The "delayed response" problem is very annoying. The CPU seems inadequate. Maybe the Phase 3 models have dealt with this. Having to turn the unit off to activate/deactivate the Closed Captions is also a major design flaw.

Otherwise I'm pretty happy with the 6412. I also have two LG LST-3410A DVR's, and they have their share of quirks too. Don't have one, but I hear that even the HD Tivo isn't perfect. I'm hoping the MPEG4 HD DVR from D* will have all these issues solved, but probably not. These are complex devices, and it'll be awhile before they're as relaible as VCR's.

A year ago I could only timeshift HD by recording it to DVD at 480i. Now I can record 4 programs simultaneously in HD and watch a 5th HD program live, so things are definitely moving forward.

Sadly, these are all normal "features" of this piece of junk. Even more sadly, Comcast / Motorola DVR are a monopoly in every market they serve, so there is no competition or incentive to improve quality.While I certainly have my gripes with the 6412, it is hardly a piece of junk. It works reasonably well, and records HD, which no standalone TiVo can do. (The old Moto 6208, THAT was a piece of junk...)

No competition? Both DirecTV and DISH Network are available nearly everywhere that Comcast serves. People are free to switch to either of them, and they can do so at any time because Comcast doesn't require any long term contracts. And regarding competition for Motorola, Comcast recently signed a deal with Pace to provide some future STBs, including DVRs. If the thought of Moto potentially losing its largest cable customer isn't enough of an incentive to improve quality, then I don't know what is.

Sadly, these are all normal "features" of this piece of junk. Even more sadly, Comcast / Motorola DVR are a monopoly in every market they serve, so there is no competition or incentive to improve quality.

I respect your view of the Comcast/Motorola issue but my experience has been far from yours. I have had the 6412 since November and the 6208 before that and have had few if any serious problems. It is a pleasure to come home to pre-recorded SD and HD programming to watch without having to deal with all the stuff on TV I don't want to watch. My biggest problem is getting enough time to watch what I have recorded.

I love it, nothing more or less! I look forward to the improvements to come. :)

Re: Phantom recordings.

I've had a few, and as noted previously trying to delete them can result in accidentally deleting recordings you want to keep.

The simple cure is to unplug the box and plug it back in. The only drawback is waiting for the guide to rebuild, but you won't lose anything and scheduled recordings will be fine..

Re: Phantom recordings.

I've had a few, and as noted previously trying to delete them can result in accidentally deleting recordings you want to keep.

The simple cure is to unplug the box and plug it back in. The only drawback is waiting for the guide to rebuild, but you won't lose anything and scheduled recordings will be fine..

I've tried that several times. They still remain. It seems the only way to get rid of them will be to watch all real recordings, delete all those, then delete the two phantom recordings.

I just noticed my 6412 was upgraded to firmware 09.19 this morning. Hopefully, this will fix issues I've been having.

I've tried that several times. They still remain. It seems the only way to get rid of them will be to watch all real recordings, delete all those, then delete the two phantom recordings.

I just noticed my 6412 was upgraded to firmware 09.19 this morning. Hopefully, this will fix issues I've been having.
I'm not sure if 9.19 will help the issues. I went two months without experiencing any serious problems with either of our 6412s until 9.19 was downloaded. Since I received the "upgrade" I have been regularly experiencing the same problems outlined in previous posts (with the exception of phantom recordings).

Whomever said that there are also issues with the HD DirecTivo and the Dish Network DVR was correct. I had an HD DirecTivo for a month before switching to Comcast (and a SD DirecTivo for almost two years). The SD DirecTivo worked flawlessly. The HD Tivo had some issues, but I think it was a better overall system than the Motorola. Overall, I prefer Comcast's channel lineup, the availability of On Demand, and the ability to rent the box instead of purchasing it.

If I could change anything with the 6412, I would ask that it be more stable and that it have more recording capacity (a 120 GB hard drive was a ridiculous decision for an HD recording device).

Just my .02.

anyone else's 6412's acting strange/buggy lately?

i am unable to completely remove most future recordings from "scheduled recordings", especially movies. it doesn't show up as being recorded in the guide but remains in my "future recordings" even after i remove it, and these things always seem to end up recording and causing conflict problems. Also, shows that say they are going to record often don't if one of these conflicting recording i attempted to remove are happening at the same time.

plus, a lot of recordings lately have started exactly an hour late. the guide info is right the recording just gets delayed by an hour (had this happen to a movie and a baseball game today and it was also happening last week).

i bet this happened because there was a change in the times of the programs you already had set up to record on the DVR, due perhaps to faulty guide data. your symptoms are similar to what happened to me for programs just after the change from daylight standard to daylight savings time in March -- the programs for after the "spring forward" hour had been initially scheduled an hour off their usual times, but i set them up to record anyway. after the time switch, it seems like the DVR was confused, because the guide data changed so that programs were at their normal time, but the times the DVR was set up to record no longer corresponded to the programs, and everything was frozen until it started recording a program, when i could immediately cancel it. this has also happened when individual show times & guide data have been changed just before a recording, so that the initial DVR setting no longer is accurate. hopefully it isn't a permanent condition, just a temporary one due to guide data problems. but with the 6412, it's always best to expect surprises now and again ...

Hang in there!! Digital boxes will be moving to the ADS lineup before year end. Sooner in some areas. (All Digital System) Just hold on tight. You will wake up one day and notice all the analogs look good, and you will know.

Thank you for the information. Does this mean that Comcast will no longer have the analog lineup? While this is great for my HDTV, I wouldn't mind having the analog for my other TVs.

Thank you for the information. Does this mean that Comcast will no longer have the analog lineup? While this is great for my HDTV, I wouldn't mind having the analog for my other TVs.No, Comcast will continue an Analog line up, although diminishing over time. Probably Analog will be here till at least 2010.

To take advantage of Digitally Simulcasted Analog channels you will need an MSO provided Digital STB.

Comcast will soon offer the DCT700 in place of the old Analog STB at the same price. And in some cases, free.

No, Comcast will continue an Analog line up, although diminishing over time. Probably Analog will be here till at least 2010.

To take advantage of Digitally Simulcasted Analog channels you will need an MSO provided Digital STB.

Or cable card.

Basic Cable will probably survive in analog form with maybe 30-35 channels well past the 1/1/09 OTA digital conversion date. Expanded Basic channels will eventually all disappear from the analog tier, however, because the recaptured bandwidth is desperately needed for future HDTV and other applications. I think the plan is to provide a certain number of free digital boxes like the DCT700 to Expanded Basic subscribers, with extra ones available at a very nominal monthly rental.

Hello!
I have the 6412 and was wondering how to get the remote programmed to do the 30-second skip. I have seen the previous posts which involve a different remote.
I have a black remote with no "setup" button on it.
It can be seen here: http://broadband.motorola.com/dvr/images/drc800_remote.jpg

Is there a way to get this remote to do the "skip"?

Hello!
I have the 6412 and was wondering how to get the remote programmed to do the 30-second skip. I have seen the previous posts which involve a different remote.
I have a black remote with no "setup" button on it.
It can be seen here: http://broadband.motorola.com/dvr/images/drc800_remote.jpg

Is there a way to get this remote to do the "skip"?


With this remote and no setup button I don't believe it supports programming. Go back to Comcast and request the silver remote which has the setup button.

Basic Cable will probably survive in analog form with maybe 30-35 channels well past the 1/1/09 OTA digital conversion date. Expanded Basic channels will eventually all disappear from the analog tier, however, because the recaptured bandwidth is desperately needed for future HDTV and other applications. I think the plan is to provide a certain number of free digital boxes like the DCT700 to Expanded Basic subscribers, with extra ones available at a very nominal monthly rental.
There won't be any analog signals past the cutoff date. Basic cable will remain but as digital channels. For TVs that cannot accept a digital signal an RF modulator type system like the DCT700 would be used.

There won't be any analog signals past the cutoff date. Basic cable will remain but as digital channels. For TVs that cannot accept a digital signal an RF modulator type system like the DCT700 would be used.

I don't get what the relationship is between the gov't mandated cutoff date for analog over the air broadcast, and Comcast cutting off analog distribution of basic cable.

The gov't cutoff is from analog to ATSC, which is coordinated with the requirement that all new TV sets have ATSC tuners.

Comcast digital is QAM, and is not viewable through a standard over the air ATSC tuner.

So what does the over the air ATSC mandate have to do with a Comcast QAM only requirement?

I don't get what the relationship is between the gov't mandated cutoff date for analog over the air broadcast, and Comcast cutting off analog distribution of basic cable.

The gov't cutoff is from analog to ATSC, which is coordinated with the requirement that all new TV sets have ATSC tuners.

Comcast digital is QAM, and is not viewable through a standard over the air ATSC tuner.

So what does the over the air ATSC mandate have to do with a Comcast QAM only requirement?
There won't be any analog signal to convert to QAM. Analog is a PITA and a bandwidth hog, cable is chomping at the bit to get rid of analog signal distribution. Currently one 6Mhz analog channel slot takes the space a 2 HD and about 10 SD channels. With 256 QAM, they can fit even more in that one slot. Analog channels take up the bulk of the bandwidth on cable systems even though there is far less of them than the digital channels. If you have say 70 analog channels, that's about 420Mhz on a 750Mhz cable system.

We discussed this issue on another thread a few months back. Someone linked to an article about local ordinances that mandate a level of basic cable that can be received by any (NTSC) cable-ready TV without the use of an external box. Such ordinances would have to be amended to permit an all-digital system. If these are not amended by 1/1/09, cable providers might have to convert digital signals from local stations back to analog in order to provide the required basic level of cable service.

I don't know what the situation is here locally, but I am confident that Comcast and other cable suppliers are making every effort to resolve this issue so that a smooth transition to all-digital cable will take place. We survived the shift of SciFi Channel from analog to digital here two days ago, and HBO, Showtime, & Cinemax will depart from analog on 8/31.

I have a black remote with no "setup" button. Is there a way to get this remote to do the "skip"?

No. Ask Comcast for a "silver" remote, but don't be surprised if they don't have any.

No. Ask Comcast for a "silver" remote, but don't be surprised if they don't have any.

...the Silver Remote WITH the SWAP button!!

Chris.

There won't be any analog signal to convert to QAM. Analog is a PITA and a bandwidth hog, cable is chomping at the bit to get rid of analog signal distribution. Currently one 6Mhz analog channel slot takes the space a 2 HD and about 10 SD channels. With 256 QAM, they can fit even more in that one slot. Analog channels take up the bulk of the bandwidth on cable systems even though there is far less of them than the digital channels. If you have say 70 analog channels, that's about 420Mhz on a 750Mhz cable system.
I'm starting to get the feeling that everybody is OK with this crap. I am pissed that most the analogs are going away. I am pissed that I'm going to have to put a cable box on every one of my TVs. I don't mind paying $10/month for HD/DVR, but when I tell Comcast I need 5 more cable boxes, do you think they are going to give them to me for free? I certainly don't want to pay $25/month for something Im currently getting for free.

I'm starting to get the feeling that everybody is OK with this crap. I am pissed that most the analogs are going away. I am pissed that I'm going to have to put a cable box on every one of my TVs. I don't mind paying $10/month for HD/DVR, but when I tell Comcast I need 5 more cable boxes, do you think they are going to give them to me for free? I certainly don't want to pay $25/month for something Im currently getting for free.

We're looking at several years into the future. Its educated speculation at best asto future pricing, models & procedures. Heck - we cant even get a consistant answer on pricing and procedures Today! :)

I wouldn't sweat over it now. If you are looking to upgrade a TV, I would look at one that has a some type of digital connection instead of a simple Coax.

...the Silver Remote WITH the SWAP button!!

Chris.
This is the one you want,
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v637/keenanj/remotesmall2.jpg

I'm starting to get the feeling that everybody is OK with this crap.Probably not, but this is the HDTV section of the forum, so we have to assume that everyone that posts here wants more HD. We would all like to have ESPN2 HD, Universal HD, the local UPN HD station, HDNet, HDNet Movies, the 2 new Fox HD channels & TCM (when they start up), etc. Problem is, there isn't any available bandwidth, and HD needs a lot of it.

Our Mt. Prospect Comcast system is typical. It is nominally a 750MHz system, which yields maybe 116 6MHz slots between 54 & 752 MHz. On 8/1/05 75 of these slots (65%) were tied up with analog channels. The 41 channels that remain for digital are just about full. Channel 103, for example, has 53 Music Choice channels (47 w/video displays) squeezed onto it. Channels 92, 114, & 115 are filled up by the 6 local HD stations that are currently carried. Channel 61 carries 8 SD digital channels. On 8/9 SciFi Channel moved from analog to Ch. 84, which was already carrying 3 other SD digital channels and 6 music channels.

At the end of August, the 3 analog premiums (HBO, Showtime, Cinemax) will vacate Channels 4, 20, & 97. This leaves 37 Expanded Basic analogs as fair game for future moves to the digital tier. As noted above, I'm not familiar with the village ordinance dealing with basic cable service, but our 34 channels on Basic Cable are probably safe at least until 1/1/09, although the lineup could change. Comcast SportsNet SD (currently on Ch. 37) would make the digital tier a lot more desirable. I'm sure that was the thinking behind the move of Sci Fi.

We're looking at several years into the future. Its educated speculation at best asto future pricing, models & procedures. Heck - we cant even get a consistant answer on pricing and procedures Today! :)

I wouldn't sweat over it now. If you are looking to upgrade a TV, I would look at one that has a some type of digital connection instead of a simple Coax.
I know what you and Unc are saying, but it sounds like my neighborhood will get screwed sooner (this month) than later. In my HT room I have all of my toys, including the 6412 connected to my 65" Mits. It is all of my other tvs that I have an issue with. All of my other tvs are connected directly to coax. If the premium channels are moved to digital this month, I'll have to get a box for each tv if I want premium channels on them. While I can see comcast giving me 1 box for free, I cetainly can't see them giving me a free box for every tv.

I know what you and Unc are saying, but it sounds like my neighborhood will get screwed sooner (this month) than later.

This month??? I think you might be misunderstanding a little (or I am). My understanding is that they are going to do digital simulcasting soon...that is, they will be sending both digital *and* analog versions of most, if not all, current analog channels for now. I don't believe they will be able to eliminate analog channels for quite some time...that day will come, but unless I am badly mistaken, it isn't going to be anytime terribly soon....

-Randy

I know what you and Unc are saying, but it sounds like my neighborhood will get screwed sooner (this month) than later. In my HT room I have all of my toys, including the 6412 connected to my 65" Mits. It is all of my other tvs that I have an issue with. All of my other tvs are connected directly to coax. If the premium channels are moved to digital this month, I'll have to get a box for each tv if I want premium channels on them. While I can see comcast giving me 1 box for free, I cetainly can't see them giving me a free box for every tv.How do you get premium cable channels on your other TVs that are connected only by coax?

