H2160MW9A won't work with Comcast

First, the digital channels you see in other devices, like a HDTV, may not be the same in the 2160, esp. the subchannel numbers, as explained here.

Other Comcast subs are reporting the same sudden loss of QAM channels, and the only thing you can do w/o their box is to try an All-or-Nothing Manual Channel Preset Procedure, as described here.

Probably be best and easiest to just do all your recording from the cable box through a line input now (which is much better than through RF channel 3).

For instructions on how to hook it up that way (to record from an external tuner through a line input), consult the manual.

Then, for any further information on how to set up the actual recordings, just ask here or in the Magnavox sticky thread at the top of this page.

Comcast's DTAs (Digital Transport Adapters) do not have line outputs, only RF. They were free when I got mine, but I would have to rent their cable box converters if I wanted line outs.

The Magnavox will tune the digital channels Comcast sends "in the clear." Those are the channels that have different channel numbers than the DVR, ie., the Maggy's QAM tuner is tuning their actual frequency in the QAM span, rather than the arbitrary number Comcast assigns to it. No, there isn't a way to make them match.


Not really, unless you count the Comcast provided cable box, or a self-purchased DVR.

You could have saved yourself a bunch of phone calls and needless troubleshooting by simply GOOGLE'ing or SEARCHing here for 2160A Comcast.

Same old same old that we've been discussing here for a few weeks now:

Magnavox 2160A & Comcast: Lost *ALL* My DTV Channels!!! Be sure to try other 'Clear QAM' devices you own before going nuts over trying to get the 2160A to see them again. Since my EZ-17 DVDR and LC195SLX LCD TV both still saw the 'Clear QAM' channels, I was confident that my 2160A eventually would once again.

Good Luck!

AFAIK, all Comcast 'Extended Basic' subscribers were entitled to ONE *FREE* 'On-Demand' / Menu Guide / RF and Composite OUT STB and TWO *FREE* RF OUT DTAs.

A good source for Comcast info is:

DSLReports: Comcast Cable TV
(LOTs of Newbies "Crying in their beer" regarding 'Clear QAM'...)

Comcast has now been able to limit us extended basic customers who have refused to change our plans and are now at the mercy of only 3 ways per household without any additional fees to enjoy what we are not paying for. Limited basic technically only allows up to channel 31. Through clear QAM we have been able to "see" more than that even though we are not paying for it. While many people may not be able to afford to pay for more content, we are not entitled nor should be in any way, to get what we do not pay for. When it was possible, it was nice and many took advantage of it. While Comcast has given us "3" loopholes now, those may be taken away also. The decision must be made to either keep complaining and miss the opportunity we have now, or find ways to endure what has happened and enjoy life. While most here already know this, there are a lot of people that are waking up to the fact.

This should not have caught anyone by surprise. It's been coming for 2 years and they issued announcements of their intent including sending out the DTA's. The FCC requires they only transmit publicly broadcast content in the clear. One of the reasons the cable companies took as long as they did to implement is they required an FCC waiver to enable the decryption circuitry in the DTA's.

Ahem ... actually some of us ARE paying for it. The same issue complicates life for those of us on the full digital tier -- the recordings made from the cable box are not as GOOD as the ones made from the QAM signal, so even though I can make them that way, for the most part I get a far better recording by using the QAM vs the output of the full set top box. I do not get the jiggly white lines at the top from the underscan that plagues the moto box s-video output, and I get a sharper picture. The only thing I record via the box is pay per view and channels that I can't pick up other ways. I don't mind WATCHING the STB to tv programs, connected by HDMI, but I do not like recording from it since it loses a lot in 'translation'.

In the spring of 2009 the clear QAM version of TVLand on sub-channel 106.10 had such great prints of Hogan's Heroes that I set to recording them, editing out commercials and dubbing them to DVDs with my Magnavox 2080. It wasn't long before Comcast scrambled the clear QAM version of TVLand. After that TVLand wasn't worth watching through a converter box or DTA.

Perhaps consumers should contact the cable networks to complain that their service is no longer available for the millions of cable subscibers that formerly used their own clear QAM tuner-equipped devices to view cable programming. Another thought, if consumers can no longer view the cable networks they can no longer view the commercials that bring in the "big bucks" for cable networks. That might get some action in this economy where every "buck" counts.

Hi guys!

I actually just bought the Magnavox, and also have Comcast - with the free DTA.

And, quickly found out the same thing - can't get most of the channels, unless I make the DVR a "slave" to the DTA - which limits my ability to program future recordings.

I've seen references to "IR blasters"...

