On Tivocommunity.com, someone posted about a free HBO weekend starting today.. free HBO and Cinemax and such.

Anyway, can I, without cablecards, tune into these free weekends on my Tivo S3? i.e. what QAM channel is HBO and the other stations?

Though I suppose they could just be blasting out "enable HBO, etc..." at the beginning of the free weekend, then at the end, disabling all of those not actually subscribed??

As I am only interested in the basic local HD networks, what is the lowest cost cable package must I add to my package so I can get FOX, CBX, and NBC in HD via my QAM tuner? Do I need the digital package or can I get away with just the basic?

Have you tried simply plugging the cable into the TV and seeing what you get now?

You might already be getting the 'basic' package. (or maybe one step below basic, e.g. "lifeline").

On Tivocommunity.com, someone posted about a free HBO weekend starting today.. free HBO and Cinemax and such.

Anyway, can I, without cablecards, tune into these free weekends on my Tivo S3? i.e. what QAM channel is HBO and the other stations?

Though I suppose they could just be blasting out "enable HBO, etc..." at the beginning of the free weekend, then at the end, disabling all of those not actually subscribed??
No Cinemax in our area.

Actual RF channel varies from head-end to head-end.

You can try these for starters, but your area might have a totally different mapping.

86.x
87.x
93.x
108.x
115.x (HD)

Can anyone confirm the free HBO weekend in the Bay Area? I'm not home but want to set up my tivo if it is free.

Can anyone confirm the free HBO weekend in the Bay Area? I'm not home but want to set up my tivo if it is free.
It is here in Milpitas, since last night.

Laters,
Mikef5

On Tivocommunity.com, someone posted about a free HBO weekend starting today.. free HBO and Cinemax and such.

Anyway, can I, without cablecards, tune into these free weekends on my Tivo S3? i.e. what QAM channel is HBO and the other stations?

Though I suppose they could just be blasting out "enable HBO, etc..." at the beginning of the free weekend, then at the end, disabling all of those not actually subscribed??
As sfhub notes, you may have different mappings in your area, but as I think Sunnyvale is a 550 system, you might try 76.1 as that's where it's showing up in Santa Rosa on my HDHomeRun. With the CC-equipped S3 I just added HBO-HD to the favorite list and it shows up.

A couple of the SD HBO channels are showing up too, 99.1 and 99.2 although I didn't bother to check which ones they are. (HBO-Family and HBO-Signature)

I'm not seeing any Cinemax in the clear. HBOP, HBO2P, HBO-Family, HBO-Signature and HBO-HD are the only ones I'm seeing.

Can anyone confirm the free HBO weekend in the Bay Area? I'm not home but want to set up my tivo if it is free.

Yup number 730 comes in HDHBO and i'm watching Transporters. Im in the Dublin area.

Looks like HBO-HD has Return of the Jedi on Sat. night.

I'm in south San Jose and I'm seeing channels 700 and 701 in my onscreen guide. No programing yet, just the "channel should be available shortly" message. Does anyone know what those channels are going to be?

I'm in south San Jose and I'm seeing channels 700 and 701 in my onscreen guide. No programing yet, just the "channel should be available shortly" message. Does anyone know what those channels are going to be?

i see it too, but i bet its ondemandHD menu or something.

Yeah,

700 is "HD on demand"
701 is "HD movies on demand" or so

Both simply take you directly to the "HD" section of On demand. Whooptydoo!

OK, here's some actual info after asking a million questions... Comcast in Sunnyvale..

77-9 is the History Channel
77-2 is HBOSIGP
77-1 is HB2P
73-3 is some weird preview channel for upcoming movies that shows TWO small images, one in the upper right and one in the lower left.. The're both the same video..

73-1 is HBOP
I thought there was one more channel I saw flipping through the first time, but I got impatient and didn't take notes the first time.. (it takes a while flipping through the music channels and such, plus some just show a black screen and I have to wait a bit to see if it'll lock onto anything).

Yeah,

700 is "HD on demand"
701 is "HD movies on demand" or so

Both simply take you directly to the "HD" section of On demand. Whooptydoo!

Actually, I like that idea. If all you are interested in is HD on demand items it gets you there faster.

Yeah,

700 is "HD on demand"
701 is "HD movies on demand" or so

Both simply take you directly to the "HD" section of On demand. Whooptydoo!
I have also noticed that there is:

740 is "HD Music ON DEMAND"
799 is "Free Movies ON DEMAND"

Yeah, and 800 is porn On demand, and there's about 20 more "shortcuts" to various parts of On demand...

FWIW recorded Return of the Jedi last night and oh looky, 5c isn't set. So that's 1 down, 2 to go. =)

Important message for Comcast customers in the Bay Area.

It seems the constant ads from Dish and Directv about them having more HD than the cable
companys has finally prompted Comcast to do something about it and to take that advantage
away from the Sat companys. The problem is what HD channels to add and when to actually add
them to the lineup. To help with that problem, I've been allowed to do an informal survey
of the Bay Area on what they would like to have added to the HD offered here. I have been
assured that this survey will be seriously considered by Comcast and will be used as the
starting point in adding more HD channels very soon. What this means to you is, you now
have the opportunity to voice your opinion on which HD channels you want added to the
lineup. It also means that if you don't vote for your channels you have no reason to bitch
and moan about not getting new channels, NOW IS YOUR CHANCE !!!

What I need from the group, and I do mean all of you even the non posters, is to tell me
what 3 new HD channels ( that are not now offered in the Bay Area ) that you would like to
see added to the lineup for the Bay Area. Also, the priority of those channels, which one
is first, second and third in importance to you. The more people that respond to this
survey the better it will reflect what the Bay Area really wants. I will take these results
and give them to Comcast to show them what is most important to the customers of the Bay
Area. I can also assure you that Comcast will take this survey seriously. Comcast does read
this forum and acts on your concerns whenever possible.

Vote now, the sooner I can get the results to Comcast the sooner the channels can get
added. Vote for those channels that are not already offered in the Bay Area. In areas that
are not upgraded yet, like I'm in, those channels ( like TNT-HD and Universal HD ) will be
added when the upgrades are finished so don't vote for them but just the ones that are not
now in the Bay Area. I should also mention that HDNET is not a good candidate for the near
future, if ever. I know alot of people would like to see it added and Comcast is aware of
that but the chances are not good that it will ever be added.

That being said, I'll even start it out.

Number 1 CW-HD
Number 2 National Geographic's HD
Number 3 The History Channel HD

Just as a side note, I believe Disney has added a HD channel just recently so that could be
a choice for some of you. Also, I think A&E and HGTV have HD channels that are available.
You have the opportunity to actually determine the next HD channels for the Bay Area so do
it now.

Laters,
Mikef5

I second Mike's votes:

Number 1 CW-HD
Number 2 National Geographic's HD
Number 3 The History Channel HD

Although, if any of KBWB, KICU, or KCSM had any actual HD programming, they would've been my numbers 2 and 3, since I expect that Nat. Geo. and Hist. will be encrypted and inaccessible to my basic cable subscription.

1. History HD
2. Nat Geo HD
3. CW HD

1. History HD
2. Nat Geo HD
3. CW HD

1. Food Network HD
2. HGTV HD
3. HDNet

All of them.

...
I should also mention that HDNET is not a good candidate for the near future, if ever.
...What is the problem with HDNET? It's on the top of my list, others currently available are of no interest.
1. HDNET
2. HDNet Movies

1. FX HD (if there isn't such a thing, there should be!)
2. CW HD
3. HDNet

1. History HD
2. Nat Geo HD
3. CW HD

1. CW HD
2. FX HD (??)
3. A&E HD

And if I wasted a pick with FX HD....then HGTV HD

1. HGTV HD
2. Food Network HD
3. National Geo HD

(ok technically I am in Santa Cruz area/thread but I want to vote too!).

1. Food network HD
2. A&E HD
3. CW HD

Mike5f-

Can someone giveus a listing of the HD channels out there that might be added as options?

- Phil

Yeah,

700 is "HD on demand"
701 is "HD movies on demand" or so

Both simply take you directly to the "HD" section of On demand. Whooptydoo!



I got 'em too, along with the music HD channel.
I guess this is so Comcast can say that they offer more HD "channels"???

1. Food Network
2. NGC
3. HDNET

1) Nat Geo HD
2) CW HD
3) A&E HD

(I would also like to see HDNET if it ever becomes possible)


Thanks Mike5f!

I want a list too before I vote.

are the Voom channels an option?

Here are my pics (for the current slums of Sunnyvale):

1. Universal HD (to get Battlestar Galactica in HD)
2. Rave HD (for HD 5.1 concerts)
3. National Geographic HD

Oh, yeah - I'd like them non-encrypted, too - so I can use my existing Mac-based home-theater computer system to watch, edit, and archive off to DVD as I see fit.

All I want to do is the same exact things we did in the analog-TV era - and that the Supreme Court SAID we could do! Flags & encryption be damned....

1. Food Network
2. If there is a cap on how many new HD channels will be added, skip one for now and add CNN HD when it becomes available later this year
3. History Channel
(If it's "three now and we can add CNN later", 2 is History Channel and 3 is A&E)

-- Don

Mike5f-

Can someone giveus a listing of the HD channels out there that might be added as options?

- Phil
Check the 4th post in the following thread to see what Comcast has added in other systems.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=419472
HDTV Channel Lineups on DBS, Cable, FiOS, 4DTV! - AVS Forum

The below is the chart from the above link.

Network Dish Direct Cable Cable Verizon
Channel Network TV Comcast COX TWC Vision Charter Mediacom One FIOS Brighthouse
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ESPN-HD X X X X X X X X X X X
ESPN2-HD X X X X X X
DiscoveryHD X X X X X X X X X
UniversalHD X X X X X X X X X X
TNT-HD X X X X X X X X X X
NatGeo-HD X X X
A&E-HD X X X X
HDNet X X X X X X X
HDNetMovies X X X X X X X
INHD X X X X X X
MTV-HD X X X X
FoodNet-HD X
HGTV-HD X
WealthTV X
NFL-HD X X X X X
NFL:ST-HD X
Versus-HD X X X X
Golf-HD X
OutDoor2-HD
-
Rush-HD X
Rave-HD X
HD-News X
Ultra-HD X
Equator-HD X
Gallery-HD X
Monsters-HD X
Animania-HD X
FilmFest-HD X
KungFu-HD X
WldSport-HD X
WldCinma-HD X
Family-HD X
Treasure-HD X
GamePlay-HD X
-
Premium Movie Channels [size=1]*
-
HBO-HD X X X X X X X X X X X
SHO-HD X X X X X X X X X X X
CMax-HD X X X X X X
StrZ-HD X X X X X X X X
TMC-HD X X X X
-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here are my pics (for the current slums of Sunnyvale):

1. Universal HD (to get Battlestar Galactica in HD)
2. Rave HD (for HD 5.1 concerts)
3. National Geographic HD

Oh, yeah - I'd like them non-encrypted, too - so I can use my existing Mac-based home-theater computer system to watch, edit, and archive off to DVD as I see fit.

All I want to do is the same exact things we did in the analog-TV era - and that the Supreme Court SAID we could do! Flags & encryption be damned....
Rave-HD is a non-starter as the Voom channels are sold in a package, I would not expect to see any Voom channels on cable for some time to come, at least until there is considerably more bandwidth available.

Also, as Mikef5 notes, requests for HDNet will probably fall on deaf hears, at least for the time being, so there's no point in requesting now.

Additionally, I believe Universal-HD is already on some Comcast bay area systems so that is a wasted vote as vote.

Not to pick on you Exponent, but your post is an example of wasting 2 of your 3 picks. :)

I want a list too before I vote.

are the Voom channels an option?
As of right now the Voom channels are only on the Dish network but could be added in the future, that has a better chance than HDNET does. This survey is for what's available right now for all providers and not exclusive channels that are only available to a few. If Mark Cuban and Brian Roberts could get over their differences then HDNET could be added down the road but not in the foreseeable future so I wouldn't vote for that right now and thanks Keenan for the list of channels :)

Laters,
Mikef5

Since I'm in an non-upgraded area, for now, I'm not sure of the full line up available for the Bay Area. I had heard that the Food Network Channel HD was already added to the Bay Area line up, is this true or not ?? Does anyone in a fully upgraded area have a complete up-to-date list of channels ( for the Bay Area ) they'd like to share with the group ???

Laters,
Mikef5

As of right now the Voom channels are only on the Dish network but could be added in the future, that has a better chance than HDNET does. This survey is for what's available right now for all providers and not exclusive channels that are only available to a few. If Mark Cuban and Brian Roberts could get over their differences then HDNET could be added down the road but not in the foreseeable future so I wouldn't vote for that right now and thanks Keenan for the list of channels :)

Laters,
Mikef5
The way I see that chart, the only ones Comcast doesn't have here are NatGeo and A&E. Aren't Versus and Golf the same channel, and aren't they already on some bay area systems?

I'd most want the HDNet channels. Of the most likely HD candidates for addition, the History Channel, CW & Nat Geographic in that order.

Additionally, I believe Universal-HD is already on some Comcast bay area systems so that is a wasted vote as vote.

Confirmed. I currently have it in South San Jose (860Mhz system)

I'm in Comcast's Fresno market, but have friends/family in the bay area. I vote for them and myself with:

Nat Geo.HD
A&E HD
History Channel HD

A lot of the docs on those channels just scream to be in HD. Some Nat Geo HD stuff is available OnDemand, so I'd imagine the actual channel is not far off.

Guessing you will all have Universal HD soon (we've had it in the Fresno market for several months, plus temporarily during the last NBC Olympics and US Open coverage). CWHD is available here as well (via the Fresno CW affiliate's HD signal) as is Versus/GolfHD.

