 750, because 860 areas have a complete different mapping.

Most of the major changes happen in spurts, then it is relatively calm. During the relatively calm period, usually the subchannels will swap around but it is just as disruptive when the subchannel changes if you are using the subchannel to specify the channel to record.

Many TVs will silently adjust the subchannels (while still displaying the old channel) when the channel moves around so people often aren't aware of channel changes when they use the TVs tuner. The only way you'll notice a minor channel mapping change is if you do a full rescan.

This is why some new people say sometimes say they can't get KQED at 9.1 (because PSIP information got lost yet again) and old-timers say I'm still getting 9.1 no problem.

Analog Digital makes more sense, "All" doesn't really work with the word "simulcast" which implies two different signals. IMHO anyway...


KRON, DD 5.1? Anybody...???

Analog Digital makes more sense, "All" doesn't really work with the word "simulcast" which implies two different signals. IMHO anyway...


KRON, DD 5.1? Anybody...???
I thought the same until I started seeing Comcast folks refer to it as all digital simulcast.

Right now KRON is showing up as Digital, not DD5.1, but I think it depends on the material they are broadcasting.

Not directly related to KRON, but I recall sometimes broadcasters incorrectly flag stuff as 5.1 when it is not so sometimes the indicators are not reliable.

Well, I'll just leave it as it is, and we can change it when it's determined one way or the other.

I'll change the Analog to All.

RE: faux 5.1, while it ends up as true DD 5.1, I think NBC network actually sends it out as three 2-channel streams and it's put back together at the station before going out OTA/cable. Nothing like creating a situation where more things can break. :D

Of course, NBC also needs to get away from the 18" dish style of sending out their network streams to the stations, but heck, when they start caring about their HD signal maybe they will.

If you've ever heard the echoing problem on NBC shows last season it was because those streams got out of sync.

I thought the same until I started seeing Comcast folks refer to it as all digital simulcast.

I got the "analog" portion from the Wiki page. I remember Comcast, at first, started calling it "All' but then backed off for the reasons Keenan stated and it's now just referred to as DS (I think).

FYI, to be filed in the totally worthless information folder, :p

This thread has the most posts and most views of any single source provider method local thread here, topped only by the Denver OTA thread, which is no doubt inflated by all the transmission tower/political problems they have there.

Denver-OTA Posts--16,000 Views---697,000
SF-Comcast Posts--11,000 Views---550,000

St Louis has more posts(15,000) than SF, but it's a combined thread, covering all, OTA, cable, etc..

FYI, to be filed in the totally worthless information folder, :p

This thread has the most posts and most views of any single source provider method local thread here, topped only by the Denver OTA thread, which is no doubt inflated by all the transmission tower/political problems they have there.

Denver-OTA Posts--16,000 Views---697,000
SF-Comcast Posts--11,000 Views---550,000

St Louis has more posts(15,000) than SF, but it's a combined thread, covering all, OTA, cable, etc..

sorry i contributed a lot of crap in a few months :D

Nobody has contributed more crap than me. :p

niners game looks great on kpix!

Nobody has contributed more crap than me. :p
It's not just the quanity of crap that counts but the quality of crap contributed that really counts :p

Nice job on the rewrite up but you left out the part about my brown nose and your fetish about short leather skirts :D

49er's in HD looks good on both OTA and Comcast.

Laters,
Mikef5

I think 724 is the official channel location for ESPN2-HD. 725 looks like the temporary position of the 2nd broadcast. The guide data says 724 is ESPN2-HD.

Keenan, this description looks right to me. My set with CableCard (in Marin County) identifies 724 as ESPN2HD and 725 still as HDSE, although 725 was (as noted by others here) the first place that ESPN2 showed up right before the soccer World Cup. Took a couple of days before it showed up on 724, and even longer before the guides recognized the channel as ESPN2HD. The iGuide on the Motorola DVR identifies 724 as ESPN2HD and 725 as "TBA".

There was some reference to 726 a few posts ago, but I wonder if that isn't someone misremembering channel location when posting from the office.

I'm in SF and have basic Comcast without STB, and I am also only getting Fox HD and CBS HD doing a channel scan with QAM?? Where are the other channels, and ESPN2 HD that others are talking about?

If I switch over to OTA, I get all the other local HDs, but would be nice to have everything coming in from cable, as my TV only has one TV input

Is there a channel mapping for Comcast/QAM in SF?
Thanks!

For San Francisco, you should be able to direct dial the following unencrypted HD channels:
114-1 KPIX-HD
114-2 KTVU-HD
116-1 KNTV-HD
117-1 KGO-HD
117-2 KQED-HD
118-8 KRON-HD

ESPN2 HD and all others are encrypted.

niners game looks great on kpix!

Wow, I agree! I have a temporary Front Projection set-up (Infocus IN76 and GraywolfII 120" screen), and boy am I sold on FP! I'm amazed that this size pic, from ~ 12.5 ft away, can look so crisp and sharp, with such rich colors. It's certainly better than being there!

The niners game looks great, but for some reason the view feels zoomed (as in the source camera, not post processing). I'm used to a wider angle where you see more of the field. Maybe I'm just not used to the camera angles. Not complaining about PQ, which is great, just the picture feels weird.

I know why it feels funny. It basically is like they have an SD cameraman manning the HD camera. With SD, you basically don't have the wide angle so the cameraman has to constantly zoom in/out and pan to pick up the action.

HD cameraman generally stay more zoomed out so you get the picture of the whole field and everything going on. I'm used to seeing the defensive backs and running backs on the same screen as well as both top and bottom sidelines.

I feel like I'm watching the game through binoculars, very sharp binoculars, but limited viewing angle.

...and another weird thing is that most (all?) of the overlay graphics look to be in SD resolution, so they're all fuzzy. Sort of the reverse of what I'm used to seeing in sports coverage with ancient cameras and updated production equipment!

I got the "analog" portion from the Wiki page. I remember Comcast, at first, started calling it "All' but then backed off for the reasons Keenan stated and it's now just referred to as DS (I think).
If only they would do the same about face for 550 upgrades in the face of all the reasons we point out :)

Just to follow up,

I went in to the Walnut Creek office and swapped my 6412 for a 3412 (after the folks on the phone said it wouldn't work, of course) and it works fine. The signal on the 2nd box (6412) has switched over now to a digital signal, and I may be wrong but the A's game PQ on KICU last night on the 6412 sure seemed to look better than before the swap.

niners game looks great on kpix!
Looked good but the commentary crew is awful. Put me to sleep. :(

Like I said, I agree with the moving select analog channels to the digital tier and losing the FM stations but that's a short term idea and we'll be back here again later down the road when we run out of bandwidth again .... Deja Vu all over again ;)
Mikef5
Mike, Seems like they might be listening to you. I haven't been able to get the FM stations for awhile.
Is anyone else getting them? I need my occasional 'Lake Woebegone' fix from KQED and the Classics from KDFC, especially when Dusti Rhodes is announcing.

Mike, Seems like they might be listening to you. I haven't been able to get the FM stations for awhile.
Is anyone else getting them? I need my occasional 'Lake Woebegone' fix from KQED and the Classics from KDFC, especially when Dusti Rhodes is announcing.
How are you trying to get the FM stations ?? Through the motorola box or through your tv tuner ?? Sometimes they encrypt the signals so that you can't use your tuner but they come through just fine through the motorola box. They're still on down here in the lower ghetto's, but since you are on a different loop than the SaraMilgatos loop they might have dropped them but I would highly doubt it.

Laters,
Mikef5

For San Francisco, you should be able to direct dial the following unencrypted HD channels:
114-1 KPIX-HD
114-2 KTVU-HD
116-1 KNTV-HD
117-1 KGO-HD
117-2 KQED-HD
118-8 KRON-HD

ESPN2 HD and all others are encrypted.

Thanks. No ESPN2-HD for me either.
For ref: My QAM lineup placement is a little different. Hope they convert all of them to their regular station #s:
2-1 KTVU-HD
5-1 KPIX-HD
116-1 KNTV-HD
117-1 KGO-HD
117-2 KQED-HD
118-8 KRON-HD

I appologize, I just checked and ESPN2HD is in fact on 724 in my area and 725 is the special events channel that currently mirrors 724.
Okay, so ESPN2-HD is on two different channels depending on the area, and there is no dedicated special events channel anymore...would that be a correct assumption?

Software for the HD DVR the iGuide, by Guideworks, a joint venture of Comcast and Gemstar-TV Guide. Software for all other HD boxes will eventually be the iGuide but has not yet been downloaded to them as of February 17, 2005.

Do all HD STBs now have the iGuide PG?

wow, nightmares and dreamscapes on ondemand HD is stunning. i finally got around to watching a couple of episodes (really slow HD day today) and the pq is great, the TNT logo looks good on my TV, well-positioned on the far right corner, and not as obtrusive as INHD. i'd like to have this channel fulltime please. mr. J or whoever is reading. please. give me stretch-o-vision, i don't care, as long as i can have NBA on TNT and a few HD gems here and there like n&d. this will not be the last time i beg.

I've tried to get a sense from searching & reading the thread, but haven't found the info I'm hoping someone can provide. Sorry if this has been addressed before, but...

* I'm probably buying a Samsung HL-S4666W.
* I'm either transferring my DirecTV service (and ponying up $399 for their HD-DVR) or ditching it for Comcast. Comcast's $0 install & no contract obligation seems to make trying them a no-brainer.

My concern, since I've never owned an HDTV, is that the signals on non-HD channels is going to be unwatchable on a 46" HDTV. Is there any consensus on whether that's true or not? My only point of comparison would be the old 27" TV that I'm watching now.

Also, should I (and can I) request a specific HD-DVR receiver from Comcast?

A note re the Giants on the local KTVU broadcasts: I may be misremembering, but I don't believe I've seen ANY games that are produced by KTVU in HD. In the last Arizona series, from Phoenix, they appear to have picked up the 720p(?) HD broadcast from FSN-Arizona for a couple of games.
It was local. Except for in rare instances where one production has technical difficulties, the cameras are never shared between different broadcasts (oh, and those nifty underground cameras that they have in LA that they showed one series). Otherwise, they like to have relevant shots to go along with what the announcers are saying.

There were 10 HD games produced by KTVU last year and there will be 10 this season, thanks to Comcast's funding. (If only Comast spent half as much money provinding HD as they do promoting the fact that their HD is so great.)

Is it my TV or Comcast that the DTV/HD channels don't always remember their channel skip settings?

I set some channels to skip (not be in memory), but they sometimes come back when surfing.
Analog channels are fine. Direct connection, no STB.

Also just today, I don't see 116-1 KNTV-HD listed as one of my channels.
That channel is blank if I go to it directly.
Noticed Discovery-HD is now coming in unencryted at channel 115-4.
Are these related to my channel memory issue? Thanks.

Is it my TV or Comcast that the DTV/HD channels don't always remember their channel skip settings?

I set some channels to skip (not be in memory), but they sometimes come back when surfing.
Analog channels are fine. Direct connection, no STB.

Also just today, I don't see 116-1 KNTV-HD listed as one of my channels.
That channel is blank if I go to it directly.
Noticed Discovery-HD is now coming in unencryted at channel 115-4.
Are these related to my channel memory issue? Thanks.
Comcast reorganizes their cable systems on a regular basis about once a month (moves the channels to different bands). The also sometimes may not put the PSIP (alias) in the stream for a day or 2 and sometimes never. When they reorganize the cable system, some times you will pick up the wrong channel or sometimes a channel will disappear. When they reorganize the cable system, you have to rescan the digital channels to allow the TV to know which channels are active and any PSIP. This can get to real pain if you do not have a STB/DVR (done for the customer) since you'll have to redo the channel skips.

Basically
QAM + Comcast = NWF (Not Wife Friendly)

Ok, I've received some info on some of the questions that were asked here so....

As far as moving analog channels to the digital tier to free up bandwidth....
There seems to be contract restrictions that prevent this from happening. It seems Comcast looked into doing just that and found that they can't due to those contract restrictions.

Dvr availability tied to subscription level.......
Comcast treats all it's areas throughout the US as separate franchises and as such each area determines how this will be handled. My suggestion is to get ahold of the West Coast Manager for Comcast and let him know your feelings on this issue, I believe that it is still Mr. Germano unless things have changed.

Removing FM stations....
Seems there is a big call for this and it would not free up that much bandwidth, maybe 2 MHz of bandwidth. Since it doesn't free up much there's not much to do about this, enjoy listening to music on your tv speakers :rolleyes:

There was other info about future things happening but this is not releasable but could be good in the long run.

Laters,
Mikef5

How are you trying to get the FM stations ?? Through the motorola box or through your tv tuner ?? Sometimes they encrypt the signals so that you can't use your tuner but they come through just fine through the motorola box. They're still on down here in the lower ghetto's, but since you are on a different loop than the SaraMilgatos loop they might have dropped them but I would highly doubt it.Laters,Mikef5
Mike,
I have the Motorola 6200 HD box. Got the FM channels before but not lately. I should place a call to them but haven't got a 'round toit'.
They are still listed when I tune to them but with the message
ONE MOMENT PLEASE
This channel should be available shortly.
and gives the info on the channel, like 981 is KDFC 102.1 Classical etc.

Dvr availability tied to subscription level.......
Comcast treats all it's areas throughout the US as separate franchises and as such each area determines how this will be handled. My suggestion is to get ahold of the West Coast Manager for Comcast and let him know your feelings on this issue, I believe that it is still Mr. Germano unless things have changed.


IOW, they don't care, they try and get as much money as possible, I have no problem with that, the problem is we're stupid enough to put up with it. I also have a problem with them not affording 550 systems any sort of break, or discount, such as the DVR requirement which would be a nice easy one for them to do.

