But, are you on a triple-play pkg, where the HD fee (NOT DVR fee) is imbedded as part of that pkg? If so, then it's easily explained why YOU are not getting a charge for it.

But there is a BIG debate going on here regarding the HD fee otherwise - it also seems to vary from the different CC regions:

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r26264736-Cable-Card-Ceton-to-the-rescue-

I am on a triple play package now(although I don't even use the phone portion - it was cheaper overall), but in the past(anytime before 3 mos ago) I have never seen, or have been charged any sort of HD Technology Fee. I do not rent any equipment from Comcast other than 3 CableCARDS that I'm charged $1.10(total cost for all cards) for but which is "rebated" back at $2.50 in credit each month.

Long ago when I did have a Comcast Moto DVR the cost was about $16 per month and if the HD Tech Fee was incorporated into that amount it was never displayed that way on my bill, it was just one line entry.

When I had Limited Basic only I never paid any sort "HD" fee either, all local HD broadcast channels were in the clear, and remain in the clear to this day as far as I know.

While things may have changed, to this day I have never been charged any such fee, ever, with or without Comcast-supplied equipment being used. I have seen others mention having the fee and I usually suggest that they ask about it, find out exactly what it is for, with the result of some of them having had the fee removed from their bill.

Seems to me they should bill an SD technology fee instead of an HD one since SD is now the exception not the rule and it costs them extra to support it. Bad marketing execs at Comcast?

And you think SD is the exception because of...everyone on this board??? :confused:
Sorry to tell you this, but while HD is becoming more & more "mainstream", SD is NOT the exception by any means. LOTS of folks will NOT get or care about HD for quite awhile. DirecTV & DISH are still installing quite a bit of SD receivers/dishes to this day, & AT&T U-verse ALSO charges a $10 HD tech fee as well. So it's hardly like CC is the lone exception to this out there...

So if I went to just Limited Basic and didn't say anything would they filter out the HD channels (more expense to them)?

"Filter" out what??? Since everything BUT limited basic channels is encrypted now, if you choose to have ONLY limited basic, you would not have their (full) HD boxes - so there would be NO way for you to "decrypt" all those HD channels, so they don't have to do squat to disable all those HD channels you speak of. (I assume you realize they can turn off all HD through their boxes, so again, there are no "filters" they need to put on your limited basic line) And again, with ALL HD above limited basic encrypted, NO QAM TV or Tivo unit can pick up those encrypted HD channels w/out an authorized cablecard inserted in those said devices.

Now if you would go to limited basic, in most case you WILL be able to pick up any HD versions of those limited channels. But ALL that is going to get you normally, would be any local OTA HD channels + perhaps any other HD limited channels in your local lineup. (eg: here we get WGNA in HD on limited basic in Clear QAM, so ANY Clear QAM tuner will pull it in)

Also in almost all CC markets, limited basic subs CAN get basic HD converters for those said HD limited channels. They are actually the same HD converters that expanded basic & above subs pay about $8/month for - but limited subs get them for about $2.50/month - AND they do NOT charge an HD tech fee, either. (this is the pricing for the Chicago CC region; it may vary in other markets)

HOWEVER, I should warn you that some subs have reported that CC is even starting to encrypt some/all of those HD channels as well - again, if CC encrypts channels, they do NOT have to do anything to prevent YOU from getting those said channels as a limited sub. But those subs could also get the "limited HD converters" I just mentioned above, which would decrypt those same encrypted channels. (and NO other HD channels)

CC did all this specifically, so they did NOT have to make truck rolls to limited basic subs homes & put "filters" on those lines. (which does cost $$$ as you point out) They can now turn all services (except for limited basic right now) on & off at their office, & subs can pick up & return boxes/cablecards to the office - instead of paying techs to do all this, again saving CC $$$.

It also has EVERYTHING to do with CC making $$$ on added box/cablecard/HD fees on the actual subs using these services - NOT on limited subs that do NOT use them... ;)

I am on a triple play package now(although I don't even use the phone portion - it was cheaper overall), but in the past(anytime before 3 mos ago) I have never seen, or have been charged any sort of HD Technology Fee.

Well since I have no idea which CC market you are in, it's hard to discuss this - but CC did roll out the HD tech fee on a region-by-region basis; so maybe your region did NOT even charge for it, BEFORE you switched to your current TP pkg.

I do not rent any equipment from Comcast other than 3 CableCARDS that I'm charged $1.10(total cost for all cards) for but which is "rebated" back at $2.50 in credit each month.

WOW, so basically CC is paying you to have their CableCards then? :eek: How are you able to do this - since (normally) CC is now charging $7.95 for an "added outlet" fee (which normally includes an non-DVR HD box); but if you choose to have a cablecard on it instead, THEN gives you the $2.50 credit?
THAT'S a sweet deal you're on... :eek:

Long ago when I did have a Comcast Moto DVR the cost was about $16 per month and if the HD Tech Fee was incorporated into that amount it was never displayed that way on my bill, it was just one line entry.

Right, but that was probably before CC did their "HD tech fee" add-on charge on all accounts. This would have been applicable, since (I assume) this was your primary outlet, & your only DVR on your account, right?

Well since I have no idea which CC market you are in, it's hard to discuss this - but CC did roll out the HD tech fee on a region-by-region basis; so maybe your region did NOT even charge for it, BEFORE you switched to your current TP pkg.
Comcast in California has basically 2 regions as explained here (http://comcastcalifornia.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=40) totaling roughly 9% to 10% of Comcast total subscribers nationwide. I believe it's their second largest market. This particular thread focuses on the Greater SF Bay Area. Like I said above, the charge may be new to this area, but as of 3 mos ago it wasn't being charged on my bill when I had just Digital Preferred and HSI.


WOW, so basically CC is paying you to have their CableCards then? :eek: How are you able to do this - since (normally) CC is now charging $7.95 for an "added outlet" fee (which normally includes an non-DVR HD box); but if you choose to have a cablecard on it instead, THEN gives you the $2.50 credit?
THAT'S a sweet deal you're on... :eek:I'm not sure why it works out that way, until I got the second TiVo I wasn't even charged for the first 2 CableCARDS. When I got the second TiVo they started to charge for that single card at about $1.79 per month which has since dropped to $1.10 which, as I noted above, is being credited back at $2.50 per month. The credit is noted as a "Customer-owned Equipment Adjustment" which is something the FCC mandated, I think. Works for me.:D



Right, but that was probably before CC did their "HD tech fee" add-on charge on all accounts. This would have been applicable, since (I assume) this was your primary outlet, & your only DVR on your account, right?
Never been charged any Additional Outlet Fee either, and in fact, it was announced here quite awhile back that that charge would no longer be assessed although I don't recall what the parameters were, I just know that I don't pay the charge for having 2 TiVos connected.

DirecTV & DISH are still installing quite a bit of SD receivers/dishes to this day, & AT&T U-verse ALSO charges a $10 HD tech fee as well. So it's hardly like CC is the lone exception to this out there...





I know for a fact that DirecTV doesn't charge an "HD" fee if you simply ask to have it removed, they'll give you a 2 year "waiver" on the charge, when the 2 years is up just ask for it again. If I'm not mistaken, this was in response to Dish dropping the charge altogether.

The charge as implemented by Comcast may have more to do with a difference in local/federal tax liabilities; if it's a "service fee" they don't have to pay rental sales tax? Just a thought.

I know for a fact that DirecTV doesn't charge an "HD" fee if you simply ask to have it removed, they'll give you a 2 year "waiver" on the charge, when the 2 years is up just ask for it again.

And I know for fact I NEVER said they DID - all I was saying is, it IS a fact that both DirecTV AND DISH, to this day, STILL install much new SD equipment & receivers - for BOTH new & existing subs. There are a only a few exceptions where DirecTV & DISH DO install all HD equipment as standard for all subs:

- On DirecTV, if you live in an MPEG4 locals market (like mine) you DO get all HD equipment installed, whether you ask for it or not. Otherwise, if you do NOT ask, or do not qualify for HD service, you get SD receivers & dishes.
And since you are in SF & it is a legacy 101 locals market - this will NOT apply in your area.
(And BTW - even if you DO get HD service, outside of those MPEG4 markets I just mentioned, if you are ordering more than the first 2 receivers, you do NOT get ALL HD receivers for FREE; they normally charge an "upgrade" charge if you want more than your first 2 HD)

- On DISH, if you live in an Eastern Arc market, you DO get all HD equipment as well. If you live in a Western Arc market &/or you do NOT have a full ATxxx pkg, (like if you have only international prog or the Welcome Pak limited pkg w/out locals) you still get SD equipment.
And hate to tell you this - but SF is NOT an EA market, so it's going to be the same thing for you guys on DISH, like on DirecTV.

If you re-read my response to Brain, it was countering his (incorrect) statement about "SD being the exception" nowadays. And as I'll repeat (again) - NOT everybody needs, wants, or cares if they have HD service or not. There are still LOTS of subs out there with perfectly working SDTV's that have no intention of replacing them until they break.

If I'm not mistaken, this was in response to Dish dropping the charge altogether.

(You need to read all the fine print in those DirecTV/DISH ads you see... ;) )

Uh yes, up to a point they will - however, NOT all DirecTV subs (existing or new) can even qualify for FREE HD.
In order to get the FREE HD:
- as a new sub, you must have the Choice Xtra & above base pkg
- agree to auto bill pay.
(If you are an existing sub, you must have Total Choice & above, & still do auto bill pay)

If you are on tiers such as Choice, Family or International Basic - you will NOT get FREE HD, sorry.

OK, now as far as DISH goes - their FREE HD requirements are less stringent - to a point.
So in order to get that "FREE HD" on DISH:
- you must have an ATxxx or DISH America base pkg or higher; DISH Family, Welcome Pak or a la carte only prog does NOT qualify (& only some of the DLxxx pkgs qualify as well)
- agree to auto bill pay AND paperless billing

According to my bill, the HD technology fee was tacked on after I picked up the Comcast STB from the local office. I have 2 cablecards, and they never charged me this fee before. The person I chatted with confirmed that if I were to return the STB, I would not have to pay the $18 a month.

The combined $18/mo. for the first Comcast STB (and it is not a DVR) is really expensive, IMO. It makes getting a second TiVo a very viable alternative for me. But, of course, I would lose On Demand.

The charge as implemented by Comcast may have more to do with a difference in local/federal tax liabilities; if it's a "service fee" they don't have to pay rental sales tax? Just a thought.

No, what they were really trying to do, is (somewhat) have parity with the satellite & other cable providers such as U-verse. If you go back sometime, CC WAS, in essence, charging an "HD fee" on a per-outlet basis, which made the costs of those added boxes high(er). (since ALL of U-verse's receivers were HD-ready, & both satellite providers do NOT charge a higher rental fee on HD boxes vs SD boxes of the same type otherwise)

Unfortunately, it was a double-edged sword for CC subs; if a sub only had 1-2 boxes, their bills actually went UP - subs with full multiple boxes could have HD on ALL of them & their bills actually went down some; HOWEVER at the same time, they DID raise the monthly pricing on full boxes, even if they were only SD boxes. If these subs were smart & I was in their shoes, I would have run down to the CC office & swapped every one of them out from an SD box to HD, even if I did NOT have an HD set! :D

Bottom line - CC STILL is making $$$ on everyone regardless... :rolleyes:

Bottom line - CC STILL is making $$$ on everyone regardless... :rolleyes:

Indeed, if they can't charge for it one way, they'll figure out another way. See BoA monthly debit cards fee. :D

I left B of A in 1968 because they wanted to charge me to handle my own savings. Nothing has changed in my book.....

FYI, in regard to past comments on this thread:
A Comcast truck was here for a drop move this past Friday. The technician removed three filters from the pole across the street and pulled in new drop wire. I gained seven channels on my QAM tuner (Sony) TV. I am subscribed to limited basic service and have no other charges on my bill. The technician acknowledged that I should be getting all the limited basic channels in digital (with a QAM tuner).

OT, but interesting:
I had the contractor install a weatherhead in the new garage for Telco and CATV to avoid holes in the new garage siding. Initially, the technician resisted saying that they don't use weatherheads any more but just attach to the soffet and put a hole in the wall. When I frowned at that, he spent the extra time to use the weatherhead and was real nice about it.

Dishrich, I've been into television technology since the 1950s. I have a HD HomeRun box and regularly scan channels coming in off Comcast and even the channel map. We've had discussions here about how they're moving around channels. What I was saying that if they even grouped all the broadcast HD channels in one channel range that would take a truck rollout if they wanted to block HD if they charged an extra fee.

I wouldn't know because I've always had a digital subscription with Comcast usually including at least one Premium channel. Exception was the brief period that they took over my area before the rebuild and I had Dish Network and used Comcast limited basic for the locals. When I needed a package change to get channels like Sci-fi they had to take the filter off the line because I didn't subscribe to extended basic but did get Sci-fi on my SD digital package. And THAT took them two hours to sort out because the techs seemed afraid to contact the head end who finally straighted it out as I told them from the beginning they would.

From what I've been reading as far as consumer electronics go people are getting rid of their old SD sets for HD sets particularly at the prices nowadays. Often it is far less than they paid for that old 27". From what I've read in trends is that the SD market is becoming more and more a minority. So see, I don't base my observations on this forum at all.

I would certainly agree that broadcast HD should be Open QAM and remain so by law and no additional fee. It would be available by antenna if you could get it. And yes in my scan I would see or used to see an encrypted channel sharing a channel with a broadcast channel. In my area I believe KPIX used to be on the same channel as Showtime, the latter of course encrypted.

All I was asking was if anyone dropped down to nothing but limited basic did they lose their HD channels which I believe by law they shouldn't nor if they are just cable to HD set and no Comcast STB should not be charged an HD fee.

All I was asking was if anyone dropped down to nothing but limited basic did they lose their HD channels..
No, they would not lose their local broadcast HD channels.
...which I believe by law they shouldn't nor if they are just cable to HD set and no Comcast STB should not be charged an HD fee.
No, they would not be charged an "HD tech fee" and they would still be able to receive those local HD channels in-the-clear with a personally owned QAM tuning device(TiVo, QAM tuner TV/HDHomeRun, etc). No Comcast equipment is needed to receive local HD channels, other than the cable line itself coming into the building.