HDNet and Voom stuff? Keep dreamin'. I actually used to be a VOOM subscriber before they folded and RAVE HD (and pretty much all VOOM-exclusive programming) was the equivalent of MHD, same stuff every day.

Food Hd
Hgtv Hd
NGC Hd

I really want SCIFI HD but I dont they broadcast yet.

1. FoodHD
2. CW-HD
3. either Natl Geo or HGTV

nevertheless, i DON"T want HD-lite. i'd rather have no channels added if they are going to sacrifice quality of the existing channels.

1. FoodHD
2. CW-HD
3. either Natl Geo or HGTV

nevertheless, i DON"T want HD-lite. i'd rather have no channels added if they are going to sacrifice quality of the existing channels.
I think the HD-lite concern is a very big issue but I don't think Comcast is going to do that if at all possible. The reason I think this is, my area and about 7 other areas are going to be upgraded to 1 GHz systems and after they are done the rest of the areas will be upgraded to that level. If they were going to do HD-lite then why upgrade all the areas to 1 GHz and not just compress the heck out of the HD signal ?? Eventually they will have to find a good compression technique because with more and more HD being added to the line ups they'll eventually run out of usable bandwidth. So I think for the time being you will not see HD-lite on Comcast, besides it could be a big selling point for Comcast by not doing HD-lite like the Sat companies do but giving the customer the best picture available ;) .

Laters,
Mikef5

1. A&E HD
2. CW-HD
3. History Channel HD

- Phil

Boy, I can't believe no votes for Disney HD. I would've thought there would be a lot of people wanting more family type programing that Disney is known for but now in HD. If I had a 4th choice I would've voted for that, but then again I'm just a kid at heart :)

Laters,
Mikef5

I didn't know there was an A&E HD. If so, I would favor it and History HD, and then Nat Geo.

I'm dense; what is CW HD?

I didn't know there was an A&E HD. If so, I would favor it and History HD, and then Nat Geo.

I'm dense; what is CW HD?
The CW, KBCW, the old KBHK ch-44, now it's UPN and Warner combined into one network, Veronica Mars, Supernatural, Everybody Loves Chris, etc. It's a local channel, and as far as I know, it's the only local that does HD that Comcast doesn't carry. This channel should really be an automatic add IMO. They also have some NFL games when the local teams are on ESPN-national.

I think the HD-lite concern is a very big issue but I don't think Comcast is going to do that if at all possible.
Laters,
Mikef5
I sure hope not, that's one of the reasons that puts Comcast at the top of the heap, even with far less "HD" channels than other providers, the HD we do get, is real HD.

The shame of it is, that HD gets somewhat mangled by using that wretched Motorola STB.

1. A&E HD
2. CW-HD
3. History Channel HD

- Phil

A&E HD exists, but I heard it hardly has any HD, basically 99%+ of stretched SD.

Our Comcast service (Antioch, CA) was upgraded about 3 weeks ago (new SD and HD channels with On demand). The new channel lineup card says that channel 724 is ESPN2 HD yet it does not appear to be high def. Anyone else notice this? ESPN (chan. 723) is indeed high def.

My three votes, regardless of the suggestion of the vote recorder for not to vote for HDNET:

1. HDNet
2. HDNet Movies
3. TMC - HD

1. National Geographic HD
2. HGTV HD
3. Food HD

My votes

1. Food HD
2. Disney Channel HD
3. All HBO channels (if available)

1 National Geographic HD
2 HGTV HD
2.5 Disney HD
3. Food HD

1) CW-HD
2) FoodNet-HD
3) NatGeo-HD

and please no SDV or else CableCARD TVs and TiVo S3 will not be able to use these channels.

My votes:

1. CW HD
2. NatGeo HD
3. TMC-HD

1. Food Network HD
2. National Geo HD
3. HGTV HD
4. CW-HD

We should create a poll with three choices per person.

Here is a list of the channels that AT&T Uverse is promoting in the Danville area.

Fox
CBS
NBC
ABC
Discovery TV
TNT
Universal
HD Net
HD Net Movies
Wealth TV
A&E
HGTV
Food Network
National Geographic
MHD
ESPN
ESPN2
NFL Network
HBO HD East
HBO HD West
Cinemax HD East
Cinemax HD West
Showtime HD East
Showtime HD West
TMC HD
Starz HD East
Starz HD West

They currently do not offer PBS or FSNBA

My votes are:

National Geographic
HBO HD East
A&E

Regarding our channel choices......
On Comcast, the HD NFL Network seems to be seasonal only, as it disappeared
after the season ended. Yet it's SD channel is going full strength, with some
programming having HD descriptors on it (game of the week & Superbowl/playoff replays).
Why are we missing that?
Is AT&T showing this as a dedicated full-time HD channel?
If so, this would be one of my votes....

its great to have a poster here with the inside contact as mike does.

1. foodHD
2. espnnewsHD (when launches)
3. TBSHD (when launches)

HDnet is on top of my list assuming comcast plays nice with cuban anytime soon.

1. National Geographic's HD
2. The History Channel HD
3. CW-HD

1. History HD
2. Natl Geo HD
3. CW HD (for StarTrek:TOS 2.0 and Smallville, basically)

2nd the request for no SDV or else my tivo S3 won't get anything.

What a bunch of crap!!!
Comcast will remain FAR behind the satellite guys in terms of HD programming, whether they add 3 new channels or a lot more.
And I am in the Los Gatos ghetto, where the current system can't add even one new HD channel. I am waiting to see what the 18 month upgrade actually accomplishes (maybe), and if Comcast fails to deliver again, I am gone to satellite.
Why are all you guys even bothering to 'vote' for your three most desireable channels, when that is but a drop in the bucket???
Add to the equation the fact that the Motorola DVR is a piece of junk, and Comcast has so far to go to get competitive it is pathetic!
And, once again, everyone is tripping over themselves to vote for their three next HD channels.
Think about it folks. Hype on three more HD channels. Hype on a Tivo sourced DVR. Hype but no substance.
Sorry, but I am obviously fed up. My wife and daughter (who doesn't even live with us) hassle me daily on the DVR problems, and I am so tired of getting mailers, emails, and TV commercials touting stuff I can't get here in Los Gatos.
Mike

1) Hist-hd
2) A&e Hd
3) Hgtv Hd

Hey I didnt know where to post this, but thought I would share....currently comcast is offering a south bay promotion.....Digital Silver expanded package...with 1 premium channel...and a dvr box....for 64.99....for a year!!!!

its a great deal, you guys should call up for it, if currently on classic or plus....or even silver!

-kj

1. The History Channel HD (is it up yet?)
2. National Geographic Channel HD
3. A&E HD

Sorry, am sure this is a repeat post but the search function wouldn't take me to the post which contained my search hit.

I am having MEGA issues with recorded HD material via Comcast. The last few shows I've recorded using the Comcast supplied DVR have been almost unwatchable with outages/freezing of audio and video. Does anyone know what's going on? I notice it in particular on CBS-HD and FOX-HD. HBO-HD does not seem to have the problem.

Thanks!

1. CW HD
2. National Geographic HD
3. SciFi HD (whenever that launches)

And of course all the other HD channels like Universal HD, TNT HD, etc., that the Sunnyvale Comcast Ghetto is missing. And here's another request for no SDV. I want choice in my DVR platform.

1a. KBCW-HD
1b. TiVo software
2. HD.net
3. HD.net Movies

I'd go to satellite if I could get a signal over all the trees. Next upgrade would be for a S3 TiVo so my watching experience is tolerable.

So I guess I haven't really been paying attention, but this month's Comcast bill comes to $168.45 (W/HSI & 2 crappy 6412s)!.! I honestly thought I had been billed my first installment on the MLB package, until I realized I don't even think I can get that any more. Any advice on how to get a better deal on the price?

Here's a breakdown:

Digital Silver: 31.95
Standard Cable: 52.50
DVR w/ HDTV: 11.95
DVR w/ HDTV AO: 11.95
Digital addl Outlet: 6.99
HSI 45.95

Just by going to the website I see that HSI is $42.95 after 6 month $33 promo. Can I get some of these other addl cable fees removed/reduced? Is there a HD package or something that works out better price wise?

Thanks in advance for any advice before I call them...

1. HGTV HD
2. Nat. Geo. HD
3. ESPN2 HD

1. CW HD
2. National Geographic HD
3. SciFi HD (when it launches)

So I guess I haven't really been paying attention, but this month's Comcast bill comes to $168.45...

HSI 45.95

Is there a HD package or something that works out better price wise?....


I don't know if this is still offered, but we get a discount (one free month) on HSI by paying for 12 months in advance.

1. SciFi-HD (when available)
2. CW-HD

1. CW-HD

I wouldn't get to watch anything else since I don't want to pay for digital classic.

What a bunch of crap!!!
Comcast will remain FAR behind the satellite guys in terms of HD programming, whether they add 3 new channels or a lot more.
And I am in the Los Gatos ghetto, where the current system can't add even one new HD channel. I am waiting to see what the 18 month upgrade actually accomplishes (maybe), and if Comcast fails to deliver again, I am gone to satellite.
Why are all you guys even bothering to 'vote' for your three most desireable channels, when that is but a drop in the bucket???
Add to the equation the fact that the Motorola DVR is a piece of junk, and Comcast has so far to go to get competitive it is pathetic!
And, once again, everyone is tripping over themselves to vote for their three next HD channels.
Think about it folks. Hype on three more HD channels. Hype on a Tivo sourced DVR. Hype but no substance.
Sorry, but I am obviously fed up. My wife and daughter (who doesn't even live with us) hassle me daily on the DVR problems, and I am so tired of getting mailers, emails, and TV commercials touting stuff I can't get here in Los Gatos.
Mike

The thing you seem to be missing is its NOT how many channels you get. Its getting the right channels. How many channels do people really watch.

I think down the road the technology is in favor of the cable companies.
SDV may be a pain now but once the HW gets in step with it (Including TIVO), you can get a whole lot more channels, shows, etc. In addition to IPTV.

Satellite will not be able to touch that. They can't do SDV to the entire country but you can to a neighborhood.

my vote:
1.- food hd
2.- hgtv hd
3.- cw hd


And mjhhmb, I'm paying the same as you but for the Platinum package (all the premium channels), 2 dvrs, 1 regular digital box, HSI. I have several promotions applied.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeaymar
What a bunch of crap!!!
Comcast will remain FAR behind the satellite guys in terms of HD programming, whether they add 3 new channels or a lot more.
And I am in the Los Gatos ghetto, where the current system can't add even one new HD channel. I am waiting to see what the 18 month upgrade actually accomplishes (maybe), and if Comcast fails to deliver again, I am gone to satellite.
Why are all you guys even bothering to 'vote' for your three most desireable channels, when that is but a drop in the bucket???
Add to the equation the fact that the Motorola DVR is a piece of junk, and Comcast has so far to go to get competitive it is pathetic!
And, once again, everyone is tripping over themselves to vote for their three next HD channels.
Think about it folks. Hype on three more HD channels. Hype on a Tivo sourced DVR. Hype but no substance.
Sorry, but I am obviously fed up. My wife and daughter (who doesn't even live with us) hassle me daily on the DVR problems, and I am so tired of getting mailers, emails, and TV commercials touting stuff I can't get here in Los Gatos.
Mike

The thing you seem to be missing is its NOT how many channels you get. Its getting the right channels. How many channels do people really watch.

I think down the road the technology is in favor of the cable companies.
SDV may be a pain now but once the HW gets in step with it (Including TIVO), you can get a whole lot more channels, shows, etc. In addition to IPTV.

Satellite will not be able to touch that. They can't do SDV to the entire country but you can to a neighborhood.
I think Mike has some valid concerns. I live in the same loop as he does, the SaraMilgatos area, and we do not get the same things that the rest of the Bay Areas do. We do not have VOD, we don't have digital phone, we have one HD movie channel and most of the new HD channels that have been added recently are not available in this area but we pay the same price that the rest of the Bay Area does but get less. Do you think that is fair ??? No. Do you think he should be concerned ?? Yes, but that disparity is going to change this year, I wish I could tell you when but I can't, I just don't know. Hopefully Comcast can enlighten us on how the upgrades are going and it's status. Should we wait for Switched Video, that is so far down the pike it's not funny. 3 areas back East are beta testing it, it will be years before that is implemented widely and probably only for certain channels, the more popular ones will be left alone. What is more likely to happen is for analog to go completely away thus freeing up a lot more bandwidth.

One thing to consider, I started the poll for the new channels that are going to be added. Why would I do that, since I live in an area that is bandwidth starved ?? Because I know that my area and other areas are going to be upgraded and we will finally get what we are paying for. I believe cable is the way to go for the foreseeable future, it's just that simple. It's hard to wait I know, ask Mr. J. how tired he is of me pestering him about these upgrades. Soon it will end ;)

Laters,
Mikef5

Since I have basic only,

1. CW-HD
2. (any other broadcast HD Channel)
3. National Geographic HD
4. Food TV HD

RSRA13, how did you get the promos applied? Did you just call them? Did you have to threaten to leave?

1. CW HD
2. National Geographic HD
3. SciFi HD (whenever that launches)

And of course all the other HD channels like Universal HD, TNT HD, etc., that the Sunnyvale Comcast Ghetto is missing. And here's another request for no SDV. I want choice in my DVR platform.

Ditto for me,
1. CW HD
2. National Geographic HD
3. SciFi HD (whenever that launches)

Durny1

I'd like to vote, but one thing is missing in these choices:

Which of the possible channels will be true HD, without the TNT-ish stretch-o-matic?