- Are there any IR blasters that can be programmed (maybe from a computer over a wireless network) to change channels at certain times? IE Could I set one up to change the channel on the DTA just before the DVR begins recording?

- And/or - any recommendations for DVRs that have internal hard drives and that include the IR blaster (or a place to plug one in)?

I'm googling like I've never googled before but am pretty lost. Still have old analog CRT TVs, and this is my first attempt at a DVR.

Thanks - the info in this forum has been HUGELY helpful so far!

-jen

IR blasters were generally built into DVD recorders. I don't know of any that could be added to machines that didn't use them out of the box. I think all the DVD recorders that had IR blasters are off the new market now. eBay is your best bet.

Ones with hard drives, anyway. There are still a few, non-hard drive DVD recorders around with them, though (I don't know if any are still actually being manufactured, but they can still be found on the internet new).

You can!

The OTA antenna channels are the "Broadcast Basic" channels that are always in the clear to an antenna, and to a cableco, which isn't *supposed* to scramble them before sending them on to its subs.

The "Broadcast Basic" tier is specifically mentioned in the Comm. Act of 1996 as those still regulated and to be unscrambled.

ROckinroll69: We pick up about 22 channels OTA, but since there's only one antenna input on the recorder, if you're trying to capture both (antenna AND cable), you would need to install a small adapter that takes both the coax from the cable feed and the coax from the ota antenna on one side, and it feeds out by a single coax on the opposite end. There's a toggle switch so you can go back and forth between the two. You just have to remember to flip it from OTA to cable, or vice versa when you are recording from a different source.

I finally ended up feeding OTA directly into the tv, instead of the recorder, since mostly I watch it when the recorders are busy with something else, or if the cable has gone out. BTW, the picture quality is better on the OTA for us than via the cable box or the direct coax cable feed. If your CRT tv doesn't have a digital tuner and you want the free antenna feed to go directly to the tv, you could use a CECB box (the ones they were giving away coupons for last year) to translate the over the air digital tv signal for your old tv.... but it's actually easier to use the 2160's tuner for that purpose. Antenna input to 2160, and from 2160 out by the best quality cable (composite, s-video, component, HDMI) that will work with your tv to the tv's auxilliary input. You also probably can use the RF passthrough on the 2160 to go directly to the tv's antenna input, which will allow you to watch one program while recording .
another.

If your aunt wants to have the FULL cable array, she probably will eventually need to get a set top box from the cable company to feed the recorder, but the over the air stuff works great with the 2160, so she should be happy with that for regular channel viewing /recording.

Satellite, you'll need their equipment/boxes to receive anything at all. You can't use the Maggy's tuner or anything other than the line inputs.

Here's a photo showing a digital tuner Magnavox ZV450MW8 with an antenna connected to the RF input for viewing/recording OTA through the Magnavox internal ATSC tuner and an unseen Comcast converter box connected to the composite inputs (yellow video and white/red audio). The Magnavox remote control SOURCE button switches between the inputs. The Magnavox is connected to an unseen TV through the composite outputs. (Please disregard the S-Video output connection, it's not relevant to this post.)

That might not be a good idea, since both the Philips and Magnavox versions of these machines have to rescan each time you switch from OverTheAir to cable or the other way around.

You can scan for OTA, or for cable, but you can't set the machine up for both at the same time.

With the amount of time it'd take to rescan each time you want to "throw the toggle switch", it'd probably be better to just get two machines and set one up with an antenna and the other with a cable feed.

Expensive, yeah, but a whole lot saner than trying to use both sources on one machine.

Yeah, you're absolutely right... I'd forgotten about that rescanning issue when I posted, sorry. But, thinking back to my old set up, i used to feed the OTAantenna into a cecb or an old DVD recorder --ideally one with an atsc tuner, then feed that to line input on the Maggie.. The internal tuner had the cable channels. Not a great solution, resolutionwise, since you're turning digital overtheair to analog, but it looks better than nothing and it's cheaper than a second recorder for casual viewing. If they have an old coupon box handy it's worth a try , but I'd definitely agree, a second Maggie is always a good option.

I've been discussing this situation for a short while with a few of the regular posters on this fine thread. In our city, Comcast is making the full digital switchover ("digital migration" in Comcast's marketing-speak) on November 30, however all but the local broadcaster's QAM channels, and a few others, have already been scrambled. On November 30, they will shut off the analog channel stream. I must admit, it is a bit confusing, and somewhat misleading on Comcast's part regarding those of us with analog TVs. When the move to DTV occurred, Comcast told everyone that "there was no need to worry, as the analog channels would continue to be available." They just didn't tell us for how long!!