Dishrich, I've been into television technology since the 1950s.

OK, & me since the early 70's - & it's now 2011... :confused: :confused:
I've been doing antenna, cable, satellite & SMATV work since I was a teenager (if we're going to compare resumes...)

(OK, before I go on - I preface this by saying I assume that your area NO longer has analog expanded basic cable, correct?
If you still DO have it, then what I am saying about traps would NOT apply then...)

What I was saying that if they even grouped all the broadcast HD channels in one channel range that would take a truck rollout if they wanted to block HD if they charged an extra fee.

(assuming you guys no longer have analog expanded basic cable)
Sorry, but they would then simply encypt those said channels - GUARANTEE you 200%. CC is NO longer blocking channels via trapping for anything above limited basic - which if CC choose to encrypt OTA HD, would then make it NO longer limited basic, no? (since it would cost above the limited basic service)

When I needed a package change to get channels like Sci-fi they had to take the filter off the line because I didn't subscribe to extended basic but did get Sci-fi on my SD digital package.

Well and that makes sense, since I assume you only had limited basic back then. Of course they had to take your limited basic trap off so that you could get the rest of your channels. BUT what I'm trying to tell you is, CC is NO longer putting traps "back on" for subs that down downgrade to limited basic service. And that is because there is NO need for them to do so now - why DO you think they encrypted EVERYTHING above limited basic cable now? While I'm sure CC will NOT be going around removing ALL expanded basic traps from limited subs lines, they WILL have to keep making house calls to remove them every time a limited sub upgrades service. (like you did) But, they are NO longer using them for new (limited only) subs or f/downgrades to limited service.

On some systems, when the DTA's first came out, the (digital) expanded basic channels WERE in the clear. Once the FCC gave CC permission to use encryption on the DTA's, (actually it's "privacy mode", but it accomplishes the same thing) all those digital expanded basic channels were NO longer available on clear QAM TV's. So there is NO reason now for CC to have to use traps on limited subs...which is EXACTLY what CC was/is planning on doing all along. They wanted to get away from traps altogether because:
- requires truck rolls to add/remove
- traps can "disappear", or "get lost" from subs that should have them; not needing traps will reduce piracy of expanded basic cable for limited basic or modem-only subs (go over to dslreports & get a load of all the posts of all the "pirates" crying about loosing their "free" expanded (analog) basic channels when their area went WOM :D )

(again, if your area still has analog expanded basic service, then this would NOT apply, of course)

FYI, when our system went through the WOM conversion, we NEVER even had clear QAM expanded basic service - because CC ALREADY got their DTA (encryption) waiver by the time we got WOM/DTA's.

From what I've been reading as far as consumer electronics go people are getting rid of their old SD sets for HD sets particularly at the prices nowadays. Often it is far less than they paid for that old 27". From what I've read in trends is that the SD market is becoming more and more a minority. So see, I don't base my observations on this forum at all.

Well see, I base MY observations on the "real world", & the fact of the # of SD sets still out there.
I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on this one...

I would certainly agree that broadcast HD should be Open QAM and remain so by law and no additional fee. It would be available by antenna if you could get it.

Should be, but the law does NOT state it MUST; it only states that a "version" of OTA locals must be clear QAM - it does NOT state if an HD version is offered, it MUST be clear QAM as well.
If you would go over to dslreports, you will find several posts of reports of subs that out of the blue, lost some/all of their clear QAM HD locals. Now whether they are are wrong & maybe they lost them due to something else, (channels moved into freqs that have "issues", traps, signal issues, etc.) I can't tell you. And our system here still has ALL our HD limited basics in clear QAM (which even includes WGNA, since it's a limited basic channel here) so I haven't had to deal with this, either.

All I was asking was if anyone dropped down to nothing but limited basic did they lose their HD channels which I believe by law they shouldn't nor if they are just cable to HD set and no Comcast STB should not be charged an HD fee.

See above re: law of clear HD. In most cases though, the local HD's are in clear QAM.

HOWEVER, if they did choose, for whatever reason, to restrict any/all local HD's from limited subs, they will be using encryption (& NOT traps) to accomplish this. You would they need either their HD box or cablecard to decrypt those channels. While I'm sure there's going to be some sort of "charge" for the box or cablecard rental - I can't speak about the "HD fee" per se, as I do not know of anyone that has had to do this very thing.

Sounds like keenan is saying you will NOT loose them on your system; I assume he's on your system as well...

I recently converted from Limited Basic to Digital Starter. They gave me a Pace RNG110 as my STB. My bill now includes both the Digital Starter/HSI price, along with an "Additional XFINITY TV Service" of "HD Technology Fee" for $10/month. There is no charge for the Pace RNG110 on my bill. Rental for one STB is included in the Digital Starter package.

As I see it, CC is doing "value pricing". They feel HD has more value than SD, so they charge more for it. From a packaging point of view, Digital Starter includes one STB and the SD versions of its included channels. You can move up to the more valuable HD versions of the channels for an additional $10 per month.

When I made the switch, I told them I wanted the HD versions. If I had not they may have given me a different STB that did not do HD.

Why they don't do this "value pricing" for cable cards in TIVO devices I do not know. It may have something to do with the FCC regulations requiring them to offer the cable cards. Or it may be that they don't distinguish between the HD and SD channels when they encrypt things. For whatever reason, dropping the monthly HD technology fee would go a good way to offsetting the monthly TIVO subscription. I guess I have to think about that.

Greg

When I made the switch, I told them I wanted the HD versions. If I had not they may have given me a different STB that did not do HD.

Not necessarily...since CC implemented the "HD value fee", most, if not all CC regions (that use Moto equipment) stopped buying new stocks of SD (full) digital converters, & are now only buying those RNG110 converters instead. They are issuing these HD boxes even on non-HD accounts - if you choose NOT to pay the HD fee, ALL HD channels (including HD locals) are disabled on those converters. Pay the fee & they are turned back on.

This is NO different than what CC does now with the Moto DVR's, that ONLY come equipped with HD standard. Again, no HD fee - no HD on the DVR. This is actually easier (& cheaper) from an inventory aspect for CC, as now they do not have to keep acquiring & stocking (new) SD receivers; they only need 1 type of non-DVR digital converter for all subs - but still make $$$ on HD subs. The chances of an SD sub getting these boxes depends on what stock of boxes they at the time - it can go either way.

if you choose NOT to pay the HD fee, ALL HD channels (including HD locals) are disabled on those converters.

HD locals are not encrypted here.

Well and that makes sense, since I assume you only had limited basic back then. Of course they had to take your limited basic trap off so that you could get the rest of your channels. BUT what I'm trying to tell you is, CC is NO longer putting traps "back on" for subs that down downgrade to limited basic service. And that is because there is NO need for them to do so now - why DO you think they encrypted EVERYTHING above limited basic cable now? While I'm sure CC will NOT be going around removing ALL expanded basic traps from limited subs lines, they WILL have to keep making house calls to remove them every time a limited sub upgrades service. (like you did) But, they are NO longer using them for new (limited only) subs or f/downgrades to limited service.


Having just gone through this, I'll tie down your speculation with facts.

1) Comcast is NOT removing the filter traps from limited basic customers unless they are asked to remove them.

2) Comcast could have avoided having to remove the traps from limited basic customers lines if they had been careful what frequencies they chose to broadcast limited basic clear QAM channels on. They were not careful and put several clear QAM limited basic channels, local HD, and the Discovery channel into the bandwidth blocked by the old limited basic filters. This gives limited basic customers legitimate reasons to request the filters removal.

3) It is difficult but possible to convince comcast support that the filter is there and needs to be removed.

HD locals are not encrypted here.

Does NOT matter - when CC set up this whole "HD access fee" thing through these converters, they used an "HD flag" tier bit in their authorization system, to control access to ALL HD channels in their (HD) converters - including their HD DVR's. When you do not have HD access authorized on your account, those HD converters will NOT be able to access ANY HD channels - regardless if they are clear QAM (unencrypted) or fully scrambled, whether it's part of your (base) prog pkg or not. Unfortunately, I had to find this particular issue out the hard way... :eek:

Does this make sense - considering HD locals are NOT encrypted??? Of course NOT - but this IS CC after all! I suspect they did this for 2 reasons:
- Since you are now getting HD receivers (for the same price as SD), CC had no intention of giving you ANY HD for FREE, w/out paying the HD fee
- It was easier to control HD access across ALL prog service tiers; instead of having to build separate authorization control tables for all those new individual HD channels, they can control ALL HD channels with the "HD flag" tier (one of the last software updates they did on the TVG, was specifically so they could do it in this fashion)

(understand this applies to Moto systems; I do not know for sure if they are doing the very same thing on their Cisco systems - but I suspect they are...)


Of course there IS a fix - use a 2-way splitter & run one feed directly to your clear QAM TV; the other leg goes into the converter. Then run a set of A/V outputs of your choice (HDMI, component, or composite) out of the RNG110 to an input on your HDTV. You'll have to switch inputs when you want your clear QAM HD locals.

Having just gone through this, I'll tie down your speculation with facts.

Uh, the only thing I was "speculating", was if SF still had analog expanded basic cable, none of this would apply right now. (which I even underlined explaining this on my reply) Other than that, everything I've mentioned re: traps/DTA's/encrypted expanded basic digital, etc. is how CC is ultimately doing things in ALL their regions - no speculation here, thank you!

1) Comcast is NOT removing the filter traps from limited basic customers unless they are asked to remove them.

Didn't I basically say the same thing...

While I'm sure CC will NOT be going around removing ALL expanded basic traps from limited subs lines, they WILL have to keep making house calls to remove them every time a limited sub upgrades service.

OK, agree - they are NOT removing those traps on a "mass" basis, unless the sub upgrades prog, or due to "service issues" as you state below.

2) Comcast could have avoided having to remove the traps from limited basic customers lines if they had been careful what frequencies they chose to broadcast limited basic clear QAM channels on. They were not careful and put several clear QAM limited basic channels, local HD, and the Discovery channel into the bandwidth blocked by the old limited basic filters. This gives limited basic customers legitimate reasons to request the filters removal.

Totally agree; that's happened around here some, even when we were Insight - luckily I never HAD a limited basic trap to deal with :D

3) It is difficult but possible to convince comcast support that the filter is there and needs to be removed.

Oh YEA; rather go through a root canal... :eek:

Look, I didn't mean to get off-tangent from the OP(s); all I was trying to get though to Brian - was that CC is NO longer actively using traps to control access to certain tiers of channels on WOM/DTA (upgraded) systems. If you downgrade to limited basic from a higher tier, CC will simply shut off authorization to all those applicable channels through their converters, DTA's, or cablecards). No tech will be coming out to install traps at the house or anything like that - which is EXACTLY why CC choose to encrypt the digital expanded basics & require a DTA, receiver or CableCard to receive them.

FYI - if you go to the Insight or WOW cable forums@dslreports, they started out encrypting their expanded basic lineup, but then turned the encryption OFF, so that clear QAM TV's would no longer need any boxes to keep their existing SD expanded basic service. Needless to say, a lot of subs over their were happy they did this... ;) ;)

Dishrich, do you have an HDHR?

What happened when I wanted the Sci-fi channel in HD was there was confusion because in some areas but not mine, Sci-fi was on Extended Basic. I had an SD digital package which included it. The guys sent out thought that if I had that package I should also get the HD channel. There was even a bit of confusion on this forum on how this worked. At the time I only had Limited Basic, the SD digital package and a bunch of HD channels in the clear. I probably also had Showtime or HBO at the time too. I had the 5100 STB. Comcast had added some more HD channels including Sci-fi. I got some of the new channels but not Sci-fi. The press release said I needed a different package but the guys they sent out argued I didn't need it until they finally called the head end folks.

After I had Sci-fi running I took the 5100 in and got a 3416.

Uh, the only thing I was "speculating", was if SF still had analog expanded basic cable, none of this would apply right now.

dishrich: FYI: SF area removed analog Expanded Basic quite some time ago. The only analog signals that remain are channels 2-33. If I understand correctly, we can expect to see those disappear sometime next year.

Once they removed the Expanded Basic analog signals they started re-using those channels for digital channels. In so doing, they made the "mistake" of moving some of the Limited Basic digital channels (KQED/PBS and KGO/ABC) down into that band. This caused problems for folks that had notch filters installed. If I remember correctly, the start of this long discussion was because someone could no longer find KQED or KGO signals.

Thanks for the interesting discussion about the HD Flag. It seems to describe how Comcast is doing things. Interestingly, when I lost KQED, I knew what the problem was and called to report the problem. The CSR originally insisted that I need a STB and shipped me an old Moto box (I forget which one). It was supposed to give me Limited Basic HD content. I never installed it. Instead I got the truck roll to remove the filter and gave them back their box.

Shortly after that I converted to Digital Starter with HD.

Greg

I've subscribed to Sports Entertainment Package via On Demand with my remote, and i get Speed HD, Tennis Channel HD and NFL Redzone HD. Gotta love sports!!!

I don't know what plan we are now on. I was on something that gave me everything we did get on our HD DVR in HD. It was a "special". We were paying $68/mo. including internet - fast internet on special til March. The internet part is about $25/mo.
The rate was going to increase from $68 to $110. So I downgraded but said wanted to keep Comedy Central. They said OK.
Well it turns out that we do get all the channels up thru about a 100 - but only on our DTA connection. We don't get most of the channels - even SD - on our DVR.
Should we be getting everything we get thru our DTA box
thru our DVR box?
We do get a few of the lower channels in both SD and HD on our DVR. And do get comedy central in HD.
What I mainly miss is a version of MSNBC and ESPN.

...mike

Anyone else seeing the new channels show up?

I had to add the channels manually to my tivo and they have no guide data yet but I see BBC America HD and others.

Anyone else seeing the new channels show up?

I had to add the channels manually to my tivo and they have no guide data yet but I see BBC America HD and others.

Yes and these cretins did pull the plug on all of the HD premium multiplexes except the Spanish HBO channel. There was no legal notifcation that I'm aware of and certainly no price reduction in the premier package.