If the premium channels are moved to digital this month, I'll have to get a box for each tv if I want premium channels on them. While I can see comcast giving me 1 box for free, I cetainly can't see them giving me a free box for every tv.I haven't heard what Comcast's plan might be for situations like yours. If you are a Digital Gold subscriber, and getting all the various digital varieties of HBO & Showtime, their approach seems to be that the analogs on Ch. 4 & 20 were freebies, and thus they don't feel obligated to provide free digital boxes.

I recall a recent post about a Comcast pilot project (I think in the San Francisco Bay area) for switching the entire Expanded Basic package to digital. Subscribers would get up to 3 free boxes as I recall, and extras would be $1.99/month. Maybe you could call in and mention this and ask if you are eligible for a similar arrangement.

There isn't any doubt in Mt. Prospect about it being this month . It's been posted on our TV Guide channel for weeks, and also mentioned in our billing notices. SciFi Channel disappeared from analog Ch. 72 on 8/9, and is now available on digital Ch. 160 (QAM Ch. 84, but of course it's encrypted).

As far as digital simulcasting goes, we have the following way up on 825MHz
(QAM Ch. 129) if anybody cares:

129-1 Local Access (analog ch. 96)
129-2 Local Access (analog ch. 15)
129-3 ARTS/Oakton CC (analog ch. 24)
129-4 Comcast Network (analog ch. 3)
129-5 Local Access (analog ch. 17)
129-6 Local Access (analog ch. 26)
129-11 TV Guide Channel (analog ch. 30).

These show a center channel only on my Yamaha (mono).

This month??? I think you might be misunderstanding a little (or I am). My understanding is that they are going to do digital simulcasting soon...that is, they will be sending both digital *and* analog versions of most, if not all, current analog channels for now. I don't believe they will be able to eliminate analog channels for quite some time...that day will come, but unless I am badly mistaken, it isn't going to be anytime terribly soon....
-Randy
Unless I'm misunderstanding what I've been hearing (including UNC's posts) hbo and showtime are moving out of analog. They are already on several digital channels and one hd of each.

How do you get premium cable channels on your other TVs that are connected only by coax?
We get hbo/show on analog channels 4/20.

How do you get premium cable channels on your other TVs that are connected only by coax?HBO has been carried (unscrambled) on Ch. 4 and Showtime on Ch. 20. If you don't subscribe, a Ch. 4 and/or a Ch. 20 trap is installed in your incoming line to block the channel(s). This is very convenient because it's not scrambled and is thus available to every TV & VCR in the household. Sadly this nice service will disappear at the end of August.

I presume they will use Chs. 4 & 20 for digital transmissions, but eventually they'll have to remove all those traps from the lines of present non-HBO/Showtime analog subscribers.

We get hbo/show on analog channels 4/20.That is a very very nice service; thanks for the clarification and now I understand your rancor. I would guess they moved HBO and Starz off analog about 3 years ago in my comcast area. About 2 years ago they collected all the analog boxes. Different comcast systems do things so differently across the country.

I recall a recent post about a Comcast pilot project (I think in the San Francisco Bay area) for switching the entire Expanded Basic package to digital. Subscribers would get up to 3 free boxes as I recall, and extras would be $1.50/month. Maybe you could call in and mention this and ask if you are eligible for a similar arrangement.


It's Calaveras County, CA, about 100 or so miles east of San Francisco in the Sierra Nevada foothills.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=542401
Comcast New Technology Test - AVS Forum

On another subject, possibly already covered elsewhere...I've read several times on this forum that it is recommended that the 6412 be left on at all times to avoid various problems. My problem is that whenever I turn off my Mits 55", either with that TV's dedicated remote, or with my Harmony Universal remote, the 6412 usually turns off as well! I've been round and round with Harmony's customer service, and they can't seem to fix that (even by setting the 6412 to never turn off)! They have come to the conclusion that the 6412 shares the same "off code" as the Mits TV. (I programmed code 0150 on the 6412 remote, I believe, to control the TV, but that may be irrelevant to this problem, as I assume that re-programming the 6412 remote has no effect on what codes the 6412 responds to....?) When I turn the TV on, though, the 6412 does NOT come on (?) ! This causes my 6412 to usually be out-of-synch with the Harmony, which assumes the 6412 doesn't need to be turned-on when starting up...

Has anyone had a similar problem with the Harmony remote, and how did you fix it? Thanks.

My problem is that whenever I turn off my Mits 55", either with that TV's dedicated remote, or with my Harmony Universal remote, the 6412 usually turns off as well.
If both remotes cause your 6412 to shut off, it can't be the Harmony. Sounds like the tv is the common denominator. Any chance you are using NetCommand or the IR-repeaters on your Mits? Or, do you have the 6412 connected by firewire to your mits? Both will allow your tv to control the 6412. At one point I was using the IR-repeaters and it caused some real problems before I figured out what I was doing wrong.

Bingo! (you're no rookie!). I DO have a firewire connection between the TV and the 6412, left over from experimentation days, though I use the DVI link now! (Harmony CS had me disconnect the netcommand stuff already). Wasn't aware that the firewire connection integrated the two so closely - I'll try disconnecting that cable....Thanks.

This month??? I think you might be misunderstanding a little (or I am). My understanding is that they are going to do digital simulcasting soon...that is, they will be sending both digital *and* analog versions of most, if not all, current analog channels for now. I don't believe they will be able to eliminate analog channels for quite some time...that day will come, but unless I am badly mistaken, it isn't going to be anytime terribly soon....

-Randy

We are now getting (Delaware) digital simulcasting of all channels which were previously analog. Channels look MUCH better.

Hey guys. I've been enjoying reading this thread. I have just purchased my first HDTV. It should arrive the end of next week. It is a JVC D-ILA 61Z786. I live in South Jersey and have Comcast with the 6412. I had rented an hdtv for the Super Bowl and fell in love with the DVR box and kept it. I was just wondering if there was anyone who had a similar TV and used the 6412 and if there were any setup options I would want to know. For example, I would assume that I would want to set the output to 720P because my TV will be 720P, but it seems that I have read this may not always be the case. Also just curious of any tips for best quality viewing. (again I would think that HDMI would provide best picture - but this doesn't always seem to be the case) Any tips for making the sd channels look their best.

-I guess I'm just looking for someone who may have been where I am now (1 week away from my first HDTV) and has some tips for setting up the 6412.

thanks,

Does anyone know what brand/model video DAC the Mot 6412 uses when pushing video through component outputs? I'd like to get some into to see how it stacks up against the video DAC in my Sony KD-34XBR960.

This is the one you want,
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v637/keenanj/remotesmall2.jpg
Just out of curiosity, what are the five buttons on the bottom of that remote? My remote has a swap button(it's actually the input button on the bottom) it was already programmed in when I got it.
On my other DVR upstairs I have the same remote but the swap doesn't work.

The box is labeled Picture-In-Picture and the buttons are labeled from left to right, On-Off, Swap, Move, +, and below the + is -, these last two are labeled PIP Ch.

Just out of curiosity, what are the five buttons on the bottom of that remote? My remote has a swap button(it's actually the input button on the bottom) it was already programmed in when I got it.
On my other DVR upstairs I have the same remote but the swap doesn't work.

Top row, L to R: On/Off, Swap, Move, +

Bottom row: -

Currently, swap is used to switch between the two tuners. If Comcast/Motorola ever enabled PIP on these devices, I'm not sure what would happen with swap: as it is not, it goes between two tuners; with PIP, I assume it would swap the large screen picture into the small box and vice versa (unless Swap would just let you *select* between the large picture and the small picture).

I am assuming "Move" would let you move the PIP box into different corners. + and - have "PIP CH" next to them, so those would probably let you change the channel in the PIP box.

My parents have this on their cable box at home through TWC (and an SA box). It's nice to have, though if you're wanting to watch the other channel, why not just record it with the second tuner (unless you're watching two live sporting events I guess).

The box is labeled Picture-In-Picture and the buttons are labeled from left to right, On-Off, Swap, Move, +, and below the + is -, these last two are labeled PIP Ch.
Does that remote have a model number on it so I could possibly exchange one of mine?

Does anyone know what brand/model video DAC the Mot 6412 uses when pushing video through component outputs? I'd like to get some into to see how it stacks up against the video DAC in my Sony KD-34XBR960.

If you find anything out on this front -- I'd appreciate knowing as well. I have the same TV with my 6412.

Of course, if I had to guess, I'd guess any conversion parts would be higher-end in the TV -- it's Sony's best direct-view CRT (with DRC v2 for non-HD inputs). I've tried playing around with the '4:3 override' setting on my 6412 for SD channels, and I can't tell the difference between the three settings at 4 feet. However, you might be able to improve things by customizing the DRC controls on the TV.

Note: I don't have a DVI connection set up yet -- I'm just using component cables.

One issue with the Sony TV (I have an older 30XBR910) is that each video mode (480i, 480p, etc..) has SEPARATE settings in the service menu. Also, RF, composite/S-Video, component and DVI/HDMI have further different settings! These include brightness, color balance, shaprness, some geometry settings, etc.. Switching between modes more often gives differences due to this, and not just to DAC issues. Worse, like many HDTV's, it tries to push SD too much and you end up with a grainy looking picture. The XBR's help a bit with the adjustable DRC, but even at minimum, it's too much. I've gone into the service menu of mine and changed a sharpness shape setting for non-HD modes from high-boost to flat.

You (and the manufacturers) have to face it: SD will NEVER look as good as HD. Digital channels/simulcating will help with noise, but usually has a tradeoff in reduced resolution/pixelation so they can cram in more channels. Where I live, SciFi just moved from analog to digital (not simulcast, but a true digital-only channel change.) The picture is cleaner, and resolution seems similar. But, I've noticed there is some letterboxing even on full-screen 4:3 shows! I've also seen occasional rainbow effects on the small text in the lower left when they tell you what is on, and what is next. I wonder if they are still converting analog to digital at some point, with that analog being composite!

I personally have mine set to 1080i for HD, and 4:3 override to 480i. This lets me use DRC modes (Interlaced/Progressive/Cinemotion) and zoom modes as needed.

Sadly, these are all normal "features" of this piece of junk. Even more sadly, Comcast / Motorola DVR are a monopoly in every market they serve, so there is no competition or incentive to improve quality.

I will be so happy when they switch over everyone to Tivo boxes next year...

Anyone have an ETA on this? (Comcast PA)

I will be so happy when they switch over everyone to Tivo boxes next year...

Anyone have an ETA on this? (Comcast PA)

sometime in 2006 (dont hold your breath)

and I doubt the will "switch" everybody over to it...It will likely be an option for those that want it (and perhaps at a premium)

Personnally, I'm pretty happy with the 6412...I've had almost no problems with it..will have to see what the competition has by the time we see the Tivo on comcast.

I was experiencing annoying audio dropouts on the Digital Music Choice channels (Comcast 6412). On one of the two tuners, the dropouts were very long and made it impossible to listen. On the other they were brief but annoying enough that I didn't want to listen. Knowing signal level could be to blame, that the 2nd tuner typically has a lower signal level (explaining the differences I noted above), and because I have a 4-way splitter, I bought a cable amplifier. Problem solved. The amp also cleaned up my video signal (duh).

...I have a 4-way splitter, I bought a cable amplifier. Problem solved. The amp also cleaned up my video signal (duh).Which cable amplifier did you purchase?

Which cable amplifier did you purchase?

Radio Shack bi-directional cable-tv amplifier #15-2505 for $30.99.

Radio Shack bi-directional cable-tv amplifier #15-2505 for $30.99.

I've heard the Radio Shack amps aren't that great. But it's worked well for you?

I've heard the Radio Shack amps aren't that great. But it's worked well for you?

So far.

I have this Motorola DCT6412 feeding a Samsung HLN467W HDTV and with this combination, I must manually change from normal to wide aspect ratios as I switch from HD to normal channels.

Is there any way to program the DCT6412 to perform this switch automatically, or is this a function of the TV?

Thanks.

and I doubt the will "switch" everybody over to it...It will likely be an option for those that want it (and perhaps at a premium)

True... umm.. davisdog... I remember reading it WILL be at a premium. I think I remember reading it was going to be 10 bucks more a month.

Don't ask me where I read it, I don't remember, maybe someone else has read this, too?

Hi,

Apologies for the newbie questions...the forum search function isn't very smart.

I'm switching from SD DirecTiVo to Comcast and the 6412 (didn't want to shell out $700 for a DTiVo that would probably be obsolete in a year or so when DirecTV switches to MPEG4).

(1) If I turn the 6412 off, does it really turn off--meaning that scheduled recordings won't be recorded? (TiVo never really turns off, just goes on standby, so it can still record scheduled recordings.)

(2) The compression on SD broadcasts seems much harsher than on the DirecTiVo--there's a ton of MPEG artifacting, especially with fast motion. I'm not sure if this is a source issue or just due to the 6412 using a higher compression factor than what DirecTV uses on the streams it sends over the satellite. Is there a way to adjust how the compression factor on the 6412 (similar to what you can set on a standalone TiVo)?

Thanks.

Hi,

Apologies for the newbie questions...the forum search function isn't very smart.

I'm switching from SD DirecTiVo to Comcast and the 6412 (didn't want to shell out $700 for a DTiVo that would probably be obsolete in a year or so when DirecTV switches to MPEG4).

(1) If I turn the 6412 off, does it really turn off--meaning that scheduled recordings won't be recorded? (TiVo never really turns off, just goes on standby, so it can still record scheduled recordings.)

(2) The compression on SD broadcasts seems much harsher than on the DirecTiVo--there's a ton of MPEG artifacting, especially with fast motion. I'm not sure if this is a source issue or just due to the 6412 using a higher compression factor than what DirecTV uses on the streams it sends over the satellite. Is there a way to adjust how the compression factor on the 6412 (similar to what you can set on a standalone TiVo)?

Thanks.

1) It goes to standby and will wake for any scheduled recordings...one quirk is the box "mutes" the sounds (out of the DVR) when it wakes up so if you try to watch a show during one of the times it has woken up for recordings you wont have any sound (the fix is to program your remote with the "unmute" command or just leave the box on 24x7...search on 'unmute' and you will find how to program that on the remote

2) Comcast has two kinds of SD
Ch 1-80 is Analog, and it looks like crap through the 6412...the 6412 Analog to Digital conversion is poor...Comcast is in the process of doing "digital Simulacasting" which essentially converts these all to digital for you...should be within the next few months (depending on where you are)
Ch 100+ is Digital..those should look pretty good

...search on 'unmute' and you will find how to program that on the remote

How to program the remote for 30, 60, 90, 120 (and more) Second Skip

Create a 30 second skip using the following
directions:

1) Press the "Cable" button at the top of the remote
to put it into
Cable Box control mode.
2) Press and hold the "Setup" button until the
"Cable" button blinks twice.
3) Type in the code 994. The "Cable" button will
blink twice
4) Press (do not hold) the "Setup" button
5) Type in the code 00173 for 30 second Skip.
6) Press whatever button you want to map the skip
to.

