Chicago, IL - Comcast - Page 54

Here's the responce I received from Comcast concerning VOD and Discovery HD:

"Thank you for contacting Comcast Cable. VOD should be available in your
area by early August, at the latest. Discovery HD Theater is set to
launch in early July. Thank you for your inquiry.
Sincerely,

Michael
Comcast Customer Care Specialist"

b

Man this is a long thread. I think I'm up to date now, after starting on page 40 and reading through til the end.

So, I'm moving next week and have a couple of questions. Last November I bought a Sony GWIII and have been anxiously awaiting HDTV of any kind ( my current building is with RCN and they don't seem to offer any good packages ). Comcast will be arriving next Wednesday to install my HD package ( near Halsted and Adams, zip is 60607 ).

1) Are any installs being done with the 5100 anymore? Or are all new installs the 6200? Should it have a FW rev of 7.07 or above? I would really love to try my DVI input.

2) Does Comcast supply either the DVI or Component cables with the install? Even if they do, should I buy my own anyway?

3) Does anyone know if VOD is available in my area? Or even DVR? It sounds like the outer suburbs are getting both, but I'm not sure if the city is getting it.

4) If the installer is a dolt, is there anything I should be aware of ( box or tv settings ) to make sure the install proceeds smoothly and prevent needing multiple tech returns?

Thank you all for the incredible information that's been provided so far. If any of these questions should be directed to another forum, please let me know.

Nick

1 - From what I've heard from my tech, the 6200s are being used on installations. The firmware version was 7.07 when I traded mine in for a 6208.

2 - The installer will bring component cables. If you want to use the DVI connector you'll have to provide the DVI cable yourself.

3 - Everything I've heard so far says that the city of Chicago will receive VOD service last. Rollout starts from the far northern/western burbs and works in toward the city. As for DVR availability, call and check with Comcast (ask for the customer retention group).

4 - If you have problems, come right back here and post a message. I'm sure someone will reply shortly.

papajackow,

We began getting "upgraded services" near downtown about a month ago. I'm near North and Wells, which I think would be the same Comcast area as your new address. HD looks great. No VOD yet. I think 3.0 Mbps Internet is available.

Comcast claimed that all installs would be with 5100's, but I insisted they put a note on the work order to bring a 6200 if available. I called back later and verified with a CSR that my note was indeed in the system. The installer showed up with a 6200.

DVR is not available now. I've been told the end of August by two CSR's, but the last installer here said by the end of this year.

Firmware is 7.07.

Tips: Be sure you are getting ALL your HD channels before the installer leaves. You will find all the HD locals, HBO, and InHD in the range of 173-192. I recommend having your own cables all hooked up and ready to plug into the 6200.

Downtown Chicago is indeed LAST to get Comcast's upgraded services. But we're almost there! Welcome to the area.

Thanks for the heads up PhillyC. I've actually been in the area for a while. I'm currently in the South Loop ( Congress and Dearborn ). My girlfriend and I just bought our first condo . I'll be sure to call Comcast and request the 6200. Do I call customer service again, or should I call Tech Support?

Also, do I want to have my non-HD channels use the S-Video? Or should everything be through my Component or DVI?

UPDATE:

Discovery HD is scheduled to launch July 1 or 2 in Chicagoland.

I was updated on the 7.07 1394 issues: The current breakups are due to the 6208/7.07 design and will only be rectified when Chicago is updated to 7.14. Chicago will be getting the 7.14 update but a release date has not been set. All I know is that it is coming. When the release date is set, I am supposed to be notified.

Well this might be a first. I just got off the phone with a Comcast rep doing a survery regarding the 6208 and my experiences with the install and the service.

Since I'm one of the few it seems that hasn't had any big problems, my answers were mostly simple. Although she did sound surprised when I responded that I hadn't had any problems. It sounded like most people she had talked to had had problems.

I did tell her about this site and other people's problems also. I told her, for me the 3 big things are: Record by program instead of time period (used Sex & City as example), bigger HD, and 2 tuner. After I explained record by program she understood (Gunsmoke is her favorite show and it also has weird start and end times). She said that the 2 tuner is also everyone else's biggest request.