Yes and these cretins did pull the plug on all of the HD premium multiplexes except the Spanish HBO channel. There was no legal notifcation that I'm aware of and certainly no price reduction in the premier package.

Really? HBO Latino is the only HBO-HD channel left? What about the other premium channels? I don't subscribe anymore so I can't check myself.

Anyone have a list of what was added? Should I even bother? :D

Just checked the TiVo channel listing and it looks like you're right, I see the following for premiums...

801-HBO-HD Pacific
808-HBO-HD Latino
816-Starz-HD Pacific
825-Showtime-HD Pacific
838-Cinemax-HD Pacific
847-The Movie Channel-HD Pacific

...and that's it.

What an unbelievable rip-off, and people pay $20 per network per month for these channels?

Really? HBO Latino is the only HBO-HD channel left? What about the other premium channels? I don't subscribe anymore so I can't check myself.

Anyone have a list of what was added? Should I even bother? :D

Just checked the TiVo channel listing and it looks like you're right, I see the following for premiums...

801-HBO-HD Pacific
808-HBO-HD Latino
816-Starz-HD Pacific
825-Showtime-HD Pacific
838-Cinemax-HD Pacific
847-The Movie Channel-HD Pacific

...and that's it.

What an unbelievable rip-off, and people pay $20 per network per month for these channels?
And Comcast's argument, I'm sure, will be that you are paying for the Premium service itself, not how many channels within that service are available to you. Legally, it probably holds water but it's a very shoddy way to treat higher paying customers. I wish that Direct could figure out how to implement a robust On Demand service that doesn't rely on your own internet connection and the chunks of your monthly byte allocation that it would use.

There's some real anger building up in the Xfinity user forums over the stripping of the Premium HDs.

There's some real anger building up in the Xfinity user forums over the stripping of the Premium HDs.

I'll bet there is! If they lowered the price at least it would be a bit more palatable, but to leave the price as it is is just outrageous. And of course TiVo/Moxi owners get hit the hardest as we don't have access to VOD.

EncoreHD is still on 809. Looking at the listings as I type this. I was watching History 2 HD and it just went black. I'm getting Not Authorized for WildHD. I could live without WildHD. HBO Zone HD has the porn! :D I mean :o:D

I'll bet there is! If they lowered the price at least it would be a bit more palatable, but to leave the price as it is is just outrageous. And of course TiVo/Moxi owners get hit the hardest as we don't have access to VOD.

If that's the case, Direct or God help us, Uverse might be better options. At least they continue to offer more linear premium channels with more capable DVRs. Without the On Demand system the value of the premium HD package is close to nil.

I recently had some deals which expired and pushed my bill to over $200! No more Encore & phone service (which we never used anyway) for me.

no sign of the new hd channels down here in san jose, south of bernal rd .

i did check on demand tho, and there are some offerings for bbc programming in HD.

Some like BBC America HD work with my subscription and others don't. I also lost the second HBO and Showtime HD channels.

Some like BBC America HD work with my subscription and others don't. I also lost the second HBO and Showtime HD channels.

Someone on the Xfinity User Forums said that when he called to complain he was effectively told that he was SOL. The next time I see one of those commercials touting the great customer service, I think that I'll wretch.

Has anyone in San Mateo been able to see Fox Soccer in HD (#803)?
My Tivo lists it (since last week), but there is no signal in that channel.
The Comcast tech was completely useless ("it will be activated before 2012")

Some like BBC America HD work with my subscription and others don't. I also lost the second HBO and Showtime HD channels.

Has anyone in San Mateo been able to see Fox Soccer in HD (#803)?
My Tivo lists it (since last week), but there is no signal in that channel.
The Comcast tech was completely useless ("it will be activated before 2012")

Same here, TiVo added the channels, but none of them work. Kind of a pain because the HBO and Starz channels are still there, but TiVo says "to be announced"

Does anyone have recent information on the bitrates of the HD channels? Last I heard, the locals are still packed at 2:1, and I think that's still the case. Are all of the national cable nets now at 3:1?

I was trying to record MythBusters on the Discovery Channel using the Clear QAM SD channel last night, but it was OTA. Did anyone else notice that? My OnAir Creator says it is on channel 42.3 from the Cupertino headend.

I just checked now, and it seems to be back. So bummer. I missed the recording.

anyone in san jose/campbell area have trouble today? I lost signal on almost all of my hd channels, even some of the major network ones. My SD channels work fine. I now only get 3-5 HD channels.

Same here, TiVo added the channels, but none of them work. Kind of a pain because the HBO and Starz channels are still there, but TiVo says "to be announced"
According to Comcast I should be receiving the new channels. They will send a tech to investigate

Anyone know if KNTV is available in HD (unencrypted) through Comcast in the East Bay (Berkeley in particular)?

I just tried scanning for unencrypted channels using an HD receiver card on my PC (trying to setup MythTV) and I found the other broadcast networks in HD (KTVU (Fox), KPIX (CBS), KGO (ABC)) but I could only find an SD version of KNTV (NBC). I imagine this could be intentional on Comcast's part (since KNTV is actually in san jose) but figured I might as well ask.

Thanks in advance

KNTV-HD comes up fine here over my HDHR on this computer. It's on 79.1. Is there still a filter on your line?

Is anyone else missing the local radio stations? I just dialed from 969 to 989 and the only station I'm getting is KCSM on 962. It's a mirror of the audio/video channel on 199, so I'm missing all of the audio-only channels. I'm in Sunnyvale.

Is anyone else missing the local radio stations?

I'm in Sunnyvale as well, and I'm getting the radio stations on all those channels.

I'm in Sunnyvale as well, and I'm getting the radio stations on all those channels.
Thanks, "d5326." Still no FM stations here this morning, even after unplugging the DCT for half an hour. So I called Comcast and they sent a reactivation signal that cycled and reloaded the DCT, but still no luck. So the rep is escalating the issue. I think there must be a problem at my local Comcast node if you're getting them okay elsewhere in Sunnyvale.


Patty


[7:15 p.m. Friday]
The FM stations are back. I just checked 2-3 hours ago and they weren't.

Can someone tell me if the 49er game will be broadcast locally in the Bay Area in addition to the NFL Network broadcast? I'm having Thanksgiving dinner at my parents house and they do not have NFLN...I know that I can add it on the fly but I'm wondering if the game will be simulcast on CBS 5 or another local broadcast...thanks!

Can someone tell me if the 49er game will be broadcast locally in the Bay Area in addition to the NFL Network broadcast?

If they are within the broadcast area for local games as defined by the NFL, it will be on Channel 5 (KPIX) at 5:00 pm PST this coming Thursday. Since most of the Bay Area is on Comcast, it will be Channel 5 (SD) or Channel 705 (1080i HD).

Has anyone else been having problems with KNTV (HD) reception recently? There appears to be no signal much of the time (right now, for example) here, and a terrible signal (blocking and skipping every few seconds) much of the rest of the time. This has been going on for at least a week, maybe 2.

Has anyone else been having problems with KNTV (HD) reception recently? There appears to be no signal much of the time (right now, for example) here, and a terrible signal (blocking and skipping every few seconds) much of the rest of the time. This has been going on for at least a week, maybe 2.

Not been a problem in Cupertino. Here the HD signal shares physical channel 92 with ion-HD and Universal Sports. Are they coming in spotty as well? How about KQED World and KCSM-SD? They are on physical channel 91 here.

I have noticed that since yesterday Comcast has been setting PSIP for most of the channels (except from KRON-HD and KCWB-HD), that could have confused your TV or receiver if you are not using Comcast STB box.

Does anyone know what Comcast does to their non-local channels to cause them to stutter on Samsung TVs and other devices that can decode their non-local channels? I'm guessing Comcast does some shty non-standard mpeg2 1080i encoding that can't be played back properly on all devices that understand 1080i mpeg2 . None of the local channels have this problem.

Does anyone know what Comcast does to their non-local channels to cause them to stutter on Samsung TVs and other devices that can decode their non-local channels? I'm guessing Comcast does some shty non-standard mpeg2 1080i encoding that can't be played back properly on all devices that understand 1080i mpeg2 . None of the local channels have this problem.

Non-local channels that are in the clear in Cupertino are just fine. They include Discovery, wgn, ion. They all play fine on my computer and Sony LCD. Sometimes CSPAN stutters, but I chalk that up to low signal strength.

If you would go over to dslreports, you will find several posts of reports of subs that out of the blue, lost some/all of their clear QAM HD locals. Now whether they are are wrong & maybe they lost them due to something else, (channels moved into freqs that have "issues", traps, signal issues, etc.) I can't tell you.I can.

It's Comcast corporate policy, and always has been, for all local HD (and Limited Basic) to be in the clear. They do not encrypt local HD and/or Limited Basic anywhere, and to the best of my knowledge there are no plans to do so.

What is happening, is they are eliminating all analog channels. Limited Basic will still be unencrypted.

1) Comcast is NOT removing the filter traps from limited basic customers unless they are asked to remove them.
Not necessarily. In some areas they are removed with any service call, as some traps have been known to cause other system issues (Internet). This will become standard procedure in all areas as time goes on.
2) Comcast could have avoided having to remove the traps from limited basic customers lines if they had been careful what frequencies they chose to broadcast limited basic clear QAM channels on. They were not careful and put several clear QAM limited basic channels, local HD, and the Discovery channel into the bandwidth blocked by the old limited basic filters.This is not correct. There are many factors that go into the determination of what channels go where on a system, and Comcast assigns things where they best feel they should go. There are other non-video considerations in play.

3) It is difficult but possible to convince comcast support that the filter is there and needs to be removed.Yes, but only because most CSR's don't understand the concept. If your paying for any video at all, you are paying for Limited Basic in the clear.

I talked to someone local that other day who was complaining that "Comcast took away some HD channels from them." After a little discussion I learned that they only ever had Limited Basic going back 10 years and so I told them the trap filter was probably on their line and to call up Comcast who'll roll a truck out to remove it. I suspect that Comcast does not have any sort of database around that tells them who has the trap filter and who doesn't.

I suspect that Comcast does not have any sort of database around that tells them who has the trap filter and who doesn't.
You're most likely right, but they may have it listed in individual account files.

It's Comcast corporate policy, and always has been, for all local HD (and Limited Basic) to be in the clear. They do not encrypt local HD and/or Limited Basic anywhere, and to the best of my knowledge there are no plans to do so.
Unfortunately, this may change.

From Multichannel News

NCTA to FCC: Let All-Digital MSOs Encrypt Basic Tier

Cable Group Files Comments With Agency

By John Eggerton

The National Cable & Telecommunications Association has urged the Federal Communications Commission to allow cable operators that have gone all digital to encrypt their basic tier.

That came in comments Monday on the FCC's proposal to do just that. "Given the substantial public interest benefits and the lack of harms associated with encryption, NCTA endorses the Commission's tentative conclusions and urges it to act expeditiously in amending its rules," according to the cable organization.

It added that allowing basic encryption would largely eliminate theft of service, promote innovation and investment, and reduce polution and fuel consumption by reducing truck rolls to activate or deactivate service (NCTA said Monday that the benefits would outweigh the minimal extra watts consumed by new boxes).

Cable operators also argued that the competition has no similar ban on encryption. "When the encryption rule was adopted in 1994, cable was the dominant MVPD, and there were few competitors," said NCTA. "The situation is dramatically different today. DBS and telco IPTV providers -- each requiring set-top boxes for each of their subscribers -- serve approximately 40% of the marketplace with all-digital service on a fully encrypted basis. Likewise, online video distributors deliver video to customers on an encrypted basis. Netflix alone has 23.8 million subscribers, more than any MVPD. None of these video providers is barred from encrypting or otherwise protecting the content they provide to their customers."
As Multichannel News first reported back in October, FCC chairman Julius Genachowski proposed allowing all cable operators to encrypt digital basic channels, given that the TV industry is going all-digital and that the move would had consumer, environmental and theft-protection benefits.

The commission officially voted Oct. 13 to propose that change and put it out for comment. "We tentatively conclude that allowing cable operators to encrypt the basic service tier in all-digital systems will not substantially affect compatibility between cable service and consumer electronics equipment for most subscribers," the commission said. The FCC has already granted several waivers -- most prominently to Cablevision -- and more are in the hopper from cable operators.

The FCC conceded there was an issue with consumers with basic-only digital who accessed it without set-tops, or second or third sets without digital boxes that would now need new equipment to unscramble a signal. It proposed adopting the conditions it put on the waiver it gave Cablevision to encrypt its basic service in New York.

Those conditions include requiring cable operators to offer "current basic-only subscribers up to two set-top boxes or CableCARDs without charge for up to two years, (b) digital subscribers who have an additional television set currently receiving basic-only service one set-top box or CableCARD without charge for one year, and (c) current qualified low-income basic-only subscribers up to two set-top boxes or CableCARDs without charge for five years." But it also asked whether this was adequate of whether the Cablevision time frames are appropriate.

NCTA had some tweaks to the language of those conditions, but said it had not quarrel with their substance.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/477203-NCTA_to_FCC_Let_All_Digital_MSOs_Encrypt_Basic_Tier.php

Well, that's a bit ugly for those of us that use devices such as the SiliconDust HDHomeRun network tuner.

Well, that's a bit ugly for those of us that use devices such as the SiliconDust HDHomeRun network tuner.
It's a lot ugly for anyone who uses a QAM tuner without a CableCARD.

I haven't heard anything about Comcast in this respect, but my guess is that if all the other cableco's do it, so will they at some point.

I wonder what Wide Open West will do? When they first went digital with standard tier channels (2-99), they encrypted them like everyone else. After customer feedback they decided to change all the standard tier channels to clear QAM. Subs with a QAM tuner in any room can get local HD & channels 2-99 without a box.

There has to be a substantial number of people who only subscribe to Limited Basic and do not use boxes. The way Comcast operates they would have no idea that customers are watching open QAM HD channels that way. I'm sure there would be quite an uproar if they encrypted the locals. And we could organize some pretty good protests too.