Next, you create a macro using your new 30 second
skip:

1) Press and hold down the "Setup" button until the
light blinks twice.
2) Press 995.
3) Press the key you want to assign the X second
skip to.
4) Press the button that you have used for the 30
second skip x times.
(2 times for 60 seconds, 3 times for 90 seconds, and
so on.)
5) Press and hold the "Setup" button until the light
blinks twice to
exit programming.

X = 30, 60, 90, 180, etc.



How to program the remote to control the mute on the
cable box instead of the tv.

1. Press the cable button
2. Press and hold setup until it blinks twice then let
go
3. Press 994
4. Press setup and release
5. Press 00141
6. Press the mute button

1) It goes to standby and will wake for any scheduled recordings...

Interesting. The reason I thought it wouldn't is that if I try to turn it off while it's recording, it tells me that will cancel the recording. It seems like they should have designed it like TiVo, where putting it on standby doesn't interrupt any recording that's going on. But it's no real skin off my nose to leave it on all the time.

2) Comcast has two kinds of SD
Ch 1-80 is Analog, and it looks like crap through the 6412...
Ch 100+ is Digital..those should look pretty good

This was on a few digital channels (both over 100). It might just be a fact of life with SD blown up to 61". I'll have to compare a little more critically with my TiVo recordings to see if it really seems that much worse...I may just be remembering what TiVo looked like on my smaller set :)

I'm switching from SD DirecTiVo to Comcast and the 6412 (didn't want to shell out $700 for a DTiVo that would probably be obsolete in a year or so when DirecTV switches to MPEG4).

The HD Tivo isn't $700 anymore. There was a price cut to $599 - $100 rebate on August 1, and another cut to $299 - $100 rebate yesterday. They're throwing in various programming credits as well, making the thing virtually free in some instances.

An enticing offer, but I'm not much for bargains on items I don't want or need. I think I'll just wait and see what the D* MPEG4 DVR looks like. I know they are promising an even swap for HD Tivo owners, but it's not worth the trouble. I'm doing fine with the 6412 and a pair of LG 3410A's.

The HD Tivo isn't $700 anymore. There was a price cut to $599 - $100 rebate on August 1, and another cut to $299 - $100 rebate yesterday. They're throwing in various programming credits as well, making the thing virtually free in some instances.

Oh. Wish I'd known that last week :)

I actually haven't cancelled my DirecTV service yet. Maybe if I tell them why I'm cancelling, they'll give me a good deal. I also don't want to have to install an OTA antenna for local HD channels (another reason I switched to cable), but maybe I can persuade them to give me those from the satellite too (though I wonder if they compress the heck out of them like they do for SD locals)...

D* won't have HD locals until the MPEG4 system is operational. They do have NY or LA HD feeds of CBS, NBC, ABC, & FOX. These are "HD Lite" but look OK. Eligibility for these is no problem in the O&O markets, but the required waivers are often hit & miss elsewhere.

I will be so happy when they switch over everyone to Tivo boxes next year...

Anyone have an ETA on this? (Comcast PA)

I don't think they will be switching everyone to Tivo Boxes but it will be more of an option which I think will cost around 10 bucks per month. Maybe they will even use the same boxes but with different software 1 with iGuide and 1 with Tivo

True... umm.. davisdog... I remember reading it WILL be at a premium. I think I remember reading it was going to be 10 bucks more a month.

Don't ask me where I read it, I don't remember, maybe someone else has read this, too?
I don't remember that at all. I heard people just speculating $3 extra. But there were no rumors, AFAIK.

I don't think they will be switching everyone to Tivo Boxes but it will be more of an option which I think will cost around 10 bucks per month. Maybe they will even use the same boxes but with different software 1 with iGuide and 1 with Tivo
According to the articles posted here, there will be no Tivo boxes, just Tivo software as an option.

I highly doubt that it will be $10 more. My guess, since companies like to market products with round numbers, I would guess $5. Maybe less, not more, I don't think. I wouldn't pay more than $5 for Tivo. And depending on what people say about it, I might not pay even that.

According to the articles posted here, there will be no Tivo boxes, just Tivo software as an option.

I highly doubt that it will be $10 more. My guess, since companies like to market products with round numbers, I would guess $5. Maybe less, not more, I don't think. I wouldn't pay more than $5 for Tivo. And depending on what people say about it, I might not pay even that.
I would tend to think about Tivo pricing as you are. The only reason I could see for charging $10 or more a month is because their current monthly rate is $13.

My TV (Sony KP57WV700) was ISF'ed a while ago to decrease the overscan. All was well with viewing the 6412 standard def output through my TV's component input (6): I didn't see the Closed Captioning at the top of the screen.

But now I've moved to a new house, I have a different 6412, and the CC is showing. I've moved my vertical position up all I want to (I don't want to affect the vertical centering too much), and it's still showing. CC doesn't show at all through the TV's tuner input, nor when a recorded SD program is played back :confused:

I'm wondering if anyone has swapped out their 6412 (for any reason) and noticed that the 6412's underscan has changed (less underscan).

Since my 6412 is already fairly noisy, I'm thinking of swapping it anyway, but that is a hassle and I'd lose recorded shows I haven't watched (there are always shows I have recorded and haven't watched :p ).

D* won't have HD locals until the MPEG4 system is operational. They do have NY or LA HD feeds of CBS, NBC, ABC, & FOX. These are "HD Lite" but look OK. Eligibility for these is no problem in the O&O markets, but the required waivers are often hit & miss elsewhere.

Ah. I'll probably stick with cable for now then. Thanks for the info.

According to the articles posted here, there will be no Tivo boxes, just Tivo software as an option.

Is it likely they'll have boxes with a higher recording capacity than the 6412s? Also, is running Tivo software likely to improve the recording quality, or just the interface?

The current 6412 will support both the i-Guide and the Comcast/TiVo software. Any future DVR will probably include a larger Hard Drive but that is not a fact. Not sure what you mean about recording quality?

Anyone that has used DirecTV's TiVO and the i-Guide can clearly see the difference. I was a strong supporter of TiVO but I like the i-Guide much more now.

If the i-Guide had the following I'd be real happy:

1. Better Search capability (Like TiVO)
2. WishList (Like TiVo)
3. Internet scheduling (Like TiVo)
4. Multi Room (Something like TiVo) but better. Multi Room over the existing Coax and not Ethernet or WiFi.
5. Less Bugs!

I'm hoping 2006 brings these features but it is anyones guess as to if and when.

The i-Guide version 2 or i-Guide Mosaic "VRN" (Video Rich Navigation) should be in testing now with Motorola. There just isn't much in the way of details yet on what features it will have.

My Comcast 6412 that got installed the other day has a SATA port on the back. I am hoping this is for additional storage. Looking around for a reasonable priced SATA drive/enclosure to try it out. Does anyone know if there is any way to tell if it is active/auto formats etc? The Motorola web site has nothing on this new model that I could find.

The current 6412 will support both the i-Guide and the Comcast/TiVo software. Any future DVR will probably include a larger Hard Drive but that is not a fact. Not sure what you mean about recording quality?

I feel like the recording quality of the 6412 for SD material isn't as good as what I was getting from my DTiVo--i.e., it seems more harshly compressed (lots of blocky MPEG artifacting during motion). I haven't done extensive A/B testing yet however. I was just wondering if we would get to control the compression ratio as the standalone TiVos do.

Actually, I might have a fundamental misunderstanding here. Does the 6412 get an already-compressed digital signal from the cable and just record it directly to disk (like DirecTiVos do for the satellite signal), or does it take a (possibly less-compressed) signal and recompress it during recording (like standalone TiVos)? If the former, then I guess it's Comcast's fault and not the recorder's when I get lots of compression artifacts.

Anyone that has used DirecTV's TiVO and the i-Guide can clearly see the difference. I was a strong supporter of TiVO but I like the i-Guide much more now.

So far I still prefer the old TiVo UI (especially for searching), but the i-Guide is good enough. I wish it automatically flagged HD content with some visible icon or color in the guide, though.

My Comcast 6412 that got installed the other day has a SATA port on the back. I am hoping this is for additional storage. Looking around for a reasonable priced SATA drive/enclosure to try it out. Does anyone know if there is any way to tell if it is active/auto formats etc? The Motorola web site has nothing on this new model that I could find.

Looks like there's a thread on this:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=558602&page=2&pp=30

but nobody on that thread has tried it yet either.

My Comcast 6412 that got installed the other day has a SATA port on the back. Where are you located? Most areas don't have this Phase 3 model yet. Could you tell us:

(1) Does it have a CC button on the remote, or is it still necessary to turn the 6412 off and enter Setup to activate/deactivate closed captions?

(2) Have you noticed the delayed response to remote commands problem that has plagued earlier versions?

Actually, I might have a fundamental misunderstanding here. Does the 6412 get an already-compressed digital signal from the cable and just record it directly to disk (like DirecTiVos do for the satellite signal), or does it take a (possibly less-compressed) signal and recompress it during recording (like standalone TiVos)? If the former, then I guess it's Comcast's fault and not the recorder's when I get lots of compression artifacts.
Digital channels, and digitally-simulcast analogs, have the digital signal recorded as-is. There is no extra compression done. Analog channels are compressed on the fly. In the diagnostics menu, it's usually configured as 'HIGH2'. You cannot change it yourself. With digital simulcast rolling out, it'll be unnecessary anyways. The digital signal will use up less space with better quality than compressing on the fly at a low bit-rate.

Digital channels, and digitally-simulcast analogs, have the digital signal recorded as-is. There is no extra compression done.

Thanks for confirming this. So now I can blame the cable company instead of the DVR maker for the overcompressed SD signal :)

Where are you located? Most areas don't have this Phase 3 model yet. Could you tell us:

(1) Does it have a CC button on the remote, or is it still necessary to turn the 6412 off and enter Setup to activate/deactivate closed captions?

(2) Have you noticed the delayed response to remote commands problem that has plagued earlier versions?


Thought I'd post about my installation of a 6412 Phase III which was done last Friday. The cable guy showed up with the box and said he's never seen the box before. I have the HLR5668w which is 1080p and the HDMI output really looks nice on it. I also connected the component to the TV and showed both inputs side/by/side with PIP and the HDMI looks a little nicer.

I think I'm just lucky in getting this new box. When I ordered the HD service, I made the person taking the order specify I needed HDMI, SPDIF output with the newest firmware they have. I also had an inside relative who works as a installation support technician and he tried to make sure the cable installer brought out a newer box. My friend was almost certain the installer would get it wrong.

Can't say anything bad about it. It's my first one. I do see the problem where nothing will show on the screen, upon turning on my TV. I can get to the menus, yet it only fixes itself when I select a DVR recording and quit the recording quickly.

CC is still a manual operation. At least for me, I have the silver remote with the Setup button.

Since I've not had any other 6412, can't say I see a delayed response. I notice that the remote doesn't work well unless I have it pointed directly at the box. Was thinking the IR connector on the back might help. Haven't yet searched for that type of mod.

Software: 71.44 - 1203
Firmware: 12.18

UncD2000 - I am on the east side of Cleveland (Willoughby, Ohio).

The remote looks the same as the silver remote I have seen pictures of with the 'Picture in Picture' section at the bottom (this is my first Comcast DVR). I don't see a CC button.

I have noticed on HD channels when I am scanning channels, that sometimes it won't change the channel, and then all of sudden skip 3 channels, or however maby times I have hit the button.

I talked to Comcast tech support today, but they didn't have any info on whether the SATA port was active - the rep said she hadn't heard it was active, but that is different from knowing for sure whether it is active or not.

They also don't have any HDMI cables - either at the office or on the trucks. They still have DVI cables even though there is no DVI port on the new unit. The tech hooked it up with component cables.

Excuse me if this has already been covered. This is the first I've seen this problem after over 9 months of 6412 usage.

I recorded the Steelers-Eagles game on ESPN Monday and started watching when I got home with the intent of catching up to "real time." At some point I got confused as to what had happened because it looked like something was missing. I carefully went back over the recording and found that there were a couple of glitches where chunks of the program were gone.

When the Steelers got the ball on offense for the first time the recording skipped ahead through 2 plays. Then after a minute or so a full 4 minutes of game time -- from about 8:53 to 4:50 on the first half clock -- was skipped. There was a brief "wrinkle" in the picture and it just skipped ahead through that time.

Has anybody noted this behavior of losing part of a recording? Very disconcerting and disorienting.

By the way, my family was home during this recording and report nothing strange like a power outage or anything.

EDIT: Okay, I don't think it was the DVR's fault. A co-worker told me that he was watching live on the same Comcast system and that the ESPN-HD signal was lost during those time periods. I guess the DVR just stops recording and starts up again when the signal returns.

So now I can blame the cable company instead of the DVR maker for the overcompressed SD signal :)Not necessarily. For most digital channels, the compression is done by the broadcaster before it even gets to the cable company. The industry was sending stuff in digital from broadcaster to cable head end long before DVRs came around.

Hi all,

I just got Comcast installed yesterday. I have two 6412 DVR’s one has a DVI port the other has HDMI. My Z3 projector has only HDMI – I ordered a DVI to HDMI cable (a few days ago) assuming I would get DVR’s with DVI port. Now I am thinking that since I have one with HDMI I should just change my order to a HDMI only cable. If I don’t change it and use the DVI to HDMI cable for the projector in the DVR with the DVI port am I going to suffer in any way? Is the box with HDMI better in any way? Would a straight HDMI cable have any advantage over using the DVI to HDMI cable?

Thanks!

Does the 6412 Phase III offer any new setup features vs. the older models, other than the different outputs (HDMI, etc.)?

I.e. does its firmware support native rate selection for HD or is it still "one size fits all" on the output?

-John

Does the 6412 Phase III offer any new setup features vs. the older models, other than the different outputs (HDMI, etc.)?

I.e. does its firmware support native rate selection for HD or is it still "one size fits all" on the output?

-John

It appears to be the same, one size fits all

Digital channels, and digitally-simulcast analogs, have the digital signal recorded as-is. There is no extra compression done. Analog channels are compressed on the fly. In the diagnostics menu, it's usually configured as 'HIGH2'. You cannot change it yourself. With digital simulcast rolling out, it'll be unnecessary anyways. The digital signal will use up less space with better quality than compressing on the fly at a low bit-rate.

