Ugh. Dr Who is letterboxed on scifi hd?

Ugh. Dr Who is letterboxed on scifi hd?

Everything I've seen so far on SciFi HD is a box in a box. WTF is that? Is this Scifi's attempt at Art Deco or something.

I think in dr who's case they don't film in hd yet.

That is correct.

I think in dr who's case they don't film in hd yet.

What is the excuse for Stargate SG-1 or Star Trek Enterprise?

For that reason alone, I have watched ZERO stuff on Sci-Fi since BSG ended.

Well there hasn't been much worth watching (while there has been tons worth watching on other channels, in the meanwhile). However, Primeval began this weekend, and it is quite good. The video is an upconvert from the OAR, but is still very good, and the show itself is fine. Not BSG, of course, but still worth checking out.

FCC steps into Comcast-NFL Network fight

By Bob Fernandez

Inquirer Staff Writer

The FCC will referee this one.

Comcast Corp. and the NFL Network are taking their program-carriage beef to Washington, where they will butt heads in a courtroom at the Federal Communications Commission.

The outcome of the case, which begins Tuesday, could determine whether Comcast has to carry the NFL Network on its cable system, so millions of Comcast customers would see it without an extra $7 monthly charge.

Comcast's contract with the NFL Network expires April 30. Comcast has said it would continue to carry NFL Network on its sports tier until the FCC case is resolved. But the NFL Network has not agreed, and both sides say the NFL Network could temporarily disappear from Comcast in May.

Even for non-sports fans, though, this is a significant case, experts say. It is the first big test at the FCC of a 1992 federal law that prohibits cable companies, such as Comcast, from favoring their own entertainment content over that of independents, such as the NFL Network.

The NFL Network, the programming offshoot of the National Football League, says Comcast gives preferential treatment to Versus and Golf, which it owns.

If FCC chief administrative law judge Richard L. Sippel finds that Comcast violated the law by exiling the NFL Network to the sports package, and the five-member FCC commission agrees, the ruling could make it easier for independent programmers to gain access to cable systems, experts say.

"We are on the side of the NFL on this," said Andrew Jay Schwartzman, president of the left-leaning Media Access Project. "The cable industry has used its bottleneck control over access to customers."

But free-market advocates take Comcast's side, saying that the FCC should stay out of this scrimmage and that Comcast and the NFL Network should privately negotiate a carriage deal.

"Why should the government get into this?" asked Adam Thierer, senior fellow at the market-oriented Progress and Freedom Foundation. "Sports is a heated topic of debate even among people in the same household."

The Comcast-NFL Network case is one of three similar complaints that Sippel will hear over the next two months. In the second, WealthTV claims it was denied a cable channel when the cable companies launched a copycat channel, Mojo. Mojo, according to an FCC filing, was owned by Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Cable and Bright House Networks.

WealthTV is something of an updated Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and was founded earlier this decade by Robert Herring, of San Diego, a former electronics manufacturer.

Herring claims that the cable companies launched Mojo as he tried to persuade them to carry WealthTV and after briefing the companies, including Time Warner, on its programming. Mojo was canceled last year, apparently because of poor ratings.

"I thought that if you had something really good, and people liked it, the cable companies would put it on," Herring said in a phone interview. "Our goal was not to get into a fight with anyone."

The third dispute involves the MidAtlantic Sports Network Inc., which seeks to have Comcast carry Orioles and Nationals baseball games in Harrisburg and Roanoke, Va. Comcast says it does not have to.

Former FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, a Bush appointee and cable critic, began the process for the three carriage-dispute proceedings. The new Obama administration will handle them.

The most controversial is between Comcast and the NFL, two of the biggest players in sports.

"We are just being asked to be treated fairly - the same way they treat their own networks," Steve Bornstein, president and chief executive officer of the NFL Network, said Wednesday. "The price is irrelevant. It's about distribution."

The NFL Network says Comcast, the nation's No. 1 pay-TV company, discriminated against it by putting the channel on the extra-cost sports package, which costs $7 a month on top of fees for basic service. By comparison, the NFL says, the Comcast-owned Versus and Golf Channel, along with the Comcast regional sports networks, are carried on general-audience tiers on the Comcast system without extra charges.

The economics are simple: Channels on Comcast's general-audience channel tiers, without the extra charges, have more viewers. Those channels are more valuable because of subscription fees and a bigger audience for advertisers.

The core of the NFL Network's programming is eight live NFL games. The network also broadcasts "classic" football games and covers events such as the NFL draft.

The NFL has complained publicly about Comcast and sued the company in state court in New York. "I can't think of a programmer who is successful without a deal with Comcast," Bornstein said.

NFL officials seem particularly bothered, it seems, that Comcast has been rapidly increasing its extra-cost sports tier with the NFL Network's popular content.

Comcast, said David Cohen, executive vice president, believes that the NFL Network is overpriced, has too few live games, and is too narrowly focused for a general audience. The company does not consider Versus and the Golf Channel appropriate comparisons.

Comcast also claims a First Amendment right to select entertainment, news and other content for its cable system without interference by the government.

Comcast is protecting customers from higher cable bills by keeping NFL Network on the sports tier, Cohen said. That way, the monthly subscription fees are focused on sports fans, not everyone.

"This is not a case of some fledgling network that Comcast is pushing around," Cohen said.

Comcast has not said how much more it would cost an average subscriber if it had to put the NFL Network on a general tier. But, Cohen said, if Comcast relents the company's customers will be "stuck with a very large bill, which will allow the NFL owners to create an asset worth billions of dollars."

http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20090412_FCC_steps_into_Comcast-NFL_Network_fight.html

My prediction is that they will bring up the exclusvity of Sunday Ticket

First off, Comcast is a Bussiness, They should be the only ones who decide what and where they carry, as they are the ones paying the bill. Comcast customers pay Comcast for using what COMCAST decides to offer.

People and how they think in this generation need a rude awakening. Government needs to keep out of it.

"People and how they think in this generation need a rude awakening. Government needs to keep out of it."

That's what short-sighted people said in the 20's, the financial market was left unregulated and we had the Great Depression. Ditto over the last eight years. Corporations cannot be trusted to look after the public's best interests nor should they be. That's what we elect representatives to do. It is entirely appropriate for the government to exercise their regulatory powers in a monopolistic grab by Comcast. People who think the government has no business regulating business are gullible at best and robber-barons at worst.

Ridiculous.

Time Warner, Charter, Cablevision, Suddenlink, Mediacom, and Cable One don't carry the NFL Network at all. Why should the government be allowed to decide whether or not Comcast has to carry the channel or tell them which level of service they can offer it on?

If the NFL and Comcast can not come to an agreement, then so be it.

Time Warner, Charter, Cablevision, Suddenlink, Mediacom, and Cable One don't carry the NFL Network at all. Why should the government be allowed to decide whether or not Comcast has to carry the channel or tell them which level of service they can offer it on?

If the NFL and Comcast can not come to an agreement, then so be it.

Ding ding ding! we have a winner in this post.

Time Warner, Charter, Cablevision, Suddenlink, Mediacom, and Cable One don't carry the NFL Network at all. Why should the government be allowed to decide whether or not Comcast has to carry the channel or tell them which level of service they can offer it on?

If the NFL and Comcast can not come to an agreement, then so be it.

Agreed - they shouldn't force carriage, and they shouldn't require the NFL to allow carriage on a sports tier. If the few holdouts don't want the NFL's channel, their subs that do can go elsewhere. And the government should not get involved when some congressman is ticked that he can't watch is favorite team on NFLN because he's in a secondary market and his cableco doesn't have a contract with the NFL.

But if they are violating the law by treating an independent channel differently than they do their owned channels, then they'll have to pay the price. That's the cost the government requires for allowing the rapid consolidation of media/distribution companies.

Agreed - they shouldn't force carriage, and they shouldn't require the NFL to allow carriage on a sports tier. If the few holdouts don't want the NFL's channel, their subs that do can go elsewhere. And the government should not get involved when some congressman is ticked that he can't watch is favorite team on NFLN because he's in a secondary market and his cableco doesn't have a contract with the NFL.

But if they are violating the law by treating an independent channel differently than they do their owned channels, then they'll have to pay the price. That's the cost the government requires for allowing the rapid consolidation of media/distribution companies.
With so many different carriage agreements with so many different content creators, all with varying degrees of "valuable" content, I don't know how they're going to be able to conclusively prove that.

Ridiculous.
No, it's not. And the 'too big to fail' crap (and resulting bailout mania) is proof of that. If they are too big to fail, they shouldn't be allowed to get that big. But we digress.

With so many different carriage agreements with so many different content creators, all with varying degrees of "valuable" content, I don't know how they're going to be able to conclusively prove that.

All they have to do is look at the other sports channels.

I'm watching a movie called 'Legion of the Dead' on sci fi hd channel. Letterboxed, all 4 sides.

All they have to do is look at the other sports channels.

I don't know, even then, those RSN's have more live game content than the NFL Network does, which at the core is what all these sports networks are really all about.

Whoever loses will appeal to the commission, which could take months. After two arbitrators and an FCC Media Bureau ruling, Time Warner didn't like being ordered to carry MASN, so they appealed on the 29th day after the order. There is still no decision almost six months after the order.

Whoever loses will appeal to the commission, which could take months. After two arbitrators and an FCC Media Bureau ruling, Time Warner didn't like being ordered to carry MASN, so they appealed on the 29th day after the order. There is still no decision almost six months after the order.

the greater problem is that when a cable company is in a dispute with a channel, both usually claiming to serve customer's interests, customers lose either way, and decisions and appeals take months. it's even worse when one side has a conflict of interest (usually a cable company that also owns either the channel in dispute or it's competitor). There needs to be some FIRM rules put in place that all must comply with to govern the type of channel it is (something established with and agreed by the FCC on startup), no questions asked. And that includes the satellites and phone companies providing Television too.

Comcast To Begin Rollout Of 22 More High Def Channels

posted April 13, 2009

Comcast announced that as part of its “World of More” campaign the company is adding 22 HD channels and is making the leap from broadband to wideband with the launch of next-generation DOCSIS 3.0 for residential homes and businesses in the Chattanooga area beginning this month.

Comcast will continue these additions in the Chattanooga area communities it serves throughout the year.

New high definition channels being added– at no additional cost – include:
Biography, Bravo, Cartoon Network, CNBC, E! Entertainment, Encore East, ESPNews, Fox Business, FUSE, G4, Hallmark Movie Channel, Independent Film Channel (IFC), Lifetime Movie Network, MGM TV, Planet Green, QVC Shopping Network, Style Network, The Learning Channel (TLC), Toon Disney, Travel Channel, TV One, and WE TV on channel 455.

Comcast will now offer more than 60 HD channels with the anticipation of offering additional channels by year’s end, it was stated.

Comcast offers more than 1,000 HD Video on Demand (VOD) choices, officials said

Additionally, new Digital Classic tier channels being added-at no additional cost- include: Family Network, FUSE, Independent Film Channel (IFC), Reelz, The Word, and WE TV.

Also, RFD-TV will be added as part of the Sports Entertainment package. RFD-TV is "a cable channel that serves the general interests and needs of rural America with a variety of well-balanced, high-quality, original programs including Crook & Chase, Hee Haw and The Marty Stuart Show."

Officials said, "The World of More also allows Comcast to convert its fiber optic network from broadband to wideband. With wideband, Comcast will launch a new echelon of Internet speed tiers, which redefines the customer experience online and creates a platform for Internet innovation for the future.

"Comcast wideband offers some of the fastest speeds available today, including the Extreme 50 tier with download speeds of up to 50 Mbps. Wideband also enables Comcast to double speeds for the majority of existing high-speed Internet customers at no additional cost."

Valerie Gillespie, vice president and general manager of Chattanooga Comcast, said, “This is truly an exciting day for Comcast customers as we launch 22 new HD channels as well as six new digital channels, and the ever popular RFD network, giving them what they have consistently asked for…additional HD and digital channels. Our next generation wideband services will also use our existing fiber-optic network, but will be supercharged to enhance our customers’ online experience. Best of all, this service will continue to be launched in the Chattanooga service area throughout the year making it available to all of our customers throughout the service area.”

With Extreme 50, Comcast customers will be able to download a high-def movie (6 GB) in about 16 minutes, a standard-def movie (2 GB) in about 5 minutes and a standard-def TV show (300 MB) in a matter of seconds. Customers with Extreme 50 also will be able to download digital photos, songs and games faster than ever, she said.

In addition to the new speed tiers, Comcast also is increasing speeds for most of its existing customers.
Performance tier customers will benefit from doubled downstream and upstream speeds, offering up to 12 Mbps and 2 Mbps, respectively.
Performance Plus customers will be upgraded to Comcast’s Blast! Tier, which will double their download speeds to up to 16 Mbps and provide up to 2 Mbps of upload speed, it was stated.

Ms. Gillespie said, "Plus, with PowerBoost technology, customers are able to enjoy even faster speeds to download and upload files such as videos, games, music and photos."

http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_148842.asp

I don't think the argument that Vs/Golf is on the regular tier so NFL Network should be is valid. How much does Comcast charge itself to carry Vs/Golf? If it's the same the NFL wants to charge Comcast for the NFL Network then maybe they have a point, but I have a feeling it's not even close.

Personally I'd be more than happy if all sports channels were "banished" to the sports tier and the cable rates were then lowered accordingly, but that's never going to happen.


What is the excuse for Stargate SG-1 or Star Trek Enterprise?

SG-1 wasn't filmed in HD either. Stargate Atlantis does air in HD.
Enterprise was originally aired in HD (I believe) so I don't know why that's not showing as such.

Well there hasn't been much worth watching (while there has been tons worth watching on other channels, in the meanwhile). However, Primeval began this weekend, and it is quite good. The video is an upconvert from the OAR, but is still very good, and the show itself is fine. Not BSG, of course, but still worth checking out.

Primeval is pretty good (and it gets a lot better later on), but I already watched the entire first season last year when it aired on BBC America. If it's not in HD on SciFi, I don't see any reason to watch it again.

There needs to be some FIRM rules put in place that all must comply with to govern the type of channel it is (something established with and agreed by the FCC on startup), no questions asked. And that includes the satellites and phone companies providing Television too.

I agree. When Comcast and Time Warner bought Adelphia, they both agreed to arbitration as a way of resolving disputes with regional sports networks. Unfortunately, the FCC allowed for so many appeals that the arbitration process is worthless. That's why they go straight to a carriage complaint now with an administrative law judge, but even that allows an automatic appeal to the commission. If there were any sort of firm rules in place though, that would open up another door for endless appeals about cable operators' first amendment rights.
MASN first made their arbitration demand against Time Warner almost two years ago, and there's still no result.

Is there any way to find out how many Comcast systems there are nation wide and how many of them are carrying MLB Network in HD? The sales rep last night when I called to order MLB Extra Innings told me that Comcast does not offer MLB Network to ANY systems and that I had bad information that systems in New Jersey had received the channel.

Is there any way to find out how many Comcast systems there are nation wide and how many of them are carrying MLB Network in HD? The sales rep last night when I called to order MLB Extra Innings told me that Comcast does not offer MLB Network to ANY systems and that I had bad information that systems in New Jersey had received the channel.

i don't have counts, but I'm on Comcast in NJ, and I received MLB Network in late December in SD, and on 4/1 in HD. and i couldn't be happier about having it in HD.

did you call a Comcast rep, or some independent-type of rep?