Hopefully those of you who are experiencing problems will be getting a phone call soon.


tim

You can record by program - I do it all the time. Call up the program guide, select the program, and when you hit the info button you'll get an option to record it at the bottom of the screen. I think you can also hit the record button at the top of the remote to do the same thing. Is this what you're trying to do?

Thanks for the info. Thank god I've got the 6208 because I can't record a damn thing via FireWire to my Mits recorder. I hope 7.14 addresses all the known FireWire issues...

I have been doing that, but it doesn't work with programs that don't start and end on the half hour.

With Sex & the City, the episodes go from 9-9:35 and 9:35-10:10. Using the guide to select and set a recording, it records from 9-9:30 and 9:30-10. To get around this I had to manually set a timed recording. The down fall to this is once it's recorded it shows up in the DVR section as "Recording Wed. 9-9:35" instead of the program title. It's kinda a pain but it gets the job done.

Sex & the City is the only program I've tried with non 30 minute times. I'll try Letterman tonight. Also I haven't tried this live (i.e. watching a program, then having to leave so hitting record).


tim

I had the same survey call 2 days ago. They ask very basic questions. I was kind of waiting for them to ask more and I got "thank you for your time" response. The only complaint I had was that once out of evey 20 times I change a channel on HD channels picture breaks up until you hit pause then live.

Kipp,
Any idea what channel it might be assigned to?

What channel was it on when they were testing HDTV last year? I can't remember anymore.

So while I was checking the amp filters in the racks, I was still thinking about this recording thing. Could it be that since Sex & the City just started on TBS, that the settings weren't updated yet. Just thinking that I don't remember people talking about this regarding recording late night talk shows. Or maybe they did and I just didn't pay attention. I'll still check tonight.


tim

117.01 or 117.02, I think. They were on the high end of the channels picked up via QAM...

I've had success recording programs that start and end at odd times (shows on BBC America in particular). Most of the other stuff I record is padded out in half-hour blocks (movies).

Call customer service, but then call back later or the next day to make sure your request is "in the notes" on your account. Frequently, CSR's will say they're entering something, but don't.

The non-HD's look OK to me through the component on the 6200. But your TV picture adjustments may not be good for both HD and analog through the same TV input. Have not tried the DVI, since I'm using an LG 3410A with DVI for recording the HD locals. All 6200 outputs are active simultaneously, AFAIK. I do like to have the analog set up through one VCR with S-Video.

BTW, if you have no menas of recording HD yet, you can use the S-Video out to record HD programs to a VCR. Of course, it won;t be HD, but the analog picture will be exceptionally clean.

Sorry, I did not ask.

Hi Tim,
I had the same call about four days ago. My biggest complaint was the installer showed up with the wrong box at first. They did come back later with the correct one. I also mentioned the 1394 output problem even though I expected that to go no where with them since the Engineer I am dealing with said the CSRs are useless for those types of issues.

Just saw a post that Sacramento got it today, 193 out there which is also an open channel here.

Andy

You've made my day yet again. Thanks Kipp!

Well, had WOW come out yesterday to switch me over, what was surprising was that the installer actually seemed to know what he was doing. I'd say the PQ on the analog channels is a little better than Comcast, digitals are about the same. Most of the HD channels are the same, different are WOW has HDNet and HDNet movies instead of INHD1 & 2, UPNHD, and Discovery, but doesn't have SHOHD. One thing that's kind of annoying is that all the HD channels are together, except for the movie channels, they're grouped with the rest of the movie channels. Discovery is pretty cool, I think you guys will enjoy it. Also no VOD yet.

Not sure what I think of the channel guide yet, none of those stupid little ad boxes though. You get a preview of the channel you're tuned to in the upper right corner. Upper left is a brief description of the program, the bottom half of the screen only shows 5 channels with 2 hours of data.

Channel switching is slower than the 6200, more like the old analog 2200's. The DVI and firewire ports aren't active yet. It has an archive to VCR connection so you can dump the recordings but only in SD resolution. Two HD tuners and a 160GB hard drive.