IF IF IF these channels present the show in the highest possible resolution in their native aspect ratio then my choices:

1. CW
2. SciFi (whenever)
3. National Geographic or History channel (whenever)

Any word on if the Science channel would go HD? I'd put that as #3 if it's looming.

It is interesting to see people's choices here. While I like the food channel, is a high-def version of Rachael Ray really preferred over a good movie selection?

Also, I must say I REALLY like what INHD (and some UHD) has done. They present movies uncut and no interruptions. Almost like getting a premium channel at no extra cost - like the early days of cable tv. Wonder how long THAT will last?

-Dave

Yeah UHD is by far my favorite HD channel.

INHD is good too, but it was better when they had 2 channels and showed more movies on the 2nd channel, instead of re-re-re-re-re-runs of their stupid original programming like "EXXXTREME SKATEBOARDZZ" or "that guy who drinks a lot"..

To the guy that wants to save money... you can save $3/mo. on HSI by buying your own cable modem. Otherwise, get a cheaper digital package, get a non-DVR HD box for the 2nd TV if you can live w/o it ... that's about it. I have HSI, Digital "Classic", 1 DVR and 1 HD box the total is about $138/mo...

My 2 cents on Food Network HD.

Giada De Laurentiis makes it worth it...... ;)

Laters,
Mikef5

1. CW HD
2. SciFi Ch. HD
3. History Ch. HD

1. HGTV
2. Food Network
3. Disney HD

I have HSI, Digital "Classic", 1 DVR and 1 HD box the total is about $138/mo...

Yowzer, $138 a month is still alot. Even if you took out the HSI and said it cost $50, that's still $88 bucks!

I spend about $32 a month, which I could lower by $7 if I returned one of the cable boxes. ($18 basic, $5 HD, $7 Additional outlet, $2 taxes)

I am grandfathered in for the ESPNHD, INHD, DiscoveryHD, FSNHD, etc...

But in order for me to get those other HD channels, that would be atleast $50 a month increase. I have my own DVR, so I can record all the unencrypted channels with out a problem.

So for $32 a month, to get the number of HD channels as I do, I'm quite happy.

Russ

RSRA13, how did you get the promos applied? Did you just call them? Did you have to threaten to leave?


I had the Silver package. There was a promotion in Dishnetwork where you could have something like the Platinum package for less than $100 and I called and asked if they had something similar for the same price. The lady said sure, let me check and then she applied several reductions (HSI $19.99 for 12 months, -$10 for platinum, removed addl. outlet fee, etc.) Before that I have also called trying to downgrade and received some discounts. So this year, when all my discounts end I'll call again. :)

I used all the promos too when I switched from Dish to Comcast,
but that was over two years ago, and they have since expired.
I am now up to full price at $177/Mo. (Digital Platinum/HD DVR/HSI)

CW HD
BBC HD
A&E HD

I think Mike has some valid concerns. I live in the same loop as he does, the SaraMilgatos area, and we do not get the same things that the rest of the Bay Areas do. We do not have VOD, we don't have digital phone, we have one HD movie channel and most of the new HD channels that have been added recently are not available in this area but we pay the same price that the rest of the Bay Area does but get less. Do you think that is fair ??? No. Do you think he should be concerned ?? Yes, but that disparity is going to change this year, I wish I could tell you when but I can't, I just don't know. Hopefully Comcast can enlighten us on how the upgrades are going and it's status. Should we wait for Switched Video, that is so far down the pike it's not funny. 3 areas back East are beta testing it, it will be years before that is implemented widely and probably only for certain channels, the more popular ones will be left alone. What is more likely to happen is for analog to go completely away thus freeing up a lot more bandwidth.

One thing to consider, I started the poll for the new channels that are going to be added. Why would I do that, since I live in an area that is bandwidth starved ?? Because I know that my area and other areas are going to be upgraded and we will finally get what we are paying for. I believe cable is the way to go for the foreseeable future, it's just that simple. It's hard to wait I know, ask Mr. J. how tired he is of me pestering him about these upgrades. Soon it will end ;)

Laters,
Mikef5

First off I am in Cupertino and our system was rebuilt 6 or 7 years ago and I truly enjoy leaving the A.B behind. Second I truly feel for your old tech infrastructure.

That said my response was not really about what you or anybody has right now its really more about the longer term future. Adding ATT and Itunes et al to the mix, there is a lot more competition now which is great and will spure comcast to move faster. I also think that what ATT did with changing franchises to essentially statewide actually is a benefit to you and everybody else. Individual cities have less clout and comcast was essentially thumbing their nose about doing an upgrade. Now with that out of the way and competition they have much more incentive to do upgrades.

Longer term ATT and Comcast I believe have a leg up on D*, E* because of the ability to do SDV over regional networks and even IPTV with ATT. I suppose ATT could buy dish and then try to merge the technologies which is interesting but they cant regionalize the traffic meaning IPTV broadcasting over satellite makes no sense.

Spot beams help a little but its not at the neighborhood level.

1 - HDNet Movies

2 - A lot more HD content OnDemand, including Movies that are letterboxed instead of cropped to 16:9, and current TV show episodes, so I have a way to watch them when my DVR screws up the recording.

3 - Universal HD & TNT HD without having to subscribe to a bunch of other unnecessary garbage.

Cheers,
Jonesy

1. Food Network HD
2. National Geographic HD
3. CW HD

Please forward a BIG THANKYOU to comcast for not broadcasting HDlite!

My Vote:

1. Natl Geo HD
2. A&E HD
3. CW HD
4. SciFi HD

I used all the promos too when I switched from Dish to Comcast,
but that was over two years ago, and they have since expired.
I am now up to full price at $177/Mo. (Digital Platinum/HD DVR/HSI)

Why did you leave Dish? I'm very satisfied with my Dish Network service. I get 34 HD channels, I have a DVR that works reliably and can record three programs simultaneous, and I only pay $67 a month. (I don't have HSI, whatever that is.)

I think all of you Comcast users are getting ripped off!

Larry
SF

Why did you leave Dish? I'm very satisfied with my Dish Network service. I get 34 HD channels, I have a DVR that works reliably and can record three programs simultaneous, and I only pay $67 a month. (I don't have HSI, whatever that is.)

I think all of you Comcast users are getting ripped off!

Larry
SF

HSI = High Speed Internet. So your still using dial up I feel for you.
Depending on your situation Dish may be right for you.
Especially since they partner with ATT in some markets.

Why did you leave Dish? I'm very satisfied with my Dish Network service. I get 34 HD channels, I have a DVR that works reliably and can record three programs simultaneous, and I only pay $67 a month. (I don't have HSI, whatever that is.)


As already posted, HSI = high speed Internet (Broadband.....faster than DSL)

I left Dish because I was moving from one city to another, and Comcast was ready
to go at my new address. With Dish, I had outages and was relying on OTA at the time for my locals,
so I was happy to get a dedicated cable system which would also supply my Internet connection.

Yes, the Moto DVR is a P.O.S. and Comcast does seem expensive. But cost is not my main concern. My top priority is HD, and I feel that I have a competitive offering for what I want (including On Demand), with more HD coming, and [arguably] better PQ than the satcoms.

I am keeping tabs on all HD service providers, (especially AT&T/Dish here in the Bay Area), and will have no problem switching if Comcast loses the HD edge significantly.

A personal message from Mr. Johnson to the members of the AVS Forums.

I am posting this message as I received it with no editing ( OK, I removed his phone number and address :) )

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just had a chance to review the responses so far...and I am blown away
by the level of participation...

I would like you to post a comment from me.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

MikeF5:

First and foremost, thank you for coming up with the idea of the survey.
I'd also like to thank everyone who is taking the time to share their
opinions.

We will use the "votes" as one more tool to help us make our decision on
what HD channels we will add next to the Comcast Bay Area lineup.
Certainly if we do not have a national carriage agreement with a
network, (for example Mark Cuban's HDNet) we will not be able to add it.

As you know, we conduct ongoing customer research to make sure our
channel lineup accurately reflects current viewership trends, meets our
contractual obligations, captures the diversity of the Bay Area and
includes the "must-carry channels" established by the federal
government.

So when will we see new HD channels added?

Since I will not disclose proprietary business plans our competitors
would love to get their hands on I'm simply unable to reveal exactly
when we will launch the next phase of additions. But I can promise you
that I'll send you the press release so it can be shared with the Forum
members at the same time the media will receive the information.

On the issue of "HDlite" I need to stress one key point that tends to
get lost in all of the noise. Comcast distributes the HD signals that
are provided to us by the networks exactly as we receive it. The
passion of the Forum members for "true HD" is shared by Comcast, since
it highlights our technological advantages.

Thanks again.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So your votes are being seen by Comcast as we speak and you have been heard. I would also like to thank everyone for their participation in this survey,
especially those from the non upgraded areas. You to will be seeing these channels with the rest of the Bay Area soon, it just will take some time but the upgrades are coming.

I hope the part about HDlite will help alleviate the concerns that some people have about whether or not Comcast will resort to using that ( like Directv ).
Again thanks for your help with this survey and now it's my job to pester Comcast on getting these added as soon as possible ;)

Laters,
Mikef5

As already posted, HSI = high speed Internet

I am keeping tabs on all HD service providers, (especially AT&T/Dish here in the Bay Area), and will have no problem switching if Comcast loses the HD edge significantly.

Too bad ATT U-Verse went with the cheap FTN solution. This means as far as I can tell they will not be able to offer multiple HD streams to a household. IE multiple HDTVs and DVRs. Thats a deal breaker for me. I dont see how they can fix it.

thanks mike and mr. J. we're eagerly waiting for the next rollout of HD channels.

A personal message from Mr. Johnson to the members of the AVS Forums.



On the issue of "HDlite" I need to stress one key point that tends to
get lost in all of the noise. Comcast distributes the HD signals that
are provided to us by the networks exactly as we receive it. The
passion of the Forum members for "true HD" is shared by Comcast, since
it highlights our technological advantages.

Thanks again.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


This warms my heart, this is the primary reason why I've suffered through with Comcast on our crippled, low-channel count system, the channels we do have are the best quality available.

That statement should be posted in the main Comcast thread as well.

In fact, it's interesting to note that a rep from Comcast addresses the HD-Lite issue headon, whereas you talk to DirecTV reps and they do a dance around the whole subject....I'm impressed.

Too bad ATT U-Verse went with the cheap FTN solution. This means as far as I can tell they will not be able to offer multiple HD streams to a household. IE multiple HDTVs and DVRs. Thats a deal breaker for me. I dont see how they can fix it.
The only way they can effectively fix it is by doing FTTH. Twisted pair copper is physically limited on what it can pass, even if you use bonding. They have to use fiber all the way to the home and then I can see them being a major threat to cable. Verizon is the only one that seems to have realized that and have done that in their deployments but we're in AT&T country and they are more concerned with bottom line than it is about delivering a quality product to their customers. In the long run they will probably realize that but for here and now cable still is the way to go.

Laters,
Mikef5

This warms my heart, this is the primary reason why I've suffered through with Comcast on our crippled, low-channel count system, the channels we do have are the best quality available.

That statement should be posted in the main Comcast thread as well.

In fact, it's interesting to note that a rep from Comcast addresses the HD-Lite issue headon, whereas you talk to DirecTV reps and they do a dance around the whole subject....I'm impressed.
Mr. J. is one of the major reasons that I've remained with Comcast. He has never lead me astray or made promises he couldn't keep. Keep it real and keep it honest is all I ask for and that's what he's given me so far. That's why, even though I live in the SaraMilgatos ghetto, I remain with cable and do these things like trying to get more HD channels added or trying to get all areas upgraded to the same levels. It's amazing what a little good public relations can do for a company. Especially for a company that is trying to undo all that bad feelings that TCI and AT&T left about cable companies.

Laters,
Mikef5

As already posted, HSI = high speed Internet (Broadband.....faster than DSL)


Not to knock cable internet, but let's be accurate about what we tell people. HSI does not necessarily mean faster than DSL.

My DSL is 6 megs down 768 upload for $33 for dynamic or $60 for 8 static IP addresses and DSL has less latency then cable and let's not talk about what happens when your whole neighborhood is on HSI in your area. I've had this DSL connection for about 5 years.

Yes, it does require you to be close to a RT or CO, but even the $23 package for 3 megs down 512k up is a better deal then Comcast HSI.

If you can't get good DSL, cable internet is a great option, but I would still go DSL first for less cost then cable.

Russ

Thanks for the feedback. To be more precise about it, I do believe that HSI *is* faster than any DSL that is currently offered in my area, so I was speaking for my situation. Personally, I'm not concerned about the price difference between your $33 and my $45, because I am completely satisfied with over two years of top-speed HSI and no outages or problems, and that makes it worth it to me.

Does DSL give you up to 30 megabits download on the first 15 megabytes of any file (ie "speed burst") ?

:cool:

But the real dealbreaker for DSL is that you need to have a land line, and I don't, and don't want one.

The other thing that bothers me is that they will happily sell you 3 or 6 or hell 200 megabit service when they can not deliver on that speed - and then they don't ever test the line before they start sending out bills, so if you aren't savvy enough to run your own speed tests, they are basically stealing your money.... legally. At work when I first signed up for DSL (we can't get cable here) I ordered 1.5 mb service, I tested it and got about 1.1 which I thought was weak but the next step down is 700 or something so I lived with it. Fast forward a few years and they have silently "upgraded" all the 1.5mbt services to 3 mb, except that they neglected to tell me.... So I had to call and ask to be "downgraded" back to 1.5 (at a savings of over $20 a month!) All the while my speed never changed of course..