As far as contacting Mr. Germano about the DVR issue, give me a break, does not Mr.Johnson speak with Mr. Germano? Don't you think Mr J would carry a whole lot more weight than the odd subscriber? I have no doubt in my mind that Mr. J knows what our issues are, how about he talks to Mr. Germano instead of passing the buck?


BTW, Mike, thanks for the info... :p :D

Mike,
I have the Motorola 6200 HD box. Got the FM channels before but not lately. I should place a call to them but haven't got a 'round toit'.
They are still listed when I tune to them but with the message
ONE MOMENT PLEASE
This channel should be available shortly.
and gives the info on the channel, like 981 is KDFC 102.1 Classical etc.
Grandude,
I just checked that same station on my tv and it is working properly. They maybe working on your loop ( I doubt it, work is usually done after midnight ) or you may need to have your box reset. I don't know if these channels need a specific subscription level or not or if it comes with basic, I never listen to music on my tv so this is a waste of bandwidth for me but your might find it useful.

Laters,
Mikef5

Mike,
I have the Motorola 6200 HD box. Got the FM channels before but not lately. I should place a call to them but haven't got a 'round toit'.
They are still listed when I tune to them but with the message
ONE MOMENT PLEASE
This channel should be available shortly.
and gives the info on the channel, like 981 is KDFC 102.1 Classical etc.
You could try contacting the City Manager's office and letting them know. After my experience with Comcast's non-responsiveness I would give them one shot to respond, and then go straight to the franchise authority.

City Manager
City Hall, Room #10
100 Santa Rosa Avenue
Santa Rosa, CA 95404
Phone: (707) 543-3010
Fax: (707) 543-3030

Jeff Kolin, City Manager
Greg Scoles, Deputy City Manager
Patricia Fruiht, Assistant to the City Manager

CMOffice@srcity.org

I see we have a whole new group of politicos now from when I got involved in this 2 years ago which could mean a whole new learning process....I give up, screw it, Comcast is going to do what they always have done from Day 1, it will happen when they decide it will happen and not a day sooner.

IOW, they don't care, they try and get as much money as possible, I have no problem with that, the problem is we're stupid enough to put up with it. I also have a problem with them not affording 550 systems any sort of break, or discount, such as the DVR requirement which would be a nice easy one for them to do.

As far as contacting Mr. Germano about the DVR issue, give me a break, does not Mr.Johnson speak with Mr. Germano? Don't you think Mr J would carry a whole lot more weight than the odd subscriber? I have no doubt in my mind that Mr. J knows what our issues are, how about he talks to Mr. Germano instead of passing the buck?


BTW, Mike, thanks for the info... :p :D
Jim,
I'm sure that he does speak to Mr. Germano but it helps if he can show that there is a big group of people that thinks this is an important issue for them and needs to be addressed. One person, I don't care what he does, doesn't have the horse power to do anything without some supporting evidence that there is a problem and it needs to be corrected. I'm not trying to be an apologist or anything just trying to point out facts, he's one person and needs some supporting data to show to Mr. Germano.

Laters,
Mikef5

Hmmm, I might go into the walnut creek office and pickup a 3412 for the bedroom. Just plugging in the 3412 will enable the 6412 to pickup the digital signal right? You dont need to do anything extra to the 6412 after plugging in the 3412?

Thanks in advance.
Just to follow up,

I went in to the Walnut Creek office and swapped my 6412 for a 3412 (after the folks on the phone said it wouldn't work, of course) and it works fine. The signal on the 2nd box (6412) has switched over now to a digital signal, and I may be wrong but the A's game PQ on KICU last night on the 6412 sure seemed to look better than before the swap.

Hmmm, I might go into the walnut creek office and pickup a 3412 for the bedroom. Just plugging in the 3412 will enable the 6412 to pickup the digital signal right? You dont need to do anything extra to the 6412 after plugging in the 3412?

Thanks in advance.
When I originally got my 3412, I had a problem receiving the first 80 channels. After about 4 calls to Comcast, I finally started receiving those channels. Others have said that it is automatic but that didn't occur for me.

Jim,
I'm sure that he does speak to Mr. Germano but it helps if he can show that there is a big group of people that thinks this is an important issue for them and needs to be addressed. One person, I don't care what he does, doesn't have the horse power to do anything without some supporting evidence that there is a problem and it needs to be corrected. I'm not trying to be an apologist or anything just trying to point out facts, he's one person and needs some supporting data to show to Mr. Germano.

Laters,
Mikef5
I understand what you are saying, but really, just give him a link to this thread...you mentioned that they do read this thread right?

Going "through the channels" is really just a method of deflection, the fact that they explained about different areas running differently means they know and are aware of the DVR issue of which we speak.

This is like seeing how high I can make this dog jump before I give it the cookie. I'm too old to jump.

As far as moving analog channels to the digital tier to free up bandwidth....
There seems to be contract restrictions that prevent this from happening. It seems Comcast looked into doing just that and found that they can't due to those contract restrictions.
...
Removing FM stations....
Seems there is a big call for this and it would not free up that much bandwidth, maybe 2 MHz of bandwidth. Since it doesn't free up much there's not much to do about this, enjoy listening to music on your tv speakers :rolleyes:
Hey Mike, thanks for following up on that. My comments are not directed at you.

I don't know if other areas are the same, but based on my area, I curious about the statement that removing FM would only free up 2MHz of bandwidth because in my area RF 95 is completely occupied by digital FM and nothing else is sharing. Are other areas sharing video channels with digital FM or do they have a full 6MHz RF channel with nothing but digital FM?

The contract restrictions on the surface sounds like a reasonable explanation we have heard in the past, but I still don't understand what sort of contract has Soap Channel only in Santa Rosa and SciFi in SaraMilGatos, but having those channels stay analog in other Bay Areas. Is this based on contracts that existed prior to acquisitions that got inherited? That's the only thing I can think of, otherwise it seems the contracts are very piecemeal in nature and I would have thought Comcast negotiated with a more regional focus.

I understand what you are saying, but really, just give him a link to this thread...you mentioned that they do read this thread right?

Going "through the channels" is really just a method of deflection, the fact that they explained about different areas running differently means they know and are aware of the DVR issue of which we speak.

This is like seeing how high I can make this dog jump before I give it the cookie. I'm too old to jump.
Well, going through channels is what I did for 20 years in the Navy so I guess it's just hard to teach an old dog new tricks... :p but if it's really important to you don't just roll over and play dead, get out there and bark. Ok, enough of the dog puns... the more people that do something about this the more it will make Comcast at least look into it. Personally I don't see the problem, if a customer wants a dvr, I'd lease it to him no matter what level of programing he has, it's 10 bucks I wasn't getting from him in the first place. Pretty simple logic if you ask me.

Laters,
Mikef5

Hey Mike, thanks for following up on that. My comments are not directed at you.

I don't know if other areas are the same, but based on my area, I curious about the statement that removing FM would only free up 2MHz of bandwidth because in my area RF 95 is completely occupied by digital FM and nothing else is sharing. Are other areas sharing video channels with digital FM or do they have a full 6MHz RF channel with nothing but digital FM?

The contract restrictions on the surface sounds like a reasonable explanation we have heard in the past, but I still don't understand what sort of contract has Soap Channel only in Santa Rosa and SciFi in SaraMilGatos, but having those channels stay analog in other Bay Areas. Is this based on contracts that existed prior to acquisitions that got inherited? That's the only thing I can think of, otherwise it seems the contracts are very piecemeal in nature and I would have thought Comcast negotiated with a more regional focus.
Actually, the contracts are based on percentage of analog viewership and digital viewership in specific areas. So if an area has more analog viewers than digital the contract is based on that analog percentage, if the percentage dropped below a given level where there was now more digital than analog then it would be to the channels advantage to move to the digital tier where there is more viewership. So the analog hold outs are why we can't move these to the digital tier and free up some more bandwidth. At least that's how I understood what I was told. Basically, the money in our area is based on analog viewership and until that changes we're SOL.

Laters,
Mikef5

Actually, the contracts are based on percentage of analog viewership and digital viewership in specific areas. So if an area has more analog viewers than digital the contract is based on that analog percentage, if the percentage dropped below a given level where there was now more digital than analog then it would be to the channels advantage to move to the digital tier where there is more viewership. So the analog hold outs are why we can't move these to the digital tier and free up some more bandwidth. At least that's how I understood what I was told. Basically, the money in our area is based on analog viewership and until that changes we're SOL.

Laters,
Mikef5
It appears that most of the problems are caused by the basic analog customers that don't subscribe to anything else. Comcast has revenues of 23.4 billion a year which for about 20 million customers averages out to about $100 per month per customer. So it is us who are paying $160+ per month for TV, internet services, and VOIP that are paying the bill and the $15 per month customer is just holding back the upgrades.

It appears that most of the problems are caused by the basic analog customers that don't subscribe to anything else. Comcast has revenues of 23.4 billion a year which for about 20 million customers averages out to about $100 per month per customer. So it is us who are paying $160+ per month for TV, internet services, and VOIP that are paying the bill and the $15 per month customer is just holding back the upgrades.
Bingo, that's what they mean when they say " you're not cost effective enough to upgrade " analog is the money maker in your area not digital and until that percentage changes there is no reason to upgrade us at all. It's all about the bottom line and our area is at the bottom of that line.

Laters,
Mikef5

You could try contacting the City Manager's office and letting them know. After my experience with Comcast's non-responsiveness I would give them one shot to respond, and then go straight to the franchise authority.

City Manager
City Hall, Room #10
100 Santa Rosa Avenue
Santa Rosa, CA 95404
Phone: (707) 543-3010
Fax: (707) 543-3030

Jeff Kolin, City Manager
Greg Scoles, Deputy City Manager
Patricia Fruiht, Assistant to the City Manager

CMOffice@srcity.org

I see we have a whole new group of politicos now from when I got involved in this 2 years ago which could mean a whole new learning process....I give up, screw it, Comcast is going to do what they always have done from Day 1, it will happen when they decide it will happen and not a day sooner.

This whole local franchise system is about to be tossed out on it's ear. SBC/AT&T doesn't want to deal with local video franchises, since they are only cherry picking communities to deploy in. So they are now working in each statehouse and in congress to get state wide franchise authority, and basically strip the locals of their power. Comcast and cable in general is not opposed to this, as long as the same rules apply to them.

The leader in granting state authority seems to be California. There is a bill in the assembly, AB 2987, that has bipartisan support and is likely to pass this term. Basically, if a carrier fails to reach agreement with the local franchise board, they will be automatically granted a franchise by the state after 30-45 days. It basically completely strips the locals of any authority over video, since AT&T and Comcast will know that they can hold fast and get the state deal.

I don't think the locals know what is about to hit them. Basically, if you wanted a upgrade to your system, you are SOL if they haven't already agreed to do it.

Thanks,
Mike

Bingo, that's what they mean when they say " you're not cost effective enough to upgrade " analog is the money maker in your area not digital and until that percentage changes there is no reason to upgrade us at all. It's all about the bottom line and our area is at the bottom of that line.

Laters,
Mikef5
However, that is Catch 22.

However, that is Catch 22.
Yes, I know, if you don't invest in the future for these areas they won't ever change from what they have now. People need to get better informed on just what their actions or non actions are doing. Of course this is just tv, it's not life or death.... or is it ?? ;)

Laters,
Mikef5

This whole local franchise system is about to be tossed out on it's ear. SBC/AT&T doesn't want to deal with local video franchises, since they are only cherry picking communities to deploy in. So they are now working in each statehouse and in congress to get state wide franchise authority, and basically strip the locals of their power. Comcast and cable in general is not opposed to this, as long as the same rules apply to them.

The leader in granting state authority seems to be California. There is a bill in the assembly, AB 2987, that has bipartisan support and is likely to pass this term. Basically, if a carrier fails to reach agreement with the local franchise board, they will be automatically granted a franchise by the state after 30-45 days. It basically completely strips the locals of any authority over video, since AT&T and Comcast will know that they can hold fast and get the state deal.

I don't think the locals know what is about to hit them. Basically, if you wanted a upgrade to your system, you are SOL if they haven't already agreed to do it.

Thanks,
Mike
Mike,
The assembly bill already passed the Assembly, vote was 70-0, it is now in the Senate and is due for a vote soon.
AT&T is not cherry picking, they started deployment in their home State, they are still basically beta testing with customers, full deployment will begin when they work out most of the bugs.
The assembly bill specifically prohibits red lining, and it calls it that in the bill. I read the bill from start to finish and what I got from it was that if there was a problem with Comcast or AT&T and a local franchise it was put in arbitration and if no agreement could reached the State would rule on what the franchise would consist of and it would not favor one side or the other.
There are at least 2 other States that have already passed State Franchise Boards that I know of, California is still debating this and is no where close to being the leader in anything dealing with franchise agreements.

Laters,
Mikef5

This whole local franchise system is about to be tossed out on it's ear. SBC/AT&T doesn't want to deal with local video franchises, since they are only cherry picking communities to deploy in. So they are now working in each statehouse and in congress to get state wide franchise authority, and basically strip the locals of their power. Comcast and cable in general is not opposed to this, as long as the same rules apply to them.

The leader in granting state authority seems to be California. There is a bill in the assembly, AB 2987, that has bipartisan support and is likely to pass this term. Basically, if a carrier fails to reach agreement with the local franchise board, they will be automatically granted a franchise by the state after 30-45 days. It basically completely strips the locals of any authority over video, since AT&T and Comcast will know that they can hold fast and get the state deal.