True, it will give a better picture than the on the fly compression. But unless they increase the digital SD bandwidth, it is going to be worse than the existing analog signal. I get flashbacks of trying to watch postage-stamp sized video streamed over a 56k modem with some of the existing digital SD channels. Everything is blurry, detail lacking, block artifacting on motion, etc.

Hi all,

I just got Comcast installed yesterday. I have two 6412 DVR’s one has a DVI port the other has HDMI. My Z3 projector has only HDMI – I ordered a DVI to HDMI cable (a few days ago) assuming I would get DVR’s with DVI port. Now I am thinking that since I have one with HDMI I should just change my order to a HDMI only cable. If I don’t change it and use the DVI to HDMI cable for the projector in the DVR with the DVI port am I going to suffer in any way? Is the box with HDMI better in any way? Would a straight HDMI cable have any advantage over using the DVI to HDMI cable?

Thanks!
I believe the only/main difference between HDMI and DVI is that HDMI carries audio too. So unless your projector has speakers, the HDMI to HDMI cable and the HDMI to DVI cable should provide the same end result.

I believe the only/main difference between HDMI and DVI is that HDMI carries audio too. So unless your projector has speakers, the HDMI to HDMI cable and the HDMI to DVI cable should provide the same end result.

I understand all that. What no one has answered (and maybe i have not asked correctly) is are there any strange things that happen or are the things that are worse/better by using HDMI vs DVI on this particlular box. I am talking like firmware, software problems, benefits or what not.

True, it will give a better picture than the on the fly compression. But unless they increase the digital SD bandwidth, it is going to be worse than the existing analog signal. I get flashbacks of trying to watch postage-stamp sized video streamed over a 56k modem with some of the existing digital SD channels. Everything is blurry, detail lacking, block artifacting on motion, etc.The DS channels look great in my comcast area.

I understand all that. What no one has answered (and maybe i have not asked correctly) is are there any strange things that happen or are the things that are worse/better by using HDMI vs DVI on this particlular box. I am talking like firmware, software problems, benefits or what not.
I don't think you will get an answer until more people have this box ... and you may be the first to experience and report on any problems anyways.

I understand all that. What no one has answered (and maybe i have not asked correctly) is are there any strange things that happen or are the things that are worse/better by using HDMI vs DVI on this particlular box. I am talking like firmware, software problems, benefits or what not.

The HDMI box is a Phase III, I assume? That has a newer chipset. Would love to hear a side by side comparison for PQ, UI, etc.

I'm in Vallejo which is pretty close to you, but we only just got 6412 service, and the analogs look barely viewable on the big screen, and amplification didn't even help much...Haven't really tried using the S-Video out of the 6412 (does it have one??). Maybe I could get rid of the Replay TV, but it frees up space for the digital HD recordings on the 6412 anyway...

Yes the 6412 has S-video out. The component, s-video and composite are active simultaneously.

One question about your amplification. Where is the signal amplified? It needs to be amplified were the signal is still good. I had trouble and the installer told me the signal wasn't good enough and tried to put the amplifier just before the cable box. Although this may prevent the cable box from losing sync it will not help the quality of the signal. I had to force him to put the amplifier further back in the system. In my case it was where the signal came into the house and split for the cable modem.

I am continuely amazed at how poorly the cable service guys are trained.

unless they increase the digital SD bandwidth, it is going to be worse than the existing analog signal. I get flashbacks of trying to watch postage-stamp sized video streamed over a 56k modem with some of the existing digital SD channels. Everything is blurry, detail lacking, block artifacting on motion, etc.This has not been my experience with the channels that Comcast is now simulcasting in both analog and digital. The digital picture is definitely improved over the analog version. As an added benefit, recording the digital streams directly on the DVR seems to take up much less space on the hard drive than recording analog channels, which include difficult to compress "features" such as noise, snow, interference, etc. I haven't done a thorough comparison, but a ball park estimate is that a recorded SD digital program is about half to two-thirds the size of a recorded analog program.

Hi guys, I tried to wade through the 170 pages, starting from the beginning, but it was too tedious to find what I am looking for, so I was wondering if someone can help me. I just received my box from Comcast in DC.

Has the 00173 code for the 30 second skip changed? The button is not working for me.

I have a recording that is eating up 3% of the hard drive that I can't delete. It has no title, and is dated back to 1989. Any ideas?

Is there any way to set the output on the box? I have a Samsung 5663 DLP, so I would like to set the output to 720p if possible. On some of my other cable boxes, this was possible.

This thread is 170 pages long because nobody uses the search option. I'm not sure why your skip isn't working, but you should find your other questions covered 3,4,5 times, at least.

Hi guys, I tried to wade through the 170 pages, starting from the beginning, but it was too tedious to find what I am looking for, so I was wondering if someone can help me. I just received my box from Comcast in DC.

Has the 00173 code for the 30 second skip changed? The button is not working for me.

I have a recording that is eating up 3% of the hard drive that I can't delete. It has no title, and is dated back to 1989. Any ideas?

Is there any way to set the output on the box? I have a Samsung 5663 DLP, so I would like to set the output to 720p if possible. On some of my other cable boxes, this was possible.
The search option is your friend. But I am a helpful guy, so quickly:

1) Re-program the button, you probably missed a step.

2) Unplug the box and plug it back in again.

3) Turn off the 6412 (goes to standby), press menu.

2) Unplug the box and plug it back in again.
That never got rid of my 1989 phantom recordings. I had to do a Hard Reset to get rid of it.

The problem seems to appear when the 6412 is recording and it loses power. The only way to minimize the problem is a UPS. That will help for those short/hiccup power failures.

The other time you can get the 1989 is if you are recording between 2 and 4 am and the Comcast Headend folks decide to push a Firmware/Software update. The update kills your recording and reboots the box.

Both of these examples have happened to me.

That never got rid of my 1989 phantom recordings. I had to do a Hard Reset to get rid of it.
Sorry, I thought pulling the plug was the hard reset. Unplugging it did get rid of a phantom recording that I had though.

I went back and searched and found the instructions for the hard reset:

"I think a full factory re-set is the only thing that will get rid of those phantom recordings.

Factory reset of the 6412

1. DCT6412 should be turned on
2. Press Cable, Power off, ok/Select, to bring up the Diagnostics Page
3. With diagnostics page showing press Replay (15-sec rewind), DVR, DVR, DVR, Live.
4. 6412 now should show "Clr" in the LED display.
5. Press ok/Select to proceed with the reset (and presumably Exit to cancel).
6. The 6412 should now reset and download Your account settings & Guide data from the Local headend."

Has the 00173 code for the 30 second skip changed? The button is not working for me.



OT: CableOne's "New" firmware update has disabled the 30sec Skip function on the 6412.

Firmware ver. 10.10

Hopefully you Comcast subscribers don't get this update.

OT: CableOne's "New" firmware update has disabled the 30sec Skip function on the 6412.

Firmware ver. 10.10

Hopefully you Comcast subscribers don't get this update.

The days are numbered for that feature all around. Brian Roberts of Comcast was asked directly about the feature at a tradeshow and he declined comment.

It's a hot point with the advertisers. Don't be surprised when it goes away.

I have the new box and Comcast. I programmed the 30 second skip and it still works.

It's a hot point with the advertisers. Don't be surprised when it goes away.The advertisers should give us a little more credit. The 30-sec skip (& multiples) is a nice feature, but I was skipping the commercials 26 years ago with a VCR that didn't even have a remote. The LG LST-3410A also does fine without 30-sec skip.

The days are numbered for that feature all around. Brian Roberts of Comcast was asked directly about the feature at a tradeshow and he declined comment.

It's a hot point with the advertisers. Don't be surprised when it goes away.

So Comcast may be willing to tick off thousands/millions of subscribers to satisfy the greed of advertisers who provide little value added.

This may seem like a small point to Comcast, and perhaps it is, but it is one of the things which makes the DVR so useful. I can watch a 60 minute show in 40 minutes.

Comcast and advertising will need to come to a paradigm shift in thinking about advertising. This is just the beginning...

So Comcast may be willing to tick off thousands/millions of subscribers to satisfy the greed of advertisers who provide little value added.

This may seem like a small point to Comcast, and perhaps it is, but it is one of the things which makes the DVR so useful. I can watch a 60 minute show in 40 minutes.

Comcast and advertising will need to come to a paradigm shift in thinking about advertising. This is just the beginning...

I think you're missing a big point here. The 30 sec skip is a backdoor hack that a few Internet savvy types know about. It's not a mainstream feature on the remote. I would guess the amount of people using it and subject to alienation is less than .01% of the customer base.

The advertisers should give us a little more credit. The 30-sec skip (& multiples) is a nice feature, but I was skipping the commercials 26 years ago with a VCR that didn't even have a remote. The LG LST-3410A also does fine without 30-sec skip.

Well, I doubt you'll see them going after the FF feature, but they certainly don't want to faciliate commercial skipping and a skip of 30 second increments does do just that.

So Comcast may be willing to tick off thousands/millions of subscribers to satisfy the greed of advertisers who provide little value added.


Something to consider, you may think that advertisers provide little added value, I don't like the ads either. but without them, you would not even have the bulk of your programming that you get now.

Something to consider, you may think that advertisers provide little added value, I don't like the ads either. but without them, you would not even have the bulk of your programming that you get now.

yep...good or bad, advertisers subsidize our rates....but without them, we'd probably be paying $1000/mth instead of $50....so they do have a louder voice and more power....

a good example is ESPN is paying $1.1 BILLION per season for the rights to carry Monday Night football....and I'm sure their revenue source is advertisers not the cable subscribers

This has not been my experience with the channels that Comcast is now simulcasting in both analog and digital. The digital picture is definitely improved over the analog version.

Have you tried feeding the analog signal directly into your television, then comparing against the 6412 output of the digital simulcast version? If so, and it is still better, that is great news. I was kind of worried based off the quality of some of the digitals I see (Sci-Fi channel for example.) Is it possible Comcast could be further compressing their SD feeds in my area? I understand they do not do this on their HD feeds, but maybe they do on SD?

yep...good or bad, advertisers subsidize our rates....but without them, we'd probably be paying $1000/mth instead of $50....so they do have a louder voice and more power....

a good example is ESPN is paying $1.1 BILLION per season for the rights to carry Monday Night football....and I'm sure their revenue source is advertisers not the cable subscribers
ESPN is probably a bad example, at over $2.00 a sub per month, times 70,000,000 subs, times 12 mos...2x70,000,000=140,000,000x12=1,680,000,000. 1.6B, so yeah, I think we are paying for the football, if that's all they carried... :p

Now consider HBO, the richest network on the planet, at 6x the monthly sub rate... :eek: :D

ESPN is probably a bad example, at over $2.00 a sub per month, times 70,000,000 subs, times 12 mos...2x70,000,000=140,000,000x12=1,680,000,000. 1.6B, so yeah, I think we are paying for the football, if that's all they carried... :p

Now consider HBO, the richest network on the planet, at 6x the monthly sub rate... :eek: :D


that puts it in perspective...All of the subscribers combined pay for about 50 hours of ESPN Programming per year....And the advertisers pay for the other 61,270 hours carried on ESPN (not even counting all the other ESPN Channels)

and now back to our regular scheduled thread :rolleyes:

I think you're missing a big point here. The 30 sec skip is a backdoor hack that a few Internet savvy types know about. It's not a mainstream feature on the remote. I would guess the amount of people using it and subject to alienation is less than .01% of the customer base.

I appreciate your point about advertisers and don't disagree. I do think that advertising is going to have to make a major shift in how it presents is products and being heavy handed will not be good. More advertising will be built directly into the show itself with product placement and other methodologies which will be less intrusive but still effective.

However the 30 second skip is not a backdoor hack. It is built into the Moto DVR as part of the firmware. The only hack is the programming of the remote to use the standard code for this feature. I don't really consider that to be a hack either since this is regularly done with many third party remotes as a standard process.

The 6412 is a nice box and I have come to be comfortable with the iGuide over time. I actually like it for the most part. If people want to skip commercials they will find a way to do it FF, 30 second skip, or some other process. Advertisers will need to cope with new thinking and creativity. (some of them are actually very creative...)

However the 30 second skip is not a backdoor hack. It is built into the Moto DVR as part of the firmware. The only hack is the programming of the remote to use the standard code for this feature. I don't really consider that to be a hack either since this is regularly done with many third party remotes as a standard process.



Where is this feature documented in the literature and manuals that goes out to the average Joe Customer?

Since thousands and perhaps millions will be alienated, I would assume they must know about and be using it.

Some commercials are definitely worth watching. Some are humorous; others have powerful audio and are visually impressive. I'll watch many of these more than once. I'm not sure if this is of any benefit to the advertisers, though, because I haven't bought any Aflac insurance, Bud Light, or sporty cars.

Actually, I agree with you UncD2000... In my FF through the commercials, I do stop, and watch the occasional ones that catch my eye. Some commercials of note... the USA ones for 4400, Monk, and Dead Zone... BRILLANT.

I tried the 30 second skip, but I can't make it a habit. :)

Hi,

I'm having a problem with the DVI output on my 6412. Originally, the cable guy hooked it up to my Samsung 6168 via component. The next day I bought an HDMI cable and DVI-HDMI adapter and hooked it up to my TV's second HDMI port, and initially it seemed to work fine. Later that day, I shuffled some components around in my TV stand (disconnecting and reconnecting the 6412 in the process), and now the HDMI connection doesn't seem to work (the TV says "Mode not supported"). It doesn't appear to be a problem with the HDMI port on the TV--if I switch my DVD player over to the same HDMI port, it works fine.

I've tried various combinations of unplugging the cable box, switching the TV on and off, etc., but nothing seems to bring it back. Is it possible that the DVI port somehow became disabled, and that there's something I could do with the 6412 to kick it back on?

The 30 sec skip is a backdoor hack that a few Internet savvy types know about.

I don't think it is a hack since it's built into the box. If by hack you mean something is not documented and we found out about it on the internet then yes. But I think that by hack most people think about doing something to the hardware/softweare to do soemthing the box was no intended to do.

It's not a mainstream feature on the remote.

I agree it is not a mainstream feature since it is not mentioned in any of the literature.

I would guess the amount of people using it and subject to alienation is less than .01% of the customer base.

Then they should leave us alone. :D They can get their ad revenue for the other 99.99 %

Hi,

Later that day, I shuffled some components around in my TV stand (disconnecting and reconnecting the 6412 in the process), and now the HDMI connection doesn't seem to work (the TV says "Mode not supported"). It doesn't appear to be a problem with the HDMI port on the TV--if I switch my DVD player over to the same HDMI port, it works fine.



