View Full Version : Comcast On Demand HD
Marcus Carr
09-13-06, 01:56 PM
Comcast Launches Unprecedented HD Programming Initiative to Offer 100 Hours of High-Definition Video-On-Demand Programming
Industry-Leading HD VOD Push Kicks Off with Starz HD ON DEMAND and Encore
HD ON DEMAND During Starz Free Preview September 15-17
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to Lead
Series of HD Movie Premieres on Comcast ON DEMAND
PHILADELPHIA and ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Sept. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Beginning
September 15, Comcast will offer 100 hours of high-definition
video-on-demand (HD VOD) programs on its signature ON DEMAND service. As
part of this industry-leading initiative, Comcast and Starz Entertainment
today announced that at least 20 high-definition movies from Starz
Entertainment will be available each month. The debut of The Chronicles of
Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe on September 15 -- more than
one week before its scheduled airdate on the Starz HD cable channel --
kicks off a series of Hollywood blockbuster HD VOD premieres on Comcast
this fall.
Comcast's HD VOD rollout comes as video-on-demand usage is soaring,
with customers viewing more than three billion ON DEMAND programs since
2004 and clamoring for more HD programming on demand. In a recent survey of
200 cable customers with HD service conducted by ICR (International
Communications Research) for Comcast, nearly 80 percent of respondents said
they prefer to watch high-definition programs on their terms, not when the
shows air on a traditional television schedule. When asked to identify the
importance of types of programming in HD, customers listed their
preferences as:
* Primetime broadcast network shows (65%)
* Premium channel movies and series (62%)
* National sports (61%)
* Local sports (58%)
"Customers have clearly expressed their desire for more HD programming,
and our fall HD VOD lineup will become the destination for HD movie fans,"
said Page Thompson, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Video
Services for Comcast. "The addition of Starz HD to Comcast's growing HD VOD
library and early premieres like The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the
Witch and the Wardrobe are helping to transform the HD viewing experience
for our customers by giving them more programming on their schedules."
Comcast also will offer a Starz Free Preview from September 15-17 for
all of the Starz Entertainment services it offers, including the Starz
suite of premium channels, HD, and the newly launched Starz HD ON DEMAND
and Encore HD ON DEMAND.
"HD customers love movies, and we are delighted to make available
regularly up to two dozen great Hi-Def films from Starz Entertainment on
Comcast's ON DEMAND platform," said Andrew Nigolian, Senior Vice President
of Affiliate Sales with Starz Entertainment. "HD ON DEMAND is a terrific
showcase for movie content. The Starz Free Preview on Comcast from
September 15-17 is a great way for all Comcast customers to check out the
hit movies on our premium channels and ON DEMAND."
Comcast was one of the first video providers to offer HD and VOD
services. The company's industry-leading high-definition lineup now
includes affiliates of all major broadcast networks; comprehensive sports
coverage with ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD, as well as regional sports networks
across the country; every available premium HD network, including Starz,
HBO, Cinemax and Showtime; and the most popular HD cable networks,
including Discovery, MHD and TNT. Comcast's ON DEMAND service offers a
growing library of more than 7,500 programs available anytime customers
want to watch them -- with the ability to fast forward, rewind and pause
selections.
Starz HD
The high-definition version of the flagship Starz service, Starz HD has
a mix of recent Hollywood hits and other popular films. East and West feeds
of Starz HD are transmitted in wide-screen 16x9 1080i and feature Dolby(R)
Digital 5.1 sound. Upcoming titles available from Starz HD include The
Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; National
Treasure; Flightplan; Rent; and The Incredibles.
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/09-13-2006/0004432141&EDATE=
I can't get Comcast :(
Wolfie
TravelFan1
09-13-06, 03:33 PM
"every available premium HD network" - not true, Comcast doesn't offer The Movie Channel HD.
Re regional sports networks, they don't offer ANY of them here in NYC Metro area. All they do is to cram 4 RSN HD feeds into a single channel by preempting INHD2.
SightSeeker1
09-13-06, 03:37 PM
This is great. I have HBO, Showtime, Encore, and Starz package and I feel Starz has the most movies running at once on OD worth watching. I wish HBO would kick out their series in HD like Soprano's, Curb your enthusiasm, OZ and the rest of them. I watch those the most on HBOOD.
Addicted2HD4Now
09-13-06, 04:05 PM
Great news. Thanks for posting!
Marcus Carr
09-13-06, 04:21 PM
Narnia On Demand in HD for free.:cool:
Marcus Carr
09-13-06, 04:25 PM
HD movies on Starz:
Friday, Sep. 15
1:35AM ET Stander
6:45AM ET Valiant
8:05AM ET The Incredibles
10:05AM ET My Favorite Martian
11:50AM ET After The Sunset
3:10PM ET Derailed
6:50PM ET The Greatest Game Ever Played
9:00PM ET Flightplan
10:45PM ET Derailed
Saturday, Sep. 16
4:10AM ET The Greatest Game Ever Played
6:15AM ET Ice Princess
8:00AM ET National Treasure
10:15AM ET Derailed
1:50PM ET Ice Princess
3:35PM ET National Treasure
5:50PM ET Flightplan
9:00PM ET An Unfinished Life
10:50PM ET Stealth
Sunday, Sep. 17
1:00AM ET House Of Flying Daggers
3:05AM ET Man Of The House
4:50AM ET XXX: State Of The Union
6:40AM ET The Aviator
9:35AM ET An Unfinished Life
11:50AM ET Dark Water
1:35PM ET The Pacifier
3:15PM ET Man Of The House
5:05PM ET An Unfinished Life
7:15PM ET XXX: State Of The Union
10:45PM ET Dark Water
http://www.starz.com/appmanager/seg/s?JSESSIONID=FLnZ7kr4JzQclC3Wmn9C55DhHSnTG0FyjWDKrKJJScwM5cL KNzhS!-875306414!1276251318&JSESSIONID=FLnZ7kr4JzQclC3Wmn9C55DhHSnTG0FyjWDKrKJJScwM5cLKN zhS!-875306414!1276251318&_nfpb=true&portlet_1_1_actionOverride=%2Fpageflow%2Fschedule%2FbeginFil terSchedule&_windowLabel=portlet_1_1&portlet_1_1filterSchedule=1&_pageLabel=online_schedule
How much of this 100 hours is typically going to be free????
SightSeeker1
09-13-06, 05:12 PM
How much of this 100 hours is typically going to be free????
I'd think it's free as long as you subscribe to the channel. We can get all of the other OD programs for free. There is a HD section under the on-demand area that charges but these sound like they are going to be under the specific channels OD area and everything is free in there.
Marcus Carr
09-13-06, 06:10 PM
This is the first appearance of Encore HD on Comcast, although only in the On Demand format. The Encore channels come with the digital tier at no extra charge, at least in Baltimore. Hopefully this will include the HD movies.
spyder696969
09-13-06, 06:49 PM
Now if they can just get some good movies...I mean, there only 2 or 3 that are any good on that 3-day list. :(
Ou8thisSN
09-13-06, 07:17 PM
they cant get any good movies, those are all on HBO, and to some extent, showtime. starz has the worst list of movies ever
This is the first appearance of Encore HD on Comcast, although only in the On Demand format. The Encore channels come with the digital tier at no extra charge, at least in Baltimore. Hopefully this will include the HD movies.
Encore-HD, as a channel, ended a while ago. It was never on Comcast, at least locally, nationally, I think. I am sure it will be re-constituted eventually, though, with the popularity of HD increasing. It is nice, to have it OD, for now.
Locally, Encore is part of Digital Plus, which is a step up from Digital Classic, the latter being where all the non-Local, non-Premium HD is (Disc., etc.). I would expect Encore-HD OD to be tied to Encore, which means Digital Plus subs only.
Jose Herrera
09-13-06, 07:52 PM
If I were to record these movies to the DVR, would they still be available after the free preview?
Yes as I have done that with Showtime. However, you can't record VOD content.
Marcus Carr
09-13-06, 08:23 PM
Encore-HD, as a channel, ended a while ago. It was never on Comcast, at least locally, nationally, I think.
Right. It was on VOOM.
Starz has a pretty crappy HD lineup as of late, but this Encore HD VOD channel could be interesting, especially since Encore catered to more "genre" type of films,(Sci-Fi/Horror/Kung-Fu, etc.) ,that's why I really regretted them cancelling Encore HD.
If good I might actually pay for Starz just for Encore HD OnDemand, provided they even offer it in the Boston area.
LonghornXP
09-13-06, 09:19 PM
Wow I'm so happy now too and I just hope the New Hampshire systems offer this because thus far I haven't seen anything in the On Demand menu about Starz HD or Encore HD but one of the Comcast reps out of Manchester, NH said that one of his friends how is a tech was told they will have this ready to go on the 15th and that the early signs of these offerings in other markets are a choice of the local systems. The New Hampshire and Boston systems decided to test them with employees only and not offer them to the public until the official release.
This could be all wrong but I believe him for some reason. He also said that they have just started to test some new servers for use with other HD movies from HBO and Cinemax as Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was one HD movie they were testing the servers with. He said that his tech (not a field tech but a tech that works inside the hubs behind the scenes) friend said that employees should be starting to test the HBO and Cinemax HD On Demand movies later this year but he didn't know exactly when it would start.
I'm hoping this is a big sign of things to come because I'm sure liking it thus far. Like I said before I moved from Florida with Bright House Networks and the better fun stuff with Comcast just never ends thus far for me. It seems nothing with BHN ever happens ever. I now have advanced digital simulcasting in my area so no more analog lineup for me anymore. I now have all my HD local channels now so no worry on that. I have all the channels BHN had except HDNet and HDNet Movies and it seems from a very high source that those will be coming before the end of 2006. I can now enjoy NFL Network and ESPN2 HD unlike BHN customers.
I have Starz HD, Cinemax HD along with Starz On Demand and Encore On Demand which BHN doesn't have yet. I've also enjoyed the free movies on demand quite a bit too and I was suprised that it had pretty good movies as I thought they would be many crappy ones. I soon will be enjoying Tivo software too which is another plus. I even enjoyed Bad Boys, Men In Black and the Fifth Element all in HDTV and On Demand so far these last six months which has been a nice suprise.