I don't think the locals know what is about to hit them. Basically, if you wanted a upgrade to your system, you are SOL if they haven't already agreed to do it.

Thanks,
Mike

Absolutely, ask any member of the City Manager's office here and they'll tell you the same thing, it's no secret, there's no doubt in their minds that one of the MAJOR roadblocks to getting anything done is simply that Comcast is waiting until they don't have to deal with the locals. Our locality is very aware of those bills, the problem is, there really isn't anything that they can do about it, Comcast just continues to stall and the CM Office has very little recourse as Comcast is supplying what was originally franchised for.

It's great business for Comcast, as I've noted before, they have done almost nothing here other than change the name on the door and start collecting fees from 66,000 subscribers. The only real infrastructure work that gets done is when a new apartment/condo/townhome unit goes up, and then they're all over that, for obvious reasons.

I agree as well, that if nothing has happened yet, it isn't going to happen until Comcast feels pressure from either sub decline, or ATT moves into the area, plus there will be no local pressure anymore. Other than that, any upgrades will happen when ever Comcast decides to do it and it certainly won't have anything to do with what a handful of subscribers(us) want.

Well, going through channels is what I did for 20 years in the Navy so I guess it's just hard to teach an old dog new tricks... :p but if it's really important to you don't just roll over and play dead, get out there and bark. Ok, enough of the dog puns... the more people that do something about this the more it will make Comcast at least look into it. Personally I don't see the problem, if a customer wants a dvr, I'd lease it to him no matter what level of programing he has, it's 10 bucks I wasn't getting from him in the first place. Pretty simple logic if you ask me.

Laters,
Mikef5
Personally I don't see the problem, if a customer wants a dvr, I'd lease it to him no matter what level of programing he has, it's 10 bucks I wasn't getting from him in the first place. Pretty simple logic if you ask me.

The problem is that Comcast will be forfeiting around $25-35 of "free money" for subs who only want Limited Basic and the DVR. Comcast makes way more than $10 per month for those things, it's more like $35-45 per month. Keep in mind that at least 50% of their subs are analog only, the idea is to get those subs into digital, leasing the DVR to analog only subs will slow that process considerably.

Bingo, that's what they mean when they say " you're not cost effective enough to upgrade " analog is the money maker in your area not digital and until that percentage changes there is no reason to upgrade us at all. It's all about the bottom line and our area is at the bottom of that line.

Laters,
Mikef5
It's also about the overall bottom line, these areas that are basically cash machines(no or very little capitol expenditure) have/are footing the bill for the upgrades that have/are occurring in other areas.

Personally I don't see the problem, if a customer wants a dvr, I'd lease it to him no matter what level of programing he has, it's 10 bucks I wasn't getting from him in the first place. Pretty simple logic if you ask me.

The problem is that Comcast will be forfeiting around $25-35 of "free money" for subs who only want Limited Basic and the DVR. Comcast makes way more than $10 per month for those things, it's more like $35-45 per month. Keep in mind that at least 50% of their subs are analog only, the idea is to get those subs into digital, leasing the DVR to analog only subs will slow that process considerably.
Do you really think that someone would change to a digital package just to get a dvr ?? No, they love their analog to much. I would bet those analog people have an analog Tivo dvr so why should they change ?? They won't change until you force them to, just like Comcast :rolleyes:

Laters,
Mikef5

Do you really think that someone would change to a digital package just to get a dvr ?? No, they love their analog to much. I would bet those analog people have an analog Tivo dvr so why should they change ?? They won't change until you force them to, just like Comcast :rolleyes:

Laters,
Mikef5
For $10 a month on top of a Limited Basic subscription? The ability to record anything and everything for about $30 a month? Yeah, I bet they would, I know it's what I want. In fact, Comcast should offer the DVR to analog subs as once they get that box into the residence, the rest, getting them hooked on digital, is downhill. Think about all the popup ads and BS they could run to entice those customers to go digital. Fact is, I think Comcast is missing the boat by not offering analog subs a DVR.

To go from less than $20 a month to about $75 a month to get the DVR is a hell of a jump, a jump most analog-only subs would not be interested in. Let them go from $20 to about $30-35 a month and I'll bet they get a lot of takers.

San Francisco Bay Area Comcast Information
============================================================ ==============

This thread contains posts regarding Comcast HDTV service in the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose Bay Area. (This covers San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Sonoma, and Napa counties.)

For Solano County see note below.

To summarize status as of August, 2006:

HD Channels:

Note: Not all channels are available everywhere. Check with your local Comcast office, or better yet, post the question here as you will get the most accurate, up to date, information from this group. Having a location/city in your profile helps tremendously.

702 KTVU-DT (FOX) 720p & DD 5.1
703 KNTV-DT (NBC) 1080i & DD 5.1
704 KRON-DT (MyTV) 1080i
705 KPIX-DT (CBS) 1080i & DD 5.1
707 KGO-DT (ABC) 720p & DD 5.1
709 KQED-DT (PBS) (on air 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.) 1080i & DD 5.1

719 INHD (encrypted in most areas) 1080i
720 INHD2 (encrypted in most areas) 1080i (FSNBA-HD see note below)

FSN Bay Area HD (some Warriors, A's and Giants games inserted onto 720, pre-empting INHD2 programming) FSN Bay Area Website-- HD Schedule (http://fsnbayarea.com/FSNHD.jsp)

722 Discovery HD Theater 1080i & DD 5.1
723 ESPN HD (encrypted in most areas) 720p & DD 5.1
725 ESPN2 HD (encrypted) 720p & DD 5.1
HD Special Events
-- NFL Channel HD (NFL Game of the Week, Weds. and Thurs. Evenings)
-- INHD programming (third INHD feed) whenever NBA game is on INHD
-- Other HD programming TBA

730 HBO HD West (encrypted) 1080i & DD 5.1
732 Cinemax HD West (encrypted) 1080i & DD 5.1
734 Starz HD West (encrypted) 1080i & DD 5.1
736 Showtime HD West (encrypted) 1080i & DD 5.1

Note re encryption: This varies from one head end to the next. Some premiums and/or ESPN HD and/or InHD may be unencrypted in your area, but that will change as soon as Comcast gets all the necessary equipment to encrypt. Only the local HD channels will be "in the clear" once all the head ends have the proper equipment.

Note re ADS: ADS, or Analog-Digital Simulcasting, is when the analog channels are duplicated as digital subchannels. This allows for cheaper, smaller digital boxes as the analog tuner is not needed. ADS also eliminates the need for MPEG encoders in the DVR's. The primary advantage is the elimination of interference typically associated with analog signals.

Most 750/850MHz systems in the Bay Area have implemented ADS. The surest way of obtaining the digital versions of the analog channels is to incorporate at least one Motorola 3412 STB in your household. Once the headend receives the signal that you're in an "ADS-ready" area, your other STB's will automatically start using the digital channels. To find out if you're receiving the digital channels, tune both of your tuners to channel 2, go in to the diagnostics menu, and go to "d06 CURRENT CHANNEL STATUS". If both tuners say 'QAM 256" then you're receiving the digital version of the channel. If they say "Analog" then you are receiving the analog version of the channel.

Note re 550 Mhz systems: Not all (or any) HD channels may be available in some Bay Area systems because they are not yet "rebuilt" to either 750 mHz or 860 mHz and thus have less bandwidth to devote to HDTV. As it stands August 2006, there doesn't appear to be any plans to upgrade these systems to bring parity with the rest of the SF bay area. The prevailing assumption is that as we move closer to the analog OTA shutdown date, Comcast will be moving analog channels to digital, and thus, freeing up bandwidth for more channels and services on these systems. This looks to be a long and slow process covering years so don't expect anything new to appear on these systems anytime soon. On these systems you will NOT get: INHD*, INHD2,* FSN Bay Area HD*, Showtime HD, KRON HD and/or HD Special Events among others depending on the particular system.

But, you will pay the same rates as subscribers who do receive the full complement of channels and services. This is an inequity that Comcast, to date, has not addressed and continues to remain silent on.

These systems are located in, among other areas,

Antioch
Hayward
Los Gatos
Milpitas
Pittsburg
San Leandro
San Lorenzo
Santa Rosa
Saratoga
Sunnyvale(parts)
Vallejo

* INHD and INHD2 are available in areas of Saratoga, Milpitas and Los Gatos even though these are primarily 550 Mhz systems.

Note: Solano County. Information obtained from Comcast subscriber heyjjjaded in Vacaville.

1. Our local HD channels are all out of Sacramento
2. Unlike Sacramento though, all of our HD channels are in the 700's (the way they are in San Francisco)
3. We get standard network non-HD channels (NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox) from both Sacramento & San Francisco
4. The 800 telephone number on our Comcast brochure puts us through to the bay area
5. Our HD problems (break-ups, audio-drops, failure to switch from INHD2 to FSN HD) almost always coincide with the same problems reported by the Sacramento customers

For further Sacramento information, see the Sacramento Comcast Thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8175752#post8175752)


HD Capable Set Top Box/Firmware:

Motorola 5100 and Motorola 6200

The 6200 has a faster processor and two firewire (IEEE 1394) ports.

Firmware 7.15 (7.10 in some areas). DVI and Firewire are activated with both versions but are more stable and user friendly with 7.15.

Current software is 51.88-2002.

See the rest of the thread, below, or the 5100/6200 thread in the HDTV Hardware forum for more specific information.

HD-DVR/Software:

Motorola 6412-- first became available in December 2004. (6208 was originally projected to be available November/December 2003). Costs extra $9.95 per month (or $4.95 per month more than a non-DVR HD STB rental from Comcast) above what you are otherwise paying for now.

Software for the HD DVR the iGuide, by Guideworks, a joint venture of Comcast and Gemstar-TV Guide. Software for all other HD boxes will eventually be the iGuide but has not yet been downloaded to them as of February 17, 2005.

Current firmware version for the 6412:

Current software version for the 6412: 71.44 1203 (revision should be coming in the next couple of months)


Motorola 6412 PIII--same as 6412 listed above but has HDMI video output vs DVI for the above 6412.

Current firmware version for the 6412-PIII: 12.31


Motorola 3412--same as 6412 PIII only it has no analog tuner. The 3412 is a digital-only DVR and can be used only on systems where ADS has been implemented.

Current firmware version for the 3412: 12.22


Costs:

Limited basic cable, which is required for all subscriptions, ranges from $9 to $17 per month depending on your area. HD STB rental (non-DVR) is $5 per month. To get INHD and ESPN HD, if encrypted, you need Digital Classic tier at $9.95 per month. Premium HD channels, if encrypted, are received with any a la carte or package subscription that includes the SD versions of those channels.

HD-DVR (6412-3412) cost: $4.95 more per month than the standard HD STB. To be eligible to rent the DVR you must have a subscription to Standard Cable and at least Digital Classic--average cost--$57

Note: All the above prices prices and packages will vary somewhat from area to area, check with others in your location and/or contact the local Comcast office that serves your area.


I will update this summary as information changes. If anyone has different or updated information to the above, please post it to this thread and I will incorporate it.

For $10 a month on top of a Limited Basic subscription? The ability to record anything and everything for about $30 a month? Yeah, I bet they would, I know it's what I want. In fact, Comcast should offer the DVR to analog subs as once they get that box into the residence, the rest, getting them hooked on digital, is downhill. Think about all the popup ads and BS they could run to entice those customers to go digital. Fact is, I think Comcast is missing the boat by not offering analog subs a DVR.

To go from less than $20 a month to about $75 a month to get the DVR is a hell of a jump, a jump most analog-only subs would not be interested in. Let them go from $20 to about $30-35 a month and I'll bet they get a lot of takers.
Comcast like any other business is in the business of making money. If I was running Comcast, if allowed, I'd turn analog off completely in a trial area in one of the high priced 550 MHz systems in the Bay Area and require everyone to upgrade to digital cable or else go somewhere else. The may lose some customers but I'm not sure that many of the standard basic customers will leave and put an ugly dish and cable on their million dollar house. Then Comcast could concentrate on the high end customer providing services that those customers would want. For every 5-7 basic cable customers that Comcast would lose, all Comcast would need is 1 high end customer to replace them.

If Comcast does not start to acquire the high end customers and panders to the basic customer, I would expect Comcast will be out of business within 5 years as Dish will take those customers away.

They currently would run afoul of the FCC if they tried to eliminate the ability of consumer-owned tuner devices to receive analog channels.

They currently would run afoul of the FCC if they tried to eliminate the ability of consumer-owned tuner devices to receive analog channels.
I've heard people talk about that regulation but I have never seen the regulation. Even regulators must have realized that such a regulation could have a major financial concequence as technology changes. Do you have a link to that FCC regulation?

Besides, I would think that if there is such a regulation, it could easily be overturned since cable companies are no longer a monopoly and the FCC wants analog turned off by 2009 anyway.

mike,

where's my courtesy alert? giants are on HD on KTVU again :D

mike,

where's my courtesy alert? giants are on HD on KTVU again :D
Sorry, I was on the Tech Chat on Dish, it just finished so..... ALERT !!!!! Giants in HD ( brought to you by Comcast ) and Food Channel goes HD on Dish on the 16th :D .

Laters,
Mikef5

Removing FM stations....
Seems there is a big call for this and it would not free up that much bandwidth, maybe 2 MHz of bandwidth. Since it doesn't free up much there's not much to do about this, enjoy listening to music on your tv speakers :rolleyes:


There are some areas of the Bay where it's hard to get a crystal clean FM OTA for some of the stations. I, for one, do like the FM stations, but I don't use the TV speakers to listen. I use the digital optical feed from my DCT-6412 to my stereo receiver, and enjoy it static free without the TV on :)

This has probably been asked before (and buried deep in this thread), but why no TNTHD or MHD in any bay area systems. These have been contracts with Comcast for a while now. I am moving from Dallas and was hoping to see these when I moved out. The area I am moving to appears to have an upgraded system. Is there talk of adding these in the area?