I don't know if the resolution mode from the 6412 gets reset everytime it is powered off but that is my guess. What resolution your tv set supports? Make sure that your STB resolutions matches your TV. I don't remember exactly hos it is done but it is somehere in this thread

Where is this feature documented in the literature and manuals that goes out to the average Joe Customer?

Since thousands and perhaps millions will be alienated, I would assume they must know about and be using it.

Ok, so there will only be 12 of us alienated! ;)

'nuf said.

I found pictures of the front and back of the Motorola 6412, I believe in this thread or somewhere in the AVS Forum. I had bookmarked and then accidentallly erased it. If someone would post the link again I'd sure appreciate it. I'll be getting my Sony 50 inch A10 later today and tomorrow the cable guy is coming out with the new 6412.

BTW, thanks!!!

Are you sure it's going to be the new one? Comcast was at my house earlier today and brought an older one. I ended up sending him away. But anyhow, here's the link.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=558602

I don't know if the resolution mode from the 6412 gets reset everytime it is powered off but that is my guess. What resolution your tv set supports? Make sure that your STB resolutions matches your TV. I don't remember exactly hos it is done but it is somehere in this thread

I forgot to mention that I did bring up the setup menu (power off + menu) and made sure everything was set correctly (16:9, 1080i output); I even fiddled with the settings, to no effect. Also, the box continues to work fine over component, so I don't think it's an output resolution issue.

I'm starting to suspect that the DVI port just went south for some reason.

Actually, I agree with you UncD2000... In my FF through the commercials, I do stop, and watch the occasional ones that catch my eye. Some commercials of note... the USA ones for 4400, Monk, and Dead Zone... BRILLANT.

I tried the 30 second skip, but I can't make it a habit. :)I always stop and watch HD commercials. The novelty will wear off someday, maybe. I broke the 30 sec skip habit when I wore out a hard key on my Harmony remote. I was too lazy to reprogram it to a new hard key so I began using the FF/Replay combo to skip commercials and I like it better. The 30 sec skip will disappear. It is only available on iGuide for Cable DVRs and Comcast does not want to tick off advertisers so it will be gone just like on the SA and MSFE boxes. Even though I don't use the 30 sec skip for regular tv viewing it will be a sad day when I can't use it to watch football; play ends, hit skip and the players are lined up for the next play. It works beautifully.

I'm in Comcast hell. I'm on my 4th appoinment to get a new dual tuner box. The 1st time, the tech didn't bring one. 2nd time, I got one that looked like it came from the bottom of a junk pile and the 3rd time, they finally heed my request for a NEW, never used, box but it doesn't have a DVI output. What's up w/this? Does anyone know why these lack DVI or which version of the 6412's have 'em??? Also, is there a remote specific for the dual tuners? They keep bringing remotes exactly like the one I had for the single tuner. Shouldn't there be a button that allows switching between tuners, or is this not necessary?

Why not use a HDMI/DVI adapter? Ask them if they have one. If you want DVI only, you'll have to go with an earlier model.

Why not use a HDMI/DVI adapter? Ask them if they have one. If you want DVI only, you'll have to go with an earlier model.
Well after spending $400 on a Wireworld DVI cable, I'd hate to throw a signal obstruction in there.

Hey...does this programmed 30" skip I've read about here work on the Comcast remote?

Well after spending $400 on a Wireworld DVI cable, I'd hate to throw a signal obstruction in there.

:eek:

Man, I'm having Monster cable thread flashbacks.

Hey...does this programmed 30" skip I've read about here work on the Comcast remote?
It currently works on this remote. (www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6018855#post6018855)

and here are the instructions. (www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6033795#post6033795)

The 30 sec skip will disappear.


http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6053337#post6053337
30-second skip killed in Moto 6412 firmware 10.10? - AVS Forum

It currently works on this remote. (www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6018855#post6018855)

and here are the instructions. (www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6033795#post6033795)
Thanx! Will this pgm work on the remote without the "swap" button? Comcast seems to be having trouble getting me this remote.

Also, not sure I quite understand the programming. What exactly is the macro for? Does this need to be a different button than the one pgmed for the skip? Can ANY button on the remote be used for the skip/macro? Which button(s) seem to work the best or be the most convienent?

Using the DVI input on my Comcast 6412, all the channels except the HD's are green & pink. What's up w/this? I turned the box off, waited a minute & when I powered back up, there was a message that sat on the screen for a couple minutes that said something about the copy protection not working properly & to use the RGB video outputs. Anyone else experience this? Is there a fix???

Just got off the phone with the Comcast rep, sounds like the TiVo/Comcast boxes are currently scheduled to roll out in March 2006.


Out of curiosity, how many hours of HD recording are people getting on the Comcast/6412 box, I've heard a huge range of numbers anywhere from 12 up to 20 hours? During the Fall season are people running into space issues? Any luck with adding the external drive?

The 120 GB HDD should hold at least 15 hours of HD - more if any of it is 720P from ABC, Fox, & ESPN.

Just got off the phone with the Comcast rep, sounds like the TiVo/Comcast boxes are currently scheduled to roll out in March 2006.OK. That means June 2006 at the earliest. ;)

Just got off the phone with the Comcast rep, sounds like the TiVo/Comcast boxes are currently scheduled to roll out in March 2006.


Out of curiosity, how many hours of HD recording are people getting on the Comcast/6412 box, I've heard a huge range of numbers anywhere from 12 up to 20 hours? During the Fall season are people running into space issues? Any luck with adding the external drive?

I don't know the exact capacity on mine as I have a mix of SD and HD currently stored, but I know it's not anything close to the advertised numbers.

At some point someone will try the SATA on the new boxes. There is always 1394 for the older ones.

OK. That means June 2006 at the earliest. ;)

Optimist! ;)

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6053337#post6053337
30-second skip killed in Moto 6412 firmware 10.10? - AVS ForumI got 9.19 this month. I hope they don't upgrade me until football is over. :(

I forgot to mention that I did bring up the setup menu (power off + menu) and made sure everything was set correctly (16:9, 1080i output); I even fiddled with the settings, to no effect. Also, the box continues to work fine over component, so I don't think it's an output resolution issue.

I'm starting to suspect that the DVI port just went south for some reason.
Make sure the 4:3 override is not set to 480i. You might also try another DVI cable.

In my post #1415, I went over the procedure that I use to transfer to DVHS tape. The PC transfer will probably not work as stated above as PC's are not 5c compliant but the 30K is. I have no problem transfering HBO, Showtime, STARZ to DVHS tape. Will try to transfer broadcast networks and PBS to the PC later.

- Phil Klein



Ok..I have read most of the DVR and HD threads around and have not found a concise step by step answer. And I know someone has it.

I have a Mits 62725 dlp (with firewire) and a Motorola 6412 dvr cable box (with active firewire). I am finally picking up my Mits HD2000U tomorrow and need to know what cables to get with it in addition to general operating questions. I could not find a pdf manual online.

Can someone give me the step by step process for recording HD from the 6412 or DLP to the DVHS? Including hookup to all.

For example:

-Am I recording from the 6412 or the tv?
-Do I have a choice of recording from either?
-Does my tv need to be on exactly what is being recorded?
-Since the 6412 is a dual tuner can I watch something on my set and record to the DVHS from the 6412's other tuner that is tuned to something else?
-Can my tv be off and just record from the 6412?
-If I am recording from the tv can the 2000U record from a channel other than the tv channel I am watching? For example I am watching NBC ota but want to record CBS HD ota.

Just give me the rundown on how this works. My vision of how it should may not be reality and I may go another route.

Thanks!

4. While the 6412 is playing the recorded program, can you use the 2nd tuner to view another program by means of the swap function? In other words, may I view a current program thru the component outputs while copying the recorded program to the JVC 30K thru the firewire output?

- Phil

And I never saw an answer to this question.....

I always stop and watch HD commercials. The novelty will wear off someday, maybe. I broke the 30 sec skip habit when I wore out a hard key on my Harmony remote. I was too lazy to reprogram it to a new hard key so I began using the FF/Replay combo to skip commercials and I like it better.

Personally I never use the FF. I only use the skip/replay. My harmony has not given up :)

The 30 sec skip will disappear. It is only available on iGuide for Cable DVRs and Comcast does not want to tick off advertisers so it will be gone just like on the SA and MSFE boxes.

Yeah it's a shame :( but probably it will eventually dissapear. By the way this feature is also with other providers not only Comcast. It is available on DBS (E*) Not sure about D* or Tivo stand alone.

4. While the 6412 is playing the recorded program, can you use the 2nd tuner to view another program by means of the swap function? In other words, may I view a current program thru the component outputs while copying the recorded program to the JVC 30K thru the firewire output?
And I never saw an answer to this question.....
You can only 'display' one video stream at a time. That means the Firewire will have the exact same output as all the other outputs.

Regarding the posts that talk about simulcasting of certain analog channels in digital format....how does one know when that happens in an area (other than just moving through all channels in the guide to see what's there)? Do these simulcast channels show in the guide, and if so, how are they recognized? I'm in the SF Bay area; has anyone seen such channels in this area? Thanks.

Regarding the posts that talk about simulcasting of certain analog channels in digital format....how does one know when that happens in an area (other than just moving through all channels in the guide to see what's there)? Do these simulcast channels show in the guide, and if so, how are they recognized? I'm in the SF Bay area; has anyone seen such channels in this area? Thanks.
the simplest way is to hit the "info" button. Right beneath the time you will see a Dolby Digital symbol with a D next to it if you are digital. There are a few areas in the South Bay that have "some" simulcasting going. Take a look at the Comcast Bay Area thread for more information.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=357896

the simplest way is to hit the "info" button. Right beneath the time you will see a Dolby Digital symbol with a D next to it if you are digital. There are a few areas in the South Bay that have "some" simulcasting going. Take a look at the Comcast Bay Area thread for more information.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=357896

So if I'm watching, for example, Comedy Central on the usual two-digit analog channel number (which looks like crap now!), it will "all of a sudden" look much better on that channel number, and the Info will show it as now being a digital broadcast on a previously non-digital channel??

Make sure the 4:3 override is not set to 480i. You might also try another DVI cable.

Yup, it's not (it's set to "off"). I have another cable on order (from monoprice, so it's not as ridiculously overpriced as my current cable :)), so will try that when it comes in.

So if I'm watching, for example, Comedy Central on the usual two-digit analog channel number (which looks like crap now!), it will "all of a sudden" look much better on that channel number, and the Info will show it as now being a digital broadcast on a previously non-digital channel??

That's my understanding. Although in some parts of the country they have put the digital version on it's own channel number. It makes sense to leave things as they are. If you have a digital receiver, the box will sense that and give you the digital signal.

Tuesday Insight will install the new 6412. I'm informed by Insight that the PQ of the 6412 is SUBSTANTIALLY better than the previous 6208 in regards to analog PQ. That is the thrust of my situation. I just sold my Samsung HLN437W and jumped to the 50 inch new Sony A10. RIGHT NOW.......I'm less than thrilled about the ANALOG PQ. It seems its NOT as good as my 43 inch Sammy. Some channels are great, some bad and many are mediocre. I'm wondering if the analog PQ might improve if I went to the Sony 42 inch A10. I suspect not, though I may be wrong.

Is the analog PQ, overall, worse on LCD compared to DLP. I'm counting on the new Moto6412 improving the PQ of the analog channels. I will be using a straight HDMI cable from the STB to the Sony. Basically what I'm saying is that the PQ of the analog could be better. BTW, till the new installation Tuesday of the 6412 I am running my cable DIRECTLY into the back of the Sony. Your thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks and have a nice weekend!

Tuesday Insight will install the new 6412. I'm informed by Insight that the PQ of the 6412 is SUBSTANTIALLY better than the previous 6208 in regards to analog PQ. That is the thrust of my situation. I just sold my Samsung HLN437W and jumped to the 50 inch new Sony A10. RIGHT NOW.......I'm less than thrilled about the ANALOG PQ. It seems its NOT as good as my 43 inch Sammy. Some channels are great, some bad and many are mediocre. I'm wondering if the analog PQ might improve if I went to the Sony 42 inch A10. I suspect not, though I may be wrong.

I can't really say much for todays Sony LCD's but I dought it. You might se some improvment but not much. I had to do allot of tweeking( Thank you UMR!) in the sevice mode way back when I got my GWII for anything analog or SD to look good. After the tweeking it was very ecceptable. I just don't think they really care to tune HD sets very well when it comes to analog or SD.

Have you played around with the DRC much?

I can't really say much for todays Sony LCD's but I dought it. You might se some improvment but not much. I had to do allot of tweeking( Thank you UMR!) in the sevice mode way back when I got my GWII for anything analog or SD to look good. After the tweeking it was very ecceptable. I just don't think they really care to tune HD sets very well when it comes to analog or SD.





Have you played around with the DRC much?

NO.............but I will try it.

I know a few people have posted saying that the "paint" seems to peel off with the 3LCD label and not the "DRC" label. Please post your successful suggestions as to removing the labels and the "3LCD" label in particular. Thanks!

Tuesday Insight will install the new 6412. I'm informed by Insight that the PQ of the 6412 is SUBSTANTIALLY better than the previous 6208 in regards to analog PQ. That is the thrust of my situation. I just sold my Samsung HLN437W and jumped to the 50 inch new Sony A10. RIGHT NOW.......I'm less than thrilled about the ANALOG PQ. It seems its NOT as good as my 43 inch Sammy. Some channels are great, some bad and many are mediocre. I'm wondering if the analog PQ might improve if I went to the Sony 42 inch A10. I suspect not, though I may be wrong.

Is the analog PQ, overall, worse on LCD compared to DLP. I'm counting on the new Moto6412 improving the PQ of the analog channels. I will be using a straight HDMI cable from the STB to the Sony. Basically what I'm saying is that the PQ of the analog could be better. BTW, till the new installation Tuesday of the 6412 I am running my cable DIRECTLY into the back of the Sony. Your thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks and have a nice weekend!

I have a Sony 55XS955 LCD which replaced a Panasonic 50 inch DLP. The analog on my 55" is slightly better than on the 50". However, I would expect to see a worse picture on a 50" screen than on a 43" screen. The more you expand an analog picture, the worse it's going to look....generally.