Mr. J. is one of the major reasons that I've remained with Comcast. He has never lead me astray or made promises he couldn't keep. Keep it real and keep it honest is all I ask for and that's what he's given me so far. That's why, even though I live in the SaraMilgatos ghetto, I remain with cable and do these things like trying to get more HD channels added or trying to get all areas upgraded to the same levels. It's amazing what a little good public relations can do for a company. Especially for a company that is trying to undo all that bad feelings that TCI and AT&T left about cable companies.

Laters,
Mikef5

I agree completely. A. Johnson, in my opinion, has done the best he can in appeasing our group without committing career suicide. While we are a small group in comparison to all of the Bay Area Comcast subscribers, we are most likely the "power users" of the BA subscriber base. And if we talk about it this much in a forum, I'm sure Comcast realizes the influence we have over our friend's and co-workers. I know I'm personally responsible for at least 4 moves from Satellite and 10 upgrades to the DVR. I'm still waiting for my commission check... :D

Does DSL give you up to 30 megabits download on the first 15 megabytes of any file (ie "speed burst") ?

:cool:


That's actually one of the main reasons I've stuck with Comcast HSI. I swear my own home network becomes the bottleneck during that first 15 MB...

Anyone check out the new version of the iGuide we're supposed to get sometime soon? http://www.comcast.com/newguide I like the new Comcast Central feature (let's you browse/watch 3 shows at a time)

thanks for posting that Mikef5 :)

Anyone check out the new version of the iGuide we're supposed to get sometime soon? http://www.comcast.com/newguide I like the new Comcast Central feature (let's you browse/watch 3 shows at a time)
Yes, about 9 months ago ...
Wonder when/if we will actually get this.

This is like playing the telephone game. Someone else is going to say its 100 megs down on the frist 50 megs... Anyways, the PowerBoost is up to 16 megs down on the first 10 megs, which is cool none the less, but you do need to take into consideration that most if not all content delivery systems are capped already well below even the 6 meg point, you have nothing to feed that 16 megs. Then add the latency and the shared network we're just talking about marketing spin, both on the DSL side and the cable side.

They both have pro's and con's, let's try not to get the facts wrong or clouded with marketing garbage.

What we need is FIOS or what they have in Japan. Fiber to the house!


Does DSL give you up to 30 megabits download on the first 15 megabytes of any file (ie "speed burst") ?

:cool:

But the real dealbreaker for DSL is that you need to have a land line, and I don't, and don't want one.

The other thing that bothers me is that they will happily sell you 3 or 6 or hell 200 megabit service when they can not deliver on that speed - and then they don't ever test the line before they start sending out bills, so if you aren't savvy enough to run your own speed tests, they are basically stealing your money.... legally. At work when I first signed up for DSL (we can't get cable here) I ordered 1.5 mb service, I tested it and got about 1.1 which I thought was weak but the next step down is 700 or something so I lived with it. Fast forward a few years and they have silently "upgraded" all the 1.5mbt services to 3 mb, except that they neglected to tell me.... So I had to call and ask to be "downgraded" back to 1.5 (at a savings of over $20 a month!) All the while my speed never changed of course..

For home ISP, speed is usually not an issue for me. I just switch between DSL and cable modem to get their promotional rates. Right now, I'm paying $15/month for 1.5Mb DSL, not counting the 3 free months cable switch offer. When the 1-year contract is over, I may switch again.

For home ISP, speed is usually not an issue for me. I just switch between DSL and cable modem to get their promotional rates. Right now, I'm paying $15/month for 1.5Mb DSL, not counting the 3 free months cable switch offer. When the 1-year contract is over, I may switch again.I switched over to DSL almost 2 years ago after being one of the original @Home HSI users. The price was just too low to pass up despite having great service and speed from Comcast. Even at 1.5mb download, I rarely could tell the difference. After my 'introductory' year was up, I am now at 3.0mb speed for less than $20/month. Again, I can rarely tell the difference except when doing the larger downloads which isn't very often. I've had great performance from DSL and I doubt I will switch back unless Comcast drops the price to be more competitive.

BTW when I did switch to 3.0mb download, after about a month, my download speed was capped at 1.5mb even though my modem still said 3.0mb. I called up ATT and they promptly discovered 'their' problem and had me back to 3.0mb. I wonder how many others got 'accidentally' capped and don't know about it.

Getting back on topic, I find it a joke that I pay for a service and then pay for an upgrade to HD per month and then Comcast wants to charge me for additional HD channels that are free with SAT like TNT-HD. It is a joke. I think they want like 3.50 per month. Comcast needs to get their collective heads out of their asses and stop increasing prices w/o increasing quality.

Why not give me my channels and THEN add new channels. It is a joke how they nickel and dime their customers.

I am seriously considering DISH.

Getting back on topic, I find it a joke that I pay for a service and then pay for an upgrade to HD per month and then Comcast wants to charge me for additional HD channels that are free with SAT like TNT-HD. It is a joke. I think they want like 3.50 per month. Comcast needs to get their collective heads out of their asses and stop increasing prices w/o increasing quality.

Why not give me my channels and THEN add new channels. It is a joke how they nickel and dime their customers.

I am seriously considering DISH.

?????? I think you have it backwards. Last I checked Dish/DirecTV both charge for HD packages. Comcast technically does not. The standard rule of thumb is if you pay for the SD channel then you get the HD channel (someone correct me if I'm wrong about this).

?????? I think you have it backwards. Last I checked Dish/DirecTV both charge for HD packages. Comcast technically does not. The standard rule of thumb is if you pay for the SD channel then you get the HD channel (someone correct me if I'm wrong about this).

I don't think that's true. For expanded basic users, who get Discovery SD, TNT SD, ESPN SD, etc, they do not get the HD channels by adding the $5 for HD. They must upgrade to a digital package in order to get those other HD channels.

I don't think that's true. For expanded basic users, who get Discovery SD, TNT SD, ESPN SD, etc, they do not get the HD channels by adding the $5 for HD. They must upgrade to a digital package in order to get those other HD channels.

Gotcha. What's the $5/month charge again? Is that for non-digital subscribers who rent an HD box? Does it not matter if you have an HD box? It's been a while since I looked at my bill -- I subscribe to the Silver so I think HD is included (again, I could be wrong).

I went to the Dish site and planned out a package that's closest to Comcast's low-end digital tier. They both end up being about $60/month (Dish charges $20/month for HD). You get Dish cheaper (about $45/month) for the first 10 months and then it goes up. That's another HUGE benefit (at least in my eyes) with Comcast is that there's absolutely NO contract -- you can cancel at any time.

?????? I think you have it backwards. Last I checked Dish/DirecTV both charge for HD packages. Comcast technically does not. The standard rule of thumb is if you pay for the SD channel then you get the HD channel (someone correct me if I'm wrong about this).

The TV in my bedroom has a QAM tuner and if I plug the cable into it I pick up the local HD channels, but I don't get ESPNHD, TNTHD, DiscoveryHD, etc. The only way to get those channels is to pay for digital cable and an extra $5 for an HD box. Since Comcast encrypts those channels and thus forces you to rent their box, they are charging you for HD service and it is NOT free. I can pick up the local HD channels with an antennae.

I end up paying $11.99 a month for second cable box to hook up to a TV that doesn't need a cable box to get HD channels

The TV in my bedroom has a QAM tuner and if I plug the cable into it I pick up the local HD channels, but I don't get ESPNHD, TNTHD, DiscoveryHD, etc. The only way to get those channels is to pay for digital cable and an extra $5 for an HD box. Since Comcast encrypts those channels and thus forces you to rent their box, they are charging you for HD service and it is NOT free. I can pick up the local HD channels with an antennae.

I end up paying $11.99 a month for second cable box to hook up to a TV that doesn't need a cable box to get HD channels
So maybe I don't understand your problem. You want to have access to premium channels that are encrypted but don't want to pay for a box to un-encrypt those premium channels so you can watch them on other tv's and you think you are being forced to do this ??? So what do you think will happen if you go with Dish or Directv ?? You have to have a box on every tv that you have and it doesn't do you any good if your tv has a qam tuner or not and you are definitely now forced to have that box. Effectively every channel on the Sat's require you have a box that you either buy or lease for every tv you want to view them on. What do you think Comcast or any cable company should do ?? How do you think they should control premium channels without the use of a box ?? Comcast at least has alot of their basic channels unencrypted, including local HD stations and PBS-HD, so you can view them on any tv with a qam tuner in it. Maybe I'm being a little harsh here but to want premium channels unencrypted is being unrealistic IMHO.

Laters,
Mikef5

I recorded 24 this week (Episode 14 of Season 6) and I noticed the bitrate was very low.. 10 - 11 mbps... is that what people noticed?

And maybe Lost seems to have gotten bigger this time, but I'm not sure.

HSI = High Speed Internet. So your still using dial up I feel for you.

Thanks for explaining HSI. Sometimes the abbreviation short cuts aren't obvious.

I haven't used dial up for years. I've got static DSL and still have a dedicated IP number from back when it was Pacbell. It's been very reliable for me. I have no complaints, so I have no reason to change, although Comcast's high speed is tempting.

Larry
SF

I don't think that's true. For expanded basic users, who get Discovery SD, TNT SD, ESPN SD, etc, they do not get the HD channels by adding the $5 for HD. They must upgrade to a digital package in order to get those other HD channels.That's not true. I have the very very basic analog service and I pay the extra $5 for the HD box. I get all the local HD channels and ESPN-HD, ESPS2-HD, DISCOVERY HD, INHD, and FOXS Sports (whenever it is on) HD. I also get all that VOD stuff as well.

2 - A lot more HD content OnDemand, including Movies that are letterboxed instead of cropped to 16:9, and current TV show episodes, so I have a way to watch them when my DVR screws up the recording.


Yes, this would be nice. I did find that CBS HD now has Jericho, so I don't have to decide which one to record Wednesday at 8 (PSD), Bones, Friday Night Lights, or Jericho. FNL is SD on On Demand, but, is it a storage issue? Even KQED has local shows archived for us.

Gotcha. What's the $5/month charge again? Is that for non-digital subscribers who rent an HD box? Does it not matter if you have an HD box? It's been a while since I looked at my bill -- I subscribe to the Silver so I think HD is included (again, I could be wrong).
$5/month is the HD equipment lease charge. Theoretically you are charged this for each HD equipment you get from Comcast, but it isn't always consistent.

That's not true. I have the very very basic analog service and I pay the extra $5 for the HD box. I get all the local HD channels and ESPN-HD, ESPS2-HD, DISCOVERY HD, INHD, and FOXS Sports (whenever it is on) HD. I also get all that VOD stuff as well.
You are grandfathered, so your experience is not the same as current subscribers. Also, Russ was talking about channels like TNT-HD, Universal-HD, MTV-HD. You aren't getting those for the $5 unless it is temporary.

So maybe I don't understand your problem.
I think he is mainly addressing the statement from fender that Comcast does not charge for HD.

There are charges, they are just broken out differently.

That's not true. I have the very very basic analog service and I pay the extra $5 for the HD box. I get all the local HD channels and ESPN-HD, ESPS2-HD, DISCOVERY HD, INHD, and FOXS Sports (whenever it is on) HD. I also get all that VOD stuff as well.

Sorry, I forgot to clarify that grandfathered people do exist who get some channels, but there are also a number of other channels that still require the digital classic even if you are grandfather and have the SD channel. I am one of them as well, but current subscribers do not get that anymore for just the $5 HD fee.

Yeah what sfhub said...

$5/month is the HD equipment lease charge. Theoretically you are charged this for each HD equipment you get from Comcast, but it isn't always consistent.

That's what I thought. I know $5 is $5, no matter how it's charged to you. But technically you shouldn't be paying more for HD.

You are grandfathered, so your experience is not the same as current subscribers. Also, Russ was talking about channels like TNT-HD, Universal-HD, MTV-HD. You aren't getting those for the $5 unless it is temporary.I've always wondered about the 'grandfather' thing because Comcast makes changes and I seem to get the new stuff. For example, Comcast added ESPN2-HD and I got that. When they added channel 722 I got that. When I first got the HD box many years ago, they never said I would get ESPN-HD or INHD and I just expected it to be taken away some day, but it never was. I even moved from Fremont to Santa Clara 2 years ago and got all the same channels. Hey...I'm not complaining :).

This is like playing the telephone game. Someone else is going to say its 100 megs down on the frist 50 megs... Anyways, the PowerBoost is up to 16 megs down on the first 10 megs, which is cool none the less, but you do need to take into consideration that most if not all content delivery systems are capped already well below even the 6 meg point, you have nothing to feed that 16 megs. Then add the latency and the shared network we're just talking about marketing spin, both on the DSL side and the cable side.

They both have pro's and con's, let's try not to get the facts wrong or clouded with marketing garbage.

What we need is FIOS or what they have in Japan. Fiber to the house!
Yes.... let's not get the facts wrong.
http://home.comcast.net/~j.walkup/speed26mb.gif

I think he is mainly addressing the statement from fender that Comcast does not charge for HD.

There are charges, they are just broken out differently.
Ok, if that's what he was talking about then I really didn't get the drift of his posting :)
The paying for HD is a really confusing charge and I wish they would just do away with that. It would be better if they just charged for the package and gave you the boxes that you need for your viewing. In other words you pay x amount for a digital package and you pay x amount for the boxes you need, period. I think originally Comcast thought that HD was going to be just a niche product and didn't think it would take off like it has. That's probably why it's a separate charge on our bill. But since it's becoming more main stream I think they need to reevaluate that charge.

