San Francisco, CA - Comcast [Text View] - Page 16

10-24-07, 05:48 PM

I would have guessed 4. Why would he have to pay an outlet fee if he is not getting a setup box? OTOH, I believe ComCast charges CableCard fees other than for the very first one.

I have a single CableCard, no set-top boxes or DVR's, and I don't pay any HD or outlet charges. I also don't pay any CableCard fees.

An outlet is a digital device, which is either a Comcast box or your own box with CableCard(s). One outlet (primary) is included in the programming fee, which can be either a Comcast box or *ONE* CableCard. Each additional outlet is charged the $6.95 outlet fee. Second CableCard in the same outlet is charged the $1.79 fee.

Since you have only one outlet with one CableCard, there are no additional charges.

10-24-07, 05:52 PM

In my case with a second M-card on a 'second' outlet and no set-top box the fee would then be ??

$6.99 for the second outlet, which includes one CableCard.

mazman49

10-24-07, 05:56 PM

Thanks, that makes sense. Now if I can only get Comcast to agree.

Bill

10-24-07, 06:48 PM

Mikef5, Anyone who has been upgraded,

Did Comcast offer you any special deals to go along with your upgrade?

pappy97

10-24-07, 07:09 PM

Any of you get tired of people in other forums who say, in response to complaints about cable, sat, or u-verse, "FiOS is great." I can't be the only one frustrated that the Silicon Valley has been completed ignored by Verizon for its FiOS rollout, this is the SILICON VALLEY for Christ's sake! Many of us have been dying for better TV and internet (Especially fast 50 MBps service!) and we live in a tech-savvy market with people who will dump cable/sat/u-verse in a heartbeat for FiOS, more so than most other US markets.

As I said in a recent reply to one of those statements:

"It's not available in a lot of markets that frankly it should be by now. That's why when people complain about cable, E*, D*, or U-verse, and someone says, "FiOS is better for both TV and internet, you should get that" it's like rubbing salt into the wound of us who live in places where we can't get FiOS.

And I've said this many times and I'll say it again, it makes no sense whatsoever that a tech-savvy "wealthy" market like the Silicon Valley is completely ignored by Verizon FiOS, and I don't give a sh** who the local telco is. Infrastructure means nothing, what does mean something is how much money you can make in a market and Verizon would literally print money by going to Silicon Valley, and BTW, they have a CA statewide franchise license so they can."

clau

10-24-07, 07:20 PM

pappy97

10-24-07, 07:30 PM

Well, Sunnyvale is the center of Silicon Valley, and we're stuck with 550MHz plants :(.

Good point as this too makes no sense.

For example, forgetting that Apple is based here (I think it matters little as to sales), do Apple products such as Macs and iphones sell better here or say, Alexandria, VA?

I would suspect that hands down they sell better here because of the tech-savviness and wealth in Silicon Valley, yet Alexandria has better cable options AND FiOS.

Don't these companies (Verizon and Comcrap to be specific) realize how much money there is to be made here? It simply boggles the mind that some rural areas with, for the most part, poor and uneducated people have better access to FiOS than those of us Silicon Valley, the birthplace of much of the technology used in FiOS (or at least the grandparents of the tech used). I thought these corporations have a duty to make money for their shareholders, and it seems like trying to make sure every farmer in Northern Virginia or middle of nowhere Texas has access to FiOS over the SV is a violation of that duty.

wanderance

10-24-07, 08:47 PM

Good point as this too makes no sense.

For example, forgetting that Apple is based here (I think it matters little as to sales), do Apple products such as Macs and iphones sell better here or say, Alexandria, VA?

I would suspect that hands down they sell better here because of the tech-savviness and wealth in Silicon Valley, yet Alexandria has better cable options AND FiOS.

Don't these companies (Verizon and Comcrap to be specific) realize how much money there is to be made here? It simply boggles the mind that some rural areas with, for the most part, poor and uneducated people have better access to FiOS than those of us Silicon Valley, the birthplace of much of the technology used in FiOS (or at least the grandparents of the tech used). I thought these corporations have a duty to make money for their shareholders, and it seems like trying to make sure every farmer in Northern Virginia or middle of nowhere Texas has access to FiOS over the SV is a violation of that duty.

Something everyone is missing is getting the technology rock solid before launching to an audience that will use it to it's fullest capacity. If Verizon were to launch FiOS in the Bay Area without making sure it is rock solid, it will end up costing them more than it is worth. Also many of these areas they are launching in aren't as built up and therefore it is easier to lay down new fiber, etc. When you are dealing with communities that have been there 50 years (or some for much longer) with some very strict laws regarding putting things underground on poles, etc. it can ended up costing you a ton.

There is no way Verizon and Comcast don't realize they would get great uptake rate, but they are looking at it from how much money can they make in the end and that is how they are planning.

Bill

10-24-07, 09:14 PM

It doesn't matter what provider one has, at this time we are paying way too much for simple channel delivery. The content on the channels is where the worth is. Eventually we will get everything for the price of internet. Our grandchilldren will say "you paid HOW MUCH for video delivery?"

raghu1111

10-24-07, 09:22 PM

Thanks, that makes sense. Now if I can only get Comcast to agree.

Try local Comcast office, ask them for the sheet explaining the charge (if you didn't have one with you). Usually, if the person at the desk doesn't know, she knows how to get hold of the right people. I have had good experience with the my local office.

tskrainar

10-24-07, 10:12 PM

Something everyone is missing is getting the technology rock solid before launching to an audience that will use it to it's fullest capacity. If Verizon were to launch FiOS in the Bay Area without making sure it is rock solid, it will end up costing them more than it is worth.

Not to mention the fact that the labor costs for rolling out new infrastructure are much higher here than your average Podunkaville, BFE. If a company is going to test out brand new tech, hands-down they're going to do it somewhere cheaper.

MikeSM

10-24-07, 10:13 PM

Verizon isn't the phone company of silicon valley. Instead we have to suffer with AT&T. :-( Verizon and AT&T don't compete in the phone company arena. They never overbuild each other. So you get one or the other. But hey, it could be worse - Qwest is awful.

As for why Comcast doesn't do anything exceptional here, well, it's because they don't have to. What is AT&T doing? U-verse? Give me a break. If AT&T were doing a 20/2 IP service, Comcast could match that. But since the best you get from AT&T is 6 Mbps, Comcast doesn't have to work very hard to do better than that.

Since all there is is the duopoly, unless someone does something creative, we don't get much innovation. The last time that happened was when cable did broadband internet, when PacBell only had ISDN to offer. But they did that because they hoped it would help them compete against DBS since DBS was all digital and at the time, cable didn't have much digital content at all.

Such is life... Now if a few cities started laying fiber... Well, that might change things...

Thanks,
mike

Dospac

10-24-07, 11:51 PM

Gawd I wish we had FIOS here but it's like MikeSM said.. I'd pay 2x what they charge currently for their inet @ those speeds. And I'd switch TV service too! I feel your pain. :|

MikeSM

10-25-07, 01:22 AM

Gawd I wish we had FIOS here but it's like MikeSM said.. I'd pay 2x what they charge currently for their inet @ those speeds. And I'd switch TV service too! I feel your pain. :|

Well, if Comcast can't get competitive with DirecTV for HD, they certainly can with HSI. If they did a 16/2 tier here they way they do in FIOS markets, I bet a bunch of folks would stay with Comcast for video... Maybe they'll realize this and get off their keister.

Thanks,
Mike

pappy97

10-25-07, 03:57 AM

Gawd I wish we had FIOS here but it's like MikeSM said.. I'd pay 2x what they charge currently for their inet @ those speeds. And I'd switch TV service too! I feel your pain. :|

Thanks...what is crazy is that not only does FiOS have a 50 Mbps d\l speed, they are now rolling out 20 down/20 up, yes 20 up. and I just read that it is being offered at $65 month.

$65 month for 20 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up? Are you freaking kidding me?

And to the person who mentioned that Comcast could bring faster internet here as they do in markets with FiOS, that's the thing , without FiOS they don't need to compete and they are the fastest game in town, so it makes financial sense to give us our 6 Mbps (yes I used to think it was fast, but now there is more and us tech-savvy wealthy types should have it) and not do much to change it.

FiOS is really frustrating because not only do we think their TV service is great, but also internet.

Honestly at this rate I cannot imagine Verizon FiOS or a similar service coming to the SF Bay Area in my lifetime (and I'm 28 so I hope there is a long life there), I just don't see it happening and that is what so annoying. It's not like I am going to move for TV or internet (although I have refused to move because I didn't have a place for my Starchoice Canadian sat dish :D), but my hometown of Fremont, CA was one of the first test-markets for cable internet in the country (@home) and that made sense because of it's tech-savviness, but to never see FTTP services ever in my lifetime in Silicon Valley is quite depressing. :mad:, then :(

P.S. The only "city" I've heard of that laid fiber in Northern California (besides Sacramento in which I think Surewest offers FTTP services) is the planned community of Mountain House, CA just outside Tracy, but MH rivals Stockton for foreclosures these days and isn't really a part of the Bay Area.

P.P.S. Fine, forget Verizon FiOS for a second. What about Surewest? Why do parts of the cow town metro of Sacramento have FTTP, including the TV and internet services we drool over, and not us? Can't Surewest expand to the Bay Area? Surewest is the only company in the US that offers 50 up and 50 down for residential service.

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/AQTU25923102007-1.htm

kevini

10-25-07, 11:57 AM

P.S. The only "city" I've heard of that laid fiber in Northern California (besides Sacramento in which I think Surewest offers FTTP services) is the planned community of Mountain House, CA just outside Tracy, but MH rivals Stockton for foreclosures these days and isn't really a part of the Bay Area.

P.P.S. Fine, forget Verizon FiOS for a second. What about Surewest? Why do parts of the cow town metro of Sacramento have FTTP, including the TV and internet services we drool over, and not us? Can't Surewest expand to the Bay Area? Surewest is the only company in the US that offers 50 up and 50 down for residential service.

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/AQTU25923102007-1.htm

Ahh the irony. AT&T is just doing too well in the Bay Area to need to upgrade as far at they think. THey are looking at today and not long term. Verizon's long term planning is actually quite refreshing. I wish more US companies were thinking this way. Specially in Telecoms where the have the rest of the world to learn from....

BTW AT&T does do fiber to the premise in new developments in the Bay Area. Not that anybody can affort those.... And since it is such a small percentage the service will probably be the same just over fiber instead of copper.

My 0.02

Kevin

MikeSM

10-25-07, 12:07 PM

Ahh the irony. AT&T is just doing too well in the Bay Area to need to upgrade as far at they think. THey are looking at today and not long term. Verizon's long term planning is actually quite refreshing. I wish more US companies were thinking this way. Specially in Telecoms where the have the rest of the world to learn from....

BTW AT&T does do fiber to the premise in new developments in the Bay Area. Not that anybody can affort those.... And since it is such a small percentage the service will probably be the same just over fiber instead of copper.

My 0.02

Kevin

If you really want AT&T to do what Verizon is doing in terms of FTTH, the answer is pretty simple. We as consumers must not buy u-verse, and must drop their voice services for Comcast or other players. You can keep DSL as long as you only pay the promo price. That way they make little money from the DSL service, but have to maintain it and the outside plant. Oh yeah, call once or twice a month when it hiccups to increase customer care cost.

If everyone did this, AT&T would be forced to make the bet on fiber, or be out of business.

Thanks,
Mike

Derek87

10-25-07, 12:51 PM

hi all, i can't say this is necessary a Comcast problem, but i wanted to see if anyone has had any problems with recording unencrypted QAM data from NBC recently. i'm cross-posting below what i wrote to the Mac forum, but i thought it would be useful to post here too just in case it is a comcast, nbc issue and/or something to do with signal strength and someone has had this happen before, whether with the same equipment/software or not:

I don't know if anyone has this problem and what the cause of (i'm trying to work on it with Miglia, but hope i can resolve it sooner rather than later):

equipment:
Miglia Mini HD
Powermac G5 dual
3 gb RAM

software:
EyeTV 2.5

other:
Comcast cable

problem:
twice in a row now, i've had two recording glitch on me. Monday, when i recorded Heroes, i checked afterward and got a 45 minute recording when it should have been 1:00 or 1:01. when i replayed the recording, it looked like the first 25 minutes or so was "somewhat jibberish" as if it was recorded at 1.5 speed or something with missing frames and clipped audio...after this, the rest of the recording seemed fine. my recording last night of Bionic Woman had the same sort of problem (although i haven't had time to inspect in detail to see where and when it glitched) but the hour long recording ended up being only 32 minutes long!

in both cases, fortunately, i watched the shows live on my TV where i saw zero problems (so i'm doubtful this is a cable issue).

i wrote Miglia after the first occurence and the suggestion i received this morning was to try to downgrade to Elgato2.3.3. i'll do that this weekend when i have time, but it seems a bit iffy a solution considering thigns worked fine until this monday. (in fact, prior to Monday's recording of Heroes, Prison Break recorded its full hour worth of material just fine).

any thoughts/comments/common experiences/suggestions?

thanks!

keenan

10-25-07, 01:16 PM

hi all, i can't say this is necessary a Comcast problem, but i wanted to see if anyone has had any problems with recording unencrypted QAM data from NBC recently.

Possibly related although it's hard to say as different software seems to handle things differently, but, when I record KNTV using Sage and a HDHR, when transcoding from TS to PS I get huge video/audio sync errors using VideoReDo. For some reason that station always seems to have the most issues for me. When viewing on the TiVo S3 I've been getting some random pixelation, this is with recordings made and played back on S3.

I've been trying to diagnose the problem and I believe it's related to signal quality/signal strength on my incoming cable, but Comcast was out here Friday and said the signal was fine, what ever that means, I didn't get the numbers. Comcast was supposed to call me Sunday with a guy who is very familiar with the S3's but he never called and subsequent calls to Comcast put me through waiting queues and I gave up for the time being.

kevini

10-25-07, 01:24 PM

If you really want AT&T to do what Verizon is doing in terms of FTTH, the answer is pretty simple. We as consumers must not buy u-verse, and must drop their voice services for Comcast or other players. You can keep DSL as long as you only pay the promo price. That way they make little money from the DSL service, but have to maintain it and the outside plant. Oh yeah, call once or twice a month when it hiccups to increase customer care cost.

If everyone did this, AT&T would be forced to make the bet on fiber, or be out of business.

Thanks,
Mike

Agreed 100%, this is the #1 reason I will not even look at U-verse. It is short term stop gap. They can argue that DSL will keep getting faster but the amount they will spend on upgrading the equipment and splitting the network they might as well do FTTH or at least FTTP.

The only way they will see their decision is wrong is by U-verse failing which if you look at the current numbers it looks like it is. It is early days of course.

Verizon's FIOS TV initial numbers on the other hand are very good but they are competing with Time Warner Cable in a lot of markets......

