Monterey, CA - HDTV - Page 10

Patrick,

Thanks for the information. I appreciate your persistance. I have tried repeatedly to get info on this. I really do not want to switch to Direct, but was just about to call them. I dont need 80 HD channels-just about 4 more. ABC is #1 on my list.

I hope it shows up. I find it strange that they do not make good news known ASAP...oh well

My comcast box is now listing channel 720 as FSN. No announcment from Cmocast or shows yet but looks like we might be getting one or two channels for/around x-mas

From Red Dana, KQED, KQET Viewer Services

The damaged combiner from the KQET transmitter has not yet returned. Turns out it needed replating as well as rebuilding, and is now not expected back until after Christmas. Meanwhile, a little jury-rigging has allowed KQET-DT to operate, but at only 25% power, so some viewers may now be able to receive a less-than-perfect signal.

At long last.

patrick

Yeah comcast-two new HD channels. One of them is even showing content (ABC). What is up with FSN on 720 not showing anything?

Does this mean Monterey Comcast will also have ABC-HD soon? Puh-LEASE say "Yes!"

OK. Yes. Channel 707 is "KGOHD".

Pleasant surpise to findKGO 7 (707) & FSN HD (720) show up on my TiVo & comcast boxes yesterday. Not so pleasant: the 2 NBA games were in badly cropped 480i. HD programming didn't start until 8PM and was gone this morning. Only Comcast would give us a part-time HD station!

Hallelujah! Progress at last!

Thanks, Patrick, for your persistence. This is great news. If there are no further HD additions I will still be happy. Especially if SDV never rears its head around here. Now, if TiVO will just update the data for KGO-707...

Yup, I filed a "fix the channel map" with Tivo last week. Should be fixed shortly, or I'll refile the report. My S3 is showing the same lack of channel info. They eventually fix them but you must goad them by filing a report.

You should do it as well.

regards,
patrick

Good news indeed! I bet we will even be given one or two more HD channels in the next year. But for now I have (finally) made the decision to stick with comcast and bought a Tivo HD. My wife is very happy-she is tired of me "thinking out loud" about what to do.

FYI: If you have not done so already; Call comcast and ask about getting HBO HD for free. I have it now a year for free. In the past I have been given 2 6 month subs for free.

I was at Costco Santa Cruz today (1/3), and lo and behold there was a stack of 3 HR20-700s sitting next to the plethora HR21s. I grabbed one for my upgrade to MPEG4, so there were 2 left. A ten minute call to D*, and I'm set for a new dish on the 14th. The CSR was very surprised any HR20s were around, and applauded me on my find as she noted HD locals are non-existant in my DMA. Phew!

Drats,

I just made the decision to stick with Comcast-this was partly based on my phone calls to Direct where 3 CSR's had no idea of the (OTA) difference between the HR20 and 21. One assured me that I would even receive my locals in HD. Of course she thought Aptos was in LA.

I am looking forward to playing with my new TIVO HD coming Monday.

FYI on the SF thread someone mentioned that beginning on 1/8/8 one no longer has to schedule a tech visit for cable card installs. You can just go to the office, pick them up and install yourself. I bet I am the first one to try it in Santa Cruz.

There is no self install in our area, at least for the moment. I cannot comment on the source in SF, but as I just endured my second Series 3 (NOTE: not the HD Tivo which is the second generation Tivo capable of high def recording off the air or via cable - but rather the first generation model called the Series 3) cable card install and it went poorly. It's all good this morning after I performed Guided set up.

I make this distinction because of the tidal wave of mis-information among installers regarding "S3 Tivos" (they lump the two very different units into one category) and the specific differences in the way they handle cable cards.

IF your new unit is in fact the "HD Tivo" by model and not by generic description of the capabilities (as both models are actually HD Tivos but not by model designation - clear as mud, eh?) then your installer can use the new "M" cards.

The "M" cards are "multistream" and thus can support dual tuners. The other cards are "S" cards and represent "single stream" so you always need two cards.

Series 3 Tivo - must use two cards, either "M" or "S" variety - if "M" cards are utilized they MUST be configured as "single stream" or the install will go to crap.

HD Tivo - can use "S" cards (2 of them) or can use one of the new "M" cards.

As I just went through this hell yesterday, it is safe to say I am current. As you must call dispatch, an inside number, and use ID so the head end knows who you are, etc, our local folks are not even close to self installs as of Friday. Given the time and grief we went through as he tried, and failed miserably to use "M" cards in my Series 3 unit, I cannot see self installs.

If yours is indeed a self install, please post the results, and I wish you luck!

regards,

patrick

ps...I re-escalated the lack of Guide data for our new KGOHD 707 with Tivo on Thursday. As they can only pass this to Tribune Media (provider of the Guide data) and Comcast it remains to be seen if the mapping will happen soon.