Another thing they need to do is to consolidate all of the areas pricing for their packages so that everyone pays the same for the same packages no matter what area you live in. Hopefully, when the upgrades are done they will do this and do away with all those confusing differences in pricing. TCI and AT&T really screwed up this area for cable by not keeping all the areas upgraded to the same levels. That's why things are so confusing now and why we have all these problems.

Laters,
Mikef5

Yes.... let's not get the facts wrong.
http://home.comcast.net/~j.walkup/speed26mb.gif

There's much more to network performance then a web based speedtest, including latency, caching, shared bandwidth, static ip, etc, but marketing will do it's best to keep those items out of the equation. Anways, if you are happy with it, then that's a good thing. I can show you DSL speedtests that indicate huge download speeds as well. Much like HD and HDLite, it's just about having all the facts and then determining what works for you.

Comcast Cable never says 6 megs cable just as fast as 6 meg DSL with more latency. Instead they say more then 7x faster then 768dsl. That's like Kia saying 100x faster then a bicycle! DSL providers do it too.

Anyways, you're happy with your cable and I'm happy with my DSL. For you other people looking to choose, make sure you get all the facts.

Do you think they will ever get to a point where you can pay ala carte for just HD?

I don't care about the 81 analog channels. I think I watch 5 of them, not including the broadcast channels, which I could get in HD, but I'd be interested in paying for the other HD channels just to have the HD channels. So something like basic + HD package for $35 bucks.

Russ

Ok, if that's what he was talking about then I really didn't get the drift of his posting :)
The paying for HD is a really confusing charge and I wish they would just do away with that. It would be better if they just charged for the package and gave you the boxes that you need for your viewing. In other words you pay x amount for a digital package and you pay x amount for the boxes you need, period. I think originally Comcast thought that HD was going to be just a niche product and didn't think it would take off like it has. That's probably why it's a separate charge on our bill. But since it's becoming more main stream I think they need to reevaluate that charge.

Another thing they need to do is to consolidate all of the areas pricing for their packages so that everyone pays the same for the same packages no matter what area you live in. Hopefully, when the upgrades are done they will do this and do away with all those confusing differences in pricing. TCI and AT&T really screwed up this area for cable by not keeping all the areas upgraded to the same levels. That's why things are so confusing now and why we have all these problems.

Laters,
Mikef5

Yes.... let's not get the facts wrong.
http://home.comcast.net/~j.walkup/speed26mb.gif
That 26mbps DL speed is not constant though is it? Doesn't it drop to around 6 after the first 15-16 megs of DL? That UL speed seems a little low, I'm getting almost twice that with DSL.

Ok, if that's what he was talking about then I really didn't get the drift of his posting :)
The paying for HD is a really confusing charge and I wish they would just do away with that. It would be better if they just charged for the package and gave you the boxes that you need for your viewing. In other words you pay x amount for a digital package and you pay x amount for the boxes you need, period. I think originally Comcast thought that HD was going to be just a niche product and didn't think it would take off like it has. That's probably why it's a separate charge on our bill. But since it's becoming more main stream I think they need to reevaluate that charge.

Another thing they need to do is to consolidate all of the areas pricing for their packages so that everyone pays the same for the same packages no matter what area you live in. Hopefully, when the upgrades are done they will do this and do away with all those confusing differences in pricing. TCI and AT&T really screwed up this area for cable by not keeping all the areas upgraded to the same levels. That's why things are so confusing now and why we have all these problems.

Laters,
Mikef5

True enough. However as someone in an 850 Mhz plant region, I sure would like to see more HD channels than in a 750 Mhz plant. Comcast is basically wasting 100Mhz of dwonstream here.

Thanks,
Mike

True enough. However as someone in an 850 Mhz plant region, I sure would like to see more HD channels than in a 750 Mhz plant. Comcast is basically wasting 100Mhz of dwonstream here.

Thanks,
Mike
That's why everyone should be upgraded to the same system levels, no 550 MHz, 750 MHz, 860 MHz...... everyone at 1 GHz. ;)
Same system level, same programing, same pricing...etc.

Laters,
Mikef5

That 26mbps DL speed is not constant though is it? Doesn't it drop to around 6 after the first 15-16 megs of DL? That UL speed seems a little low, I'm getting almost twice that with DSL.
Correct, that is "Speed Boost".
Comcast's standard upload speed is 384k.

Correct, that is "Speed Boost".
Comcast's standard upload speed is 384k.
Okay, last time I checked, I was getting like 5240kbps from an advertised 6mb upload, and about 675kbps upload, I forget what the advertised rate is, and I pay, I think, about $22-25. If HSI from Comacst gets a more competitive rate I might be interested, but for me DSL is the best price/performance solution currently.

Random question...

I currently have enhanced cable and I'm using a digital QAM receiver to view the clear QAM channels I get (basically local HD channels, digital version of the standard def discovery, animal planet, that's about it).

If I downgrade to basic cable I know they put a filter on the line to stop me from receiving any analog stations above 34. Will this effect my clear QAM stations? I'm concerned because the ADS standard def digital version of the CW is mapped to a QAM station in the 40s, like 44-1 I think. Wasn't sure if the filter would kill QAM channels.

I'm not 100% sure, but I'm about 95% sure, it should not affect it, by droping down to basic. My friend has basic cable with the filter and HD and is able to tune via the cable box the HD stations, so that would imply the filter is not blocking everything.

Random question...

I currently have enhanced cable and I'm using a digital QAM receiver to view the clear QAM channels I get (basically local HD channels, digital version of the standard def discovery, animal planet, that's about it).

If I downgrade to basic cable I know they put a filter on the line to stop me from receiving any analog stations above 34. Will this effect my clear QAM stations? I'm concerned because the ADS standard def digital version of the CW is mapped to a QAM station in the 40s, like 44-1 I think. Wasn't sure if the filter would kill QAM channels.

[SIZE=4][B]
I hope the part about HDlite will help alleviate the concerns that some people have about whether or not Comcast will resort to using that ( like Directv ).
Again thanks for your help with this survey and now it's my job to pester Comcast on getting these added as soon as possible ;)

Laters,
Mikef5

thanks Mike. this is really good to hear.

Anyone in Alviso, CA? Down near Milpitas? I have a friend moving to a house down in Alviso and he said that he can't even get basic analog cable from Comcast. Which I find hard to believe... So I thought I would ask. Thanks!

Russ

Double post, sorry.

I'm not 100% sure, but I'm about 95% sure, it should not affect it, by droping down to basic. My friend has basic cable with the filter and HD and is able to tune via the cable box the HD stations, so that would imply the filter is not blocking everything.

Thanks, I'll post back as soon as the downgrade is complete. Apparently Comcast does an analog-digital-simulcast of all their basic package channels but not their enhanced package channels. The weird thing is I get one or two enhanced channels via clear QAM, like CNN. I wonder why they chose not to encrypt it (I don't think you can get it via basic analog either).

I'm also using an HDHomerun and it's weird how you can see on demand content that your neighbors are watching on some QAM frequencies. You can even see them fast forward them :)

sorry if off-topic, but re speed tests above...
I tried same speed tests (Ookla speedtest) , but I'm only getting 2Mbps down, 352Kbps up...?
I don't need anything special/upgraded in Comcast or my net HW to get 6Mbps right?
Latency was 93ms to SanJose...

I have a Linksys BEFCMU10 v2 modem... need to upgrade, or?
modem info seems to show 6mbps..?

modem system info page:
Standard Specification Compliant DOCSIS 1.1
Hardware Version 4.0
Software Version 1.1.5 (signed_befcmu10v2_115-1015.bin)

Signal page:
Downstream Channel
The data shown in the table below provides information about the signal coming from the
network to your cable modem.
Lock Status Locked Modulation QAM256
Channel ID 74 Symbol rate 5360537 sym/sec
Downstream Frequency 705000000 Hz Max Bit Rate 6600000 bps
Downstream Power -0.03 dBmV SNR 35 dB

Upstream Channel
The data shown in the table below provides information about the signal being transmitted to
the network from your cable modem.
Lock Status Locked Modulation 16 QAM
Channel ID 11 Symbol rate 2560 ksym/sec
Upstream Frequency 21600000 Hz Max Bit Rate 384000 bps
Upstream Power 42.00 dBmV

I have the same modem so that's probably not it. Keep in mind the speeds vary according to internet traffic, etc... Try the test late at night or something.

BEFCMU10 Firmware Version: 1.1.2.0.2

Downstream Channel

Lock Status Locked
Modulation 256QAM
Channel ID 0
Symbol Rate 536.0537 Ksym/sec
Downstream Power -12.5 dBmV
SNR 33.9 dB

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Upstream Channel

Lock Status Locked
Modulation 16QAM
Channel ID 2
Symbol Rate 2560 Ksym/sec
Upstream Power 48.0 dBmV

My signals are just ok/marginal too. Part of that is I have a GLI/DC blocker on it to get rid of a ground-loop.

Check your signal levels here - http://www.dslreports.com/faq/3412

This is the speed test: http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/

Tried it just now on the SFO server -

Last Result:
Download Speed: 27721 kbps (3465.1 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 371 kbps (46.4 KB/sec transfer rate)
:cool:

Downloading the PS3 update - notice the spike...

http://home.comcast.net/~j.walkup/ps3update.gif

6% of 100mpbs = 6 megabits exactly.

Thanks, I'll post back as soon as the downgrade is complete. Apparently Comcast does an analog-digital-simulcast of all their basic package channels but not their enhanced package channels.
The enhanced package channels are on ADS also, just most of them are encrypted.

So I called Comcast. They told me that I have the Digital Platinum Package - whatever that is. I am currently paying extra for FSNBA-HD, ESPN2-HD, and maybe something else but the name escapes me right now.

They said that if I wanted Universal HD and TNT-HD it would cost me an additional $5.00 per channel. This is a joke for what I pay for my base package. I am give Comcast like $200 a month and they want to charge me more. SWEET!!!

I am seriously considering a dish system. At lease I know what I am getting for my HD fee.

So I called Comcast. They told me that I have the Digital Platinum Package - whatever that is. I am currently paying extra for FSNBA-HD, ESPN2-HD, and maybe something else but the name escapes me right now.

They said that if I wanted Universal HD and TNT-HD it would cost me an additional $5.00 per channel. This is a joke for what I pay for my base package. I am give Comcast like $200 a month and they want to charge me more. SWEET!!!

I am seriously considering a dish system. At lease I know what I am getting for my HD fee.
Ptysell

If you actually have the Digital Platinum Package you get everything that Comcast has in it's lineup. I don't know who you talked to but they are wrong. Check to see what package you really have ( check your bill ) , I have a feeling you actually have the Digital Classic but if not you need to talk to a supervisor of the CSR and have them explain why you have to pay extra for these new channels which should be added to your Platinum Package automatically and as part of that package. Platinum is their top tier, it's the package that I have.
As a point of reference, what area do you live in ??? Your info does not show it, that would help others in your area to help you.

Laters,
Mikef5

ptysell:

Just to reconfirm Mikef5's post, I also have the Digital Platinum package (860Mhz area),
and I DO receive UHD, TNTHD, FSNBAHD and ESPN2HD at NO extra charge.
As posted below, you might be grandfathered.

i'm in los gatos. i figure by the time the upgrade is done, my dish commitment will have expired so i can compare what's the best package then. for now i 'm enjoying 27 hd channels plus locals (although about 10-12 of the channels i never watch). it will be hard to give up the dish 622 dvr. it is a thing of beauty.

i have to agree - i gave up on comcast since i lived in los gatos as well. the vip 622 is light years ahead of the moto dvr. i even gave up HSI for dsl - half the price and i barely notice a difference....

eric

What a bunch of crap!!!
Comcast will remain FAR behind the satellite guys in terms of HD programming, whether they add 3 new channels or a lot more.
And I am in the Los Gatos ghetto, where the current system can't add even one new HD channel. I am waiting to see what the 18 month upgrade actually accomplishes (maybe), and if Comcast fails to deliver again, I am gone to satellite.
Why are all you guys even bothering to 'vote' for your three most desireable channels, when that is but a drop in the bucket???
Add to the equation the fact that the Motorola DVR is a piece of junk, and Comcast has so far to go to get competitive it is pathetic!
And, once again, everyone is tripping over themselves to vote for their three next HD channels.
Think about it folks. Hype on three more HD channels. Hype on a Tivo sourced DVR. Hype but no substance.
Sorry, but I am obviously fed up. My wife and daughter (who doesn't even live with us) hassle me daily on the DVR problems, and I am so tired of getting mailers, emails, and TV commercials touting stuff I can't get here in Los Gatos.
Mike
Mike, I largely agree with that sentiment. I live in a 550MHz ghetto, and I'm at the end of a line for my closest node so I get crappy reception on the limited amount of programming we do get. In fact, I finally gave up on comcast for my ISP since the signal was dropping out multiple times per day. I'm likely to switch over to satellite for TV sometime soon, too-- I just haven't had much time to research the optoins. As much as I liked the DVR when I first got it, it has so many freakin' problems that is laughable compared to what my friends have with other providers.

Digital Classic gets all those channels also.

So I called Comcast. They told me that I have the Digital Platinum Package - whatever that is. I am currently paying extra for FSNBA-HD, ESPN2-HD, and maybe something else but the name escapes me right now.

They said that if I wanted Universal HD and TNT-HD it would cost me an additional $5.00 per channel. This is a joke for what I pay for my base package. I am give Comcast like $200 a month and they want to charge me more. SWEET!!!