Thanks in advance for your responses.

David
Mountain View, CA

This has probably been asked before (and buried deep in this thread), but why no TNTHD or MHD in any bay area systems. These have been contracts with Comcast for a while now. I am moving from Dallas and was hoping to see these when I moved out. The area I am moving to appears to have an upgraded system. Is there talk of adding these in the area?

Thanks in advance for your responses.

David
Mountain View, CA

i've been on my knees begging for TNTHD. actually all i really do is b*tch on this forum. your guess is as good as mine as to why we don't have it. there is NO specific local talk about adding it on. i get my optimism from the national comcast threads.

They currently would run afoul of the FCC if they tried to eliminate the ability of consumer-owned tuner devices to receive analog channels.
Only if they dropped the locals. The could drop all of expanded basic without running afoul. It was my impression in the "test areas" where they did truly go "all digital", they still sent the locals in analog.

Actually, the contracts are based on percentage of analog viewership and digital viewership in specific areas. So if an area has more analog viewers than digital the contract is based on that analog percentage, if the percentage dropped below a given level where there was now more digital than analog then it would be to the channels advantage to move to the digital tier where there is more viewership. So the analog hold outs are why we can't move these to the digital tier and free up some more bandwidth. At least that's how I understood what I was told. Basically, the money in our area is based on analog viewership and until that changes we're SOL.
Are you saying Santa Rosa and SaraMilGatos have more analog users than the rest of the Bay Area (percentage-wise) and that is the reason why SOAP in Santa Rosa and SciFi in SaraMilGatos (which are already digital in the vast majority of the Bay Area), are analog in those areas?

That doesn't really make sense to me (I understand what you are describing, it just doesn't match the evidence) because even 7 years ago SciFi was still digital in my area and back then I was sure analog dominated digital.

I've tried to get a sense from searching & reading the thread, but haven't found the info I'm hoping someone can provide. Sorry if this has been addressed before, but...

* I'm probably buying a Samsung HL-S4666W.
* I'm either transferring my DirecTV service (and ponying up $399 for their HD-DVR) or ditching it for Comcast. Comcast's $0 install & no contract obligation seems to make trying them a no-brainer.

My concern, since I've never owned an HDTV, is that the signals on non-HD channels is going to be unwatchable on a 46" HDTV. Is there any consensus on whether that's true or not? My only point of comparison would be the old 27" TV that I'm watching now.

Also, should I (and can I) request a specific HD-DVR receiver from Comcast?


It's a bit of a toss-up. SD/Digital generally looks like crap on both. I had DirecTV, and now due to trees in my new place, am stuck with Comcast for now.
Been watching lots of SciFi and no big difference. Both look pretty bad, (actually something happened Monday as there are lots of breakups and such even now, on Comcast).
And so far the DVR (yes they do have an HD box, the Moto 64XX and 34XX mentioned in this thread), is annoying, but, it does have enough functionality to be useful. If you can swing the money I'd go with the HD-TiVo, granted if you want HD locals, and can't get a good signal then Comcast is the better deal, as the locals on DirecTV are MPEG-4, and the DVR w/ MPEG-4 capability is "still in testing".
One thing is, DirecTV, if you get OTA signal does have a much better selection than Comcast, especially if you're in a 550MHz area (search for keenan's post earlier in the thread.) Comcast does give better bandwidth (see HD-Lite) but, not much consolation when DirecTV, has the better selection.
So, search around for what channels you can get with either, and look through the 'HD recording' thread for pros and cons of the hardware. As for SD, not sure there's a good solution other than going C-band, but, you also search for SD complaints that would give some separation.

Going through my recordings of Dark Angel from Monday night, and there was horrible breakup. I figured it was the DVR, as I was tight on space, but, I then switched to SciFi live, and saw much the same thing. Probably call Tuesday, as I've got DNS problems with their internet service, and wondered are others seeing this on the Peninsula, MV/PA area? Other channels seem fine, BBCA, and the HD channels, can't remember how to check signal strength.

Only if they dropped the locals. The could drop all of expanded basic without running afoul. It was my impression in the "test areas" where they did truly go "all digital", they still sent the locals in analog.
Right, they did continue with analog locals and gave everyone a DCT700. I think they actually left a number of other channels analog as well. Be interesting to hear from someone in Calaveras County how that works.

Are you saying Santa Rosa and SaraMilGatos have more analog users than the rest of the Bay Area (percentage-wise) and that is the reason why SOAP in Santa Rosa and SciFi in SaraMilGatos (which are already digital in the vast majority of the Bay Area), are analog in those areas?

That doesn't really make sense to me (I understand what you are describing, it just doesn't match the evidence) because even 7 years ago SciFi was still digital in my area and back then I was sure analog dominated digital.
I have no doubt, even though I have no proof, that there are far more analog users in Santa Rosa than digital. How that relates to specific channels being on analog versus digital, I have no idea.

It's a bit of a toss-up. SD/Digital generally looks like crap on both. I had DirecTV, and now due to trees in my new place, am stuck with Comcast for now.
Been watching lots of SciFi and no big difference. Both look pretty bad, (actually something happened Monday as there are lots of breakups and such even now, on Comcast).
And so far the DVR (yes they do have an HD box, the Moto 64XX and 34XX mentioned in this thread), is annoying, but, it does have enough functionality to be useful. If you can swing the money I'd go with the HD-TiVo, granted if you want HD locals, and can't get a good signal then Comcast is the better deal, as the locals on DirecTV are MPEG-4, and the DVR w/ MPEG-4 capability is "still in testing".
One thing is, DirecTV, if you get OTA signal does have a much better selection than Comcast, especially if you're in a 550MHz area (search for keenan's post earlier in the thread.) Comcast does give better bandwidth (see HD-Lite) but, not much consolation when DirecTV, has the better selection.
So, search around for what channels you can get with either, and look through the 'HD recording' thread for pros and cons of the hardware. As for SD, not sure there's a good solution other than going C-band, but, you also search for SD complaints that would give some separation.
Check out Dish, killer deal on their DVR and WAY more HD and better SD PQ. They were offering a 30 Day money back trial.

Hi, can anyone who lives in oakland, berkeley or emeryville what they're getting through qam using comcast lines? Thanks

I think Bill works for Dish.

I have no doubt, even though I have no proof, that there are far more analog users in Santa Rosa than digital. How that relates to specific channels being on analog versus digital, I have no idea.
Another factor that would seem to support higher analog sub counts, an article in today's PressDemocrat indicates that Sonoma County is becoming blue-hair country way faster than the national average.

50 is the new 20!! (as one commenter to the article posted) :D

http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060815/NEWS/608150306/1033/NEWS01
County's population getting grayer | Santa Rosa Press Democrat // News for California's North Bay and Redwood Empire

I think Bill works for Dish.
I'll say one thing for the Dish 622, it appears to have the best ATSC tuner I've ever had, it's the only one that's been able to get a 90-95% stable signal for KBCW, a channel that ...ahem...Comcast still doesn't carry...ahem..which BTW had the Raider/Vikings game in HD last night for those that don't have ESPN. It also has a strong signal for KRON, the other primetime HD network, that..ahem...Comcast also doesn't carry in Santa Rosa...ahem... :p :D

Okay, so, is the first post ready to go?

Going once...

...KBCW, a channel that...had the Raider/Vikings game in HD last night....Well...some of it was HD. the sidelines cams were HDTV ones, for sure, but whatever they were using for the full-field-from-the-50-yard-line-bleachers view was the worst "HD" that I've seen for some while! :(

All I had to do was plug in the 3412 and the 6412 started receiving digital signals.

Hmmm, I might go into the walnut creek office and pickup a 3412 for the bedroom. Just plugging in the 3412 will enable the 6412 to pickup the digital signal right? You dont need to do anything extra to the 6412 after plugging in the 3412?

Thanks in advance.

Well...some of it was HD. the sidelines cams were HDTV ones, for sure, but whatever they were using for the full-field-from-the-50-yard-line-bleachers view was the worst "HD" that I've seen for some while! :(
Looked a little fuzzy didn't? Maybe from the side-conversion to 1080i? ESPN wasn't that much better. None of the early productions so far from any network have been what I'd called stellar.

...and that "target" in the middle of the screen on ESPN has gotta go..

I went to the comcast office today and they said that plugging in a 3412 wouldnt enable the 6412 to receive digital signals. I didnt feel like arguing with him because quite frankly I am not that educated about it. I told him I would bring in my 6412 and swap it out for a 3412.

My biggest concern is that I will lose all the recorded shows on my DVR. Can anyone confirm if that is true? I didnt ask the comcast technician as I didnt think about it until after I had already left the comcast office.
All I had to do was plug in the 3412 and the 6412 started receiving digital signals.

I went to the comcast office today and they said that plugging in a 3412 wouldnt enable the 6412 to receive digital signals. I didnt feel like arguing with him because quite frankly I am not that educated about it. I told him I would bring in my 6412 and swap it out for a 3412.

My biggest concern is that I will lose all the recorded shows on my DVR. Can anyone confirm if that is true? I didnt ask the comcast technician as I didnt think about it until after I had already left the comcast office.

Are you asking if you swap your 6412 for a 3412, will all of your recordings from your 6412 be lost? If so, then "yes". Or are you asking if your 6412 switches over to "all digital", will the recordings on that 6412 be lost? If so, then "no", all of your recordings will stay intact (including your guide info).

OMG, another Giants game in HD !!! I can't stand all this HD at once, when will it ever end ???
NEVER I hope :p ;)
Now, if the Giant's would just win more often all would be right in the world. Why can't they be more like the A's :)

Laters,
Mikef5

The solution is just more A's in HD.

OMG, another Giants game in HD !!! I can't stand all this HD at once, when will it ever end ???
NEVER I hope :p ;)
Now, if the Giant's would just win more often all would be right in the world. Why can't they be more like the A's :)

Laters,
Mikef5

i really hope KTVU does more HD games in 2007. they do a good job with pq, and jon miller is always a treat.

OMG, another Giants game in HD !!! I can't stand all this HD at once, when will it ever end ???
NEVER I hope :p ;)
Now, if the Giant's would just win more often all would be right in the world. Why can't they be more like the A's :)

Laters,
Mikef5

Remaining KTVU games in HD:

8/18 Dodgers @ Giants

8/22 Dbacks @ Giants

9/15 Giants @ St. Louis

9/18 Giants @ Colorado

9/26 Dbacks @ Giants

9/29 Dodgers @ Giants

i really hope KTVU does more HD games in 2007. they do a good job with pq, and jon miller is always a treat.
Well, I got an answer from Mark Ibanez and he made it sound like they ( Cox ) will be doing more local HD programing through the rest of the baseball season and through the football season. He mentioned the Raiders games but we all know they blackout games that are not sold out so it will probably be alot of 49er games on KTVU. I just hope they will continue with the same quality that they have shown lately, much better than the Fox national feeds they had been getting.

Laters,
Mikef5

does anyone know what channel the PGA championship coverage will be in HD for Thurs/Fri? With no TNT-HD in my guide, I'm already f#@ked and I just signed up for comcast. It's been one thing after another with these guys and I'm already regretting the move from satellite.

does anyone know what channel the PGA championship coverage will be in HD for Thurs/Fri? With no TNT-HD in my guide, I'm already f#@ked and I just signed up for comcast. It's been one thing after another with these guys and I'm already regretting the move from satellite.

not to be blunt, but you should've done your homework before you signed up. i guess we'll all have to wait until sat/sun when the PGA moves to CBS. sorry.

That is what I was asking and also what I was afraid of. Guess I will be sticking with my 6412 and analog channels. I have a whole season of recordings in HD on my DVR that is not available in the OnDemand feature and I really dont want to lose it. :(
Are you asking if you swap your 6412 for a 3412, will all of your recordings from your 6412 be lost? If so, then "yes".

not to be blunt, but you should've done your homework before you signed up. i guess we'll all have to wait until sat/sun when the PGA moves to CBS. sorry.
I know you're right but due to bad timing, I'm just stuck in between having another dish system and comcast up at the same time. and where the heck is FSN-HD? I asked the rep 3 times to confirm that it was on my system before I ordered. I thought it was up the first day, now I can't find it.

They air Giants and A's games, broadcasted by FSN-HD, on INHD1 and INHD2. You can go to FSN-Bay Area's website to obtain a list of the games FSN broadcasts in HD. Then on those days, you will find the game on one of the two INHD channels.
I know you're right but due to bad timing, I'm just stuck in between having another dish system and comcast up at the same time. and where the heck is FSN-HD? I asked the rep 3 times to confirm that it was on my system before I ordered. I thought it was up the first day, now I can't find it.

I know you're right but due to bad timing, I'm just stuck in between having another dish system and comcast up at the same time. and where the heck is FSN-HD? I asked the rep 3 times to confirm that it was on my system before I ordered. I thought it was up the first day, now I can't find it.

its on 720 (if you have it), and when there is a game on FSN-HD, they will preempt INHD2. otherwise, its not a full time channel, nor should there be a fulltime FSN-HD channel, since it only matters during gametime. check www.hdsportsguide.com to find out when the next game will be on FSNBA-HD.

thanks for the info.....that makes sense

Can anyone in the South bay (San Jose) tell me if ESPNHD is in the clear? I get ESPN2HD but no ESPNHD. What frequency do you get ESPNHD at?