Comcast changes for Baltimore City:

WETA HD, WETA Create, WETA Kids added on 4/14 (PBS Washington DC)

9 channels added (moved) to Digital Starter on 4/14

To help make room for these and future channel additions, the
following channels, including the sports neighborhood, will be
moving on Tuesday, April 14:

MPT-Select 200 to 268
MPT V-me 201 to 269
Big Ten Network 257 to 715
Horse Racing TV 259 to 717
TV Games 260 to 718
ESPNEWS 261 to 719
FOX College Sports Atlantic 262 to 720
FOX College Sports Central 263 to 721
FOX College Sports Pacifi c 264 to 722
ESPN Classic 265 to 723
FOX Soccer Channel 267 to 725
GOL TV English 268 to 726
NBA TV 273 to 749
CBS College Sports 274 to 732
NFL Network 275 to 733
NHL Network 276 to 734
The Tennis Channel 277 to 735
MLB Network 280 to 738

The following channels will now require a digital box on:

Wednesday, April 1
The Comcast Network

Tuesday, April 14
WETA-SD
Cartoon Network

New Music Choice lineup effective 4/15

http://comcastchannelchanges.com/channelLineups/MD_BaltimoreCity.pdf

With the sports channels moving away from the HD channels, and three analogs being dropped, hopefully they are making room for more HD.


Changes in DC, DE, MD, NC, VA, WV in April:

http://comcastchannelchanges.com

All changes were made this morning, except the most important one: WETA-SD and Cartoon Network are still analog.

Changes were made for central Indiana customers today. (former Insight customers) This was of course the removal of HDNet Movies and the addition of MLB HD....boo...:mad:


904 WNDY-DT HD
906 NBC HDTV-WTHR HD
908 ABC HDTV-WRTV HD
910 FOX HDTV-WXIN HD
912 CBS HDTV-WISH HD
914 CW HDTV-WTTV HD
916 PBS DIGITAL-WFYI HD
917 WFYI - DT
919 CNN HD
920 NFL Network HD
921 Golf Channel HD
922 Fox Sports Net MW
923 ESPN HDTV
924 ESPN2 HD
925 TNT IN HD
926 TBS HD
927 National Geographic HD
928 HDNet
930 Disney Channel HD
931 ABC Family HD
934 Animal Planet HD
935 HD Theater
936 Discovery HD
937 UNIVERSAL HD
938 Sci-Fi HD
939 USA HD
940 A&E HD
941 History HD
942 HGTV HD
943 Food Network HD
944 TLC HD
945 MHD
946 Speed HD
947 Versus HD
948 FX HD
949 MLB HD added 4/14
950 Fox News HD
951 AMC HD
952 HBO EAST HD
953 Starz HD
954 Showtime East HD
955 Cinemax HD
957 Science HD
958 Big Ten Network HD
HD On Demand

Changes partially occurred in NNJ. WLIW was removed from analog, but not NJN. WLIW/create/world were added, but WLIW-HD is in 480i SD. No NJN HD. Sports channels moved to 700s.

i don't have counts, but I'm on Comcast in NJ, and I received MLB Network in late December in SD, and on 4/1 in HD. and i couldn't be happier about having it in HD.

did you call a Comcast rep, or some independent-type of rep?

1-800-COM-CAST

She told me it isn't carried by Comcast. When I told her I wanted to order extra innings at the start of the call, she let out a huge sigh like I was wasting her time. Then she said, ok, it's added...have a nice day. I told her to wait, that I wanted it on the 4 payment plan. She told me to hold and 15 minutes later she told me that yes, they did offer a 4 payment plan.

Not a pleasant woman.

MLB Network is in HD in NJ but the Extra Innings Package is not offered in HD.

Anyone getting a high pitch ringing noise during commercials only? I have a Motorola HD DCH 3200 box and it just started the other night. It's the 3rd time since Sunday and it happens intermittently just on some commercials.

All changes were made this morning, except the most important one: WETA-SD and Cartoon Network are still analog.

Channels are now digital only.:cool:

Anyone get a letter from Comcast saying that they will be removing the Movie Channel? Letter says I can keep it for $5.99 per month for 6 months. Are they nuts, who would do that?

I called and apparently Showtime decided to pull it from their package I have the old Adelphia Ultimate Advantage Package, which is supposed to include everything but Comcast said it was Showtime not them.

Seems rather weird.

I was just de-authorized for MLB Extra Innings in the middle of a game. I had to go through SIX freaking prerecorded messages and then 4 different menus to finally be put on hold 15 minutes into the call.

I've been sitting here for 30 minutes now waiting for a representative. This is absurd. Comcast is so freaking frustrating.

Oh, and if you have a Scientific Atlantic box, they are all down...system wide the recording said.

Everyone should have their privacy; however, it would be extremely helpful for each of us to at least add their general location (state?, city?, etc) to their profile so that when we see a post that announces an immediate issue, we can quickly determine if it might affect our system and/or if we can provide any additional information.

Just something to consider...

it would be extremely helpful for each of us to at least add their general location to their profile We don't need to do that---just if you're reporting an issue mention where you are.

Channels were shifted earlier this week. But still no MLB-HD, and, of course, no HD channel for Extra Innings. I've posted this issue before, but is there a technical reason they can't use one of the (now) two (!!!) HD PPV channels for the sports packages HD channels those times when nothing is airing on the HD PPV channels (which is 90% of the time)?

We don't need to do that---just if you're reporting an issue mention where you are.

We all SHOULD do it. I see many people posting about something happening "here" -- and they don't provide the in their post location and it's not in their profile.

What is so scary about posting a city and state in your profile?

We all SHOULD do it.But why does it need to be in the profile, attached to each and every post you make? Yes, if you're reporting an issue or regional question you definitely should specify your location. But otherwise, there's no "should" about it. You can if you want, but there's no reason to.

MLB Network is in HD in NJ but the Extra Innings Package is not offered in HD.

The extra innings package is not in HD anywhere on cable. Only on DirecTV.

Extra Innings has one HD channel (rather than the 10 SD channels it has). It shows (obviously) one game at a time in HD. Usually one or two games a day, an east coast game and a west coast game, and sometimes a day game. Some cable companies carry it, some don't. But it's only one HD channel, not the entire package in HD.

This is the HD schedule for the entire month of April:
http://indemand.com/sports/mlb/mlb_hd_schedule.pdf?090415140956651

I haven't subscribed yet, but I think I'm going to subscribe to MLB.TV instead of Extra Innings. It (says it) has every game in HD that's broadcast in HD in the local market, if your internet is fast enough. And it's cheaper than Extra Innings.

The extra innings package is not in HD anywhere on cable. Only on DirecTV.
Not exactly.

In Demand offers Extra Innings in HD on GameHD & TeamHD, available on select Digital Cable systems, including TWC and Comcast.

We don't need to do that---just if you're reporting an issue mention where you are.

Because typically that location info doesn't get carried forward during subsequent posts, so there's less likelihood of someone responding with valid, specific info about an area specific problem.

If you post a problem about a local Comcast problem it's meaningless to me without a location. If I see you're in Santa Rosa, CA I can give you very specific information/answers.

Bottom line, this thread isn't really for area specific questions anyway, that's what the local threads are for.

Because typically that location info doesn't get carried forward during subsequent posts, so there's less likelihood of someone responding with valid, specific info about an area specific problem.

If you post a problem about a local Comcast problem it's meaningless to me without a location. If I see you're in Santa Rosa, CA I can give you very specific information/answers.

Bottom line, this thread isn't really for area specific questions anyway, that's what the local threads are for.

Agree!

I haven't subscribed yet, but I think I'm going to subscribe to MLB.TV instead of Extra Innings. It (says it) has every game in HD that's broadcast in HD in the local market, if your internet is fast enough. And it's cheaper than Extra Innings.

You may want to check out http://www.mlbsupport.com/forum/ before signing up for MLB.TV. It does promise a lot, but there have been a ton of technical issues this year. it probably will still be more worth it though.

What is so scary about posting a city and state in your profile?

Privacy.

Anyways, it was out of the Pittsburgh system. Basically, Comcast thinks it was hacked. Their internal servers (messaging system) went down, all Scientific Atlantic boxes on the system were made useless and everyone lost their subscriptions to MLB Extra Innings, NBA League Pass and NHL Center Ice. The lady called back and basically said they were helpless because they couldn't send information back and forth within the company.

Privacy.


Well, you just blew yours.

:confused:

Well, you just blew yours.

:confused:

At you bequest. You were so curious.

at you bequest. You were so curious.

:d

A multi-million dollar renovation of cable infrastructure to provide high-speed Internet at least five times faster than what's available in the Farmington area is set to begin in May, Comcast Corporation officials said Tuesday. The privately funded Comcast project would offer residential Internet service at 8 megabytes per second and business service at speeds as high as 20 megabytes per second in Farmington, Bloomfield and Aztec, Comcast Southwest area spokesman Chris Dunkeson said.

The upgrade also will provide more than 60 high-definition television channels and on-demand video services, the first cable alternative to satellite dish programming services.

The project, which will begin construction the first week of May, is anticipated to be completed in November, with full services set to be made available before the end of the year.

http://www.daily-times.com/ci_12144272

I was told by my Comcast rep (I still subscribe to net and phone) that they're installing DOCSIS3 in the 3rd quarter this year and that will eliminate analogs for non-locals. Then he promised 100 HD channels or so. What's the story of this?

I was told by my Comcast rep (I still subscribe to net and phone) that they're installing DOCSIS3 in the 3rd quarter this year and that will eliminate analogs for non-locals. Then he promised 100 HD channels or so. What's the story of this?

It is "Project Cavalry" (internal Comcast name) or "The World of More" (subscriber-facing name). Search this thread for either term.

http://www.daily-times.com/ci_12144272

Does anybody know if this New Mexico system was purchased fairly recently by Comcast? Was it maybe a former Adelphia system?

Comcast Expanding 'All-Digital' Domain

April 17, 2009 | Jeff Baumgartner

Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) has started the "all-digital" process in parts of its Boston- and Atlanta-area systems as the MSO continues to free up space for more HD networks and the speedier Docsis 3.0 cable modem platform. (See Comcast Sets Wideband Goal .)

The MSO says it's already starting to migrate some analog channels to the digital domain in Winder, Ga., with plans to do the same in nearby North Fulton County in the next month or so, according to Comcast spokeswoman Alana Davis. The MSO will continue doing that in the Atlanta area on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis.

Comcast isn't that far along yet in the Boston area, but it has started the "marination" process in Newburyport. In that early, preparatory phase, the MSO is proactively installing digital boxes and simpler, one-way digital terminal adapters (DTAs) during routine truck rolls before the market is "on the clock" for the analog-to-digital channel migration.

Marination is also underway in the MSO's Philadelphia region. The initiative, dubbed internally as "Project Cavalry," is already started or completed in the Bay Area; Portland and Salem, Ore.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; and Seattle and other parts of Washington. (See Comcast Sends In the All-Digital 'Cavalry' and Comcast 'Cavalry' Rides Into NoCal .)

A key goal of Cavalry is to move about 40 analog channels from the operator's expanded basic programming tier to digital, while leaving its basic "B1" tier (about 20 channels, depending on the market) in analog. In those markets, the MSO is giving each expanded basic customer two DTAs and one entry-level, interactive set-top (so it supports the MSO's interactive program guide and video-on-demand apps) for no additional cost for as long as they remain Comcast customers. (See Comcast Seeds Digital Shift With Free Boxes.)

Comcast, responding to pressure from the likes of DirecTV Group Inc. (NYSE: DTV) and Dish Network Corp. (Nasdaq: DISH), is already starting to beef up its HD lineup using reclaimed analog spectrum capacity. In Salem and Eugene, for example, the MSO launched 30 new hi-def networks last month after it completed the digital migration there. In Chattanooga, meanwhile, the MSO is starting off by packing in 22 new hi-def channels and booting up a 50 Mbit/s (downstream) Docsis 3.0 service.

Cisco cometh

So far, all of Comcast's all-digital moves have occurred in markets based on Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT)'s digital platform, where the MSO is deploying DTAs from that suppler, as well as from Thomson (NYSE: TMS; Euronext Paris: 18453) and Pace Micro Technology .

Comcast expects to start the process in some initial Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO)-based markets by mid-2009 or later, according to Comcast VP of video services Jay Kreiling.

That timing will likely hinge on how rapidly Cisco polishes off its own DTA product and a headend component that can control it. Just ahead of the recently concluded cable show in Washington, D.C., Dave Clark, director of product strategy and management for Cisco's set-top product unit, told Cable Digital News that his company expects to start delivering DTA samples to MSO customers by June.

"It's definitively a real product. We're about finished with the development phase on this," Clark said.

Cisco, he noted, has developed a specific model for Comcast, called the DTA30, that houses some unique frequency specs for the device's remote control. Another model, the DTA50, is for other MSOs.

Comcast had previously indicated that it will need up to 25 million DTAs to complete the project across the board.

In a video interview at the cable show, comcast chief technology officer Tony Werner said he's been pleased with the performance of the DTAs so far, and that Comcast is on track to have about half its markets started down the all-digital path by the end of 2009. Werner's comments about the DTAs appear at the six-minute mark of the video, embedded below:

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=175456&site=cdn&f_src=lightreading_gnews

Comcast adds HD channels

By DAVID BARRON Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle

April 17, 2009, 4:40PM

Comcast will launch 27 high-definition channels and 10 additional digital channels April 27 on its Houston cable system.

The new HD channels will be grouped in the 600 range on Comcast’s channel system via its HD set-top boxes. Existing HD channels also will be moved into the 600 tier while remaining on their current channels. For example, HBO’s HD signal will be available at its current channel 460 and at channel 695.

New HD channels and their corresponding Comcast channel numbers are Speed Channel (601), Cartoon Network (622), Discovery (629), FX (631), ABC Family (632), Fox News (638), Lifetime (640), Disney (641), Animal Planet (642), Nickelodeon (643), E! (644), Spike (648), AMC (657) and SciFi (660).

Also, Travel Channel (662), TLC (663), Lifetime Movies (671), Biography (672), Fox Business (677), Discovery Science (678), Planet Green (679), Hallmark Movie Channel (680), NHL Channel (681), Style (683), TV One (684), Live Well (685) and Encore (696).

New standard digital channels are Reelz TV (102), Hallmark Movie Channel (103), Universal Sports (319), Ovation (118), Grand Cine (538), Mexicana! (539), Star Plus (723), Sony (724), Filipino Channel (725) and GMA Pinoy (726).

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/tv/6379114.html

(post #6000)

Nice to see Star Plus and Sony added in another market besides NoCal. My parents would order those two channels in a heartbeat if Comcast added them here.

is there a technical reason they can't use one of the (now) two (!!!) HD PPV channels for the sports packages HD channels those times when nothing is airing on the HD PPV channels (which is 90% of the time)?

Probably contracts with the HD PPV provider, not to mention that if they did that, they would get complaints from MLB viewers when there's a PPV event. Speaking of that, if they carried any of these HD channels, those providers probably wouldn't allow its content to be interrupted. So yes, it's easier for them not to carry the HD channel at all rather than part of the time.