I wonder what are the supposed "environmental benefits" of such a change that are asserted without explanation in the above article??? Surely the power draw of all those additional 24/7 vampire STB will be a negative for the environment! {Edit: See Patty's post below. I somehow missed the point about truck rolls, but I agree with her that the claim is straw-grasping and I doubt that it would actually pencil out in their favor}

If/when Comcast does this I'm dropping my cable subscription even though that will mean that I can no longer beta test clear-QAM gear for anyone, as I've done for the past 8 years. I'm unalterably opposed to having even one of those damned vampires plugged in at my home.

Hmmm, I doubt that that would happen that easily; or, at least not anytime soon. This wouldn't just affect PC users. That would render almost all modern digital TVs with builtin QAM tuners useless. Personally, most of my TV watching is local TV channels using my Silicondust tuners.

The only reason for Comcast to do this would be to switch to IPTV but even then I would think they would leave locals open QAM and not streaming via IPTV.

The only reason for Comcast to do this would be to switch to IPTV but even then I would think they would leave locals open QAM and not streaming via IPTV.

Not exactly. This allows them to turn off users without truck rolls. Everything done by conditional access.

I wonder what are the supposed "environmental benefits" of such a change that are asserted without explanation in the above article??? Surely the power draw of all those additional 24/7 vampire STB will be a negative for the environment!
Without explanation? According to the article, "reduce polution [sic] and fuel consumption by reducing truck rolls to activate or deactivate service (NCTA said Monday that the benefits would outweigh the minimal extra watts consumed by new boxes)."

I think they're grasping at straws, but the article did provide an explanation.

I don't have an HD package and enjoy sometimes watching HD programs via the QAM tuner in my TV, so obviously I don't like the idea of the clear QAM channels going away.


Patty

Probably trying to force more people onto digital tiers.

a question for anybody within san jose city limits....

have the new hd channels in the lower 800s (BBC-A, GALAVISION etc) showed up in your stb's yet?

my inlaws in los gatos have them, but nothing showing up yet down here south of bernal rd.

Hmmm, I doubt that that would happen that easily; or, at least not anytime soon.Don't bet on that.

Comcast is already moving all channels off analog in a number of areas. Once this gets approved by the FCC, all they have to do is flip a switch.

No new channels in 95124.

a question for anybody within san jose city limits....

have the new hd channels in the lower 800s (BBC-A, GALAVISION etc) showed up in your stb's yet?

my inlaws in los gatos have them, but nothing showing up yet down here south of bernal rd.

Don't bet on that.

Comcast is already moving all channels off analog in a number of areas. Once this gets approved by the FCC, all they have to do is flip a switch.

When they flip that switch, I guarantee that I'm gone from cable.

When they flip that switch, I guarantee that I'm gone from cable.

Why? It's not like you'll be any better off with other options. At that point all providers will be equal in requiring a box.

In my case I watch so little that is on the Limited Basic tier I wouldn't miss anything. Many of the locals have their news and some shows up as streaming feeds anyway. The majority of my watching is either premium or extended cable networks. And more and more those shows are available as streaming.

So when they show up, do they show up in the guide as well? And in the 7xx channel range with the other HD channels?

Why? It's not like you'll be any better off with other options. At that point all providers will be equal in requiring a box.Au contraire, I have an antenna that pulls in essentially all of the stations on the limited basic tier (most of the time). I keep the minimal cable subscription going primarily for the purpose of beta testing clear-QAM hardware (PC tuners and PVR STB). If I drop the cable I'll be looking to improve my OTA setup, but it's already pretty reliable for the important stations.

If the cable (and other supplier) STB were designed properly so as not to draw more than a milliwatt or so 24/7 I'd see this differently. But in my own past experience and from recent web reading it seems that STB designers don't think twice about their vampire loads.

Tpeterson, do you know if it's still true that we're getting the same ATSC streams that are broadcasted via OTA? BTW: My OTA ATSC tuner (connected to my old CM4228 in the attic) will automatically kick in case of a Comcast outage.

Au contraire, I have an antenna that pulls in essentially all of the stations on the limited basic tier (most of the time). I keep the minimal cable subscription going primarily for the purpose of beta testing clear-QAM hardware (PC tuners and PVR STB). If I drop the cable I'll be looking to improve my OTA setup, but it's already pretty reliable for the important stations.Let's face it, you're pretty unusual in that you have a cable subscription but don't use it in any conventional sense. My comment was directed at those who actually use the cable channels in the clear as a primary source.

If the cable (and other supplier) STB were designed properly so as not to draw more than a milliwatt or so 24/7 I'd see this differently. But in my own past experience and from recent web reading it seems that STB designers don't think twice about their vampire loads.
Not sure why you would say this.

The latest hardware move among big cableco's is the HD DTA, which is being designed with energy savings in mind. Here is a link to the Motorola (largest STB supplier) energy efficiency page. Although it does not specifically address the HD DTA, I've been told it will be substantially more energy efficient than any other series of STB's that Motorola has ever offered. Their efforts may not meet your expectation, but to say they don't think twice is inaccurate. http://responsibility.motorola.com/index.php/environment/products/energy/

Tpeterson, do you know if it's still true that we're getting the same ATSC streams that are broadcasted via OTA?Should be. In some cases Comcast uses fiber, but the stream is still the same. I've always hoped some bright, young marketing person would see the wisdom of getting a pristine fiber feed (read no subchannels) from local stations and tout that over other providers.....

BTW: My OTA ATSC tuner (connected to my old CM4228 in the attic) will automatically kick in case of a Comcast outage.Very nice.

I have the RNG110 HDTV STB. Is there some way to tell what physical channel it is actually using when it is tuned to a Comcast channel number, like channel 10, or 709, or 189?

Thanks for any pointers.

Greg

I have the RNG110 HDTV STB. Is there some way to tell what physical channel it is actually using when it is tuned to a Comcast channel number, like channel 10, or 709, or 189?

Diagnostic screen (#8 I think it was) and the 'dashboard' show a frequency it's currently on.

Just checked mine, on channel 702, diagnostic tells me it's on 789.000 MHz

Wikipedia calls it channel 123.

Sound helpful?

Tpeterson, do you know if it's still true that we're getting the same ATSC streams that are broadcasted via OTA?I haven't checked all channels, but it's true of the major networks and seems to be so for KBCW, KRON, and KICU as well. The only oddball that I'm aware of is KQED, and Comcast actually has a better quality stream of KQED-HD than is broadcast OTA (thanks, no doubt, to all the subchannels with which they insist on cluttering their 6-MHz slice of our spectrum).

Here is a link to the Motorola (largest STB supplier) energy efficiency page. ... Their efforts may not meet your expectation, but to say they don't think twice is inaccurate. http://responsibility.motorola.com/index.php/environment/products/energy/Ken, thanks for the link. My statement was indeed inaccurate. That article shows that they're thinking about energy efficiency--thanks mainly to EU regulations--but their achievements to date are underwhelming at best. They're a heckuva long way from my "few milliwatts" standard for a true "standby" function! Even their simplest STB now apparently draw around 5 watts or more, all the time, and their "complex" (read: HDD containing) STB draw at least 20--1/6th as much as my 10-year-old refrigerator, which actually has a 24-hour job! This is outrageous when my now-ancient HTPC draws a watt in hibernation (my next one will be better) and can perform all the functions of their STB.

Ken, thanks for the link. My statement was indeed inaccurate. That article shows that they're thinking about energy efficiency--thanks mainly to EU regulations--but their achievements to date are underwhelming at best. They're a heckuva long way from my "few milliwatts" standard for a true "standby" function! Even their simplest STB now apparently draw around 5 watts or more, all the time, and their "complex" (read: HDD containing) STB draw at least 20--1/6th as much as my 10-year-old refrigerator, which actually has a 24-hour job! This is outrageous when my now-ancient HTPC draws a watt in hibernation (my next one will be better) and can perform all the functions of their STB.

I think the big problem for cable boxes & energy use is the guide. It goes into the future, weeks, and tracks a lot of info for hundreds of channels. Does your HTPC do about the same? Is the info available as soon as it comes out of hibernation?

Yes, see the CW-EPG thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=659993) for info.

I'm buying a mobile home that is able to get service from Comcast. It was remodeled before I bought it and there are no cable outlets anywhere in the house. Will Comcast install as many as 4 or 5 new outlets and do all the cabling, or do I have to hire an independent contractor to come out and wire my new house? Anyone know?

Diagnostic screen (#8 I think it was) and the 'dashboard' show a frequency it's currently on.

Just checked mine, on channel 702, diagnostic tells me it's on 789.000 MHz

Wikipedia calls it channel 123.

Sound helpful?

Barovelli, Thanks for your reply.

What I was looking for was the key sequence to enter the diagnostic mode. I found that thru Google. Power off the STB and quickly press the OK/Select key. That brings up the diagnostic screen, and from there I can figure out the channel.

According to Comcast I should be receiving the new channels. They will send a tech to investigate

Did the tech ever come out? Just wondering if I should bother to tell TiVo to change the guide back or if the channels are coming shortly.

Did the tech ever come out? Just wondering if I should bother to tell TiVo to change the guide back or if the channels are coming shortly.

I'm in Redwood Shores as well, and I don't recall ever receiving a STB message regarding the channel line-up change. Did you see one? They usually send notifications out in advance.

Did anyone who got the new HD channels also get a message in advance? How far in advance was it?

My point being that until we get notified that the line-up change is happening, maybe it isn't (for us).

Does anyone have any insider info on this?

Has anyone here has had any luck accessing TV channels via the firewire port recently? I'm specifically interested in specifically accessing non-local, non-premium TV channels. Last I heard, the firewire port is disabled by default; but can be re-enabled. I'm guessing at least the premium TV channels will be blocked.

Any information about this would greatly be appreciated!

I hear only crickets :) Maybe someone knows the answer to this:

Does Comcast enforce the copy protection flag on their subscription channels for cableCARD users? Has anyone gone through the hassle of getting cableCARDS for their PC based tuners? I REALLY hope that I'm not the first person in the Bay Area who wants to install cableCARD tuners on their PC. :)

Has anyone gone through the hassle of getting cableCARDS for their PC based tuners? I REALLY hope that I'm not the first person in the Bay Area who wants to install cableCARD tuners on their PC. :)

I watch the Tekzilla podcasts, one of the hosts, Robert Heron has a HTPC with a 4 tuner Ceton card. His opinion has been very openly positive about the whole thing unlike most bloggers that only focus on negatives. That's mighty risky for a person's respect level. He's in the Bay Area so his experience reflects local service & support.

Thanks so much. Do you happen to know if there was any information on whether the copy protection flag is enabled for subscription channels or not? If this flag is enabled, the recordings can only be played back on the PC that's recording it; so, no way to play them on HD media playback devices. That's the only reason why I've been reluctant to get cablecard based tuners on my PC.

I watch the Tekzilla podcasts, one of the hosts, Robert Heron has a HTPC with a 4 tuner Ceton card. His opinion has been very openly positive about the whole thing unlike most bloggers that only focus on negatives. That's mighty risky for a person's respect level. He's in the Bay Area so his experience reflects local service & support.

The premium channels such as HBO and Cinemax are copy protected.

Are you certain? How lame.

The premium channels such as HBO and Cinemax are copy protected.

I'm certain that non-premium channels are not copy protected in Hercules or in San Francisco.

This includes ESPN, Comcast SportsNet, etc.

No, I meant... is it certain that the premium channels are copy ptotected. I dont care that much about non-premium channels on cablecard.

I'm certain that non-premium channels are not copy protected in Hercules or in San Francisco.

This includes ESPN, Comcast SportsNet, etc.

In Los Altos, I cannot copy HBO movies from my CableCARD equipped Tivo to my PC. That means that it is copy once on the wire. I haven't checked the other premiums.

- Mike

Thanks. That helps a little. That really sucks though. FIOS cablecard customers all have the ability/flexility to use cablecard PCs to record, stream, playback in any room, put on their mobile phone, etc.

In Los Altos, I cannot copy HBO movies from my CableCARD equipped Tivo to my PC. That means that it is copy once on the wire. I haven't checked the other premiums.

- Mike

Well HBO has a huge business with selling box sets of its shows. So they may restrict copying off DVRs, burning to DVDs.

Direct TV has a box that will transcode recordings for viewing on mobile and PC clients. Would be interesting to see if that is restricted from copying HBO shows.

Well HBO has a huge business with selling box sets of its shows. So they may restrict copying off DVRs, burning to DVDs.

Direct TV has a box that will transcode recordings for viewing on mobile and PC clients. Would be interesting to see if that is restricted from copying HBO shows.

Their PC viewing application allows viewing of premium content, and it's full bore rez and audio, it's just heavily encrypted.

ARe you talking about DirectTV2PC or Nomad?

I'm referring to the latter, which lets you load transcoded recordings to PC and iPhone, with Mac, iPad and Android clients to come.

ARe you talking about DirectTV2PC or Nomad?

I'm referring to the latter, which lets you load transcoded recordings to PC and iPhone, with Mac, iPad and Android clients to come.

DirecTV2PC, couldn't remember the name of it. I've heard of Nomad but have no idea how it works.

I've been reading up on it. You pay $150 for the box and connect it to your network. Then it will see your D* DVRs on the network and show a playlist. Then the client apps will list the shows and you can convert them -- conversion is real time so an hour show takes an hour to convert to a more compact file. Then you download to the client.

It doesn't stream like Slingbox, it just converts and downloads to iPhone. iPad and Android support coming soon they say. So if you go out of town, you can catch up on some shows in your DVRs.

I ordered Basic Cable from Comcast, TV has a QAM tuner but no analog or digital channels are found. Comcast now says i need a box to get basic cable.

Can I get OTA channels without a box?

Yes, you should easily be able to get OTA channels via both the QAM and analog tuners. Are you sure your TV is searching on the correct input port? It really sounds like a cabling error has occurred either at your TV or maybe Comcast hasn't activated your service..

I ordered Basic Cable from Comcast, TV has a QAM tuner but no analog or digital channels are found. Comcast now says i need a box to get basic cable.

Can I get OTA channels without a box?