I am seriously considering a dish system. At lease I know what I am getting for my HD fee.
I also have Digital Platinum Package and don't get UHD, MHD and VSGLF. The reason is that my Digital Platium Package is grandfathered (I pay 63 cents less than the current cost of $112.45 of the Platium Package). If I really wanted those channels, all I would have to do is upgrade to the current Digital Platium Package. I suspect you are in the same situation but you may be grandfathered at a much cheaper cost (some people are grandfathered $20-$30 less than the current price).

I also have Digital Platinum Package and don't get UHD, MHD and VSGLF. The reason is that my Digital Platium Package is grandfathered (I pay 63 cents less than the current cost of $112.45 of the Platium Package). If I really wanted those channels, all I would have to do is upgrade to the current Digital Platium Package. I suspect you are in the same situation but you may be grandfathered at a much cheaper cost (some people are grandfathered $20-$30 less than the current price).
Very good point. I had forgot that there might still be people that are still in the "grandfathered " packages and if he is in the grandfathered package they don't add channels to it automatically like they would in the current packages. I dropped my grandfathered package along time ago. At the time it just made more sense to me to drop it but it might not be the best choice for others but you have to remember they are only going to support ( with new channels ) the current packages.

Laters,
Mikef5

What happened to KQED-DT on TitanTV? All I see is "This channel with return at 5:00 PM", then "Off-Air" at 5:00 PM. I've sent an email to KQED, and TitanTV. Any ideas? I saw the recent email that the PSIP for OTA was messed up but they said comcast was ok. The schedule was correct for QAM channels earlier--and is for the other multi-cast ones--but now I have to use digital-9 to schedule a show, as 9-1 OTA shows the same thing.

What happened to KQED-DT on TitanTV? All I see is "This channel with return at 5:00 PM", then "Off-Air" at 5:00 PM. I've sent an email to KQED, and TitanTV. Any ideas? I saw the recent email that the PSIP for OTA was messed up but they said comcast was ok. The schedule was correct for QAM channels earlier--and is for the other multi-cast ones--but now I have to use digital-9 to schedule a show, as 9-1 OTA shows the same thing.
KQED-HD, channel 9.1 OTA, does not broadcast past 5 pm, it's been that way for quite a while. Channel 709, KQED-HD on Comcast, is a 24/7 feed from KQED and has the same program guide as OTA's guide until 5 pm and then it has it's own guide info after that and that guide info is on the Comcast guide. Why Titan is showing what it is I don't know, that's a Titan problem and they are the ones that should coordinate with KQED to get their guide corrected. Hope that clears up the differences in programing for KQED-HD OTA and Comcast's.

Laters,
Mikef5

KQED-HD, channel 9.1 OTA, does not broadcast past 5 pm, it's been that way for quite a while. Channel 709, KQED-HD on Comcast, is a 24/7 feed from KQED and is the same program guide as OTA's guide until 5 pm and then it has it's own guide info after that and that guide info is on the Comcast guide. Why Titan is showing what it is I don't know, that's a Titan problem and they are the ones that should coordinate with KQED to get their guide corrected. Hope that clears up the differences in programing for KQED-HD OTA and Comcast's.

Laters,
Mikef5

Yeah, OTA has shifted around for awhile, and figured I had the wrong channel set in my guide, but, even checked online, and TitanTV has Both OTA and QAM as having no programming at all--with the 'nothing 'till 5' like OTA has had--ok was 'till 8 at one point, I even recall watching it way back when it was HD 24hrs!
It's TitanTV as usual--got an email back from KQED that they send the correct guide out and TitanTV is the problem. The do usually fix it eventually, but, it's a pain to find the right email address and send it off. (Guess I need to archive the address.)

The do usually fix it eventually, but, it's a pain to find the right email address and send it off. (Guess I need to archive the address.)

Go into the TitanTV webpage and click "help" and then "Contact TitanTV."

Last night I decided to watch one the "Tudors" episodes that is available OnDemand by using one of the shortcuts Comcast has placed around the HD channel section. Clicking on the episode I wanted a message came up notifying me to call Comcast to subscribe to the package. Thing is I have a Showtime subscription in my package. Going to channel 1 and clicking on the same item brought up the show. (Heads up Mike).

On the subject of adding new HD channels, I know it's a channel Comcast already provides in the bay area, but I would really like to see Showtime added back to the Santa Rosa 550 system as soon as possible.

Do you think they will ever get to a point where you can pay ala carte for just HD?

I don't care about the 81 analog channels. I think I watch 5 of them, not including the broadcast channels, which I could get in HD, but I'd be interested in paying for the other HD channels just to have the HD channels. So something like basic + HD package for $35 bucks.

Russ

I had a grandfathered account in my previous home where I had limited basic and a $5 HD box that I could receive all non-premier HD channels. When I moved a couple months ago to the next town Comcast told me that the grandfathered account would not follow me so I had to establish a brand new account under their then current account plans. After a couple revisions I now have $14.75 limited basic (for basic SD channels) and $11.95 digital classic (for all non-premier HD channels and some digital channels), plus $1.50 for two cable cards for the Tivo S3. Total under $30/month. This is probably the cheapest (and best IMO) combination for non-premier HD channels via Comcast.

This is slightly off-topic, as it includes non-HDTV channels, but is there a list of Comcast's digital stations that can be tuned with a TV's digital tuner (as opposed to a box - for example, 2.1 is KTVU-HD, 7.3 is KGO AccuWeather, and 106.1 appears to be NBA League Pass)?

I can figure out most of them, but assuming most of them are the same throughout the Bay Area, does anybody know what 103.9, 104.3, 104.7, 112.5, 114.8, 118.3, 119.8, and 119.9 are?

-- Don

assuming most of them are the same throughout the Bay Area

They are not, and some of them are probably on-demand channels.

Yeah, OTA has shifted around for awhile, and figured I had the wrong channel set in my guide, but, even checked online, and TitanTV has Both OTA and QAM as having no programming at all--with the 'nothing 'till 5' like OTA has had--ok was 'till 8 at one point, I even recall watching it way back when it was HD 24hrs!
It's TitanTV as usual--got an email back from KQED that they send the correct guide out and TitanTV is the problem. The do usually fix it eventually, but, it's a pain to find the right email address and send it off. (Guess I need to archive the address.)

BTW, you can get the info for KQED's channels on kqed.org

I scan it every once in a while to figure out if there's anything I want to manually record on my Tivo S3 on one of the QAM channels. (Wow HDTV shows take a lot of disk space! I started recording one on KQED HD, but saw my suggestions/recently deleted shows just go away really quickly.. so I'm waiting for another run this weekend on KQED Life, which hopefully will be much lower bandwidth.. Plus I have an analog KQED recording just in case.)

Anybody having sound issues with Comcast Ch 707 - KGO-HD tonight.? Between 8-10 pm tonight, I keep getting this loud static machine gun like noise interference. It last about 10-15 seconds, then goes away and comes back about 10 minutes later and does the same thing over again? Is this just me or anybody else experiencing this??

Anybody having sound issues with Comcast Ch 707 - KGO-HD tonight.? Between 8-10 pm tonight, I keep getting this loud static machine gun like noise interference. It last about 10-15 seconds, then goes away and comes back about 10 minutes later and does the same thing over again? Is this just me or anybody else experiencing this??Yes...same here. I was worried my 2 month old TV was going bad. I even switched between QAM and the HD box and had the same sound. It was driving me crazy.

I have experienced this interference issue previously on a few other occasions, but for whatever reason, this only seems to happen on the audio on CH 707 KGO-HD.

Off Topic Question for Bay Area Flat Panel owners; does anyone here take special precautions when mounting their TVs to the wall due to risks/concerns related to ground shaking?

Thanks

Drew

Off Topic Question for Bay Area Flat Panel owners; does anyone here take special precautions when mounting their TVs to the wall due to risks/concerns related to ground shaking?

Thanks

Drew

I don't fit this question because I don't have a wall mounted TV, but I am Bay Area. I would think that if you are securely anchored into wood, like in a stud, you are just fine. If that stud fails, it doesn't matter.

I've got an odd and annoying problem that's popped up in the last few days. It seems like Channel 5/CBS-HD is dropping frames. I've noticed the same effect on other HD content channels, but it seems most dramatic on HD. First noticed this on a DVR recording of Without a Trace on Sunday, but the same thing popped up tonight on Jericho. I can see it in live broadcasts as well. I have gone into the service menu on the Motorola 6412, and I can tell that this is not a signal strength issue. I am getting a "good" signal and the menu is not showing any errors (correctable or uncorrectable). In watching the content, it seems to be coming from the broadcast itself and is not occurring in the commercials, even when the commercials are in HD. I noticed the same thing on HBO and on Discovery-HD in real time, although the dropped frames were not as substantial. Am not seeing it on other HD channels, although I haven't spent enough time to be sure.

Assuming this is not a problem with my 6412 or my individual signal strength, what could cause this? I presume if there was a general problem with Comcast's retransmission of CBS-HD (KPIX?), then there would be a zillion posts. If this is just my little problem in my little corner of Mill Valley, how do I got about fixing it? This is pretty important to me as I'm going to have a bunch of people over for the Final Four on Saturday, and this will drive them crazy.

Tom

Ugh, looks like Ads are turned back on in the iGuide here in the Bay Area. I called Comcast to complain and put my name on "the list" of those who do not find "tips" in the guide useful (I told them I already know how to use Favorites and have them set up, so why show me a tip on how to use Favorites while viewing my Favorites?). He could do nothing but sympathize and said he found them annoying himself, but said the ads were turned back on at midnight last night and are here to stay for the time being. I can't wait until the Comcast Tivo is available or the Tivo S3 drops in price...

Regarding the KGO-HD issues on Tuesday night, I also heard the "machine gun noise" quite a few times. I witnessed it both OTA and on Comcast cable, so it must have been a problem with KGO and not Comcast. I've seen it before on other KGO-HD shows, like Lost.

Ugh, looks like Ads are turned back on in the iGuide here in the Bay Area. I called Comcast to complain and put my name on "the list" of those who do not find "tips" in the guide useful (I told them I already know how to use Favorites and have them set up, so why show me a tip on how to use Favorites while viewing my Favorites?). He could do nothing but sympathize and said he found them annoying himself, but said the ads were turned back on at midnight last night and are here to stay for the time being. I can't wait until the Comcast Tivo is available or the Tivo S3 drops in price...

Regarding the KGO-HD issues on Tuesday night, I also heard the "machine gun noise" quite a few times. I witnessed it both OTA and on Comcast cable, so it must have been a problem with KGO and not Comcast. I've seen it before on other KGO-HD shows, like Lost.
Damn, it looks like the guide ads are back.
The only way to get rid of them is for everyone to call Comcast and tell them that you don't want them there. I'm serious, if enough people bitch about it they will have to address it one way or the other. For me right now it's taking up to much room and interferes with the guide and how much can be viewed. They should at least give us an option to turn it off. If you don't bitch about it, they will think it's ok and keep it there, so it's up to you to get rid of it. I've already made my call and now it's your turn.

Laters,
Mikef5

I called Comcast yesterday to rent an HD converter box, but was told that there is a shortage of those boxes in San Francisco area. They offered me an HD DVR (for a higher fee, of course) instead, but I declined.

Did anybody hear anything about it?

I called Comcast yesterday to rent an HD converter box, but was told that there is a shortage of those boxes in San Francisco area. They offered me an HD DVR (for a higher fee, of course) instead, but I declined.

Did anybody hear anything about it?
So Eugene, what area do you live in, your info doesn't specify an area, that would help to see if it's just your area or Bay Area wide. I find it hard to believe that there is a shortage of the basic HD converter box, the DVR box I could see but the basic box is really hard to comprehend. Maybe Barovelli can shed some light on this problem.

Laters,
Mikef5

So Eugene, what area do you live in, your info doesn't specify an area, that would help to see if it's just your area or Bay Area wide.
I live in San Francisco.

I live in San Francisco.
I just remembered that in July all Comcast boxes will have to be able to use CableCards and that might be why there is a shortage of boxes. They are probably trying to limit the number of boxes that will have to be replaced in July. Just a thought but it would make sense if that is the case. Of course that doesn't help customers that would like to view Comcast's HD programing, like yourself.

Laters,
Mikef5

I just remembered that in July all Comcast boxes will have to be able to use CableCards and that might be why there is a shortage of boxes. They are probably trying to limit the number of boxes that will have to be replaced in July. Just a thought but it would make sense if that is the case. Of course that doesn't help customers that would like to view Comcast's HD programing, like yourself.

Laters,
Mikef5
I think you're right, I was thinking the same thing after reading the initial post. It would seem a little early to have run out of the current boxes, although gauging how many to have on hand to deploy now versus stocking the new ones for July is probably a bit tough.

Also, I'm pretty sure the CC STB requirement is for new deployments as of July, they're not going to replace the existing deployed boxes with CC boxes.


BTW, the S3 can be had for $599, still pricey but substantially less than the original $800.
http://store.tivocommunity.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=EA&Product_Code=2777&Category_Code=
TiVo Community Store: TiVo® Series3™ 300-hour HD Digital Media Recorder

Damn Those Ads Are Back.

(i tried to scream, but AVSforum rejected me)

I don't see any ads on my S3 guide. :p

Hiya,

Is the any way to get more recording space into the PVR? and what are the firewire ports on the back for? I hooked up an external 160 gig HD but cannot see that it interfaced with the PVR in any way.

Thanks for any tips/advice. I looked around the forums but did not see any info.


M./

I don't fit this question because I don't have a wall mounted TV, but I am Bay Area. I would think that if you are securely anchored into wood, like in a stud, you are just fine. If that stud fails, it doesn't matter.

LOL. Good point I guess.

I think you're right, I was thinking the same thing after reading the initial post. It would seem a little early to have run out of the current boxes, although gauging how many to have on hand to deploy now versus stocking the new ones for July is probably a bit tough.

