Official Comcast 6412 w/ iGuide Discussion

[keenan]

They're doing it in the SF bay area as well, started a couple of days ago. It looks tacky as hell.

[rfr]

Bay area also on the ads. There was apparently a flood of complaints. So what? Like Comcast care? Puhleeez. They couldn't care less if we hate them. Only if we hate them enough to go to satellite. I wish I did, but I don't. And they know that.

[DentalGuy]

Ads in guide display -

Showing up all over the country. There is a message thread on dslreports in the
Comcast Cable TV thread with 130 replies.

It includes a bunch of stories from people who have complained, and received evasive non-answers and marketing-speak BS for their efforts.

[scanpa]

When the New I-Guide & J-Guide come out, they will have ads back in them based on your viewing habits. Sorry.

I have also heard the TiVo software for the /\/\otorola DCT STB's will also have viewing habit based ads......

It's all about the ad $$$$$$

[mr2828]

Here's someone you can vent on if you wish to express your opinion of "paying for ads". If this does continue, I will be forced to re-evaluate my movement away from satellite 18 months ago. My Comcast discount is ending, so perhaps it's time to build my own DVR and go some combination of OTA and something else without ads.

National Customer Service
Lori Lego
Senior Director, Executive Support
215-665-1700
ESL_corp@cable.comcast.com

Include your name, number, and address

[mr2828]

Scanpa the thing is, on the internet companies such as Youtube or Google provide us something of value for free or reduced cost in exchange for suffering their ads. It's the same with broadcast networks. Otherwise the attraction is greatly reduced - what customers want to BOTH pay for a service AND be bombarded with ads?

Is Comcast going to lower the monthly cost of their DVR service in exchange for us being forced to participate in this ad system? If not, then this seems to be an extremely anti-customer stance that your company is taking.

[mterzich]

The ads appear to be timed to be displayed during prime viewing time. They are usually start at 7 pm and are gone by 11 pm.

[mr2828]

Currently yes. But it sounds as if they will get significantly worse as time goes on if Comcast finds that the vast majority of users don't raise too much of a ruckus over this. It would likely eventually get to the point of something like Google over the next few years as the DVRs can fetch data over their built in cable modem. How would you like 8 ads appearing on top of each other customized to what you watched last night? That'd be real interesting when your friends come over for a party...

[scanpa]

Originally Posted by mr2828

Scanpa the thing is, on the internet companies such as Youtube or Google provide us something of value for free or reduced cost in exchange for suffering their ads. It's the same with broadcast networks. Otherwise the attraction is greatly reduced - what customers want to BOTH pay for a service AND be bombarded with ads?

Is Comcast going to lower the monthly cost of their DVR service in exchange for us being forced to participate in this ad system? If not, then this seems to be an extremely anti-customer stance that your company is taking.

http://www.digg.com/design/Comcast_f...DVR_s#c2897753

[Savman]

Originally Posted by scanpa

When the New I-Guide & J-Guide come out, they will have ads back in them based on your viewing habits. Sorry.

I have also heard the TiVo software for the /\/\otorola DCT STB's will also have viewing habit based ads......

It's all about the ad $$$$$$

But if I'm right, the new i-guide and J-guide won't be out anytime soon, right? I'm not really concerned, that bridge will be crossed when I get to it, so for now, I'll focus on getting over the 3-4 hours worth of ads(which I basically am). Hopefully the newer guides better incorporate them into the software so that it doesn't cause problems with my DVR.

[scanpa]

Originally Posted by Savman

But if I'm right, the new i-guide and J-guide won't be out anytime soon, right? I'm not really concerned, that bridge will be crossed when I get to it, so for now, I'll focus on getting over the 3-4 hours worth of ads(which I basically am). Hopefully the newer guides better incorporate them into the software so that it doesn't cause problems with my DVR.

Who can say..... Just remember it is comcastic!

Glad I am not a CSR for comcast. the phones must be ringing off the desks with all of these complaints.

since there not doing this yet in my home or work area. I think there just testing the water in some cable plants. But I had heard back in the spring that they were looking into this targeted ad "enhancement" to the cable IPG software.