There used to be 2 basic from comcast: limited basic and extended basic.
with limited basic you only get chanel 2-32 702-718 (hd), but you can get the hd cable box for $2. It is easier to go down to the comcast office get a box, do all your setup, and comcast will fix the problem if the box does not receive correctly, and return the box when you are done as there are no contract for the box.

It is way more difficult to complain to comcast when you have only a QAM Tv or a QAM PC Tuner.

There used to be 2 basic from comcast: limited basic and extended basic.
with limited basic you only get chanel 2-32 702-718 (hd), but you can get the hd cable box for $2. It is easier to go down to the comcast office get a box, do all your setup, and comcast will fix the problem if the box does not receive correctly, and return the box when you are done as there are no contract for the box.

It is way more difficult to complain to comcast when you have only a QAM Tv or a QAM PC Tuner.

I managed to convince Comcast to send over a Tech to sort out the issue. But the rep I spoke to was sure I could not get a signal without a box. He said they encrypt the signal in my part of town.

I managed to convince Comcast to send over a Tech to sort out the issue. But the rep I spoke to was sure I could not get a signal without a box. He said they encrypt the signal in my part of town.
When I signed up for Limited Basic I got a HD Box from them, costs $2.50 per month and worth it to verify that I was getting what I paid for. I only got Comcast Basic as it was a cheap way to get their internet service.

Some problems occurred and they had to send a truck and removed a filter in the input line. All my QAM TVs can see the limited basic without the box.

I really think that the person you talked to is probably wrong about all channels being encrypted.

I managed to convince Comcast to send over a Tech to sort out the issue. But the rep I spoke to was sure I could not get a signal without a box. He said they encrypt the signal in my part of town.
That is incorrect. As noted, you probably have a trap from previous times; it will need to be removed.

Comcast corporate policy is for all local HD to be in clear QAM. At least for now.

Because few cable subscribers use QAM, most CSR's don't even know what QAM is.

I saw a message yesterday about the SyFy and Bravo high-def channels being switched from East coast to West coast feeds, effective tomorrow (16-Dec). Does anyone here know if this is part of a general plan to switch ALL their high-def channels to region-appropriate feeds? I happened to like getting the East coast feed as it allowed me to record shows while we were making dinner and watch them an hour or two later. Now, they're going to be pushed 3 hrs later. Fortunately, there's not a lot I watch on these two but if there are some others that right now fit in my TV scheduling perfectly by airing shows at 6 or 7pm.

Understand that it's NOT Comcast that wants to do this, but rather those programs REQUIRE them to do this.
When most of these programmers even starting offering an HD feed, it was usually JUST an East Coast feed. Obviously if the programmer themselves does NOT even have a West Coast feed, no provider can offer one.
But as HD programming has progressed into a "mass market" offering, these programmers have followed suit with offering a West HD feed, to match their existing West SD feed, so that HD viewers are getting that programmers programs at a "time zone" appropriate time.

If you REALLY want an East HD feed, you could always switch to satellite & get it... ;)

If you REALLY want an East HD feed, you could always switch to satellite & get it... ;)

Sooooo after that description what allows satellite TV able to open east coast feeds out west?

Curious. I'd never switch.. :D

Sooooo after that description what allows satellite TV able to open east coast feeds out west?
The fact that they're sending their signals to a national rather than regional audience.

In some cases, satellite companies will have both East and West Coast feeds of a channel. But if there's only one, it's the Eastern feed.

The fact that they're sending their signals to a national rather than regional audience.

In some cases, satellite companies will have both East and West Coast feeds of a channel. But if there's only one, it's the Eastern feed.

I figured one could do that with a BUD (but who uses those anymore?), but DBS is all addressable controlled and stuff, based on the Zip code of the subscriber.

Kinda stinks, family was enjoying WWE right with dinner on TV trays in the TV room.

The fact that they're sending their signals to a national rather than regional audience.Not necessarily.

Most all Comcast systems across the country can get 102 HD channels with 24 being West coast feeds, of their HD channels from Comcast Media Center, a national receive/distribute facility located in Denver. There, HD feeds are combined in groups of three and uplinked or sent by fiber for national use, and not only by Comcast; other cableco's also buy these feeds for their own use.

Ken, he was answering Baro's question as to why the DBS providers are sending East feeds out west - not CC ;)

...but DBS is all addressable controlled and stuff, based on the Zip code of the subscriber

Yes, but you STILL have to have the bandwidth to even carry BOTH feeds in the first place...which DBS simply does NOT have. (not unless they wanted to drop other unique channels in lieu of having dedicated E/W feeds for BOTH coasts) Obviously, only having mostly E feeds does NOT seem to be much of an issue for the DBS providers; since DBS pushes DVR's heavily, the lack of W feeds is even more of a moot point.

DBS does have a few "basic" channels w/both E & W feeds, such as Disney ch, ION, Cartoon Net, Nickelodeon...but ONLY the East feeds of these are offered in HD. (if it's in HD on DBS at all) Since the DBS providers are offering BOTH feeds to everyone, the programmers do NOT mind this...but in the case of cable, if ONLY 1 feed is offered, they prefer the "correct" feed be provided. ;)

FYI, AT&T U-verse ALSO nationally offers E&W feeds of a few basics, such as TBS, TNT & Cartoon.

Ken, he was answering Baro's question as to why the DBS providers are sending East feeds out west - not CC ;)
Sorry, missed that.

It all works out for the better - like being able to get that reminder on the guide that a HD version is available when for some reason I mash the remote too quickly and end up on a SD channel.

Reporting on the switch - we saw the series recordings that were set up on USA & Syfy totally disappear from the box, went back, found the new time slots and are back in the game.

Barovelli, to add to what DishRich said, yes, DirecTV and Dish can control what channels you receive by your location, but that's for local channels. They don't have Eastern and Western transponders, so either a channel gets fed to the entire country, or it only gets fed to a metropolitan area. Here's an old map of DirecTV's metropolitan spot beams:

http://www.scottandmichelle.net/scott/dtv.html

As you can see, they'd have to repeat a channel on a bunch of transponders in order to cover all Western cities. (That map was last updated in 2006; DirecTV covers a lot more cities now, so there must be even more spot beams.) Obviously the most efficient use of their bandwidth (which, remember, is much less than cable companies have) is to send only a single feed of a channel unless there's a strong reason to send both feeds.

You'll notice that Rich mentioned that there are E+W feeds of several children's channels--I believe that's because their programming is targeted to different age groups at different times of the day, and having a feed that's three hours off wouldn't work for children in the Western U.S. For example, they probably want to target elementary-school kids from 3-6 p.m., so they wouldn't want their evening young-teen programming to be hitting the West Coast at that time.


Patty

add ch 167, BBC World News, to the list of channels that bay area ppl just got, but that we are in missing out in san jose (at least we dont have it down here in coyote valley)

add ch 167, BBC World News, to the list of channels that bay area ppl just got
Excuse me while I sound like a teenager here, but OMG! OMG! OMG! This is wonderful news! I've been wanting an English-language international news channel for ages. Yes, I know that KQEH carries half an hour of BBCWN once or twice a day, and BBC America carries it for a few hours pre-dawn, but I wanted it 24 hours a day. Thank you, CTEL08!


Patty

[edit 10:31 p.m.]
I just found this schedule page for BBC World News:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-radio-and-tv-12957298

add ch 167, BBC World News, to the list of channels that bay area ppl just got, but that we are in missing out in san jose (at least we dont have it down here in coyote valley)

Similarly not in San Mateo area either. Also no BBCA HD. But, what we do have is the little bill insert about the price increase. Yippee. I guess we don't miss out on everything.

Adding to the East Coast vs. West Coast feed discussion, I found some messages on my Comcast receiver a couple of days ago that they're switching to West Coast feeds for a few more HD channels. I don't have HD on Comcast, so I didn't pay attention to what channels they were. :-)


Patty

No, I meant... is it certain that the premium channels are copy ptotected. I dont care that much about non-premium channels on cablecard.

I believe that HBO, SHO, etc... all require CCI = COPY ONCE in their distribution contracts, though my data is a little old.

You can DVR these with Cablecard into Windows Media Center 7, as it supports the DRM scheme that cablelabs has required. However, SageTV, MythTV, etc... are out of luck with things like the HDHR Prime as far as premiums go.

The only way to get premiums into a no 7MC system is via the R5000-HD.

be thankful though, TWC sets even expanded basic channels as copy once. :)

I am trying to find a current channel-map for Comcast's digital cable feed in Oakland CA. Specifically, I am trying to find out what digital channel number they are using to cablecast the QAM channel for KNTV (NBC).

Several of my QAM-tuners TV's find it at virtual number "11.1" -- but my PC's QAM tuner card cannot find it there.

Try Silicon Dust.

http://www.silicondust.com/support/channels/

Ron

I am trying to find a current channel-map for Comcast's digital cable feed in Oakland CA. Specifically, I am trying to find out what digital channel number they are using to cablecast the QAM channel for KNTV (NBC).

Several of my QAM-tuners TV's find it at virtual number "11.1" -- but my PC's QAM tuner card cannot find it there.

Try Silicon Dust.

http://www.silicondust.com/support/channels/

Ron

Thanks for the link, but that's a link to the channel line-up of OTA digital broadcast. What I'm looking for is for Comcast's line-up of its Oakland cable feed.

Thanks for the link, but that's a link to the channel line-up of OTA digital broadcast. What I'm looking for is for Comcast's line-up of its Oakland cable feed.

At the top of that page, it has a drop down to select who your are looking at.

"SFniceguy," the Silicon Dust site does have QAM listings, as mentioned. However, I've found that they never quite match what I see on my QAM tuner. I've seen mentions that different tuners respond to QAM channels differently, which seems to be borne out by your experience with the tuner in your computer. So you may just have to scan around. I've made up my own list of QAM channel assignments.

For what it's worth, I get KNTV analog on 3, HD on 11.1, and SD on 211.1. I'm surprised you aren't getting anything on 11.1.

At the top of that page, it has a drop down to select who your are looking at.

Oh thanks! I wasn't noticing the dropdown menu.

"SFniceguy," the Silicon Dust site does have QAM listings, as mentioned. However, I've found that they never quite match what I see on my QAM tuner. I've seen mentions that different tuners respond to QAM channels differently, which seems to be borne out by your experience with the tuner in your computer. So you may just have to scan around. I've made up my own list of QAM channel assignments.

For what it's worth, I get KNTV analog on 3, HD on 11.1, and SD on 211.1. I'm surprised you aren't getting anything on 11.1.

I thought with finding that digital channel list my problems would be solved. But, alas, no. No matter what I've tried, I cannot get my tuner to find KNTV-HD. Like you , all my other TV tuners find the channel at "11.1."

The PC-tuner in question is a Hauppauge WinTV HVR-950q.

Though I doubt they would move KNTV into a frequency that was formerly used for Extended Basic it is possible they might and you might have a trap on your line which Comcast will remove. I talked to someone a few weeks back around here that said they "lost" some HD channels. After talking to them a bit I found they had NEVER had "Extended Basic" over the last 10 year so most likely a trap was still on their line and the missing channels were moved into those frequencies.

Looking at the Silicondust entries for Comcast cable in ZIP code 94608 (not the only one for Emeryville, but hopefully the one you're in), the following are possibilities for KNTV in HD among the 9 different sets of channels:

100.1, 100.2, 110.1, 110.2

It should only take a few moments to see if any of these 4 work.
Good luck,
ABG

Though I doubt they would move KNTV into a frequency that was formerly used for Extended Basic it is possible they might and you might have a trap on your line which Comcast will remove. I talked to someone a few weeks back around here that said they "lost" some HD channels. After talking to them a bit I found they had NEVER had "Extended Basic" over the last 10 year so most likely a trap was still on their line and the missing channels were moved into those frequencies.

Thanks for the suggestion Brian. I think what you describe above could have been a possible situation for me, were it not for the fact that I have lost KNTV (NBC) "11.1" only on one of my tuners (my PC's TV-tuner). My three TV's with QAM tuners can find 11.1 just fine. So, I don't think this would be a trap situation, or none of my TV's could get the channel.

Tune to the 11.1 signal on one of your tuners that gets it OK, then look in the menu for a status or diagnostics display. That will usually give you a frequency, which can them be mapped to the actual cable channel number.

Then tell your PC tuner to try that channel.

Greg

Thanks for the suggestion Brian. I think what you describe above could have been a possible situation for me, were it not for the fact that I have lost KNTV (NBC) "11.1" only on one of my tuners (my PC's TV-tuner). My three TV's with QAM tuners can find 11.1 just fine. So, I don't think this would be a trap situation, or none of my TV's could get the channel.

Tune to the 11.1 signal on one of your tuners that gets it OK, then look in the menu for a status or diagnostics display. That will usually give you a frequency, which can them be mapped to the actual cable channel number.

Then tell your PC tuner to try that channel.

Greg



I thought of that too. But done of my other tuners seem to have the diagnostics you describe (1 Panasonic TV and 2 Panasonic DVR's).

I thought of that too. But done of my other tuners seem to have the diagnostics you describe (1 Panasonic TV and 2 Panasonic DVR's).

OK, so do you have a Comcast STB? I have the PACE RGN110. If you have that unit, tune it to the HD station, then turn off the cable box, and immediately press the Enter key on the remote. That brings the unit up in Diagnostic mode, and from that you can find the actual channel.

If you have a different STB, Google for the owners manual for the box and find out how to put it into diagnostics mode.

Greg

OK, so do you have a Comcast STB? I have the PACE RGN110. If you have that unit, tune it to the HD station, then turn off the cable box, and immediately press the Enter key on the remote. That brings the unit up in Diagnostic mode, and from that you can find the actual channel.

If you have a different STB, Google for the owners manual for the box and find out how to put it into diagnostics mode.

Greg

No, no STB here. This is just cable directly into the tuner. I'm a Comcast basic cable subscriber, so don't need a STB for basic channels (local broadcast channels only).

Sorry if this is a stupid question. Is UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem PPV going to be in 1080i HD? Im sure comcast stopped broadcasting PPV events in SD years ago; but, just want to be certain.

add ch 167, BBC World News, to the list of channels that bay area ppl just got, but that we are in missing out in san jose (at least we dont have it down here in coyote valley)

That is great news! I didn't see any posting about it in Oakland. (Been out of town since 12/20.) I've written CNN that they should make their intl. feed available here in the U.S. It sure would get more viewers than a whole lot of other channels.
All the CNN U.S. carries now is political news almost 24/7. Even before that I felt they should carry the intl. channel here. It may not fly well in mid America - but sure would on the 2 coasts.

Adding to the East Coast vs. West Coast feed discussion, I found some messages on my Comcast receiver a couple of days ago that they're switching to West Coast feeds for a few more HD channels. I don't have HD on Comcast, so I didn't pay attention to what channels they were. :-)

Patty
Hope they continue the East HD feed for Com Centrl. Like watching Daily Show at 8 and Colbert at 8:30 rather than 11.
Don't even know if they have a west HD feed.

NBC Sports Network on Ch. 81 and 723 was scheduled for 1:00 p.m., but will be delayed for at least 2 more hours due to the snow in Philadelphia, so the Winter Classic game moved to 12 Noon and the launch of NBC Sports Network has moved to 3:00 p.m.

Sorry for the delay.

I live in San Mateo. I have a Astound as my cable provider. I have a tivo with cable card. I am able to copy all premium channels to my PC. No copy protection at all. The only copy protection I have encountered is from Tivo on web based downloaded programs on the Tivo.

add ch 167, BBC World News, to the list of channels that bay area ppl just got, but that we are in missing out in san jose (at least we dont have it down here in coyote valley)

Just got back to Bay Area after 3 weeks and was looking forward to BBC News. Good news is it is available Okld. Comcast, bad news is that I can't get it unless I pay $$ to get a diff. plan. I'll call and see - but as much as I want it, not sure I would want to pay $10-$15/mo just to get a pkg. with one channel I would watch a lot.
I'm a news junkie - but all the "news" channels are devoting the vast majority of their time to politics. Just a few minutes an hour on the wars we are fighting, economic problems in Europe and here etc.
I have always wondered why CNN doesn't carry their intl. channel here. In areas like Bay Area, Miami, NYC etc. with lots of foreigners and people interested in a world view of the news - that channel would be ahead of 90% of the hundreds of other niche channels on cable and sat. systems.

We had, for several years, a Canadian satellite service. (I had a cousin's address in Toronto to use.) At the time, we got it because (1) when HD first came out the U.S. services and Comcast was slow introducing it. We couldn't get HD OTA because we are behind a hill. (2)Wanted to watch full Olympic coverage - and Canada, at the time was universally recognized as having the best coverage. They didn't delay showing of events by up to a day like U.S. (3) They carried BBC News, Canadian News, and a couple other European sources. Unfortunately, the sat. footprint changed - so can't get it now.

Snidely, was that ExpressVu? I recall that they broke up their programming into genres so that if you wanted to do something like watch BBC News it wouldn't cost you and arm and a leg to get. Comcast has an 18th century business plan and if they don't swing with the economy will go out of business (despite what resident our AVSForum armchair execs think).

That was BEV Expressvue. Really reasonable pricing - especially at that time when the Canadian $ was weaker.
From time to time our useless Congress talks about making cable providers give customers an a la carte option.
My opinion is that at some point much video will be by streaming over the internet. Internet capacity and speed has increased many fold just in the past few years. In another 5 years we may be able to simply dial into the internet for the providers we want.

Looks like Comcast will actually pull the plig on the remaining analogue channels shortly:
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=216104&site=lr_cable&f_src=lightreading_gnews

According to a reader response San Francisco is a go for the conversion. If so, does anyone want to bet a mortgage payment on when or if we will see additional HD channels or, heaven forbid, a restoration of the premium HDs that were sacrificed for the recent onslaught of, by and large, very poor HD channels?

I don't think we'll ever see those premium channels come back, I think at this point Comcast is clearing space for IPTV (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304066504576345330554958642.html) style delivery of content.

Besides, I think Comcast would much rather you use their VOD feature so they can further monetize that type of viewing with equipment rental(to even view the VOD content) and ad placements in the VOD menus and navigation.

I wanted to subscribe to BBC World News, recently added as channel 167.
I found out I would have to change to a whole pkg of 60 channels of which I only would ever watch 167. Think it was called the digital preferred pkg for an extra $18/mo. $18/mo for a relatively basic non HD channel is too much. (We have a DCX3400, high speed internet, and some digital channel pkg that includes ESPN and Com Central.)
She then offered to cut the price to $10/mo. Not sure that was for the one channel or the whole pkg. I'd pay up to $5 for that one channel.
I assume that people who don't watch ESPN really are annoyed that they have to pay the $4.30 ESPN charges the cable systems for each subscriber. Isn't ESPN included in virtually every pkg.? Customers should be able to pick and choose what channels they want - a la carte.

I've seen conflicting responses. Is it possible to get ESPN / CSN through comcast without a STB? I'm getting a lot of other channels but can't locate those two.

Using the TV tuner if that matters, not on a PC.

I've seen conflicting responses. Is it possible to get ESPN / CSN through comcast without a STB? I'm getting a lot of other channels but can't locate those two.

Using the TV tuner if that matters, not on a PC.

You would need some kind of "box" from Comcast. If you don't want HD, then a DTA box, a little larger than a pack of cigarettes (if you remember what those are) would enable you to get CSN and ESPN. You tune your TV to channel 3 and use a Comcast remote to enter/scroll thru the channels which you have subscribed to. I read, here, that you will eventually need a "box" to get even the local channels. There is no charge for this box.

You would need some kind of "box" from Comcast. If you don't want HD, then a DTA box, a little larger than a pack of cigarettes (if you remember what those are) would enable you to get CSN and ESPN. You tune your TV to channel 3 and use a Comcast remote to enter/scroll thru the channels which you have subscribed to. I read, here, that you will eventually need a "box" to get even the local channels. There is no charge for this box.

Thanks. I do have a SD box but it's a little iffy, I lose signal quite often through it. I usually end up just bypassing it for HD NFL games on channel 2/5. If I could get CSN and ESPN without the box, I'd never have to use it.

Someday maybe the execs from Comcast will come down from their lofty towers and find out how the rest of the world lives rather than letting their customers "eat cake." I have to think how little I ran the cable part of my setup the last 30 days over my streaming BD player. And that will happen more and more with the public.

Someday maybe the execs from Comcast will come down from their lofty towers and find out how the rest of the world lives rather than letting their customers "eat cake." I have to think how little I ran the cable part of my setup the last 30 days over my streaming BD player. And that will happen more and more with the public.
I agree. Problem is: Comcast (and other cable companies) are the only source for most people to high speed internet. I'm afraid what they may do to us to wield control over this aspect of what we watch.

We need to keep them afraid of what we might do to them. ;)

I've seen conflicting responses. Is it possible to get ESPN / CSN through comcast without a STB? I'm getting a lot of other channels but can't locate those two.Comcast only provides local channels, gov/edu/public service, some shopping, and maybe one or two others depending on the area you live in. All other channels are encrypted.

Other than a box from Comcast, you have two choices to get channels like ESPN & CNN, in either SD or HD. Both choices require renting a CableCARD from Comcast, which is usually $2-3 per month. This is in addition to the programming tier and other Comcast charges you are paying for.

1) Get a TiVo HD. It's an HD DVR that has a CableCARD slot, and it provides conditional access for all the channels you subscribe to.

2) Get a PC with CableCARD & digital cable tuner (QAM). It works like the TiVo HD for getting all the channels you subscribe to, and is also an HD DVR.

Has anyone noticed that channel 814 which is still GMC and its awful stretch-o-vision programming is now listed in the program menu as SPSHD with nothing but sports programs? What gives?

TiVo is showing correct guide data for 814. Like I would ever watch Dr Quinn Medicine Woman. But it's correct at least.

Just got back to Bay Area after 3 weeks and was looking forward to BBC News. Good news is it is available Okld. Comcast, bad news is that I can't get it unless I pay $$ to get a diff. plan. I'll call and see - but as much as I want it, not sure I would want to pay $10-$15/mo just to get a pkg. with one channel I would watch a lot.

I can understand your not wanting to pay that much just to get one channel you want. Do you get KCSM's MHz channel in Oakland? They carry a bunch of international newscasts. And of course, you can get BBC World News a couple hours a day on KQED.

Here's a posting I made a few months ago about international newscasts available on Bay Area stations:

http://groups.google.com/group/ba.broadcast.moderated/msg/950d380f1a545164

Also, Al Jazeera English is available 24 hours a day online.


Patty

Russia Today has good international coverage. It's on two channels here one analog and the other digital and listed as "leased access". RT.com has a list of the channels for different areas and providers.

I can understand your not wanting to pay that much just to get one channel you want. Do you get KCSM's MHz channel in Oakland? They carry a bunch of international newscasts. And of course, you can get BBC World News a couple hours a day on KQED.

Here's a posting I made a few months ago about international newscasts available on Bay Area stations:

http://groups.google.com/group/ba.broadcast.moderated/msg/950d380f1a545164

Also, Al Jazeera English is available 24 hours a day online.


Patty

THANKS!
We do get KCSM-M and it seems to have various news channels. I didn't know Al Jazeera English was on the net. Why cable systems don't carry some of these, I don't know. They would get lots more viewers than many of the channels that clog their systems.
Again, thanks for the tip. I'll also be checking out the other stations you listed.

...mike

Has anyone in San Mateo received the new channels? It has been a while since the guide data changed on my TiVo, but none of the new channels (BBC America HD, etc.) show up. I can still get all the "old" HBO, Starz, Showtime channels, but unfortunately can't record them since my TiVo's think they are gone.

We have not recieved the channels in Fremont, I assumed it was because we were on a 750Mhz system.

Anyone know of a way to get feedback in to Comcast Bay Area?

I bought the premium sports package so I could get "The Big Ten Network", only to find that it was broadcast in SD. Not only SD, but a windowboxed 16:9 inside 4:3 picture to further decrease the resolution. It looks terrible. Some other regions do have BTN in HD, so it's definitely an option for Comcast to provide.

I have seen many other complaints about the quality in forums, which I'm sure Comcast pays no attention to. So, I'm wondering if there is any better avenue for getting the request in to Comcast.

Anyone know of a way to get feedback in to Comcast Bay Area?

I bought the premium sports package so I could get "The Big Ten Network", only to find that it was broadcast in SD. Not only SD, but a windowboxed 16:9 inside 4:3 picture to further decrease the resolution. It looks terrible. Some other regions do have BTN in HD, so it's definitely an option for Comcast to provide.

I have seen many other complaints about the quality in forums, which I'm sure Comcast pays no attention to. So, I'm wondering if there is any better avenue for getting the request in to Comcast.

i hate to sound like a negative ned, but good luck with that one tji

comcast's systems are starved for bandwith as is, and with the new pac-12 network coming, its that's much more bandwith that needs to be reserved those channels (one national network, one local, which for us would be devoted to stanford and cal)

i hate to sound like a negative ned, but good luck with that one tji

comcast's systems are starved for bandwith as is, and with the new pac-12 network coming, its that's much more bandwith that needs to be reserved those channels (one national network, one local, which for us would be devoted to stanford and cal)

Comcast would have plenty of bandwidth if they did not waste bandwidth duplicating channels. There is no reason to have a channel in HD, SD AND analog. If it is available in HD, drop the other two.

Even so, there are several channels on which nothing is broadcast at all. (Yes I've looked with a spectrum analyzer, there is nothing there.)

Am I the only one who is annoyed that Comcast moved TruTV up to a higher tier? What's preventing Comcast from moving all channels up to a higher tier?

Perhaps.
Nothing.

Am I the only one who is annoyed that Comcast moved TruTV up to a higher tier? What's preventing Comcast from moving all channels up to a higher tier?

From where to where? It still shows in the Digital Starter tier on the Comcast website for my area. Of course, we all know how next to worthless those websites can be. TruTV will be carrying some of the early NCAA March Madness basketball games.


On a different subject, Comcast is offering HBO for free for 6 months and then starting at $5 per month until it ramps up to the going rate of $19.99, not sure how long the ramp-up time is but I'm guessing it's 6 months. I think the offer/promo is only if you don't already subscribe to a premium service(I don't), but it's certainly worth a try to ask about it.

Just in time for the new David Milch series "Luck", which premiered last Sunday, "Eastbound and Down" returns in 2 weeks, and then "Game of Thrones" returns on April 1st, not a bad lineup for free. The HBO GO streaming service and VOD(OnDemand) is also included of course.

Am I the only one who is annoyed that Comcast moved TruTV up to a higher tier? What's preventing Comcast from moving all channels up to a higher tier?
I'm more annoyed they no longer have the Eastern Time zone Comedy Central feed. They switched over to the western feed meaning we often don't watch the Dail Show until the next day.

I'm more annoyed they no longer have the Eastern Time zone Comedy Central feed. They switched over to the western feed meaning we often don't watch the Dail Show until the next day.

Yes, having the east coast feed of a lot of channels was nice instead of the time-adjusted feeds we're getting now. Some networks actually have both a east and west coast feed(HBO, SHO), but not too many of them. I believe the rest are just spooled and delayed at CMC for different time zone viewing, pretty sure Comedy Central is one of those channels.

Both The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are available for free at the Comedy Central site, not sure when they become available but the previous night is always there by at least 9AM, might even be that night. That's the only way I've ever watched those shows in fact.

Yes, having the east coast feed of a lot of channels was nice instead of the time-adjusted feeds we're getting now. Some networks actually have both a east and west coast feed(HBO, SHO), but not too many of them. I believe the rest are just spooled and delayed at CMC for different time zone viewing, pretty sure Comedy Central is one of those channels.


Comedy Central does have a west coast feed that they provide to affiliates. Most networks that have separate west coast feeds provide it themselves, I am not aware of any network that is delayed at the CMC.

Comedy Central does have a west coast feed that they provide to affiliates. Most networks that have separate west coast feeds provide it themselves, I am not aware of any network that is delayed at the CMC.

Thanks for the info, for the longest time most all nets only had the one feed, I was aware that some had added both feeds, but hadn't realized most of them had by now.

From where to where? It still shows in the Digital Starter tier on the Comcast website for my area. Of course, we all know how next to worthless those websites can be. TruTV will be carrying some of the early NCAA March Madness basketball games.

I'm digital starter in SF, but my TruTV says not authorized anymore. When I called 1-800-Comcast there's an automatic message now that says, if you are calling for TruTV, it has been moved to a higher tier. If you want to subscribe to it, stay on the line.

I hadn't tried to complain, thought I would check here first.

I'm digital starter in SF, but my TruTV says not authorized anymore. When I called 1-800-Comcast there's an automatic message now that says, if you are calling for TruTV, it has been moved to a higher tier. If you want to subscribe to it, stay on the line.

I hadn't tried to complain, thought I would check here first.

Well, like I said, Comcast's websites are not to be trusted. For a communications company, that even provides for broadband, I just don't get why they have such a crappy web presence.

Must be some sort of contract finagling with Turner/TW. One does have to wonder about this move just prior to the NCAA playoffs though.

This stuff should all be ala carte anyway. The old model was for a time when people had money falling out of their pockets. Don't the Comcast execs ever notice how fewer customers are at their favorite sushi bar anymore?

I was watching the Super Bowl on KNTV on DirecTV and had awful macroblocking problems starting in the midst of the halftime show and carrying over until early in the 3rd quarter. Did those problems appear on Comcast? I'm curious as to whether I had a D* problem encoding the KNTV broadcast or a KNTV problem.

I was watching the Super Bowl on KNTV on DirecTV and had awful macroblocking problems starting in the midst of the halftime show and carrying over until early in the 3rd quarter. Did those problems appear on Comcast? I'm curious as to whether I had a D* problem encoding the KNTV broadcast or a KNTV problem.

I didn't see any in Cupertino.

Nor did I. Looked fine in my part of Cupertino too. ;)

Looked just fine on Dish as well....

Looked just fine on Dish as well....

Score one for Dish (and Comcast), I guess. Thanks for the replies.

I was watching the latest episode of Archer on FXHD last night (previously recorded on a TiVo HD), and I immediately noticed a horrible degradation in PQ compared to last week's episode. It's as if the resolution had dropped to 360p. There was horrible macroblocking even in static images. Has anyone seen issues with FX? I'm in San Jose.

Can I call and complain about this? PQ has been steadily dropping for the last few years. Is Comcast doing anything to increase bandwidth? Any word on SDV in the Bay Area?

I was watching the latest episode of Archer on FXHD last night (previously recorded on a TiVo HD), and I immediately noticed a horrible degradation in PQ compared to last week's episode. It's as if the resolution had dropped to 360p. There was horrible macroblocking even in static images. Has anyone seen issues with FX? I'm in San Jose.

Can I call and complain about this? PQ has been steadily dropping for the last few years. Is Comcast doing anything to increase bandwidth? Any word on SDV in the Bay Area?

Have you checked your Signal to noise ratio in "DVR Diagnostics"? Anything under 32 Db will create macro blocking etc. These boxes actually don't need a very strong signal to lock. It's all the noise on the line that cause most of the visual problems you are seeing. If your SNR is under 35% then I'd call and get them out. It's happened to me before and once they clean it up, it works fine again. I say that with crossed fingers... It's been a while since I've had those kinds of problems...

Does anyone else also keep getting email thread notifications about posts by nbc11newsclips, with links to castfire.com?

Does anyone else also keep getting email thread notifications about posts by nbc11newsclips, with links to castfire.com?

Yes, many posts from him/her are odd at best anyhow.

Does anyone else also keep getting email thread notifications about posts by nbc11newsclips, with links to castfire.com?

Looking this as we speak.

Anyone else notice that either Comcast time is off or they are starting episodes a minute or two late? I'm finding that some of my DVR's episodes get cut off before they finish necessitating that I add a minute or two to recording setups (if I remember) but I don't think I need to do so.

It may not be Comcast. It seems that some of the major networks have started to shift the starts/ends of prime time programs a minute or so after the hour. I think it is done on purpose to screw up DVR usage.

It may not be Comcast. It seems that some of the major networks have started to shift the starts/ends of prime time programs a minute or so after the hour. I think it is done on purpose to screw up DVR usage.

Precisely why my mythTV setup is configured to start 10 minutes early and end 10 minutes late.

It may not be Comcast. It seems that some of the major networks have started to shift the starts/ends of prime time programs a minute or so after the hour. I think it is done on purpose to screw up DVR usage.

There are several things at work here, and I don't think the intent is to screw with DVR usage so much as it is to keep eyeballs glued to the present station.

With the remote control becoming ubiquitous about 20 years ago, networks started blurring the ending of one show and the beginning of the next. Previously, they would often run a commercial in between the ending of one show and the start of the next. Now, to keep viewers from channel surfing, they go immediately from one show to the next.

The next thing they tried was a little more insidious. As you noted, TV networks started the having some of their shows run 1 minute long (e.g. Gray's Anatomy). If you then switch to a different network, you'd be 1 minute into the new show, so you'd be more likely to stay on the network you were already watching.

Add onto this a little timing sloppiness on Comcast's part and/or the network feed and you have situations where your DVR recording either fails to get the last 2-5 seconds of the show you were recording (usually the "scenes from next week") or the first few seconds of the show you are trying to record. If I can, I always set my recordings to go 1 minute past the scheduled end, but that's not always possible if there are a lot of shows I'd like to record clustered together.

It's annoying and I think it's just going to accelerate the switching to video on demand or pay-per-episode viewing. I'd use on-demand to watch certain show more frequently (e.g. when there are more than 2 simultaneous broadcasts I'd like to watch) but, since one can't fast-forward through the commercials in on-demand shows, it's a less pleasant experience.

On a slightly related topic, does anyone here know if Comcast has any plans to introduce a new generation of DVR equipment? Our old 6120 unit has pitiful storage capability by 2012 standards and the software running the system still looks as if it were written by a summer intern.

The short length is mostly noted on Premiums. Usually this doesn't matter because they slap some promos on the last few minutes but take a show like Californication and Comcast may show the time from 10 PM - 10:28 PM and the episode still isn't over at the 10:28 mark. Maybe they're getting the wrong info from the networks. Also on "The Walking Dead" I added an extra minute which still cut out the preview of the coming week.

Perhaps we should complain to Comcast because it is possible no one there is noticing to take any action.

The short length is mostly noted on Premiums. Usually this doesn't matter because they slap some promos on the last few minutes but take a show like Californication and Comcast may show the time from 10 PM - 10:28 PM and the episode still isn't over at the 10:28 mark. Maybe they're getting the wrong info from the networks. Also on "The Walking Dead" I added an extra minute which still cut out the preview of the coming week.

Perhaps we should complain to Comcast because it is possible no one there is noticing to take any action.

In the case of The Walking Dead, the preview for next week isn't shown until sometime during the following show. As far as start stop times, FOX is really bad with timing issues, if I'm not recording the following show on that network I always add about 2 mins to the recording, I can't tell you how many times the last 20-30 secs of House/Bones has been cutoff.

A question about Comcast VOD(OnDemand), is the audio still 1970's-style 2 channel stereo?

I forgot to add one more reason I thought of particularly regarding the Premium channels and that is that Comcast maybe getting the MP4 feeds and recompressing them to MPEG-2. We know they were doing that with HBO because that was all HBO was supplying. That compression interim might delay things a minute yet they may be taking the same times that the networks is giving them and failing to adjust for the re-encode.

I think it is done on purpose to screw up DVR usage.
No.

Considering switching from D* to Comcast.

The $16 per DVR is a non-starter, since they're crappy to begin with.

If you get a Tivo, you can get the first CableCard for free? You would just go pick it up at the local Comcast office?


Do any of the current Tivos have networking for sending programming to different rooms?

I'm curious, is the grass really greener on the other side? I always hear people switching back and forth between ATT Uverse, to DishNetwork, to Comcast. Interestingly, I never hear of people who switch to DirecTV ever going back.

Considering switching from D* to Comcast.

The $16 per DVR is a non-starter, since they're crappy to begin with.

If you get a Tivo, you can get the first CableCard for free? You would just go pick it up at the local Comcast office?


Do any of the current Tivos have networking for sending programming to different rooms?

Do any of the current Tivos have networking for sending programming to different rooms?

That feature has been available for years. Each TiVo unit must have active TiVo service.

That feature has been available for years. Each TiVo unit must have active TiVo service.

How do they network though? I assume I'd just hook up the Tivos to the coax drops in each room but the cable is hold.

I just want to price it out. Their double-play options are good now, for a year. My D* bill is $110 and they gave me flak about getting their latest DVR so they're going to have another shot to make it right or I'm gone. With E*, I can save $500 over the next 2 years.

How do they network though? I assume I'd just hook up the Tivos to the coax drops in each room but the cable is hold.

Home Ethernet/WiFi network. The newest TiVo Elite supposedly has MoCA, but I'm not familiar with it.

But am I correct that I can get one or two Cable Cards from Comcast without charge?

Mostly. They won't charge you an up front fee when they issue you a new card, but there is a nominal monthly recurring fee, like $3, that will appear on your bill going forward.

Interestingly, I never hear of people who switch to DirecTV ever going back.

Happens all the time. One of the biggest factors is promotional bundles.

Mostly. They won't charge you an up front fee when they issue you a new card, but there is a nominal monthly recurring fee, like $3, that will appear on your bill going forward.

I believe the CC charge in the bay area is $1.50 per card, and there's also a credit which covers the cost of the card(FCC reg), so you essentially end up paying nothing. I don't know how many cards that would cover, but I have 3 cards and I'm charged only $1.50 for a single card, with a credit amount of $2.50. Your mileage may vary.

I pay $1.10 for two cards. My parents pay nothing for one card. Limited Basic services.

I'm curious, is the grass really greener on the other side? I always hear people switching back and forth between ATT Uverse, to DishNetwork, to Comcast. Interestingly, I never hear of people who switch to DirecTV ever going back.

I call it "provider roulette". Basically people sign up for a promo period, cancel when the period ends and move to another provider. And yes they will do this in a circle returning to a provider they have a few years back.

Does anyone know what the "HD Service" fees for Comcast are? Is that for renting an HD capable box or just to be able to get the HD channels?

My plan would be to get a Tivo DVR, so I definitely wouldn't be paying their $16/mo "HD DVR Service."

But would I also have to pay the $10/mo HD Service as well?

Does anyone know what the "HD Service" fees for Comcast are? Is that for renting an HD capable box or just to be able to get the HD channels?

My plan would be to get a Tivo DVR, so I definitely wouldn't be paying their $16/mo "HD DVR Service."

But would I also have to pay the $10/mo HD Service as well?

I think that the "HD service" is when you have the Standard subscription and want to see the encrypted HD channel part of Standard. On my price chart from last it says in tiny notes for {17} "Include HD converter and remote for primary outlet".

The Limited Basic HD channel (702,...,718) are not encrypted.

Does anyone know what the "HD Service" fees for Comcast are? Is that for renting an HD capable box or just to be able to get the HD channels?

My plan would be to get a Tivo DVR, so I definitely wouldn't be paying their $16/mo "HD DVR Service."

But would I also have to pay the $10/mo HD Service as well?

It probably varies by area, but I believe it's only charged when you Comcast equipment(STB/DVR). I've never paid any such fee, I have 2 TiVos, but even when I had a DVR I didn't have the fee, although the DVR cost was about $15, which I think included the "HD" fee.

Does anyone know what the "HD Service" fees for Comcast are? Is that for renting an HD capable box or just to be able to get the HD channels?

My plan would be to get a Tivo DVR, so I definitely wouldn't be paying their $16/mo "HD DVR Service."

But would I also have to pay the $10/mo HD Service as well?

I think the $10 is for the HDTV version of the STB. I upgraded from Limited Basic to Digital Starter. To get the HD STB they charge the extra $10.

With more and more Extended Basic programming available streaming online I've been considering cutting back to Limited Basic. Of course they supposedly would want the DVR back and though I could use my computers as DVR I think I would just spring for a Channel Master DVR or other third party (don't want to pay the TiVo subscription). I just paid for a month (mid Dec-Jan) of no programming worth watching.

I get charged $1.10 for each cable card (2 TiVos) and I get a credit of $2.50 for customer owned equipment as my package includes "Digital Converter And Remote, If Applicable." which I don't have from Comcast.

There's no HD fee, I think the HD fee is for the cable box not the programming, I don't have one of their boxes. I get the HD versions of everything I subscribe to (Sports, Premiums etc) if it exists.

There's a long thread about Comcast and cable cards over at TCF (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=316310).

12 NEW HIGH DEFINITION (HD) and 2 NEW STANDARD- DEFINITION (SD) NETWORKS BEGINING THIS OCTOBER:

Sprout HD—Channel 770
Fox Soccer HD— Channel 803
Investigation Discovery HD— Channel 804
History 2 HD— Channel 805
GMC HD— Channel 814
Galavision HD— Channel 815
Bloomberg HD— Channel 821
Game Show Network HD—Channel 822
The Hub HD—Channel 813
National Geographic Wild HD—Channel 806
Oxygen HD—Channel 773
Daystar (SD)—Channel 234
Reelz (SD)—Channel 150

What happened with these changes?

Watching the Champions League in SD right now, and wondered about this?
We NEED Fox Soccer HD!

What happened with these changes?

Watching the Champions League in SD right now, and wondered about this?
We NEED Fox Soccer HD!

Well, they do replays of the Champions League and the occasional Premier League on Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area HD (in HD), but, not all. I'd just like Fox Soccer Plus as even with Fox Soccer SD I can't get all the EPL games.

To wco81 -
I have Comcast TV service and one TiVo HD in SF. No triple play, no Comcast box. On top of my Digital Starter Package (64.99) and my Digital Classic (18), my Comcast bill has an "HD Technology Fee" for $10 and a "Customer-owned Equipment-Adjustment" for -$2.50. No mention on the bill of my TiVo's Cable Card.

Does anyone know when BBC America HD will go live in the East Bay? I don't use normal cableTV boxes; so, I'm not certain. On my TV Guide, it already shows the TV channel with real TV shows. However, none of my tuners detect that channel being there. I tried to record it; and, just got a blank screen.