I finally decided yesterday to go ahead and sign up for Verizon fios. I did not take this decision lightly, but I have run out of patience dealing with Comcast. Also, Verizon was offering a $150 rebate, which will take care of terminating my promotion with Comcast. Locking in the price for two years was another major factor. Don't get me wrong- I was very happy with Comcast, and they have a great product (in my area, anyway). I just had a few issues with them, and as a consumer, I decided that I did not want to deal with it anymore if I didn't have to.
First, I have been waiting for NHL Network HD and GAME HD for two seasons now, and there is no launch in sight. MLB Network's HD content is hard to wait for, too.
Second, the complete imcompetence and lack of knowledge from Comcast's customer service people. The last time I asked about more HD in my area, the lady told me that it was dependent on the migration to digital on June 12. She also told me that every channel I have was HD.
I also have a problem with the the canned responses I get when I e-mail my local office. They might as well have a computer issue a canned reponse to every e-mail because that's all the people there do. If you want any answer of substance, they tell you that you need to call them so you can talk to an incompetent CSR.
Then there's the veil of secrecy on the corporate level. Although they have gotten better, it's just about impossible to contact anyone who can actually resolve an issue or answer a question, especially locally.
I can say too that I no longer choose to be supporting a company that litigates channel carriage on a seemingly regular basis like they lave lately. I'm not so sure Comcast is discriminating against NFL Network, but it looks like they discriminated against Wealth TV and are absolutely continuing to discriminate against MASN on quite a few of its systems. Even though they have a carriage agreement now, I still haven't forgotten about Comcast trying force MASN out of business because they took away the Orioles rights from Comcast Sportsnet.
It's going to be a little difficult to change my e-mail address with everywhere it's registered to, and I'll have to get used to a totally different program guide, but because of everything I've mentioned here, I feel like I've made the right decision.

Comcast of Union should be seeing new HD again in late May or early June. On 5/19, MSNBC and TCM will be migrating to digital, leaving us with 3 open QAMs.

Also, I read a post on DSLR that said:


To accommodate our Sports Entertainment Package customers for any inconvenience caused by this matter, we will be providing them with a special free offer. Letters will be mailed to these customers later this week making them eligible to receive one of the following:

Free Starz for 12 months

Free Internet speed upgrade if they are a Comcast High-Speed Internet customer; or

Six (6) free movie coupons

While it will be the NFL’s decision to take its signal off of our system, we believe providing these free offers is the right thing do for our customers.


http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r22259822-Billing-Sport-Entertainment-Package

HD Channels in Union NJ area are back to having blocking, pixilation, audio dropouts etc. ABC and NBC are the worst. Discovery, USA HD, Food Channel, A&E HD also are not good. This has been on and off since they added new HD channels about 2 weeks ago. Have called twice and they said they will get a tech to look into the problem. They cant seem to get the problem fixed.

Rob

HD channels in my area, other than locals, are no longer clear QAM. A little while back Comcast had made expanded basic and HD channels clear QAM. The expanded basic channels are still clear QAM though.

Probably contracts with the HD PPV provider, not to mention that if they did that, they would get complaints from MLB viewers when there's a PPV event. Speaking of that, if they carried any of these HD channels, those providers probably wouldn't allow its content to be interrupted. So yes, it's easier for them not to carry the HD channel at all rather than part of the time.

Well, I understand the contracts issue, so if that's the case I suppose what is done is done. That doesn't excuse negotiating a contract that allows PPV to squat on limited HD bandwidth real estate that is unutilized 90% of the time.

If there aren't contractual impediments, the argument that it is too difficult to explain pre-emption to viewers is frankly, ridiculous. Most nights, there is nothing on those channels. It is just not that difficult to explain that GAME HD (or MLB-HD, for that matter) will be available whenever there is not an HD PPV event scheduled.

Comcast Says WealthTV Has No Grounds To Complain

Trial to begin Tuesday, Wealth TV seeking mandatory carriage

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 4/20/2009 10:09:42 AM MT

While the FCC hearing on Wealth TV vs. a quartet of major cable MSO's starts today with arguments on evidence, the meat of the trial does not start until tomorrow's opening arguments, a year to the day from Herring's filing of the complaint.

But the battle lines are already clearly drawn.

Wealth TV parent Herring Broadcasting claims the operators--Comcast, Time Warner, Cox and Bright House, discriminated against its channel in favor of a similar one in which they had a financial interest, which would be a violation of the Communications Act, which does not allow program distributors to "unreasonably restrain the ability of an unaffiliated video programming vendor to compete fairly by discriminating in video programming distribution on the basis of affiliation or non-affiliation of vendors."

Comcast, in its pre-trial briefing, says it did negotiate for the channel, did make an offer, did not discriminate, and that MOJO (no longer in business) and Wealth TV were not even similar channels.

It also says the burden of proof remains on Herring, which had argued in pre-trial motions that the burden should instead shift to the four MSOs to show "that their conduct had a legitimate, nondiscriminatory rationale," pointing out that in "another type" of program access complaint the FCC does adopt a "burden-shifting" standard. "As the ALJ [administrative law judge] has held, 'WealthTV SHALL HAVE both the burden of proceeding with the introduction of evidence and the burden of proof."

Comcast, the nation's largest cable operator, says flatly that WealthTV "cannot prove its case," or even provide any direct evidence to support it.

"To the contrary," says Comcast, "the evidence will show that Comcast not only negotiated in good faith, but also made two legitimate, good faith offers," comparable to ones WealthTV accepted from others." Comcast says the reason it did not carry the channel was differences over terms and conditions of carriage. "WealthTV failed to persuade Comcast that carriage of [the channel] was a sufficiently compelling value proposition for Comcast or its subscribers based on the terms and conditions," which Comcast says was guaranteed extensive carriage at "high license fees."

Comcast says its decision not to carry the channel did not restrict Wealth TV's ability to compete fairly, saying it was free to seek carriage from various direct competitors including satellite and telco TV.

Comcast also says Herring has a high First Amendment bar to clear in asking the FCC to overrule Comcast's editorial judgment about whether or not to carry a channel, and under what conditions.

Wealth TV is seeking mandatory carriage as a remedy, and Comcast says that even granting, for the sake of argument only, that the FCC found discrimination, mandatory carriage would not be a narrowly tailored remedy because MOJO is defunct, so that WealthTV is "not currently suffering any arguable discrimination."

The FCC just completed its first program carriage hearing--NFL Enterprises vs. Comcast--and in early may holds its third and final--MASN vs. Comcast.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/209531-Comcast_Says_WealthTV_Has_No_Grounds_To_Complain.php

Probably contracts with the HD PPV provider, not to mention that if they did that, they would get complaints from MLB viewers when there's a PPV event. Speaking of that, if they carried any of these HD channels, those providers probably wouldn't allow its content to be interrupted. So yes, it's easier for them not to carry the HD channel at all rather than part of the time.

IIRC, the provider of the HD PPV channel and the provider of MLB Extra Innings are the same entity - inDemand (in which Comcast is part owner).

I have a quick question about Comcast packages, I was told that if I have an HD box and an HD tv, that in order to get ESPN/EPSN2 in HD I would only need the Digital Starter tier is this correct?

I'm about to get Comcast HD service, I was wondering which is the best HD box to get from them. I'm not going to get DVR service, and its going to a 720p LCD via HDMI. Do I have a choice of which box to get? Please help.

I'm about to get Comcast HD service, I was wondering which is the best HD box to get from them. I'm not going to get DVR service, and its going to a 720p LCD via HDMI. Do I have a choice of which box to get? Please help.

I think the Motorola DCT6500 is the one you are looking for with an HDMI connection. I'm pretty sure the DCT6400 and lower have DVI connections. Not many people here use the non-dvr box, almost everyone has the DVR.

-Ken

I'm about to get Comcast HD service, I was wondering which is the best HD box to get from them. I'm not going to get DVR service, and its going to a 720p LCD via HDMI. Do I have a choice of which box to get? Please help.

I may have missed something; however, what box you can get depends upon which CC system you are on. What is your location?

Savannah, GA 31405

I think the Motorola DCT6500 is the one you are looking for with an HDMI connection. I'm pretty sure the DCT6400 and lower have DVI connections. Not many people here use the non-dvr box, almost everyone has the DVR.

-Ken

There is no DCT6500.

If you want HDMI you need to get a DCH3200 or a DCH6200. DCT6200's have DVI, at least the models I've gotten. The DCT64xx are DVR boxes.

I have a quick question about Comcast packages, I was told that if I have an HD box and an HD tv, that in order to get ESPN/EPSN2 in HD I would only need the Digital Starter tier is this correct?

Yes, both ESPN HD channels are on Digital Starter. Unfortunately, for me anyway, MLB and MLB HD are not included.

Comcast Cable TV is Coming to Laptops This Year

Comcast's Fancast.com will host paid cable content free of charge for existing Comcast subscribers, beginning later this year, Comcast Exec says.

Mark Sullivan, PC World

Comcast will soon make its cable TV content available to its subscribers on the Internet, says Karin Gilford, the Comcast Interactive executive in charge of the cable provider's Fancast video site.

The Comcast "on demand" online video service will allow Comcast subscribers to sign in with a username and password, then access any standard or premium cable content that their cable subscription entitles them to watch, Gilford says.

Gilford declined to get more specific on the timing of the launch or the breadth of the content that will be immediately available for online viewing. She says the new online video service will be free of charge to Comcast customers, but does not rule out the possibility that Comcast will charge extra for it in the future.

Premium movies and TV shows appear on thousands of different internet sites, in a thousand formats, and is paid for using many different pricing models. Because of this complexity and the demands of the video content owners, it's been offering a video site that offers everything has proved very challenging.

But Comcast, with its long-standing relationships with virtually all major video content producers (the networks, HBO, CNN, etc.), is in a unique position to provide a single omnibus video site that has a broad range of content and a consistent way of viewing it all. Those relationships might allow Fancast to feature a lot of content that other online video sites don't have.

Gilford says its affiliates have always had deep security concerns about distributing premium (for-pay) content online. But, like many in the music industry, video content producer/owners have warmed to the idea.

So if you're like me and you already subscribe to Comcast cable anyway, Fancast becomes my online video destination of choice--the one most likely to have something I want to watch. This will be especially true if Comcast is able to host the thousands of titles from last year or from 40 years ago that currently reside in the vaults of its content owner affiliates (like Turner Classics, for example).

All that content available online and searchable using a real keyboard (not a remote) could be a very powerful thing indeed. Afterall, as I written (too) many times: the TV watcher's challenge is "finding something to watch when you don't know what you want to watch." Give me a lot of video and a decent search engine to search it with, and that problem is likely solved.

And even if the search fails to find the title in streamable form, Fancast will tell you when the title will be on scheduled TV next. If you know you'll have trouble remembering to watch, Fancast might present you with a button that says "send to DVR", allowing you to record the program when it airs.

Fancast has other things going for it, too. The 24 million people who currently subscribe to Comcast provide a ready target market for the new online Comcast service; many of those will like the idea of being able to watch their cable shows on their laptop (or at work uh oh).

http://www.pcworld.com/article/163550/comcast_cable_tv_is_coming_to_laptops_this_year.html

What tier do I need to get MLB HD, Nat. Geo HD, MGM HD? I thought I would get them all.

I'm a bit confused about something. Currently, I am in an area (central Indiana) that used to serviced by Insight, but is now Comcast. However, I am moving to Indianapolis and will be on that system. (15 miles away from where I am now)

Where I live now I pay nothing extra for HD...no additional fee. When I look at the Comcast website for packages in the Indianapolis market...it says that there is a $7.00 fee for HD. Is this correct? I didn't think Comcast charged you extra for HD anywhere.


Yes, I know that I could just call and ask...I'll do that as well.

I'm a bit confused about something. Currently, I am in an area (central Indiana) that used to serviced by Insight, but is now Comcast. However, I am moving to Indianapolis and will be on that system. (15 miles away from where I am now)

Where I live now I pay nothing extra for HD...no additional fee. When I look at the Comcast website for packages in the Indianapolis market...it says that there is a $7.00 fee for HD. Is this correct? I didn't think Comcast charged you extra for HD anywhere.


They don't charge extra for the HD content, they charge extra for the HD version of the STB.

They don't charge extra for the HD content, they charge extra for the HD version of the STB.
Got it. Thank you.

I am pleased that so many people are concerned about MLBHD and EIHD. I did complain to Comcast Corporate that we are paying the same as DirectTV for Extra Innings but not getting the HD games. And I was very disappointed that we aren't getting MLBHD in Central Maryland since I think many Comcast systems are carrying it. But that's a local issue, I guess.

Rich N.

I Lost three analogs this month and gained two HDs. Plus NFL HD is going away. Should be room for more HD if they are so inclined.

Plus they moved the sports channels away from the HD channels.

What tier do I need to get MLB HD, Nat. Geo HD, MGM HD? I thought I would get them all.
Here, MLB and Natl Geo are in Digital Classic, $17. We don't have MGM yet, but if you aren't getting it with Digital Starter, then you would need Classic. Note some areas vary the service names.

SG-1 wasn't filmed in HD either. Stargate Atlantis does air in HD.
Enterprise was originally aired in HD (I believe) so I don't know why that's not showing as such.



The later seasons of SG-1 were done in HD. Sky One in the UK aired them as such. There is no excuse for the way SciFi airs these episodes.

I Lost three analogs this month and gained two HDs. Plus NFL HD is going away.
Please accept my apologies if I am repeating an inquiry here, but could someone give me the phone number to call Comcast to sign up for the free 12 months of Starz that they offering because of the loss of the NFL Network?

Thanks

Please accept my apologies if I am repeating an inquiry here, but could someone give me the phone number to call Comcast to sign up for the free 12 months of Starz that they offering because of the loss of the NFL Network?

Thanks

1-866-671-0782 is the phone # for the "Comcast Appreciation Offer" hotline as related to the loss of NFL Network

1-866-671-0782 is the phone # for the "Comcast Appreciation Offer" hotline as related to the loss of NFL Network
Thanks for the number. I did find it after I posted my request. When I called the number the CS person said something about this was not available in my area yet. What the hell is that about if they send out a mailer, why wouldn't it be applicable to my area?

I had a difficult time understanding the person on the phone. She said she was going to transfer me to someone who could explain it, but I think I got cut off. There is 30 minutes of my life I will never get back. No wonder everyone hates Comcast.

Please accept my apologies if I am repeating an inquiry here, but could someone give me the phone number to call Comcast to sign up for the free 12 months of Starz that they offering because of the loss of the NFL Network?

Thanks

Since I have Fios I will continue to get NFL Network :)

IMHO this offer should ONLY apply to those who have SnE.

anyone know if comcast is working on a widescreen program guide?

anyone know if comcast is working on a widescreen program guide?

That would be very nice to have in the guide.

Comcast Cable TV is Coming to Laptops This Year

Comcast's Fancast.com will host paid cable content free of charge for existing Comcast subscribers, beginning later this year, Comcast Exec says.

Mark Sullivan, PC World

Comcast will soon make its cable TV content available to its subscribers on the Internet, says Karin Gilford, the Comcast Interactive executive in charge of the cable provider's Fancast video site.

The Comcast "on demand" online video service will allow Comcast subscribers to sign in with a username and password, then access any standard or premium cable content that their cable subscription entitles them to watch, Gilford says.

Gilford declined to get more specific on the timing of the launch or the breadth of the content that will be immediately available for online viewing. She says the new online video service will be free of charge to Comcast customers, but does not rule out the possibility that Comcast will charge extra for it in the future.

Premium movies and TV shows appear on thousands of different internet sites, in a thousand formats, and is paid for using many different pricing models. Because of this complexity and the demands of the video content owners, it's been offering a video site that offers everything has proved very challenging.

But Comcast, with its long-standing relationships with virtually all major video content producers (the networks, HBO, CNN, etc.), is in a unique position to provide a single omnibus video site that has a broad range of content and a consistent way of viewing it all. Those relationships might allow Fancast to feature a lot of content that other online video sites don't have.

Gilford says its affiliates have always had deep security concerns about distributing premium (for-pay) content online. But, like many in the music industry, video content producer/owners have warmed to the idea.