[Savman]

Originally Posted by scanpa

Who can say..... Just remember it is comcastic!

Glad I am not a CSR for comcast. the phones must be ringing off the desks with all of these complaints.

since there not doing this yet in my home or work area. I think there just testing the water in some cable plants. But I had heard back in the spring that they were looking into this targeted ad "enhancement" to the cable IPG software.

I wonder if there are any general subscribers complaining. I mean, do people who don't belong to these types of forums care that much?

[Budget_HT]

I for one will be seriously reconsidering my thoughts on migrating from DirecTV "non-TiVo" to Comcast "with TiVo" if these pop-up ads are here to stay. In fact, I will not even consider Comcast if those ads are deployed. And that leads to moving my broadband internet service away from Comcast as well.

I'll bet there are hundreds or thousands who look at this ad situation nearly the same way I do. This is not the way to attract or retain customers, IMHO.

[djrandalle]

the show was "Saved" and the dvr will not let me fast foward. so i figured the advertising peeps were just getting their way. but what i can't figure is why it won't rewind or pause either. this is the first dvr program i've noticed with this problem. to top it off i got 45 min into the show and the video froze but audio continued. video never came back. this has got me really peeved because if they gonna start crap like this i would rather watch it at the sceduled time; at least that way i could have finished watching it. is this is an example of comcast controlling recorded shows or just a malfunction?

[Dave Harper]

Sounds like a malfunction to me since the video froze but audio continued. That isn't a "feature" of any DVR control software that I know of

[pdutia]

Originally Posted by keenan

They're doing it in the SF bay area as well, started a couple of days ago. It looks tacky as hell.

Yes... very very tacky. I hope they will stop soon.

Not only does it look bad... its also inconvinent, because the cursor stops on the ad, so you have 1 more click to get to where you ant to go.

[crossbeaux]

Concerning the ads in the guide. I certainly don't like them and I'm not sure what it bodes for the future. But if it's what I have to endure to be able to use the 6412 to skip the commercials during a broadcast, I will gladly make that trade any day.

[djrandalle]

Originally Posted by Dave Harper

Sounds like a malfunction to me since the video froze but audio continued. That isn't a "feature" of any DVR control software that I know of

thanks. that makes sense now. i guess i spent the 45 min preceeding the video freeze festering (thinking it was some sort of ad control) that i didn't even think that the video freeze could be what caused the control lock

[sconset]

Originally Posted by scanpa

The reason the /\/\otorola DCT 34xx & 64xx series of STB do not have eSata enabled is due to a problem with DRM software for external 5c compliant recordings. It is a Software issue, that is being looked at. Comcast does not have this problem with the SA HD STB, they have eSata enabled.

Thanks for the info... I wasn't even aware that Comcast was running scientific atlanta boxes. I set one of those up for a friend on cablevision... hung a 500G drive on it worked great. I am in NJ. Where are the SA boxes available through Comcast?

[Dave Harper]

I believe the SAs are in old Time Warner and Adelphia areas.

I like that scanpa... "/\/\otorola"..., very intuitive

[scanpa]

Originally Posted by sconset

Thanks for the info... I wasn't even aware that Comcast was running scientific atlanta boxes. I set one of those up for a friend on cablevision... hung a 500G drive on it worked great. I am in NJ. Where are the SA boxes available through Comcast?

Atlanta Ga. uses SA.

[Savman]

Originally Posted by scanpa

Atlanta Ga. uses SA.

You aren't talking about "Comcast"-Atlanta are you? If so, "Comcast" up there uses the Motorola, or "GM" as they are still labeled in the Atlanta area.

[ncaahoops]

If they provide the cable box or the DVR service for free, then I don't mind the ads :-)

But if i'm paying almost triple figures per month for the service, why get bombarded with more ads? It's not like Comcast is going to lower its prices because of the ads!