Also, I'm pretty sure the CC STB requirement is for new deployments as of July, they're not going to replace the existing deployed boxes with CC boxes.


BTW, the S3 can be had for $599, still pricey but substantially less than the original $800.
http://store.tivocommunity.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=EA&Product_Code=2777&Category_Code=
TiVo Community Store: TiVo® Series3™ 300-hour HD Digital Media Recorder

Costco has the S3 at that price as well. Tempting.

Anyone in Sunnyvale lose their free QAM HD local channels through Comcast? I used to use my TV's QAM tuner to get ABC/NBC/FOX/CBS on 2.1, 5.1, 7.1 and 33.1, but they disappeared about a week ago.

Did they move? I called Comcast and they said they don't officially support those, although you may get them anyway but it's not an official "transmission". Been working great for the last year until a week ago.

Did you rescan? Here in Santa Clara, lots of changes. NBC11 is now 11.1 a few days ago. I was still getting it on 116.1, but after a rescan today, it now shows at 11.1. Last week I had to do a rescan and now get the HD channels on: 2.1, 4.1, 5.1, 7.1, 9.1, and 11.1. IOW, they match the 'old' analog channels with the added .1 to them.

Yeah, I did a rescan, but I get a bazillion blank channels in the 70-99 range, and I don't seem to find them in any of the spots.

Yes, Comcast has evidently improved their PSIP carriage for the retransmitted OTA channels lately. You should also see 7.2, 7.3, 9.2, and 11.2. Alas, although 9.3, 9.4, and 9.5 have PSIP info on the same rf channel as 9.1 and 9.2 (117 for me), they aren't really there but on a different PSIP-less rf channel (87 for me).

Yes, Comcast has evidently improved their PSIP carriage for the retransmitted OTA channels lately. You should also see 7.2, 7.3, 9.2, and 11.2. Alas, although 9.3, 9.4, and 9.5 have PSIP info on the same rf channel as 9.1 and 9.2 (117 for me), they aren't really there but on a different PSIP-less rf channel (87 for me).

Improved? Heck yeah. Before it was only one frequency that was transmitting PSIP (KTVU+KPIX). Now it's all four of the frequencies that carry the 6 local HD channels (KTVU+KPIX, KQED+KGO, KNTV, KRON). I've been waiting for those 0x1ffb PIDs for a long time.

Looks like ESPN-HD or whatever it is that's sharing KNTV's frequency is still encrypted, so that blows the past theories that it somehow interfered with KNTV's PSIP. However, NBC Weatherplus PSIP data is still missing, not that I nor anyone else really cares about that one. :p

And one last thing, I don't see the PSIP data for LIFE (9.4), WORLD (9.3) and KIDS (9.5) on KQED-HD's frequency. Only KQED-HD (9.1) and ENCORE (9.2). Are we on different headends? I think I do see PAT entries for them, though. Is that what you meant?

I was being careless and using "PSIP" incorrectly to include Program Specific Information (PSI), such as the PMT/PAT. I also didn't reexamine the transport stream--just noted that all the 9.x are tunable, but not viewable, on rf 117 now. You're undoubtedly right that the full PSIP is not present there for all the subchannels.

I don't see any ads on my S3 guide. :p
They used to be on the main menu as the last entries, but now they show up when your show finishes playing. Much less intrusive.

Is the any way to get more recording space into the PVR? and what are the firewire ports on the back for? I hooked up an external 160 gig HD but cannot see that it interfaced with the PVR in any way.

The Firewire is for exporting mpgs to Firewire recording devices. Some people use it to export mpgs to CapDVHS on their PCs.

CapDVHS only handles free to copy shows. If the show is marked for restricted copy, you will need a Firewire device that supports DTCP, which basically means hardware firewire-capable recorder.

They used to be on the main menu as the last entries, but now they show up when your show finishes playing. Much less intrusive.

Those two are separate "features". You will still see the yellow star on the main menu once a while.

Giants HD schedule (FSN) is up.

http://fsnbayarea.com/HD_Giants.jsp

(51 games, not bad)

KTVU-2 should do a few also, plus the Sunday Night games on ESPN.

FOX Saturday was upconverted the last couple of years, I wonder if they are going to continue that marvelous tradition....?

Giants HD schedule (FSN) is up.

http://fsnbayarea.com/HD_Giants.jsp

(51 games, not bad)

KTVU-2 should do a few also, plus the Sunday Night games on ESPN.

FOX Saturday was upconverted the last couple of years, I wonder if they are going to continue that marvelous tradition....?
Yes and no, at first they said "most" games will be in HD, just yesterday they announced "some" games will be HD. The way I read that is that they will thrown in some HD games now and then. The explanation was a lack of HD production trucks. Being that a number of those trucks are based in the bay area, who knows, we might get lucky.

I can't believe it's 2007 and FOX still doesn't have their "Game of the Week" in HD, ridiculous. The worst part is their exclusive window where no one else can broadcast a game, HD or otherwise.

They must figure this whole "Hi Def" thing is just a fad.

They must figure this whole "Hi Def" thing is just a fad.
It will the more broadcasters chew up bandwidth with multicasting, leasing, etc.

HD discs are the way to go. Rescue Me will be out on BD this year, the upcoming season will no doubt come out shortly after the show airs on FX. If FX doesn't go HD by the time the show starts, I'm going to wait for the shiny discs of Season 4.

I called Comcast yesterday to rent an HD converter box, but was told that there is a shortage of those boxes in San Francisco area. They offered me an HD DVR (for a higher fee, of course) instead, but I declined.

Did anybody hear anything about it?
I heard that the same happened to a colleague of my wife's in Fremont last week. They ended up getting the DVR (for $12.99 a month). Smart way for Comcast to recycle the DVRs being dumped by new TiVo S3 owners.

Damn, it looks like the guide ads are back.
The only way to get rid of them is for everyone to call Comcast and tell them that you don't want them there. I'm serious, if enough people bitch about it they will have to address it one way or the other. For me right now it's taking up to much room and interferes with the guide and how much can be viewed. They should at least give us an option to turn it off. If you don't bitch about it, they will think it's ok and keep it there, so it's up to you to get rid of it. I've already made my call and now it's your turn.

Laters,
Mikef5

Great, my Comcastic DVR is now showing ads for how to use On Demand, even though I live in a 550 MHz area. Thanks, Comcast, for telling me about services that you don't provide me and for taking away a row in the guide to do it. I called to complain about this again (this time about rubbing my face in services that Comcast won't provide me as of right now), and the CSR I spoke with insists that there are no plans to get rid of these ads and that I am the first person he has spoken to that has complained about the ads. I will be checking out the S3s at Costco this weekend.

Folks, call 1-800-COMCAST and let them know how much you love paying more for degraded DVR service and potentially advertisments for products that are not even available in your area.

Great, my Comcastic DVR is now showing ads for how to use On Demand, even though I live in a 550 MHz area. Thanks, Comcast, for telling me about services that you don't provide me and for taking away a row in the guide to do it. I called to complain about this again (this time about rubbing my face in services that Comcast won't provide me as of right now), and the CSR I spoke with insists that there are no plans to get rid of these ads and that I am the first person he has spoken to that has complained about the ads. I will be checking out the S3s at Costco this weekend.

Folks, call 1-800-COMCAST and let them know how much you love paying more for degraded DVR service and potentially advertisments for products that are not even available in your area.
Unfortunately you are probably not going to see these HELP ADS going away. I made my case to Mr. J. and I got the feeling we're going to be stuck with these space wasting ads. What I fear happening is eventually these HELP ADS will be replaced with actual ads and not these HELP ADS. Yes I know ads are another way that Comcast makes money but I don't have to like it.

Another thing, what is the purpose of the HELP BUTTON on the remote ???? Why can't I push that button and get these HELP ADS ???? If these are just HELP ADS to help people use the guide then GIVE US THE ABILITY TO TURN THEM OFF !!!

The CSR is probably right, not enough people are complaining about this, so Comcast sees no reason to get rid of them.

As far as the On Demand ads, I too live in a 550 MHz area and it irks me to no end when I see that ad that says " If You Have Comcast You Have On Demand " or the ads for Channel One, that doesn't exist in our area. :rolleyes: This is a real sore spot for me.
The only bright side of that is eventually all the areas will be upgraded and we all will finally get the same programing that the rest of the Bay Area gets and that we pay for.

Laters,
Mikef5

The ads haven't shown up here yet (knock on wood).

(get an S3...no ads) :p

(get an S3...no ads) :p
When they support bi-directional cablecards, I'll be all over it :p

Laters,
Mikef5

Well, they broadcast those commercials to everyone... they don't have the ability to turn them off for specific areas or individual TV sets...

Well, they broadcast those commercials to everyone... they don't have the ability to turn them off for specific areas or individual TV sets...
If you are referring to the, If you have Comcast you have On Demand ad, it's false advertising no matter how you look at it and if they want to promote something they should not promote something that is not available to all areas without a disclaimer being added and not in micro print amidst other text but plainly in view and readable.

Laters,
Mikef5

So anyone know if Comcast has plans to carry KICU in HD anytime soon. I would really like to watch ALL of the A's game in HD this season.

So anyone know if Comcast has plans to carry KICU in HD anytime soon. I would really like to watch ALL of the A's game in HD this season.

KICU does not broadcast in HD...not on cable and not OTA. I wouldn't count on it happening any time soon either.

KICU does not broadcast in HD...not on cable and not OTA. I wouldn't count on it happening any time soon either.
What's really strange is KICU broadcasts in 720p OTA but in 4x3 format. I don't know what it would take for them to do true HD since they obviously have half the equation already but it couldn't be that much more expensive to do it. Might be a good project for me to do while I wait for my area to get upgraded :)

Laters,
Mikef5

Another thing, what is the purpose of the HELP BUTTON on the remote ????


I found a great use for the help button on my remote. It's my 30 second skip!!! :D

I cancelled my service this afternoon after seeing the ads on the guide yet again. I can't even get On Demand and yet they're wasting the space I'm paying for to advertise it to me? Way to go, Comcast.

What's really strange is KICU broadcasts in 720p OTA but in 4x3 format. I don't know what it would take for them to do true HD since they obviously have half the equation already but it couldn't be that much more expensive to do it. Might be a good project for me to do while I wait for my area to get upgraded :)

Laters,
Mikef5

I didn't realize KICU was even broadcasting in 720p OTA (I can't get OTA where I live). Is it broadcasting on 52 or one of the sub stations?

I cancelled my service this afternoon after seeing the ads on the guide yet again. I can't even get On Demand and yet they're wasting the space I'm paying for to advertise it to me? Way to go, Comcast.

Yeah, they're gonna lose customers over this.....especially with the new
AT&T competition. I called a CSR to lodge a complaint, and the CSR had
no clue as to what I was talking about....to quote: "I don't watch television".
Bad move, Comcast!

I would wonder if they would have done the Bay Area build out these days? They took over the cable companies here at the tail end of the boom and probably thought things were going to keep booming and people wouldn't care about their bill. Now they are in a bind and probably have to sell ad space or raise rates or go bankrupt. And when analog goes dark there may even be small wimax video services available that will compete (probably what the satellite companies will use to provide VOD).

I didn't realize KICU was even broadcasting in 720p OTA (I can't get OTA where I live). Is it broadcasting on 52 or one of the sub stations?
I get it on 36.1 OTA and even though it's SD ( 4x3 and 720p) it's a heck of alot better than the analog channel. I wrote an e-mail to the General Manager to see if they have any plans to do actual HD any time soon. KICU is a sister station of KTVU and it would seem to me that if KTVU can do HD they should be able to do it on their sister station too.

Laters,
Mikef5

Yes, "36.1" is on rf channel 52.

I would wonder if they would have done the Bay Area build out these days? They took over the cable companies here at the tail end of the boom and probably thought things were going to keep booming and people wouldn't care about their bill. Now they are in a bind and probably have to sell ad space or raise rates or go bankrupt. And when analog goes dark there may even be small wimax video services available that will compete (probably what the satellite companies will use to provide VOD).
Brian,
You can't be seriously talking about Comcast are you ??? Comcast going bankrupt ?? The CEO made about 24 million last year and their profit was close to 2 billion, not even close to bankruptcy. Analog going dark is the best thing that can happen to cable, it wastes way to much bandwidth and needs to go as soon as possible. It's time for people to come into the 21th Century.

I've been with cable since the days of TCI, through the debacle of the AT&T's take over and now with Comcast. Trust me, Comcast has done more than both of those two company's combined did or ever would have done. All they were interested in was collecting your bill and that was it. My big gripe with Comcast is the slowness that the upgrades are taking and their adoption of new technology's is IMHO way to slow. My business theory is " Snooze and you Lose " The bean counters have way to much say on what gets funded and what doesn't get funded but I'm just a customer so what the heck do I know ;)

Laters,
Mikef5

i think i speak for all my fellow bean counters when i say.... bean counters love hd.

i think i speak for all my fellow bean counters when i say.... bean counters love hd.
Yes, it means more beans to count.... and you can count them in HD :p

Nothing wrong with being a bean counter, you've got to know how many beans you've got so you can spend them all.... on HD programing ;)

Laters,
Mikef5

Totally off topic, but have you guys seen the 'Save a lot' Comcast commercial? Man that one cracks me up. :D

Number 1 CW-HD
Number 2 National Geographic's HD
Number 3 The History Channel HD

(Clear QAM too please :) )

When would new channels be added?