I have a TV with QAM tuner and basic service.

Can anyone in the South bay (San Jose) tell me if ESPNHD is in the clear? I get ESPN2HD but no ESPNHD. What frequency do you get ESPNHD at?

I have a TV with QAM tuner and basic service.

ESPN2HD is only temporarily in the clear. ESPNHD is not.

Okay, so, is the first post ready to go?

Going once...
Going twice...

(Food Network in HD up on Dish BTW.) :)

Going twice...

(Food Network in HD up on Dish BTW.) :)

Looks good to me.

Lucky.

Can anyone in the South bay (San Jose) tell me if ESPNHD is in the clear? I get ESPN2HD but no ESPNHD. What frequency do you get ESPNHD at?

I have a TV with QAM tuner and basic service.

What digital channel is in on in QAM signals?
I'm in Sunnyvale and I don't see it.

Does anyone know if comcast can transfer the files/recorded programs off your DVR onto another DVR?

I want to swap my 6412 for a 3412 but dont want to lose all the programs currently recorded on my 6412.

I have a feeling this isnt possible, but thought I would check anyway.

Thanks.

No.....

not to be blunt, but you should've done your homework before you signed up. i guess we'll all have to wait until sat/sun when the PGA moves to CBS. sorry.
Any chance Comcast is going put the HD feed on CBS HD Thurs/Fri? They did that a few years ago for the Masters.

hdsportsguide.com shows it being aired on TNT-HD Thurs/Fri, then on CBS for the weekend.

Us comcast subscribers are pretty much screwed until this weekend.

You can watch it in SD though.
Any chance Comcast is going put the HD feed on CBS HD Thurs/Fri? They did that a few years ago for the Masters.

:( No.....

hdsportsguide.com shows it being aired on TNT-HD Thurs/Fri, then on CBS for the weekend.

Us comcast subscribers are pretty much screwed until this weekend.

You can watch it in SD though.
Yes, I know it's on TNT. That wasn't my question. A few years ago Comcast took the HD feed for the Masters and showed it on 705 Thurs and Friday (I think Thurs/Fri coverage was shown in ESPN). The on-screen guide showed the normal weekday programming, so you wouldn't have known in advance-- and CBS SD did show the normal weekday programming.

Anyway, I guess we'll find out in about 45 minutes.

Yes, I clearly understood your question. However, comcast itself advises their customers to check hdsportsguide.com for all hd sports listings and its showing TNT-HD.

Who knows, we might get lucky, but I am not holding my breath.
Yes, I know it's on TNT. That wasn't my question. A few years ago Comcast took the HD feed for the Masters and showed it on 705 Thurs and Friday (I think Thurs/Fri coverage was shown in ESPN). The on-screen guide showed the normal weekday programming, so you wouldn't have known in advance-- and CBS SD did show the normal weekday programming.

Anyway, I guess we'll find out in about 45 minutes.

Who knows, we might get lucky, but I am not holding my breath.
Nor am I.

Hey John, FYI, this was on hdsportsguide.com

"CBS will also have a late night recap show Thursday and Friday night starting at 12:37 AM. "

Hey John, FYI, this was on hdsportsguide.com

"CBS will also have a late night recap show Thursday and Friday night starting at 12:37 AM. "
Yeah, I saw that. In my experience those recap shows are almost always in SD.

Good think neither of us was holding his breath, btw. :)

haha, yeah we would both be blue/purple by now.

I think the recap will be in HD, since it was on hdsportsguide's site, but you never know.

I am painfully watching it now in SD. :(
Yeah, I saw that. In my experience those recap shows are almost always in SD.

Good think neither of us was holding his breath, btw. :)

Anyone know if KPIX (705) and/or KTVU (702) will be broadcasting the
Raiders/Niners game this Sunday in HD? So far all I see are SD listings.

According to sf49ers.com it looks like it will be on CBS @ 5pm.

2006 Pre-Season

August 11 vs. Chicago CBS 5 7:00 p.m.
August 20 @ Oakland CBS 5 5:00 p.m.
August 26 @ Dallas CBS 5 5:00 p.m.
Sept. 1 vs. San Diego CBS 5 7:00 p.m.

When looking at TV Guide, it shows the game being aired on 705 so I think we should be good to go.

CBS 705 - 05:00pm - 08:00pm: NFL Preseason Football
Anyone know if KPIX (705) and/or KTVU (702) will be broadcasting the
Raiders/Niners game this Sunday in HD? So far all I see are SD listings.

haha, yeah we would both be blue/purple by now.

I think the recap will be in HD, since it was on hdsportsguide's site, but you never know.
I looked on that site but didn't see anything about the recap. Where did you see it?

Background: San Jose Comcast, 95110, Hidef pvr, firmware 09.19, s/w 71.44-1203


For the last several months I've been getting very slow response when trying to change channels or use any of the menu functions on the remote.

The batteries are fresh. The led lights up on the remote when a button is pressed.

Sometimes this occurs and sometimes it doesn't. And when it does it takes a long time to change channels or do anything with remote. I've also tried changing channels and change cursor at the box with the same results.

Here is a direct link to the HD Sports News for 8/17/2006: http://www.hdsportsguide.com/singleNews.php?page=289

Here is the entire blurb:
HD Sports News

8/17/2006

Don't miss it! The PGA Championship in HDTV starts today with coverage on TNT HD and continues throughout the weekend on TNT and CBS. CBS will also have a late night recap show Thursday and Friday night starting at 12:37 AM.

On Yahoo TV Listings it shows 705 as airing:
Golf

CBS 705
Aug 18 12:37am
Sports, 30 Mins.

"PGA Championship, First-Round Highlights"
From Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Ill.

Original Airdate: August 17, 2006.
I looked on that site but didn't see anything about the recap. Where did you see it?

Background: San Jose Comcast, 95110, Hidef pvr, firmware 09.19, s/w 71.44-1203


For the last several months I've been getting very slow response when trying to change channels or use any of the menu functions on the remote.

The batteries are fresh. The led lights up on the remote when a button is pressed.

Sometimes this occurs and sometimes it doesn't. And when it does it takes a long time to change channels or do anything with remote. I've also tried changing channels and change cursor at the box with the same results.
What connections do you have to your tv ?? Component ?? DVI/HDMI ?? Both ??
Sometimes when you have multiple connections to the tv the motorola box will slow down to a crawl. Use only one connection to the tv from the moto box. Also your firmware is old, even in the ghetto's I have 12.31 firmware and since you are in San Jose you should have it also ( if you have the 6412 moto box ).Try a hard reset on the box.Hope this helps.

Laters,
Mikef5

According to sf49ers.com it looks like it will be on CBS @ 5pm.
When looking at TV Guide, it shows the game being aired on 705 so I think we should be good to go.
CBS 705 - 05:00pm - 08:00pm: NFL Preseason Football

But are you seeing anything that lists it as a HD telecast?

According to sf49ers.com it looks like it will be on CBS @ 5pm.

2006 Pre-Season

August 11 vs. Chicago CBS 5 7:00 p.m.
August 20 @ Oakland CBS 5 5:00 p.m.
August 26 @ Dallas CBS 5 5:00 p.m.
Sept. 1 vs. San Diego CBS 5 7:00 p.m.

When looking at TV Guide, it shows the game being aired on 705 so I think we should be good to go.

CBS 705 - 05:00pm - 08:00pm: NFL Preseason Football

just because 705 says its being aired doesn't mean it isn't a SD simulcast of the game. that said, i think mike said the game will be on HD. mike has sources in high places, or does a good job with google.

Yes, hdsportsguide.com does, go here: http://www.hdsportsguide.com/nfl.php

Currently it shows it being aired on the NFL Network, but they have a disclaimer that HD games on FOX and CBS are added as they are announced on a weekly basis. TV Guide shows channel 705 airing the SF/Oak game at 5pm on 8/20 so I am hoping thats not just upconverted 480.

Here is the details from hdsportsguide.com:
NFL Schedule

The CBS and FOX games that will be in HDTV are added to the guide as they are announced. Historically, they have made these announcements on a weekly basis throughout the season.

Date Sport Description Time (ET) Network
8/20/2006 NFL San Francisco 49ers vs. Oakland Raiders (Preseason) 12:00 AM NFL Network (1080i)

But are you seeing anything that lists it as a HD telecast?

Well hdsportsguide is claiming that the game will be aired on the NFL Network, at 12am on 8/20, which isnt even possible since the game wont start until 5pm on 8/20.

I would be very surprised to see the game aired on CBS (705) and not be HD, but maybe I am just too optimistic :o just because 705 says its being aired doesn't mean it isn't a SD simulcast of the game. that said, i think mike said the game will be on HD. mike has sources in high places, or does a good job with google.

Well hdsportsguide is claiming that the game will be aired on the NFL Network, at 12am on 8/20, which isnt even possible since the game wont start until 5pm on 8/20.

I would be very surprised to see the game aired on CBS (705) and not be HD, but maybe I am just too optimistic :o

oh yea btw. i remember, it will be in HD because i watched the niners game last week and it said the niners raiders game will be in HD. one point of clarification, the game is locally produced (KPIX), not CBS produced.

oh yea btw. i remember, it will be in HD because i watched the niners game last week and it said the niners raiders game will be in HD. one point of clarification, the game is locally produced (KPIX), not CBS produced.

Correct about the KPIX production, as well as the KTVU (not FOX) simulcast.
Thanks for the optimistic news about it being in HD!

This whole local franchise system is about to be tossed out on it's ear. SBC/AT&T doesn't want to deal with local video franchises, since they are only cherry picking communities to deploy in. So they are now working in each statehouse and in congress to get state wide franchise authority, and basically strip the locals of their power. Comcast and cable in general is not opposed to this, as long as the same rules apply to them.

The leader in granting state authority seems to be California. There is a bill in the assembly, AB 2987, that has bipartisan support and is likely to pass this term. Basically, if a carrier fails to reach agreement with the local franchise board, they will be automatically granted a franchise by the state after 30-45 days. It basically completely strips the locals of any authority over video, since AT&T and Comcast will know that they can hold fast and get the state deal.

I don't think the locals know what is about to hit them. Basically, if you wanted a upgrade to your system, you are SOL if they haven't already agreed to do it.

Thanks,
Mike

AT&T has sued other local municipalities — including Wheaton, Roselle and Geneva — for not allowing the company to offer the service to residents. The Naperville vote didn’t preclude the company from offering the service, it just requires AT&T to offer it to everyone in the city like the other cable companies do.

The above from,

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8226036#post8226036
AT&T Lightspeed - AVS Forum

You can bet the cable companies are keeping an eagle eye on how that develops.

The above from,

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8226036#post8226036
AT&T Lightspeed - AVS Forum

You can bet the cable companies are keeping an eagle eye on how that develops.

When asked if the company would sue, AT&T Vice President Mike Tye said, “I can’t answer that. We’ll go find a community that wants us to be there.”

They can come here!!

Seriously though...Verizon seems to be doing a much better job at "wooing" the local franchises.

As long as they play by the rules, in the situation above for example, AT&T could come to Santa Rosa and provide service to only part of the city. Legislation California is considering is supposed to prevent that, but you'll notice that AT&T actually had a court reporter in the Naperville meetings, as the writer notes, with a possible look toward using the proceedings as fuel to get federal intervention.

That statement about going to a community that wants them is practically the definition of red-lining, what it really means is, AT&T will go to a community that will let them do what they want, how they want to do it.

I saw a preview for college football on FSN and it said the games will be broadcast in high definition where available. Does anybody know if FSN Bay Area has any plans to carry these games in HD? I sent them an email, but they haven't gotten back to me yet.

(edit) I also checked HDsportsguide and they had nothing listed for FSN

I saw a preview for college football on FSN and it said the games will be broadcast in high definition where available. Does anybody know if FSN Bay Area have any plans to carry these games in HD? I sent them an email, but they haven't gotten back to me yet.

(edit) I also check HDsportsguide and they had nothing listed for FSN

that is great news!! i assume ur a cal bear too. i can't wait to see more bears in HD :)

Yup, at least there's four games so far on ESPN and ABC. I can't wait to see Marshawn Lynch dragging people down the field in HD :D

Not an HD issue, but...Over the past few days I've been getting a lot of breakup (pixillation, dropped audio) on a couple of channels, notably Comedy Central during the Daily Show and a couple of kids channels. It doesn't seem to affect other channels, and it's intermittent. It happens both when watching live TV and when watching shows off the DVR.

Is this likely to be a general problem at the cable company end, or something about my cable installation?

What digital channel is in on in QAM signals?
I'm in Sunnyvale and I don't see it.

119.1. May be a different head end encrypting it.

I only have a single connection to the tv. I ended up calling comcast csr and they said it was a common problem and the solution was to unplug the box from electricity and wait 10 seconds in order to reset the box. That seemed to work for now.

Yeah, all home games are locally produced, so I am excited to see some Niners game in HD this year! (didnt have an HD set last year)
oh yea btw. i remember, it will be in HD because i watched the niners game last week and it said the niners raiders game will be in HD. one point of clarification, the game is locally produced (KPIX), not CBS produced.

Well, I tried emailing Andrew Johnson, Regional VP of Communications for SF Bay Area (Andrew_c_johnson@cable.comcast.com) and his apparent boss Tracy Baumgartner, VP of Communications for the Western Division, (Tracy_Baumgartner@cable.comcast.com) to get an update on plans for the Los Gatos and Aptos areas, where we have homes. I got a courtesy call from the QA manager for the area, which was accompanied by no commitments for any improvements for upgrades. Further emails to these two individuals have been ignored. Feel free to let them know your thoughts - maybe it will help.