So if you're like me and you already subscribe to Comcast cable anyway, Fancast becomes my online video destination of choice--the one most likely to have something I want to watch. This will be especially true if Comcast is able to host the thousands of titles from last year or from 40 years ago that currently reside in the vaults of its content owner affiliates (like Turner Classics, for example).

All that content available online and searchable using a real keyboard (not a remote) could be a very powerful thing indeed. Afterall, as I written (too) many times: the TV watcher's challenge is "finding something to watch when you don't know what you want to watch." Give me a lot of video and a decent search engine to search it with, and that problem is likely solved.

And even if the search fails to find the title in streamable form, Fancast will tell you when the title will be on scheduled TV next. If you know you'll have trouble remembering to watch, Fancast might present you with a button that says "send to DVR", allowing you to record the program when it airs.

Fancast has other things going for it, too. The 24 million people who currently subscribe to Comcast provide a ready target market for the new online Comcast service; many of those will like the idea of being able to watch their cable shows on their laptop (or at work uh oh).

http://www.pcworld.com/article/163550/comcast_cable_tv_is_coming_to_laptops_this_year.html

They make an announcement like this but they still enforce their 250GB/month download cap? So I'm paying them for cable but if I watch too much of that cable content--that they provide--on their own Internet service I'm going to be in violation of their TOS?

They make an announcement like this but they still enforce their 250GB/month download cap? So I'm paying them for cable but if I watch too much of that cable content--that they provide--on their own Internet service I'm going to be in violation of their TOS?

that's funny. i hadn't thought about it and i was just about to say how much i liked that idea. if you add that to my netflix hd movies and my online gaming and everything else, that adds up fast.

Comcast adds 27 new HD channels

Portland Business Journal

Beginning April 27, Comcast digital customers with a high-definition box will get 27 new channels.

The Philadelphia-based communications company is adding the channels to its lineup that already includes more than 1,000 choices.

The channels include: Speed Channel HD (Channel 601); Cartoon Network HD (Channel 622); Discovery HD (Channel 629); FX HD (Channel 631); ABC Family HD (Channel 632); Fox News Channel HD (Channel 638); Lifetime HD (Channel 640); Disney HD (Channel 641); Animal Planet HD (Channel 642); Nickelodeon HD (Channel 643); E! HD (Channel 644); Spike HD (Channel 648); AMC HD (Channel 657); Sci Fi HD (Channel 660); Travel Channel HD (Channel 662); TLC HD (Channel 663); Lifetime Movies HD (Channel 671); Biography HD (Channel 672); Fox Business News HD (Channel 677); Discovery Science Channel HD (Channel 678); Planet Green HD (Channel 679); Hallmark Movie Channel HD (Channel 680); NHL HD (Channel 681); Style HD (Channel 683); TV ONE HD (Channel 684); Encore HD (Channel 696); and Live Well HD (Channel 685).

Also on April 27, Comcast will add 10 new channels to its standard digital channel list: Reelz TV (Channel 102), Hallmark Movie Channel (Channel 103), Universal Sports (Channel 319), Ovation (Channel 118), Gran Cine (Channel 538), Mexicanal (Channel 539). Star Plus (Channel 723), Sony (Channel 724), The Filipino Channel (Channel 725) and GMA Pinoy (Channel 726) will be available as part of the international tier.

Customers will be able to find all of the HD channels in the 600-channel range as well as their current locations.

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/04/20/daily20.html

If it didn't count towards the cap people would be screaming net neutrality. Damned if you do damned if you don't.

Did Houston get their channels today as promised?

Did Houston get their channels today as promised?

Yes as long as you upgraded to a Scientific Atlanta box or CableCard.

Yes as long as you upgraded to a Scientific Atlanta box or CableCard.

Meaning the new channels (or some of them) are being delivered via SDV?

Meaning the new channels (or some of them) are being delivered via SDV?

No...the only SDV is "On Demand"...at this point.

Meaning the new channels (or some of them) are being delivered via SDV?

NO SDV is not in the works at this time in Houston. Comcast still has some room to expand their lineup without SDV or recovering the analogue channels at this time. However, at some point in the future BOTH will probably happen, just not at this time.

Comcast in Houston has been running both Moto and Scientific Atlanta head ends and I am sure they would like to get to just one head end system. To force clients to swap their Moto equipment for S/A equipment Comcast is not making the new channels available on the Moto head end. Unfortunately they are only providing multi-stream Scientific Atlanta CableCards and that presents a problem for their customers who have older televisions that will only work with the single-stream cards. Despite the claim that the multi-stream cards are backwardly compatible and will set themselves into single-stream mode for the older equipment most of the older televisions need a firmware upgrade to make this happen. The television manufactures have no interest in providing a firmware upgrade for obsolete sets. Thus a significant number of their customers are SOL or forced to rent the dreaded and more costly STB to receive the new channels.

Is Houston offering DOCSIS 3.0 cable modems as well? How many HD Channels do they have now? Its in the 50's with the addition today, isn't it?

I'm trying to reconcile how they could have over 50 HD channels, DOCSIS 3.0 internet, no SDV, and no analog reclamation. Something doesn't add up there from my (possibly imperfect) understanding of available bandwidth.

Is Houston offering DOCSIS 3.0 cable modems as well? How many HD Channels do they have now? Its in the 50's with the addition today, isn't it?

I'm trying to reconcile how they could have over 50 HD channels, DOCSIS 3.0 internet, no SDV, and no analog reclamation. Something doesn't add up there from my (possibly imperfect) understanding of available bandwidth.

NO DOCSIS 3.0 yet in Houston
I stand corrected on the SDV. Appearantly the On Demand is SDV. I never use it so I was not aware. Comcast has put 3 HD channels on one QAM channel and 15 SD channels on one QAM channel to get them all in.

Ah, not having DOCSIS 3.0 yet would be a significant savings. I think about 9 HD channels worth at 3 per QAM.

Burke gave analysts an update on the all-digital initiative, which he said covers about 5% of Comcast's footprint so far. That will grow to more than 50% of the footprint by the end of the year, he said. The project, which will be completed by 2010, will cost about $1 billion, Burke said, adding that the idea is to have only lifeline channels in analog. Burke said that of Comcast's customer base, about 14% are lifeline only and will see no change during the all-digital conversion. For the 72% that have digital, only additional TV's without set-tops will be affected and Burke estimated Comcast would need to rollout about 20 million boxes. For analog basic subscribers, Comcast will provide a set-top box and two digital adapters. He estimated that the company would need to provide about 10 million adapters and two million to three million set-tops to theta segment.

Burke said key to the rollout is the availability of a low-cost digital adapter - Comcast currently uses a $30 adapter, representing about one-third of the price of a digital set-top.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/230857-Comcast_Reports_Strong_Q1_Cash_Flow.php

Just got a letter in today's mail from Comcast. It says:

Despite Comcast's efforts, Comcast and NFL Network are at an impasse regarding carriage of NFL Network past April 30, 2009. We have offered to carry NFL Network just as we do today, but they have refused. While we're far from throwing in the towel, we did want to prepare you for what could happen.

The NFL Network may stop providing its programming to Comcast on May 1, 2009. We will continue working and it's our hope that there will be no interruption at all, or at least that it will be as short as possible.

No matter the outcome, you can watch your local NFL team play all season. Your Comcast Digital Cable service will still carry over 100 national and regional football games on CBS, NBC, FOX and ESPN, including your local team's games in your market.

Whatever happens, please accept our apology for the inconvenience. We know you just want to watch great TV.

Sincerely,

Rick Germano
Senior Vice President
National Customer Operations

P.S. Whether you watch NFL Network or not, we have a special offer for you below recognizing the inconvenience. Please take us up on it.


There are two offers, of which you can choose one:


1 Free Comcast Pay Per View Event
6 Free On Demand Movie Selections


Offer ends 6/30/2009. Pay Per View Events up to $54.99 supported. On Demand selections up to $4.99 supported.

That offer may be null and void now.

We got a free speed upgrade on the internet or Starz free for a year...

;)

I took the free HSI upgrade for a year.
BTW, they have just announced that NFL Network will continue to be carried past tonight's previous deadline.....at least for now.

Just got a letter in today's mail from Comcast. It says:




There are two offers, of which you can choose one:


1 Free Comcast Pay Per View Event
6 Free On Demand Movie Selections


Offer ends 6/30/2009. Pay Per View Events up to $54.99 supported. On Demand selections up to $4.99 supported.

From what I have heard and seen, the offers are based on what other services you subscribe to.

^^^^^
Must be. I have HSI along with Cable, so they offered me their HSI upgrade for a year, which I gladly took.

I'm assuming the offer is only going out to people with the Sports Tier.

I'm assuming the offer is only going out to people with the Sports Tier.

I don't know, but I do have the sports tier. I got the HSI upgrade last night and today came the announcement that NFL Network is staying for a while while negotiations continue. Since neither side will likely change, it may be temporary until the talks break down.

Rich N.

I got the same offer, a year of Starz or the free HSI upgrade. I took the internet upgrade. It hadn't taken effect yet(I rebooted the modem a couple times, same boot/config file) but they did say it might take up to 48 hours.

The number is a special number/operators that deal just with this situation, it does not transfer you to normal Comcast phone reps.

and yes I believe this is only for the subscribers that have the sports package and are thus affected by this decision.

I pay for the top packages that Comcast offers and because of this, the only compensation I get is some free movies? Really?

My offer was for the next level of Internet speed or 6 coupons for PPV movies at a value of $4.99 each. The trouble with that is the PPV movies in HD are an average of $5.99 each. Has anyone asked CC about whether the coupons can be used to get HD movies for $1 each?

My offer was for the next level of Internet speed or 6 coupons for PPV movies at a value of $4.99 each. The trouble with that is the PPV movies in HD are an average of $5.99 each. Has anyone asked CC about whether the coupons can be used to get HD movies for $1 each?

Same offer here, and same concern about the HD PPV movies being $5.99,
so that's why I took the HSI upgrade. I didn't ask CC about it.

I called and did ask what about $5.99 HD movies? They said they can applied to those, just only for $4.99. So you'd get them for $1.

It appears they are physical coupons they will send you that you have to fill out and return with your bill. So your bill would show the $5.99 charge but you could return a $4.99 coupon as part of your payment. Which is kinda clunky, particularly for those of us who are used to using our banks electronic payments system. Probably they are hoping some of us will stick them in a drawer and forget about them. :)

Nevertheless, gift horses and mouths and all that.

Comcast's $1B Bandwidth Plan

April 30, 2009 | Jeff Baumgartner |

Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) expects to shell out $1 billion for an "all-digital" project that will enable the MSO to reclaim 40 to 50 channels of analog spectrum and free up room for Docsis 3.0, a broader video-on-demand (VoD) library, ethnic programming fare, and more than 100 linear hi-def channels.

That's according to Comcast cable division president Steve Burke, who spent a good chunk of this morning's earnings call describing and defending the MSO's big bandwidth-reclamation strategy. (See Comcast Posts Q1.)

That strategy, called Project Cavalry, is "one of the most important projects for us this year," Burke said. "This project is going to deliver more additional bandwidth than any improvement we've ever made."

The moves allow Comcast to recapture up to 300 MHz of spectrum, more than it got when the MSO upgraded 500 MHz plant to 750 MHz. "We estimate the total cost of about $1 billion is less than 10 percent of what a physical rebuild would cost us historically, and we can complete it in a fraction of the time," Burke said, noting that the investment will be spread out over 2009 and 2010.

But Comcast's definition of "all-digital" is a bit wide of the truth. The company intends to leave a programming tier of 20 to 30 channels in analog. About 14 percent of Comcast's customers take its analog service today, and roughly 72 percent have already made the leap to digital.

Depending on the customer's current level of service, the MSO is giving away a number of simple, $30 digital terminal adapters (DTAs) to ensure that secondary TVs customer homes can continue to receive and display programming in the expanded basic tier once it's moved to digital. (See slide 10 in this PDF.) Burke estimates that Comcast will need to deploy about 20 million digital devices for the transition. (See Comcast Seeds Digital Shift With Free Boxes.)

In addition to the cheap DTAs, Comcast is trying to keep costs in check with self-installation kits that curtail the need for pricey truck rolls. The MSO estimates that about 75 percent of customers so far have elected the self-install option.

Comcast already has the project underway in areas such as Portland, Ore., Seattle, and the Bay Area, and is starting to tee it up in its Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Baltimore (:)) markets. By the end of the quarter, Comcast had completed the job in about 5 percent of its footprint. (See Comcast 'Cavalry' Rides Into NoCal , Comcast Expanding 'All-Digital' Domain , and Comcast Sends In the All-Digital 'Cavalry'.)

"The results in Portland have been encouraging enough that we are looking at speeding up our rollout to over half our footprint by the end of this year," Burke said, adding that the conversions have given a 20 percent-plus return on investment so far.

During the call, an analyst asked Comcast why it has favored going all-digital over other bandwidth management strategies, such as switched digital video (SDV) or moving to 1 GHz. It's all about timing, ease of deployment, and, of course, the almighty dollar.

"I want to spend as little as possible. I want to have the minimal intrusion on the customer experience. When you analyze all those variables, and you can get a digital adapter for around $30… it all points to going all-digital," Burke explained.

Financial update

Like its smaller MSO counterpart, Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC), Comcast's revenues and profits both jumped in the first quarter, despite the economy and competition from telcos and satellite TV providers.

But there was more excitement about Comcast's 95 percent growth rate of free cashflow (FCF), which ballooned to $1.4 billion in the first quarter as capital spending dipped 19 percent, to $1.16 billion, and the MSO tightened its grip on other cost controls.

But what will the MSO do with all that dough? "With prodigious FCF all but assured for 2009, a resumption of Comcast's share repurchase program would seem a logical step," Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Inc. analyst Craig Moffett suggests in a research note.

Comcast added 288,000 digital video customers but lost 78,000 basic subs. However, those losses were better than the 171,000 expected by analysts, and apparently kept in check by customers signing on during the broadcast digital TV transition, which won't be done until this June.

Comcast also added 329,000 high-speed customers, giving it a total of 15.2 million, and 298,000 digital voice customers, extending that total to 5.08 million. Comcast still has 66,000 customers taking phone service using old, crusty circuit-switched technology.

— Jeff Baumgartner, Site Editor, Cable Digital News

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=176164&site=cdn&

I think it's actually 30M dtas. 20M for the pure basic people, but another 10M for people who have higher levels of service but still have one or more TVs just hooked straight to the cable as well.

30M * $30 each is $900M. So presumably the other $100M is staff time and such over that two year period they're working on it.

What kinda sucks as far as I can see, is they've said only 50% "will be started" by Jan 1, 2010, and another of his answers implied they won't complete until roughly November 2010. So, unless you're one of those markets that's already been announced, there's still a 50/50 chance you won't see Cavalry until early next year, and a significant chance (25% or so?) you won't see it until the *second half* of 2010.

I wish they'd be more open about their schedule by market, but I can see why they wouldn't want to be. They'd make a lot of people happy, but annoy (and maybe lose to competitors) a lot more who discovered themselves on the back-end of that schedule.

I also got free Starz for a year, includes 5 Starz channels and StarzHD.

Has anyone in an area with major analog repos seen a channel that shows a loop of a tutorial on how to install your DTA and how you need one to prevent losing your favorite channels? I just noticed this on channel 906 here in Union. We've had DTAs since January.

I also got free Starz for a year, includes 5 Starz channels and StarzHD.

...and Starz VOD for me.

From what I have heard and seen, the offers are based on what other services you subscribe to.

Yeah, you must be right. My sub already has all the premium stations and I have the highest Internet tier, so I guess all I get are a few freebie (or $1) movies.