This is similar to when AOL wanted top dollar for the dialup and at the same time bombarded their users with ads :P

[pdutia]

Originally Posted by pdutia

Thanks

I doubt it is my house wiring. I have been in this place for several years and never had a problem before.... but it could very well be that I never noticed the problem because I was in Analog mode.

Anyway, I'll check out the signal stregth today and see what's going on.

Thanks again.

An update...

This weekend, I had comast come in and take a look. They replaced the 6412 with a brand new 3416. This did not fix the problem... but at least I now have a 40GB more space for those space hogging HD recordings. Still can't figure out why I have such a bad PQ on some channels.

[caernavon]

We've had some odd breakups in a few of the programs recorded on our 6412. The playback will get to a point in the show, then pause, the audo will drop out, and there's often some severe pixilization/macroblocking as well. As far as I can recall, these are all SC recordings, and it's not all shows we've recorded.

We're in Boston/Comcast, and the 6412 is connected to the TV via a DVI-HDMI cable. Has anyone else seen effects like these?

[Dave Harper]

Originally Posted by Savman

You aren't talking about "Comcast"-Atlanta are you? If so, "Comcast" up there uses the Motorola, or "GM" as they are still labeled in the Atlanta area.

I think you mean "GI" for General Instruments, whom /\/\otorola bought out a few years back, no?

I know Alpharetta, GA uses the /\/\otorola boxes. I helped install my uncle's box down there a year or so back.

[mterzich]

Originally Posted by pdutia

An update...

This weekend, I had comast come in and take a look. They replaced the 6412 with a brand new 3416. This did not fix the problem... but at least I now have a 40GB more space for those space hogging HD recordings. Still can't figure out why I have such a bad PQ on some channels.

Earlier you stated that the problems were one the SD channels and you changed from analog to digital for the first 100 channels so it doesn't appear to be a wiring problem. How you tried to split the cable and a connect to the analog RF connection on the back of the TV to see if the same results occur? If they do and the station that is giving you problems is local, do you have a indoor antenna to determine if it is the station that is giving the problems?

[pdutia]

Originally Posted by mterzich

Earlier you stated that the problems were one the SD channels and you changed from analog to digital for the first 100 channels so it doesn't appear to be a wiring problem. How you tried to split the cable and a connect to the analog RF connection on the back of the TV to see if the same results occur? If they do and the station that is giving you problems is local, do you have a indoor antenna to determine if it is the station that is giving the problems?

Thanks

Yes, I did try to plug the cable into the TV directly... and that seems to have the problem as well, although not as proninced.

I don't have an antenna to test if the problem is with NBC or with Comcast. However I di assume that if the problem was with NBC (which is the worst affected), then there would have been many more comments in this forum.

I am convinced that the problem is more with Comcast... probably pretty local to my area.

Anyway, I guess I'll live with it for now... I try to avoid the SD stuff in any case.

[mterzich]

Originally Posted by pdutia

Thanks

Yes, I did try to plug the cable into the TV directly... and that seems to have the problem as well, although not as proninced.

I don't have an antenna to test if the problem is with NBC or with Comcast. However I di assume that if the problem was with NBC (which is the worst affected), then there would have been many more comments in this forum.

I am convinced that the problem is more with Comcast... probably pretty local to my area.

Anyway, I guess I'll live with it for now... I try to avoid the SD stuff in any case.

I don't know about SD but KNTV HD has been having problems lately especially late at night. Also, KPIX HD was having problems usually during early afternoon but those seem to have been resolved.

[ncaahoops]

Originally Posted by caernavon

We've had some odd breakups in a few of the programs recorded on our 6412. The playback will get to a point in the show, then pause, the audo will drop out, and there's often some severe pixilization/macroblocking as well. As far as I can recall, these are all SC recordings, and it's not all shows we've recorded.

We're in Boston/Comcast, and the 6412 is connected to the TV via a DVI-HDMI cable. Has anyone else seen effects like these?

I noticed a couple of occassions of that but it was very short. I get these occasionally, I don't know if there's a pattern. A couple of times the fast forward got stuck, and I had to "push" it by either 1x playback or jumping ahead with the +30s button