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h283/mkanet/comcast.jpg

From the Comcast Technology thread, (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=21698309#post21698309)

TiVo powers Comcast OTT video play, will supply gateway devices to cable ops

Fierce Cable
By Steve Donohue
February 24, 2012

Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA) installers in the San Francisco Bay area will soon begin deploying TiVo (Nasdaq: TIVO) DVRs that will allow subscribers to access over-the-top video content from Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX), Hulu and other online providers, in addition to the MSO's Xfinity On Demand lineup.

TiVo and Comcast announced in May that Comcast subscribers would be able to buy TiVo Premiere DVRs in retail outlets, and have Comcast techs install the boxes. TiVo CEO Tom Rogers said on the company's fourth-quarter earnings call that Comcast will support the TiVo DVRs in "many other major markets" following the rollout in San Francisco.

Comcast's TiVo partnership could appeal to subscribers who want easy access to Netflix and other online video providers, but also want all of the products available in its triple play. It could also help the MSO reduce capital spending by delivering its digital cable programming to a CE device. Comcast also has an agreement with Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) which will allow Xfinity TV subscribers who purchase an Xbox 360 to access programming from their cable subscriptions through the gaming console.

TiVo, which has distribution deals with Charter Communications (Nasdaq: CHTR), Suddenlink Communications, RCN, Grande Communications and several international cable MSOs, said that it will supply operators with gateway devices and thin-client IP set-tops. "It's a way for multiple set-tops in a household to be served. It works with a core unit, a gateway unit, that allows for multiple streams to multiple television sets as part of a whole-home solution. It is something that we will deliver to a number of operators that will be looking for it in the middle of the year," Rogers said.

TiVo also announced a licensing agreement earlier this week with cable set-top manufacturer Pace (LSE: PIC). The companies said that Pace licensed TiVo's hardware porting kit, and will work with Pace to deploy TiVo's software and user interface on Pace set-tops and gateways. It's worth noting that Pace is the set-top manufacturer that has supplied an IP set-top to Comcast for tests of its new X1 advanced video service in Augusta, Ga.

http://links.mkt1985.com/ctt?kn=144&ms=MzkzOTAxNwS2&r=MjcwNzkyMDEyMTcS1&b=0&j=MTIxNTc0ODA3S0&mt=1&rt=0

From the Comcast Technology thread, (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=21698309#post21698309)

I thought I'd be pushing up daisies before this ever happened...... maybe I am.... I'll have to check again. :D

Laters,
Mikef5

I thought I'd be pushing up daisies before this ever happened...... maybe I am.... I'll have to check again. :D

Laters,
Mikef5
Isn't that the truth! :D

Does anyone know when BBC America HD will go live in the East Bay? I don't use normal cableTV boxes; so, I'm not certain. On my TV Guide, it already shows the TV channel with real TV shows. However, none of my tuners detect that channel being there. I tried to record it; and, just got a blank screen.


Available here on that channel. Thanks for posting the picture because I'm a big fan of the original version of "Being Human" and good to see season 4 starting.

This is the part that I want to see happen...
Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA) installers in the San Francisco Bay area will soon begin deploying TiVo (Nasdaq: TIVO) DVRs that will allow subscribers to access over-the-top video content from Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX), Hulu and other online providers, in addition to the MSO's Xfinity On Demand lineup.

How are they going to do this ?
I'm not going to get another box in addition to my Tivo just to get VOD.
I don't want a work around I want one box to do it all.

And while I'm back bitching again,
Comcast (and you other providers) quit blocking my GoogleTv.
It's really getting old with all your protecting content when I can view your content with a laptop but not with my GoogleTv.
Get over it and open your content to any device.

Speaking of other devices..... How about supporting the Android tablets like you do with the IPad.
You haven't upgraded the Android app in a year and you can only view live content on an IPad and not on an Android tablet.

It's nice being back.....;)

Laters,
Mikef5

Why would they, they get enough people to sign on for their crappy DVRs at $16 a month.

These are some of the reasons why I had to take these issues into my own handls and build a custom fully integrated solution back in 2006; Comcast On Demand, several TV tuners with all premium HD channels, Bluray on demand movie library, youtube, sirius radio, local FM radio, etc.... all available in any room of my home though a tiny little extender box; including on my netbook and even on my work work computer (full functionality even via Internet). If I had to wait for Comcast to do this, I would still be waiting.

This is the part that I want to see happen...


How are they going to do this ?
I'm not going to get another box in addition to my Tivo just to get VOD.
I don't want a work around I want one box to do it all.

And while I'm back bitching again,
Comcast (and you other providers) quit blocking my GoogleTv.
It's really getting old with all your protecting content when I can view your content with a laptop but not with my GoogleTv.
Get over it and open your content to any device.

Speaking of other devices..... How about supporting the Android tablets like you do with the IPad.
You haven't upgraded the Android app in a year and you can only view live content on an IPad and not on an Android tablet.

It's nice being back.....;)

Laters,
Mikef5

Has anyone seen any increase in their GAMEHD and/or TEAMHD channels? I'm curious because iN DEMAND TeamHD & GameHD each to offer 9 HD channels for cable! (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1339225) is supposed to happen "sometime". I would like to just purchase MLBEI from Comcast and not have to re-activate my DIRECTV account for another 6 mos again this year just to get the MLBEI package.

NBA league pass has a free preview 2/28 through 3/4. This includes broadband and mobile access also.

I was not able to watch any of those channels, until I chatted with Comcast and they sent updates to my cable-cards/boxes. Channel 450 appears to be the only one broadcasting in HD.

Is anyone using DOCSIS 3 modems? Do they have any DOCSIS 3 deployments in the Bay Area?

Is anyone using DOCSIS 3 modems? Do they have any DOCSIS 3 deployments in the Bay Area?

Everywhere except Surf City I believe.

I've got an Arris 722 EMTA.

Is anyone using DOCSIS 3 modems? Do they have any DOCSIS 3 deployments in the Bay Area?
I have one in Milpitas, and it's an Arris 702G/CT. but you have to ask for the Arris or they'll probably give you one of the Motorola Surfboard modems.
I also have the Triple Play package which includes internet phone service which the Arris supports, which might be another reason they gave the Arris to me.

Laters,
Mikef5

Reason why I asked is that I would buy a modem from Amazon. DOCSIS 2 modems are around $40-50 and the DOCSIS 3 modems are around $70-80. Monthly fees for modem rental are $7 a month.

Reason why I asked is that I would buy a modem from Amazon. DOCSIS 2 modems are around $40-50 and the DOCSIS 3 modems are around $70-80. Monthly fees for modem rental are $7 a month.

Unless you want very high speeds for downloads and uploads you don't really need a DOCSIS 3 modem, but I'm guessing you don't already have a DOCSIS 2 modem, and in that case I would definitely buy the DOCSIS 3 as it will come in handy later down the road. And definitely buy in my opinion, don't rent, I purchased my current DOCSIS 2 Moto when I first started with Comcast HSI and it paid for itself a long, long time ago. Fact is, the cost of it was rebated/discounted as I was a new subscriber, I own it and didn't pay a cent for it, definitely better than renting and something you might check into. I bought mine at a Circuit City, but you might try Best Buy and see if they have a similar deal. :)

Reason why I asked is that I would buy a modem from Amazon. DOCSIS 2 modems are around $40-50 and the DOCSIS 3 modems are around $70-80. Monthly fees for modem rental are $7 a month.

If you have Comcast phone service, you may not see the benefits of buying your own modem. I was told by Comcast (so may or may not be true) that if you provide your own modem, you would have to rent a separate phone adapter which has the same monthly charge as their modem with the embedded adapter.

Is anyone out there using their own, purchased modem and getting Comcast phone service without paying the same monthly fees as a leased modem?

If you have Comcast phone service, you may not see the benefits of buying your own modem. I was told by Comcast (so may or may not be true) that if you provide your own modem, you would have to rent a separate phone adapter which has the same monthly charge as their modem with the embedded adapter.

Is anyone out there using their own, purchased modem and getting Comcast phone service without paying the same monthly fees as a leased modem?

I have a triple play package and while I don't even use the phone portion, we did talk about modems that would be required to use the service, she even gave me a list of current models that they'll activate, but there was no mention of any phone adapter being needed.

If you have Comcast phone service, you may not see the benefits of buying your own modem. I was told by Comcast (so may or may not be true) that if you provide your own modem, you would have to rent a separate phone adapter which has the same monthly charge as their modem with the embedded adapter.

Is anyone out there using their own, purchased modem and getting Comcast phone service without paying the same monthly fees as a leased modem?

Yes I had my own modem and a free phone adapter, I explained to Comcast that I should not need to rent the phone adapter simply because of their technology. If I went with at&t I would not need an adapter.

They removed the charge after that conversation.

Yes I had my own modem and a free phone adapter, I explained to Comcast that I should not need to rent the phone adapter simply because of their technology. If I went with at&t I would not need an adapter.

They removed the charge after that conversation.

I'm guessing your modem is not equipped for digital voice?

A list of Comcast approved modems/eMTAs. (http://mydeviceinfo.comcast.net/)

I'm guessing your modem is not equipped for digital voice?

A list of Comcast approved modems/eMTAs. (http://mydeviceinfo.comcast.net/)

Yep, at the time the voice modems were all DOCSIS 2 and I had a DOCSIS 3 modem for the Ultra service

I have AT&T DSL and to add voice would require a $75 "installation fee" which is essentially replacing my current 2Wire router with their new gateway router with a phone out line. With AT&T you are buying the router not renting it. They were at least good enough to replace my 2Wire anyway when it blew up just outside of the warranty. And in the process found they had not paid me my rebate so sent a check including interest.

I have AT&T DSL and to add voice would require a $75 "installation fee" which is essentially replacing my current 2Wire router with their new gateway router with a phone out line. With AT&T you are buying the router not renting it. They were at least good enough to replace my 2Wire anyway when it blew up just outside of the warranty. And in the process found they had not paid me my rebate so sent a check including interest.

In my case I have no at&t service so as a new customer all was free. It was a basic phone line too. Old school Pots.

What happened with these changes?

Watching the Champions League in SD right now, and wondered about this?
We NEED Fox Soccer HD!

I have Bloomberg and GSN in HD in San Mateo, channels 821 and 822, and have had them for some time.

However, these seem to be sent as copy-one instead of copy-freely. Did someone at Comcast just assume >800 were premiums and set the CCI bits wrong?

In my case I have no at&t service so as a new customer all was free. It was a basic phone line too. Old school Pots.

I should have made it clear I have U-Verse in the neighborhood so changing me the router would give me more speed for as far as DSL goes since it will connect with a fiber node down the street. It would also drop my phone bill $20 a month. And I hear they are discontinuing POTS support in some U-Verse neighborhoods.

I should have made it clear I have U-Verse in the neighborhood so changing me the router would give me more speed for as far as DSL goes since it will connect with a fiber node down the street. It would also drop my phone bill $20 a month. And I hear they are discontinuing POTS support in some U-Verse neighborhoods.

Thanks for the clarification. It makes sense that they are discontinuing POTS. Maintaining the old Class 5's is getting expensive.

They are still offering POTS and u-verse in Fremont. As you pointed out u-verse is cheaper.

Still not cheaper than nothing which is what I have now :)

Hi,

I am in Fremont. Since Saturday evening, channel 838 (Cinemax HD - MXHDW) has been without audio. There is no audio even from the analog outputs of the cable box. All other channels I have seem to be fine. For example, channel 826 (SHO2H) which is a similar premium HD channel, has no problem. Cinemax West in SD (channel 561) has no problem.
My Internet service, also Comcast, has no problem.

I called Comcast, they just rebooted my cable box and the problem is still the same.

Has anyone seen this before? Could it be a splitter in my wiring getting old?

:mad:

No, the problem is with the Comcast feed. Splitters are channel selective....

I just switched back to Comcast after 2 years on U-Verse. Doesn't seem like much has changed since i've been away.
Any new channels and features coming on board in the next few months? U-Verse seems to have Comcast beat on features and HD channels (that are interesting to me at least).

I was watching my recording of "Justified" last night and it looked pretty bad like a lower bitrate encoding with the "jelly" effect. Is Comcast 4 packing?

Former Comcast subscriber in the SF Bay Area, been with D* for several years now, but popping in with a question about Comcast service around here.

A friend of mine with Comcast . . . er . . . Xfinity . . . asked if she would be able to view content stored on her DVR over the internet on an iPad when traveling. My reaction is "no." She can of course get Hulu or HBO Go or (I think) live TV . . . maybe even Xfinity VOD . . . but can't access her DVR without a device like a Slingbox. Although I suppose if she is talking about watching network shows she might be able to grab them via Xfinity VOD?

My reaction is "no." She can of course get Hulu or HBO Go or (I think) live TV . . . maybe even Xfinity VOD . . . but can't access her DVR without a device like a Slingbox. Although I suppose if she is talking about watching network shows she might be able to grab them via Xfinity VOD?

Correct (so far). You can schedule, manage & delete recordings via the tablet apps, but not access the content on the DVR.

Cool idea, C* should do something like flag anything in the recorded shows list that is duplicated on VOD to keep the subscriber in the fold.

Thanks, Barovelli. Does the Xfinity online on-demand content duplicate exactly what she can get via VOD through her box? Or is it a more limited subset?

Thanks, Barovelli. Does the Xfinity online on-demand content duplicate exactly what she can get via VOD through her box? Or is it a more limited subset?

The latter, I believe. I've not looked at it since I jettisoned the iPad.

Thanks again for the info, Barovelli.

As a new Video-on-Demand user, I was trying to figure out the Catch-up feature. I Googled VOD and other terms to see if there are instructions on how to use the service. But all I could find was Comcast's very un-informative embouchure, giving almost no How-to-use information. For example, how does one use the Catch-up feature? Can one identify the shows one wants to Catch-up with?

And every time I finish watching a VOD selection, I have to start back at the beginning and find the show again to watch the next episode. Is there some way to see the next episode in a series without all the menu poking around?

Greg