A couple of weeks ago I got an offer for either Free Starz for 12 months or 6 Free Movie Coupons. I called the number a few days later and was told, by someone I couldn't understand very well, that this offer wasn't available in my area yet. She was going to transfer me to someone who would give me an explanation. I was cut off. I figured I would try again later on since the offer is good until June 30.

Bernstein Ups Comcast, TWC, At Higher Multiple

Analyst Craig Moffett Cites ‘Lower Capital Intensity’ at Cable Firms

By Kent Gibbons -- Multichannel News, 5/5/2009 7:19:29 AM MT

Comcast and Time Warner Cable results -- especially a coming Comcast bandwidth expansion at relatively low cost -- merit higher price targets on their stock, Sanford Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett said in a note to clients Tuesday.

He raised the target multiple (of 2009 cash flow) on the stocks to 6 times, which upped the Comcast 12-month target price to $20 from $18 and the Time Warner Cable price to $47 from $39. Comcast closed yesterday at $16.65 and TWC closed at $35.

The higher multiple reflects Bernstein’s expectation of lower capital intensity in the future, Moffett said. His Comcast note went into great detail about the cable firm’s “Project Cavalry” rollout that will create capacity for as many as 200 channels of HD at a cost of about $40 per subscriber. The rollout could be completed for a cost of about $1 billion over the next two years, mostly capitalized in set-top costs, he estimated.

Beyond the possible financial return on that expanded channel capacity, “the real value is strategic,” Moffett said.

He also cited cable’s rollout of DOCSIS 3.0 “wideband” Internet service as unleashing the platform's potential and compared the deployments to Verizon’s FiOS network rollout at estimated cost of $4,000 per home.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/231369-Bernstein_Ups_Comcast_TWC_At_Higher_Multiple.php

His Comcast note went into great detail about the cable firm’s “Project Cavalry” rollout that will create capacity for as many as 200 channels of HD at a cost of about $40 per subscriber.

Is that going to be 200 channels worth watch or 200 showing "Law and Order"? :D

I watched the video interview of Ralph Roberts on the blog and thought he looks like a chararcter right out of a science fiction movie. I would like to know why these kinds of people want to have the "biggest" company anyway? Is it an ego trip? Are they psychotic? Did they not learn "the bigger you are, the harder you fall"?

Is that going to be 200 channels worth watch or 200 showing "Law and Order"?


Funny...I mentioned to my wife the other day that somewhere in the world, 24/7, there's an episode of some version of L&O and/or CSI showing.

Oh...it's probably closer to 200 running L&O than what we might want. Comcast just added over a dozen new HD channels to their Houston area system; however, they are advertising 27 "new" channels...which includes their duplicating all the locals and previous HD channels....now all together with the new ones between 604-699.

From the same folks who brought us, "...over 1000 HD Choices."

Meanwhile: I want my HD Net Movies channel back...RIGHT NOW! (but I'm not holding my breath.)

I'd be interested to see the math on that capacity for 200 HD after Cavalry savings (presumably including existing HD). They'd have to shift about 55 analog channels to digital for that according to the back of my envelope. Are they moving that many?

I've noticed LivingWell HD is now on 245 in NJ. Meh.

I'd be interested to see the math on that capacity for 200 HD after Cavalry savings (presumably including existing HD). They'd have to shift about 55 analog channels to digital for that according to the back of my envelope. Are they moving that many?

Here they already have all the analog channels mapped elsewhere in digital.

Comcast's Project Cavalry: The March of 28 Million DTAs

May 5, 2009

Comcast has been talking about its “DTA” strategy for more than a year now (see Analog Zappers).

The idea: to eliminate 40-50 analog channels in a cable system, freeing up 250-300 MHz of spectrum, by giving basic cable subs who won’t upgrade to a digital tier a cheap “digital terminal adapter” to convert digital TV signals to analog. (DTAs have also been called “digital-to-analog” devices.)

Now one Wall Street analyst, Sanford Bernstein’s Craig Moffett, has become an outright evangelist of the concept.

In a research note today raising earnings estimates for Comcast, Moffett notes that the DTAs will pave the way for a ton more HD, high-speed data service and VOD… all for around $40 per subscriber ($20 per home passed).

“Perhaps most remarkably, even with all their digital transition gathering steam, Comcast’s capital intensity has still fallen to an all-time low” of 13.5% of cable revenue, Moffett writes. (See Bernstein Ups Comcast, TWC, At Higher Multiple.)

A quick reset on the DTA initiative, a.k.a. “Project Cavalry”:

* Comcast says it will cost about $1 billion – less than 10% “of what a physical rebuild would cost us historically,” COO Steve Burke noted on last week’s earnings call. The MSO currently has 5% of its footprint converted. (See Comcast Reports Strong Q1 Cash Flow.)

* Moffett estimates Comcast will need 28 million DTAs and 2.4 million set-top boxes, as well as 1.7 million incremental truck rolls, to convert its entire footprint in two years.

* Burke said the DTAs cost about $30 apiece, or 25% of the cost of a traditional cable set-top box.

“Project Cavalry means that Comcast can virtually double its network capacity, and substantially improve its already strong competitive positioning for free (at least in DCF [discounted cash flow] terms),” Moffett writes.

Let’s raise a glass and drink some more of the DTA Kool-Aid! And mind you: It’s a heckuva lot cheaper than Champagne.

http://www.multichannel.com/blog/BIT_RATE/13129-Comcast_s_Project_Cavalry_The_March_of_28_Million_DTAs.php

I'd be interested to see the math on that capacity for 200 HD after Cavalry savings (presumably including existing HD). They'd have to shift about 55 analog channels to digital for that according to the back of my envelope. Are they moving that many?

Here they already have all the analog channels mapped elsewhere in digital.

Yep. If you're using a digital cable box or a CableCARD, you're probably already not looking at any analog channels at all. You're seeing digital channels in the so-called "analog tier".

Let’s raise a glass and drink some more of the DTA Kool-Aid! And mind you: It’s a heckuva lot cheaper than Champagne.

Let's also hope that they don't petition the FCC for a security waiver on these boxes so we can keep getting all those expanded basic channels in clear QAM after the migration. Now if they would just use PSIP to remap them to the old channels...

KPXM HD - our ION HD channel - will be added to the Comcast lineup here in Minneapolis on June 10th.

Let's also hope that they don't petition the FCC for a security waiver on these boxes so we can keep getting all those expanded basic channels in clear QAM after the migration. Now if they would just use PSIP to remap them to the old channels...

You're joking right? I'm sure Comcast has already or is in the process of seeking a waiver right now. I'm also sure it's the content providers that are the driving force, not nessesarily Comcast. I don't see the big deal, HD is not involved. And for years and years, once analog cable was hooked up to the house, you could pretty much do whatever you wanted to it, VCRS, TVs, all just plugged into the wall and got channels. So why do content providers have a problem with newer TVs with a QAM tuner just plugging into the wall and get channels, just in a digital format? It's no different... come on digital SD channel quality certainly is better than analog, but it's still a far cry from HD. And it's not even as easy as analog, many consumers will not want to figure out the subchannel mappings and just get a DTA box anyway.

You're joking right? I'm sure Comcast has already or is in the process of seeking a waiver right now. I'm also sure it's the content providers that are the driving force, not nessesarily Comcast. I don't see the big deal, HD is not involved. And for years and years, once analog cable was hooked up to the house, you could pretty much do whatever you wanted to it, VCRS, TVs, all just plugged into the wall and got channels. So why do content providers have a problem with newer TVs with a QAM tuner just plugging into the wall and get channels, just in a digital format? It's no different... come on digital SD channel quality certainly is better than analog, but it's still a far cry from HD. And it's not even as easy as analog, many consumers will not want to figure out the subchannel mappings and just get a DTA box anyway.
I agree, Comcast almost surely is, or will be, seeking an FCC waiver. However, you say the content providers are the driving force, but then later say why should they care, because in the clear broadcasts are similar, whether Analog or Digital; and that is indeed correct. Therefore, I think Comcast, (and possibly the broadcasters, too) are the driving force for Digitial encryption, so they can discontinue the insecure and costly filtering system. However, as long as they don't map the clear QAM SD to the same numbers as they have been, few people will use clear-QAM; and if they move the QAMs around, it will be very few.

I agree: Comcast is pushing for the waiver, to help it guard more efficiently against cable theft.

Marcus,
I'm hoping you can help me understand something about the conversion.

One of my currently sets is directly hooked to the cable with no cable box and I'm receiving channels over the sets QAM tuner. I get the major networks in HD and all the digital station in the extended SD mode. Comcast tells me that when I hook up the new DTA I will no longer be able to get HD. I don't want to use the DTA.

But I've read that Comcast will be encrypting everything above the basic tier when they make the transition here in Atlanta in June and I will no longer be able to pull many unencrypted stations over QAM.

What's the truth? I really don't want to have to clutter up my house with another huge HD receiver box.

You're joking right? I'm sure Comcast has already or is in the process of seeking a waiver right now.
No, I'm not, as seen in this Comcast pronouncement 6 months ago (see last couple of paragraphs):

http://www.multichannel.com/article/135371-Comcast_Preps_Digital_Cutover_In_Portland_Area.php

The Comcast COO mentioned in another interview that the programmers didn't have an issue with channels in the clear. Now anything could change and I know that they're SD, so you're right that they won't be useful much for main sets where you're renting an HD box (or Cablecard for Tivo etc.). But for secondary sets with QAM tuners, having all of them in the clear is very nice because you won't have to get DTAs for them.

Assuming that they don't try to put encryption in the DTAs, that is.

Marcus,
I'm hoping you can help me understand something about the conversion.

One of my currently sets is directly hooked to the cable with no cable box and I'm receiving channels over the sets QAM tuner. I get the major networks in HD and all the digital station in the extended SD mode. Comcast tells me that when I hook up the new DTA I will no longer be able to get HD. I don't want to use the DTA.

But I've read that Comcast will be encrypting everything above the basic tier when they make the transition here in Atlanta in June and I will no longer be able to pull many unencrypted stations over QAM.

What's the truth? I really don't want to have to clutter up my house with another huge HD receiver box.

"IF Comcast gets a waiver approved by the FCC to allow integrated decryption on their DTAs, only then will they re-enable encryption on these former Expanded Basic channels. That is Comcast's *intention*, which is why they are telling people upfront that QAM tuners won't work. However, if the FCC denies their waiver request, then most likely these channels will remain un-encrypted, as they are right now (which *is* good news for HDHR & other QAM tuner users). I don't know the status/schedule for Comcast's waiver request; I've heard they were waiting to get a feel for Obama's new FCC commisioners before proceeding."

http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/permalink/334701/334701/ShowThread.aspx#334701

You're joking right? I'm sure Comcast has already or is in the process of seeking a waiver right now. I'm also sure it's the content providers that are the driving force, not nessesarily Comcast.

No, I'm not, as seen in this Comcast pronouncement 6 months ago (see last couple of paragraphs):

http://www.multichannel.com/article/135371-Comcast_Preps_Digital_Cutover_In_Portland_Area.php

The Comcast COO mentioned in another interview that the programmers didn't have an issue with channels in the clear. Now anything could change and I know that they're SD, so you're right that they won't be useful much for main sets where you're renting an HD box (or Cablecard for Tivo etc.). But for secondary sets with QAM tuners, having all of them in the clear is very nice because you won't have to get DTAs for them.

Assuming that they don't try to put encryption in the DTAs, that is.
It has been said by those 'in the know' on AVS, that Comcast has always wanted encryption, but went to 'in the clear Expd. Basic Digital SD' out of necessity to be competitive. IOW, Comcast is the driving force, they just don't have the waiver...at least not yet. And they won't 'try to use encryption', either they will get a waiver or not.

I don't find the SD clear-QAM useful, except for a kitchen TV, (when I get one with QAM), if the would map the channels. HDTVs are so reasonable, that is all we have, and I want HD on my HDTVs. Sure, if one has SDTVs with QAM, it is indeed great.

Is it Comcast or the networks like TNT, TBS, FX, etc. on Expanded Basic that don't want their digital signals in the clear?

And BTW, Comcast has made MoviePlex a "premium" channel taking it away from Digital Starter so customers are now getting less for their money.

Is it Comcast or the networks like TNT, TBS, FX, etc. on Expanded Basic that don't want their digital signals in the clear?

And BTW, Comcast has made MoviePlex a "premium" channel taking it away from Digital Starter so customers are now getting less for their money.

I would say the former on digital signals being in the clear.

Also moving Movieplex to the same tier as the Encore channels makes it practically useless. (OTOH many Comcast systems have dropped Encore Drama and Encore Wam) Jusat readd those and drop Movieplex

I doubt encryption is going to hinge on whether they get the waiver; rather I believe encryption is going to hinge on how much additional digital cable theft they figure is happening, the more QAM tuners get into the hands of the general public.

I doubt cable thieves are saying "I would remove this trap if only I could get digital cable."

Why would you doubt that? That's actually a pretty obvious thing for miscreants to consider. If a service provider could trust people to only tune in the channels they paid for, then there wouldn't be any encryption.

I doubt encryption is going to hinge on whether they get the waiver; rather I believe encryption is going to hinge on how much additional digital cable theft they figure is happening, the more QAM tuners get into the hands of the general public.
No, a waiver is exactly what they need. IIRC, they filed one and lost in the past FCC administration. At least I know, it has been reported directly from Comcast, that they want to use the boxes encryption mode, as cable theft has always been a problem. Without a waiver they would have needed to use CableCard boxes, at a much higher cost, to use encryption.

I doubt cable thieves are saying "I would remove this trap if only I could get digital cable."
No, that wouldn't be the question. Shortly after DTAs are deployed, Expd. Basic Analog is discontinued, leaving just Ltd. Basic in Analog, which can be received free with an antenna. So, the question is whether or not one can get Expd. Basic (Digital SD) in the clear or not, that is a big difference. Encrypting Expd. Basic would reduce cable theft greatly.

No, a waiver is exactly what they need.Yes yes, of course; my point was that they're going to push for the waiver proportionally to how much they're going to be losing by not getting the waiver, i.e., how many people are going to pay for one level of service, but take another.

KPXM HD - our ION HD channel - will be added to the Comcast lineup here in Minneapolis on June 10th.

Coming to Denver on June 9. My question is - with so many HD channels we don't have, couldn't they have found a more popular channel to add?

http://www.denvergov.org/Default.aspx?alias=www.denvergov.org/Telecom

Coming to Denver on June 9. My question is - with so many HD channels we don't have, couldn't they have found a more popular channel to add?

http://www.denvergov.org/Default.aspx?alias=www.denvergov.org/Telecom

Since this channel is OTA, Comcast may be required to carry the HD channel by law.

Indeed -- just wait until the over-the-air shopping channels go HD and insist on Must Carry coverage of their HD signal.

Since this channel is OTA, Comcast may be required to carry the HD channel by law.


Locally we've got a few OTA HD channels that Comcast doesn't carry.

Yes yes, of course; my point was that they're going to push for the waiver proportionally to how much they're going to be losing by not getting the waiver, i.e., how many people are going to pay for one level of service, but take another.

Yes, indeed, there are many less QAM TVs out there, but Comcast has said they still want to get the waiver. I guess you mean, they will spend the time and $ lobbying for it, proportional to how much they want it, based on losses.

Yes that's a good way of putting it. And your point is really important: Now, with so few folks with QAM tuners, this isn't a big deal (yet). When there are more QAM tuners out in the wild, things will probably change.

I don't know if this is a Comcast thing or an ESPN thing, but ESPN/ESPNHD aren't blacked out for the Mets game tonight even though it's on SNY/SNYHD as well.