Comcast's analog picture quality from the Moto 6412 is very mediocre, and noticeably worse than the previous digital box that Comcast provided (before we upgraded to HD). you can fuss around with the cable connections and have the wiring in your home checked, but analog picture problems on HDTVs are most likely caused by this box, and not the HDTV. There is nothing you can do about this until Comcast switches to all-digital transmissions. However, even now, many Comcast analog channels that have already been converted to digital (99 and higher) still look terrible, perhaps because Comcast is still receiving crappy analog signals from the service provider. In Sacramento, our local broadcast stations and network affiliates are an exception, and most look very good.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6053337#post6053337
30-second skip killed in Moto 6412 firmware 10.10? - AVS ForumI had a chance to give the 30 sec skip a workout this weekend watching football. I forgot how vital this undocumented feature is for viewing time shifted football games. Now that 5C was recently enabled in my area, removing the 30 sec skip may be the last straw for me. I'll have to take a hard look at the sat DVRs for time shifting football if this happens.

I had a chance to give the 30 sec skip a workout this weekend watching football. I forgot how vital this undocumented feature is for viewing time shifted football games. Now that 5C was recently enabled in my area, removing the 30 sec skip may be the last straw for me. I'll have to take a hard look at the sat DVRs for time shifting football if this happens.

What makes you think the sat boxes will keep it indefinitely, or even into the next gen box releases?

I had a chance to give the 30 sec skip a workout this weekend watching football. I forgot how vital this undocumented feature is for viewing time shifted football games. Now that 5C was recently enabled in my area, removing the 30 sec skip may be the last straw for me. I'll have to take a hard look at the sat DVRs for time shifting football if this happens.
I also use the 30-sec skip to bypass the football huddles. If this is lost with the 6412 I'll just record the football games to the hard drive on my Pioneer DVD recorder and use its 30-sec skip button. Getting a DVD recorder with hard drive seems a more useful alternative than switching to satellite; unless you have other reasons to prefer satellite over cable.

Getting a DVD recorder with hard drive seems a more useful alternative than switching to satellite; unless you have other reasons to prefer satellite over cable.
No HD on dvd recorders.

What makes you think the sat boxes will keep it indefinitely, or even into the next gen box releases?I have no idea if they will keep it but it is better than the alternative in the short run.

No HD on dvd recorders.Exactly, although most vikings games are on FOX which has pretty lousy HD anyway.

No HD on dvd recorders.
Good point!

Is the analog PQ, overall, worse on LCD compared to DLP. I'm counting on the new Moto6412 improving the PQ of the analog channels. I will be using a straight HDMI cable from the STB to the Sony. Basically what I'm saying is that the PQ of the analog could be better. BTW, till the new installation Tuesday of the 6412 I am running my cable DIRECTLY into the back of the Sony. Your thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks and have a nice weekend!

I have a 6412 hooked to a Toshiba 62hm15 (Costco version of the 62hm94) via the component ports. I also have the cable hooked directly to the ANT1 port (bypassing the 6412). To my suprise the picture quality for analog channels is significantly better through the ANT1 port than it is through the 6412. Either way analog channels look poor compared to digital.

edit: FYI my cable Co. is Comcast

Few questions that might have already been asked but I don't have the time to read through 172 pages worth of posts. I just got an HDTV and currently have my 6412 set to "stretch". would the picture look better if I chose something else?

What is the current firmware? I still have 9.12 which I'm pretty sure is very old.

Is there a new version of the 6412 that has HDMI instead of DVI? If so, if mine failed, would I be able to make sure I get a replacement with DVI? I don't want to have to spend more money to buy a new HDMI cable.

Thanks!

Just had Comcast installed yesterday, complete with the 6412. Well, all I can say is I'm NOT impressed so far.

First of all, I got the single tuner version, which didn't sit right with me. I was under the impression that I was getting the dual tuner, but I guess not. Not happy.

I also got cable modem installed, but he wouldn't install it b/c where I wanted it was on the 3rd level of the house (needed a new outlet), and he said he couldn't do that. So now it's sitting in my living room looking ugly. The wife definitely didn't like that one.

Another gripe about the 6412, it seems that I'm getting a low signal level. When in the service menu (not sure if that's what it's called, hit power, then select I believe), my outbound modem db is only 40. He said it should be over 50. So on my HD channels, I'm getting some green artifacts. I checked my connections and they're good. My firmware is 9.19, which sounds old to me (I thought they were up to 12.x?).

Well, just wanted to share my thoughts/concerns.

Is there a new version of the 6412 that has HDMI instead of DVI? If so, if mine failed, would I be able to make sure I get a replacement with DVI? I don't want to have to spend more money to buy a new HDMI cable.

I believe the new boxes are HDMI only. No DVI connector. You could purchase an inexpensive adapter.

Just had Comcast installed yesterday, complete with the 6412.
First of all, I got the single tuner version, which didn't sit right with me. I was under the impression that I was getting the dual tuner, but I guess not. I checked my connections and they're good. My firmware is 9.19, which sounds old to me (I thought they were up to 12.x?).

I'm pretty sure that there's NOT a single tuner version of the 6412. If you have a single tuner, I think that's not the single tuner. But maybe you just got the remote without the swap, I don't know.. why do you think it's single tuner.

9.19, with a search of this forum IS the latest version. I don't even have it, yet.

Sounds like you got a tech without a clue. Not terribly surprising. As when they came to my house, I got so disgusted that I started telling him the tests he needed to do. When he left, I ended up re-running my cable... as I didn't want then be installing any outlets. Also, I ended up wiring my house with ethernet jacks while I was up to it.

Just had Comcast installed yesterday, complete with the 6412. Well, all I can say is I'm NOT impressed so far.

The 6412 is a dual tuner. Either you are mistaken about which box you have or you have the wrong remote (should be silver with swap button at bottom) or your box is busted.

If you got the do-it-yourself modem install, I can see the installers point, but if you paid the modem "premium install" fee, you should get a jack installed for that price.

Call them back and have them to do the job properly.

Well, I think it's single tuner because there is only one coaxial input for the cable. For dual tuner, wouldn't you need two inputs? I come from the satellite world where that is the case. If not, let me know and I'll be a happy camper!

As far as the green artifacts, do you think it's because of the weak signal? Maybe get a signal amplifier from RS?

As far as the cable modem install, it did come with one data outlet install. However, since it was on the 3rd floor, he said they couldn't do it. Soooo...not sure what I'm gonna do.

Thanks for your responses!

There is only one input for the cable on the 6412 - it splits the signal inside the box to the 2 tuners. I had a weak signal originally, and it showed as stuttering and breakups. Solution was to have a new drop run from the street to my house, which Comcast did for no charge. A signal amp might help, but if you have a lot of noise, you may end up amplifying that. Stay on comcast about a poor signal/picture - they should resolve this for you at their expense - after all, you should be able to view what you're paying for.

As far as the green artifacts, do you think it's because of the weak signal?
What is the shape? Is it a green horizontal line that flashes across the screen every once in a while? If so, this is a bug in the software. If both of your tuners are on an SD channel, this will occur. To test this, put one tuner on an hd channel. The green line should go away.

I had artifacts (looked like pixelization) and dropped sound. They came to my house, they checked the drop from the street, and they found out it was a bigger issue with the drop itself. They repaired it with no problem. (no charges... and personal extension of the supervisor who called me frequently until my issue got fixed).

What is the shape? Is it a green horizontal line that flashes across the screen every once in a while? If so, this is a bug in the software. If both of your tuners are on an SD channel, this will occur. To test this, put one tuner on an hd channel. The green line should go away.

No, it's more of green blocks/shading in the picture. It doesn't seem to happen all the time, but if a channel is left on for awhile, it will eventually show up. Only spotted it so far on the HD channels.

Maybe I should have them check the drop. I was gonna pick up an amplifier first and see if that did anything.

If you guys know or can find out, what is the value of number 007 on the service menu for your box? Mine is at 40db and that is low. Needs to be above 50.

Thanks again!

Maybe I should have them check the drop. I was gonna pick up an amplifier first and see if that did anything.


If you do get an amp, several people on this forum have reported having success with the Motorola cable amp - you can Google for that - prices can vary widely. But you might want to call Comcast first - you might even be able to get them to put an amp in for you, if needed.

I don't see any point, sadcaper, in getting the amp... sometimes it amplifies the BAD stuff.

I would go through the comcast troubleshooting FIRST, then see if you need the amp. When I went through the comcast troubleshooting... eventually, it solved my issue.

Good luck!

Well, I think it's single tuner because there is only one coaxial input for the cable. For dual tuner, wouldn't you need two inputs? I come from the satellite world where that is the case. If not, let me know and I'll be a happy camper!You can look at the bottom of your STB and it will say the model such as DCT6412.

Have the Comcast person do a signal level test when they install your cable modem. That will be a good start. Also, how old are all of your cables, splitters, and connectors? You should look these items over yourself and the Comcast person should verify these are all good as well. If not, they should replace whatever is needed.

I don't see any point, sadcaper, in getting the amp... sometimes it amplifies the BAD stuff.



I agree with Dawn...I had a similar results with the amp and ultimately returned it. If the incoming drop has issues amplification will do nothing to help...but it will make your artifacting and green blocking nice and clear :D

If you guys know or can find out, what is the value of number 007 on the service menu for your box? Mine is at 40db and that is low. Needs to be above 50.

Thanks again!

My D07 says requested 30db, actual 30db. I don't think that's your problem. You should be looking at D04. What does your AGC and SNR say?

Hmmm...not sure on those values. The install guy just looked at D3 and D7 I believe. Will have to get home and check. I'm at work slacking off...

I'll do some more testing tonight with the splitters and what not. Hopefully this all works out without having to drop a new line from the pole. Wouldn't that mean they'd have to dig it up and all that mess?

My D07 says requested 30db, actual 30db. I don't think that's your problem. You should be looking at D04. What does your AGC and SNR say?

What should these values be???

What should these values be???

These values are the same as your cable modem upstream power. They should be between 22 and 58. The higher it is the more your box has to shout to be heard. Basically the lower the better.

30 to 40 is ideal.

Kevin

I discovered today that the 6412 does a mediocre job of upconverting the SD digital channels to 1080i. Comcast began a 2-week freeview of Digital Classic and Digital Plus today and removed the encryption from more than 40 channels (see my Post #3532 in the Comcast Chicago thread for a listing). I can now tune these with my LG LST-3410A DVR's QAM tuner, and they look better than I've seen them before. The 3410A does a much better job of upconverting them to 1080i for my 38" CRT. Not very important since the native 1080i HD channels are my standard fare on the 6412, but if these SD QAM channels were always unencrypted I might watch them a bit more.

No, it's more of green blocks/shading in the picture. It doesn't seem to happen all the time, but if a channel is left on for awhile, it will eventually show up. Only spotted it so far on the HD channels.

Maybe I should have them check the drop. I was gonna pick up an amplifier first and see if that did anything.

If you guys know or can find out, what is the value of number 007 on the service menu for your box? Mine is at 40db and that is low. Needs to be above 50.

Thanks again!

Contact comcast. They should provide you an amplifier for free. Also, don't let them amplifier the signal at the cable box. It is too late at that point. All you are doing is amplifying a bad signal. The amplification has to be done were the signal is good.

Does anyone know what "flavor" of DVI is supported by the 6412? Meaning DVI-I (analog + digital), DVI-A (analog only) or DVI-D (digital only). I think it's DVI-D, but I'm not sure.

I want a way to connect my 6412 to the VGA input on my Sharp z9000. No such luck so far. I'm bummed.

As for the picture, last night I did some checking and my D03 value has improved to 50db, and D04 is around 36, so I think I'm OK there. I watched a few HD channels and didn't notice the green blocking, so mabye it is gone for good. I reconnected some wires and what not so maybe that helped.

Thanks again for everyone's response!

I've been playing with the 4:3 override lately. Up till now, I've had it set to off. I have a 56" Samsung DLP (Kirk model). As you may know, Scifi on Comcast is now digital, and many shows are broadcast letterboxed in a 4:3 window. My goal is to watch Stargate and Battlestar widescreen.
My question:
What's the difference between the Stretch and 480p settings for the 4:3 Override? I've tried both, and the only difference I've noticed is that the cable box responds more slowly when the setting is 480p. The picture looks the same, as far as I can tell.

The 6412 is DVI-D with HDCP (a.k.a. digital only copy protected).

I had a similar situation with my HDTV set, a Philips 55PP9701 which has both a progressive component and an RGB input. I got a Lumagen DVI scaler and set it up as my primary video switch (and scaler). The 6412 feeds 1080i component into the Lumagen, and gets outputted as RGB through the Lumagen's DVI-I analog output. You won't "legally" be able to take the DVI output and directly output it to RGB, since this is a violation of HDCP copy protection.

I have a 6412 hooked to a Toshiba 62hm15 (Costco version of the 62hm94) via the component ports. I also have the cable hooked directly to the ANT1 port (bypassing the 6412). To my suprise the picture quality for analog channels is significantly better through the ANT1 port than it is through the 6412. Either way analog channels look poor compared to digital.

edit: FYI my cable Co. is Comcast

I have a 60" Sony LCD with a similar hookup plus a standard tube TV in my bedroom with no cable box (just the raw cable feed into the TV) and the picture produced by the TV's built in tuner in both cases is far superior to that seen from the 6412's tuner in the channel range of 2 - 99. The cable box picture is so fuzzy that it is almost unwatchable. The picture quality for the HD signals from the raw cable feed into the Sony vs the feed coming from the 6412 are of equal quality. So it must have something to do with the so-called analog signal.

These things are like Gremlins! They keep multiplying!

I finally watched all the real shows on my 6412, and got the MyDVR section down to 2 phantom "1989" recordings and nothing else. I tried to delete one, but selecting "Delete recording" didn't do anything. Ditto for the second recording.

I unplugged the box for 60 seconds, plugged it back in, and waited for a couple minutes. I then went back into MyDVR, and there were *3* "1989" recordings. When picking one and selecting "Delete recording", the box freezes. It then pops up a big window after about a minute that says "Unable to process request". About a minute later, it says "Unable to process request. Please contact customer service at. Code NH."

I let the box sit overnight, and went back this morning to try and delete a recording. When selecting "Delete recording", nothing happens. The box doesn't freeze; it just doesn't do anything.

So, just how does one get rid of these recordings? Do I need to get an entirely new 6412 to fix this? Any help is appreciated.

I have a 60" Sony LCD with a similar hookup plus a standard tube TV in my bedroom with no cable box (just the raw cable feed into the TV) and the picture produced by the TV's built in tuner in both cases is far superior to that seen from the 6412's tuner in the channel range of 2 - 99. The cable box picture is so fuzzy that it is almost unwatchable. The picture quality for the HD signals from the raw cable feed into the Sony vs the feed coming from the 6412 are of equal quality. So it must have something to do with the so-called analog signal.


