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San Francisco, CA - Comcast

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#1 ·
This thread continued from...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=357896


Thank you.


(Copy of First Post)

San Francisco Bay Area Comcast Information

============================================================ ==============


This thread contains posts regarding Comcast HDTV service in the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose Bay Area. (This covers San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Sonoma, and Napa counties.)


For Solano County see note below.


To summarize status as of August, 2006:

HD Channels:


Note: Not all channels are available everywhere. Check with your local Comcast office, or better yet, post the question here as you will get the most accurate, up to date, information from this group. Having a location/city in your profile helps tremendously.


702 KTVU-DT (FOX) 720p & DD 5.1

703 KNTV-DT (NBC) 1080i & DD 5.1

704 KRON-DT (MyTV) 1080i

705 KPIX-DT (CBS) 1080i & DD 5.1

707 KGO-DT (ABC) 720p & DD 5.1

709 KQED-DT (PBS) (on air 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.) 1080i & DD 5.1


719 INHD (encrypted in most areas) 1080i

720 INHD2 (encrypted in most areas) 1080i (FSNBA-HD see note below)


FSN Bay Area HD (some Warriors, A's and Giants games inserted onto 720, pre-empting INHD2 programming) FSN Bay Area Website-- HD Schedule


722 Discovery HD Theater 1080i & DD 5.1

723 ESPN HD (encrypted in most areas) 720p & DD 5.1

725 ESPN2 HD (encrypted) 720p & DD 5.1

HD Special Events

-- NFL Channel HD (NFL Game of the Week, Weds. and Thurs. Evenings)

-- INHD programming (third INHD feed) whenever NBA game is on INHD

-- Other HD programming TBA


730 HBO HD West (encrypted) 1080i & DD 5.1

732 Cinemax HD West (encrypted) 1080i & DD 5.1

734 Starz HD West (encrypted) 1080i & DD 5.1

736 Showtime HD West (encrypted) 1080i & DD 5.1

Note re encryption: This varies from one head end to the next. Some premiums and/or ESPN HD and/or InHD may be unencrypted in your area, but that will change as soon as Comcast gets all the necessary equipment to encrypt. Only the local HD channels will be "in the clear" once all the head ends have the proper equipment.

Note re ADS: ADS, or Analog-Digital Simulcasting, is when the analog channels are duplicated as digital subchannels. This allows for cheaper, smaller digital boxes as the analog tuner is not needed. ADS also eliminates the need for MPEG encoders in the DVR's. The primary advantage is the elimination of interference typically associated with analog signals.


Most 750/850MHz systems in the Bay Area have implemented ADS. The surest way of obtaining the digital versions of the analog channels is to incorporate at least one Motorola 3412 STB in your household. Once the headend receives the signal that you're in an "ADS-ready" area, your other STB's will automatically start using the digital channels. To find out if you're receiving the digital channels, tune both of your tuners to channel 2, go in to the diagnostics menu, and go to "d06 CURRENT CHANNEL STATUS". If both tuners say 'QAM 256" then you're receiving the digital version of the channel. If they say "Analog" then you are receiving the analog version of the channel.

Note re 550 Mhz systems: Not all (or any) HD channels may be available in some Bay Area systems because they are not yet "rebuilt" to either 750 mHz or 860 mHz and thus have less bandwidth to devote to HDTV. As it stands August 2006, there doesn't appear to be any plans to upgrade these systems to bring parity with the rest of the SF bay area. The prevailing assumption is that as we move closer to the analog OTA shutdown date, Comcast will be moving analog channels to digital, and thus, freeing up bandwidth for more channels and services on these systems. This looks to be a long and slow process covering years so don't expect anything new to appear on these systems anytime soon. On these systems you will NOT get: INHD*, INHD2,* FSN Bay Area HD*, Showtime HD, KRON HD and/or HD Special Events among others depending on the particular system.


But, you will pay the same rates as subscribers who do receive the full complement of channels and services. This is an inequity that Comcast, to date, has not addressed and continues to remain silent on.


These systems are located in, among other areas,


Antioch

Hayward

Los Gatos

Milpitas

Pittsburg

San Leandro

San Lorenzo

Santa Rosa

Saratoga

Sunnyvale(parts)

Vallejo

* INHD and INHD2 are available in areas of Saratoga, Milpitas and Los Gatos even though these are primarily 550 Mhz systems.

Note: Solano County. Information obtained from Comcast subscriber heyjjjaded in Vacaville.