Kevin

keenan

10-25-07, 01:32 PM

Derek87

10-25-07, 01:50 PM

hey thanks for the response to my other post.

i did peek at my signal strength this morning on KNTV (703) and it was about 97 this morning...i have no clue what it was when it tried to record Heroes or Bionic Woman this week...

odd stuff. (i should have been clearer in my original post though: the set that i watched these shows without any problem on is using a Moto 6200 box)

i'll be curious to hear what other people respond regarding your query. i'll keep an eye on things on my end. (i will downgrade my softare as suggested, but i'm skeptical...)

Related to my last post, I need some help from any S3 owners out there. Could you list your signal strength, SNR and if you have any RS uncorrected errors for the local broadcast stations?

When I first got the S3 I was getting SS numbers in the low 90's, now I'm getting high 70's to low 80's. I never checked the RS numbers until recently so I don't know what they were reading back then, but now, especially KNTV, I get huge RS uncorrected numbers and that's the station I seem to have the most problem with random pixelation.

Since Comcast has already said the signal is fine I'm trying to see how it compares to others in the bay area and if possible the tuner(s) in the S3 are going south(although I doubt it, if they were going to go bad I think they would have done it quite some time ago).

Mikef5, this is something you might pass on to Mr. J. First, the tech that came out was talking crap about the TiVo from the minute he got here, they're a big problem, blah, blah. I ignored it, but then he said he would have someone who was familiar with the S3 call me on Sunday. I said great. They never called, I called back finally on Wed, chose the option of getting a callback instead of waiting on the line. The call back came and it's an automated voice telling I'm now in a waiting queue for my call to answered. That's ridiculous, if you're not ready to talk to me, don't call until you are.

This reminds of the time a year or so ago, I went to the office, twice, and they said they would have a supervisor call me on a problem/question they could not answer satisfactorily. I'm still waiting for that call...

It's this sort of crappy customer service that makes me rather have a root canal done than have to call Comcast for anything other than buying more programming, that they seem to handle pretty well.

bobby94928

10-25-07, 03:04 PM

For you Santa Rosa folks, and especially Jim. It looks like you're getting closer. Cable Com trucks are on Petaluma Hill Rd between Kawana Springs and Aston placing new facilities. They are also on Brookwood between 3rd St. and 5th St. They're gearing up rapidly. I think they are building the back bone. When that's complete they just need to connect the veins to the arteries.

MikeSM

10-25-07, 03:08 PM

Related to my last post, I need some help from any S3 owners out there. Could you list your signal strength, SNR and if you have any RS uncorrected errors for the local broadcast stations?

When I first got the S3 I was getting SS numbers in the low 90's, now I'm getting high 70's to low 80's. I never checked the RS numbers until recently so I don't know what they were reading back then, but now, especially KNTV, I get huge RS uncorrected numbers and that's the station I seem to have the most problem with random pixelation.

Since Comcast has already said the signal is fine I'm trying to see how it compares to others in the bay area and if possible the tuner(s) in the S3 are going south(although I doubt it, if they were going to go bad I think they would have done it quite some time ago).

Mikef5, this is something you might pass on to Mr. J. First, the tech that came out was talking crap about the TiVo from the minute he got here, they're a big problem, blah, blah. I ignored it, but then he said he would have someone who was familiar with the S3 call me on Sunday. I said great. They never called, I called back finally on Wed, chose the option of getting a callback instead of waiting on the line. The call back came and it's an automated voice telling I'm now in a waiting queue for my call to answered. That's ridiculous, if you're not ready to talk to me, don't call until you are.

This reminds of the time a year or so ago, I went to the office, twice, and they said they would have a supervisor call me on a problem/question they could not answer satisfactorily. I'm still waiting for that call...

It's this sort of crappy customer service that makes me rather have a root canal done than have to call Comcast for anything other than buying more programming, that they seem to handle pretty well.

Ouch. Uncorrectable errors should never happen. This means that you are getting hits on the plant so bad that the FEC is not able to fix it. This is not a problem with the feed, since the FEC is generated at the entry point to the Comcast network, not at the broadcast source (which doesn't use QAM).

Are you sure nothing has happened with your internal wiring that has created a problem? Can you move the S3 to the feed to the house temporarily and see if the problem is coming from the network or in your house wiring?

Do you have a Comcast STB? If so, you can run a diagnostic on it and see if it is seeing uncorrectable errors as well. BTW, the standard wavetek's that comcast techs have should be able to tune and verify FEC errors just by plugging in and picking a station to look at. Again, you should never see uncorrectable errors. This is completely unacceptable performance that no MSO engineer would tolerate if it's coming from the plant.

Thanks,
Mike

That Don Guy

10-25-07, 03:17 PM

This may sound like a stupid question, but is there going to be a point in time when Comcast is going to fix the digital stations' channel numbers - and if not, then what is the purpose of, say, a DVD recorder with a digital tuner that doesn't have CableCARD support?

-- Don

keenan

10-25-07, 03:47 PM

Ouch. Uncorrectable errors should never happen. This means that you are getting hits on the plant so bad that the FEC is not able to fix it. This is not a problem with the feed, since the FEC is generated at the entry point to the Comcast network, not at the broadcast source (which doesn't use QAM).

Are you sure nothing has happened with your internal wiring that has created a problem? Can you move the S3 to the feed to the house temporarily and see if the problem is coming from the network or in your house wiring?

Do you have a Comcast STB? If so, you can run a diagnostic on it and see if it is seeing uncorrectable errors as well. BTW, the standard wavetek's that comcast techs have should be able to tune and verify FEC errors just by plugging in and picking a station to look at. Again, you should never see uncorrectable errors. This is completely unacceptable performance that no MSO engineer would tolerate if it's coming from the plant.

Thanks,
Mike

The feed is a straight shot from the pole. It's split once, one feed direct to the S3, the other to an HDHR. I have an amp and have put it in the line and it doesn't seem to make any difference. The odd thing is, it appears to be only the local HD channels with the bad numbers, Disc-HD and ESPN-HD have 90 readings.

I believe the HDHR is seeing the same thing as when watching live TV every once in a while the signal will get so screwed up it's actually caused a re-boot of the PC. Which reminds me, I should take a look at the log for the HDHR as it should have some data concerning the signal.

The pixelations manifest a bit differently between the HDHR and the S3, the S3 has actual pixelation sometimes whereas the HDHR will have maybe just a brief flash in an area of the image, both always seem to coincide.

I can also go for hours with no RS-unc. on most channels, although KNTV will always seem to put some numbers up, it's almost as if the signal from KNTV is different than the other 4.

gtree10

10-25-07, 04:23 PM

P.P.S. Fine, forget Verizon FiOS for a second. What about Surewest? Why do parts of the cow town metro of Sacramento have FTTP, including the TV and internet services we drool over, and not us? Can't Surewest expand to the Bay Area? Surewest is the only company in the US that offers 50 up and 50 down for residential service.

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/AQTU25923102007-1.htm
Because Surewest used to be called Roseville Telephone Company (Roseville is NW of the "cow town" :rolleyes:). I'm actually in the Surewest telephone area and I don't have access to IP FTTP. Surewest is a small company (so its probably not going to expand into different markets) which purchased a company going out of business post internet bust called Winfirst. Winfirst had laid fiber in a couple of neighborhoods before it ran out of cash and was purchased by Surewest.
http://sacramento.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2002/06/03/story5.html

Not everything is rosy with Surewest's TV service:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=595552

I wouldn't necessarily call this a cow town when it comes to high tech. HP, NEC, Oracle, Apple and Intel all have major operations in the area.

JasonQG

10-25-07, 05:13 PM

sanne

10-25-07, 05:30 PM

:D

:):):D:D:D:D:D

10-25-07, 05:42 PM

When I first got the S3 I was getting SS numbers in the low 90's, now I'm getting high 70's to low 80's. I never checked the RS numbers until recently so I don't know what they were reading back then, but now, especially KNTV, I get huge RS uncorrected numbers and that's the station I seem to have the most problem with random pixelation.

I have experienced the same thing with KNTV in the past few weeks (Mountain View). Other local HD channels are much better than KNTV. KQED (117-2) is one RF channel higher than KNTV (116-1), and KQED is fine. S/N for KNTV is around 31-32dB, while other channels are around 34-35dB.

keenan

10-25-07, 07:08 PM

I have experienced the same thing with KNTV in the past few weeks (Mountain View). Other local HD channels are much better than KNTV. KQED (117-2) is one RF channel higher than KNTV (116-1), and KQED is fine. S/N for KNTV is around 31-32dB, while other channels are around 34-35dB.

Yeah, something is not right, my S/N runs about 32-33 for all the locals, and the strength reading fluctuates as well, on KNTV it goes from 72-81. I know those signal strength meters are not ideal indicators, but I don't think it should be fluctuating that much in a matter of a few seconds.

The weirdness with KNTV might be because I believe Comcast gets that signal from OTA being that KNTV transmits from San Bruno, while the rest are fiber from Sutro Tower.

The tech did write some numbers down on work order.

QAM63 - 6.8
QAM75 - 4.9
QAM76 - 3.9

63 is KPIX and KTVU, I think, and 76 is Disc-HD, but I don't remember what 75 is, in fact I don't think there is a channel there, maybe music channels. 76 is KNTV and the other 2, KGO and KQED are at 67.

nickybo

10-26-07, 01:10 AM

So I went to the comcast office and switched over to the DCH3416. So far it seems quite a bit better than the DCT3412 I had, it seems to have a better response time and much less command backup so far. Also, On Demand was turned on a few days ago for me, which has been fun to try out. But something strange has started happening when watching on demand. It seems to be happening for a certain TLC show (don't make me say it!). So a few seconds after the show starts, my speakers make a big boom/pop noise and the receiver punts out to flashing red light standby mode (Onkyo HT-S790 system). Luckily after hitting the power everything is fine and there doesn't seem to be any problem with the audio. I experimented and tried starting the show with the sound muted (by the receiver), and then unmute a few minutes in. When I unmuted there was no sound, but then a few seconds later a pop again, but this time the receiver didn't turn off and the audio was back. Another time I had to turn off the DCH before the audio came back. Update: it also happens at the end of the show, maybe there's a big spike of noise at the beginning and end?

Has anyone had any problems remotely similar to this?

Oh yeah, another question, I thought there was some talk of the DCH having better SD PQ? The box came with 4:3 Override set to Off, and it looked just as horrible as before. Switching it to 480i is more acceptable. Is there some other setting or anything else that I could try?

Thanks in advance for any help!

zalusky

10-26-07, 11:22 AM

Possibly related although it's hard to say as different software seems to handle things differently, but, when I record KNTV using Sage and a HDHR, when transcoding from TS to PS I get huge video/audio sync errors using VideoReDo. For some reason that station always seems to have the most issues for me. When viewing on the TiVo S3 I've been getting some random pixelation, this is with recordings made and played back on S3.

I've been trying to diagnose the problem and I believe it's related to signal quality/signal strength on my incoming cable, but Comcast was out here Friday and said the signal was fine, what ever that means, I didn't get the numbers. Comcast was supposed to call me Sunday with a guy who is very familiar with the S3's but he never called and subsequent calls to Comcast put me through waiting queues and I gave up for the time being.

I am in Cupertino and my Comcast HD signal for NBC = 703 is usually the worst of the local channels. Last night during ER it would flash in and out.

And guess what the roof antenna signal is also pretty bad.

Me thinks KNTV needs to get there act together.

Dbower

10-26-07, 11:29 AM

Grandude

10-26-07, 12:10 PM

Same here in Windsor (Larkfield area) - ER picture was jumping in and out. Extremely annoying. What's odd is that the audio didn't cut out; it kept going as the video flashed to black for a second or so. -Dave
I had it too last night watching ER but I was on Dish Network at the time so I quess we can't blame Comcast this time.

pappy97

10-26-07, 03:55 PM

Dbower

10-26-07, 04:37 PM

There was some talk if improved HD PQ, which I think is true. SD still sucks on DCH boxes, and as you've probably noticed by now, we still can't switch output resolutions on the fly or simply have passthrough native resolution, which is still my biggest gripe about the Motorola boxes.

To equal (or exceed) that very valid gripe - the lack of on the fly close caption (which just about every cheepo TV can do) and the incredibly variable remote response times (sometimes minutes!).

Only three things to start to make the STB acceptable. C'mon Comcast/Mot - you can surely handle these with the next FW upgrade!

What if I say please?

Please!

-Dave

keenan

10-26-07, 05:02 PM

Same here in Windsor (Larkfield area) - ER picture was jumping in and out. Extremely annoying. What's odd is that the audio didn't cut out; it kept going as the video flashed to black for a second or so.

-Dave

That's a semi-regular thing with some NBC programs, that black screen with audio. I just chalk it up to NBC still doesn't know what they are doing when it comes to HD. What I'm experiencing is something different.

Dragunov1

10-26-07, 08:30 PM

hiker

10-26-07, 08:38 PM

Sunnyvale HD Channel Line Up (Supposed to roll out 11/15) according to latest brochure.
...Looks like there're adding 3? USA, HGTV, History

kevini

10-26-07, 08:40 PM

And 750 - Discovery - HD

nikeykid

10-26-07, 08:48 PM

Looks like there're adding 3? USA, HGTV, History

per mike, we're all getting the new channels on 11/15

diskus

10-27-07, 08:25 AM

This Los Gatoan is very jealous

siouxmoux

10-27-07, 04:54 PM

No Food Network HD, Science Channel HD?? I guest next round when Comcast will add new Channels HD additions in December Food HD and Science Channel HD will come then.

MikeSM

10-27-07, 08:22 PM

:):):D:D:D:D:D

No Food Network HD, Science Channel HD?? I guest next round when Comcast will add new Channels HD additions in December Food HD and Science Channel HD will come then.

I'm not sure they have enough capacity to add them. Other markets already carry them, so its not a contractual issue.

thx
mike

Tom Koegel

10-28-07, 12:14 PM

I haven't been paying that much attention to college football this season (may have something to do with being a Notre Dame grad), but surfed through a couple of broadcasts yesterday--provoking a question. I saw bits and pieces of the USC-Oregon and Cal-ASU games on FSN-BA yesterday, and the video compression on the broadcasts seemed pretty extreme. Lots of mosquito noise around the moving players. Is this just a symptom of Fox production values or something related to the Comcast bandwidth?

Of course, whatever they produce is better than the pathetic ABC/ESPN production of Nebraska-Texas in low def. And what's the deal with the studio show being in low def--ABC can't afford a high def camera for the studio?

nikeykid

10-28-07, 01:52 PM

fender4645

10-28-07, 03:13 PM

Comcast takes another (minor) step towards SDV w/ agreement with Moto.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12038736#post12038736

snidely

10-28-07, 09:18 PM

You are right that having KRON-HD is not even a small advantage. But having KQED-HD, IMO, is a big advantage over DirecTV, especially for those of us that cannot receive it OTA.