Admittedly, the move to full digital is technically a good one, as it frees up frequency spectrum (5 digital channels for 1 analog channel), as well as allowing for increased broadband speeds. However, it is a "big hit" for those who have the latest and greatest kilo$ 1080p flat panel with a nice QAM tuner, or us on this thread with the superlative H2160-series. Comcast's move to scramble all QAM channels in the Expanded Basic tier is tantamount to a hypothetical move in, say the mid-80s: Everyone was purchasing TVs with cable-ready tuners at that time, and what if each cable company still required the use of their own STB, aka a converter in those days. People would have been furious!

As soon as I received the letter from Comcast informing me of the "end date" for the digital migration in our service area, I ordered the "free" STB (a decade old Motorola DCT2000-series), and 2 ea. "free" DTAs. I have not implemented any, and will not until the week of November 21. Many STBs allow for timer recording to a VCR or DVDR, but the basic DCT2000 series does not. NOTE: The still available as new, and excellent, Panasonic DMR-EA18 tunerless DVDR (no HD) does include an IR Blaster, and firmware to control the channel changing on STBs, and I've confirmed that it does work with the DCT2000 that I have here.

When using the DTA through the use of two 2-way splitters and an A/B Switch, the H2160A can be used to record the encrypted channels on a timer basis, however, the DTA must be left ON, and the H2160A's timer must ALWAYS be set to Channel 3. With the A/B Switch, the Maggie can directly record the locals on clear QAM, bypassing the DTA.

Has the capability and versatility of the H2160-series been compromised with Comcast's digital migration and encryption of all "worthwhile" cable channels - you betcha' it has!. But so have all other units without CableCARD capability. For those of us who are time-shifters, or love archiving old movies on TCM, Comcast's digital migration complicates the process substantially. Of course, TiVo with a multi-stream CableCARD solves the problem, and its output can be streamed to either a PC, or to a DVDR - BUT, at a cost!

All of Comcast subscribers here on this thread are aware of this problem and challenge, but in a weird way, I'm looking forward to November 30, as I assure you that there will be an uproar in this community once the "non-geeks" discover that they can no longer timer record their favorite program, or archive a movie, on their VCRs or DVDRs as they've been doing for over 20 years. It's going to be very interesting!

Yes, Comcast began to scramble all channels. It is not just Magnavox H2160A. All TVs, DVRs, HDRs and video devices with QAM tuners are now useless. They want you rent their set top boxes for every device. Good for them to make money for them but very inconvenient for consumers and defy the purpose of including a tuner for TV.

I'd wait until December 15 or so until the Comfat lady sings!

Ever wonder why you have to "activate" a box they give you free that only has crappy output quality? (Interestingly, according to Bicker1, DTAs only deal with privacy, they don't decrypt. WTH!)

Here's my recurring dream scenario.

A Swedish friend of mine in the Witness Protection Program tells me that Comcast's warning letters are part of a 2-Stage Viewer Capture Program (VCP). It was designed by Comcast's head marketer, Rudy Johansson, who is a native of Stockholm, Sweden.

Stage 1 is designed to make you an angry but helpless captive, and Stage 2 is designed to convert you to a WILLING PARTICIPANT in your captivity along the lines of Rudy's first professional program, the Stockholm Syndrome Project.

In Stage 1, they announce that people will be losing their old, comfortable TV at a specified date in the future. This gives them X months to capture your imagination and play some NEW "cable games" that the digital transition laid in their lap.

Stage 1 starts when they send out their Capture letters. Then, to engender the utmost fear, they don't wait for their own stated date, they start deleting the analogs and "scrambling" (privatizing?) most of the existing digitals immediately. No one will question WTH the "specified date" in the letter was the date all about!?

Abject fear will drive people to Comcrappy boxes prematurely… they KNOW most people don't want to "lose their TV" for even a day, but they're ALREADY losing it! They also know that people who start using them won't like those boxes and will quickly want to order the cableco's "real" higher-quality fee-based boxes... not just because of their Comcrappy quality, but also because it makes timer-recording multiple channels to a non-fee-based recorder more difficult and could easily force people to one of their fee-based DVRs... the cableco "holy grail."

Stage 2 now starts where people grumble and groan but decide there's no escape from the ever-crueler captivity and eventual doom. Many people quickly relent and try the Comcrappy boxes and actually "activate" them, signaling the initial success of Stage 2: converting people to WILLING PARTICIPANTS IN THEIR CAPTIVITY. These people are now proudly listed in Comcast records as Rudy's Premature Ejaculators (RPE).

Most RPE have above-average TV equipment and value quality, so they even begin to order fee-based DVRs and upgrade their service, well before the dreaded "full-captivity" date... they've now become CONFIRMED RPEs, or CRPEs, and fully invested in their own captivity!

Comcast marketeers will be able to start counting the CRPEs as "enhanced billing units" and be assured that more will come ("they'll be back!").

On the other hand, those with patience will see a completely new channel alignment with clear-QAM digital channels and the old analogs also on digital channels… AFTER THE 'SPECIFIED" FULL-CAPTIVITY DATE OF COURSE!

On the other hand, CRPEs will not even LOOK for anything different due to their Stockholm Syndrome, which convinces them that Comcast is a nice company that's doing everything they can tp enhance their viewing experience.

My confidential source was not certain on this, and he's got to be careful cuz he thinks there might be a "snitch" in his Witness Protection Force, but he thinks they've been trapping the PEs during the run-up period to seal the deal, i.e., make sure they won't be able to find the moved analogs later, like the day after the cut-off date? Nah, they wouldn't be that nasty!

Of course, some people will HAVE to activate because they can't afford a new TV or upgraded digital service but, still, even they don't have to do that until the Comfat lady sings! Those people will be served well by the free Comcrappy boxes that de-privatize the digitals so they can use the DTA like their TV tuner, so not much changed for them… and the FCC is happy because lots of low- or fixed-income people aren't complaining.

Analog programs on digital channels are no big deal to a cableco,.. I've got some on digital channels now, and many people being charged more for a "digital" pkg are actually getting analog programs and the channels register as analog in their Tivos. And, after all, they just said people would "lose" their analog channels, but they're certainly not gonna tell you where to find them!.

Hey, I'd make a good Comcast strategizer/marketeer... maybe head of Rudy's Captivity Retention and Augemtation Program (CRAP)!?

It's hard to remember a dream accurately, but I think this covers it pretty well. Now, if only this dream scenario comes true!

Well, it is the other way around. This is what happened in Philly yesterday and Pittsburgh today: after enjoying the analogs on clear-QAM digital channels since forever ago, Comcast began scrambling those channels.

Hi folks! If i can make a quick suggestion it would be this: DUMP COMCAST. I used to have many of the problems you all are having too. Very frustrating. When i had comcast the problems never seemed to end. Then i called E*. After getting satellite service most if not all the problems suffered by cable subscribers,or should i say victims, evaporated in a NY minute. Do yourselves a favor, lower your chances of having a heart attack, enhance your tv viewing time, and generally make life less stressful. Call dish network. Just my .02 cents. G.

Yeah, I've been telling people about that here for a couple of years, too. As long as you don't need service to multiple TV's, and you're able to put up a dish in the right spot, it can be a lot cheaper, and most of their tuners have fully-featured manual timer-setting abilities (they also have that "HD free for life" promo going on right now, too).

I only pay $40.00 a month (no taxes) for a basic SD package, with service to two TV's, and that's with locals - without would be even 5 bucks cheaper (no TCM in that lowest package, though - which might matter to certain people here - you know who you are. Next package up has it, though).

Also, I should mention, for those that think it's a major issue, that my signal doesn't really go out any more than my old Comcast service did (really, really heavy rains). And when it does, it's only for a minute - with Comcast, it was usually more like an hour and a half.

The tuner with the timers is what really makes it worth having more than anything, though (I have the 322).

For anyone who's considering U-Verse an an alternative, they should know that their non-DVR tuners have no way to change the channels on their own.

In my Comcast area, all the analogs above 22 (everything other than locals and public access, cspan etc.) have been turned off. AFA clear QAM it's about the same channels, local HDs and a couple shopping channels.
Without a cable box or DTA it's really a very pathetic selection. And yes they are gone, I tried a rescan on my analog DVDR as well as a clear QAM HDTV.

Colloquor, see if your cable co offers a DCT2500 - as the 2500 has the timer recording' feature intact. This is a slightly newer than a DCT2000 STB. It is slightly smaller and has silver buttons instead of the black ones like on the DCT2000.

I'm not with Comcast but here is my story.

The timer recording' feature is software based. I had the Motorola DCT2000-series for a decade and at one time my cable company offered the timer recording' feature with the DCT2000. A few years ago when my cable co updated the software (added multiple fav channel lists, better search function, etc) at that time the timer recording' feature disappeared. I was really mad and phoned the cable co - they told me that the new features are taking up too much memory and to try and find a used DCT2500. (my cable company lets subscribers buy and sell DCTs as long as they originally came from an authorised seller and the GI number is on their system)

Anyway, I got a used Motorola DCT2500 for $30 and the nice timer recording' feature is indeed there. Apparently the DCT2500 has more memory and is able to handle more software-based features

http://www.novusnow.ca/pdfs/DCT2500.pdf