Now, that said, my choice now is Dish vs. DirecTV. Any ideas on the best place to get educated on these two suppliers and what might work best for me?

Thanks
Mike

So woke up this morning and turned on the set to watch the news and saw that the moto box has a message on it. As of 20 Sept INHD2 will be removed..... great ..... just made my day.
Is this only for the ghetto's or did other areas get this same message ??? and what about the Giants games ???? I'll wait and see what happens before I blow a fuse but I'm REALLY an unhappy camper now. :mad:

Laters,
Mikef5

I'm in south San Jose. I just checked my messages and INHD2 will be removed and TNT HD will be added on September 20th. TNT HD will be on channel 726. Why the hell can't they add channels WITHOUT removing channels. I just don't get it.

So woke up this morning and turned on the set to watch the news and saw that the moto box has a message on it. As of 20 Sept INHD2 will be removed..... great ..... just made my day.
Is this only for the ghetto's or did other areas get this same message ??? and what about the Giants games ???? I'll wait and see what happens before I blow a fuse but I'm REALLY an unhappy camper now. :mad:

Laters,
Mikef5
The removal of INHD2 is a national thing, it's just a matter of when. Many systems have already lost it. The channel itself is being shutdown. Is INHD2 your only INHD channel in your area? Any sports games will end up on the channel that's left, INHD, if you don't have INHD then I guess you'll join us back in the ghetto. :D

I'm in south San Jose. I just checked my messages and INHD2 will be removed and TNT HD will be added on September 20th. TNT HD will be on channel 726. Why the hell can't they add channels WITHOUT removing channels. I just don't get it.
I just checked the message again and there is no mention of adding anything just that INHD2 will be removed... Period
Not sitting well with me right now... :mad:

Laters,
Mikef5

I just wish my channel count would go up, instead of down or staying the same. I know bandwidth is always an issue. I didn't know the loss of INHD2 was a national thing. Oh well.

got the same message in Santa Clara. as long as they keep showing Giants/As/Warriors/etc on 719 or 720 when there is an FSN-HD broadcast, i'll be ok with it. (i don't watch 720 except for those instances), but if they remove FSN-HD broadcasts for TNT, i'll be pissed.

I just noticed in Rohnert Park that the mirror of ESPN2 on channel 725 is gone. They have their INHD logo and music again. I'm guessing that Special Events, like NFL-HD, is back.

Got this message in San Jose (high bandwidth system):
TNT-HD will be added to ch 726
INHD2 will be removed from ch 720
Effective 9/20
We'll see what actually happens.....

Looks like INHD2 will die, period. Their inventory will get merged with INHD, removing some of the repeats on INHD. With a DVR it shouldn't be a problem missing most of the times even if they're on a single channel.

However, what I'm upset about is what will happen to FSNBA-HD? If they put it on INHD, that is really, really bad and makes me very angry. I don't think they should use INHD for that. They should use the HDSE channel 725 for FSNBA-HD.

we're getting TNT HD??? OMFG YES!!! DIE INHD2 DIE!!! whoohoo!!!!!!!!!!!

begging works!

i didn't get a message but i know i'm in a high bandwidth area so i'm pretty confident we'll get it in palo alto. one month! just before NBA season starts. btw FSN HD will go somewhere, don't worry, comcast will not lose those games.

Sheesh, I can finally see a FSNBA-HD Giants game, on DirecTV of course, no thanks to Comcast, and the Giants can't even make it worth watching, but that's okay...

Go Dodgers!!!

Go Dodgers!!! Jim,
People have been strung up by their short leather skirts for such blasphemy :p :D

Laters,
Mikef5

Do we get the NFL network games on the HD special events channel? It seems like there is a lot of preseason HD action on the NFL network, but I never know to look for it. Has anyone caught a glimpse?

Also, I hope the Raider/Niner game in on in HD tomorrow. I can't find confirmation anywhere. Yahoo, TV guide and the HD Sports guide don't show it as being HD.

Do we get the NFL network games on the HD special events channel? It seems like there is a lot of preseason HD action on the NFL network, but I never know to look for it. Has anyone caught a glimpse?

Also, I hope the Raider/Niner game in on in HD tomorrow. I can't find confirmation anywhere. Yahoo, TV guide and the HD Sports guide don't show it as being HD.

i watched last week's KPIX game and they said tomorrow's game is in HD, so take my word for what its worth. also, NFL network will be replaying the game so they will be using KPIX's feed. same thing happened last week, NFL network took KPIX's HD feed of niners bears game.

I just checked my messages and the only thing I have is:

Eff 09/05, Casa Club TV will change to Venemovies on channel 600. This impacts only valued subs with Hispanic programming. For more information, please call...

I would really really like to get TNT-HD, so hopefully I get a similar message to what you guys got about INHD2.

Jim,
People have been strung up by their short leather skirts for such blasphemy :p :D

Laters,
Mikef5

I'll have to agree with Mikef5 on this one...A's first...but Bay Area sports fan second. :D

I would really really like to get TNT-HD, so hopefully I get a similar message to what you guys got about INHD2.

I wouldn't worry. Each headend is responsible for their own messages and it's status quo for each of them to NOT be on the same page. I'm sure your message will come soon.

I'm sure your message will come soon.
..or not.

I've had one message in over two years, about a job in New England somewhere...

I'll have to agree with Mikef5 on this one...A's first...but Bay Area sports fan second. :D
Well, I am a long time Raider fan, but I'm a displaced Los Angeleno so the Dodgers are a natural favorite, of course, I see more Yankee games than any other team so they have become sort of a default favorite, and it goes without saying that this is all Comcast's fault.. :D

I see more Yankee games than any other team so they have become sort of a default favorite, and it goes without saying that this is all Comcast's fault..

I used to dislike Comcast almost as much as the Yankees. Adding TNT-HD has moved them up a notch slightly....

we're getting TNT HD??? OMFG YES!!! DIE INHD2 DIE!!! whoohoo!!!!!!!!!!!

begging works!

I already get TNT-HD from DISH, so big freaking deal for me personally. I susbscribe to HD tier from Comcast (a-la-carte with a CableCard) specifically for INHDs. I'm fine with INHD2 dying nationwide as long as the content is merged with INHD, redundant repeats are removed from INHD and there is no net loss of content. Since I have my own HD-DVR, it doesn't matter to me what time the shows air.

I hear both INHD and FSNBA-HD will make their way on DISH soon. So looks like Comcast it making it easy for me to drop their a-la-carte HD tier.

Following story states that INHD2 is not really dying, but almost all parent systems of Comcast/Time Warner will remove it. I find it hard to believe that the channel won't die and 'some systems' will continue receiving it, when the parents themselves are drowning the baby.

http://www.tvweek.com/page.cms?pageId=228

i just got the message too.... effective 9/20, TV One will be added to 483, and TNT HD to 726. INHD 2 is gone! i like this news.

the guide now says NFL HD coming soon! on 725!!

and starting at 8am, looks like replays of HD exhibition games (3 i count) will be on this channel. THANK YOU COMCAST. FEED ME more please.

Well, I am a long time Raider fan, but I'm a displaced Los Angeleno so the Dodgers are a natural favorite, of course, I see more Yankee games than any other team so they have become sort of a default favorite, and it goes without saying that this is all Comcast's fault.. :D

When I was a small lad, I lived in The Bronx, NY. Everyone was a Yankees fan, and I mean everyone. I started rooting for the Brooklyn Dodgers to be different. I moved with my family to LA in 1952, still rooting for those Bums. As history has shown, the Dodgers followed me and I continued to be a rabid fan. Years later, in the early to middle 70's, I became the "telephone man" at Dodger Stadium.

I moved up to the Bay Area 25 years ago. I still root for Dem Bums and also for the Rams. Hey you don't change your stripes when you move out of the jungle and go to the zoo!!! :)

NFL HD up and running now. its about three months too early (no live nfl games until thanksgiving) but nice to have nevertheless

agreed, it was a nice surprise to see NFL in HD this morning :)
NFL HD up and running now. its about three months too early (no live nfl games until thanksgiving) but nice to have nevertheless

Yep, I'm watching NFLHD on 725 right now in San Jose....
Giants MLB game is shown coming up in the guide on INHD2.
NFLHD guide shows Raiders/niners at 9pm tonight (tape delay)
Live broadcasts on both KTVU and KPIX at 5pm.
Everything looks good so far.....

From the KPIX website:
"Battle Of The Bay - Raiders vs. 49ers On CBS 5
Sunday, August 20
4:00 PM
OAKLAND The annual pre-season Battle of the Bay takes place this Sunday at McAfee Coliseum, and is being televised on CBS 5. The 49ers are venturing once again into the heart of the Raider Nation, greeted "warmly" by the denizens of the Black Hole. Join CBS 5 Sports Director Dennis O'Donnell, former 49ers linebacker Keena Turner and sideline reporter Kim Coyle for the 4 pm broadcast, presented exclusively in Hi-Definition."

I hear both INHD and FSNBA-HD will make their way on DISH soon. So looks like Comcast it making it easy for me to drop their a-la-carte HD tier.
http://www.tvweek.com/page.cms?pageId=228

Got any links to this rumor that FSNBA-HD will be coming to DISH soon? Thanks.

Is it just me, or is 725 now back to INHD? It was showing the bucs dolphins game earlier today, but I just turned to the Vikings game and it is back to INHD material. The guide still says NFL-HD.

Is it just me, or is 725 now back to INHD? It was showing the bucs dolphins game earlier today, but I just turned to the Vikings game and it is back to INHD material. The guide still says NFL-HD.

The Vikings game is not HD so apparently they have reverted to INHD1.

The Vikings game is not HD so apparently they have reverted to INHD1.
The Vikings replay is in SD on INHD? It's HD on the NFL Network.

The Vikings replay is in SD on INHD? It's HD on the NFL Network.

I didn't see it listed as HD, my bad.

Channel 725 is showing INHD programming instead of NFL.

niners game looks great on 705. now lets see if their offense can deliver like kpix has!

I dunno, it seems a lot of time the picture is out of focus then it clears up later. Don't know if this is problem with cameraman or some processing further down the line.

And some camera angles (e.g., endzone shots) are clearly done with non-HD equipment cropped to 16:9. But the main full-field camera is much better than the last Niner game's.

Got any links to this rumor that FSNBA-HD will be coming to DISH soon? Thanks.

I read it on some message board somewhere. Could be this board or dbstalk or some other. I go on too many boards and get them mixed up sometimes. I do remember reading that FSNBA-HD will be on DirecTV for sure, DISH may follow later.

No INHD on DirecTV yet though. It has already been uplinked on DISH and may become a "real" channel soon. Sorry, I don't have a direct link to post right now. Let me go back and try to dig back information on where I read it.

Any chance we'll see the CW-HD for the fall?

I think its the actual cameras or the station that processes the signal.
I dunno, it seems a lot of time the picture is out of focus then it clears up later. Don't know if this is problem with cameraman or some processing further down the line.

Just an FYI, I also got the message yesterday that INHD2 will be removed and TNT-HD will be added effective 9/20.

Just an FYI, I also got the message yesterday that INHD2 will be removed and TNT-HD will be added effective 9/20.

The message I got is a little different. It said that 726 will be the new TNT HD.

The message I got is a little different. It said that 726 will be the new TNT HD.

what city are u in? i think the removal of INHD2 is bay area wide, i'd be surprised if ur system kept it.

Well good week for me. The message about TNT-HD. NFL-HD and for some reason I'm all digital now. I can see a great difference in my plasma, especially in the 2-72 channels.

Well good week for me. The message about TNT-HD. NFL-HD and for some reason I'm all digital now. I can see a great difference in my plasma, especially in the 2-72 channels.

did you get a 3412? or didn't change ur box at all.

i got my service installed this sat. 6412 using component :(

baseball in HD is AWESOME!!
i watched the giants game in full HD - it was awesome even tho they got smacked 14-7.

Discovery HD is AWESOME!!
my wife and i left the TV on the discovery channel as we unpacked boxes around the house, and we couldnt' believe how sharp and beautiful the screen looked. national park shows etc...

NFL in HD is SOMETIMES awesome
watched some NFL that look ok, not near as nice as baseball. it would look grainy, or digital imperfections when the camera was zoomed out showing more field/stands.. not just during the fast camera pan. disappointing. i'm assuming thats the signal because some stuff looks spectacular

Local stations in HD are nothing to exclaim about
several of the HD local shows look as bad as regular SD, and they force the black bars on the side of the display. "wide angle unavailable". i guess it was sharper than SD but i couldn't tell. any time the camera moves it "does a subtle digital smear" (worse than the image i mentioned when watching the NFL games)

DVR features for comcast suck when compared to dish. this cannot be emphasized enough. i've been at dish for the past 5 years, and i already miss it. i'll probably end up cancelling the DVR and building an HTPC. no jump ahead, MAJOR lag with the remote, i can't tell where my recorded events are, you can't seem to just start and stop recording (you have to record shows... this is probably just my user ignorance, but its not very intuitive coming from dish).

you want to be careful if you build a HTPC... most of the HD channels that are worth recording are 5c protected.

you can program the 30 sec skip (up to 3 minutes) on ur remote, just go to the Recorders thread and look up the 6412 thread.

is the 5c protection at the show level, or the station level?

also, a lot of NFL preseason hasn't looked that good because the local networks that produce them only do this... once or twice a year. they aren't gonna be as good as the ESPNs, CBSs of the network world.

is the 5c protection at the show level, or the station level?

i *think* at the network level, ie you can't ever record ESPN-HD w/o a 5c compliant device like the 6412.