I don't know if this is a Comcast thing or an ESPN thing, but ESPN/ESPNHD aren't blacked out for the Mets game tonight even though it's on SNY/SNYHD as well.

it's ok. some MLB games on ESPN can co-exist with the local broadcasts (like this one), and some can't. They have the Phillies on Wednesday night, so we'll see if there's still a problem with Phillies blackouts in the Mets/Yankees part of NJ like we've had in the past.

I don't know if this is a Comcast thing or an ESPN thing, but ESPN/ESPNHD aren't blacked out for the Mets game tonight even though it's on SNY/SNYHD as well.

ESPN gets to pick a fixed number of games each season, for each team, for which it is permitted to broadcast into that team's local market. I don't know what the number is, but it's something low like 2 or 3. Sunday Night Baseball exclusive telecasts don't count toward that number.

The ESPN blackout thing makes no sense anyways. I go to MLB.com and check my blackout restrictions by zip code and the only 2 are Pittsburgh and Cleveland. My system is based out of Pittsburgh, which is even further east from Cincy.

Yet ESPN blackouts out Reds games on my system for no reason. TBS does the same thing too. It wasn't like this 2 years ago. However, now it happens 100% of the time.

Comcast sucks, I cannot wait to get rid of them

i live in utah and rockies games are blacked out some of the time, but not all of the time. it's pretty inconsistent. i have no idea why. the blackout restrictions for my area are the rockies and diamondbacks even though we don't get any stations that cover the diamondbacks. professional sports blackouts need to be done away with.

i live in utah and rockies games are blacked out some of the time, but not all of the time. it's pretty inconsistent. i have no idea why. the blackout restrictions for my area are the rockies and diamondbacks even though we don't get any stations that cover the diamondbacks.

If you subscribed to DirecTV and bought the Sports Pack, and the Diamondbacks RSN was included (Sports Pack includes all the RSNs DirecTV carries), the Diamondback games would not be blacked out for you. Your cable company could carry the Diamondbacks' RSN if it wanted to.

If, for example, my cable company in Philadelphia carried the Diamondbacks' RSN, it would be required to black out all the games on it.

professional sports blackouts need to be done away with.

Never happen. It protects a huge revenue stream for the teams that they're not likely to give up to the league.

Locally we've got a few OTA HD channels that Comcast doesn't carry.

It's not June 12th yet either. Or is Comcast not carrying the SD/analog version of those channels currently as well? My point being I don't think "must carry" requires Comcast to provide two versions of the same channel when the broadcaster is broadcasting two versions. But after June 12th they'll only be broadcasting one version.

There is a different agreement (I think it is voluntary) that Comcast and other cable companies agreed to with the FCC to continue providing OTA channels in analog as well for some length of time to ease the transition for people with older TVs and no STB, but I haven't heard that has any impact on "must carry". In other words, I don't think after June 12th that Comcast gets to take a broadcasters only feed, which is digital and with some HD programs, downcovert it to analog/SD, put it over their cable and claim that fulfills their "must carry" obligation. But maybe I'm wrong about that. Anybody know different?

Comcast sucks, I cannot wait to get rid of them









I agree with you! Where are the following HD channels that Comcast need to add: Smithsonian, MTV, CMT, BET, VH1, Comedy Central, Crime & Investigation, ESPNU, Chiller, HDNet Movies, etc?
The Chicago area still doesn't have Travel Channel HD & other markets such as Boston, Atlanta, & Seattle had it for months.

Only the cities of Boston and Brookline get all the HD channels. Most of the cities in the burbs only get the more limited HD channels.

There is a different agreement (I think it is voluntary) that Comcast and other cable companies agreed to with the FCC to continue providing OTA channels in analog as well for some length of time to ease the transition for people with older TVs and no STB

Cable systems that go 100% digital are exempt from the requirement, imposed on all the ones that don't, to carry OTA channels in analog through some date in 2010.

(BTW, this requirement is going to cause serious aspect ratio problems for viewers, as the responsibility for converting a 16:9 program to a 4:3 signal transitions from the broadcaster to the cable operator.)

Don't know how that affects must carry. I'd also be interested in knowing whether the cable company must carry, upon a demand, the broadcaster's entire OTA digital allocation (IOW, all the subchannels, too).

It would be kinda rough on cable companies that haven't transitioned to HD to invoke a federal regulation that makes them do it because one of the broadcasters in town has done it. Are there any such small town cable systems left that offer no HD at all?

It's not June 12th yet either. Or is Comcast not carrying the SD/analog version of those channels currently as well? My point being I don't think "must carry" requires Comcast to provide two versions of the same channel when the broadcaster is broadcasting two versions. But after June 12th they'll only be broadcasting one version.

There is a different agreement (I think it is voluntary) that Comcast and other cable companies agreed to with the FCC to continue providing OTA channels in analog as well for some length of time to ease the transition for people with older TVs and no STB, but I haven't heard that has any impact on "must carry". In other words, I don't think after June 12th that Comcast gets to take a broadcasters only feed, which is digital and with some HD programs, downcovert it to analog/SD, put it over their cable and claim that fulfills their "must carry" obligation. But maybe I'm wrong about that. Anybody know different?

Although i am a Fios subscriber I can tell you some stuff about must carry.
WENH,Channel 11,the NH PBS station went digital only on Feb 17th (as all stations should have IMO) I emailed them asking where was WENH-HD?
They said they had an SD simulcast of their channel 11.1 HD signal on Channel 11.2 and carriage of 11.2 satisfies the must carry rule.

Cable systems that go 100% digital are exempt from the requirement, imposed on all the ones that don't, to carry OTA channels in analog through some date in 2010.

Actually, it is in 2012. Last I read it was 17 Feb., so probably they moved it to 12 June. That reg. is almost meaningless, IMHO, because what MSO was going to want to keep some (or all) 'cable' channels in Analog, while converting all local channels to Digital? AFAIK, answer: None. Quite the opposite, they have been converting 'cable' channels to Digital, and are already leaving locals in Analog for the time being. However, they can go all-Digital any time they want. So, I don't see any practical implication to this reg.

Word on the street is Comcast of Union will see new HD in June....Just sayin'....

Although i am a Fios subscriber I can tell you some stuff about must carry.
WENH,Channel 11,the NH PBS station went digital only on Feb 17th (as all stations should have IMO) I emailed them asking where was WENH-HD?
They said they had an SD simulcast of their channel 11.1 HD signal on Channel 11.2 and carriage of 11.2 satisfies the must carry rule.

That's confusing me. How could they be digital only and still be simulcasting SD? (Edit: Doh, the simulcast is digital too. 'kay, that does make sense)

But even so, I'd say the difference there is THEY are broadcasting a SD simulcast which Comcast picked up. What I'm talking about is Comcast unilaterally deciding to take someone's digital-only HD feed that is the only thing that station is broadcasting (i.e. no station-provided SD simulcast) and turn it into SD/analog to put across their cable without showing the "native" (and only) feed that station is broadcasting anywhere on Comcast. I think legally that would be a different kettle of fish after June 12th.

Actually, it is in 2012. Last I read it was 17 Feb., so probably they moved it to 12 June. That reg. is almost meaningless, IMHO, because what MSO was going to want to keep some (or all) 'cable' channels in Analog, while converting all local channels to Digital? AFAIK, answer: None. Quite the opposite, they have been converting 'cable' channels to Digital, and are already leaving locals in Analog for the time being. However, they can go all-Digital any time they want. So, I don't see any practical implication to this reg.

I've had a suspicion the purpose was to avoid a mandate to provide DTAs, or worse, full-feature stbs, for free to everyone with basic and expanded basic cable prior to the Digital cutover. Particularly since when it was agreed to there were no cheap DTAs yet, let alone in volume. However, now that Comcast is actually working towards greatly reducing the number of people who don't have some kind of box (DTA or otherwise) thru "Project Cavalry", I'd guess maybe in 2011 they might start moving to get around this by providing DTAs for free to those that are still left in basic cable at that time.

It would be kinda rough on cable companies that haven't transitioned to HD to invoke a federal regulation that makes them do it because one of the broadcasters in town has done it. Are there any such small town cable systems left that offer no HD at all?

Interesting question, tho I also doubt that kind of small town cable operation would find itself being picked on by a TV station to do it. The rule really is intended to give small TV stations near big towns the leverage to demand access. Siccing the lawyers on a 500 household operation is not really too cost/benefit worthy, not to mention the ill will it would engender in the community and region.

You may find this posting relevant to your concern about Must-Carry:In my lay opinion if Comcast continues to offer Limited Basic chs. 2 through 28 in analog it has no obligation to provide unscrambled hi-def digital versions of these channels.http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showpost.php?p=7262990

I'm not sure I completely agree, but the assumption that the MSOs have to provide what we would want, the way we would want it, at least, is easily dismissed. The regulations clearly allow them many options.

Thanks, that's very interesting. I've rewritten this post about 5 times now as I've read different parts of the document. What I'm not quite sure about at the moment is which parts apply pre-June 12 and which parts after. Certainly, during the transition period pre-June 12, the document makes it clear that cable operators are not required to carry two signals from a must carry broadcaster.

But there are other sections that talk about not allowing a native HD signal to be carried as anything other than HD, and this gem which supports my reading upstream:

29. Comcast argues that enforcement of the viewability provisions of the Act will force the Commission into conflict with other sections of the Act, particularly the effective competition provisions of Section 623(b).91 Comcast misstates the case, however, when it says that a deregulated system may provide must carry stations “in any format that it wishes.”92 Indeed, as the Commission made clear in the 2001 Order, signals broadcast in HD must be carried by cable operators in HD, regardless of whether or not the system is rate-regulated.93 While some requirements are lifted when an operator is deregulated, deregulation is not an exemption from the carriage requirements of the statute.94 Stations electing mandatory carriage must be carried, they must not be materially degraded, and they must be made viewable.

The "viewability" requirement is not actually "must carry" itself, tho it applies to must carry stations. Comcast made an explicit bid to say it didn't have to provide must carry HD stations in HD and was shot down. 29 seems to me to require that a "mixed" system must provide must carry HD stations in both analog and digital HD. If they want to get away from that they have to convert to all digital and provide DTAs.

In fact, #30 continues:

30. If an operator chooses not to operate an “all-digital system” and therefore ensures viewability by providing a digital broadcast signal and a downconverted version of the signal for analog subscribers, it will in some cases use more than the 6 MHz of bandwidth occupied by an analog must-carry signal alone. . . .

That "therefore" seems pretty clear to me, tho I admit there is a ton of to'ing and fro'ing in that document.

Edit: And 41 makes it even more clear that cable operators perceived that requirement as "mandatory dual carriage" and were told to shut-up and convert to all digital if they didn't like it:

41. A number of commenters assert that the rules we adopt herein constitute “mandatory dual carriage” and are unconstitutional.132 We disagree. The statutory must-carry provisions upheld by the Supreme Court in Turner II133 include the requirement that must-carry signals “shall be viewable” on all television receivers of a subscriber which are connected to a cable system by a cable operator or for which a cable operator provides a connection. 134 The rules we adopt in this order do nothing more than ensure the continued fulfillment of this statutory mandate at the conclusion of the digital television
(“DTV”) transition in February 2009. The must-carry obligation is meaningful only if all cable subscribers are able to view local broadcasters’ signals, even if they have analog televisions. If we fail to act, however, analog cable subscribers will be unable to view must-carry stations after the DTV transition. Rather than mandating downconversion to prevent this loss of signals after the transition, however, we offer cable operators a choice: those operators that choose not to operate an “all-digital system” must down-convert the broadcasters’ digital signal for their analog subscribers. Cable operators that elect to operate “all-digital” systems, on the other hand, do not have to down-convert these signals and may provide them solely in a digital format. The choice rests with the individual cable operator. In this way, cable operators decide for themselves, taking into account their particular circumstances, how best to operate following the digital transition.135

Also note that stations must elect must carry status to demand that the cable company carry it. Only the smaller stations do this. If a station has enough bargaining power to demand that the cable company pay it for carriage rights because not carrying it would cost the cable company subscribers (i.e., if it's an affiliate of a major network), then it doesn't elect must-carry. Instead it does the opposite - you may not carry us without our consent. At that point, what the cable company does and doesn't carry becomes an issue of contract between the cable provider and the broadcaster.

Though I think the FCC mandates that if you're carrying an OTA signal, you have to carry it unscrambled in the lowest priced tier you offer, and in analog if you carry anything in analog.

Also note that stations must elect must carry status to demand that the cable company carry it. Only the smaller stations do this. If a station has enough bargaining power to demand that the cable company pay it for carriage rights because not carrying it would cost the cable company subscribers (i.e., if it's an affiliate of a major network), then it doesn't elect must-carry. Instead it does the opposite - you may not carry us without our consent. At that point, what the cable company does and doesn't carry becomes an issue of contract between the cable provider and the broadcaster.



True, but it looks to me like the "material degradation" bits would cover that, and it doesn't appear to me those only applied to must carry stations, but rather all broadcast stations. . . unless a cable operator is going to stop carrying a station altogether that it is already carrying now in analog because the station hasn't demanded "must carry".

Btw, to address another point upstream, there is a three year "material degradation" waiver for cable systems of 2,500 subscribers or fewer that aren't affilliated with one of the big cable operators. So the little rural guys can meet their must carry by downconverting an HD to SD for three years.

It's probably worth noting that there would be no need to issue this waiver if without it a cable operator was not required to carry HD "must carry" stations in HD after June 12th. In other words, the very existence of this waiver for small unaffliated cable operators pretty strongly supports my reading upstream that HD "must carry" stations must be carried in HD by the large cable operators. Whether they additionally have to be carried in SD/analog or not is a separate point ("viewability") depending on whether the cable operator has converted to "all digital" or not.

Here's an article on it: http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2008/09/fcc-exempts-small-cable-operators-from-hd-must-carry-rule.ars

It is perhaps enough to say that the FCC has written itself into a corner, and now different regulations can be used to justify different practices. Essentially, because the FCC messed up so badly, there are many fewer effective regulations than there appear to be.

Comcast digital switch update: Bellevue's next, Seattle in fall

Posted by Brier Dudley

Comcast provided an update today on its digital conversion - the one affecting cable customers, and requiring most to have cable boxes on every TV.

The company's finished testing and changing the system in smaller suburbs and is now making the switch in Everett and Olympia. Then it's going to happen in Bellevue, Spokane, Tacoma, Aberdeen and South King County this summer.

Seattle's getting the switch in the fall and the entire state should be done by year-end, spokesman Steve Kipp said.

Homes that have already been converted may notice some crisper images, by the way. The company also announced that it converted 31 channels to high definition this week. They include:

Encore HD, Starz Kids & Family HD, Starz Comedy HD, Starz Edge HD, Speed HD, ESPNews HD, WE TV HD, Style HD, E! HD, Bravo HD, Lifetime HD, Travel Channel HD, Fox News Channels HD, Fox Business HD, CNN HD, CNBC HD, Spike HD, TBS in HD, Nick HD, Cartoon Network HD, Disney XD HD, Fuse HD, TV One HD, QVC HD, G4 HD, BIO HD, Planet Green HD, AMC HD, LMN HD, IFC HD and InDemand PPV Events HD.

The HD versions of those channels are now being provided in Brier, Clearview, Lynnwood, Mill Creek, Mountlake Terrace, Mukilteo, Black Diamond, Covington, Enumclaw, Maple Valley, Pacific, Unincorporated King County, Bonney Lake, Buckley, Carbonado, Eatonville, Graham, Orting, Roy, South Prairie and Wilkeson.

http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/brierdudley/2009/05/15/comcast_digital_switch_update.html

Seattle by Fall? That makes that a 6-8 month process *after* public announcement of getting started, doesn't it? Whee. . .