I have a similar problem. I just went from Sammy DLP to Sony LCD. I had the Moto 6208 and the HD was superior on the DLP. I thought I'd try the Moto 6412 with my new 50 inch Sony A10.........well the PQ of analog in particular is not as good as it was with the 6208. What I did with the 6412 this morning is split the signal.......ANT 1 and then into the STB........result better analog but still leaves much to desire on both HD and analog. Cable guy is coming out tomorrow to reinstall the original Moto 6208.......my feeling, though I may be wrong, is that the 6208 will give me a better and cleaner signal.

just how does one get rid of these recordings? Do I need to get an entirely new 6412 to fix this? Any help is appreciated.


I had a similar experience trying to get rid of my phantom 1989 recordings. I had to do the hard reset (gets rid of all recordings, resets all preferences, re-downloads all guide data, etc) which is described within the last few pages. I don't remember how to do it, but it did work, and stay fixed.

So, just how does one get rid of these recordings? Do I need to get an entirely new 6412 to fix this? Any help is appreciated.


Your answer is here...

http://eleft.com/997

Didn't someone say (and I have *** NO*** experience doing this - this is pure hearsay) that you could start a recording, pull the plug, more or less causing a disk error, then the box would perform some self-cleanup when you powered it back up, getting rid of the phantom recordings? I seem to remember that, but I can't remember if it got shot down or not. I have been lucky enough to not have these pop up (knock on wood), so I haven't had any reason to try it....

-Randy

Thanks all! A hard reset worked perfectly, and the 3 "1989" recordings are gone. It's good to know I can do a hard rest myself and not have to deal with Comcast CSRs or techs.

I've been playing with the 4:3 override lately. Up till now, I've had it set to off. I have a 56" Samsung DLP (Kirk model). As you may know, Scifi on Comcast is now digital, and many shows are broadcast letterboxed in a 4:3 window. My goal is to watch Stargate and Battlestar widescreen.
My question:
What's the difference between the Stretch and 480p settings for the 4:3 Override? I've tried both, and the only difference I've noticed is that the cable box responds more slowly when the setting is 480p. The picture looks the same, as far as I can tell.
I believe Stretch uses your YPbPr HD settings, but stretches the video so you have no pillarboxes on the sides. Probably not what you want.
480i passes the SD signal unaltered to your TV. 480p does convert. It's up to your eyes and TV as to which is better. On my Sony, 480i also lets me switch between Interlaced, Progressive, or CineMotion (progressive with 3:2 pulldown correction.) On my Sony, by using 480i or p, I can then use ZOOM to get rid of the letterboxing without any stretching (NORMAL=4:3, FULL=anamorphic widescreen, WideZoom = non-linear horizontal stretch.). I cannot use any ZOOM mode if the TV is receiving an HD signal (720p/1080i).

Why exactly does it take the 6412 so long to download the full 2 week's worth of guide information? Since the unit is basically a cable modem (it has an IP address) and can probably download at speeds comparable to the Comcast cable modem (6 Mbps), shouldn't it only take, maybe, 15-20 minutes to download the data? Or is the amount of guide data in the GBs?

Well I'm on my 2nd 6412/2005 (3rd actually, but that box had other issues) that has the pink & green picture issue. All channels & menus except the HD. This time I called & they sent a depth charge (hehe...I read that in someone else's rant here) which corrected the problem...for now. Anyone else experience or know of this issue?

Also, the last 2 boxes I've had have an issue in which it takes on average of 5 secs for the sound to come in after the picture...anyone???

I'm on my 2nd 6412/2005 (3rd actually, but that box had other issues) in which all the channels & menus, except the HD, go pink & green. This time when I called, they sent a depth charge (hehe...I read that here in someone else's rant) and that fixed the problem...for now. Does anyone else know of this issue? I'm using the DVI output. Is anyone here using the DVI output without this problem?

Also, this is the second box that there is on average of a 5 sec delay on the sound when flipping channels...anyone???

I've had the 6412 connected to both our plasma and LCD rear projection (both Sony's) using DVI and have never seen the pink and green. I also have never experienced the audio delays, other than when switching to On Demand where it takes a couple of seconds to sync, which I believe is standard.

I was thinking about calling cable to get the new box(6412). Is it worth the trouble or should I keep what I got. I've read a few posts and it looks like people have had problems.....what I have is working fine but would love the dual tuners. Thanks

I'm on my 2nd 6412/2005 (3rd actually, but that box had other issues) in which all the channels & menus, except the HD, go pink & green. This time when I called, they sent a depth charge (hehe...I read that here in someone else's rant) and that fixed the problem...for now. Does anyone else know of this issue? I'm using the DVI output. Is anyone here using the DVI output without this problem?

Also, this is the second box that there is on average of a 5 sec delay on the sound when flipping channels...anyone???

Have had the box for about 2 months and
no audio problems, no phantom recordings and no pink and green issues. Perhaps I have not had the box long enough :D . The only issue I have seen
more regularly is small audio drops (they are about 1 second long and happen sporadically) here and there and the occasional sluggish box response to remote commands. And I have done 1 reset when the box freeze

I'm on my 2nd 6412/2005 (3rd actually, but that box had other issues) in which all the channels & menus, except the HD, go pink & green. This time when I called, they sent a depth charge (hehe...I read that here in someone else's rant) and that fixed the problem...for now. Does anyone else know of this issue? I'm using the DVI output. Is anyone here using the DVI output without this problem?

Also, this is the second box that there is on average of a 5 sec delay on the sound when flipping channels...anyone???

I've had my 6412 since 12/04 and the only persistent thing (not even a problem in my book) is that when the TV is turned on and the 6412 is already tuned to an HD station putting out 720p, my native 1080i Sony shows a double image. This is immediately cured by changing channels. This is with a DVI connnection and I leave my 6412 "ON" all the time.

Yes, sometimes the unit takes a couple of seconds to respond to commands from my Harmony. That's not a constant thing but mildly annoying when it happens. But both these issues are well documented in this thread and I look forward to Comcast resolving them.

Otherwise, I'm really happy with the dual tuner HD recorder provided by this box, in spite of the terrible analog it puts out. Bypass that and most everything else is good. There are probably more of Comcast subs who got decent 6412s than would appear from the complaints in this thread, IMO.

The biggest complaint I have with my 6412 is when the box stops responding to the Comcast supplied remote. Then when it does wake back up it executes most of the commands that I had entered already. Not good when your trying to do a quick switch to something else and that's when it decides to hang. The other issue I have is when I say to record only new showings and it decides to do reruns also (my D* Tivo's don't do that). The last issue I have is the inability to assign different remote ID's to each box. I locate all my STB's in a central location and control them via IR remote extenders. Due to that limitation I can do only one 6412 in my setup, which is preventing me from going completly to Comcast. I'll probably be sticking with D* due to that issue.

I go my 6412 installed last week and now I'm experienceing some issues. Maybe someone can shed some light.

1. Watching recorded shows, playback will pause for up to 30 secs and box won't respond. Sometimes it will continue from where it stopped, sometimes not. happens on all recorded stuff so far.

2. Started recording an hour long show. About 20 min into the live show, I began to watch the recorded stuff from the beginning. 10 minutes into my watching, message pops up asking if I want to delete my recording or continue on. I select continue. The show stops and begins from the beginning again. I lost a good portion of the show as I had to finish watching the live show as the recording seemed to get hosed.

3. Box seems very slow to respond to remote commands. Even worse using my universal MX-700.

4. Sporadically, digital channels will exhibit severe blocking. To remedy, I have to pause then, continue playing.

Any suggestions, help, or sympathy would be aprreciated.

I've had my 6412 since 12/04 and the only persistent thing (not even a problem in my book) is that when the TV is turned on and the 6412 is already tuned to an HD station putting out 720p, my native 1080i Sony shows a double image. This is immediately cured by changing channels. This is with a DVI connnection and I leave my 6412 "ON" all the time.

I was told by the Comcast rep that it is a communication handshake issue between box and set with digital connections. I have the same issue, annoying but not critical

My 6412 definitely seems flaky--audio drop outs, occasional issues with recordings interrupting themselves, slightly poorer color quality over HDMI than component. But I could live with all of these issues if only the damn hard drive were bigger! (I've heard that the DirecTV HD TiVos have HDMI issues as well, and compression is a little worse for HD via DirecTV, so it may be a lesser-of-two-evils issue.)

Has anyone figured out if the SATA ports on the newer 6412s can take a hard drive yet?

I've got the cable guy coming out on Mon. to install a 6412, has anyone had any success specifically requesting one of the new boxes with HDMI, or do I just have to rely on the luck of the draw?

I've got the cable guy coming out on Mon. to install a 6412, has anyone had any success specifically requesting one of the new boxes with HDMI, or do I just have to rely on the luck of the draw?

Depends on whether they've been shipped and tested in your area. Check the thread to see if anyone local to you has chimed in with a Phase III box report.

I broke the 30 sec skip habit when I wore out a hard key on my Harmony remote.


Is the skip key in the Harmony Dbase for the Moto or did you have to run the fix and have the Harmony learn it that way? It's not the Advance, is it?

Is the skip key in the Harmony Dbase for the Moto or did you have to run the fix and have the Harmony learn it that way? It's not the Advance, is it?

It's in the Harmony database -- it shows up as 30SecSkip on my 880 when I look at the web site.

I've got the cable guy coming out on Mon. to install a 6412, has anyone had any success specifically requesting one of the new boxes with HDMI, or do I just have to rely on the luck of the draw?
Don't think Schaumburg has any in their warehouse yet. Had Comcast out last Thursday, specifically requested a phase 3 box. Installer came with a phase 2, so I sent him away. Let me know if you do get a phase 3, I'll call them back out again.

Why exactly does it take the 6412 so long to download the full 2 week's worth of guide information? Since the unit is basically a cable modem (it has an IP address) and can probably download at speeds comparable to the Comcast cable modem (6 Mbps), shouldn't it only take, maybe, 15-20 minutes to download the data? Or is the amount of guide data in the GBs?
Guide data is not sent 'on demand'. It is a multicast broadcast. It looks like channel info is sent every few minutes. Near-term guide (4-8 hours) every 15-30 minutes. The full 2-week info seems to broadcast roughly every 8-12 hours.
The cable modem is not used. There is a standard OOB (out-of-band) tuner that listens and grabs data as needed.

Don't think Schaumburg has any in their warehouse yet. Had Comcast out last Thursday, specifically requested a phase 3 box. Installer came with a phase 2, so I sent him away. Let me know if you do get a phase 3, I'll call them back out again.

Thanks.

I'll let you know.

I'd love to hear from anyone in the New England area who has gotten a Phase 3 6412 through Comcast. I spoke to someone here "in the know" who said the Phase 3s are in shortage, but they should be coming shortly.

I live in Boston, and would love to trade in my current 6412 (had it for about 11 months) for a Phase 3 unit with HDMI.

We successfully programmed the controller for the 30, 60, 90 second skip feature.
Only problem is--we selected to "right" arrow button and now when we want to scroll forward in the guide, it just goes to "skip".

Is there a way to reset the controller to the original setting so we can choose another button. Any suggestions would be helpful. We have narrowed our choices to "live", "hd zoom." Our controller is the silver nice looking one with the white "my dvr" in the center.

We tried to just program another button, but now we have two buttons that "skip" ahead.

Thanks, Brad :D

I was thinking about calling cable to get the new box(6412). Is it worth the trouble or should I keep what I got. I've read a few posts and it looks like people have had problems.....what I have is working fine but would love the dual tuners. Thanks
The 6412 doesn't seem to be as stable as the single tuner (in my 2 wks of experience w/the 6412) and I HAVE been thinking..."maybe I should have kept the single tuner". As of right now, all is well on the electronic front (3 boxes later)...knock on wood. The 1st box I got was used & abused however, so that one may not count. On the other hand, my single tuner was a lot noisier (drove me nuts) and it had a problem receiving IR commands from the remote (VERY frustrating when trying to skip commercials).

For those with 720p native HD LCS rear projections, do you have the Moto ouputing 1080i or 720p.

Is there a way to reset the controller to the original setting so we can choose another button. Any suggestions would be helpful. We have narrowed our choices to "live", "hd zoom." Our controller is the silver nice looking one with the white "my dvr" in the center.

The code for the "Right" button should be 00145

Is the skip key in the Harmony Dbase for the Moto or did you have to run the fix and have the Harmony learn it that way? It's not the Advance, is it?It showed up as Advance for me.

It showed up as Advance for me.

I had a recent conversation with Logitech, which revealed that the 30secSkip and Advance for the Moto 6412 are the same IR codes. Logitech is attempting to clean up the device database of IR codes. Unfortunately for me, there is no longer a working code for the skip feature in Moto's Firmware ver. 10.10.... Which is what prompted the call to Logitech in the first place.

I had a recent conversation with Logitech, which revealed that the 30secSkip and Advance for the Moto 6412 are the same IR codes. Logitech is attempting to clean up the device database of IR codes. Unfortunately for me, there is no longer a working code for the skip feature in Moto's Firmware ver. 10.10.... Which is what prompted the call to Logitech in the first place.This is the reason why I ordered the HD Tivo this week. I can't imagine watching football without the 30 second skip feature.

Found the Advance button. Did nothing. I guess I'm stuck with the old fast-forward game. I've got 15-minute skip. I don't know why I would need that. But I've got it.

Found the Advance button. Did nothing. I guess I'm stuck with the old fast-forward game. I've got 15-minute skip. I don't know why I would need that. But I've got it.Just checked your sig. You have Cox and I believe they have Passport not iGuide. You should post HERE. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=414680)

Periodically, when I turn on the box to watch live TV, I don't get picture or sound. I get the full menu, and even the info box for that channel w. the show information, but no picture/sound. The only way I can work around this is to start playing a stored show on the DVR, then switching back to live TV, or unplugging the unit for a minute or so. Anyone else experience this?

Periodically, when I turn on the box to watch live TV, I don't get picture or sound. I get the full menu, and even the info box for that channel w. the show information, but no picture/sound. The only way I can work around this is to start playing a stored show on the DVR, then switching back to live TV, or unplugging the unit for a minute or so. Anyone else experience this?

Almost everyone did or does experience that. You found one way to fix it. The other way is to always leave it turned on, and just turn off the TV (but the "All on" button makes that a tough one to learn).

Almost everyone did or does experience that. You found one way to fix it. The other way is to always leave it turned on, and just turn off the TV (but the "All on" button makes that a tough one to learn).


Thanks Rick.

This is the reason why I ordered the HD Tivo this week. I can't imagine watching football without the 30 second skip feature.