1. Our local HD channels are all out of Sacramento

2. Unlike Sacramento though, all of our HD channels are in the 700's (the way they are in San Francisco)

3. We get standard network non-HD channels (NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox) from both Sacramento & San Francisco

4. The 800 telephone number on our Comcast brochure puts us through to the bay area

5. Our HD problems (break-ups, audio-drops, failure to switch from INHD2 to FSN HD) almost always coincide with the same problems reported by the Sacramento customers


For further Sacramento information, see the Sacramento Comcast Thread


HD Capable Set Top Box/Firmware:


Motorola 5100 and Motorola 6200


The 6200 has a faster processor and two firewire (IEEE 1394) ports.


Firmware 7.15 (7.10 in some areas). DVI and Firewire are activated with both versions but are more stable and user friendly with 7.15.


Current software is 51.88-2002.


See the rest of the thread, below, or the 5100/6200 thread in the HDTV Hardware forum for more specific information.

HD-DVR/Software:


Motorola 6412-- first became available in December 2004. (6208 was originally projected to be available November/December 2003). Costs extra $9.95 per month (or $4.95 per month more than a non-DVR HD STB rental from Comcast) above what you are otherwise paying for now.


Software for the HD DVR the iGuide, by Guideworks, a joint venture of Comcast and Gemstar-TV Guide. Software for all other HD boxes will eventually be the iGuide but has not yet been downloaded to them as of February 17, 2005.


Current firmware version for the 6412:


Current software version for the 6412: 71.44 1203 (revision should be coming in the next couple of months)



Motorola 6412 PIII--same as 6412 listed above but has HDMI video output vs DVI for the above 6412.


Current firmware version for the 6412-PIII: 12.31



Motorola 3412--same as 6412 PIII only it has no analog tuner. The 3412 is a digital-only DVR and can be used only on systems where ADS has been implemented.


Current firmware version for the 3412: 12.22


Costs:


Limited basic cable, which is required for all subscriptions, ranges from $9 to $17 per month depending on your area. HD STB rental (non-DVR) is $5 per month. To get INHD and ESPN HD, if encrypted, you need Digital Classic tier at $9.95 per month. Premium HD channels, if encrypted, are received with any a la carte or package subscription that includes the SD versions of those channels.


HD-DVR (6412-3412) cost: $4.95 more per month than the standard HD STB. To be eligible to rent the DVR you must have a subscription to Standard Cable and at least Digital Classic--average cost--$57


Note: All the above prices prices and packages will vary somewhat from area to area, check with others in your location and/or contact the local Comcast office that serves your area.



I will update this summary as information changes. If anyone has different or updated information to the above, please post it to this thread and I will incorporate it.
 
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#10,181 ·
I don't think it's a big mystery, look at the options Comcast has:


1. Spend 10 minutes to enter the correct the PSIP for the QAM channels.

Pro: every customer now has correct channel info for all their free-QAM TV tuners.

Con: it takes effort and they don't get any more money from basic cable subscribers.


2. Do nothing.

Pro: requires no effort and every basic subscriber who wants correct channel numbers now has to pay an extra $7/mo per TV, AND they can purchase PPV and VOD content ($$$$$)

Con: some customers complain, maybe they lose a few to satellite or other services.
 
#10,182 ·

Quote:
I realize we can do it with the devices you suggest (though I don't have any devices with slots for cable cards). We do have the Comcast DTA installed, to feed RF signal into our Series 2 TiVo. But I've also got the cable going directly into the TV and the DVD recorder/player.


Perhaps I wasn't clear. I meant, how do we tune into favorite channels using only the QAM tuner built into the digital TV set and the digital DVD recorder/player?


It would seem, Comcast either has a secret plan which they are unwilling to communicate clearly, or they don't care about customer satisfaction.

No, I think Comcast just thinks (and are probably correct), that the vast, vast majority of the customers will just use digital box or DTA and be content. Only a very small percentage of their customer base who frequent forums like this are technically savvy enough to want to use clear-QAM tuners to get the better picture quality/save the outlet fee/use for recording.


I'd recommend getting a TivoHD. None of these numbers to remember, dual HD recording. I watch something like 98% HD anyway now. Most of the expanded basic channels have an HD equivalent which I watch, I think the only one I watch occasionally is MSNBC. I suppose I'd seek the other channels if one of the quasi-HD channels were showing stretchovision garbage version of a show I really wanted to watch, but mostly I just ignore those shows as I have plenty of real HD to watch.
 