I talked to a Comcast operator today and was told we wouldn't be getting any of the local channels in HD added after June 13th.

She tried to argue with me that in fact, the local station KDKA doesn't even broadcast in HD and because of that, they won't have to offer it.

Which of course is bogus, since not only does KDKA broadcast in HD but Comcast offers it to people in Pittsburgh.

The whole call was prompted because I visited the in-laws who have Time Warner to find that what was once 8 HD channels, they now have MORE HD channels on their system than I do with Comcast. They also got 3 networks I've been begging Comcast for (ESPNews, MLB Network and Bravo in HD).

My cable was out on Friday (again). When I called, I noticed the phone menus have changed such that you have to traverse passed all these prompts about DTAs and activation and the such in order to get to support.

While I was on the line with support I asked about the DTAs and I was told that they would be required after June 12th. I asked the person was he sure he wasn't just talking about OTA channels and he assured me it was all analog cable channels. I'm pretty sure he was mistaken, but since they are free I ordered a DTA any way for my one TV that doesn't have a box. I figured I'd beat the rush. :)

An interesting story. My Aunt in Florida was told she needed to get a DTA a few years ago otherwise she'd lose all channels. I hooked it up while I was visiting her about a year or two ago. It had been sitting in her closet for about a year. :)

I heard and read in the newspaper that Comcast and the NFL network might be coming to a resolution to carry the channel on digital cable without subscribing to the Sports Package. This would be nice if it actually happens.

Yes, nice in one way. But then they'll use this as an excuse to jack up subscriber fees even more than normal next time around.

Yes, nice in one way. But then they'll use this as an excuse to jack up subscriber fees even more than normal next time around.

Yup! That is what these NFLN fans don't care about. As long as they get the channel is all that matters. We will all end up paying!

Yup! That is what these NFLN fans don't care about. As long as they get the channel is all that matters. We will all end up paying!
Add me to that list. I just want the channel.

Great news for Comcast subscribers:

http://www.espnmediazone.com/press_releases/2009_05_may/20090519_COMCASTADDSESPNUANDESPN360.COMTOLINEUPWITHCONTENT.h tm

BRISTOL, CT AND PHILADELPHIA, PA (May 19, 2009) – Disney and ESPN Media Networks and Comcast Corporation today announced an agreement to add ESPNU to its Digital Classic level of service and ESPN360.com to Comcast.net. Comcast will launch ESPNU in a majority of its cable systems in time for the start of the college football season. This includes Comcast's southern systems which will enjoy coverage of ESPNU's new Saturday game-of-the-week Southeastern Conference (SEC) package. Comcast will also make ESPN360.com available to its high-speed Internet customers for no additional charge through Comcast.net, which reaches 17 million unique users per month, also in time for this year’s college football season.

Lack of espn360.com was the main reason I've never been a Comcast subscriber! On the same day, Comcast gets an aggreement with NFL and ESPN!!! WOW!

NFL, Comcast reach long-term carriage agreement for NFL Network

National Football League

PHILADELPHIA AND NEW YORK – Comcast Corporation and the National Football League announced today that they have reached a new, long-term agreement regarding carriage of NFL Network and complete settlement of all outstanding legal disputes. The carriage agreement consists of a broad array of video content, including the live (24/7) Network, video on demand for Comcast’s Digital Classic cable customers, and the ability to offer the NFL’s RedZone Channel when it is created.

Under the terms of the agreement, Comcast will begin repositioning NFL Network from the Sports Entertainment Package to its Digital Classic level of service with a full launch by August 1, reaching nearly two-thirds of the company’s total digital customer base. In addition to NFL Network’s in-studio shows, commentary and live-game broadcasts, Comcast’s Digital Classic customers will now have access to a robust suite of NFL content On Demand, including game highlights, game replays, the “best” of NFL Films, players and coaches interviews, local team highlights, and other NFL programming whenever they want a piece of the action.

"We are delighted to have come to an agreement with the NFL,” said Brian L. Roberts, Chairman and CEO, Comcast Corporation. “Our goal has always been to provide our digital customers with access to the NFL’s unique content and, working together, we have struck the right balance between value and distribution on a variety of viewing platforms. We are looking forward to bringing the NFL’s programming to our customers just in time for the start of the NFL season.”

“We are very pleased that NFL Network and other NFL content will be widely distributed in millions of more homes on Comcast’s service,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “We look forward to having NFL Network’s coverage of training camps and the preseason showcased this summer on Comcast. NFL Network is the only TV channel devoted exclusively to football 24/7, 365 days a year.”

The NFL and Comcast will take immediate joint action to discontinue pending legal actions before the Federal Communications Commission and a New York state court.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d81065fa0&template=without-video-with-comments&confirm=true

Anyone seen if the new ESPNU deal includes ESPNUHD? I can't believe they would negotiate a deal leaving that out... but I haven't seen it mentioned in the articles/press releases out yet(although there aren't many)

Great great great news, I am overjoyed that Comcast FINALLY got ESPNU, and the fact they get ESPN360 is just icing on the cake!!!

Anybody heard whether ESPNEWS will be able to the Digital Classic level as well? What will be left for the Sports Entertainment Package that they charge $8.00 per month?

I got a letter last monday from COmcast.

They are increasing their rates however they are also be offering On demand and adding more channels... HD channels ,Universal,Animal planet and Ion..

Not much of an improvement ,I wanted docsis 2 though or 3 much better.

Excited about free espn360

Anybody heard whether ESPNEWS will be able to the Digital Classic level as well? What will be left for the Sports Entertainment Package that they charge $8.00 per month?

I get it without the sports pack.

I get it without the sports pack. Man, I only get ESPN and ESPN2 with my digital package.

Man, I only get ESPN and ESPN2 with my digital package.
You don't use Comcast....Comcast uses you. :D

You don't use Comcast....Comcast uses you. :D

that's for sure!

NFL, Comcast reach long-term carriage agreement for NFL Network


Sources put the term at 10 years with a monthly subscriber fee in the 40-50 cent range.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/232987-Goodell_Wants_To_Huddle_With_Time_Warner_Cable.php

http://www.multichannel.com/article/232987-Goodell_Wants_To_Huddle_With_Time_Warner_Cable.php

Looks like Comcast came out on top of this deal, Comcast pays 30%-45% less than what the NFL was asking, and it's a 10 year deal.

I wouldn't say that they came out on top; they avoided getting raped, yes.

I wouldn't say that they came out on top; they avoided getting raped, yes.

That's one way of putting it, yes. :D

NFL has been getting and wanted 70¢ a sub, agreement appears to be at significantly less than that, 40¢ to 50¢ per sub, and it's available to less than half of the Comcast subscribers. As a Comcast sub who could care less about the NFL Network(8 games per year? get real...:rolleyes:) I'm pretty happy with the result.

i wonder if that Redzone channel will be available in HD...

Wow great day all around today for us. NFL moving down to Digital Classic, ESPNU and ESPN360 agreements, and 2 analog channels went digital only here in NNJ. Sweet!

That's one way of putting it, yes. :D

NFL has been getting and wanted 70¢ a sub, agreement appears to be at significantly less than that, 40¢ to 50¢ per sub, and it's available to less than half of the Comcast subscribers. As a Comcast sub who could care less about the NFL Network(8 games per year? get real...:rolleyes:) I'm pretty happy with the result.

EngadgetHD had it as 2/3s of Comcast's subscribers.

As to the RedZone Channel, Roberts said Comcast was planning to position it on the sports tier. "In our view [RedZone Channel is] a logical replacement for NFL Network on the sports tier," he said. "We'll look to make a decision on that before the season."

http://www.multichannel.com/article/232987-Goodell_Wants_To_Huddle_With_Time_Warner_Cable.php

EngadgetHD had it as 2/3s of Comcast's subscribers.

Could be, I saw a 10 million number which would be less than half of Comcast's total subscribers.

Wow great day all around today for us. NFL moving down to Digital Classic, ESPNU and ESPN360 agreements, and 2 analog channels went digital only here in NNJ. Sweet!

Which two channels went digital in NNJ? I be in the same township as you.

Which two channels went digital in NNJ? I be in the same township as you.

MSNBC and TCM, ch 37 and 43 respectively, went digital. If you tune to the analog channel you will see a placard saying they now require a digital box or cable card.

any idea when people with comcast should be getting it? also any update on us getting it free?

For south FL folks:

Look for exciting new programming coming in June 2009!

Beginning June 2, 2009:
High-Definition customers will receive FX HD Channel 451 on Digital
Starter, Speed HD Channel 450 on Digital Classic and Fox News HD
Channel 428 on Digital Starter!*

Beginning June 9, 2009:
ION HD (WPXM) launches on channel 437 on Digital Access.*
Universal Sports launches on channel 217 on Digital Access.
RLTV (Retirement Living) launches on channel 257 on Digital Classic.

Beginning June 30, 2009:
Fit TV will launch on channel 182 on Digital Classic.

We just got a notice (in the mail, separate from the bill -- what's up with that? Seems wasteful to me...) about a bunch of channels being moved from Digital Classic down to Digital Starter, and from Digital Starter down to Expanded Basic. Nothing that I'm specific excited about gaining, but I'm sure some folks are happy.

I'll try to remember to find the notice and post the details tomorrow.

I have never seen or got a notice from Comcast for any Channels that have been added or moved in 15 years of service.
So I have no idea on whats going on with channels on the Garden state cable system.

I seriously doubt that - they were probably in a notice on your bill that you ignored.

I think cable channel add/delete/move notices are an FCC (or local franchise) mandate, but they might be able to meet this with an ad in the local paper that plenty of folks would not see.

We just got a notice (in the mail, separate from the bill -- what's up with that? Seems wasteful to me...) about a bunch of channels being moved from Digital Classic down to Digital Starter, and from Digital Starter down to Expanded Basic. Nothing that I'm specific excited about gaining, but I'm sure some folks are happy.

I'll try to remember to find the notice and post the details tomorrow.

I thought Digital Starter and Expanded Basic were supposed to be the same lineup, except that Digital Starter comes with a digital box and On Demand.

Here, Digital Starter and Expanded Basic are the same price, and I don't think you can even get Expanded Basic as a new subscriber anymore.

That is correct for S.E. PA. However, other regions of the USA may vary.

My notice was emailed to me.

- Comcast DVR with TiVo(R) service close to launching in Chicago; remote scheduling set to launch in New England and Comcast will make TiVo the primary DVR choice in a to be announced tru2way market

"Our work with Comcast is progressing on several fronts and Comcast passed along the following update to us. They are enthusiastic about the TiVo results so far in New England, and they’re looking forward to launching TiVo soon in Chicago. Beginning this summer in New England, they are planning to launch a new feature called TiVo Online Scheduler that will let customers with the Comcast DVR with TiVo service and Comcast’s high-speed Internet service manage and schedule recordings from anywhere they have Internet access. Also, as part of Comcast’s all digital transition, Comcast will soon present its customers with the option to use the TiVo HD retail box as an alternative to a digital adapter provided by Comcast, with details to be announced soon. Finally, given the positive satisfaction levels in the New England market, Comcast has told us it plans to offer TiVo as the primary DVR option going forward in a yet-to-be announced tru2way market," Rogers stated.

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/200905271601PR_NEWS_USPR_____SF22797.htm

Can anyone comment on Comcast's phone service? We have Comcast cable and internet (16mbs blast), and use AT&T for our phone service. We have two land lines, and would keep one -- replacing the other with Comcast. Comcast is offering a pretty good monthly price ($20) plus a $100 rebate check. Worth it, or not?

Thanks for your thoughts!

I seriously doubt that - they were probably in a notice on your bill that you ignored.

I think cable channel add/delete/move notices are an FCC (or local franchise) mandate, but they might be able to meet this with an ad in the local paper that plenty of folks would not see.

That's what Comcast does in South Jersey.

I've never received a line-up change notice via mail or email either. I do occasional catch line-up change noticed in the paper, but they're usually not for my area.

Normally channels just show up.

Ugh, I sent Comcast my equipment and they are now claiming they can't find it

You have got to be kidding me

Ugh, I sent Comcast my equipment and they are now claiming they can't find it

You have got to be kidding meDidn't you get proof of delivery? If not you do not have much of a leg to stand on! :(

I was told by a Comcast rep on the phone yesterday that when my locals go full HD, I'll get them exactly like that, HD.

I currently get one set of locals in HD but the Pittsburgh locals are not. They told me I won't lose those stations and if those stations are only in HD on June 13th, then that's what I'll get.

Not holding my breath.

Can anyone comment on Comcast's phone service? We have Comcast cable and internet (16mbs blast), and use AT&T for our phone service. We have two land lines, and would keep one -- replacing the other with Comcast. Comcast is offering a pretty good monthly price ($20) plus a $100 rebate check. Worth it, or not?

Thanks for your thoughts!

I've had them for about 8 months and no problems as long as your internet connection is up. Prior to them my first VOIP service was through voip.com. Although cheaper they were a mess. Crappy phone service as calls wouldn't come through and horrible service. You had to post on a message board to get served.

New HD channels for Detroit:

181 NFL Network HD
183 Travel Channel HD - NEW!
184 Tennis Channel HD - NEW!
185 Reserved for future HD
186 Biography HD - NEW!
187 WGN HD - NEW!
188 Lifetime HD - NEW!
189 QVC HD - NEW!
190 Disney XD HD - NEW!
191 Discovery HD
192 TLC HD
193 Animal Planet HD
194 Sci-Fi HD
195 USA HD
196 TBS HD
197 Food Network HD
198 HGTV HD
199 National Geographic HD
200 A&E HD
201 FSN Detroit HD
202 ESPN HD
203 ESPN2 HD
204 TNT HD
205 HD Theater
206 Versus HD
207 Golf Channel HD
208 Universal HD
209 Palladia
210 Planet Green HD - NEW!
211 Science Channel HD
212 History HD
213 CNN HD
214 Fox News HD
215/300 HBO HD
216 MGM HD - NEW!
217/319 Cinemax HD
218/339 Showtime HD
219/369 Starz HD
220 Encore HD - NEW!
221 LMN HD - NEW!
222 AMC HD
223 Speed HD
224 FX HD
225 E! HD - NEW!
226 Spike HD - NEW!
227 Cartoon Network HD - NEW!
228 Nick HD - NEW!
229 ABC Family HD
230 Disney HD
231 WXYZ ABC HD
232 WDIV NBC HD
233 WWJ CBS HD
234 WJBK FOX HD
235 WMYD MNT HD
236 WKBD CW HD
237 WPXD ION HD - NEW!
238 Reserved for future HD
239 Reserved for future HD
240 WTVS PBS HD
241 Hallmark Movie Channel HD - NEW!
242 Bravo HD - NEW!
243 Fox Business HD - NEW!
244 CNBC HD - NEW!
245 TWC HD - NEW!
246 Reserved for future HD
247 Reserved for future HD
248 Comedy HD - NEW!
249 BET HD - NEW!
250 Fuse HD - NEW!
251 CMT HD - NEW!
252 MTV HD - NEW!
253 VH1 HD - NEW!
254 NBA TV HD - NEW!
255 CBS College Sports HD - NEW!
256 Big Ten Network HD
257 ESPNews HD - NEW!
258 MLB HD
259 NHL HD - NEW!
260 IFC HD - NEW!
261 WE HD - NEW!
262 TV One HD - NEW!
263 Style HD - NEW!
264 G4 HD - NEW!
265 iN DEMAND PPV HD - NEW!
266 HBO West HD - NEW!
267 HBO2 HD - NEW!
268 HBO Signature HD - NEW!
269 HBO Family HD - NEW!
270 HBO Comedy HD - NEW!
271 HBO Zone HD - NEW!
272 HBO Latino HD - NEW!
273 MoreMax HD - NEW!
274 ActionMax HD - NEW!
275 ThrillerMax HD - NEW!
276 Max West HD - NEW!
277 5StarMax HD - NEW!
278 OuterMax HD - NEW!
279 Showtime Too HD - NEW!
280 Showtime Showcase HD - NEW!
281 Showtime Extreme HD - NEW!
282 Starz Edge HD - NEW!
283 Starz Kids & Family HD - NEW!
284 Starz Comedy HD - NEW!
285 TMC HD - NEW!
286 TMC Extra HD - NEW!


http://www.comcast.com/MediaLibrary/1/2/CM/VanityURL/documents/michigan/Detroit_Lineup.pdf

WOW, that's a HUGE HD upgrade for Detroit! Massive. I hope to see that type of upgrade down here in Savannah, GA!