Last I looked no U.S. sat. service carries any PBS HD. The Canadian companies BEV and Starchoice have carried them for years, since HD was available. BEV has carried 2 feeds - Boston and Seattle.
I sure can't figure out why U.S. (DISH and D*) don't offer PBS HD.
I got BEV when HD was in its infancy. Unfortunately, in the last couple years we have lost signal on a number of channels since they are now making use of a couple of junkyard birds that can't cover both U.S. and Canada.

...mike

fender4645

10-28-07, 09:40 PM

After living in our current place for 8 years, we're moving to a different part of the Bay Area. Because the last time we moved, AT&T was the cable operator du jour, I have no idea how Comcast handles cable runs to rooms that are not currently wired. Does Comcast do this? Do they charge anything? Do they do a decent job or is it recommended I do this myself? (I'd rather not but will do it if necessary). We need 3 rooms connected, all are pretty accessible from outside runs.

Any thoughs/comments/suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!

kevini

10-29-07, 12:37 AM

snidely

10-29-07, 12:38 AM

I believe DirecTV will eventually carry KQED digital channels, just like they will eventually carry all the local stations. At this point I think it's more a matter of priority, they're still adding the major nets in more and more markets currently and when that is done they'll probably come back through and add the secondary stations. I would guess that KBCW will show up on D* the same time KQED does. It's most likely a case of transponder juggling(large markets vs small markets) and contracts with the stations.

I'm not championing one service over the other, but I'm extremely disappointed that Comcast has dragged it's feet so badly, knowing for years that DirecTV would be flooding the market with HD very soon. Now they have and the Comcast offering is utterly pathetic in comparison, and doesn't look to be improved upon possibly until as late as winter 2008.
Keenan - About 3 years ago the D* reps at CES said that NO plans were in the works to add to the few HD channels they then had. DISH was way ahead of them in adding channels and an HD DVR. At least Comcast had an HD DVR coming out, if not many channels.
Since D* didn't seem to be doing much in HD I guess Comcast didn't feel threatened.
We got Comcast w. their HD DVR a couple years ago - intended to be temporary until D* upgraded. I am now satisfied w. Comcast and will finally drop our non-DVR BEV (Canadian) system and maybe drop our non HD D* service w. its lst generation box.

...mike (who has been away for a month)

fender4645

10-29-07, 12:55 AM

Thanks, Kevini. Coming in from the outside shouldn't be an issue -- all 3 rooms are on the same side of the house that the cable comes in the from the street. I'll deal with fishing the cable at some point.

cperalt1

10-29-07, 02:24 AM

Does anyone here have just limited basic and digital plus as there package? Moving to new location and would rather not have to pay the extra for the expanded basic since I don't watch those channels

hiker

10-29-07, 09:47 AM

Does anyone here have just limited basic and digital plus as there package? Moving to new location and would rather not have to pay the extra for the expanded basic since I don't watch those channelsI have Limited Basic and Digital Classic. Digital Plus is just one step above Digital Classic so that should work but YMMV. Keep in mind that some of the local offices, like mine, say that adding a digital pkg to Limited can't be done. I got Digital Classic added over the phone. A rented DVR is not usually possible with just Limited.

Wendek

10-29-07, 01:42 PM

That Don Guy

10-29-07, 03:04 PM

Comcast does do runs, they charge a token fee of $26 or something close to that. However they do not fish wires through walls or go in attics so you end up will all the cables on the outside of the house.....When I had cable added to a room, they drilled a hole through a wall, split the cable that was already there, and ran it into the room where I wanted it. Running it outside of the house would have been a problem, as they would have had to run it from the back of the house to the front and two stories up from the source.

-- Don

nikeykid

10-30-07, 02:17 PM

i know i should be looking at tivocommunity forums too but my tivoHD has been having those infamous "pixelation" issues; but only on certain channels. when i first got it, TNTHD was pixelating massively and then it disappeared all of the sudden on its own. well it's returned again, this time attacking my ESPN2HD. any idea what's going on?

10-30-07, 02:49 PM

Have you checked the signal strength, S/N ratio, etc.?

clau

10-30-07, 05:57 PM

NBA League Pass Question.

Does anyone know whether NBA League Pass is available in HD on Comcast for those select games? I'm in Sunnyvale 94087, still waiting for the upgrade, and with the season starting tomorrow according to the Comcast rep on the phone, I am very interested in subscribing. Do you know whether I need to wait for the upgrade to complete first before we can get NBA League Pass? And finally, can I get that with Basic Limited and Digital Classic only? TIA.

The Comcast rep seemed to be clueless. He said that I can order the League Pass starting tomorrow, but not today. He said that it will be on channels 400 something (which means no HD). He can't tell me whether we need to have the upgraded network before we can receive it.

rsra13

10-30-07, 06:40 PM

I don't think they have NBA League Pass in HD.

Comcast only have HD channels in the 700s. No MLB pass HD, no PPV HD, no Boxing PPV in HD, you get the idea.

smthrsd

10-30-07, 07:36 PM

they sure dont. My friends on Direct tv with NBA and NHL passes also enjoy the games in HD . I have been a 20 year Viacom/TCI/Comcast customer yet things seem to have me now leaning about moving to Direct Tv .
Any news on the folowing?

1-FilmUpdate if possible on Moto box for Native passthrough option, and other controller box issues. Slow, freeze. ectt.
2- More HD options, with direct tv at 65 now, how long will it take for comcast to catch up.I am awhare of the new add ons Nov 15 or so but 3 is not 60 plus.
3- Sports league passes in HD.

btwyx

10-30-07, 07:49 PM

kerz

10-30-07, 11:00 PM

Aieeeeeeee. Tivo's already done my channel rearranging for me for the HD changes. Alas, half of the channels now don't work.

dailowai

10-31-07, 02:08 AM

Has anyone ever been successful of picking up cablecards from a comcast office?

rsra13

10-31-07, 03:27 AM

so how's everybody HD after the 5.6? ;)

My wife called her mom in Santa Rosa and she said they didn't fell anything there.

pappy97

10-31-07, 04:03 AM

Last I looked no U.S. sat. service carries any PBS HD. The Canadian companies BEV and Starchoice have carried them for years, since HD was available. BEV has carried 2 feeds - Boston and Seattle.
I sure can't figure out why U.S. (DISH and D*) don't offer PBS HD.
I got BEV when HD was in its infancy. Unfortunately, in the last couple years we have lost signal on a number of channels since they are now making use of a couple of junkyard birds that can't cover both U.S. and Canada.

...mike

Starchoice reception in the Bay Area is excellent and will remain that way by the way, in fact, Starchoice does not discourage "snowbirds," Canadians who go down south for winter but still want their Canadian DBS programming.

Sincerely,
Satisfied Starchoice customer (Who also has comcrap) who uses Starchoice to timeshift east coast network HD, and get more hockey coverage (especially postseason when I get to see Sharks road playoff games in HD that aren't aired here in HD), and get extra NFL games on sunday (on CTV and various HD/SD network feeds) without coughing up money for NFL-ST (which I can't get on DirecTV, but Starchoice has it, dirt cheap too, but no NFL-ST HD).

clau

10-31-07, 01:02 PM

Starchoice reception in the Bay Area is excellent and will remain that way by the way, in fact, Starchoice does not discourage "snowbirds," Canadians who go down south for winter but still want their Canadian DBS programming.

Sincerely,
Satisfied Starchoice customer (Who also has comcrap) who uses Starchoice to timeshift east coast network HD, and get more hockey coverage (especially postseason when I get to see Sharks road playoff games in HD that aren't aired here in HD), and get extra NFL games on sunday (on CTV and various HD/SD network feeds) without coughing up money for NFL-ST (which I can't get on DirecTV, but Starchoice has it, dirt cheap too, but no NFL-ST HD).

How do you get StarChoice in the US? You need to get the stuff in Canada and then bring them over to have someone install everything here? Great prices.

keenan

10-31-07, 01:29 PM

so how's everybody HD after the 5.6? ;)

My wife called her mom in Santa Rosa and she said they didn't fell anything there.

I definitely felt it here, couple miles east of downtown Santa Rosa, it was a good rolling quake, felt like at least 20-30 sec long.

mds54

10-31-07, 01:47 PM

so how's everybody HD after the 5.6? ;)

I'm about 10 miles from the epicenter in South San Jose. It was enough
to send me running out of the house! Lots of crooked hanging pictures
and fallen decorations, etc, but my HD is fine! ;)

nikeykid

10-31-07, 01:52 PM

As mentioned, check the signal strengths. If they're fine, do you have the 9.2 update yet? That seems to fix the pixelation for a lot of people.

the 5.6 corrected my pixelation on espn2hd. i kid you not. signal strength was high as always. after the shaking, espn2hd stopped pixelating. thank you plates!!

MikeSM

10-31-07, 01:55 PM

How do you get StarChoice in the US? You need to get the stuff in Canada and then bring them over to have someone install everything here? Great prices.

I believe you have to have a billing address in Canada, and that there are several companies that will for a fee subscribe for you and pay your bills as a go between.

I think you'd probably have to get the install done by yourself or someone that you hire.

The transponders that starchoice uses have a good contour that reaches down here. It should be a good signal, and I believe there are several users here who have it.

I even think you can get the star choice STB R5000-HD modified for SageTV.

S o see, you can get ala carte video programming. Just not from US companies. :-) It's a lot more expensive than it used to be though because of exchange rates.

thx
mike

JasonQG

10-31-07, 04:15 PM

so how's everybody HD after the 5.6? ;)

It would have been better if KTVU didn't interrupt programming to tell everyone that they received a call from a woman who had some pictures fall off her wall.

Barte

10-31-07, 05:27 PM

It would have been better if KTVU didn't interrupt programming to tell everyone that they received a call from a woman who had some pictures fall off her wall.<felt it but fine in W. Marin> That must have come a few seconds later. My wife and I immediately turned on on KTVU and were relieved to see regular programming. That wasn't true for Loma Prieta. (Of course, there was a World Series in town at the time.)

sfhub

10-31-07, 05:33 PM

Has anybody lost channels since yesterday?

I think I have a combination of problems right now

1) I've lost a bunch of (but not all) ADS channels. Some channels I've lost or 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 29, 43, 44, 45, 64. The pattern is the ones that are lost are on the same 6MHz block. It isn't an authorization problem. There just isn't any signal being sent at all. I know this because I scan the whole range and 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 are nowhere to be found. Previously they were on RF 114. Now RF 114 doesn't show up in a scan and there is no other location where those channels show up. Also TiVo says "Searching for signal" instead of "Channel not available" so I know the CableCARD mapping is also not found. The TiVo diagnostics indicate the CableCARD channel lineup is pointing to 735MHz (RF 114) and the modulation is alternating between QAM64 and QAM256 (which is what TiVo does when it is scanning for signal and can't find one)

2) I've lost some HD channels like KRON and MOJO. Just like the ADS channels, no signal is being broadcast on the RF frequency when I tune directly using my clearQAM tuner.

3) It seems tribune updated the S3 guide data for the Nov 15 lineup change too early and now the guide has the new channel #s and the program data is associated with the new channel #s, but the old channel #s are where the signal is being sent have no guide data

4) Since 5.6 it seems my analog channels 2,3,4 are very snowy while all other analog channels are fine.

I think #1, #2, #3 might affect others. I think #4 is something specific to my block.

I've already bypassed all internal wiring by connecting the outside line directly to the TV so that isn't the problem.

I think it is just a perfect storm for 5.6, tribune, and analog and digital channel problems to happen the same time.

yunlin12

10-31-07, 05:49 PM

Sunnyvale HD Channel Line Up (Supposed to roll out 11/15) according to latest brochure.

------------------------------
Limited Basic:
------------------------------
702 - KTVU - HD
703 - KNTV - HD
704 - KRON - HD
705 - KPIX - HD
707 - KGO - HD
709 - KQED - HD
712 - KBCW - HD
------------------------------
Digital Classic:
720 - FSNBA - HD
722 - Vs/Golf - HD
724 - ESPN -HD
725 - ESPN2 - HD
734 - A&E - HD
735 - TBS - HD
737 - TNT - HD
738 - USA - HD
739 - Universal - HD
740 - MOJO
743 - MHD
746 - HGTV - HD
750 - Discovery - HD
754 - Discovery Theater - HD
757 - National Geographic - HD
758 - History - HD
------------------------------
Premium Service:
------------------------------
770 - HBO - HD
780 - Starz - HD
785 - Showtime - HD
7XX - Cinemax - HD
------------------------------
Sports Entertainment:
------------------------------
730 - NFL Network - HD
------------------------------

I couldn't be happier about this line up :) I'll believe it when I see it though.

I'm seeing something like this on my S3 this morning (I'm in San Jose). It seems that the Tivo guide has already shifted over, so the programming info are showing on the new channel number. However comcast hasn't made the switch. So UHD signal is still being sent on 72* (don't remember exact), but the Tivo guide shows Universal HD on 72*, and UHD on 739. The 72* channel has no guide data, and the 739 UHD channel has the guide data. However, but no signal yet on 739. Same thing with the A&E, NGC, and HIST HD, the TV signals are still on the old channels (714, 715, etc IIRC), but the guide shows duplicate channel entries, and only the new channel numbers that are above 730 actually have guide data. I don't have anything scheduled to record on those channels any time soon, but I hope they straighten this out soon.

NeilPeart

10-31-07, 06:38 PM

I thought they were going to have KICU HD 36 on channel 706 for those Raider games? :confused:

The OTA equivalent for 36.1 has moved to 58.2 or something like that recently so maybe that has affected the situation.

The 5.6 nearly knocked my speakers off their pedestals!

legelsegel

10-31-07, 07:05 PM

there's an issue with league pass right now on Comcast in SF.... Channels "Team 3, 4, 5, and 6" don't even show up on the nav instead NHL interrupts them (seems like a glaring error) --shocker that it's not fixed yet!

legelsegel

10-31-07, 07:53 PM

What's up with this? I can't watch the Wizards NBA game because they have goofed up all of the NBA league pass channels.

Barovelli

10-31-07, 10:32 PM

so how's everybody HD after the 5.6? ;)

Imagine being in a Costco . . . Pallet racking swayed, but nothing fell off. Neatness & safety first.

Same with today's 4pm aftershock. Wheee!

rsra13

10-31-07, 11:14 PM

yeah, I read about the people in Costco, that would be really scary. That and IKEA (first floor where they actually have all the boxes).

So, I read about this last week in the Merc, but is anyone else is hoping for a blackout of the Raiders games this weekend? if they don't sell out we'd be able to watch the Pats vs Indy game. Any news about that? or we have to wait until Friday to know?