#10,183 ·

Quote:
Just curious, does anyone know WHY these two channels have the lowest signal strength? It seems this is a phenomenon in multiple locations around the Bay area - I'm in Los Altos, but others are in Milpitas or elsewhere. Using the signal strength meter on my Tivo HD, I see on the other HD channels about high 80's (out of 100) signal, but on these TNT HD and ESPN2 HD it is not only low but fluctuates between 30 and 55.


I probably need to replace a splitter or two as well to solve this as well, but just wondering what makes one digital frequency worse than the others.

My theory is FM radio interference, I used to have problems with these particular channels until I properly terminated all my unused splitter ends. Other channels weren't in the radio frequency band. But I could be wrong.
 
#10,186 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by TPeterson /forum/post/16611595


Ah! So now I understand why it takes so long for them to get the PSIPs fixed on the HD channels. They have to schlepp the generator around to all the headends.

I was serious with my comment. A price I saw was more than $10K, and I don't know how many streams are included at that price.
 
#10,188 ·
The retransmitted OTA HD channels already have PSIP, so they just have to avoid stripping it out. Generating PSIP for all the SD expanded basic channels is really too much to ask. Why would they spend money to add something to their signal that's not used by their equipment. I personally understand why it would be useful to customers, but there's just no business case to do it.


- Mike
 
#10,189 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by miimura /forum/post/16615989


The retransmitted OTA HD channels already have PSIP, so they just have to avoid stripping it out.

Sorry, Mike, but that's not correct. They modify the OTA PSIP info such that it's correct for the cable transmission (and so that it doesn't include all of the EIT packets
). So, evidently, they already have (at least) one PSIP-capable encoder.
 
#10,190 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by TPeterson
As per my later post, I was able to use the GUI to examine a captured file. Great! Let me know when you need another round.
I think I know why it didn't work. %$#@ legacy architecture from Windows 3.1, Winsock.dll needs to be manually loaded/started whenever you want networking. Can you try this one now?


Thanks.

 

scte65scan-0.3b3.zip 369.3896484375k . file
 

Attachments

#10,192 ·
So, here we've changed from AT&T phone & DSL to the 3 pack Comcast phone, HSI & cable. It'll cost pretty much the same as if I kept the old arrangement, with the addition of free Showtime for a year (more porn!!
). However when I checked Cinemax it was blocked, even though we have HBO and IIRC HBO & Cinemax are a package in themselves. Speedtesting HSI using Vudu's speed tests as well as the Speakeasy tests shows I'm getting an average of 16 down, 9 up. Sometimes though, it seems as if I still have DSL speeds. I realize that Internet traffic and poor equipment can cause this to happen. I'm hoping we didn't make a mistake by doing this. Is it advisable to anyone else with Comcast phone for me to have the modem on a UPS? I figure to do that but want someone's experience to back me up.
 
#10,193 ·
Was new operating software for the box (a 3416 in my case) pushed through the last few days? I left town Sunday morning and everything worked; returned last night and this morning the HDMI connection gives two seconds of picture and then the green screen of death. TV works fine with other inputs. Powering the motorola box off and back on did not fix it, nor did tuning to SD channels or changing picture resolution. I haven't switched to component connections but will probably do so tonight. Called Comcast and they suggested that my cable was probably bad. But nothing was moved or changed, and HDMI has worked fine for a couple of years.
 
#10,194 ·
No issues here with my DCH-3416 and HDMI. I actually have it plugged to a switch and then to my projector. But zero problems.


Juan: I also have triple pack and it has been working fine for me for more than six months. I don't have any UPS so I can't comment about that. Internet works really well, I had 2 laptops using VPN, one for my wife's work and one for me, different companies. They are 24/7 most of the time, I also play a lot of Xbox Live, torrents (rarely), etc. Everything works just perfect.
 
#10,196 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by juancmjr /forum/post/16620468


Is it advisable to anyone else with Comcast phone for me to have the modem on a UPS? I figure to do that but want someone's experience to back me up.

The modem/eMTA has an internal back up battery, but it's only on the phone portion. I doi keep the eMTA and a router on a small UPS - got over 10 hours out of it in one nasty storm/power outage.
 
#10,197 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Barovelli /forum/post/16624426


The modem/eMTA has an internal back up battery, but it's only on the phone portion. I doi keep the eMTA and a router on a small UPS - got over 10 hours out of it in one nasty storm/power outage.

Excellent! That's exactly what I wanted to hear. My concern regarding the phone service was if it went out during a power failure or some large disaster. Thanks Barovelli.
 
#10,199 ·
Now that you pointed it out, I checked it & it is dull, with muted colors. Getting a fair amount of macroblocking especially in crowd scenes.
 
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