What makes you believe that the HD Tivo will have that feature indefinitely? I remember reading earlier this year an article from Tivo saying they were going to discontinue the skip feature. :eek:

Hello,

Does anyone know about the HMA functionality.. as in using the DCT6412 to stream recorded shows to other DCT or DCT2500 in your house via coax connection.

You goto motorola under WHMS "Whole House Media Solution"

Can't find any more detail about it the video demo looked sweet. So Basically I want to use this now but.. Don't know how to make it work. Is this one of those possible distant future product software upgrades that comcast may never put out?

Thanks For Any Input.

Hello,

Does anyone know about the HMA functionality.. as in using the DCT6412 to stream recorded shows to other DCT or DCT2500 in your house via coax connection.

You goto motorola under WHMS "Whole House Media Solution"

Can't find any more detail about it the video demo looked sweet. So Basically I want to use this now but.. Don't know how to make it work. Is this one of those possible distant future product software upgrades that comcast may never put out?

Thanks For Any Input.
Comcast, specifically, is working out OCAP issues. Secondly, Comcast, has other issues/projects that are ahead of "Multi-Room DVR".

I would hope, and I mean hope we shall see it in mid to late 2006.

I'd really like to know if anybody can confirm this on their set up.
It appears to me that the 6412 will letterbox any HD content out
the s-video line even if you set your TV as 16:9 in the setup menu.
Please prove me wrong! I'm at 9.19.

Take 1080i or 720p HD 16:9 (recorded or live) out of the
6412 s-video out. On your 16:9 TV do not have any
stretch/wide/zoom, show the image in normal mode. You should
have pillars on either side of a 4:3 box. The HD picture will
be letterboxed *inside* the 4:3 box. Yes? Why is it
letterboxing the content when I've told it I have a 16:9 display
device?

This stinks. I'm loosing information cus the DVR is
letterboxing content that doesn't need to be letterboxed. If I
were to take the s-video line to a DVD recorder there is no
way to make a true 16:9 recording using all the information
in the down converted 480i picture. My Sony DVD recorder will
set the 16:9 flag on the DVD if I tell it.

I could temporarily set my 6412 TV setting to 4:3 pan and scan
to get rid of the letterboxing on the s-video line but then
I'm cutting off the edges of my nice 16:9 picture.

Even worse is a SD 4:3 image upconverted to HD 16:9 will pillars
at the network. This shows up a 4:3 image inside a 16:9 letterboxed
inside a 4:3. Switching the 6412 TV to 4:3 PS solves this out
of the s-video but still a pain.

Does this sound like reasonable behaviour to others?

Thanks.

The S-VHS output from the 6412 is always 4:3 480i regardless of any other settings you make. When you're watching an HD channel you get a letterboxed 4:3 video from the S-video. When you watch a non-HD channel you get full-frame 4:3 video from the S-video. Only the component or other HD output has 16:9 video.

The code for the "Right" button should be 00145

We tried that code and we still have the same problem. Is there any method of getting the remote back to the original configuration?

Thanks, Brad

We tried that code and we still have the same problem. Is there any method of getting the remote back to the original configuration?

Thanks, Brad
Sorry I didn't get back to you on your PM, I don't know how to fix that, but if all else fails, you could try just exchanging the remote at a Comcast office. Just tell them it doesn't work right and they'll give you another one. And choose you buttons carefully next time... :D

I use the HELP button for the skip as the help button doesn't do anything.

We tried that code and we still have the same problem. Is there any method of getting the remote back to the original configuration?

Attached is the list of codes:

BSparks294

Try 00045

Ben Music

For most One-For-All type remotes (the Comcast remotes are made by OneForAll), there is a factory reset code. After doing this, you will need to reprogram your TV and other devices.:
Press and hold SETUP until 2 blinks
type 981
You should get 4 flashes.

If you use 980 instead of 981, it will only clear remapped keys and macros, but not do a full factory reset.

I posted this in the HDTV hardware forum but think this might be the more appropriate place.

I recently replaced the lamp in my PJ at 1,200 hours which cost over $400. I read cycling the PJ on and off really hits the lamp hard, so I thought I'd get a separate monitor to set up and view DVR recording information on Comcast without having to turn on the PJ. I can view the content on the monitor, but not the menus. That doesn't do any good at all of course since the menus are all I really need on the 2nd screen.

The screen is a 7" LCD 480 analog. The PJ is 720p. Will the box display the menu in both 720p and 480 at the same time? Resetting resolution between the two at the box isn't a good solution. The idea of getting a small HD monitor isn't too appealing from a cost perspective either. Anyone have any ideas, or am I hosed?

I posted this in the HDTV hardware forum but think this might be the more appropriate place.

I recently replaced the lamp in my PJ at 1,200 hours which cost over $400. I read cycling the PJ on and off really hits the lamp hard, so I thought I'd get a separate monitor to set up and view DVR recording information on Comcast without having to turn on the PJ. I can view the content on the monitor, but not the menus. That doesn't do any good at all of course since the menus are all I really need on the 2nd screen.

The screen is a 7" LCD 480 analog. The PJ is 720p. Will the box display the menu in both 720p and 480 at the same time? Resetting resolution between the two at the box isn't a good solution. The idea of getting a small HD monitor isn't too appealing from a cost perspective either. Anyone have any ideas, or am I hosed?

If you have the monitor connected to the S-video jack of the 6412 you will only see the menus when you are tuned to a non-HD channel.

I posted this in the HDTV hardware forum but think this might be the more appropriate place.

I recently replaced the lamp in my PJ at 1,200 hours which cost over $400. I read cycling the PJ on and off really hits the lamp hard, so I thought I'd get a separate monitor to set up and view DVR recording information on Comcast without having to turn on the PJ. I can view the content on the monitor, but not the menus. That doesn't do any good at all of course since the menus are all I really need on the 2nd screen.

The screen is a 7" LCD 480 analog. The PJ is 720p. Will the box display the menu in both 720p and 480 at the same time? Resetting resolution between the two at the box isn't a good solution. The idea of getting a small HD monitor isn't too appealing from a cost perspective either. Anyone have any ideas, or am I hosed?

I have a 15" lcd and working with my second 6412 that is linked directly to my Sony HS10 via DVI cable. The componet outputs of the 6412 go into a Viewsonic N6 interface that has vga outputs to the 15" lcd . The 6412 DVI out put goes directly to the projector. The projector is also fed DVD directly from my denon unit component outputs.

As you mntioned it saves the stress on the projector amp. By the way, the projector uses a 92" screen. In the same room is another 6412 box and DVD player connected directly to a Samsung 27" HD direct view CRT unit. Inputs to the Samsung from the 6412 are: 2 component, 1 DVD. Additionally I feed the Samsung RF inputdirectly form the cable in line. The in line is split between the 6412's and RF. I use the RF for all SD channels. Digital SD is poor quality here. I use the Samsung on RF because of picture in picture. I am a 'talking head' news junkie.

If you have the monitor connected to the S-video jack of the 6412 you will only see the menus when you are tuned to a non-HD channel.

I have it connected to composite. When I go to an SD channel I still don't get the menu. I hadn't tried that until you suggested it. The difference in PQ between the HD and SD channels on the little LCD monitor is incredible. I'd always attributed the difference before to the size of my screen (104") showing the inherent flaws of 480i. That's OT though. Should I be able to see the menus on SD channels? I feel like I'm missing something.

I have my DVD recorder connected via S-video and the menus appear on the SD channels only. I presume it is no different with the composite connection. I don't know why the menus aren't appearing for you. An "incredible" picture-quality difference on a 7" LCD screen is suspicious. Something doesn't seem right about that. It's all 480i.

I posted this in the HDTV hardware forum but think this might be the more appropriate place.

I recently replaced the lamp in my PJ at 1,200 hours which cost over $400. I read cycling the PJ on and off really hits the lamp hard, so I thought I'd get a separate monitor to set up and view DVR recording information on Comcast without having to turn on the PJ. I can view the content on the monitor, but not the menus. That doesn't do any good at all of course since the menus are all I really need on the 2nd screen.

The screen is a 7" LCD 480 analog. The PJ is 720p. Will the box display the menu in both 720p and 480 at the same time? Resetting resolution between the two at the box isn't a good solution. The idea of getting a small HD monitor isn't too appealing from a cost perspective either. Anyone have any ideas, or am I hosed?

Set your 4:3 overide to 480I and you will see your menus when tuned to an SD channel. This only affects your composite and S-Video outputs.

For most One-For-All type remotes (the Comcast remotes are made by OneForAll), there is a factory reset code. After doing this, you will need to reprogram your TV and other devices.:
Press and hold SETUP until 2 blinks
type 981
You should get 4 flashes.

If you use 980 instead of 981, it will only clear remapped keys and macros, but not do a full factory reset.

Thank you, we tried the 980 code and it worked beautifully. Hopefully that will help others too. Brad ;)

Set your 4:3 overide to 480I and you will see your menus when tuned to an SD channel. This only affects your composite and S-Video outputs.


It worked! Man, I love this place :)

By the way HealeyGuy, the difference in PQ is only noticeable on channels below 100 when viewing the LCD.

It worked! Man, I love this place :)

By the way HealeyGuy, the difference in PQ is only noticeable on channels below 100 when viewing the LCD.

Cool....

Just out of curiosity, what are the five buttons on the bottom of that remote? My remote has a swap button(it's actually the input button on the bottom) it was already programmed in when I got it.
On my other DVR upstairs I have the same remote but the swap doesn't work.

I noticed that on my remote, the on/off and the - buttons are having the painted letters worn out and I have not even touched those buttons yet.

Hi All,

Has anyone experienced a problem with their Motorola 6412 box resetting when traversing the menus quickly or changing channels quickly? It seems as if the box overloads and resets. The box powers off and then 8's show across the display and then turns off and then powers again (with all the show listings erased).

I got my 6412 yesterday from Comcast (Saratoga, CA, Bay area) and the first box that I had would reset frequently due to this problem. So I called Comcast and had a technician come out to replace the box today. The new box seemed to be fine, but I ran into the problem yet again later on in the day. Is this a hardware issue? Can I do anything about it?

Any help or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
-Matt

It was reported way back in this thread that there are power problems affecting certain 6412's with specific serial numbers. Maybe back in the December area of this forum.

I had the same problem and my new one is fine. I also have it on a UPS.

Also is your 6412 well ventilated?

Hey you all, I posted this as part of a longer message over in another thread on HDTV reception but now I've discovered this thread and I'm thinking you folks would be more interested. Viva la HDMI.
___

Hey you all are talking about the Motorola DCT 6412 with a DVI port. Well I just got my new 6412 yesterday (Sat 8/27) and it actually says DCT 6412 III on the front. The III is significant. As the guy was installing it, I was looking at the connections in the back and I couldn't find the DVI port. I asked him where it was and he was of course clueless (they just say to use component) but then I noticed an HDMI port. Hooray! I have a new Samsung LN-R268W LCD and it has HDMI but not DVI, and I thought my 6412 would have DVI and that I was going to have to buy one of those DVI to HDMI cords and do a separate audio connection, but now I can go straight HDMI. Whoopee!

So, I guess the III version is what they're shipping these days, at least on Comcast Atlanta (I'm in 30329, the box says Stone Mountain on the back). I think that may be a pretty recent change because Motorola doesn't even talk about it on their own web site. So all you prospective HD DVR shoppers may want to ask about that on the phone when you speak to the Comcast people.

I have to say though, the two Comcast phone people I spoke with were pretty clueless. One had never even heard of HDCP and I could tell her knowledge of DVI and HDMI was pretty shaky. She had to go get a product manual to talk to me. And the one before her told me the wrong pricing about HD service and DVR unit/service. And on top of that it sounds like there's a disconnect between the phone people and the people who bring you your box, because I was all set to buy a DVI to HDMI cable based on my phone conversation. Glad I didn't.

______

addendum: I haven't tried out the port yet because I don't have my cord yet, but I'm assuming it's enabled if the old DVIs were.

The Phase III 6412 has been discussed often on this thread, with the primary interest being the addition of an SATA port to allow the connection of an external HDD. Like the HDMI, this port would have to be enabled by the local cable company.

Hey Mark,

Thanks for posting that info about the serial numbers. Yes my 6412 is well ventilated, has a whole bunch of space all around it. Is it just a given that the box resets from time to time and I should put up with it or is it worth trying to get another box?

I can hold out if I'm able to get one of those Phase III boxes sometime soon. =)

Thanks again,
-Matt

:confused:

My 6412 missed the premiere of ROMO on HBO last night :mad: . Did anyone have the same problem. I think it has to do with my DVR settings for the show as I have the DVR to record Rome only on new epsiodes to save disk space. I saw the last minutes of Rome yesterday and the guide info had debut as the flag not new or re-run. Maybe that had something to do with it. Lucky that HBO does re-runs but I would like to avoid this things for network shows since they don't do frequent re-runs.

Mine got Rome, but I did notice the Friday before last that it didn't get Firefly. I had it set to only record new eps, and the guide didn't explicitly say "New". Usually that isn't a problem, so I'm not sure why it barfed, but I did change it record all eps on almost all my series from now on. Better to have to delete some dupes rather than miss stuff.

:confused:

My 6412 missed the premiere of ROMO on HBO last night :mad: . Did anyone have the same problem. I think it has to do with my DVR settings for the show as I have the DVR to record Rome only on new epsiodes to save disk space. I saw the last minutes of Rome yesterday and the guide info had debut as the flag not new or re-run. Maybe that had something to do with it. Lucky that HBO does re-runs but I would like to avoid this things for network shows since they don't do frequent re-runs.

Mine recorded it twice; once on each tuner. I had to stop the recording on the one tuner. First time that's ever happened.

I've been playing with the 4:3 override lately. Up till now, I've had it set to off. I have a 56" Samsung DLP (Kirk model). As you may know, Scifi on Comcast is now digital, and many shows are broadcast letterboxed in a 4:3 window. My goal is to watch Stargate and Battlestar widescreen.
My question:
What's the difference between the Stretch and 480p settings for the 4:3 Override? I've tried both, and the only difference I've noticed is that the cable box responds more slowly when the setting is 480p. The picture looks the same, as far as I can tell.

The "stretch" mode upconverts non-HD content to 1080i (or 720p) but stretches it to fill the screen. I've been playing with it, and it seems to do a much better job on my 48" Mits than any of the other modes. Almost makes SD content worth watching... :D

Hey Mark,

Thanks for posting that info about the serial numbers. Yes my 6412 is well ventilated, has a whole bunch of space all around it. Is it just a given that the box resets from time to time and I should put up with it or is it worth trying to get another box?

I can hold out if I'm able to get one of those Phase III boxes sometime soon. =)

Thanks again,
-MattMy experience with the rebooting is that once your 6412 does this it does not get better or go away.

I had to get another box.