UPDATE: I just tried to buy 19 tickets and they were available in section 316. So there's hope! :p

UPDATE2: I just checked the maps for TV distribution and only the Bay Area and the Houston area are the only ones not showing the Pats vs Indy game!

mds54

11-01-07, 12:57 AM

Here is the official email response I received from KPIX:

"If the Houston @ Oakland Raiders game sells out by Thursday afternoon
then CBS 5 by NFL Rules will air that game Sunday at 1:15PM. CBS 5 will
also air the San Diego @ Minnesota game Sunday at 10AM. It is unlikely
that the Raider game will sellout.

If the Raider game is not a sellout by Thursday then CBS 5 will be
prohibited by NFL Rules to air that game. CBS 5 will also not be
allowed to air the morning "doubleheader" game. CBS 5 will then be
assigned New England at Indianapolis which will begin at 1PM Pacific
Time."

UPDATE: THE RAIDER GAME IS BLACKED-OUT! WE SEE NE/INDY!

5TANGER

11-01-07, 01:26 AM

I'm seeing something like this on my S3 this morning (I'm in San Jose). It seems that the Tivo guide has already shifted over, so the programming info are showing on the new channel number. However comcast hasn't made the switch. So UHD signal is still being sent on 72* (don't remember exact), but the Tivo guide shows Universal HD on 72*, and UHD on 739. The 72* channel has no guide data, and the 739 UHD channel has the guide data. However, but no signal yet on 739. Same thing with the A&E, NGC, and HIST HD, the TV signals are still on the old channels (714, 715, etc IIRC), but the guide shows duplicate channel entries, and only the new channel numbers that are above 730 actually have guide data. I don't have anything scheduled to record on those channels any time soon, but I hope they straighten this out soon.
I have the same issue. I don't know how that affects Season Pass recordings. I hope it doesn't...

I assume it will be resolved by/on the 15th. :confused:

sfhub

11-01-07, 01:45 AM

As seen on Phenomenon...

If anyone is pining for more HD content...

This Fri 8am Walmart has their secret Black Friday sale 3 weeks early.

Toshiba HD-A2 HD-DVD player $98
+ 5 free HD-DVDs by mail

Upconverts standard DVDs too.

http://holiday.ri-walmart.com/?section=secret

http://thelookandsoundofperfect.com/_pdf/perfect_hd_dvd_offer_redemption_form.pdf

sfhub

11-01-07, 12:26 PM

legelsegel

11-01-07, 03:11 PM

Quick question--i finally left Comcast today for numerous reasons and went with direct TV. I got the new black DVD HD DVR.

One thing I am noticing, I am getting the East Coast feeds for A&E and Spike... is that normal living here on the west coast? I figure they would loaclize feeds based on time zone. For instance TNA Impact on Spike which normally airs at 9:00 est/9:00 pst is coming up on my guide at 6:00 PM pst.

Should this be happening or is this one of the draw backs with direct tv? Some stations will show PST showings and some won't?

hiker

11-01-07, 03:26 PM

pappy97

11-01-07, 04:19 PM

How do you get StarChoice in the US? You need to get the stuff in Canada and then bring them over to have someone install everything here? Great prices.

I get it with a dealer who is also a great broker, kusat.com.

They sold me the equipment and set up the Starchoice account. They have it automatically bill my CC each month for the service charges and 1/12th of the broker fee ($50 CAN/year, which I probably should have just paid upfront!). I also had to pay a one time customs fee to UPS of $40.

I know the only other person here who has SC differs from my opinion, but SC has an HD-DVR which works well now. They had problems early but have made updates to fix everything so it works good now. No need to get an non-HD DVR and fit it for Sage TV. The only thing is that the HD-DVR is that you cannot record two programs simultaneously, only record one, watch another, but since I use it to supplement Comcrap (of which I also have HD-DVR), I don't need to record two things at the same time on SC.

I also had to install my own equipment. That was probably the toughest thing because I live in an APT and had to get my own antenna mast to mount and pipe from OSH to mount my dish on and make the alignment.

I used to subscribe to just about everything for $100 US/month (including pr0n :D), but I realized that I didn't watch much of it, so for now I'm down to English Essentials, which runs me $20-25/month and gets me Detroit and Seattle HD broadcast network feeds (including PBS HD), TSN HD, RDS (Quebec Sports Channel) HD, CTV HD East, CBC HD East, WGN HD (there are a few other HD channels as well), and of course, SD counterparts to these channels (including tons of feeds of CBC/CTV/etc), and I get Spokane SD broadcast networks included for free. I also get a sample of SD channels but I don't watch them much unless I am bored at home and looking to watch an episode of Seinfeld or Family Guy. Just turn on SC and there seems to always be one channel or another showing a syndicated ep of these shows.

Right now I am looking to make a job move so I haven't added anything else, but if that clears up soon, I'm thinking about taking up SC on its offer for NHL Centre Ice and NFL Sunday Ticket for $25/month (combined, although each one runs the same price so why not get both). Assuming I start it in December and run it through April, I'll have paid $125 for one month of NFL Sunday Ticket and 5 months of NHL Centre Ice including some HD games, the hope being I get a couple of Sharks road games in HD not broadcast in HD here.

Not a bad deal all in all, but I admit it is frustrating when there is a problem and you can't just complain to someone over the phone, although my broker provides some support. BUT my only problem since January was that I use "Flat coax" to bring in the SC lines into my apt and it's not as flat as hoped, we abuse it with our patio door and one day I didn't get signal and freaked out that my SC dish was misaligned and I had to do the alignment again. But I spent $5 replacing the flat coax and all was back to normal again. :)

If SC ever shows NFL-ST HD, you can bet dealers/brokers will start to rake in money because SC's NFL-ST it will be hard for anyone to resist, especially if they have been paying the outrageous NFL-ST/Superfan fees to *D (And with SC's NFL-ST, no need to worry about blackouts!)

clau

11-01-07, 04:32 PM

I get it with a dealer who is also a great broker, kusat.com.

They sold me the equipment and set up the Starchoice account. They have it automatically bill my CC each month for the service charges and 1/12th of the broker fee ($50 CAN/year, which I probably should have just paid upfront!). I also had to pay a one time customs fee to UPS of $40.

I know the only other person here who has SC differs from my opinion, but SC has an HD-DVR which works well now. They had problems early but have made updates to fix everything so it works good now. No need to get an non-HD DVR and fit it for Sage TV. The only thing is that the HD-DVR is that you cannot record two programs simultaneously, only record one, watch another, but since I use it to supplement Comcrap (of which I also have HD-DVR), I don't need to record two things at the same time on SC.

I also had to install my own equipment. That was probably the toughest thing because I live in an APT and had to get my own antenna mast to mount and pipe from OSH to mount my dish on and make the alignment.

I used to subscribe to just about everything for $100 US/month (including pr0n :D), but I realized that I didn't watch much of it, so for now I'm down to English Essentials, which runs me $20-25/month and gets me Detroit and Seattle HD broadcast network feeds (including PBS HD), TSN HD, RDS (Quebec Sports Channel) HD, CTV HD East, CBC HD East, WGN HD (there are a few other HD channels as well), and of course, SD counterparts to these channels (including tons of feeds of CBC/CTV/etc), and I get Spokane SD broadcast networks included for free. I also get a sample of SD channels but I don't watch them much unless I am bored at home and looking to watch an episode of Seinfeld or Family Guy. Just turn on SC and there seems to always be one channel or another showing a syndicated ep of these shows.

Right now I am looking to make a job move so I haven't added anything else, but if that clears up soon, I'm thinking about taking up SC on its offer for NHL Centre Ice and NFL Sunday Ticket for $25/month (combined, although each one runs the same price so why not get both). Assuming I start it in December and run it through April, I'll have paid $125 for one month of NFL Sunday Ticket and 5 months of NHL Centre Ice including some HD games, the hope being I get a couple of Sharks road games in HD not broadcast in HD here.

Not a bad deal all in all, but I admit it is frustrating when there is a problem and you can't just complain to someone over the phone, although my broker provides some support. BUT my only problem since January was that I use "Flat coax" to bring in the SC lines into my apt and it's not as flat as hoped, we abuse it with our patio door and one day I didn't get signal and freaked out that my SC dish was misaligned and I had to do the alignment again. But I spent $5 replacing the flat coax and all was back to normal again. :)

If SC ever shows NFL-ST HD, you can bet dealers/brokers will start to rake in money because SC's NFL-ST it will be hard for anyone to resist, especially if they have been paying the outrageous NFL-ST/Superfan fees to *D (And with SC's NFL-ST, no need to worry about blackouts!)

Thanks for the detailed reply. Is there any contract if you go through KUSAT, and can they find someone to install the dish for you here?

$100 including p0rn is not a bad price :). Although I prefer the English Essentials only.

keenan

11-01-07, 04:44 PM

I know the only other person here who has SC differs from my opinion, but SC has an HD-DVR which works well now. They had problems early but have made updates to fix everything so it works good now.

I agree, since that last firmware push the DSR530 works fine, I haven't had any trouble with it.

walk

11-01-07, 07:43 PM

fender4645

11-01-07, 07:48 PM

raghu1111

11-01-07, 08:37 PM

UPDATE: THE RAIDER GAME IS BLACKED-OUT! WE SEE NE/INDY!

Thanks for great news!! Would have been miserable sunday afternoon otherwise.

wunderhund

11-01-07, 08:53 PM

I would think they would still show games on FSN...maybe this just replaces the KTVU agreement?

Just read that the new deal replaces the previous agreement with KTVU - the schedule of games on FSN Bay Area remains in place.

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2007/10/29/daily41.html

nikeykid

11-01-07, 09:03 PM

Just read that the new deal replaces the previous agreement with KTVU - the schedule of games on FSN Bay Area remains in place.

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2007/10/29/daily41.html

1080i i'm assuming?

dailowai

11-01-07, 10:15 PM

Well my guide on my Vista Media center HTPC has just changed to this lineup even though the channels are not available yet :( Now I have no guide data for the currently mapped channels and have to manually type the channels to get to them. Like 723 for ESPN. Maybe this means comcast will roll out the channels faster :) Zap2it (where Vista gets it guide data from) is showing the same lineup as well.

Sunnyvale HD Channel Line Up (Supposed to roll out 11/15) according to latest brochure.

------------------------------
Limited Basic:
------------------------------
702 - KTVU - HD
703 - KNTV - HD
704 - KRON - HD
705 - KPIX - HD
707 - KGO - HD
709 - KQED - HD
712 - KBCW - HD
------------------------------
Digital Classic:
720 - FSNBA - HD
722 - Vs/Golf - HD
724 - ESPN -HD
725 - ESPN2 - HD
734 - A&E - HD
735 - TBS - HD
737 - TNT - HD
738 - USA - HD
739 - Universal - HD
740 - MOJO
743 - MHD
746 - HGTV - HD
750 - Discovery - HD
754 - Discovery Theater - HD
757 - National Geographic - HD
758 - History - HD
------------------------------
Premium Service:
------------------------------
770 - HBO - HD
780 - Starz - HD
785 - Showtime - HD
7XX - Cinemax - HD
------------------------------
Sports Entertainment:
------------------------------
730 - NFL Network - HD
------------------------------

I couldn't be happier about this line up :) I'll believe it when I see it though.

MikeSM

11-01-07, 10:25 PM

Verizon to quintuple HD channels by EOY 2008:

In the spring of 2008, Verizon will begin expanding its HD lineup as well as the sports and multicultural program offerings on FiOS TV. Verizon initially will double the current number of HD channels, on a market-by-market basis, to more than 60, including additional sports channels. Verizon expects to have more than 150 HD channels by year-end 2008 as it continues to add to its HD lineup and programmers launch new channels. The company also will add standard-definition sports, multicultural and other programming during the year.

zalusky

11-01-07, 10:33 PM

Giants announce three-year broadcasting partnership with KNTV/NBC 11
(http://mlb.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20071101&content_id=2290415&vkey=pr_sf&fext=.jsp&c_id=sf&partnered=rss_sf)
Sounds like this means all games? So no more FSN-BA?

I guess that's good news for people on basic cable/clear QAM eh?

Yea - I could care less about KNTV programming and I HATED IT WHEN KTVU preempted network programming with sports.

In my opinion any affiliate that superceeds network programming with anything should lose all rights exclusivity. IE we should be able to get an automatic distant network waiver.

JasonQG

11-01-07, 10:44 PM

Yea - I could care less about KNTV programming and I HATED IT WHEN KTVU preempted network programming with sports.

At least KTVU showed the shows on KICU. I wonder what KNTV is going to do...

mazman49

11-01-07, 10:46 PM

Two questions:

1. What happens when The Office is on and the Giants are 29 1/2 games out of first place?

2. How many games in HD? KNTV's news isn't even in HD!

fitprod

11-01-07, 11:13 PM

Two questions:

1. What happens when The Office is on and the Giants are 29 1/2 games out of first place?

2. How many games in HD? KNTV's news isn't even in HD!

I think the preliminary talk is 20 to 40. August is sort of messing up the estimates since KNTV has the Olympics.

Hopefully, KNTV will straigten out their signal before they start broadcasting the Giants games. To bad people who would use OAR for KTVU are pretty much screwed now.

fitprod

Bill

11-02-07, 12:15 AM

I smell digital simulcasting, HD network shows and SD Giants. As encoders get better this shouldn't be a problem. I think FSN probably has the HD rights to the Giants.

gaderson

11-02-07, 12:18 AM

I'm seeing something like this on my S3 this morning (I'm in San Jose). It seems that the Tivo guide has already shifted over, so the programming info are showing on the new channel number. However comcast hasn't made the switch. So UHD signal is still being sent on 72* (don't remember exact), but the Tivo guide shows Universal HD on 72*, and UHD on 739. The 72* channel has no guide data, and the 739 UHD channel has the guide data. However, but no signal yet on 739. Same thing with the A&E, NGC, and HIST HD, the TV signals are still on the old channels (714, 715, etc IIRC), but the guide shows duplicate channel entries, and only the new channel numbers that are above 730 actually have guide data. I don't have anything scheduled to record on those channels any time soon, but I hope they straighten this out soon.

Yeah, my TiVo HD has done the same thing. 'TBA' for the old mappings with actual content, and a schedule with no content for the new mappings. I though the last memos from mike5 said 11/15 was the full switch. Any idea when we'll be getting something at the other channels? Hopefully before the weekend: Firefly and Dexter.

Brian Conrad

11-02-07, 04:41 PM

Message in my area today says they are adding HGTV, History and USA HD channels on the 15th and that the HD channels will be shuffled again.

walk

11-02-07, 09:54 PM

Dbower

11-03-07, 01:28 AM

Message in my area today says they are adding HGTV, History and USA HD channels on the 15th and that the HD channels will be shuffled again.

Same message here in Windsor (Larkfield). Odd that they didn't mention Discovery HD channel - I hope that's still part of the change!

-Dave

keenan

11-03-07, 03:58 AM

What bout FOX regional baseball games on Sat? Did they get rid of those?

Otherwise "exclusive over-the-air rights" isn't very exclusive.

It already isn't very, if FSN-BA is still going to have games... but FOX, which last time I checked IS "over the air".... ?

Games broadcast by FOX Network, those Saturday games you speak of, and games broadcast by KTVU are two different things. FOX Network will still have games aired on Saturday and if the Giants happen to be one of those games it's because they just happen to be one of the games that the network picked.

I guess you could say KNTV has the local OTA broadcast rights for games other than the ones broadcast by FOX on KTVU.

jeff lam

11-03-07, 03:27 PM

I'm seeing something like this on my S3 this morning (I'm in San Jose). It seems that the Tivo guide has already shifted over, so the programming info are showing on the new channel number. However comcast hasn't made the switch. So UHD signal is still being sent on 72* (don't remember exact), but the Tivo guide shows Universal HD on 72*, and UHD on 739. The 72* channel has no guide data, and the 739 UHD channel has the guide data. However, but no signal yet on 739. Same thing with the A&E, NGC, and HIST HD, the TV signals are still on the old channels (714, 715, etc IIRC), but the guide shows duplicate channel entries, and only the new channel numbers that are above 730 actually have guide data. I don't have anything scheduled to record on those channels any time soon, but I hope they straighten this out soon.

I came here to find out why my S3 did this as well. So we have no info on this yet? Wont get fixed till the 15th? Why did Tivo change things so early if the programming isnt there yet?

frivolousme

11-03-07, 06:37 PM

So who would go get a cable box just to watch C-SPAN2? :)
Me. :p

The only TV I watch is C-SPAN and PBS, and I've been without C-SPAN2 for an aggravating month now and don't want to rent a damned box from Bombast.

So where can I buy a cheap one?

I realize all of you are really into TV. Me? I'd rather be reading lol. ;) I miss C-SPAN2 and want it back so I can watch it in the kitchen while I'm cooking. Just one widget will do. Nothing fancy. I just need to be able to see the dumb thing in the original hoary splendor of its imperfect 20th Century technology.

FM

Barovelli

11-03-07, 10:02 PM

Me. :p
The only TV I watch is C-SPAN and PBS, and I've been without C-SPAN2 for an aggravating month now and don't want to rent a damned box from Bombast.

So where can I buy a cheap one?

Find a DCP501

I just sold mine for $50 after listing it on Craigslist for a month. It's not frill-less, matter of fact it's frill-full. But one can be had for cheap and you will pay no rental fees.

lchiu7

11-03-07, 10:17 PM

Find a DCP501

I just sold mine for $50 after listing it on Craigslist for a month. It's not frill-less, matter of fact it's frill-full. But one can be had for cheap and you will pay no rental fees.

Out of interest why do you need a box to see CSPAN or CPSPAN-2? I have friend's who just have a cable ready TV and they pick up all the analog channels without a box fine.

sfhub

11-03-07, 10:25 PM

Out of interest why do you need a box to see CSPAN or CPSPAN-2? I have friend's who just have a cable ready TV and they pick up all the analog channels without a box fine.
Many areas have moved CSPAN2 to digital to free up space for new HD channels.

MikeSM

11-03-07, 11:23 PM

Find a DCP501

I just sold mine for $50 after listing it on Craigslist for a month. It's not frill-less, matter of fact it's frill-full. But one can be had for cheap and you will pay no rental fees.

Agreed. Local Comcast knows how to provision the DCp501 without a lot of fuss. It's the only cutomer owned non-cablecard device that comcast will deal with.

Thanks,
Mike

snidely

11-03-07, 11:28 PM

How do you get StarChoice in the US? You need to get the stuff in Canada and then bring them over to have someone install everything here? Great prices.

You can mail order it from www.kusat.com. I had them send me my BEV system years ago. (I had a Canadian address to use.) You can set up an auto charge on a U.S. Card.
Kusat has an active forum for more info.

...mike

jwpottberg

11-04-07, 01:37 AM

Agreed. Local Comcast knows how to provision the DCp501 without a lot of fuss. It's the only cutomer owned non-cablecard device that comcast will deal with.

Thanks,
Mike

So I have a friend in San Mateo who is losing analog channels to digital also and has no cable box now. Are these digital channels in clear QAM? Or is Comcast always encrypting when they are moved like this? (They were getting them in the "clear" on analog, and they are not premium channels, so in my simple view they should be in the clear when digital.) They were asking me whether buying a QAM TV would do the trick since they don't want a box...

Thanks
Jim in (94087)Sunnyvale

frivolousme

11-04-07, 02:12 PM

Barovelli, sfhub, MikeSM, and snidely . . .

:p Smooches! Wow, I thought this was going to be impossible (especially after reading **placeholder for URL when I have permission** THIS ARTICLE ). So does my TV have to be a particular type to work with the DCP501 set-top box? because this is only a little 14" that sits on my kitchen counter. It's, uh, connection-lite. ;)

And I'll be able to set this up myself? I won't get grief from Bombast for doing this on my own? :D Thanks guys!!

FM

frivolousme

11-04-07, 02:35 PM

$170! :eek: The DCP501 is wayyyyyyy too sophisticated for what I need! Guys . . . I just wanted a low-cost widget, not the equivalent of a new TV.

So here's my next question:
Would a more modern TV be able to get me C-SPAN2 (now on a digital channel)? A unit (small screen) that had all the DCP501 capability built-in? Geez for $170 I could just buy a new TV. :(

Or is this related to the subscription I have (Basic)?

I just can't believe what a nightmare this is tsk.

FM

frivolousme

11-04-07, 02:38 PM

And then there's THIS THREAD (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=715315). :confused:

FM

frivolousme

11-04-07, 02:41 PM

And THIS ARTICLE (http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/missing-cablecard-set-top-box.ars).

FM

hiker

11-04-07, 03:10 PM

Barovelli

11-04-07, 03:26 PM

And then there's THIS THREAD (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=715315). :confused:FM

?? I had 2 (still have one) and they both work primo. All the channels I sub to and VOD. After 5 pm it may rock the (ware)house.

A lot depends on the service provider. Comcast in the Bay knows all about them. ;) :D . (I practically wrote the provisioning procedure that they all use . .)

$170 is high. There was one on eBay for $100 shipped. I paid $125 for two and sold one for $50.

CableCard? eeeeeeh. I don't hate the cards, I hate the inconsistent hardware they plug into. And that the only TVs that they can be used in are often the higher end sets.

lchiu7

11-04-07, 03:28 PM

frivolousme,
CSPAN1 and CSPAN2 are unencrypted and any QAM tuner can receive without any special activation by Comcast. They show up here at freq 537 on channels 76.1 and 76.2. Try to find a used one of these here (http://www.epvision.com/) or equivalent on eBay or craigslist.

I was thinking purchasing one of those units for a friend for Christmas to watch unencrypted QAM TV. I am guessing that they would be able to see

KTVU
PBS
KICU(?)
KRON (independent)
KGO
KPIX
KNBC

in HD?

Any others of I have got the list wrong?

Thanks

Larry

hiker

11-04-07, 07:25 PM

I was thinking purchasing one of those units for a friend for Christmas to watch unencrypted QAM TV. I am guessing that they would be able to see

KTVU
PBS
KICU(?)
KRON (independent)
KGO
KPIX
KNBC

in HD?

Any others of I have got the list wrong?

Thanks

Larry
Those plus KBCW (CW)

BTW, NBC is KNTV (San JOse)

JakiChan

11-04-07, 09:47 PM

Having just read through the most recent pages of the thread...I take it there is still no plans for Sci-Fi HD soon? I missed out on the in-theater showings of Razor...Sci-Fi HD would be great but I guess we have to wait and see if it runs on Universal HD...

raghu1111

11-04-07, 10:25 PM

$170! :eek: The DCP501 is wayyyyyyy too sophisticated for what I need! Guys . . . I just wanted a low-cost widget, not the equivalent of a new TV.

You can get a digital receiver from comcast for $1 to $1.50 per month. Every basic customer qualifies for this. Most likely you will get new DCT-700, which is very small and fits nicely anywhere.

I rarely watch CSPAN2 live but I used records some of the weekend stuff on Tivo. Now that needs wait till I get Tivo HD.

bobby94928

11-04-07, 10:30 PM

robingo88

11-04-07, 11:10 PM

hi... i won't bore you all with my long tale of woe... instead here is the gist:

after three visits, comcast techs don't seem to be able to properly provision CableCard 2 (top slot) in my new TiVo S3... it seems to be properly "authorized" but -not- properly "paired", so while i can get some scrambled channels, such as the HBO series (both SD and HD), the Showtime and Cinemax channels give me the 'grey screen' telling me to contact my cable company.

CableCard 1 works just fine. (card 1 and 2 are both Motorola M-Cards)

the techs have already replaced card 2 once and the tech today said they need another card but they don't have any ("they got a bad batch, he said")

the initial installed insisted on plugging in both cards at the same time (against the instructions provided by tivo) so i'm wondering if, even though card 1 seems to be working perfectly, this screwed up any possibility of card 2 every working, and do we have to start all-over again from scratch?

they're coming out again on tuesday (fourth visit) but at some point i'll have to return the tivo since i only have 30 days to get my money back.

any advice?
anyone have a successful 2 card install lately?

many MANY thanks!
robin

sfhub

11-05-07, 01:55 AM

If CableCARD 2 is getting encrypted channels, the card is working fine. The likelihood the card or card firmware are causing your problem is very small in that case. The likelihood the person on the other end doing the pairing is not getting it right is much higher. I would suggest just being persistent and calling it in to get paired. You shouldn't need someone to come out with a new card in the situation you describe, though in some cases it is easier to start from scratch with a new card than to get someone to figure out what went wrong with the pairing. With the right person handling the pairing your existing card should work fine.

frivolousme

11-05-07, 12:23 PM

You can get a digital receiver from comcast for $1 to $1.50 per month. Every basic customer qualifies for this. Most likely you will get new DCT-700, which is very small and fits nicely anywhere.

I rarely watch CSPAN2 live but I used records some of the weekend stuff on Tivo. Now that needs wait till I get Tivo HD.

And you get the first year for free.

Bobby . . . where did you see that I get the first year free? :confused: I've been bombarded with literature (and phone bots) from Bombast that says I have to pay $2/mo. (or some such) to rent this box -- there is no mention of my receiving this box free for one year. And I've searched the Bombast site.

LINK please? Because I don't want this to be a YMMV/Call up & Beg/Threaten to Quit/Speak-to-Your-Supervisor event. Thanks guys.

FMoi

raghu1111

11-05-07, 12:54 PM

Bobby . . . where did you see that I get the first year free? :confused: I've been bombarded with literature (and phone bots) from Bombast that says I have to pay $2/mo. (or some such) to rent this box -- there is no mention of my receiving this box free for one year. And I've searched the Bombast site. [COLOR=Red][B]

I think the one year free offer is over. around $1 fee was in the yearly rate sheet that Comcast sends. I would just go to the local office and ask for a digital box. One of my friends got this recently (in south San Jose, he got an older normal size box) . I don't think there is a link to the rate sheet.. some one posted a image of it some time back on this thread.

Edit: btw, once you get a digital box, you will have CSPAN3 and extra PBS channels.

hd-salee

11-05-07, 02:02 PM

This past Saturday, I received a new channel lineup from Comcast in the mail. It states that they are in the final stages of upgrading the fiber-optic digital network in our neighborhood (Lawrence/Wolfe/El Camino/Reed).

It also mentions that 'during the weeks of November 15th through December 15th, you will now have more choices, added convenience and greater control over your entertainment experience from Comcast.'

I am really hoping that we get switched over on 11/15 and not on 12/15 as some of the eariler posts have mentioned! :)

Steve

bobby94928

11-05-07, 02:35 PM

LINK please?[/B][/COLOR] Because I don't want this to be a YMMV/Call up & Beg/Threaten to Quit/Speak-to-Your-Supervisor event. Thanks guys.

FMoi

There is no link. Let's put it this way, my MIL is losing The Hallmark Channel for the very same reasons. I told her to call the number given to her on the TV. She called, they told her they will install the box tomorrow. The first year will be free. From that point on it will be $1 per month, per TV. This is going on all over the Bay Area. Call the 800 number, or better, as suggested earlier, just go down to the office and get a box.

That Don Guy

11-05-07, 03:19 PM

You can get a digital receiver from comcast for $1 to $1.50 per month. Every basic customer qualifies for this. Most likely you will get new DCT-700, which is very small and fits nicely anywhere.
Pardon me for asking, but does the DCT-700 come with OnDemand capability? I already have a digital package, but would like to have the ability to watch OnDemand on the TV that is hooked up to my TiVo S3 (after I split the signal from the wall, of course), and even $2 a month seems reasonable (assuming they don't want to charge the "additional outlet fee" for it as well).

-- Don

raghu1111

11-05-07, 03:38 PM

Pardon me for asking, but does the DCT-700 come with OnDemand capability? I already have a digital package, but would like to have the ability to watch OnDemand on the TV that is hooked up to my TiVo S3 (after I split the signal from the wall, of course), and even $2 a month seems reasonable (assuming they don't want to charge the "additional outlet fee" for it as well).

Yes, it can do OnDemand (ofcourse, SD). I thought they would charge you "additional out fee". Until the last post by Bobby, I didn't know they might give one of these for each TV. So they might not charge "additional outlet fee". I don't have extra box. I have just one HD receiver.

hiker

11-05-07, 04:40 PM

...
(assuming they don't want to charge the "additional outlet fee" for it as well).Every time I've asked about adding a Comcast STB I was told it's an additional $6.95/mo. The recent rate sheet I picked up at my local office states:

Digital Programming Access Fee (Each Additional Digital Outlet)......6.95
Required for access to digital programming, Digital Premium Services, multiplexed programming for each applicable Digital and Non-Digital Premium purchased. Fee includes one DCT and remote.

So is there a way to convince them to waive or reduce this fee?

kevini

11-05-07, 05:44 PM

Every time I've asked about adding a Comcast STB I was told it's an additional $6.95/mo. The recent rate sheet I picked up at my local office states:

So is there a way to convince them to waive or reduce this fee?

I think it is only $1 if you just have basic cable. If you have digital cable already you get hit with the full $6.95.

So if you are a good customer you get to may more :)

This is an educated guess on my part.

Kevin

fender4645

11-05-07, 05:49 PM

I think it is only $1 if you just have basic cable. If you have digital cable already you get hit with the full $6.95.

So if you are a good customer you get to may more :)

This is an educated guess on my part.