Yikes. I sure hope for the viewer's sake that they've cut off the expanded basic analogs or are using SDV. Otherwise I'd suspect that any decent picture quality they might've had going there will go to complete cr*p overnight.

They already are "all-digital" I believe (i.e., all except locals).

New HD channels for Detroit:

181 NFL Network HD
183 Travel Channel HD - NEW!
184 Tennis Channel HD - NEW!
185 Reserved for future HD
186 Biography HD - NEW!
187 WGN HD - NEW!
188 Lifetime HD - NEW!
189 QVC HD - NEW!
190 Disney XD HD - NEW!
191 Discovery HD
192 TLC HD
193 Animal Planet HD
194 Sci-Fi HD
195 USA HD
196 TBS HD
197 Food Network HD
198 HGTV HD
199 National Geographic HD
200 A&E HD
201 FSN Detroit HD
202 ESPN HD
203 ESPN2 HD
204 TNT HD
205 HD Theater
206 Versus HD
207 Golf Channel HD
208 Universal HD
209 Palladia
210 Planet Green HD - NEW!
211 Science Channel HD
212 History HD
213 CNN HD
214 Fox News HD
215/300 HBO HD
216 MGM HD - NEW!
217/319 Cinemax HD
218/339 Showtime HD
219/369 Starz HD
220 Encore HD - NEW!
221 LMN HD - NEW!
222 AMC HD
223 Speed HD
224 FX HD
225 E! HD - NEW!
226 Spike HD - NEW!
227 Cartoon Network HD - NEW!
228 Nick HD - NEW!
229 ABC Family HD
230 Disney HD
231 WXYZ ABC HD
232 WDIV NBC HD
233 WWJ CBS HD
234 WJBK FOX HD
235 WMYD MNT HD
236 WKBD CW HD
237 WPXD ION HD - NEW!
238 Reserved for future HD
239 Reserved for future HD
240 WTVS PBS HD
241 Hallmark Movie Channel HD - NEW!
242 Bravo HD - NEW!
243 Fox Business HD - NEW!
244 CNBC HD - NEW!
245 TWC HD - NEW!
246 Reserved for future HD
247 Reserved for future HD
248 Comedy HD - NEW!
249 BET HD - NEW!
250 Fuse HD - NEW!
251 CMT HD - NEW!
252 MTV HD - NEW!
253 VH1 HD - NEW!
254 NBA TV HD - NEW!
255 CBS College Sports HD - NEW!
256 Big Ten Network HD
257 ESPNews HD - NEW!
258 MLB HD
259 NHL HD - NEW!
260 IFC HD - NEW!
261 WE HD - NEW!
262 TV One HD - NEW!
263 Style HD - NEW!
264 G4 HD - NEW!
265 iN DEMAND PPV HD - NEW!
266 HBO West HD - NEW!
267 HBO2 HD - NEW!
268 HBO Signature HD - NEW!
269 HBO Family HD - NEW!
270 HBO Comedy HD - NEW!
271 HBO Zone HD - NEW!
272 HBO Latino HD - NEW!
273 MoreMax HD - NEW!
274 ActionMax HD - NEW!
275 ThrillerMax HD - NEW!
276 Max West HD - NEW!
277 5StarMax HD - NEW!
278 OuterMax HD - NEW!
279 Showtime Too HD - NEW!
280 Showtime Showcase HD - NEW!
281 Showtime Extreme HD - NEW!
282 Starz Edge HD - NEW!
283 Starz Kids & Family HD - NEW!
284 Starz Comedy HD - NEW!
285 TMC HD - NEW!
286 TMC Extra HD - NEW!


http://www.comcast.com/MediaLibrary/1/2/CM/VanityURL/documents/michigan/Detroit_Lineup.pdf

That is ONE upgrade?:eek::eek::eek:

Yikes. I sure hope for the viewer's sake that they've cut off the expanded basic analogs or are using SDV. Otherwise I'd suspect that any decent picture quality they might've had going there will go to complete cr*p overnight.

Not all channels are being launched at one time in all areas. Only Detroit and a few surronding cities that have or will be cutting the expended basic analogs will be getting all of the HD channels. The rest of the area will add the channels as they drop the analogs over the next year.

They already are "all-digital" I believe (i.e., all except locals).

Currently only the city of Detroit proper is all digital, the surrounding area will go digital over the next year, in a city by city launch.

That is ONE upgrade?:eek::eek::eek:











Some of the HD channels need to be added in Chicago. Chicago still doesn't have Travel HD, but I hope Comedy Central, BET, MTV, VH1, CMT, ThrillerMax, 5 StarMax, OuterMax, etc will be arriving in June.

Can anyone comment on Comcast's phone service? We have Comcast cable and internet (16mbs blast), and use AT&T for our phone service. We have two land lines, and would keep one -- replacing the other with Comcast. Comcast is offering a pretty good monthly price ($20) plus a $100 rebate check. Worth it, or not?

Thanks for your thoughts!


Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with my phone line service. However, our average phone usage is about an hour per week. My wife tells me that we have dropouts but I'm not 100% certain that it is the Comcast line as we have cordless 5.8mhz telephone units. Our telephone phone batteries are dying and therefore, a charge lasts only about 25 talking minutes so that may be part of our issue.

I absolutely love receiving an email when a message is left on my home phone. Also, I'm able to listen to all voice messages from any pc/laptop that receives the internet. This is a great feature to have and has saved me from having to re-schedule service calls.

Comcast separates porn, kids’ channels

The onscreen guide lists pornography offerings right along with the children's channel shows, making a Minnetonka father uncomfortable. Comcast says it'll take action.

By JAMES ELI SHIFFER, Star Tribune

Last update: May 29, 2009 - 12:43 AM

So what do adult movies like "Busty Virgins" and "Young and Horny" have to do with a Disney family comedy like "Dadnapped"?

Nothing, except that such titles show up right next to each other on Comcast's on-screen program guide. The channel numbers of newly added high-definition family networks put them cheek-by-jowl with pay-per-view porn.

Earlier this month, Ian Goodson discovered this close encounter. It disturbed him because his 9-year-old daughter regularly checks the programming guide to see what's playing on ABC Family HD and Disney HD. Even though all she might see are a few suggestive words, rather than the programs themselves, Goodson does not want his daughter to stumble upon the obscene while seeking out the wholesome.

"At noon there's pornography right above the kids' channel stuff," said Goodson, 28, a sales rep who lives in Minnetonka. "It just doesn't make any logical sense at all."

Goodson contacted Whistleblower, and Whistleblower contacted Comcast. The cable TV giant has concluded the listing makes no logical sense, either.

As a result, Comcast is changing its program guide for all Twin Cities customers. Now the guide will display blocks of dummy channels to put a healthy distance between the listings for family HD and pay-per-view channels on the guide, said Mary Beth Schubert, Comcast's vice president of corporate affairs in the Twin Cities.

Schubert pointed out that Comcast already offers a way for parents to screen out unwanted content, including the "rather graphic" titles on the guide, using the remote. Details are available at www.comcast.com or by calling 1-866-781-1888.

Still, Comcast recognized it had to do more about the unfortunate juxtaposition.

"It wasn't customer-friendly," Schubert said.

http://www.startribune.com/local/46418272.html?elr=KArks:DCiUHc3E7_V_nDaycUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

And instead of wasting the space by leaving it blank, Comcast will probably eventually use it for advertising, and someone will invariably complain about that.

I am the mighty Karnak. :)

So what do adult movies like "Busty Virgins" and "Young and Horny" have to do with a Disney family comedy like "Dadnapped"?
Well, they do all star Lindsay Lohan, don't they? ;)

The guide on the Comcast set-top box has a setting that allows you to block this content.

Steps:

1. Click "Menu" on your remote control TWICE to get to the main menu
2. Select "Setup" (you might have to scroll down to a 2nd screen below using the arrow keys)
3. Select "Parental Controls Setup" and you provide a PIN number
NOTE: If you are entering this for the first time it will ask you to set your PIN number. But it is possible that your box has a set PIN number from before, in which case you will need to call Customer Service to have them reset it for you remotely if you don't know it
4. Select "Hide Titles"
- From here you can chose to hide the titles of "Adult" or "Adult and TV-MA" (this would include shows like The Shield or South Park for example)

There really isn't a need to add all the blank boxes if you know how to use the title blocking technology.

The guide on the Comcast set-top box has a setting that allows you to block this content.

Steps:

1. Click "Menu" on your remote control TWICE to get to the main menu
2. Select "Setup" (you might have to scroll down to a 2nd screen below using the arrow keys)
3. Select "Parental Controls Setup" and you provide a PIN number
NOTE: If you are entering this for the first time it will ask you to set your PIN number. But it is possible that your box has a set PIN number from before, in which case you will need to call Customer Service to have them reset it for you remotely if you don't know it
4. Select "Hide Titles"
- From here you can chose to hide the titles of "Adult" or "Adult and TV-MA" (this would include shows like The Shield or South Park for example)

There really isn't a need to add all the blank boxes if you know how to use the title blocking technology.

That's one of the main reasons I am happy that I dump Comcast - I HATE when I company takes this attitude of "we have this that you can do to avoid that"... I mean, that's simply STUPID!!! If, say, Dish Network can have all their p... channels together and, even, their Skinemax very far from the ABC family channels(all family channels are in the same channel range), why can't mighty Comcast do it???

Yea, that is completely insane that they did put the Adult PPV channels right above ABC family HD. In Southeastern PA they relocated those porno channels a few months ago to somewhere in the 500's with other PPV event ordering channels. But I doubt they figured that out on their own.

Why can't they just do that in Minneapolis/Twin Cities area? Instead of inserting "dummy" channels, just move the porn PPV to the 500 range of channels? All they are changing is the guide, not like they are rearranging analog channels...

Comcast's channel groupings really has me perplexed. Why can't they group like minded channels together? Seems they just plop channels on willy nilly without any long range planning.

About 10 years ago, they were sorted very neatly. In that time, some channels changed their natures. Also, the space in between groupings ran out, in some cases.

I think there is a big cost to changing channel numbers that people are used to, and despite the protests in this thread, I bet that far outweighs the problems leaving channels where they are incurs.

anyone?

what about league pass hd? will comcast be seeing it next season?

any idea when people with comcast should be getting it? also any update on us getting it free?

I have NBA TV on Comcast. Not in HD, and it's part of the sports package. You're paying a lot of money each month for digital cable - nothing's "free". Don't know about it being moved to the plain old digital tier.

what about league pass hd? will comcast be seeing it next season?

Comcast carries NBA TV, NBA TV HD, NBA League Pass, and GameHD & Team HD for League Pass HD. The question is, when will they carry it in your area? Try the local topic for your area.

Comcast carries NBA TV, NBA TV HD, NBA League Pass, and GameHD & Team HD for League Pass HD. The question is, when will they carry it in your area? Try the local topic for your area.

Do they carry them in HD for many areas?

I know of several majors cities with Comcast and nobody I know in them as most if any of those in HD

Do they carry them in HD for many areas?If I had to guess, I'd say less than half now, but probably closer to 75% by the end of the year.

Ahhhhhhh.

Verizon finally turned up the fiber in my complex. I am so tired of being treated like a red headed step child. I live in Comcast's home market and we have crap for tv.

June 10th can't com soon enough!

Ahhhhhhh.

Verizon finally turned up the fiber in my complex. I am so tired of being treated like a red headed step child. I live in Comcast's home market and we have crap for tv.

June 10th can't com soon enough!

My cubemate at work who lives in South Jersey is jumping ship to Verizon as well, next week. He said the Verizon folks finally came door to door last week after they laid lines and dug up the street several months ago.

Unfortunetly my apartment complex with dozens of individual buildings won't be putting forth the bucks to wire them up with FiOS, the surrounding neighborhood should be getting it availible very soon since they laid lines last fall.

I'd like to jump to Verizon but VIOS requires a box for each set. We have 5 sets now w/o a box.

I'd like to jump to Verizon but VIOS requires a box for each set. We have 5 sets now w/o a box.

Good thing that FIOS does not.

DTA's are available

Good thing that FIOS does not.

DTA's are available

I'd argue that those are still boxes, but it's a moot point as most Comcast systems will be the same way soon enough.

It will be moot. Future-tense.

That's when I'll consider FiOS. Before, then, I resonate with what iresq said: As long as Comcast doesn't require a box (STB or DTA) on every television, I'll stick with Comcast. Once they do, things will probably change.

It will be moot. Future-tense.

That's when I'll consider FiOS. Before, then, I resonate with what iresq said: As long as Comcast doesn't require a box (STB or DTA) on every television, I'll stick with Comcast. Once they do, things will probably change.

is the idea of using a single remote control and decreasing service really worth it to stay with Comcast as opposed to switching to FiOS? The FiOS DTAs (at least in NJ) give you the entire suite of SD channels that you subscribe to. The Comcast DTAs give you (at least for now, and in NJ) the basic tier. You could also go with a Digital TV and its tuner (no cable box) - Comcast (at least for now) gives you the same as the DTA plus the OTA HD channels, FiOS gives you just the OTA channels and digital music channels.

is the idea of using a single remote control and decreasing service really worth it to stay with Comcast as opposed to switching to FiOS?Yes. Absolutely -- especially since FiOS doesn't offer any additional channels that I care about, and FiOS is more expensive (I just recently did a price comparison -- Comcast dropped my price to $40 below FiOS), and FiOS doesn't have all the channels in HD that Comcast has, including one of our favorites.

Also, I don't watch television live. I have TiVos on every television. And the IR repeaters don't work reliably. I will never use a DTA. It'll be CableCARD on every television, and FiOS isn't any less expensive in that regard than Comcast.

One day, FiOS will be a better choice than Comcast. It isn't yet. Perhaps soon.

Yes. Absolutely -- especially since FiOS doesn't offer any additional channels that I care about, and FiOS is more expensive (I just recently did a price comparison -- Comcast dropped my price to $40 below FiOS), and FiOS doesn't have all the channels in HD that Comcast has, including one of our favorites.

Also, I don't watch television live. I have TiVos on every television. And the IR repeaters don't work reliably. I will never use a DTA. It'll be CableCARD on every television, and FiOS isn't any less expensive in that regard than Comcast.

One day, FiOS will be a better choice than Comcast. It isn't yet. Perhaps soon.

That is a joke right. Because I have both and there might be one channel that they really don't have ( AMC ). Meanwhile, Fios has 55-60 HD channels that Comcast does not with more additions coming this month! ( see FIOS thread). :rolleyes: