Colorado Springs, CO - HDTV - Page 176

I was watching a recording of Tuesday's Boston Legal and KRDO put a scroll on the bottom of the screen showing election results. What was surprising is that the show remained in HD albeit scrunched. Hope that continues for future scrolls. Now if we could get KKTV to do the same....

I just wish KKTV would drop the scrolls all together... "*Gasp* Someone saw a snow flake! Run a continuous scroll!!"

I didn't notice much difference in PQ - although, as you said, native passthrough would help. What's your 4:3 Override set to? This can definitely affect SD PQ.

I currently have the 4:3 Override set to "Off". I had tried both 480i and 480p and came to the conclusion that "Off" seemed the best. 480p was the worst. It was a really soft, almost a blurry kind of picture. It definately took the sharpness out.

What I really notice the most is the amount of artifacts/pixels I see in any fast motion kind of stuff. I noticed these very little on the Moxi but it really stands out now. On HD it's not so bad but it's still there. The SD channels are the worst.

I guess my Sony just did a better job at handling the signal directly than does the DVR.

Interesting. If it's set to OFF, then the DVR will upconvert SD to whatever your HDMI/YPbPr OUTPUT is set to. Setting it to 480i will just pass through the signal. Wouldn't hurt to try HDMI. You can pick up a cable at WM for ~$30 and just take it back if it's not noticeably better.

What model Sony do you have?

I have the KDF-55WF65. I've always had YPbPr cables laying around so that's what I used when I first hooked everything up. I have the DVR set to ouput at 720p (my native resoultion). Whether there's any difference between this and the DVR default of 1080i I couldn't really tell.

This might just be the prompt I need to give HDMI a try. If it doesn't affect the picture at all at least it'll clear up some of the cable clutter.

I noticed little to no difference going from the MOXI to the 6412 or from the 6412 to the 3416. If you've checked all your cables and it's still having problems, you might try a box swap.

And I'm with ya on the clutter

Question for Comcaster or anyone else the uses Comcast HD here in the Springs:

I have both a Moxi (downstairs) and a Moto 6412 (upstairs). And honestly both boxes are fine (especially since my Harmony remote can send the skip function to the 6412). But I've really been wanting to watch more of the HD On Demand stuff. I subscribe to *all* of the premium services, so there is a lot of content available.

But on my Moxi, I cannot get *any* Dolby Digital 5.1 sound for any HD (On Demand or not). I am using the SPDIF optical output going to my digital receiver/decoder, and I have Dolby Digital set in the Audio options in the Moxi. Is this a problem with the Moxi, or with Comcast, or with the content from HBO/Sho/etc? I doubt it's the source material because I never get 5.1 DD even with local HD channels. So is Comcast not sending the digital sound, or is the Moxi not sending it via the optical output?

The 6412 is only connected to a regular TV and doesn't have any DD decoder. But does the 6412 produce DD 5.1 for the HD channels and the HD On Demand? If it does, then I'd actually be happy to swap out the Moxi for it.

Also, I noticed in the 6412 service menu that the DVI output is disabled. Is there a way to enable this? Does Comcast provide any DVR that has a working DVI or HDMI output?

I'd really like to get a STB that outputs DD 5.1 and has a digital video output of some kind. The current Comcast On Demand stuff could really be a killer app if both of these issues were dealt with. As it is, it's still much much better to just rent DVDs for me here. So I'd appreciate any advice on this to decide which STB I need to be using. Thanks!

Nevermind, I'm a complete idiot. I thought I had checked the optical cable carefully, but I noticed that even though I could see the red light from the back of the Moxi, there wasn't any red light at the end of the cable. Yep, I just had a bad optical cable (my first). Replaced it and now I get DD 5.1 from the Moxi.

Now I just need to try out the DVI and see if it's enabled and working.

Still curious about the DVI support in the 6412 though.

No luck at all with the DVI on the Moxi. I have a Screenplay 7205, which is supposed to be fully HDCP compliant via DVI. I have the 4.1 software update on the Moxi. Connected the DVI and reset the Moxi several times and never got any picture. Does Comcast have the DVI disabled somehow? Does the 6412 have DVI? Does *any* DVR from Comcast have DVI that works?