Kevin

If you only have basic cable then there's no need for a box so you can plug into as many outlets as you want and pay $0 (there's no way for Comcast to track this). Only if you get a box do you have to pay the additional outlet charge. Most digital packages (if not all) come with 1 "free" outlet. This is how I remember it.

lchiu7

11-05-07, 05:58 PM

If you only have basic cable then there's no need for a box so you can plug into as many outlets as you want and pay $0 (there's no way for Comcast to track this). Only if you get a box do you have to pay the additional outlet charge. Most digital packages (if not all) come with 1 "free" outlet. This is how I remember it.

But if you have basic cable and want digital service, how much do they charge for the STB required?

kevini

11-05-07, 05:59 PM

If you only have basic cable then there's no need for a box so you can plug into as many outlets as you want and pay $0 (there's no way for Comcast to track this). Only if you get a box do you have to pay the additional outlet charge. Most digital packages (if not all) come with 1 "free" outlet. This is how I remember it.

With the move of C-span 2 to digitial and other PEG channels move to digital they now have a "digital basic" tier. I think this has the $1 fee

keenan

11-05-07, 06:24 PM

Anyone else been missing KNTV-HD 703 for most of the day? Anyone in Santa Rosa maybe?

11-05-07, 06:41 PM

I don't know about today, but the signal strength of 703 was <70 yesterday with lots of errors.

clau

11-05-07, 06:42 PM

keenan

11-05-07, 06:46 PM

I don't know about today, but the signal strength of 703 was <70 yesterday with lots of errors.

I've been having signal problems with 703 for weeks and have called Comcast 4 times and they still have not followed up after the initial visit like they said they would, typical Comcast customer service crap...this is the first day I haven't had any signal at all though.

fender4645

11-05-07, 07:43 PM

With the move of C-span 2 to digitial and other PEG channels move to digital they now have a "digital basic" tier. I think this has the $1 fee

Ahhh...didn't know that. And the $1 includes both STB rental and outlet fee?

JasonQG

11-05-07, 07:52 PM

Anyone else been missing KNTV-HD 703 for most of the day? Anyone in Santa Rosa maybe?

Yeah, I'm getting the "one moment please" message here.

keenan

11-05-07, 07:56 PM

Yeah, I'm getting the "one moment please" message here.

I sat on hold for almost 30 mins and finally got a CSR in Morgan Hill. He checked with a supervisor who could "see" the Santa Rosa headend and said I was right, the whole QAM channel is missing. I'm hoping something "broke" as I've been getting a less than perfect signal for KNTV few weeks, hopefully when it goes back up that problem will be fixed as well.

kevini

11-05-07, 08:16 PM

Ahhh...didn't know that. And the $1 includes both STB rental and outlet fee?

I'm not sure, not too many basic cable only people on the HDTV forum :) It seems that way from the posts others.

Kevin

JasonQG

11-05-07, 10:33 PM

I sat on hold for almost 30 mins and finally got a CSR in Morgan Hill. He checked with a supervisor who could "see" the Santa Rosa headend and said I was right, the whole QAM channel is missing.

ESPN-HD is also missing. Must be the same channel.

keenan

11-05-07, 11:03 PM

ESPN-HD is also missing. Must be the same channel.

Yes, I hadn't noticed that earlier.

bender2929

11-06-07, 12:36 AM

I am waiting impatiently for the upgrade to take place in Sunnyvale. Over the weekend, I set up a Slingbox so that my kids can watch the Warriors remotely. I have DSL now, and the upload speed is a bottleneck. For those of you who have been recently upgraded to the 1GHz network, does the Comcast HSI work any better than before? What kind of speeds are you getting, and is the connection much more stable now?

I used to have Comcast/@HOME/AT&T cable, and the speed fluctuated wildly. I wonder if the upgrade has improved the internet experience.

I just have the basic internet package, which is 384kbps upstream for me. In the slingplayer, the statistics show about 350kbps and is stable. This is the same as it was before the upgrade.

I've been seriously thinking about upping my package to the one with 768kbps upstream as 384kps is just tolerable for fast paced sports like basketball. Especially now that NBA league pass is finally available to me and I can envision myself watching far more games at work :)

clau

11-06-07, 12:41 AM

I just have the basic internet package, which is 384kbps upstream for me. In the slingplayer, the statistics show about 350kbps and is stable. This is the same as it was before the upgrade.

I've been seriously thinking about upping my package to the one with 768kbps upstream as 384kps is just tolerable for fast paced sports like basketball. Especially now that NBA league pass is finally available to me and I can envision myself watching far more games at work :)

Thanks for the info. When I called Comcast a few weeks ago, they said that the standard HSI package already comes with 768Kbps upload speed. How much more do you have to pay to up your package?

Congratulations on getting upgraded.

raghu1111

11-06-07, 01:07 AM

I have DSL now, and the upload speed is a bottleneck. For those of you who have been recently upgraded to the 1GHz network, does the Comcast HSI work any better than before? What kind of speeds are you getting, and is the connection much more stable now?
I am NOT in a recently upgraded area but I think Comcast is the best residential Internet option here. I have rarely seen an outage. Upload is pretty good (now it probably close to 1Mbps.. at least 768kbps). Both upload and download have been increasing steadily over last couple of years.

clau

11-06-07, 01:33 AM

I am NOT in a recently upgraded area but I think Comcast is the best residential Internet option here. I have rarely seen an outage. Upload is pretty good (now it probably close to 1Mbps.. at least 768kbps). Both upload and download have been increasing steadily over last couple of years.

Thanks. Do you have to pay extra to get your >=768K upload speed?

raghu1111

11-06-07, 01:36 AM

Regd digital box for basic customers : This is all the rate sheet says (under "EQUIPMENT" section) :
"Converter - Limited Basic Only Subscribters ..... $1.10"

Nothing more. I interpreted as every Limited Basic customer can rent one for $1.10. Thats it. Don't know if it means $1.10 for each converter.. or something else.

raghu1111

11-06-07, 01:39 AM

Thanks. Do you have to pay extra to get your >=768K upload speed?

Nope. I have the standard $42.95 per month plan. I didn't know Comcast actually started mentioning 768kbps to customers.

tyre

11-06-07, 04:46 PM

nbuubu

11-06-07, 05:26 PM

juancmjr

11-06-07, 05:58 PM

Hi keenan and JasonQG. My ESPN & KNTV HD channels were out yesterday as well. I now have both channels back. My KNTV signal quality has been good up until yesterday when I was forced to watch one of my programs in SD. The horror! Have either of your areas been upgraded to 1 GHz yet? I saw Comcast trucks working on the next block west of me last Saturday, but no improvements as of yet here.

clau

11-06-07, 05:59 PM

I live in a recently upgraded area (Milpitas) and have a few questions regarding digital cable.

1. My "main" TV is a fairly new Panasonic plasma that has a Cablecard slot. From what I've read I can use this instead of getting the STB from Comcast. How would I go about getting this done? Would I lose any features over just using the Comcast provided box? I'm not excited at the thought of having to deal with another piece of equipment and remote so using Cablecard appeals to me.

2. I also have an older CRT TV. If I subscribe to digital cable would I have to get a box for this as well? or could I just continue to receive the analog feed like I do now?

3. Has OnDemand and the Triple Play package been rolled out to Milpitas yet?

Hopefully my questions make sense, I'm a noob when it comes to digital cable. Up to this point I've only had expanded basic, and I've actually never seen digital cable in action since none of my friends or relatives have it.

To be honest, I have little interest in most TV, this is mostly for my wife who has been bugging me for Discovery HD :p. I would be perfectly happy with limited basic as Netflix + HD-DVD takes care of 90% of my needs.

You can call Comcast to arrange for installation of CableCard. I have a Panasonic plasma, and Comcast does not charge me for CableCard rental. It works very well, except you don't have the OnDemand feature. On your old TV, you will need a set-top box to get the digital broadcast. I believe if you get the CableCard and a set-top box, Comcast will charge you rental and an outlet fee, but I'm not sure how much.

BTW, your Panasonic plasma will receive all the clear digital broadcasts without CableCard, including the network and PBS HD feeds. CableCard will give you Discovery HD, ESPN HD, etc., assuming you have the expanded basic cable service.

clau

11-06-07, 06:05 PM

Does anyone know if Comcast has said they're going to fix the NBA League Pass issue? I'd really like to order at the reduced price (last day is today) but with League Pass channels 2-5 (442-445) completely out commission I'm hesitant to buy. Really want to get NBA League Pass broadband included for free to watch games at work, but can't stand missing so many games.

Been on the phone with Comcast for half an hour and spoken with 4 people, 2 of whom know there's an issue, 1 who tried to tell me those are blackouts (rediculous), and 1 who immediately put me back on hold and disappeared.

I tried to get the NBA League Pass also, but basically no one at Comcast knows how I can get it. I'm in Sunnyvale, not upgraded yet. The other thing to keep in mind is that the Comcast NBA games are not in HD, whereas DirecTV gives you selected games in HD if you subscribe to League Pass.

smthrsd

11-06-07, 07:00 PM

Does anyone know if Comcast has said they're going to fix the NBA League Pass issue? I'd really like to order at the reduced price (last day is today) but with League Pass channels 2-5 (442-445) completely out commission I'm hesitant to buy. Really want to get NBA League Pass broadband included for free to watch games at work, but can't stand missing so many games.

Been on the phone with Comcast for half an hour and spoken with 4 people, 2 of whom know there's an issue, 1 who tried to tell me those are blackouts (rediculous), and 1 who immediately put me back on hold and disappeared.

I did the same for an hour today. The 2 guys I talked to put me on hold then refused to admit there is a problem, so I asked to speak to a manager. I was then transfered to retainment, after this manager refused to comply there is an issue, where after pleading my case to a Dorothy, about the League pass issues, among others, she had the gall to upsell me a package for more pay channels. IN FN RENTENTION.

I replied I didnt gets transfered to spend more money, I want the channels I already bought fixed 442-445. Sir, she says, there IS NO PROBLEMS WITH the LEAGUE PASS.

So i just hung up

bender2929

11-06-07, 07:39 PM

walk

11-06-07, 08:08 PM

JasonQG

11-06-07, 08:22 PM

smthrsd

11-06-07, 09:14 PM

Well, no problems on those channels in upgraded sunnyvale.
I'm watching 443 right now (suns @ bobcats). 444 also comes in fine for me.

your right , tonight games match the correct line up. Go Hawks!!!

rsra13

11-06-07, 10:22 PM

The standard 6MB HSI comes with 384k upload.

I get about 362k sustained thruput.

Both up and down channels now have "speed boost" or whatever, that cranks the speed for a few seconds on large files, but after that it drops to normal.

I don't know, maybe the 8MB service has faster upload too?

You get up to 768Kbps with the 8 MB service. You also get FilePlanet and IGN subscribtions. Not a bad deal. Of course this is more for gamers, since they are the only ones affected by the upload cap.
(This is based on the assumption that you are not supposed to run servers :p)

pappy97

11-06-07, 11:33 PM

Is it me or is the picture quality of tonights Warriors/Cavs game on FSNBA-HD realy bad? It looks nothing like the typical PQ we get from FSNBA-HD.

walk

11-07-07, 12:19 AM

I came here to say the same thing. It looks like standard-def upconverted, or like they are using standard-def cameras. Look at the net, and other thin lines, you see those "rainbows" sometimes, like good ole NTSC.

rsra13

11-07-07, 12:59 AM

Same here. I'm just watching the end of the game and it looks like 480p.

jeff lam

11-07-07, 01:10 AM

My Tivo S3 moved around more channels today and deleted TBS (735) but didnt reassign it to a different channel... No guide data now but there is still programming there. What's going on with all the changing and moving? Tivo issue or Comcast issue?

rsra13

11-07-07, 01:16 AM

Tivo issue

tede@santa rosa

11-07-07, 09:52 AM

fender4645

11-07-07, 12:29 PM

Someone posted seeing the same thing a few weeks ago -- even posted screenshots. Not sure if the cause was ever determined...

Dragunov1

11-07-07, 03:05 PM

I have been loosing my signal for about 15-20 seconds many times during the morning here in Sunnyvale, in the area of Old San Francisco/Wolfe/Fair Oaks/El Camino. Maybe this means they are upgrading equipment? Everything goes out completely, TV and Internet. Anyone else in the same boat as me? I do hope its upgrading and not a technical issue.

I also read some of you stated that the standard package is now 786kbps upload... I currently pay 10$ more for it and if this is true do we get an upgrade of the 786kbps or should I just cancel the 10$ I'm paying.

efball

11-07-07, 05:40 PM

No, I don't think any parts of Santa Rosa are done yet. Keenan has seen trucks around too. I predict my neighborhood will be last. :( Where in SR are you?

I'm in Rincon Valley (NE SR). No new channels here yet. When AT&T had the cable system years ago they dug up my street and put in new cable, so the local wiring is probably all ready.

KStack

11-07-07, 05:50 PM

WTF!!! In hayward I have always had NBA TV now it says I am not authorized for it anymore. The same thing happened at my other friends house (same area) I know comcast is upgrading in my area but we still have a craplist of channels for the time being. I am so angry at least that was one extra channel I though comcast sympathetically gave us due to our lineup deficit. And a comcast rep told me that my area would be would be done on the second of December. Hope that is true.:rolleyes:

clau

11-07-07, 08:02 PM

Bill

11-07-07, 08:04 PM

Got my upgrade letter today, 12-4 to 1-4. Probably will be 1-4. :(

yunlin12

11-07-07, 09:50 PM

Hi,
Did anyone notice strange but short lived vertical lines on the side of the picture frame when program switched to commercials on channel 703 - Law and order - last night?
The lines would appear for a quick second when Law and Order would switch to commercial every time there is a commercial break.
This happened in Santa Rosa.
Thanks in advance

I've always seen that on most of NBC's shows, almost every episodes of Earl last year IIRC. Probably some kind of encoding issue at NBC. I don't pay attention to it any more.

yunlin12

11-07-07, 09:53 PM

Tivo issue

It's actually Tribune's issue, they supply the guide data to Tivo.

Comcast told Tribune that they willbe changing channel lineup, anticipating the change on 11/15. Somehow between Comcast/Tribune the date was not communicated correctly. Tribune flipped the switch too fast (last Thur?). And now apparently they realized the problem and try to flip back, and amde more mistake doing that. This is anything but a Tivo issue.

tede@santa rosa

11-07-07, 09:56 PM

Thanks yunlin 12. I'm glad it's not my TV. It seems that it only happens to the NBC - 703 station.

gfbuchanan

11-08-07, 03:40 PM

Right now I am on limited basic, with a Sony HDTV that tunes QAM and has a cable card slot (KDF-55WF655), so I get all the local HD channels. I am thinking of adding Digital Classic to get the extra HD channels they have recently added.

My question, is there any reason to ask for a STB instead of a Cable Card?
Which is likely to give me the better picture for HD? and for SD?
Will I have less trouble with Comcast trying to add Digital Classic to Limited Basic (don't want to pay for Expanded Basic) with a cable card than an STB?

I am in Cupertino.

Thanks in advance for any help.

hiker

11-08-07, 03:52 PM

My question, is there any reason to ask for a STB instead of a Cable Card?STB gets VOD, guide, PPV, CC does not.Which is likely to give me the better picture for HD? and for SD?My guess is about the same.Will I have less trouble with Comcast trying to add Digital Classic to Limited Basic (don't want to pay for Expanded Basic) with a cable card than an STB?You might. I added DC to Limited on the phone with no problem. Then some time later I was talking to lady at my local office and she said that DC wasn't available with Limited. :rolleyes: You might need to play CSR roulette. GL

robengel88

11-08-07, 08:18 PM

just got a voicemail from comcast saying they put a trap on the line for "a large amount of ingress" and will come out tomorrow.

What would cause that - nothing's changed - I have one dvr, a hsi router and one analog tv

trying to get them on the line

bobby94928

11-08-07, 10:31 PM

You've got something backfeeding into their system. They will come out and isolate it, fix it, or detach whatever is causing the ingress.

MikeSM

11-09-07, 02:46 PM

From TVpredictions.com:

Washington, D.C. (November 8, 2007) -- DIRECTV yesterday said it added 600,000 new HD and/or DVR subscribers in the third quarter.

The satcaster said the number represents a 60 percent increase over last year's third quarter.

DIRECTV began its high-def expansion in the third quarter, jumping from 10 HD channels to more than 70 high-def channels by the end of October.

While the company did not break out the HD and DVR sub numbers, the high-def channel addition likely was the significant driver of the "HD and DVR" sub growth.

In an investors call yesterday with Wall Street analysts, DIRECTV compared the 3Q HD & DVR sub numbers with Comcast's recent third quarter report. The cable operator said it added 325,000 HD and DVR subs in the third quarter.

"Over half of our gross additions in the quarter signed up for HD and/or DVR services," said DIRECTV CFO Patrick Doyle. "This is quite an impressive statistic if you consider that the previous high for this metric was in the prior quarter when sales of advanced products (HD & DVR) were just under 40 percent of gross additions."

...

Looks like having lots of HD programming matters a lot to consumers. DirecTV is trading at a 52 week high, and Comcast at a 5 yr low. What's worse, the FCC is likely going to make Comcast make 10-15% of it's capacity available for leased programming, and that will put a further squeeze on the capacity
available to add HD channels. And then early next year, most analysts believe the FCC will raise the price of pole attachments that cable has to pay to telco's and electric utilities (they currently pay less than anyone else).

If Comcast is going to turn this around, they really need do something bold. Blast Internet everywhere, not just in FIOS land, SDV and/or converting a lot of analog channels to digital to carry HD, etc... They can't just keep on doing the same thing they have in the last few years and raising rates periodically. The competitive dynamic has really changed.

I really want Comcast to be more competitive, but if they keep sitting on their hands, at least in this market, they will get their clocks cleaned. the lower the share price godes because there is no plan on how to counter, the fewer their options are to expend capex to fix it.

Thanks,
mike

keenan

11-09-07, 03:07 PM

I thought it would be a significant number, but I had no idea it would be that large. It's clearly evident that DirecTV is slamming Comcast hard in the HD programming arena.

MikeSM

11-09-07, 03:22 PM

I thought it would be a significant number, but I had no idea it would be that large. It's clearly evident that DirecTV is slamming Comcast hard in the HD programming arena.

So did I. This is a very big deal, and most of the new channels hadn't really had any impact in the 3Q numbers. If 4Q is significantly higher than 3Q, life is going to get VERY hard on Comcast.

BTW, I just figured out what the next HD channel that Comcast will add after the 3 this month. QVC-HD! They just announced that in 1Q QVC will go HD... Since VS was carried in HD earlier on, I bet QVC will be carried as soon as it's ready. :-)

But, DirecTV STILL doesn't have KRON in HD, and I bet they'll get QVC after Comcast, so Comcast can still claim HD superiority. :-)

Thanks,
Mike

keenan

11-09-07, 04:20 PM

So did I. This is a very big deal, and most of the new channels hadn't really had any impact in the 3Q numbers. If 4Q is significantly higher than 3Q, life is going to get VERY hard on Comcast.

BTW, I just figured out what the next HD channel that Comcast will add after the 3 this month. QVC-HD! They just announced that in 1Q QVC will go HD... Since VS was carried in HD earlier on, I bet QVC will be carried as soon as it's ready. :-)

But, DirecTV STILL doesn't have KRON in HD, and I bet they'll get QVC after Comcast, so Comcast can still claim HD superiority. :-)

Thanks,
Mike

Doesn't Comcast own a portion of QVC? If so, then yes, I'd expect that one will come very soon. Yippee! :rolleyes:

rsra13

11-09-07, 04:55 PM

pappy97

11-09-07, 06:22 PM

Looks like having lots of HD programming matters a lot to consumers.

Which is sad, because I care about PQ. I'd rather have no more HD channels added to the Comcast Lineup and have PQ improved (higher bitrate, etc). But since typical consumers want numbers, we get quantity instead of quality. It's sad. :(

rsra13

11-09-07, 06:27 PM

Which is sad, because I care about PQ. I'd rather have no more HD channels added to the Comcast Lineup and have PQ improved (higher bitrate, etc). But since typical consumers want numbers, we get quantity instead of quality. It's sad. :(

And I care more about content. So we can have 100+ HD channels showing KRON programs... :D
That's why I still watch SD shows.

But I agree, people typically want more, they want quantity. Today that I was in the Comcast office one person was asking that if they get that box they'll get more channels. The employee said Yes!, and the person said OK, I'll take it.

sfhub

11-09-07, 07:12 PM

From TVpredictions.com:

Washington, D.C. (November 8, 2007) -- DIRECTV yesterday said it added 600,000 new HD and/or DVR subscribers in the third quarter.

The satcaster said the number represents a 60 percent increase over last year's third quarter.

DIRECTV began its high-def expansion in the third quarter, jumping from 10 HD channels to more than 70 high-def channels by the end of October.

While the company did not break out the HD and DVR sub numbers, the high-def channel addition likely was the significant driver of the "HD and DVR" sub growth.

In an investors call yesterday with Wall Street analysts, DIRECTV compared the 3Q HD & DVR sub numbers with Comcast's recent third quarter report. The cable operator said it added 325,000 HD and DVR subs in the third quarter.

"Over half of our gross additions in the quarter signed up for HD and/or DVR services," said DIRECTV CFO Patrick Doyle. "This is quite an impressive statistic if you consider that the previous high for this metric was in the prior quarter when sales of advanced products (HD & DVR) were just under 40 percent of gross additions."
I'm curious, how does one get the breakdown of the combined "HD and/or DVR" number.

If a new customer gets HD, DVR, or HD & DVR are those counted 1, 1, 2 (new additions) or one in all cases. If an existing customer upgrades to HD, DVR, or HD & DVR, are they considered a "new" addition. Is there a consistent definition between the DirecTV and Comcast number?

Not saying it is happening here, but coming from the HD-DVD/BluRay world, when there is a war, there is the temptation to play with wording and numbering to obtain an advantage.

UAL_Kingpin

11-09-07, 09:58 PM

Why is the channel Info wrong so often? I am watching a show, and I press "info" button on my remote. It gives me channel info for a completely different show. I understand the channel guide might be off a little bit after extended sporting events, but the program I was watching was not after a sporting event. Isn't there a person at Comcast who's job it is to verify that the channel info matches to what is being shown?

djnsmith7

11-10-07, 03:22 AM

MikeSM

11-10-07, 01:28 PM

Which is sad, because I care about PQ. I'd rather have no more HD channels added to the Comcast Lineup and have PQ improved (higher bitrate, etc). But since typical consumers want numbers, we get quantity instead of quality. It's sad. :(

By all reports of users taking the new directv mpeg4 channels, quality is pretty much identical to comcast. The new spacecraft they are using has capacity out the ying yang, so no need to compress, esp with mpeg4.

thx
mike

pappy97

11-10-07, 01:59 PM

By all reports of users taking the new directv mpeg4 channels, quality is pretty much identical to comcast. The new spacecraft they are using has capacity out the ying yang, so no need to compress, esp with mpeg4.

thx
mike

I've heard this too, but this is not comforting to me as I find Comcast's HD PQ lacking. If people were saying that DirectV's new MPEG4 channels rivals that of uncompressed HD found on C-Band/4DTV, then you'd really have something.

I guess I'm in the minority, but instead of comcast trying to match DirecTV's HD channel number at the expense of picture quality, I wish we could get higher bitrates on our current channel lineup.

I love content too, evidenced by the fact that people say the TiVo HD boxes give you higher PQ, but I don't want to sacrifice On Demand.

My big issue is that the penetration of HD in US households shouldn't come at the expense of the very picture quality that is the whole point of HD.

pappy97

11-10-07, 02:04 PM

So today I exchanged my old, really old, DCR-6412, or something like that, the one with DVI, for a shiny new DCH-3412.
Wow! what a difference. I really like how the box looks, kinda modern design. I love how it has like 20 different outputs (USB,eSATA, rj-45, IEE94, HDMI, etc.) and most of them are not usable! :D
Anything special I should be looking for with this box?

No, I've had it for a few months now and it's pretty much like any other Comcast box, full of bugs and when you press a button nothing happens, so you keep pressing buttons, and then a few minutes later the box finally does all things that correlate to the buttons you pressed. I've had recording issues. My wife and I like to watch Sharks games by taping it and starting it up an hour after the game has started to skip commercials and intermissions. Last week we did this only to find that once we tried to FF through the first commercial, we were jumped to the live portion of the broadcast. We figured it was a one time glitch and paused again and watched later. Same thing happened, nearly ruined the game for us.

That hasn't happened since, but still. This box still has the usual bugs, still needs to be reset from time to time, and doesn't even allow on the fly resolution change (or passthough, which would be simple Motorola!).

MikeSM

11-10-07, 02:28 PM

I've heard this too, but this is not comforting to me as I find Comcast's HD PQ lacking. If people were saying that DirectV's new MPEG4 channels rivals that of uncompressed HD found on C-Band/4DTV, then you'd really have something.

I guess I'm in the minority, but instead of comcast trying to match DirecTV's HD channel number at the expense of picture quality, I wish we could get higher bitrates on our current channel lineup.

I love content too, evidenced by the fact that people say the TiVo HD boxes give you higher PQ, but I don't want to sacrifice On Demand.

My big issue is that the penetration of HD in US households shouldn't come at the expense of the very picture quality that is the whole point of HD.

A lot of these quality problems come from the source video, so it's not comcast's fault, or DirecTV's.

PS I do not believe people are pushing uncompressed HD video via C band - the raw bit rate would consume multiple transponders per HD channel. That's BS.

Thx
Mike

11-10-07, 03:16 PM

If people were saying that DirectV's new MPEG4 channels rivals that of uncompressed HD found on C-Band/4DTV, then you'd really have something.

Even a gigabit network cannot handle uncompressed HD video.

Health Nut

11-10-07, 04:55 PM

My big issue is that the penetration of HD in US households shouldn't come at the expese of the very picture quality that is the whole point of HD.

Isn't that the truth... Same reason I do not want downloads and on-demand HD, it just doesn't have the same level of audio and video quality that Blu Ray BD-50 offers...

raghu1111

11-10-07, 06:39 PM

I've heard this too, but this is not comforting to me as I find Comcast's HD PQ lacking. If people were saying that DirectV's new MPEG4 channels rivals that of uncompressed HD found on C-Band/4DTV, then you'd really have something.

Which quality are you referring to? What do you think Comcast is doing to negatively affect the quality? Most of the time, quality is limited by broadcast station (source). Many stations just convert ananlog to stretched "HD".. how sad is that?

Bill

11-10-07, 07:52 PM

Has Comcast fixed the max resolution out of their DVR of 1350x1080 from component? Maybe HDMI is better, firewire was but no guide. When I went to Dish, Dish's HD had obviously more resolution.

pappy97

11-11-07, 02:45 AM

Which quality are you referring to? What do you think Comcast is doing to negatively affect the quality? Most of the time, quality is limited by broadcast station (source). Many stations just convert ananlog to stretched "HD".. how sad is that?

What comcast does to negatively affect quality is give us crap Motorola boxes that output a crappy picture. There is no reason that anyone should get a better picture with a TiVO HD box or with a cablecard in their TV. Whatever PQ they get is what we should get with the motorola crappy box! At the very least we should get passthrough and if Motorola won't do it (Comcast should put pressure on Motorola to allow native resolution passthrough, if Pioneer/SA can do it, Motorola can do it too), Comcast should move all their systems to Pioneer or Scientific Atlanta Boxes, but I somehow I bet Comcast and Motorola have some deal to insure most Comcast markets use Motorola boxes.

You say quality is limited by the source. So do you mean to say if you compared the PQ coming out of a Comcast DCH box of HBO-HD, that it would be the same as someone getting HBO-HD on C-Band/4DTV? I highly suspect they have higher bitrate HD, although it's the same source, just a different transmission method.

I'm all for finding ways to get more bandwidth, but I don't want more HD channels. Just give me as high of a bitrate as possible. Then Comcast could honestly advertise,

"What would you rather have? A 100 wannabe HD channels or 30 TRUE HD "Window effect" HD channels?"

or something to that effect. There is no need for Comcast to challenge DirecTV on their HD channel quantity, just beat them on quality and advertise the hell out of it.

As far as we are concerned, a battle over quantity only means bad news for us. Much more "HD" will be added, but eventually HD-lite will be norm (just because DirecTV is supposedly moving away from it, if the quantity fight continues they'll be forced to return to it) because quantity is all about getting the most number of HD channels possible, even if the actual output is barely HD. We've already seen quantity take a hit in other arenas, such as OTA-HD which can suffer when a local channel decides to use its bandwidth to have 5 subchannels which causes HD PQ to suffer. Or even HD radio, in which many stations like to have substations which also degrade the HD audio (Note: I am fully aware HD in HD Audio doesn't mean anything related to our HD, just making a point).

Quantity vs. Quality (with some providers really behind the quality aspect) could actually do something for us.

Larry Kenney

11-11-07, 03:35 AM

From TVpredictions.com:
DIRECTV began its high-def expansion in the third quarter, jumping from 10 HD channels to more than 70 high-def channels by the end of October.

I saw a Comcast commercial today during one of the games I was watching where they said that Comcast has more HD than satellite. How can they get away advertising this false information? Without a doubt, both satellite companies offer many more HD channels than Comcast.

Larry
SF

MikeSM

11-11-07, 12:22 PM

clau

11-11-07, 12:43 PM

I saw a Comcast commercial today during one of the games I was watching where they said that Comcast has more HD than satellite. How can they get away advertising this false information? Without a doubt, both satellite companies offer many more HD channels than Comcast.