I have just been amazed at just how good my services with Comcast have been compared to Bright House Networks and it just amazes me more that I have tons of HD On Demand movies from Starz and Encore coming and Tivo to look forward too. The fun stuff just never stops and I even am waiting for the ability to schedule a recording using the online Comcast guide too.
I know Comcast may not be the best everywhere and I will say I have a few things that just drive me nuts but the bottom line is that compared to what I've had for the last ten years I feel like I moved into the most high tech fiber connection in the world with Comcast. These two services are just so night and day and I don't think I could ever move from this area now and I'll never move back to Florida unless they have Comcast with the same exact offerings here.
With all this said I must give credit to Comcast and sure they aren't perfect but they are doing more than any TV company to benefit the customers. Just their recent HD push with both channels and On Demand HD should proved that. The Tivo deal and rolling out advanced digital simulcast is also proof that they are making moves for the customers benefit. They may not do everything we may want but they are doing way more than any TV company right now without a doubt.
Goooooooooooo Comcast.............Its Comcastic!
Wow, this is good news for those in Comcast 550mhz areas- NOT! :(
Starz has a pretty crappy HD lineup as of late, but this Encore HD VOD channel could be interesting, especially since Encore catered to more "genre" type of films,(Sci-Fi/Horror/Kung-Fu, etc.) ,that's why I really regretted them cancelling Encore HD.
If good I might actually pay for Starz just for Encore HD OnDemand, provided they even offer it in the Boston area.
Does your area have Starz/Encore has a premium, as opposed to Starz as a premium, and Encore in Digital Plus?
Marcus Carr
09-15-06, 07:22 AM
The preview has started in Baltimore. No HD version of Narnia so far, just SD.
Wow . Alot of new stuff (re)added to HD On Demand section this morning.
We have:
Movies, Free Movies, Music, Network Shows, OLN, HDTV Galery, Encore and Discovery.
No Starz HD yet though (it was there a month ago)
bratboy
09-15-06, 09:57 AM
Well some of the stuff is working, getting the SD versions of Starz but SHD is still blocked out unfortunatly. I went to look at the Starz hd section of OnDemand but for some reason all 3 movies I tried to look at have some sort of a problem. Left half of the image is fine but the right side is futzed up. Hopefully they can/will fix it.
Ou8thisSN
09-15-06, 10:26 AM
what movies are they offering in HD Ondemand?
babrown92
09-15-06, 10:39 AM
So no starz HD with the preview? That sucks.
The Starz HD OnDemand Channel has been added in the Boston area.
Here's what's available:
Armageddon
Narnia (DD 5.1 P&S CROPPED BAD:()
Flightplan
Howl's Moving Castle (OAR 5.1DD AMAZING!!!! Yay!!!!)
The Incredibles
Little Black Book
National Treasure
Rent
No Encore, but lots of other free stuff like "Gallery" which shows HD pictures to music.
Jose Herrera
09-15-06, 10:50 AM
I got no Starz. I did get a ton of new stuff under HD On Demand, though. I now have Encore which only has the Village in HD. I also got Music, OLN, and Discovery. Under Premium Channels I also now got Bollywood movies.
babrown92
09-15-06, 10:50 AM
Is there a certain time the preview is supposed to happen? Not getting anything Starz related in Tucson, AZ. Also didnt notice anything new on OnDemand.
Everything working (but a bit glitchy) here in the Boston area. As I've already noted, Narnia is an unwatchable Pan and Scan crop, but Howl's Moving Castle is AMAZING!!!!.
We have the same as Boston. The Incredibles and National Treasure are OAR and 5.1. They are the only ones I have checked so far. Can't get Narnia to work yet.
Comcast doesn't crop them. They show them as they are suppled by Starz.
Comcast doesn't crop them. They show them as they are suppled by Starz.:confused:Never said they did. Narnia is a particular bad one. IMO unwatchable.
Howl's on the otherhand is breathtaking. Been waiting a long time for a Ghibli film to make it to HD, and the transfer is stellar.
Marcus Carr
09-15-06, 11:11 AM
So they go through the trouble of advertising Narnia in HD, then crop it. Very lame.
Hopefully I can at least watch The Incredibles.
jrusnak
09-15-06, 11:36 AM
Wow . Alot of new stuff (re)added to HD On Demand section this morning.
No Starz HD yet though (it was there a month ago)
make sure you look under PREMIUM CHANNELS. StarzHD would be listed there and not on the HD On Demand section..
jrusnak
09-15-06, 11:38 AM
So they go through the trouble of advertising Narnia in HD, then crop it. Very lame..
This is certainly bad news. Here in NJ, NARNIA is not yet even listed yet (although all the other new additions are).
This is certainly bad news. Here in NJ, NARNIA is not yet even listed yet (although all the other new additions are).They want to attract the movie lovers with the few big titles they get they need to leave them alone. This does not help their case.
Still, Howl's was unexpected, while nice, not enough to get me to reactivate my Starz account.
They just added Encore. Titles available:
Hostage
Life is Beautiful
Mr. 3000
The Notebook
The Village
Eh. Why are these in Encore and not in Starz?
Jose Herrera
09-15-06, 12:24 PM
Anyone else besides Boston able to see Starz?
Yes we have them in the Philadelphia market.
SightSeeker1
09-15-06, 12:41 PM
I'm only getting Flight Plan so far on Starz north of Baltimore.
Jose Herrera
09-15-06, 12:48 PM
I'm getting all the movies listed but tells me I need a subscription to watch them.
make sure you look under PREMIUM CHANNELS. StarzHD would be listed there and not on the HD On Demand section..
It wasn't there this morning when I posted. Now it is under Premium Channels->Stars->Starz HD and/or HD OnDemand->Premium Channels->Starz .
babrown92
09-15-06, 01:55 PM
Anyone out west getting any of this stuff? Right now it seems like just people in the east are getting the preview.
chitchatjf
09-15-06, 02:11 PM
for Encore HD it says I NEED A SUBSCRIPTION!
Hello I GET ENCORE!
bratboy
09-15-06, 02:21 PM
Here in denver getting some, no StarzHD channel just SD and the few HD on demands I tried , Howl National Treasure & Narnia, are messed up so unwatchable
babrown92
09-15-06, 02:49 PM
Still not getting any of the Starz channels, but the OnDemand stuff is up, too bad all the Starz HD movies are messed up and the Encore HD stuff says I need a subscription even though I get Encore.
it's frustrating o see ARMAGEDDON look so good in OAR for the first 5 minutes....then.....yuck.
it's frustrating o see ARMAGEDDON look so good in OAR for the first 5 minutes....then.....yuck.Yep. Same old butchered transfer ABC and Starz have always used.
Why oh why did they screw up Narnia so badly?:(
babrown92
09-15-06, 04:05 PM
Is anyone else getting a distorted picture with all the Starz HD movies? The entire right side of the screen is completely distorted on all of them.
jsb_hburg
09-15-06, 06:04 PM
Is anyone else getting a distorted picture with all the Starz HD movies? The entire right side of the screen is completely distorted on all of them.
Yes and I called to complain. I am in the Comcast of Harrisburg system.
Is anyone else getting a distorted picture with all the Starz HD movies? The entire right side of the screen is completely distorted on all of them.
Yes I have the same problem on all the Starz HD VOD movies. I reported it to Comcast and the CSR tried it and got the same results. I guess it is a head end server problem. The CSR said he will file a report.
OLN's HD OnDemand programming here is all screwed up. HD in a 4:3 frame. Looks all distorted.
Marcus Carr
09-15-06, 07:18 PM
I went through all of the HD stuff I have:
Starz HD and all other Starz channels are active.
On Demand:
Eight Starz movies - Narnia looks okay but not OAR - I'll pass.
OLN - only one out of the five in this section is HD. 2.0 sound.
NCIS, CSI still there for $.99.
Music Choice videos in 2.0.
INHD live video clips in 5.1.
Movie Plex - Cliffhanger for free.
The usual HD Movies section - nothing new added.
Five Discovery HD shows in 5.1.
3 HD Gallery selections in 2.0 - a series of still pictures.
An HD Clips section under Premium Channels>Howard Stern - nothing there so far.
No Encore HD section.
Plus a lot more SD (including Hooters On Demand!).
TravelFan1
09-15-06, 07:22 PM
Here in my system, no sign of Narnia as one of the on demand offerings. The Starz on demand offerings here are:
Armageddon
Howl's Castle
Little Black Book
National Tresure
Rent
And I have the same issues with OLN HD on Demand.
Al Shing
09-15-06, 09:56 PM
The Encore HD folder under the HD On Demand section is empty, but the Encore HD folder under the regular Premium Channels section is populated and actually works, although I get an SRM-20 error trying to start The Village. I was able to start Hostage ok.
I tried the other two movies, and both of them get the SRM-20 error as well. Hostage is the only one working right now.
The movies are
Hostage
Life is Beautiful
The Notebook
The Village
Yes I have the same problem on all the Starz HD VOD movies. I reported it to Comcast and the CSR tried it and got the same results. I guess it is a head end server problem. The CSR said he will file a report.
I found a temporary solution. I have the Motorola 6200 which is set at 720p using the DVI output. If I switch the resolution to 1080i on the 6200 box I can then view the Starz VOD HD content.
I'm getting all the movies listed but tells me I need a subscription to watch them.
I'm having the same issue, also in Chicago. Called up Comcast to ask, and had the following fun "facts" given to me.
- I don't have a HD box, I have a DVR, so that's why I can't get the Starz HD on Demand (She did realize her mistake after about 15 seconds)
- Starz HD on Demand is on Channel 196 (no, that's the normal Starz HD)
- On-Demand is not part of the preview (which I can kind of understand, as it hasn't been part of other premium previews, but was explicitly listed on the press release)
Went from tech support->sales->tech support. Net result was for my "inconveniece" they offered to give me Starz free for a month. I didn't say no!
Addicted2HD4Now
09-16-06, 11:11 AM
Are any of the movies under Starz HD On Demand 5.1? I checked FlightPlan on the channel vs. On Demand and the one on Starz was 5.1, but the one On Demand didn't seem to be. Very disappointing if that's the case for all the On Demand movies.
jrusnak
09-16-06, 12:17 PM
Are any of the movies under Starz HD On Demand 5.1? I checked FlightPlan on the channel vs. On Demand and the one on Starz was 5.1, but the one On Demand didn't seem to be. Very disappointing if that's the case for all the On Demand movies.
When the Starz HD On-Demand option first came on, the movies were not 5.1 (FLIGHTPLAN was one of the first). But the subsequent (and, I assume, future) offerings are being offered in 5.1
Still no NARNIA being offered in NJ. False advertising!
rustycruiser
09-16-06, 12:30 PM
I get an error on every movie when I try to access it. Right side screen distortion. Lame
jsb_hburg
09-16-06, 01:20 PM
I get an error on every movie when I try to access it. Right side screen distortion. Lame
Is your Moto box set up for 720p; if so, that might be the problem. I just changed the Moto box settings from 720p to 1080i as suggested above and now Narnia plays without a problem. Kids are happy and WAF is maintained.
jsb_hburg
09-16-06, 01:21 PM
I found a temporary solution. I have the Motorola 6200 which is set at 720p using the DVI output. If I switch the resolution to 1080i on the 6200 box I can then view the Starz VOD HD content.
Thanks. This resolved the right-side distortion issue on my set-up.
rustycruiser
09-16-06, 01:54 PM
Changed my setting to 1080i. Fixed the distortion. Thanks
Mine works fine with box set to 720p, that still doesn't make Narnia OAR though.:(
DrDetroit
09-16-06, 03:59 PM
Here in Detroit:
Watched Narnia last night, not sure if it was OAR, but it hadbars across thetopand bottom of the screen. I thought it was a great presentation except for what seemed to be messed up color (lots of yellow).
Otherwise, was very pleased with all of the new material.
spaceywilly
09-16-06, 04:04 PM
I've watched Narnia and Rent from starz SOD, both looked good except for dark scenes which seemed to be missing a lot of dark detail. Also both recording skipped occasionaly, which was a shame since everything else about the presentation was excellent.
Ou8thisSN
09-16-06, 06:22 PM
Starz is a.... well i dont know what to say. I mean if your signature movies are Flightplan, Deuce Bigalo, and Narnia (which was good, but not that good)... This is an awful awful channel with terrible movies. is this where box office bombs come to die?
Right now they just have Disney, and not much else.
ZeggyZon
09-17-06, 03:19 AM
Here in the Bay Area (Livermore) when I try to watch any of the Starz on-demand HD I get communication errors with numbers like srm-8001 and to call comcast with provided phone number. I just assumed it was because I wasn't subscribed to starz and this was comcasts way of preventing me from watching.
Is on demand HD encrypted?
ZZ
TakeFlight
09-17-06, 04:08 AM
Here in the Bay Area (Livermore) when I try to watch any of the Starz on-demand HD I get communication errors with numbers like srm-8001 and to call comcast with provided phone number. I just assumed it was because I wasn't subscribed to starz and this was comcasts way of preventing me from watching.
Is on demand HD encrypted?
ZZ
I got similar errors when trying to watch HBO on demand (which I'm subscribed to) when I added my second HD cable box. Comcast had to do something on their end to get it working. This is a free preview weekend for Starz which means you should be getting the on demand as well as all the Starz channels.
LonghornXP
09-17-06, 10:49 AM
Here in the Bay Area (Livermore) when I try to watch any of the Starz on-demand HD I get communication errors with numbers like srm-8001 and to call comcast with provided phone number. I just assumed it was because I wasn't subscribed to starz and this was comcasts way of preventing me from watching.
Is on demand HD encrypted?
ZZ
I was getting this error a couple of times this weekend but it started working after about 15 minutes. I found out that this error is the cause of more demand which the system couldn't handle and at least in most areas of New Hampshire and Boston, MA they had way more demand than expected for the HD On Demand content. They seemed to have worked it all out once they had time to handle it. My errors did occur around 5pm Saturday which seems to me to be a very busy time of day. Also with this being advertised like crazy it doesn't suprise me at all that demand just went crazy. I've been very happy thus far enjoying this new offering and I will take a few bugs anyday to get HD On Demand content for free that lets be honest no other company offers yet. I think this service in the long run will easily outwiegh the bugs of it.
Faceless Rebel
09-18-06, 01:32 AM
Here in Seattle it worked all right and the quality was very good, but it was skipping every few minutes. Very noticeable and annoying. Also for awhile there I was also unable to start viewing something due to probably high demand, it just gave me an error and told me to try again 'in a few minutes'. If Comcast actually wants me to pay real money to watch this instead of beta testing their new HD On Demand for free, they might want to iron out some of the technical issues.
I watched Narnia again, it actually crops to a reasonable degree from 2.35:1 to 16:9, I think I only remember seeing one or two scenes where somebody's head was partly cut off. Certainly it wasn't nearly as bad as trying to crop 2.35:1 to 4:3, also Andrew Adamson's direction tended to keep everything important in the center of the image anyways.
babrown92
09-18-06, 10:37 AM
Now that Starz preview is over, the new ondemand stuff is worthless for me. I can not get any of the other new added HD content to play. I either get communication errors or it tells me I need a subscription. I have yet to be able to watch any of the Encore, Discovery, HDTC Gallery, or INHD Jukebox content. Anyone else having these problems?
Renagade
09-18-06, 11:16 AM
Now that Starz preview is over, the new ondemand stuff is worthless for me. I can not get any of the other new added HD content to play. I either get communication errors or it tells me I need a subscription. I have yet to be able to watch any of the Encore, Discovery, HDTC Gallery, or INHD Jukebox content. Anyone else having these problems?
I thought today (09/18/06) was the last day. Starz was still on when I left this morning.... :confused:
Gary*w*
09-18-06, 11:37 AM
Watched Narnia on Saturday in Murfreesboro/Rutheford Co. TN. It looked good PQ wise, but was a pan scan. sound was in 5.1.
Nashville's OnDemand offerings in HD :
PPV Movies:
Bloodrayne
Neighbor No. 13
She's the Man
Free movies:
Men in Black
Terminator
The Birdcage
Premium channels:
Starz:
Armageddon
Narnia
Howl's Castle
Little Black Book
National Treasure
Rent
The Incredibles
Encore:
Hostage
Mr. 3000
The Notebook
Music:
INHD Jukebox:
D. Bowie- All the Young Dudes
22-20's- Such a Fool
A. Garfunkel- Feeling Groovy
Donnas- Do You Wanna Hit it
Little Feat- Oh Atlanta
Pink -Don't let me Get Me
Pink- There You Go
R. Orbison -Pretty Woman
Stereophonics-Jealousy
Who- Wont Get Fooled Again
Yellowcard-Breathing
Yellowcard- Ocean Avenue
Music Choice:
Green Day- St. Jimmy
Hawthorne Hts.- This is Who We Are
Javier- The Answer is Yes
Seal-Crazy
(All the music videos are 3- 6 min live performances)
TV Entertainment:
HDTV Gallery:
(No Listings)
Discovery:
O.C. Choppers- Lincoln pt1
O.C. Choppers- Lincoln pt2
HD Traveler- Bali pt1
Sunrise Earth #4
The Outsiders
Sports:
OLN:[I][U]
Fly Fish: Alaska
Fly Fish: Argentina
Fly Fish: Mexico
Also not in the HD section,
Under TV Entertainment in the regular catogories theres an catogory for TNT and there's a sub catogory for "Nightmares in HD" and "In To The West HD" but neither has any programming listed in them.
Under the regular Starz section there's a listing for StarzHD that contains only "Narnia" and "Flightplan"
They added Chicken Little to Starz HD today. Picture quality is pretty good (as it always is with animated features).
jrusnak
09-18-06, 03:03 PM
Well, NJ got stiffed by Comcast again. We never got (and still don't have) NARNIA. Only INCREDIBLES (which has already been broadcast numerous tiumes).
We did have the TNT "NIGHTMARES IN HD" which consisted of the Stephen King Mini-Series NIGHTMARES AND DREAMSCAPES, but that has run its course and is no longer offered.
scottro
09-18-06, 03:30 PM
This is an awful awful channel with terrible movies. is this where box office bombs come to die?
No, that's Showtime.
Marcus Carr
09-18-06, 05:48 PM
The Starz preview shut off today, but I was able to record Valiant this morning. Looks gorgeous.
I still don't have any HD from Encore. Too bad, because I get Encore with the digital tier.
JimsArcade
09-19-06, 12:08 PM
I'm still waiting for Encore as well in the Philly market and to see if I'll get this along with my digital package.
SleepyMeeper
09-19-06, 02:59 PM
I ran into a few problems with Starz HD On Demand, but was able to fix or work around most of them.
First, it told me I needed a subscription which I already had. I called Comcast about this, they had me reboot the STB and that seemed to work (they may have also sent a refresh signal to the box, so if you have this problem and rebooting the STB doesn't work, then give them a call).
But when I attempted to actually watch any of the movies, the right half of the picture on the screen was corrupted. The STB was set to send a 720p signal to the TV (over DVI), so I switched it to output 1080i instead and this seems to have cleared up the problem.
Once the picture problem was out of the way, my wife and I were able to watch both Chicken Little and National Treasure. Both seemed to be OAR, and both had Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. However, we had several audio drop-outs during both presentations. I haven't noticed the audio dropping out while watching any other HDTV (non-On Demand stuff) that has had DD5.1, so this seems to be a problem specific to HD On Demand (or maybe just Starz HD On Demand, since I haven't tried any of the Encore movies yet).
Has anyone else noticed any audio drop outs?
Other than the audio dropouts, both presentations were excellent. Watching HD movies with 5.1 audio on-demand is just awesome. Who needs DVDs?!?!
As a final note, I'm not sure I like the idea that the STB is outputting a 1080i signal (I have a 720p LCD). With 720p source material, I imagine that this means the STB is first upconverting the 720p signal to 1080i, only to have the TV downconvert the signal back to 720p. Seems like these unnecessary converstions could only have an adverse impact on the picture quality. So it would be nice if Comcast would fix whatever problem is causing the 720p picture corruption.
hondo21
09-19-06, 03:15 PM
... Other than the audio dropouts, both presentations were excellent. Watching HD movies with 5.1 audio on-demand is just awesome. Who needs DVDs?!?!....Anyone whose movie interests extend beyond the 4 or 5 movies they make available at any given time.
To me, VOD won't be a viable alternative to physical discs (DVD or HD) until one can reliably select from a library of hundreds (or better yet thousands), of HD movies from various genres and eras, at a reasonable price (less than $4), and with no picture and sound glitches. I'd say they have quite a ways to go.
SleepyMeeper
09-19-06, 03:29 PM
Anyone whose movie interests extend beyond the 4 or 5 movies they make available at any given time.
Fair enough. Excuse my giddiness, I guess it's partly the fault of the novelty of having better-than-DVD-quality cinema available on a whim.
However, the faults you noted are really only a problem of scale. Technology is solving problems of scale at an amazing rate these days.
It's only a matter of time... oh and a matter of fixing the !@#$% audio dropouts :)
ldivinag
09-19-06, 04:25 PM
any news for HOWARD TV in high def?
Sleepymeeper: Comcast is working on fixing the problem - they were able to verify the problem. It may be the way the HD was encoded. For 1080i sources such as Starz their should be no difference since the TV is now doing the conversion. You are correct the 720p sources are being degraded. Hopefully Comcast will be able to fix the problem quickly.
WiFi-Spy
09-19-06, 06:07 PM
any news for HOWARD TV in high def?
They have 1 HD show per week :(
jrusnak
09-19-06, 06:17 PM
They have 1 HD show per week :(
There are HD offerings (for a fee) On-Demand
babrown92
09-19-06, 07:01 PM
Anyone able to watch the Encore onDemand stuff? Or any of the other new HD stuff besides starz?
mcharkowski
09-20-06, 01:31 PM
The Encore HD stuff is not available yet in NH/Boston area yet. You can see the listings, it just doesn't work yet. I just had a very nice, but ultimately clueless installer here and he has agreed that "Yeah, it doesn't work". Comcast really has to start having the left, right, and back hands talking to each other.
I found a temporary solution. I have the Motorola 6200 which is set at 720p using the DVI output. If I switch the resolution to 1080i on the 6200 box I can then view the Starz VOD HD content.
Chicken Little was just put up on Starz HD VOD and it works at 720p. The other titles still only work at 1080i so I guess it was the way the movies were encoded for HD VOD.
DrDetroit
09-24-06, 12:06 PM
Here in Detroit:
On Starz -
Brothers Grimm
Chicken Little
Narnia
Die Hard -Vengeance
Guarding Tess
Little Black Book
Tank Girl
Incredibles
5 more than last week.
Encore still about the same -
Man of the House
Mr. 3000
Notebook
Village
Movies -
BloodRayne
Komodo
Larry the Cable Guy
She's the Man
Free Movies -
Men in Black
Terminator
Birdcage
Any idea if HBO, Cinemax, Showtime will come to On Demand HD?
LonghornXP
09-24-06, 09:20 PM
Here in Detroit:
On Starz -
Brothers Grimm
Chicken Little
Narnia
Die Hard -Vengeance
Guarding Tess
Little Black Book
Tank Girl
Incredibles
5 more than last week.
Encore still about the same -
Man of the House
Mr. 3000
Notebook
Village
Movies -
BloodRayne
Komodo
Larry the Cable Guy
She's the Man
Free Movies -
Men in Black
Terminator
Birdcage
Any idea if HBO, Cinemax, Showtime will come to On Demand HD?
I've got some hints that HBO will soon start offering HD movies and shows On Demand like Starz is doing. Also I've been told by a couple people that at some point Cinemax will work a deal with Comcast for both the HD On Demand content and their MaxOD150 service. The MaxOD150 service is simply an extra 100 or so movies available on the On Demand service and so far I believe only Cablevision carries these extra movies.
Either way I would expect within the next year or so to start seeing a pretty big expansion of HD movies On Demand from the premium channels. I've also been told that Comcast also will plan to little by little increase the HD movie selections from their free movies section. Things will only get better from now as HD has finally reached the masses now.
Unfortunately Comcast, Starz and HBO have little respect for OAR so those of us who are looking for that will not find answers there. So far even all of the free Comcast offerings have been cropped.:(
One question:
for the upcoming ALDS, will I be able to watch those games from Comcast VOD (HD/SD) after it's over? (I will be on vacation in that week)?
Thanks!
Comcast identified the problem for the HD VOD Starz / Encore 720p incompatibility:
"Thank you for your notes which have helped bring our attention to this issue. Starz has been encoding at 1080P not 1080i. We will resolve this. New content from Starz (and Encore which Starz also manages) should be fine. We are sorry for the glitches. We will fix this and we remain dedicated to expanding the HD vod offering to make the HD viewing experience better. Thanks again for bringing this to our attention."
bratboy
10-07-06, 10:56 AM
Cool, now if they can fix it BEFORE next yr be really nice. Have to admit tho that lately I'm really starting to consider getting Dish just because am tired of Comcast doing things so halfA*sed.
Cool, now if they can fix it BEFORE next yr be really nice. Have to admit tho that lately I'm really starting to consider getting Dish just because am tired of Comcast doing things so halfA*sed.
You really think Dish does things better? Ha!
LonghornXP
10-07-06, 12:57 PM
Cool, now if they can fix it BEFORE next yr be really nice. Have to admit tho that lately I'm really starting to consider getting Dish just because am tired of Comcast doing things so halfA*sed.
Remember this is HDTV VOD and I would rather have it half Azzed as you would say for a period of time than not at all. Last I checked no other company is offering many free HDTV movie titles and such via VOD. We all keep complaining but I said we give a pat on the back to Comcast for being the first to give us a good selection of free HDTV VOD movies. Yes you may need a Starz subscription but when I say free I'm talking about unlimited use free without the PPV 5.00+ charge. PPV HD movies are a whole different story than the Starz HD and other free HD stuff because the demand will be just way way higher and that will result in the growing pains of something so new. Either way I feel at least in my area that the growing pains have been kept to a pretty darn good level because honestly its worked way more than its not and I've been using it like crazy the last two weeks.
Renagade
10-07-06, 11:10 PM
Well Comcast finally realised that they left the Starz HD channel switched on from the free preview on 9/15-9/18 here in Detroit. 22 days of free Starz HD. I think they only found it because they had to switch on the Showtime free previw this weekend. It was great to have another HD channel for awhile especially since it was free!
Marcus Carr
10-13-06, 02:03 AM
Ops Sharpen HD Content Plans
Cable Sees High-Def as a Way to Battle Telco, Satellite and DVD Competition
By Karen Brown 10/2/2006
With more subscribers buying high-definition TV sets and a new wave of HD DVD products set to hit the market, cable operators also are raising their resolution by adding HD video to their on-demand content lineups.
Despite the fact HD video streams soak up five times the bandwidth of a standard video stream and require that much more server disk space, those in the VOD food chain see it as a necessary step to stay ahead of their telco competitors and keep up with viewer demand for higher-quality video.
Comcast Corp. has taken the biggest step toward HD on-demand, announcing last month that it will offer 100 hours of high-definition video, including at least 20 movies provided by Starz Entertainment Group LLC. That content started literally with a roar with the Sept. 15 debut of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Early numbers are favorable, to say the least. In the first two days that the fantasy film ran on HD On Demand, it drew at least 10,000 views, Comcast senior vice president and general manager of video services Page Thompson said.
Comcast’s decision to add HD programming to on-demand is part of its major high-def push for the second half of this year. That includes a series of new linear HD channels, and now the HD VOD content as well — just in time for the start of the holiday retail season.
“We had done some tests in Salt Lake City and Richmond, Va., with expanded HD offerings, and they went very well,” Thompson said. “So we decided the time was right to expand to 100 hours of HD.”
With more television content going HD, it is not surprising on-demand programming is following suit. And Starz believes that content will be mostly movies, said Bill Hoagland, Starz vice president of on-demand service.
“We are in a fortunate situation where we have the rights not only for standard def but high-def,” he said, adding that Starz believes that movies will be a primary driver for HD on-demand. “With our studios we have a good array of movies to provide our customers.”
UPPING THE VIDEO ANTE
Why is HD on-demand surfacing now? For Comcast, the rollout comes at a time when more consumers are purchasing HDTV sets.
“As people buy an HD set, it’s an excellent opportunity for them to consider who their video supplier will be,” Thompson said. “We think through the combination of the features that we offer Comcast really is the easy choice for HD service.”
More important, HD VOD content was a top item on customers’ wish lists, according to a recent Comcast customer survey.
“And specifically, what they said they wanted to watch most was movies,” Thompson added.
Others see HD VOD as a strong weapon cable can use to stay competitive with telco and satellite competitors. On-demand video systems provider SeaChange International Inc. has been fielding queries from its cable customers, and it has upgraded its video processing and storage systems to be ready for an influx of HD content.
“All their premium customers have HD, and you don’t want to lose those people — especially as Verizon [Communications Inc.] and others are starting to roll out services with fiber to the home,” said SeaChange vice president of business development Tom Rosenstein.
At the same time, operators also must contend with the long-awaited arrival of Blu-ray DVD players and recently announced releases of movies using the high-resolution video format. Since on-demand content is often compared to DVDs, Blu-ray DVDs will likely up the ante for on-demand video quality.
“More than anything else, for the Blu-Ray they are pushing for a lot of releases in time for the holiday season,” said Dom Stasi, TVN Entertainment Corp. chief technology officer. With that it appears the DVD format is going to achieve a consumer critical mass, “and it is probably going to be a big deal this holiday season. I think after the fact that will drive a lot more interest on the VOD side to move to HD.”
TVN provides the core transport funneling content from programmers and movie studios to cable on-demand servers. And with momentum building behind higher-quality video, its clients have started exploring the possibility of HD on-demand.
“We’re getting lots of queries, but I think it’s more informational to help them with their planning,” he said. “In predictions, I’ve been saying all along that 2007 is the year of HD on-demand, and the stars are aligning.”
LOAD ISSUE
To support that, TVN has already tested HD on-demand delivery systems including encoders and encryption systems using the most common 1080i and 720p HD formats, and it has made sure its delivery network can accommodate the higher-resolution content. But it has been more or less waiting for its client programmers to ask for systems that can support on-demand HD content delivery, Stasi said.
From a processing point, adding HD VOD content is a heavy load. HD files require more of just about everything — more time to process and encrypt the files, more storage space and longer stream delivery times.
That’s because HD means hefty file sizes. A standard definition MPEG-2 (Moving Picture Experts Group) file takes up about 2.7 Gigabytes of disk space, but an HD file takes up anywhere from 8 GB to 10 GB.
That size means it will take longer to encode and add protective encryption. For an HD file, it’s like “saying 'OK, work on this thing really fast so that I can transmit it and get it out to my affiliates,’” Stasi said. That affects all aspects of the process of translating video onto on-demand servers, so “all of that has made any HD decision a cautious one.”
For its part, TVN has tested the necessary encoders and encryption systems. All it needs now to flip the switch on HD on-demand video delivery are the machine controls — the crucial systems that automatically translate video from tape or computer file to a VOD file in real time, allowing for content to be quickly added to servers.
“If we got an immediate order right now, with somebody that said 'OK, I want you to start right now doing HD on my channel with 10 features in HD every month, we’d probably still be three or four months away from implementation end to end,” Stasi said.
Comcast has been anticipating HD content as part of its On Demand service from the start, so it has already built its delivery systems to accommodate fatter HD video streams, Thompson said.
“We continue to improve our VOD offering and we continue to add capacity as needed, but fortunately we started with a fairly large and robust system, so really the enhancements we have made have been minimal in terms of cost relative to all of the other costs we have here at Comcast,” Thompson said.
While HD video does have its burdens, helping matters for now is the fact that is will be a relatively small segment of the overall VOD picture. Even for Comcast, the 20 or so movies it will add in HD will be dwarfed by its 7,500-title library of standard-definition video.
“They are not talking about high levels of ingest for HD — it’s not thousands of hours being uploaded every week. It’s 100 titles, and there is plenty of capacity to support the encryption there,” Rosenberg noted. Given HD also is in the vast minority among linear TV channels, on-demand HD “will probably mirror what you see on the broadcast side.”
But that relatively small volume of HD content is itself another issue. While Starz has forged all of its distribution contracts with movie studios to allow on-demand releases in HD, how much content actually is offered in the higher-resolution format depends on how much space operators allow for it, Hoagland said.
For example, the new Comcast On Demand HD content represents only 3% of all of the video Starz provides.
“Right now, we are only launching the service with Comcast, and they are at 100 hours right now,” Hoagland said. “But I can tell you that fourth quarter (2006) and the first quarter of ’07, roughly 30% of all of the titles that we have in inventory in house we have HD versions of that. That is more than enough than what we are allocated in server time.”
And while Starz has its HD distribution set, that isn’t the case among all video distributors. Stasi said studios need to be pressured to release VOD content in high-definition format.
“Part of that has to be pressuring the studios for earlier releases,” he said. As Blu-Ray DVD products hit the market “we have to, and we do push for earlier release dates for VOD. If DVD is going to be influencing VOD purchases, VOD should be in a position to compete on a level playing field. We’ve done all the right things in terms of encryption and copyright protection and all the rest, and all that remains now is the earlier release dates to put us in a very competitive environment. That’s what I’m hoping to see.”
With all of that in play, the big question now is how fast HD will grow within VOD. Comcast has already announced it will extend the HD On Demand content to 150 hours by the end of the year “and then we’ll see where it goes from there,” Thompson said. “But we do intend to continue to grow this, as well as the remainder of our standard-definition on-demand content.”
Going forward, the HD focus will be on movies, but Thompson noted it does have a good store of content from TV programming and music.
“We will probably do more with sports in the future — we probably will do more premium content from various programmers, but movies I think initially will be the core of our offerings,” Thompson said.
All in all, it looks like HD content is starting to arrive in the on-demand ecosystem. While its place may be small for the time being, it could nevertheless become important to cable’s on-demand strategies.
“From an on-demand standpoint, it’s a huge differentiator from the competition,” Hoagland said. “To be able to have that choice based on a consumer’s investment in their home entertainment is I think huge, because they are looking for good-quality product to play through that X-thousand-dollar investment that they have made, not only in their TV set but their surround-sound systems.”
http://multichannel.com/article/CA6377098.html
Marcus Carr
10-13-06, 10:01 AM
"For INHD Jukebox, Comcast subscribers with digital boxes will get more than 20 performance clips each month from artists like Pink, Franz Ferdinand, Nelly Furtado, Norah Jones and the Who, all at no extra cost. It's the first free high-def music platform."
http://www.cedmagazine.com/article/CA6380474.html
Joey Jo Jo Jr.
10-13-06, 11:03 AM
OK, I have not tried the OnDemand HD before, but since there are free HD movies now, I thought I'd give it a shot. I have the 6412 P3 box with the 16.2 firmware. All my current HD channels are working great. When I go to pull up an HD selection from OnDemand, I get a letterboxed image inside a 4:3 screen with gray bars on the left and right. I have tried a number of the free HD selections, and they are all the same. It seems like Comcast in Detroit isn't sending the movies in 1080I but in 480I. Anyone else seeing this?
avanalst
10-15-06, 12:28 AM
OK, I have not tried the OnDemand HD before, but since there are free HD movies now, I thought I'd give it a shot. I have the 6412 P3 box with the 16.2 firmware. All my current HD channels are working great. When I go to pull up an HD selection from OnDemand, I get a letterboxed image inside a 4:3 screen with gray bars on the left and right. I have tried a number of the free HD selections, and they are all the same. It seems like Comcast in Detroit isn't sending the movies in 1080I but in 480I. Anyone else seeing this?
I had this same problem and had Comcast come out - the solution, and it's something of a pain in the ass - is to start playing the HD On Demand movie, disconnect the cable going into the box and then reconnect it. This will then change the letterboxed 4:3 into 16:9. I have no idea why it works this way, but it does for me.
here in atlanta i noticed some more movies in the HD Ondemand section of my comcast service - and a cool fright fest section with a few HD horror movies (including the original CARRIE).
i am still having problems calling up several of the movies listed throughout the HD On Demand listings, and the layout is very weird (Free Movies, Movieplex, Movie Pass are all sections of free movies but there seems to be no reason for the different sections) and there are many duplicate listings.
The Terminator in HD was great BTW.
babrown92
11-01-06, 09:34 AM
Yeah I saw the Fearnet section last night, under the Free Movies section. Carrie, Bram's Stoker's Dracula, and Flatliners were the ones available.
They also added Ghostbusters 2 and River Runs Through It under the Moviepass.
Dear Lord I wish we could get Comcast out here in Columbus, Ohio. Those of you ripping Comcast for some of the technical mistakes they made should be thankful that you don't have Time Warner and it's anemic HD lineup! BTW, Longhorn, is TW EVER going to add more HD channels?!
LonghornXP
11-01-06, 01:20 PM
Dear Lord I wish we could get Comcast out here in Columbus, Ohio. Those of you ripping Comcast for some of the technical mistakes they made should be thankful that you don't have Time Warner and it's anemic HD lineup! BTW, Longhorn, is TW EVER going to add more HD channels?!
I still have hope for ESPN2 HD and NFL Network (SD, HD and VOD) to be added within the next few months but each day that goes by I feel less confident it will happen sadly. I know this isn't what you wanted to hear but right now this company is at a major disconnect with the customers.
I still have hope for ESPN2 HD and NFL Network (SD, HD and VOD) to be added within the next few months but each day that goes by I feel less confident it will happen sadly. I know this isn't what you wanted to hear but right now this company is at a major disconnect with the customers.
I can't say it's surprising to hear that. I have hope of getting Starz HD and Starz OD in the next several months since their contract with them expires at year's end. But who knows. I remember Mr. Dresler saying that Cinemax HD was already done, but where is it?! Time Warner cares nothing about its customers.
Cinemax HDOndemand is supposed to come online today with all the Star Wars movies.
As for Comcast's free movies, they're mostly poor transfers, cropped and 2.0. I'd rather watch the DVDs.
babrown92
11-01-06, 02:12 PM
Cinemax HDOndemand is supposed to come online today with all the Star Wars movies.
As for Comcast's free movies, they're mostly poor transfers, cropped and 2.0. I'd rather watch the DVDs.
Very true, the ghostbusters was absolutely pathetic, and Ghostbusters 2 isnt much better.
The only decent ones I've watched are Bad Boys and Terminator was decent.
Gary*w*
11-02-06, 10:26 AM
I just looked and CinemaxHD OnDemand is up & running on Comcast Murfreesboro/ Rutheford Co. TN. (Nashville Suburb). The only movies it has are the Star Wars films 1-6. We also got FEARnet On Demand they have "Carrie" (1976), "Bram Stokers Dracula" (1992) and "Flatliners".
I just looked and CinemaxHD OnDemand is up & running on Comcast Murfreesboro/ Rutheford Co. TN. (Nashville Suburb). The only movies it has are the Star Wars films 1-6. We also got FEARnet On Demand they have "Carrie" (1976), "Bram Stokers Dracula" (1992) and "Flatliners".
having the 6 star wars movies in HD and OAR is huge!!!! DD 5.1 also!
Marcus Carr
11-02-06, 11:05 AM
having the 6 star wars movies in HD and OAR is huge!!!! DD 5.1 also!
Episode II is not OAR.
bratboy
11-02-06, 12:12 PM
Well, been using Comcast for a while and may miss on demmand but have decided to go to Dish for a while. Actually for the 1st 10 months I'll get the HD Plat pkg with all the HD movie channels & locals for 84 bucks compared to paying Comcast 92 a month with only 2 hd movie channels.
I hope I don't regret making the change but so tired of comcraptic. To me it made no sense with all the HD channel options out there they rush to add another HD sports channel instead of something entertaining and then Waahoo! they add MHD, an HD music channel only broadcasted in stereo.
Marcus Carr
11-30-06, 06:10 PM
Pumpkinhead has been added to Fearnet HD.
I have some National Geographic-HD OnDemand programming even though the Boston area doesn't have the channel available yet.
Jose Herrera
11-30-06, 07:06 PM
I have some National Geographic-HD OnDemand programming even though the Boston area doesn't have the channel available yet.
I got excited last night and watched some of it. Not HD. :(
hdflies
11-30-06, 08:09 PM
I got excited last night and watched some of it. Not HD. :(
same here. there're 2 program under hd on demand but both are actually sd they dont even have "HD" logo on the listing.
babrown92
12-01-06, 10:24 AM
Lots of new movies added last night.
Including Rocky 1-5, Fargo, Boys in the Hood, Hitch, Pumpkinhead, and a few others.
Lots of new movies added last night.
Including Rocky 1-5, Fargo, Boys in the Hood, Hitch, Pumpkinhead, and a few others.
HD?
babrown92
12-01-06, 11:11 AM
Yes
joelgee
12-01-06, 12:34 PM
One of the other free HD movies is "Usual Suspects." Keyser Soze rules!!
One of the other free HD movies is "Usual Suspects." Keyser Soze rules!!
is it OAR?
joelgee
12-01-06, 04:19 PM
The DVD's aspect ratio is 2.35:1. I couldn't swear that it was OAR on Comcast. But it wasn't P&S.
J
eric.exe
12-02-06, 04:19 AM
Damn, Comcast might get removed from my disliked companies list if they keep up this great HD OnDemand free stuff. I was seriously about to rent Fargo and the Usual Suspect the other day. Then they popped up on OnDemandHD and Comcast saved me a lot of time and some money. Rocky will also be a good watch.
I haven't watched them yet so I can't comment on OAR. I really don't care if it is for these movies. I really only "require" OAR for epic type movies, like Gladitor, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars etc.
chitchatjf
12-02-06, 09:00 AM
Damn, Comcast might get removed from my disliked companies list if they keep up this great HD OnDemand free stuff. I was seriously about to rent Fargo and the Usual Suspect the other day. Then they popped up on OnDemandHD and Comcast saved me a lot of time and some money. Rocky will also be a good watch.
I haven't watched them yet so I can't comment on OAR. I really don't care if it is for these movies. I really only "require" OAR for epic type movies, like Gladitor, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars etc.
which are usually scope films (2.35:1) If it is not a scope film a HD broadcast is OAR anyway :)
eric.exe
12-03-06, 02:06 AM
which are usually scope films (2.35:1) If it is not a scope film a HD broadcast is OAR anyway :)
I meant, I don't care if crappy 2.35:1 movies are cropped, only a few require it.
95 minutes of Yule Log in HD added today :)
babrown92
12-08-06, 05:23 PM
Tombstone HD added today, not OAR, but PQ is very nice.
Could someone please check to see if White Squall HD is OAR (2.35:1)? I get an error message when trying to access it.
Jose Herrera
12-08-06, 11:15 PM
Lots of new movies added last night.
Including Rocky 1-5, Fargo, Boys in the Hood, Hitch, Pumpkinhead, and a few others.
Damn, no Boyz N the Hood HD here. Only SD. I look forward to watching Rocky I-V, though.
Ou8thisSN
12-09-06, 12:06 AM
I saw an ad today on ESPN talking about "Lord of the Rings, Return of the King" on TNT and OnDemand on Comcast, in HD, now available. They even showed how to get to it using the OnDemand system but i tried it to no avail. They mentioned it would be commercial free too. Anyone else getting this in their movie list?
Jose Herrera
12-09-06, 01:29 AM
I saw an ad today on ESPN talking about "Lord of the Rings, Return of the King" on TNT and OnDemand on Comcast, in HD, now available. They even showed how to get to it using the OnDemand system but i tried it to no avail. They mentioned it would be commercial free too. Anyone else getting this in their movie list?
I have not seen that ad but I do not have anything for TNT-HD. I do notice that Fifth Element is under TNT but in SD.
Sevenfeet
12-09-06, 01:16 PM
Damn, Comcast might get removed from my disliked companies list if they keep up this great HD OnDemand free stuff. I was seriously about to rent Fargo and the Usual Suspect the other day. Then they popped up on OnDemandHD and Comcast saved me a lot of time and some money. Rocky will also be a good watch.
I haven't watched them yet so I can't comment on OAR. I really don't care if it is for these movies. I really only "require" OAR for epic type movies, like Gladitor, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars etc.
They won't come off my s**t list until they stop pushing off upconverts as HD movies (and crappy upconverts at that). I went back and checked out Ghostbusters 2 the other day and had to turn it off after 30 seconds. Truly horrendous.
But at least we get to play the Yule log whenever we want! :rolleyes:
eric.exe
12-10-06, 09:15 PM
They won't come off my s**t list until they stop pushing off upconverts as HD movies (and crappy upconverts at that). I went back and checked out Ghostbusters 2 the other day and had to turn it off after 30 seconds. Truly horrendous.
But at least we get to play the Yule log whenever we want! :rolleyes:
Hmm, I never bothered to watch GB2. I did watch The Usual Suspects in it's entirety and it was superb. The clarity was great and there was very little macroblocking. Although it was cropped, I believe it didn't hurt the presentation that much. A lot of the movie is shots of character on character dialog.
checked out some of the new offerings this weekend -
Tombstone looks horribly cropped, as does Usual Suspects.
HITCH and UNDERWORLD REV. - not OAR but look amazingly sharp and unzoomed, i think they are open-matte.
I love having all the Rocky movies in HD....
PULP FICTION is OAR on Starz Ondemand even though that station shows that movie cropped!!
oleus
checked out some of the new offerings this weekend -
Tombstone looks horribly cropped, as does Usual Suspects.
HITCH and UNDERWORLD REV. - not OAR but look amazingly sharp and unzoomed, i think they are open-matte.
I love having all the Rocky movies in HD....
PULP FICTION is OAR on Starz Ondemand even though that station shows that movie cropped!!
oleus
So all of the above except Rocky are in SD? Why even bother watching them?
Why do you say they're in SD?
You said they're cropped.
No point debating this, but you may want see non-OAR as not being HD, but calling it SD, which describes the resolution of the image is not accurate IMO. As for open matte, that should certainly be called HD, since quality is not affected by removing the horizontal masks.
You said they're cropped.
they're not in SD, they're HD, but still cropped.
you can crop a 2.35:1 image to 16:9 and it's still techinically HD.
babrown92
12-15-06, 10:07 AM
Encore just added Who Framed Roger Rabbit in HD. Looks fantastic.
Wiseeyez130
12-15-06, 11:09 AM
The on demand services are different depending on what cable service you subscribe to?
So Starz HD ON DEMAND is only available through comcast?
McDonoughDawg
12-15-06, 11:27 AM
Hitch HD On-Demand looked very good the other night on Comcast Atlanta.
just watched THE MATADOR which is new to StarzHD ondemand. i know it's not OAR but it's so sharp and well composed I am guessing it's open matte from the super 35mm frame. anyway, it was one of the best HD transfers I have ever seen and easily equal to the hd-dvd's i've been watching lately. i was blown away! wish starzHD actually looked that good all of the time.....
Marcus Carr
12-19-06, 06:55 PM
Fearnet has Single White Female and Swamp Thing in HD.
babrown92
12-20-06, 09:35 AM
TNT HD added with the Lord of the Rings Trilogy in HD.
Brian Conrad
12-20-06, 03:31 PM
Fearnet has Single White Female and Swamp Thing in HD.
I wonder why they think Signle White Female is a horror film? :D
What the hell is up with the free stuff on OnDemand? OK, if TNT doesn't want to do OAR for the LOTR I can almost understand, but no 5.1? What's the point of that?
It seems in general there is no 5.1 at all on any free OnDemand movies, do any of the PPV OnDemand movies offer a 5.1 soundtrack? I'm sure as hell not going to pay $6 to rent one either way, I'm just curious.
Jose Herrera
12-27-06, 04:16 AM
What the hell is up with the free stuff on OnDemand? OK, if TNT doesn't want to do OAR for the LOTR I can almost understand, but no 5.1? What's the point of that?
It seems in general there is no 5.1 at all on any free OnDemand movies, do any of the PPV OnDemand movies offer a 5.1 soundtrack? I'm sure as hell not going to pay $6 to rent one either way, I'm just curious.
Not sure about the PPV stuff but the Encore I've seen have all been in 5.1.
Not sure about the PPV stuff but the Encore I've seen have all been in 5.1.I knew that, because they're the same transfers as what Star/Encore shows on their HD channel. That's not what I'm asking.
Marcus Carr
01-05-07, 01:53 AM
New movies on Fearnet HD:
Child's Play
Species
Species 2
Species 3
lovingdvd
01-07-07, 04:24 PM
Is all this content under the HDTV main category or is it listed in various places by station or subcategory?
jrusnak
01-07-07, 06:10 PM
Should be able to find it under various designations. You can go the the regular program grid, look for the FearNet channel location, and that will bring up a FearNet HD selection.
Or you can go to ONDEMAND, select FREE MOVIES and select FearNet from there.
Or, go to HD ONDEMAND, then select FREE MOVIES, then select ALL MOVIES.
By the way, these films are not in 5.1 and have a large logo, both stationary and periodically animated. In the case of SPECIES II, it is playing on STARZ HD this month. So, if you wanted to see that film, it might be better to DVR one of those showings, as it is presented in 5.1 and logo-free.
Comcast added "Cartoon Network" section under HD On Demand->TV Entertainment . No listing available yet.
Guns of Navarone 2.35 OAR scope for free. :)
Marcus Carr
01-09-07, 02:41 AM
Comcast added "Cartoon Network" section under HD On Demand->TV Entertainment . No listing available yet.
I have it too. Interesting. Could be a future HD channel for Comcast.
Guns of Navarone 2.35 OAR scope for free. :)
watching that now - nice!!!
Re-Animated just showed up under Cartoon Network HD. I guess this is the first sighting of Cartoon Network HD programming.
lovingdvd
01-12-07, 11:20 AM
Re-Animated just showed up under Cartoon Network HD. I guess this is the first sighting of Cartoon Network HD programming.
Is the material they will be showing on this channel really HD quality or is it just up-converted SD?
ziltomil
01-12-07, 07:45 PM
Is the material they will be showing on this channel really HD quality or is it just up-converted SD? It's real HD
It's real HD
Yup. Not the best quality HD, some pixelation on fast motion scenes, but it is HD :)
Did anyone try watching Pirates of the Caribbean 2? I was playing with TSReader and my Dvico fusion card and caught somebody watching it :). It was OAR, 18.5Mbps, great picture quality. Sound was only 2.0.
Did anyone try watching Pirates of the Caribbean 2?...Sound was only 2.0.
And they're charging for this w/2.0 sound???
Yup. Not the best quality HD, some pixelation on fast motion scenes, but it is HD :)
Did anyone try watching Pirates of the Caribbean 2? I was playing with TSReader and my Dvico fusion card and caught somebody watching it :). It was OAR, 18.5Mbps, great picture quality. Sound was only 2.0.
It's listed in the guide as 5.1
It's listed in the guide as 5.1
I could have been wrong. I thought I saw audio stream in TSReader described as 2.0.
According to this thread it is not 5.1
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=781762
There are a few OnDemand (InDemand?) programs that are listed as 5.1 but aren't. If that's the case w/a pay movie like Pirates, I'd stop watching and call for a refund. I did that once before when the movie was "formatted for time" (in other words, they were charging for a shortened or speeded up version of the movie).
New movies on Fearnet HD:
Child's Play
Species
Species 2
Species 3
Anyone having a problem where it looks like the film is "double letterboxed" ?
I started up Species just a minute ago, and as soon as the beginning credits popped up it appears there are two separate sets of black bars and the aspect ratio is messed up (vertical squash).
Some more new free stuff in the Movieplex category. While You Were Sleeping, Tombstone (cropped), and 2 more 2.35 cropped movies (of course):(.
The interesting thing is they're getting worse on the sound!!! The only thing I can figure is someone from Comcast must be monitoring this forum, because they've gone and taken their 2.0 sound in the Movieplex category and now it's like a weird compressed/matrixed 5.0, even worse than UHD if you can believe it! It's unlistenable! Not that I'd watch your 2.35 cropped crap, but at least for the 1.85 stuff, please go back to the 2.0 mix you had before.:(
Maybe it's a regional issue, but I seriously doubt it.:(
babrown92
01-19-07, 09:45 AM
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is on Encore HD. OAR and it looks amazing.
Marcus Carr
01-21-07, 06:57 AM
Re-Animated just showed up under Cartoon Network HD. I guess this is the first sighting of Cartoon Network HD programming.
Just got it here.
Marcus Carr
01-22-07, 06:00 PM
All but one of my non-free movies are now $3.99. If I could be sure about 5.1 and OAR I might watch some of them.
donetodeath
01-25-07, 10:24 PM
I have the 3250 From comcast, and i have every hd channel, and all the premium ones as well. I just recently upgraded and for awhile my ondemand wasn't working period, it kept returning an error when i went to that channel, but now ondemand is working fine, BUT i cannot seem to find any hd on demand? Is there some sort of reset i need to do, or am i not looking in the right place? I've been through most of the ondemand options, including freemovies, fearnet, starz on demand, etc, yet no hd. Am i missing something, or is it just an error on comcasts part?
I have the 3250 From comcast, and i have every hd channel, and all the premium ones as well. I just recently upgraded and for awhile my ondemand wasn't working period, it kept returning an error when i went to that channel, but now ondemand is working fine, BUT i cannot seem to find any hd on demand? Is there some sort of reset i need to do, or am i not looking in the right place? I've been through most of the ondemand options, including freemovies, fearnet, starz on demand, etc, yet no hd. Am i missing something, or is it just an error on comcasts part?
Where are you located? Check with your local thread in the Local HDTV Info section. Not all areas have HD On Demand yet.
chitchatjf
01-25-07, 11:24 PM
All but one of my non-free movies are now $3.99. If I could be sure about 5.1 and OAR I might watch some of them.
Not in Boston $2 surcharges for all but She's the Man which is coming to cinemax next month.
Some new editions in the free movie category, a Dolph Lundgren movie I've never heard of, and even better in DISC-HD Winged Migration with no commercials! At the even higher bitrate of OnDemand it looks even better than broadcast!
Some other new free programming in the DISC-HD and NATL-GEO and assorted channels as well.
STayfair
01-27-07, 06:48 AM
Some new editions in the free movie category, a Dolph Lundgren movie I've never heard of, and even better in DISC-HD Winged Migration with no commercials! At the even higher bitrate of OnDemand it looks even better than broadcast!
Some other new free programming in the DISC-HD and NATL-GEO and assorted channels as well.
Are all OnDemand HD titles a higher bit rate than their broadcast counterparts?
I have never seen so much excitement over a cartoon channel, I guess were all still young at heart. Now if we could get Captain Kangaroo, Boomtown and Major Mudd in HD I'll be all set. :D
Are all OnDemand HD titles a higher bit rate than their broadcast counterparts?The movies generally are.
DeathOpie
01-27-07, 12:36 PM
I have never seen so much excitement over a cartoon channel, I guess were all still young at heart. Now if we could get Captain Kangaroo, Boomtown and Major Mudd in HD I'll be all set. :D
I actually got up on stage with Major Mudd at Whalom Park a very long time ago. I barely remember the show though. I think I remember one with "Pie" Mckenzie of the Bruins on it. :D
Marcus Carr
01-28-07, 02:53 AM
Sesame Street in HD would be awesome.
You do realize Cartoon Network carries a lot of adult material in their "Adult Swim" block?
Marcus Carr
01-28-07, 01:17 PM
You do realize Cartoon Network carries a lot of adult material in their "Adult Swim" block?
Yes, I watch Trinity Blood, Bleach, and Eureka Seven, as well as Naruto and other Toonami shows.
Marcus Carr
02-05-07, 03:25 AM
Mulan has been added for $3.99.
Marcus Carr
02-08-07, 03:26 AM
I just noticed several recent additions:
An MHD section with two live shows
A Versus section with hunting and NHL
Several more free and pay movies
A few new freebies have been added including an awesome transfer of Cool Runnings, I highly recommend it. Great movie.
Addicted2HD4Now
02-12-07, 08:53 AM
Anyone know if we'll ever see any HD OnDemand from Cinemax again? Since the Star Wars movies ended I haven't seen a single movie for Cinemax HD OnDemand. I only added Cinemax as my second premium channel because it had HD OnDemand and now I'm close to dropping it.
joey_corleone
02-13-07, 10:55 PM
I'm so confused. I live in the Detroit area and have comcast HD. I'm trying to check out the on-demand HD movies, but almost all I've checked out so far have been nothing but 480i picture. I know this first because it looks nowhere near HD quality, and secondly because when my Toshiba 57h83 HDTV gets a 1080i signal it does not allow you to change the picture size (theatre 1, theater 2, theatre 3, full) yet when watching these "HD" on-demand programs I can. While writing this post I have discovered my first actual real HD on demand movie...apparently the benchwarmers is actually true HD. Everything else thusfar is a total fabrication. I guess comcast just relies on the fact the the average Joe won't tell the difference or complain.
I for one am disappointed, can anybody else comment on this. Am I doing something wrong? My Motorolla cable box from comcast is set for 1090i output via DVI. All my regular HD channels look great, but I was really looking forward to 1080i on demand, what a disappointment
- Joey
joey_corleone
02-13-07, 10:58 PM
holy crap, now I'm REALLY confused. Here is what happened....when I was experimenting writing this post I tried "Hitch" from the On Demand --> HD --> Premium Channels --> Starz and it was 480i.
Then I went through the diagnostic screens to verify I was set to 1080i didn't really change anything, now all the sudden I go to the same place and they come through in 1080i !!!
Just to be 100% sure I went to on demand --> HD --> to the free movies section, and tried tombstone, which 20 minutes ago was 480i non anamorphic widescreen, and now poof it is full 1080i
what the heck is going on here, anybody know?
Oh I will also note somewhere in there, I physically unplugged the box and plugged it back in, after which point I had choppy video and audio on every channel for about 15 minutes. I suspect thats a bandwidth issue, as it has to download the guide all at once???
rebkell
02-13-07, 11:02 PM
holy crap, now I'm REALLY confused. Here is what happened....when I was experimenting writing this post I tried "Hitch" from the On Demand --> HD --> Premium Channels --> Starz and it was 480i.
Then I went through the diagnostic screens to verify I was set to 1080i didn't really change anything, now all the sudden I go to the same place and they come through in 1080i !!!
what the heck is going on here lol
I've been having similar problems with my HDMI connection, I've found that if I pause the OnDemand movie that it will straighten out the picture and come back in 1080i, it didn't do this on another box with component outputs, but nearly every HD On Demand movie has done this with the HDMI(which would probably be the same with DVI) But, if I pause the OnDemand and then resume it, it will straighten out and come back as 1080i.
joey_corleone
02-13-07, 11:06 PM
I've been having similar problems with my HDMI connection, I've found that if I pause the OnDemand movie that it will straighten out the picture and come back in 1080i, it didn't do this on another box with component outputs, but nearly every HD On Demand movie has done this with the HDMI(which would probably be the same with DVI) But, if I pause the OnDemand and then resume it, it will straighten out and come back as 1080i.
Rebkell: quite interesting. I have a Toshiba 57h83 HDTV, which only had DVI. Therefore I am using a cable that is HDMI on one end, and DVI on the other. I understand there is absolutely no difference between the 2 as far as picture is concerned, HDMI just carries audio which I'm not using anyway (optical audio out) , but maybe something in the signalling is weird.
I have noticed some minor problems since switching to this HDMI box with the HDMI on one end / DVI on the other end cable. some include
1) if I leave the cable box on 24/7 and just turn the television on/off as I watch tv when I turn the tv on I just have SNOW and the box will not respond. I can power off/on the box with the remote and it comes up fine
2) when I first turn on the box / tv simutaneously with the "all on" button the picture is just black but I get audio. powering off/on the cable box fixes it
any ideas?
rebkell
02-13-07, 11:17 PM
Rebkell: quite interesting. I have a Toshiba 57h83 HDTV, which only had DVI. Therefore I am using a cable that is HDMI on one end, and DVI on the other. I understand there is absolutely no difference between the 2 as far as picture is concerned, HDMI just carries audio which I'm not using anyway (optical audio out) , but maybe something in the signalling is weird.
I have noticed some minor problems since switching to this HDMI box with the HDMI on one end / DVI on the other end cable. some include
1) if I leave the cable box on 24/7 and just turn the television on/off as I watch tv when I turn the tv on I just have SNOW and the box will not respond. I can power off/on the box with the remote and it comes up fine
2) when I first turn on the box / tv simutaneously with the "all on" button the picture is just black but I get audio. powering off/on the cable box fixes it
any ideas?
No, because I've got the same type of problems, I've got a Toshiba 42HL196 with HDMI and it does the same thing, I've been leaving the box on 24x7 myself, tonight I tried to go to an analog station and it kicked in, then everything was ok picture wise, but the sound was gone, I like the HDMI stuff, but I had no problems at all with the component cables, I'm probably going to just go back to component, I have had all kinds of audio problems out of this box also.
joey_corleone
02-13-07, 11:32 PM
No, because I've got the same type of problems, I've got a Toshiba 42HL196 with HDMI and it does the same thing, I've been leaving the box on 24x7 myself, tonight I tried to go to an analog station and it kicked in, then everything was ok picture wise, but the sound was gone, I like the HDMI stuff, but I had no problems at all with the component cables, I'm probably going to just go back to component, I have had all kinds of audio problems out of this box also.
Hey I don't know if this is a fluke or a solution, but it just worked for me: power off from the remote then menu, select -- gets you into the output config as I'm sure you know. I switched the 4:3 setting from 480i to "stretch." I guess when you hook up HDMI/DVI it wants to send a 1080i signal no matter what, unless you change that 4:3 setting to 480i or 480p. In other words, I took out the problem in the middle of it wanting to convert something to 480i at all. Now, this means the cable box completely takes over your 4:3 stretching....your tv will no longer be able to switch between theater 1, 2, 3, and full BECAUSE it is getting an actual 1080i signal from the box at all times...the box is smart enough to crop the SD channels down first though, but still sends them 1080i signalling. Again, anybody can correct me if I'm wrong here, just my guess
Long story short: After doing this my HD movies seem to all be working perfect
the sad thing about this story is that comcast doesn't even want you to know about these config menu's ...and if I called and waited 45 minutes to talk to a "technician" I would have got blown off and they would have sent somebody out here to check my line , or "sent a signal to my box" or replaced my cable box.
- Joey
rebkell
02-13-07, 11:54 PM
Hey I don't know if this is a fluke or a solution, but it just worked for me: power off from the remote then menu, select -- gets you into the output config as I'm sure you know. I switched the 4:3 setting from 480i to "stretch." I guess when you hook up HDMI/DVI it wants to send a 1080i signal no matter what, unless you change that 4:3 setting to 480i or 480p. In other words, I took out the problem in the middle of it wanting to convert something to 480i at all. Now, this means the cable box completely takes over your 4:3 stretching....your tv will no longer be able to switch between theater 1, 2, 3, and full BECAUSE it is getting an actual 1080i signal from the box at all times...the box is smart enough to crop the SD channels down first though, but still sends them 1080i signalling. Again, anybody can correct me if I'm wrong here, just my guess
Long story short: After doing this my HD movies seem to all be working perfect
the sad thing about this story is that comcast doesn't even want you to know about these config menu's ...and if I called and waited 45 minutes to talk to a "technician" I would have got blown off and they would have sent somebody out here to check my line , or "sent a signal to my box" or replaced my cable box.
- Joey
I think I'm just going to get another box from the cable co and see if I have better luck, evidently these boxes are like flipping a coin, I had a good one, but it failed on me, I think the fan went out, and I switched to a 6412 PIII and it's been working fairly well, but it's starting to act up more and more, I guess that's one good thing about cable, you can just go get another box without too much hassle.
joey_corleone
02-14-07, 12:28 AM
Hey, well do what you like but this seems to be the magic bullet for me, and I hope this information can help some other people out there.
I have been sitting here testing since making the change, and every single one is working, whereas before it was simply hit or miss. Good Luck!
- Joey
AlanBuck
02-15-07, 02:48 PM
I'm so confused. I live in the Detroit area and have comcast HD. I'm trying to check out the on-demand HD movies, but almost all I've checked out so far have been nothing but 480i picture. I know this first because it looks nowhere near HD quality, and secondly because when my Toshiba 57h83 HDTV gets a 1080i signal it does not allow you to change the picture size (theatre 1, theater 2, theatre 3, full) yet when watching these "HD" on-demand programs I can. While writing this post I have discovered my first actual real HD on demand movie...apparently the benchwarmers is actually true HD. Everything else thusfar is a total fabrication. I guess comcast just relies on the fact the the average Joe won't tell the difference or complain.
I for one am disappointed, can anybody else comment on this. Am I doing something wrong? My Motorolla cable box from comcast is set for 1090i output via DVI. All my regular HD channels look great, but I was really looking forward to 1080i on demand, what a disappointment
- Joey
The HD movies on demand on Starz were working fine...but in the last few weeks I don't get HD from the allegedly HD version anymore...ugh. Also my brand new 6416 box is already acting flakey. It totally froze when watching a recording show, (that was still on the air live, and watchable in HD off my rabbit ear antenna) and there was no way to watch the final 10 minutes or so via the DVR. Yesterday it said it was 100% when I pushed the record button. It had said it was 47% full 10 minutes before! I erased one 2 hour movie, and then the crazy thing said it was 37% full! I have had FIVE of these Motorola DVR boxes, and every single one has been defective! Comcast totally denies they have problems with these though! Yeah right!
Couch Patato
02-15-07, 03:03 PM
I have had FIVE of these Motorola DVR boxes, and every single one has been defective! Comcast totally denies they have problems with these though! Yeah right!
It's not the Moto boxes that are defective, It's the firmware/software that is decfective. You can get 10 more boxes & you'll have the same problems.
Make a few very short recordings that you can delete if you get the 100% full deal again. That way you won't have to delete & loose anything important or end up watching something that your not ready to.
Have you checked the output rez of the box to see if it's 720p or higher?
AlanBuck
02-15-07, 04:13 PM
It's not the Moto boxes that are defective, It's the firmware/software that is decfective. You can get 10 more boxes & you'll have the same problems.
Make a few very short recordings that you can delete if you get the 100% full deal again. That way you won't have to delete & loose anything important or end up watching something that your not ready to.
Have you checked the output rez of the box to see if it's 720p or higher?
It may be the firmware/software is to blame, but it seems each box has a different set of evil tricks. The box is outputting 1080i according to my Sony SXRD info screen, and the regular HD programs look great. Thanks for the tip to make a short recording that I can delete if it pulls the 100% full game again on me.
Guys, these are all issues with your hardware and have nothing to do with this thread. You should post this in the hardware or the Recorders forum specifically in the thread pertaining to your Motorolla box. These are known bugs in certain firmware versions.
Marcus Carr
02-22-07, 05:37 PM
Jericho has been added in the CBS section. And it's in 5.1
hdflies
03-20-07, 10:02 AM
Showtime has just been added in my area. There're 2 movies and 2 episodes of The Tudors. I dont have Showtime subscription so cant comment on the quality. But I suspect they'd be somewhere similar to starz/encore quality. I really wish they'd use better encoder. From what I've seen from starz, encore, free movies and PPV, they got good bitrate but they kinda use bad encoder (or maybe bad setting? I dont know) and the lack of using telecine flag usually end up with really really bad pixelations during moderate-high motion scenes.
Marcus Carr
03-29-07, 08:17 AM
CSPAN's The Capitol was added today.
babrown92
04-01-07, 10:14 PM
I've read where some people have mentioned having HBO and Cinemax HD OnDemand, is this true?
They removed Starz and HBO OnDemand entirely a few weeks ago here in Tucson. All that remains of the premium channels is Encore and Cinemax, with only Encore having HD movies available.
chitchatjf
04-02-07, 12:55 AM
All but one of my non-free movies are now $3.99. If I could be sure about 5.1 and OAR I might watch some of them.
IN Boston theyre STILL 5.99
jrusnak
04-02-07, 10:35 AM
On-Demand THE DESCENT is OAR and the 5.1 audio is excellent! Great color!
All but one of my non-free movies are now $3.99. If I could be sure about 5.1 and OAR I might watch some of them.
I've read where some people have mentioned having HBO and Cinemax HD OnDemand, is this true?
They removed Starz and HBO OnDemand entirely a few weeks ago here in Tucson. All that remains of the premium channels is Encore and Cinemax, with only Encore having HD movies available.
We still have STARZ HD, and they recently added HBO-HD (with only a couple of short Sopranos promos currently available).
jwebb1970
04-02-07, 03:29 PM
Fresno, CA market has/had Encore, Starz, Cinemax, Showtime and Howard Stern premium HD OnDemand available...last I checked. No sign of HBOHD OnDemand yet.
I've read where some people have mentioned having HBO and Cinemax HD OnDemand, is this true?Yes.
spotdog14
04-03-07, 10:49 AM
any of you guys look at the Free HD-On Demand menu? In the East Lansing MI market at least it is down to one movie now, Cool Runnings which i have watched 3 times now.... lol.
And i subscribe to HBO and Cinemax but i do not have either in HD on the On Demand menu.
GoIrish
04-03-07, 03:42 PM
any of you guys look at the Free HD-On Demand menu? In the East Lansing MI market at least it is down to one movie now, Cool Runnings which i have watched 3 times now.... lol.
And i subscribe to HBO and Cinemax but i do not have either in HD on the On Demand menu.
Maybe a local situation. Here in Baltimore I just counted 14 free HD movies, a bunch more in the regular HD movie category and have both HBO and Cinemax On Demand.
GoIrish
Gary*w*
04-03-07, 04:00 PM
In the Nashville area we had CinemaxHD on demand but it hasn't had any movies since the "Star Wars" movies came off and they recently took it down.
We just started getting HBO HD OnDemand it currently consists of only the "SopranosHD" catogory.
We also just got Showtime HD OnDemand it has about 5 movies right now "Get Rich or Die Tryin'", "An Inconvieniant Truth","Into the Blue", "The Longest Yard" (Adam Sandler version) and "The Pink Panther" (Steve Martin Version). It also has Series catogories for "The Tudors", "Dexter", and "Weeds"
And last but not least we get StarzHD On Demand. It currently has about 15 movies.
jrusnak
04-04-07, 12:09 PM
And don't forget FEARNET-HD. They also have a handful of films, including Carpenter's ESCAPE FROM N.Y.!!
Scarpad
04-08-07, 10:23 PM
I've noticed a bunch of Movies I'd like to see including Escape from NY and Eyes of Laura Mars and Quick and the Dead ! I have'nt really used my On Demand much but I'm gonna start.
A really great The Crow transfer is available for free, OAR and 5.1.
Marcus Carr
04-09-07, 01:00 AM
I wish they would add Encore HD here.
Marcus Carr
04-20-07, 07:39 AM
Encore HD finally added here. Only Herbie: Fully Loaded so far.
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