The reason I need DVI is that I have an anamorphic lens for watching 2.35:1 aspect movies on my 2.35:1 screen. This requires the InFocus 7205 to be set to the Letterbox aspect mode, which unfortunately only works on its DVI input. So watching 2.35:1 movies with my anamorphic lens works great with DVDs on my PC via DVI and I'd like to get the same for the Comcast HD On Demand movies.

It's been a while since I had the MOXI, but the DVI worked fine for me (going to an older Hitachi RP CRT).

The 64xx Phase II boxes have DVI, but not sure if you can find one.

Well I changed over to HDMI. It's hard to tell but I think the picture quality is better. Either way, most of what I watch is in HD and the quality is still pretty good. Plus I was able to clear up some cable clutter. I'll stick with it. Thanks for all your suggestions.

Hey Comcaster, any idea when we might see the CW in HD?

UPDATE
This was all my fault. I noticed today that the settings on my tv were set to a mode called "Vivid". Basically this enhanced the picture in such a way that it increased the sharpness while at the same time turning off the built in noise reduction. I'm not sure how it got into this mode. I feel like I should blame it on the dog so I don't look so dumb. Anyway, this is what caused all the edgyness. Once I discovered this I put the tv back into "Standard" mode and that was it. My picture is back to what it was when I had the Moxi. I'm glad that's over with.

Okay...now I know this is not technically an HD issue...but it really is bugging the crap out of me with this NBC thing. Does anyone else notice on the regular analog NBC channel 5 on comcast basic cable notice they are using the HD feed? The Sunday Night Football game looked horrid and so did Saturday Night Live. The picture looks like it would if you have that zoom option on your TV turned on and you can see the HD logo in the bottom left corner. I went to my HD that I get my HD over the air with and I see it...its not the stupid advertisement that says its in HD....

I emailed the comcrap tech support and this is what they told me


..........are all comcast people retards?

well..that comcaster guys seems alright....maybe he can slap some of these other comasters around some

According to http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=914047, DirecTV added Altitude-HD and Fox Sports Rocky Mtn-HD on 644-1 and 645-1 today, along with some more national HD and pay per view HD channels. I can't check for a while, but those will be nice to have especially with Nuggets and Avs in HD. I was wondering why they hadn't shown up in October when the NBA and NHL seasons started.

I've noticed that, too - only on NBC/KOAA. I've only got basic service right now (i.e., no cable box), and it appears my TV automatically zooms the feed to full screen, cutting off the left and right edges. I can see the "D" of the HD logo, and some commercials are obviously chopped off. Can't get it to pull back, no matter what setting i've got my TV on. Yet another reason to upgrade to a 16:9 HDTV I guess...

That's good to hear, although I'm wondering how much stuff will actually be in HD (other than Avs & Nuggets games). What I'm most wondering about are college football games and English Premiere League soccer games.

Can anyone report on if either of those are in HD on the new HD channels?

Thanks,
Rob

There are college football games that are shown nationally on Saturdays by being aired on multiple local Fox Sports channels. These are generally in HD. I am not sure about the soccer games.

They are shown on the Dish Network FSRM HD channel and presumably will now be on Direct TV.

Roy

Haven't been here in awhile, but I was curious if anyone has heard anything about Falcon Broadband? It seems their regular prices are comparable to Comcast's triple play. I would be paying in the $90's for HD cable, DVR, and internet service? Anyone have any experience with them? Thanks!

I just completed my home theater and now I'm in need of a second DVR. I have a Moxi right now, but I understand that Comcast doesn't supply those anymore. I believe that Comcast now supplies Motorola DVRs. I have seen a bunch of model numbers thrown around. Can anyone tell me which Motorola model numbers are available through Comcast in Colorado Springs? I believe some models have larger hard drives, so I want to try and request the model number with the largest hard drive, since I'll be recording HD. It would be nice if the model could be upgraded to the Tivo software if Comcast ever brings that to our area, as I hear the interface is pretty bad on the Motorola boxes.