Larry
SF

Comcast is probably counting all the local HD channels they carry nationwide, like KRON-HD here, as well as PBS. Not a good way of counting to be sure, since the number of HD channels available to a given subscriber is less than what the satellite services offer.

kevini

11-11-07, 12:50 PM

Comcast is probably counting all the local HD channels they carry nationwide, like KRON-HD here, as well as PBS. Not a good way of counting to be sure, since the number of HD channels available to a given subscriber is less than what the satellite services offer.

Comcast count their HD On Demand. The ad is very carefully worded. It saw they have more HD choices, no HD channels....

clau

11-11-07, 01:14 PM

An off-topic question. I just signed up for Comcast HSI's highest speed tier. Tested out at 22Mbps down and 1.4MB up. Excellent speeds, and much higher than what Comcast specs say. Have those on the regular speed tier tested their speeds recently?

Also found out that the cable modem makes a huge difference. I initially used a BestData modem that one of my kids used in his apartment, and I could only get 3.5Mbps down and 700K up, plus that modem kept dropping. Bought a linksys from Fry's and the speeds shot up by a lot. I have since switched to a Motorola SB5120 that I picked up from craigslist, and it has been working very well.

For those of you interested in signing up with Comcast's HSI, you can get different deals from what's posted on their website if you call them.

rsra13

11-11-07, 09:09 PM

That's with speedbooster. They are not real life speeds, meaning you won't see that speeds all the time while downloading something. Same with games or while uploading.

clau

11-11-07, 10:22 PM

That's with speedbooster. They are not real life speeds, meaning you won't see that speeds all the time while downloading something. Same with games or while uploading.

I understand that. For small-sized files, it works very well. If you're on the regular plan, what kind of speeds do you get, with or without powerboost?

dr1394

11-11-07, 11:11 PM

I understand that. For small-sized files, it works very well. If you're on the regular plan, what kind of speeds do you get, with or without powerboost?
I get exactly 6 Mbps on the 6 Mbps plan. Here's how I like to measure it.

1) Download a big file from a fast website. I like the Apple HD trailer site. For example:

http://movies.apple.com/movies/independent/slipstream/slipstream_h1080p.mov

2) Use Windows task manager to measure the throughput.

http://www.w6rz.net/6mbps.jpg

As you can see, after the initial power boost, the throughput is throttled to almost exactly 6 Mbps.

Ron

rsra13

11-12-07, 12:38 AM

Yeah, it's 6 Mbps down, 256 kbps up. For the pro version is 8 Mbps down, 756 kbps up.

fender4645

11-12-07, 12:49 AM

https://www.comcast.com/highspeedinternet/

Read the fine print at the bottom.

fender4645

11-12-07, 01:00 AM

So I'm getting mixed signals from the Comcast reps (surprise, surprise). We're moving into our new house this coming weekend and I have Comcast set to come on Sat. for the new install. Couple of questions:

1) 1 of the 3 rooms we want a TV in does not currently have a cable running to that room. When I made the install appointment, the woman said they do NOT fish cable through walls and will only use existing cable runs. I thought this was odd so I called back to a different CSR and they "yes, they'll run new cable from the junction box if needed". Has anyone had Comcast install new cable run lately? Can you confirm/deny they will do this?

2) We're moving most of the large stuff on Sunday so I was hoping to just bring one of the smaller LCD's for when the cable guy comes and move it from room-to-room to do the installs. Anyone think there's going to be a problem with this?

Thanks!!

clau

11-12-07, 01:11 AM

fender4645

11-12-07, 01:17 AM

Both CSR's were probably right. My experience is that Comcast will install cables, but only through an external wall, not internal walls.

You don't need to bring a TV to check installation. They have power meters to verify proper signal levels.

Thanks, Clau. That would actually work since the room I need it in is on the same side of the house and floor as the junction box so the run should be minimal.

pappy97

11-12-07, 03:45 PM

keenan

11-12-07, 05:32 PM

How much are you paying for this 22 Mbps down / 1.4 MB up? I've never heard of this with Comcast. I would like this service, if the cost isn't too bad.

Apparently that's only for the first 10megs download, then it drops back to 6-8mbps, and if you're going to do any bit-torrenting I'd be cautious about going with Comcast as they have some odd ideas about net neutrality.

pappy97

11-12-07, 05:35 PM

Apparently that's only for the first 10megs download, then it drops back to 6-8mbps, and if you're going to do any bit-torrenting I'd be cautious about going with Comcast as they have some odd ideas about net neutrality.

Oh okay, thanks. What you are referring to is powerboost, but the OP about this made it sound like it they had a different plan with higher speed. That's a relief because for a second there I thought I was missing the boat on something good.

wco81

11-12-07, 06:13 PM

Either during the ATTBI or TCI days, we were getting much higher speeds than was rated at the time. As soon as the new regime took over, they throttled speeds and imposed the crappy 1 GB per month limit on newsfeeds.

Whoever was getting 22 Mbps, enjoy it while it lasts.

Barovelli

11-12-07, 06:54 PM

Either during the ATTBI or TCI days, we were getting much higher speeds

ahhhh - it was when @Home was the ISP. We know what happened to them . .

raghu1111

11-12-07, 11:45 PM

What comcast does to negatively affect quality is give us crap Motorola boxes that output a crappy picture. There is no reason that anyone should get a better picture with a TiVO HD box or with a cablecard in their TV. Whatever PQ they get is what we should get with the motorola crappy box!
Do you have link or review about how crappy the Comcast box is compared to say Tivo HD? I would be very surprised if there is any noticeable difference between HDMI out. I understand that comcast box does not allow native pass through.. apart from that, I would like to know whats the big degradation in PQ is.. How big is your TV? I have a DCT 6200.

clau

11-12-07, 11:54 PM

How much are you paying for this 22 Mbps down / 1.4 MB up? I've never heard of this with Comcast. I would like this service, if the cost isn't too bad.

Sorry to disappoint you, but that was measured while Power Boost was on. Provisioned speed is 8Mbps down and 768K up.

There is also a Blast service from Comcast available elsewhere, but not where I am.

kerz

11-13-07, 02:04 AM

We're nearing the date of the new HD channels, any other new news about HD in the Bay Area? CNN, other Discovery channels, etc?

pappy97

11-13-07, 02:19 AM

Do you have link or review about how crappy the Comcast box is compared to say Tivo HD? I would be very surprised if there is any noticeable difference between HDMI out. I understand that comcast box does not allow native pass through.. apart from that, I would like to know whats the big degradation in PQ is.. How big is your TV? I have a DCT 6200.

Not a link, but people here have said the PQ is better with either TiVo HD/S3 or cablecard directly into TV. In fact many here have said they've seen a noticeable difference.

Well I have two viewing displays. One is 1080p 50" DLP TV, the other is a 1080p LCD projector with 100" screen.

Even on the 50", PQ from Comcast and the Comcast Motorola boxes could be better. Anyone ever tried watching an animated movie on HBO-HD? Pixelation and macro-blocking up the wazoo.

MikeSM

11-13-07, 12:04 PM

Not a link, but people here have said the PQ is better with either TiVo HD/S3 or cablecard directly into TV. In fact many here have said they've seen a noticeable difference.

Well I have two viewing displays. One is 1080p 50" DLP TV, the other is a 1080p LCD projector with 100" screen.

Even on the 50", PQ from Comcast and the Comcast Motorola boxes could be better. Anyone ever tried watching an animated movie on HBO-HD? Pixelation and macro-blocking up the wazoo.

I don't see these kinds of errors on HD channels from comcast. Maybe something is wrong with your feed?

thx
mike

hiker

11-13-07, 12:37 PM

Anyone else got their Nov bill yet?
I have Limited Basic and Digital Classic. I knew there was a price increase coming and Digital Classic went up from $11.95 to $14.95. But I didn't expect to see anything go down. Limited Basic went from $16.73 down to $14.89. :eek: Who made them drop the price?

That Don Guy

11-13-07, 03:18 PM

Anyone else got their Nov bill yet?
I have.
Standard (Limited Basic + Expanded Basic) went up from 52.50 to 55.75.
Digital Preferred went up from 14.95 to 15.88.
Sports Entertainment Package (formerly Digital Sports Tier) went up from 4.95 to 4.98.
(Digital Additional Outlet and Dual CableCards stayed at 6.99 and 1.79 respectively.)

-- Don

Mikef5

11-13-07, 04:00 PM

A reminder from Comcast

I've been gone from the forums for quite a while due to some medical problems at home but those are being taken care of and I'm now back to the forums.

Now for some better news.
I've just received and email from Mr. J about the new channels being added on the 15th and to remind everyone about the channel renumbering that will be happening at the same time. Here is the email as I received it....

____________________________________________________________ _____

For the Forum...

Mikef5:

As you know, on Thursday November 15th we are adding four HD networks to our lineup, Discovery HD, (different programming then Discovery HD Theatre), USA HD, HGTV HD and History HD.

In addition, as we had discussed in earlier posts, we'll also renumber our current HD channel lineup. As a courtesy to the Forum members I've detailed the changes that will be implemented on Thursday.

Note: The below channel changes will occur in all Bay Area Comcast cable systems except those neighborhoods in Hayward, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, Half Moon Bay, Saratoga, Sunnyvale, Milpitas, Los Gatos, Santa Rosa and Mendocino County where our new advanced digital network is not yet in place.

November 15 Launch

USA HD launch on Digital Classic HD channel 738.
HGTV HD launch on Digital Classic HD channel 746.
Discovery HD launch on Digital Classic HD channel 750.
History HD launch on Digital Classic HD channel 758.

Existing HD Lineup Renumbering

Versus/Golf channel number will change from 721 to 722.
ESPN HD channel number will change from 723 to 724.
ESPN2 HD channel number will change from 724 to 725.
NFL Network HD channel number will change from 725 to 730.
A&E HD channel number will change from 718 to 734
TNT HD channel number will change from 726 to 737.
Universal HD channel number will change from 727 to 739.
MOJO channel number will change from 719 to 740.
MHD channel number will change from 728 to 743.
Discovery Theater HD channel number will change from 722 to 754.
National Geographic HD channel number will change from 715 to 757.
HBO HD channel number will change from 730 to 770.
Starz HD channel number will change from 734 to 780.
Showtime HD channel number will change from 736 to 785.
Cinemax HD channel number will change from 732 to 792.

___________________________________________________________

So new channels are being added and renumbering of the channel lineups will
be happening on the 15th.
Looks like some areas will not be renumbered until they are fully upgraded, I know my area is just about completed but not quite there just yet. I don't know if that means we also won't get the new channels or not I'll have to check on that to be sure. I'll update this as soon as I find out more.

Laters,
Mikef5

mds54

11-13-07, 04:17 PM

Welcome back, Mikef5, and thanks for the update!
I hope things are okay at home now.

You might have missed my post on 10/24. If you have a chance,
many of us (in other forums too) would appreciate it!

-------------------------------------------------------------
DCH recording light bug status?
Hey Mikef5:
Could you please check with Mr. J. on the DCH3416 recording light issue that he said was being addressed? Do they have a new firmware release date with a fix, or other solution?
Thanks!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

fender4645

11-13-07, 05:41 PM

You might have missed my post on 11/24. If you have a chance,
many of us (in other forums too) would appreciate it!

Wow!! You can post into the future! Cool!! ;)

mds54

11-13-07, 07:03 PM

Hah! :p
Good catch, and subsequently corrected.

Dragunov1

11-13-07, 07:56 PM

clau

11-13-07, 09:05 PM

We get the new node up near Wolfe/Old San Francisco in Sunnyvale?

Signal Acquired at 705.000 MHz

The signal was very very weak :\ I couldn't get online without turning on my amplifier (got a 4way split in the room), but before I was good to go without the amp.

The recommended way is to do a two-way split first: one output goes to the cable modem, and the other output goes to another splitter that supplies the signals to your TV's. You can put an amplifier before the second splitter if you want.

brimorga

11-14-07, 01:02 AM

A reminder from Comcast

Existing HD Lineup Renumbering

Versus/Golf channel number will change from 721 to 722.
ESPN HD channel number will change from 723 to 724.
ESPN2 HD channel number will change from 724 to 725.
NFL Network HD channel number will change from 725 to 730.
A&E HD channel number will change from 718 to 734
TNT HD channel number will change from 726 to 737.
Universal HD channel number will change from 727 to 739.
MOJO channel number will change from 719 to 740.
MHD channel number will change from 728 to 743.
Discovery Theater HD channel number will change from 722 to 754.
National Geographic HD channel number will change from 715 to 757.
HBO HD channel number will change from 730 to 770.
Starz HD channel number will change from 734 to 780.
Showtime HD channel number will change from 736 to 785.
Cinemax HD channel number will change from 732 to 792.

Hi Mike,

Appreciate the updates. Do you know if we will need to reset our DVR recordings, or will they migrate to the new channel number?

Mikef5

11-14-07, 01:18 AM

Hi Mike,

Appreciate the updates. Do you know if we will need to reset our DVR recordings, or will they migrate to the new channel number?

If you've got a TivoHD or Series 3 they will adjust for the channel changes on their own, I don't think the Moto boxes will do it by themselves. Hopefully with the new Tivo/Comcast software guide that will be included. Another reason I love this Tivo box ;)

Laters,
Mikef5

fender4645

11-14-07, 01:30 AM

Do you think the Tivo boxes will get the new channel numbers right away? Or will it take a week or so like it does when Comcast adds new channels?

Mikef5

11-14-07, 02:08 AM

Do you think the Tivo boxes will get the new channel numbers right away? Or will it take a week or so like it does when Comcast adds new channels?

I've already got the new channel line up, thanks to Tribune Media updating the guide before it was suppose to be released :rolleyes:

Laters,
Mikef5

JasonQG

11-14-07, 03:44 AM

I don't think the Moto boxes will do it by themselves.

I bet they will. I remember there used to be issues with the boxes recording both the digital and analog versions of shows, because both channels, at the time, had the same name. So that suggests that the recordings are based on channel names, not channel numbers.

Oh, and I finally saw an upgrade truck today in my neighborhood. :eek:

Cal1981

11-14-07, 12:57 PM

The following language is included in Comcast's recent public notices regarding the new rate increases in the Bay Area:

"Digital Premier currently priced at $4.99 and Digital Sports Tier currently priced at $4.95 and going to $4.99 will become the Sports Entertainment Package. Customers subscribing to Digital Premier and/or Digital Sports Tier will receive all channels in both packages effective November 15, 2007. The rate for the new Sports Entertainment Package is $4.99."

Since I have the Digital Premier Package but not the S/E addon, does this mean that as of tomorrow, I will be able to access NFL Network and Fox Movie Channel, etc. without any action on my part, especially since the Premier package is going up by $4.00?