Andy

...I got it on Friday afternoon and the installer said that mine was the first DVR out of the service center that he works from (Romeoville).

It took three calls to get a CSR who knew where to transfer my request to upgrade to DVR. I've only had the 6200 for two weeks and was pretty disapointed. When I went to a buddy's house and saw his picture, I realized I must have gotten a bad tuner. All I can say is WOW...now. This is on a Sony KP-57WV700 that's been tuned using Avia on both the components inputs. Here are the details...

Using componant input:
Signal is split with high bandwidth splitter-one to the TV- one to the 6208:
Firmware is 7.07:
Can hear the hard drive IF everything else is turned off and you are close to the Audio rack:
I do NOT have a digital or Movie package and the analog channels are still better using the TV tuner...that's why they're split prior to the HD tuner:
The DVR recording of HD is flawless (I'm watching the recording of today's Cubs-Sox game right now:
The installer said that Discovery HD will be offered in July:

I wish the hard drive were bigger and also would like two tuners. The installer knew nothing about another brand being offered in the future but did state that Comcast was not happy with Motorola. He also said that since Moto is a much bigger company than Comcast that they would probably stick with them.
So far I'm happy with the picture as all I wanted was the Sox HD broadcasts anyway.

Thanks for all the info that I got here!
Norm

So last Friday I had set the 6208 to record the 10 pm news on WLS and then Letterman. Both of these had either the start or end not on the half hour. Both recorded correctly. So I'm assuming then that since Sex & the City just started, that that was the reason why it wasn't recorded correctly. I'll do it again this week and see what happens.


tim

I had a Customer Service Rep tell me September for Discovery HD in my area.

I sure hope he was wrong because that is a pathetically long time to wait for it in a major market like Chicago. We don't have DVRs yet either.

You must be near downtown. We just got HD in the last month. I can understand not having DVR yet, but I can't see any reason for not getting a new HD channel at the same time as everyone else.

BTW, I've heard August and December and "early 2005" for DVR here. You get a different story every time you talk to Comcast.

Ok, Is there a specific number you guys are calling other than the 1-888-4-BEST-TV?

Any help would be appreciated.

The number on the bill is 1-866-594-1234 (memorized now).


tim

So I am still fighting with Executive Customer Service over my bill. They have now eliminated the $5.00 Equipment Lease fee "as a favor to me."

There is now a $9.95 DVR fee. Originally, they again claimed my account was set up wrong and the $5 fee is actually an HDTV Service Fee. After I explained to them that the literature they sent me effective 2/26/04 says that there will be a $5 equipment fee, they agreed to eliminate the $5...but you know it will "rear it's ugly head" the next time I want to change my service.

They charged me $15.99 for the HDTV installation. I would have happily picked up the box at one of their offices. They finally credited the $13.99 Service Change fee. I was never informed of either fee when I ordered the service.

These people still need to learn a lot about customer service. Every chance they get, they try to over-charge us.

If you need to contact someone at the Chicago Executive Customer Service Department, the woman who claims to be in charge is Helen Bell and her number is 630-288-1207. (Be advised that she believes Comcast is always correct, but she seems to have the ability to get things done.)

I have also had luck calling Comcast Corporate in Philadelphia and asking for "The Office of the President." That number is 215-665-1700.

Jack G

I don't know your whole unhappy story about billing but I can tell you the charges in our area are $5 monthly HD STB rental unless you have the DVR, which goes for $9.95. If you had the non DVR HD box first and then swapped it out for the HD DVR, your new monthly equipment fee would be $9.95 instead of the $5 non DVR HD box fee, so the incremental increase for the HD DVR would only be $4.95.

As far as I am aware, Comcast does not allow customers anywhere to just pick up an HD STB or HD DVR, they both require 'installation' by a tech. I have been told in the past that this is to limit these boxes to customers who actually have HD sets, but it sounds like a way to get more installation fees to me. Here there is a $29.95 installation fee plus a Change of Service fee of $15.95 I believe and they are not really good about telling you about both charges unless you ask.