Also, does anyone run the Moxi's DVI output through an HDMI switching receiver such as my Denon 987? I know the Moxi used to not work through switching receivers, but I'm trying to find out if it works now.

Thanks,
Guy

Digital Man, really enjoyed your construction thread. wow, two years in the making, i'm impressed with the thoughtfulness you put into the project. your comment about the family watching shrek brought a smile to my face. that is the reward for all the hard work i'm sure, having the kids and wife finally enjoy the end-product.

congrats, and i'm waiting on the final photos...

Thanks!

Guy

The 64xx series has a built in analog tuner and the 34xx series is for digital only.

Any model number ending in 12 has a 120 gb hdd; if it ends in 16, it'll have a 160 gb hdd.

The DCH is the newest model and actually uses an m-card (like the Tivo series 3 boxes).

Thusly, the DCH3416 is the newest model and has the largest drive. They had quite a few in the office last time I visited. The Tivo software should work with this model (and yes, the iGuide is bad, but gets a little better with each release).

Thanks, that's exactly the info I need. I'm getting ready to call them now.

Guy

Hi Comcaster,
I was wondering if NFL Network in HD is still suppose to launch in CSprings about this time?
I'm really looking forward to seeing the Thursday night games in HD!

Check channel 760.

or 676 in p-town.

I don't know how to capture just part of a quote, so forgive me for taking the entire thing.

This was looked at quite closely late last week when Horrid mentioned it. Funny thing is that I saw it occurring the same night as the post - but only through one program/show, then it self-corrected. The engineering folks looked at the signal for quite some time the next day and it wasn't occuring. The issue may be coming from KOAA (or maybe not) in that comcast takes the fiber signal that is given and drops it right onto the ADS lineup. What is curious about this is the later post that said it was occuring for someone without a digital box. that is interesting because the non-ads analog signal is coming off air without any interpretation - straight from cheyenne mountain.

The engineers said they would keep looking for the error.

BTW, Horrid, sorry for the service you received. Unfortunately the online chat team is not based in Csprings. This would have been a time where calling the 800Comcast number would have helped. you would have reached someone actually in colorado springs that could have pulled up the same signal that you were looking at to better isolate the issue. Not your problem, i know....

Not to step across the line again (learned my lesson before) but - Falcon is available in a limited area in peyton/falcon. They are going into the first phase of Banning Lewis Ranch and they announced that they are going to build into Flying Horse Ranch. That's it. They claimed they were building N of Platte, W of academy, E of Union and S of Austin Bluffs when the franchise was passed a year ago, but a recent phone call over there said that area was "at least 18 months away if ever" (quote from call center agent in August 2007).

Finally, an exceptionally toned down shot over the bow - look very closely at what you are promised before taking the leap (provided you even live in one of these areas). I have done some pretty detailed comparisons of DTV/Qwest, Dish, Falcon, Porchlight and Comcast - if you truly put apples-to-apples and compare price (including comparable packages, additional boxes, HD, HD/DVRs), install fees, channels (SD and HD), internet speed, service, taxes, features (VOD, internet speed, Voip structure, calling features), benefits etc you will find that marketing is exactly that, a bit of a game. And that will end my *very* measured response

Thanks for that reply. I do live in one of the Falcon BB areas, and I know my double play fees with Comcast will end soon. I didn't account for the tax fees, but after all that it should still be cheaper than what I am expecting my Comcast bill to be. I guess I'm more concerned with how their overall service is, but it seems nobody has any experience with them.

Kickson - you may be in luck. If you only have video and internet on a promotional offer (a double play), you can likely repackage into a 12 month promotional triple play offer by including phone service. Assuming you have digital cable with internet (non promotional at approx $97/mo to $109/mo + a la carte programming, taxes, etc), you can go to digital cable, internet and phone for about $113/mo + a la carte, taxes, etc). There are a lot of variables, but generally by adding phone you can re-up into a triple play promotional package/price.