GOOD NEWS (so far). Just went down to the santa cruz office and picked up a M-card. They even have a one page "Cable Card Installation for Tivo" guide. The first step is to differentiate between the Tivo HD and the Series 3. The CSR even knew the difference. Tonight I will put it into the box and see if I can do it.

I will say that the SD is better with the Tivo than with the moto. I hope HD and other digital looks great!!!!

Patrick, sorry that you had a (needless) hassle with them.

Hope it goes well.

Tivo just released new software allowing viewing of online Picasa web albums. Totally rocks to see them on the 58" plasma.

You will love HD on the Tivo, completely sweet user interface. Years ahead of the rest. In fact I laugh when I see DISH adds asserting "better than Tivo". HA HA HA HA HA HA. Not even close but it is a free country, so you can think whatever you want.

Just try it, though, before you judge it and don't ever let anyone else judge for you.

regards,

patrick

some minor glitches with the cable card self install. But I will admit it might have been my impatience. I was not getting all the digital channels so i called and they "hit" the box and told me to give it an hour to get all the channels. I did and so far it is great.

My only complaint so far: When changing channels is there a way to make the banner translucent to you can see through it to the channel? Or is there a way to minimize the channel and put it in the upper right hand corner like the (gasp) moto did? I wont have a chance to really play wit it until this weekend.

thanks

Looks like KGO-HD programming info showed up on my Tivo this morning.

Thanks very much Patrick for your efforts!

-Crackers

There must some serious muck behind the scenes for such an (apparently) trivial issue to require six months of pestering and a year or more of missing service.

You're welcome, by the way.

regards,
patrick

Fantastic. I got the Tivo "lineup Change" message again, and went to read it, expecting to be uninterested once again. And the entry read "KGOHD", and my heart sped up a little. Patrick, allow me to also thank you for your persistence - I've nagged Comcast a bit each time I've swapped Cablecards out (which was all too often for a while), but I don't think I was following any particularly effective channels.

Now we just need the writers strike to end so that I can actually set up my two ABC season passes in HD. Luxury!

Amen Brother.

I've literally lost sleep over this issue by trying to figure out how the hell I was going to record the HD QAM feed already present on the wire. I was sure it would be YEARS before Comcast would resolve whatever "issue" was preventing them from moving the station into the regular lineup (they never did say anything publicly did they?).

Before I got the M card installed into my Tivo HD (which took Comcast 3 weeks to do BTW ), I was able to manually record the ABC shows I wanted from 7.1, but of course that went out the window when the card went in.

Last week the spousal unit and I actually sat and watched Greys Anatomy on live TV so we could watch in HD. Pick your poison: Commercials or crappy standard def signal. When you've been blissfully zapping ads for as long as I have (since almost day 1 on the original Tivo series 1), it's definitely painful not to be able skip them!

Anyway, I'm definitely a happy camper now!

Mark

My new Tivo HD detected a "new channel." It is now listing 720 as FOXHDWE instead of FSN. Is this a change in name only or a more significant change?

Time will tell I suppose. It is obvious, however,Comcast is feeling the heat from the satellite folks due to their significant edge in HD content. So they may be tossing us a bone until the analog channels go away - and then they can triple their HD content.

Stay tuned.

patrick

A friend told me of this site and as a techno dino I need help. Just weaned myself from the dish and want a few tips on hd antenna. Is it true that we can pick up hd with only an antenna? Which one is best for the seabright area. Are there recommended dealers for an antenna. I did the antenna web search for channels . . . do the red spectrum channels need a tall exterior antenna? Thanks for the help.

eor

We're like 3 miles or less apart. We have different locations, true, but in general we have the same line of sight.

There are too many variables to go into without knowing much more about your location.

Other than ABC HD, yes, potentially, you can receive them all. POTENTIALLY.

I sent you a PM, if you want to discuss just reply.

patrick

I've updated the Digital Channel List for the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento and Monterey/Salinas with more information, including power, antenna height and other transition details. At the request of many, I've also resorted the main list by PSIP channel number rather than transmitter channel.

I hope you find the new information to be useful and the new sort to be more easy to use.

You'll find the list at: http://www.choisser.com/sfonair.html

Larry
SF

Well the majority of the Bay Area has been or is being upgraded. Six new and popular HD channels have been added. I called Comcast and was told that there are NO plans to upgrade this area in the near future.

I had a Dish install on Sunday. Good deal on their HD only package if it fits your needs. They have their problems (awful CSR's so far, 2 year commitment, no locals in HD except for ota and no abc-hd possible). But at least I have a great DVR (VIP 722) and a lot of HD material to record. Any other local Dish HD subscribers??

I too am very frustrated by the lack of additions to the local Comcast lineup, very sparce and very much no information. They are easy to use, etc. but they are clearly falling way behind in terms of price/performance in our area.

It may be time to solicit the best deal from the sat folks. I know the new MPEG4 stuff on DTV is no longer plagued by being downrezzed - the issue which drove me from them initially.

But - What networks do you get in HD? Do you get the local networks in HD? Do you get ABC, PBS?

patrick