Totally off topic, but have you guys seen the 'Save a lot' Comcast commercial? Man that one cracks me up. :D

I thought the "save a buck" one was funnier (mildly, visually at least), where the guy gives mouth-to-mouth to a deer... but protesters for a parking lot is also :)

not sure how much we're actually saving though, given all the recent cost increases, :( and isn't a lot(sorry, bunch) of the triple-play savings temporary/short-term rates?

More HD to be added to SaraMilgatos area and no not an April Fools joke !!!!

I know this is going to be hard to believe but it's true.... the message as I received it.
____________________________________________________________ ________

We are working on ADDING HD channels in the South Bay, on April 5th!

Here is what we are planning

We will launch 3 additional HD channels in Los Gatos & Saratoga
Vs/Golf HD launches on Digital Classic HD channel 721 in Los Gatos and Saratoga.
ESPN 2 HD launches on Digital Classic HD channel 724 in Los Gatos and Saratoga.
TNT HD launches on Digital Classic HD channel 726 in Los Gatos and Saratoga.

In Milpitas:
Vs/Golf HD launches on Digital Classic HD channel 721
As you may recall we just launched in Milpitas a new Hispanic Tier of programming which includes ten channels along w/ GMA Pinoy.
That accounts for the difference in HD channel adds between Los Gatos/Saratoga and Milpitas.
____________________________________________________________ ________

So good news for the SaraMilgatos area with the addition of new HD and hopefully more to come when the upgrades are completed.
No new news on the other channels for the rest of the Bay Area but I would imagine they can't be to far away.

Laters,
Mikef5

Very cool. I wonder what they're doing to free up the bandwidth?

Very cool. I wonder what they're doing to free up the bandwidth?
Wish I knew but what ever it is I wish they would use more of it for Milpitas. I would've liked to have ESPN-2 HD added rather than the Hispanic programing but that's a money maker for Comcast so I don't see it happening. Oh well, I guess we wait for the upgrades to get done before that will happen. Better happen before the end of baseball season though ;)

Laters,
Mikef5

Comcast could have all of the badwidth it could ever need if it eliminated all of the *crap* stations that is carries. Why on earth do they carry KRON in HD when they have ZERO programming? There are dozens of stations both analog and digital that many many many people NEVER watch.

As soon as DISH or Direct TV gets FX-HD (or the equilivant fox HD) I am out of here.

More HD to be added to SaraMilgatos area and no not an April Fools joke !!!!

I know this is going to be hard to believe but it's true.... the message as I received it.
____________________________________________________________ ________

We are working on ADDING HD channels in the South Bay, on April 5th!

Here is what we are planning

We will launch 3 additional HD channels in Los Gatos & Saratoga
Vs/Golf HD launches on Digital Classic HD channel 721 in Los Gatos and Saratoga.
ESPN 2 HD launches on Digital Classic HD channel 724 in Los Gatos and Saratoga.
TNT HD launches on Digital Classic HD channel 726 in Los Gatos and Saratoga.

In Milpitas:
Vs/Golf HD launches on Digital Classic HD channel 721
As you may recall we just launched in Milpitas a new Hispanic Tier of programming which includes ten channels along w/ GMA Pinoy.
That accounts for the difference in HD channel adds between Los Gatos/Saratoga and Milpitas.
____________________________________________________________ ________

So good news for the SaraMilgatos area with the addition of new HD and hopefully more to come when the upgrades are completed.
No new news on the other channels for the rest of the Bay Area but I would imagine they can't be to far away.

Laters,
Mikef5
WTF!? What about Santa Rosa? Methinks Mikef5's nose is getting a little too brown again... :p :D

WTF!? What about Santa Rosa? Methinks Mikef5's nose is getting a little too brown again... :p :D
Wait a minute, we didn't get ESPN2-HD or TNT-HD so it can't be getting that brown..... got a Kleenix ???? :p ;)

Laters,
Mikef5

Say what you want about Comcast but they have done A LOT more for both CATV and HSI than TCI or AT&T ever did. When Comcast took over we had NO HD, NO DVR, NO VOD (not for anyone) and HSI stuck at pre-1999 levels.

Big article in Sunday's Press Democrat about AT&T's U-verse coming to Santa Rosa (very small select areas of SR...). Though it's interesting because they say it will carry 4 channels at once, but doesn't say how many HD channels that is. It also says channel-changing is instant (and actually faster than cable...) but in fact I have heard quite the opposite..

It goes on to list a package for $129 that includes 25 HD channels, HBO, a DVR, and 6MB HSI. That's about exactly what I pay now for the same service with Comcast, only I don't have HBO. So the prices are competitive, but aren't going to blow anyone away...

Can it be true???? And I am out of town until 4/6, so I guess I'll just have to listen for the squeals of glee on this board. Hey, I can check it remotely via my Slingbox though on 4/5 .....
If it comes to pass it will ease the anger that seems to grow every time I see a commercial, get a mailer, or get a personal email from Comcast touting stuff I don't get - like these HD channels, VOD and digital phone.
Thanks for the good news.
Mike

More HD to be added to SaraMilgatos area and no not an April Fools joke !!!!

I know this is going to be hard to believe but it's true.... the message as I received it.
____________________________________________________________ ________

We are working on ADDING HD channels in the South Bay, on April 5th!

Here is what we are planning

We will launch 3 additional HD channels in Los Gatos & Saratoga
Vs/Golf HD launches on Digital Classic HD channel 721 in Los Gatos and Saratoga.
ESPN 2 HD launches on Digital Classic HD channel 724 in Los Gatos and Saratoga.
TNT HD launches on Digital Classic HD channel 726 in Los Gatos and Saratoga.

In Milpitas:
Vs/Golf HD launches on Digital Classic HD channel 721
As you may recall we just launched in Milpitas a new Hispanic Tier of programming which includes ten channels along w/ GMA Pinoy.
That accounts for the difference in HD channel adds between Los Gatos/Saratoga and Milpitas.
____________________________________________________________ ________

So good news for the SaraMilgatos area with the addition of new HD and hopefully more to come when the upgrades are completed.
No new news on the other channels for the rest of the Bay Area but I would imagine they can't be to far away.

Laters,
Mikef5

Big article in Sunday's Press Democrat about AT&T's U-verse coming to Santa Rosa (very small select areas of SR...).

Actually, that article shows a map that includes a very large area of Santa Rosa, with a few very small pockets that are not included.

Say what you want about Comcast but they have done A LOT more for both CATV and HSI than TCI or AT&T ever did. When Comcast took over we had NO HD, NO DVR, NO VOD (not for anyone) and HSI stuck at pre-1999 levels.

Big article in Sunday's Press Democrat about AT&T's U-verse coming to Santa Rosa (very small select areas of SR...). Though it's interesting because they say it will carry 4 channels at once, but doesn't say how many HD channels that is. It also says channel-changing is instant (and actually faster than cable...) but in fact I have heard quite the opposite..

It goes on to list a package for $129 that includes 25 HD channels, HBO, a DVR, and 6MB HSI. That's about exactly what I pay now for the same service with Comcast, only I don't have HBO. So the prices are competitive, but aren't going to blow anyone away...
AT&T has already been quietly laying in some fiber in some of the new sub-divisions in the northwest and just east of the fairgrounds.

I wouldn't expect Comcast-like coverage here for a couple of years.

I got a kick out of both Comcast and AT&T at the Home Show at the fairgrounds a few weeks back, both were touting up their wares, but upon inquiry by yours truly, they both admitted that the large portion of those nifty services were not even available in Santa Rosa itself.

Actually, that article shows a map that includes a very large area of Santa Rosa, with a few very small pockets that are not included.
The map does cover practically all of Santa Rosa, but AT&T does a lot of "talking" about what they're going to do, who knows when they'll actually have coverage to all those areas. If I'm not mistaken, AT&T only has about 10,000 subs nationwide so far for this service. Comcast has over 6 times that many just in Santa Rosa.

I'll certainly take a look at it, if it's offered where I'm at, but so far, the tech just doesn't seem very good, at least for multiple streams of HD.

BTW, is anything ever going to done about the completely useless guide info for FSNBA-HD, or is it still in the finger-pointing stage?

AT&T has already been quietly laying in some fiber in some of the new sub-divisions in the northwest and just east of the fairgrounds.

That is true. I design the joint trenches that that fiber goes into. For the record many of those new subdivisions will be fiber to the premise. I also know that AT&T is actively designing the fiber to the node for Santa Rosa as we speak. They are dead serious. I am a retired outside plant engineer from Pacific Bell and worked as a contractor in the Santa Rosa engineering office for 6 1/2 years, so I have a connection or two.

That is true. I design the joint trenches that that fiber goes into. For the record many of those new subdivisions will be fiber to the premise. I also know that AT&T is actively designing the fiber to the node for Santa Rosa as we speak. They are dead serious. I am a retired outside plant engineer from Pacific Bell and worked as a contractor in the Santa Rosa engineering office for 6 1/2 years, so I have a connection or two.
So you're the one that emailed me, for some reason I didn't make the connection. :p

gah, i finally come home from work to watch all this great baseball i've missed but espn2 hd is down for me. its not blacked out because chan 39 works. oh please don't make me watch college bball :(

CBS is presenting a pretty poor looking product with the NCAA BB game.

CBS is presenting a pretty poor looking product with the NCAA BB game.

Ohio State sure didn't help matters any..

More HD to be added to SaraMilgatos area and no not an April Fools joke !!!!


I'm not too familiar with all the systems in the south bay, but just to make sure, this good news doesn't change things for Sunnyvale-hell right?

So you're the one that emailed me, for some reason I didn't make the connection. :p

Yep, but that email was about Comcast...... :)

Yep, but that email was about Comcast...... :)
Yes. :)


BTW, it's only 3 days into the season, but I'll think I'll be able to live with my decision to drop MLBEI from DirecTV due to their $40 HD surcharge. With FSNBA-HD of course I'll have to get to know my local teams better than I know the Yankees, but at a savings of $200 a year I can live with it. With ESPN, some HD games on Sat from FOX and FSNBA I won't miss MLBEI too much, and with no MLBEI on cable anymore not having INHD here in Santa Rosa is a non-issue. In fact, Comcast, if you're listening, don't even plan on putting it on the system up here, give us something else instead. :D

Yes. :)


BTW, it's only 3 days into the season, but I'll think I'll be able to live with my decision to drop MLBEI from DirecTV due to their $40 HD surcharge. With FSNBA-HD of course I'll have to get to know my local teams better than I know the Yankees, but at a savings of $200 a year I can live with it. With ESPN, some HD games on Sat from FOX and FSNBA I won't miss MLBEI too much, and with no MLBEI on cable anymore not having INHD here in Santa Rosa is a non-issue. In fact, Comcast, if you're listening, don't even plan on putting it on the system up here, give us something else instead. :D

But I don't plan on going to directv just for that. I saw this on another forum yesterday, of course, right after I signed up for MLB TV. Has anyone gotten anything from comcast in the mail yet?

http://www.comcast.com/baseball/

Yes. :)


BTW, it's only 3 days into the season, but I'll think I'll be able to live with my decision to drop MLBEI from DirecTV due to their $40 HD surcharge. With FSNBA-HD of course I'll have to get to know my local teams better than I know the Yankees, but at a savings of $200 a year I can live with it. With ESPN, some HD games on Sat from FOX and FSNBA I won't miss MLBEI too much, and with no MLBEI on cable anymore not having INHD here in Santa Rosa is a non-issue. In fact, Comcast, if you're listening, don't even plan on putting it on the system up here, give us something else instead. :D

I agree. At least 80% of A's games and I think almost 100% of Giants games are televised locally so unless your team is not one of the two, it's really not worth it. I usually subscribe to the MLB Gameday Audio online (which is only $15 for the whole season) in case there's a good game on that doesn't involve the A's or Giants.

More HD to be added to SaraMilgatos area and no not an April Fools joke !!!!

I know this is going to be hard to believe but it's true.... the message as I received it.
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We are working on ADDING HD channels in the South Bay, on April 5th!

Here is what we are planning

We will launch 3 additional HD channels in Los Gatos & Saratoga
Vs/Golf HD launches on Digital Classic HD channel 721 in Los Gatos and Saratoga.
ESPN 2 HD launches on Digital Classic HD channel 724 in Los Gatos and Saratoga.
TNT HD launches on Digital Classic HD channel 726 in Los Gatos and Saratoga.

In Milpitas:
Vs/Golf HD launches on Digital Classic HD channel 721
As you may recall we just launched in Milpitas a new Hispanic Tier of programming which includes ten channels along w/ GMA Pinoy.
That accounts for the difference in HD channel adds between Los Gatos/Saratoga and Milpitas.
____________________________________________________________ ________

So good news for the SaraMilgatos area with the addition of new HD and hopefully more to come when the upgrades are completed.
No new news on the other channels for the rest of the Bay Area but I would imagine they can't be to far away.

Laters,
Mikef5
Hey, if this happens I just may stick with Comcast. But only if they upgrade that P.O.S. DVR. Mine is developing new problems every week. I'm often losing audio completely now, and it only comes back if I swap channels and then swap back. The audio is there, it just isn't being sent to my receiver. And remote stutter is worse than ever-- I can't tell you how many recordings I had to start over because I hit the FF and it wouldn't let me stop until it hit the end.

Does anyone know if the Golf Channel is going to carry the HD feed for the Masters on Thurs/Fri? Seems like that would be the reason for picking up that HD channel on the 5th.

new thread started on hd programming topic saying dish is now broadcasting local sports in hd. does that mean that local dish subscribers will finally get fsnba in hd in time for baseball season? oh please yes!

The map I saw covered most of the downtown area, but nothing of the outlying areas, like Rincon Valley, etc...

The article did say the were planning deployment inside of 6 months.