As long as they play by the rules, in the situation above for example, AT&T could come to Santa Rosa and provide service to only part of the city. Legislation California is considering is supposed to prevent that, but you'll notice that AT&T actually had a court reporter in the Naperville meetings, as the writer notes, with a possible look toward using the proceedings as fuel to get federal intervention.

That statement about going to a community that wants them is practically the definition of red-lining, what it really means is, AT&T will go to a community that will let them do what they want, how they want to do it.

This is the point I was trying to make earlier. Both Verizon and AT&T have publically stated that they will only be deploying advanced networks (FIOS and lightspeed) to at most about 60% of their sub base. I guarantee you they will be doing redlining.

The anti-redlining sections of any legislation will be the driver for federal intervention at the least, and probably get defeated through lobbying in most states.

Once those franchise obligations change for AT&T and Verizon, the Cable guys will get the benefit of them too. Either way, the locals will lose any clout they have in the franchising process, unless of of course they agree to all of the terms that the cable or phone guys want to impose.

Thanks,
Mike

Leftheaded,

i think what you are referring to is the SD broadcasts during "non-primetime"...that is basically SD material. nevertheless, i would contend that in these instances, although 4:3 and still SD, these often look better than their SD counterparts on the non-HD stations due to how much bandwidth Comcast allocates...at least that's what my experience has been.

(ie, 702 looks better than 2 even if it's just the 10 o'clock news which is an SD broadcast)

I’m glad Comcast has added TNT-HD and NFL Network HD. Our area has never received INHD1 or INHD2 so my guess is that these networks won’t be shown in our area. I guess I’ll find out what the situation is when I get home tonight however I’m not holding my breath that anything will change.

Hello , does anyone know where i can find ABC on Comcast basic cannot find, at one time was 7.1, than has been changing ever since?? 95116 zip.

Not an HD issue, but...Over the past few days I've been getting a lot of breakup (pixillation, dropped audio) on a couple of channels, notably Comedy Central during the Daily Show and a couple of kids channels. It doesn't seem to affect other channels, and it's intermittent. It happens both when watching live TV and when watching shows off the DVR.

Is this likely to be a general problem at the cable company end, or something about my cable installation?

I've been having trouble with SciFi in Mountain View. Called up Comcast and they said it was a known issue. I've also seen some breakups with INHD, anyone?
What's interesting is that if I record them (Moto 6412) the recordings are almost unwatchable. I'll check Comedy Central to see if I see similar problems.

i got my service installed this sat. 6412 using component :(

baseball in HD is AWESOME!!
i watched the giants game in full HD - it was awesome even tho they got smacked 14-7.

Discovery HD is AWESOME!!
my wife and i left the TV on the discovery channel as we unpacked boxes around the house, and we couldnt' believe how sharp and beautiful the screen looked. national park shows etc...

NFL in HD is SOMETIMES awesome
watched some NFL that look ok, not near as nice as baseball. it would look grainy, or digital imperfections when the camera was zoomed out showing more field/stands.. not just during the fast camera pan. disappointing. i'm assuming thats the signal because some stuff looks spectacular

Local stations in HD are nothing to exclaim about
several of the HD local shows look as bad as regular SD, and they force the black bars on the side of the display. "wide angle unavailable". i guess it was sharper than SD but i couldn't tell. any time the camera moves it "does a subtle digital smear" (worse than the image i mentioned when watching the NFL games)

DVR features for comcast suck when compared to dish. this cannot be emphasized enough. i've been at dish for the past 5 years, and i already miss it. i'll probably end up cancelling the DVR and building an HTPC. no jump ahead, MAJOR lag with the remote, i can't tell where my recorded events are, you can't seem to just start and stop recording (you have to record shows... this is probably just my user ignorance, but its not very intuitive coming from dish).
Why would you go to Comcast for HD when you were with Dish?!

did you get a 3412? or didn't change ur box at all.


That's the best thing, I didn'd do anything. No new box, no phone call, no nothing. Btw, I'm in south San Jose.

I also have a 32'' SD CRT TV and I can see a better image there too.

That's the best thing, I didn'd do anything. No new box, no phone call, no nothing. Btw, I'm in south San Jose.

I also have a 32'' SD CRT TV and I can see a better image there too.

What box do you have?

so much comcast bashing... here's why comcast is better than dish (for me):

1. no upfront costs, like i wanna spend 400 bucks for a dvr when i can pay 10 bucks per month for one (albeit inferior in functionality) but can upgrade before 40 months (breakeven point disregarding any discount factor, do the math)

2. no silly extra compression, there are already reports that dish is adopting more hdlite to squeeze in NFL-HD

3. no mpeg4vsmpeg2 business... one dvr works

4. no second or third dish pointed at different points in the sky. one coaxial cable

5. ondemand, so i can watch coupling!!

6. no voom HD channels... do i really want to see wealth HD? game HD? monster HD? again, all compressed to death too

7. we have FSN HD... and even if you go with D*, coverage is spotty, and disappears from keenan's guide all the time. yeah i pay attention to the threads

8. we pay a little more for the same thing. that way we can justify it by saying "we get great PQ, which is why we're paying the higher price" cognitive dissonance, i've developed much of it by sticking with comcast.

9. comcast watches this thread. so when i beg for things, i can be sure at least they'll glance over it.

10. keenan and mikef5 still have comcast service even though their service area is being treated like crap.

so yeah, just thought i should stick up for the company i give a big part of my paycheck to.

What box do you have?

6412 II, the one with DVI. And a black motorola box that's not DVR nor HDTV.

I think last year someone posted this nice PDF file with all the new shows, dates, channels, HD, etc...

Was wondering if a new one was created. I use that to help me plan all my DVRs so I can make sure I don't miss anything!

Thanks!

Russ

correct, here is the exact message I received:

Eff 9/20, TV One will be added to ch 483 on Digital Classic and TNT HD to ch 726 (High-Def). INHD 2 will be removed from ch 720. For more information, please call 1-800-945-2288
The message I got is a little different. It said that 726 will be the new TNT HD.

I thought mine was going to be good, but I swapped my 6412 for a 3412 today and now I dont get channels 2-106. The guide jumps from channel 1 straight to 107. I called comcast and apparently my area doesnt accept an all digital box yet. :(
Well good week for me. The message about TNT-HD. NFL-HD and for some reason I'm all digital now. I can see a great difference in my plasma, especially in the 2-72 channels.

I think last year someone posted this nice PDF file with all the new shows, dates, channels, HD, etc...

Was wondering if a new one was created. I use that to help me plan all my DVRs so I can make sure I don't miss anything!

Thanks!

Russ
At the end of Post # 2 in the below thread is an Excel spreadsheet with the schedule.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=440744
Hot Off The Press! The Latest Television News and Info - AVS Forum

Attached are a PDF of the above spreadsheet and a Word doc listing by network/day/time/start date. The PDF was made some time back and I was waiting until CPanther95, who created the spreadsheet had updated it with start times but he hasn't done so yet, so it may not be accurate. The Word doc is accurate and is just a copy from fredfa's No 2 post of the Hot Off The Press thread. I added page breaks per network.

The Word doc can be opened with just the Wordpad app that comes pre-installed with Windows if you don't have Microsoft Word itself.

I thought mine was going to be good, but I swapped my 6412 for a 3412 today and now I dont get channels 2-106. The guide jumps from channel 1 straight to 107. I called comcast and apparently my area doesnt accept an all digital box yet. :(

Yet, they gave you a 3412? You might want to call back and see if you get someone different. I had the same problem when I got my 3412 (when they first started DS) and a re-authorization quickly fixed the problem.

so much comcast bashing... here's why comcast is better than dish (for me):


I have to agree with nikeykid (good post). As some may have gathered, I recently did a lot of research into switching over to DBS and scrutinized every detail between DirecTV, Dish, and Comcast. When it came down to it, each had their own strengths and weaknesses and in the end, I really wasn't saving that much money. The big thing that kept me from switching was the DVR. Not the functionality (we all know the Moto boxes have their problems) but rather the money. My wife and I have VERY different tastes so we require 2 HD-DVR's. Even after rebates, it was going to cost me over $600 just for the boxes. That means it would take over 2 years just to recoup that cost compared to renting from Comcast. And in 2 years, I'm sure there's going to be something better in which I'll have to pay even more because I'm not a "new customer".

Hmmm, I might do that. I went in to a local office and simply said I wanted to swap my 6412 for a 3412, they never mentioned it wouldnt work in my area. When I called back in after I realized the channels were missing, the rep on the phone double checked with a comcast rep in my area. They both confirmed that the 3412 isnt compatible yet. Doesnt hurt to call back again, just to be sure ;)
Yet, they gave you a 3412? You might want to call back and see if you get someone different. I had the same problem when I got my 3412 (when they first started DS) and a re-authorization quickly fixed the problem.

Hmmm, I might do that. I went in to a local office and simply said I wanted to swap my 6412 for a 3412, they never mentioned it wouldnt work in my area. When I called back in after I realized the channels were missing, the rep on the phone double checked with a comcast rep in my area. They both confirmed that the 3412 isnt compatible yet. Doesnt hurt to call back again, just to be sure ;)

Where do you live? Maybe someone can confirm if DS is really available in your area.

I live in Walnut Creek. They recently upgraded our network in the end of June. I have a feeling thats why the 3412 isnt working, as they may not have finished upgrading/expanding the network here yet.
Where do you live? Maybe someone can confirm if DS is really available in your area.

I live in Walnut Creek. They recently upgraded our network in the end of June. I have a feeling thats why the 3412 isnt working, as they may not have finished upgrading/expanding the network here yet.

I guess that's possible. I wonder if WC will eventually move to the Martinez headend as most of the cities in that area are (i.e. Lafayette, Concord, Orinda, Pinole, etc.). Did you go to the Concord office? That could explain why you got a 3412 since most of the areas it covers are AD. Still, I would call at least once more...just to make sure.

The PDF was made some time back and I was waiting until CPanther95, who created the spreadsheet had updated it with start times but he hasn't done so yet, so it may not be accurate. The Word doc is accurate and is just a copy from fredfa's No 2 post of the Hot Off The Press thread. I added page breaks per network.

I found this page to be useful. They update the premiere dates if the networks change them so it is always current.
http://www.thefutoncritic.com/charts.aspx?id=fall_2006

Leftheaded,

i think what you are referring to is the SD broadcasts during "non-primetime"...that is basically SD material. nevertheless, i would contend that in these instances, although 4:3 and still SD, these often look better than their SD counterparts on the non-HD stations due to how much bandwidth Comcast allocates...at least that's what my experience has been.

(ie, 702 looks better than 2 even if it's just the 10 o'clock news which is an SD broadcast)
yeah, i think that is the case. i surfed the HD channels tonight and was loving the quality. seems like some channels were changing quality/resolution for different shows/commercials. i'm an HD noob

i have a 6412 HD-DVR and recorded some shows. i press the "my DVR" button and it says its 19% full. but there are "no listings".

where are the shows i recorded? i can't figure this DVR out... dish spoiled me lol

so much comcast bashing... here's why comcast is better than dish (for me):

1. no upfront costs, like i wanna spend 400 bucks for a dvr when i can pay 10 bucks per month for one (albeit inferior in functionality) but can upgrade before 40 months (breakeven point disregarding any discount factor, do the math)

2. no silly extra compression, there are already reports that dish is adopting more hdlite to squeeze in NFL-HD

3. no mpeg4vsmpeg2 business... one dvr works

4. no second or third dish pointed at different points in the sky. one coaxial cable

5. ondemand, so i can watch coupling!!

6. no voom HD channels... do i really want to see wealth HD? game HD? monster HD? again, all compressed to death too

7. we have FSN HD... and even if you go with D*, coverage is spotty, and disappears from keenan's guide all the time. yeah i pay attention to the threads

8. we pay a little more for the same thing. that way we can justify it by saying "we get great PQ, which is why we're paying the higher price" cognitive dissonance, i've developed much of it by sticking with comcast.

9. comcast watches this thread. so when i beg for things, i can be sure at least they'll glance over it.

10. keenan and mikef5 still have comcast service even though their service area is being treated like crap.

so yeah, just thought i should stick up for the company i give a big part of my paycheck to.
Obviously you haven't seen Dish and your not in a bottom of the barel 550mhz area like I am. I assume Keenan and Mike are waiting for FSNBA-HD to show up on Dish, which shouldn't be long. When E* or D* starts treating their customers differently and charging them the same price they'll be just as bashable as Comcast. BTW I've read the comcast DVR only puts out 1350 lines. Going from Comcast it is obvious to me.

Obviously you haven't seen Dish and your not in a bottom of the barel 550mhz area like I am. I assume Keenan and Mike are waiting for FSNBA-HD to show up on Dish, which shouldn't be long.

not to start a war, but why not. that great DVR of yours... isn't it infringing on TIVO's patent? (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=712410&page=1&pp=30) court ordered dish dvrs to be disabled in 30 days. i think it was blocked, but yeah, at least the crappy dvr we have will continue to function, one delayed response at a time!

there is reason to be optimistic with:
1.) TIVO software coming to comcast
2.) ADS paving the way to reclaiming bandwidth, so that even 550ers can enjoy TNT-HD one day. Of course this short-term fix should buy comcast enough time to spend the necessary cap ex on the bay area.

I will agree that E*>D*. I went to sonystyle once and saw the PQ on discovery HD and wow macroblocking heaven good god. i will disown comcast if they ever involve themselves with that crap.

If Comcast ever gets better than Dish in my area I will go back but I wouldn't and didn't need to wait. I think my 18 month commitment will be well over before Comcast even catches up. Also the DVR is free after rebate and is far superior to Comcast's. Do you really think the DVRs will be shut off? Come on. Dish and D* are promising great things to come also but a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. What does Comcast offer, HD wise, that Dish doesn't and for less cost? Maybe a second DVR for $17 dollars per month? The only reason to keep Comcast is if you are loaded with or only have analog TVs, the biggest percentage of Comcast customers by far. If you like HD it is a no brainer. Dish has over 30 HD channels, not counting locals, and increasing. I don't watch anything but HD anymore.
nikeykid, you need to come over to my house and check out the picture on a 73" CRT-RPTV, the SXRDs were probably introducing the macroblocking.

I went into the Livermore office as I was running some errands out in that area. I may just end up keeping the 3412. I rarely watch SD, and I have small 19" lcd flat panel that I can move easily if I really want to watch something on those channels.

Thats kind of a pain though, so I may just swap out the box, it all depends on how much I think I will miss those channels. I will probably call back to confirm one last time before hauling the box back though.
I guess that's possible. I wonder if WC will eventually move to the Martinez headend as most of the cities in that area are (i.e. Lafayette, Concord, Orinda, Pinole, etc.). Did you go to the Concord office? That could explain why you got a 3412 since most of the areas it covers are AD. Still, I would call at least once more...just to make sure.

not to start a war, but why not. that great DVR of yours... isn't it infringing on TIVO's patent? (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=712410&page=1&pp=30) court ordered dish dvrs to be disabled in 30 days. i think it was blocked, but yeah, at least the crappy dvr we have will continue to function, one delayed response at a time!
Usually with such a court order and the number of customers we are talking about, this forces the parties to reach a business agreement, unless one or both of them are totally unreasonable.

not to start a war, but why not. that great DVR of yours... isn't it infringing on TIVO's patent? (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=712410&page=1&pp=30) court ordered dish dvrs to be disabled in 30 days. i think it was blocked, but yeah, at least the crappy dvr we have will continue to function, one delayed response at a time!

there is reason to be optimistic with:
1.) TIVO software coming to comcast
2.) ADS paving the way to reclaiming bandwidth, so that even 550ers can enjoy TNT-HD one day. Of course this short-term fix should buy comcast enough time to spend the necessary cap ex on the bay area.

I will agree that E*>D*. I went to sonystyle once and saw the PQ on discovery HD and wow macroblocking heaven good god. i will disown comcast if they ever involve themselves with that crap.
Nikeykid,

Go back and read my earlier posts, I'm still here until the end of baseball season and the demise of INHD2 after that I'm dropping Comcast to basic service as a back up to Dish. I've already arranged an install for Dish after the season is over. Comcast has made it very clear that they will not be upgrading our system any time soon if at all.

As far as Tivo and their lawsuit. Don't you think it's strange that Comcast has signed an agreement to have Tivo do a software interface for them ?? Do you think it's Comcast's way of avoiding a law suit ?? You do realize that you will have to pay for the Tivo interface, it is not going to be the default interface. From what I've heard it will be about $10 a month extra. Comcast's not stupid, throw Tivo a bone and avoid a nasty law suit. I think in the end Dish will come to a settlement with Tivo and all this will be mute.

As far as the 550 MHz areas getting TNT-HD. When INHD2 goes away TNT-HD will be added to our area to replace it. I've been assured that is the case by Mr. J. but it still doesn't alter the fact that our system is SOL for any improvements in the near future. I have one HD movie channel, no VOD, no HD special events channel, no ESPN2-HD, not even the Tv Guide channel and you think I should be happy with that ?? Thank your lucky stars you're in an upgraded system.

You judge the quality of Dish by going to some store and viewing it there ?? I've gone to stores and seen Comcast hooked up and if I'd gone with that I'd never have cable in my house. Take Bill up on his offer or find someone that has Dish or D* and view it installed and working in a proper setting. I'm not saying Dish or D* is better than Comcast, they all fall short in one area or another but for me being in a 550 MHz area and paying over $135 a month for a dismal level of programing it is a no brainer for me to leave Comcast and go somewhere else that will give me the programing I want and not tell me I'm in an area that is not cost effective enough to upgrade like the rest of the Bay Area.

Comcast as a company thinks bottom line and that's it, what's best for the company and their investors, not you.
That being said there are people in Comcast that are what Comcast should be like. Mr Johnson, Dave and Susan are people I have had contact with and correspond with. These are the people that have kept me here and with Comcast, these are the people that Comcast should emulate, if it were not for these people I would've been gone a long time ago. I will miss these people when I leave.

Laters,
Mikef5

i said E*>D*, and that sonystyle had discovery HD on that had macroblocking up the wazoo. i was implying it was D*. my point was to say that comcast has one very important advantage and that is unmolested pq

If Comcast ever gets better than Dish in my area I will go back but I wouldn't and didn't need to wait. I think my 18 month commitment will be well over before Comcast even catches up. Also the DVR is free after rebate and is far superior to Comcast's. Do you really think the DVRs will be shut off? Come on. Dish and D* are promising great things to come also but a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. What does Comcast offer, HD wise, that Dish doesn't and for less cost? Maybe a second DVR for $17 dollars per month? The only reason to keep Comcast is if you are loaded with or only have analog TVs, the biggest percentage of Comcast customers by far. If you like HD it is a no brainer. Dish has over 30 HD channels, not counting locals, and increasing. I don't watch anything but HD anymore.
nikeykid, you need to come over to my house and check out the picture on a 73" CRT-RPTV, the SXRDs were probably introducing the macroblocking.

Free DVR??? For the HD version??? Not when I called less then a month ago. It was going to be $199 (after rebates) for the first one and $450 for each additional one. So no, there are more reasons then just "analog" to stay with Comcast. And like nikeykid said, just becuase there are 30 channels doesn't mean there 30 channels of watchable shows. It reminds me of when my friend got his first HDTV back in '99 when there were about 3 shows being broadcast in HD. He tried to convince me over and over that "Touched by and Angel" was a great show. :D

anyways guys calm down, i was just trying to defend lefthanded's decision to go to comcast. look how excited he is (was). we don't need to give him buyer's remorse, especially on a comcast thread. we all know how crappy 550ers have it, but it may not even be relevant to him!!

BTW I've read the comcast DVR only puts out 1350 lines.

hmm. that sucks. can you provide a link?

hmm. that sucks. can you provide a link?

the box does allow you to output 1080i or 720p so i doubt that completely. i've not read about such a thing in the 6412 forums.

I've been having trouble with SciFi in Mountain View. Called up Comcast and they said it was a known issue. I've also seen some breakups with INHD, anyone?
What's interesting is that if I record them (Moto 6412) the recordings are almost unwatchable. I'll check Comedy Central to see if I see similar problems.

I live in Mountain View too and have had problems with SciFi since Friday. I wasn't too happy about the 200th SG1 episode being pretty much unwatchable, and so I scheduled a tech to take a look this morning. He said the SciFi issue is a headend problem and the parts should arrive today and it should be fixed within a week. I'm also having problems with Bravo, however even after he made some adjustments to boost the signal, I'm still getting picture and audio breakups on that channel too. The tech was stumped as to why it was happening and also blamed it on the headend.

On a positive note, my 3412 finally downloaded the 12.31 firmware. It looks like fast forwarding works better than before.

one tangential thought i had this weekend while discussing Comcast and the 550 areas with a friend:

don't you think Comcast will eventually upgrade these areas for digital phone service? they must see this as a possible revenue stream that will require updated lines to do this well?

I live in Mountain View too and have had problems with SciFi since Friday. I wasn't too happy about the 200th SG1 episode being pretty much unwatchable, and so I scheduled a tech to take a look this morning. He said the SciFi issue is a headend problem and the parts should arrive today and it should be fixed within a week. I'm also having problems with Bravo, however even after he made some adjustments to boost the signal, I'm still getting picture and audio breakups on that channel too. The tech was stumped as to why it was happening and also blamed it on the headend.

On a positive note, my 3412 finally downloaded the 12.31 firmware. It looks like fast forwarding works better than before.

jason, i went to the mountain view office a few weeks back and they didn't have any 3412s... did you get it from that office??

i said E*>D*, and that sonystyle had discovery HD on that had macroblocking up the wazoo. i was implying it was D*. my point was to say that comcast has one very important advantage and that is unmolested pq
My point is you saw a bad hook up and if your think Comcast will not mess with the signal to increase bandwidth think again. They are already looking at mpeg4 boxes and implimenting those to their system and so are Dish and D*.

My main point is my programing selection when compared to what I pay is outrageous and Comcast is not going to do anything about it in the near future or at all unless they are forced to.

If you are happy with Comcast then fine, you're not in an area that is being screwed over. If I were you I'd stay with Comcast but I'm not. Wait until your area runs out of bandwidth and see what you say then.

Laters,
Mikef5

My point is you saw a bad hook up and if your think Comcast will not mess with the signal to increase bandwidth think again. They are already looking at mpeg4 boxes and implimenting those to their system and so are Dish and D*.

My main point is my programing selection when compared to what I pay is outrageous and Comcast is not going to do anything about it in the near future or at all unless they are forced to.

If you are happy with Comcast then fine, you're not in an area that is being screwed over. If I were you I'd stay with Comcast but I'm not. Wait until your area runs out of bandwidth and see what you say then.

Laters,
Mikef5

none of the providers are perfect, and bandwidth limitation is something they are all dealing with, but the DBS companies make the customer pay a lot of that transition costs when they force them to buy these receivers, these dvrs, that are not future-proof. at least comcast will replace a box when it becomes obsolete. when comcast turns to HDLITE if ever, AT&T lightspeed better get here by then.

one tangential thought i had this weekend while discussing Comcast and the 550 areas with a friend:

don't you think Comcast will eventually upgrade these areas for digital phone service? they must see this as a possible revenue stream that will require updated lines to do this well?
Derek,

We already have their digital phone service at least that's what the web site says and do I think they will upgrade us eventually..... Yes but I don't know if I'll live to see that day ( ok, maybe a little extreme :) ). I keep hearing eventually when this or that happens or some other pie in the sky excuse. I don't want promises, I want them to just do it.

Laters,
Mikef5

1350x1080i via component. My eyes confirm it- especially after getting Dish. The output is better from firewire out for the Comcast DVR. The deal from Dish is $199 for the 622 with a $20 a month discount for 10 months with subscription to an HD package. Good through 1-31-07. BTW the Dish DVR has 300x FF and when the recording ends you can still rewind back, at up to 300x. What a pain having to FF from the beginning with Comcast's slow DVR. One of many ways it is superior.

Some posts inply that MPG4 is inferior to MPG2, actually it is the opposite. MPG4 from E* and D* will result in better PQ at half the bandwidth.

at least comcast will replace a box when it becomes obsolete.

and yes i do find it ironic that i can't effin get a 3412 in my local office. but in theory i meant what i said.

Derek,

We already have their digital phone service at least that's what the web site says and do I think they will upgrade us eventually..... Yes but I don't know if I'll live to see that day ( ok, maybe a little extreme :) ). I keep hearing eventually when this or that happens or some other pie in the sky excuse. I don't want promises, I want them to just do it.

Laters,
Mikef5

They don't need to do any upgrades to 550 areas for voice. Voice takes almost no bandwidth. They can do it fine in 550 areas, just as 550 is fine for data. Cable modem service works fine in 550 areas.

Thanks,
Mike

well I just swapped out the 3412 for another 6412. the guy at the comcast office in walnut creek said we wont be able to use the 3412 for at least another 6 months :(

jason, i went to the mountain view office a few weeks back and they didn't have any 3412s... did you get it from that office??

Yes, I swapped out my dying 6412 for a 3412 at the Mountain View office during the first few weeks of July. They told me they were surprised they still had 3412s left because they were disappearing quickly.

Just noticed that channel 724 in Fremont no longer indicates ESPN2 and all the entries indicate To Be Anounced even though the channel is showing ESPN2 HD. I wonder if Comcast may be droping that channel.

Just noticed that channel 724 in Fremont no longer indicates ESPN2 and all the entries indicate To Be Anounced even though the channel is showing ESPN2 HD. I wonder if Comcast may be droping that channel.

oh please no..... not after i defended them... :( they will get an angry call from me if that happens.

there is reason to be optimistic with:
1.) TIVO software coming to comcast
2.) ADS paving the way to reclaiming bandwidth, so that even 550ers can enjoy TNT-HD one day. Of course this short-term fix should buy comcast enough time to spend the necessary cap ex on the bay area.

TiVo software is no doubt a combination of adding a revenue stream and avoiding legal issues with TiVo.

ADS can't be done on 550 systems, no room, unless they start moving some analog channels to digital which isn't likely to happen anytime soon, I'm guessing 2 years or so.

They don't need to do any upgrades to 550 areas for voice. Voice takes almost no bandwidth. They can do it fine in 550 areas, just as 550 is fine for data. Cable modem service works fine in 550 areas.

Thanks,
Mike
Yes, there's no doubt that will get squeezed in as it will create more revenue whereas HD doesn't.

hmm. that sucks. can you provide a link?
Not sure about the Moto 6412, I can say that bypassing the 6412 and using my display's internal tuner the PQ is a touch sharper/detailed. The 6412 definitely has a crappy scaler/deinterlacer and has a tendency to crush blacks. Having native output like the SA box, the new DirecTV box and soon the Dish box, would be nice to avoid letting a basically cheaply built STB do those functions.

The SA box that Comcast uses in other systems is limited to about 1350, PM John Mason and he can give you links where this has been tested and verified.

oh please no..... not after i defended them... :( they will get an angry call from me if that happens.

Same here with 724. Thought it was just me since I powered down my 6412 to do some wiring this morning. Hopefully just a glitch in the guide.

John