Portland, OR - Comcast - Page 9

Jams:

The TV is almost certainly not the issue. It sounds to me like your initial suspicions were correct and it has something to do with the cable signal or the receiver.

Hi all,
I was just sent here from the OTA forum and am very happy to have found this thread. I'm getting an HD cable box (assuming it will be the 6200?) from Comcast in Beaverton tomorrow and my HDTV (Toshiba 30HF84) will be delivered on Sunday.

Is the hookup fairly self-explanatory? I'll be hooking up a dvd player to one component input on the TV, but this will leave an HDMI, another component, and a couple of S-video slots and coax available for the cable.

Currently, the old cable box runs a coax line into my VCR and then out to the TV via S-video and coax cables. Am I correct in assuming that I will now want to run the coax line from the wall into the new HD cable box, and straight out to the TV using either the HDMI (or DVI w/an adaptor?) or a component input? I'm obviously looking for the best picture with the fewest problems/bugs.

Will I still be able to tape and play using the VCR using another line out/in from the cable box? I won't use this too much, but I still want the capability to do so.

Also, any other tips for hookup/setup related to Comcast in Portland? I'm new to HD, but not to hooking up audio systems, so I'm not completely green when it comes to this stuff. Just looking to make the transition with a new HDTV and cable box as smooth as possible.

Thanks very much in advance,
rmacdo

I spoke with a Comcast "technician" this morning. He confirmed that Portland would be getting DVRs starting at the beginning of the 4th quarter and that boxes were being tested by Comcast employees at this time. He didn't mention which DVR was being used and he didn't give me any hope that it would be the Digeo Moxi Box.

rmacdo: I see that no one has replied to your posts yet. I am not the end-all of experts but I can share some experiences I had when I switched from DirecTV a couple of months ago to Comcast digital with HD. I tried adding HD to my D* setup but trees got in the way of seeing satellites; same problem with Dish HD so I assumed Zoom would also be a problem.

As much as I hated to expand my basic Comcast service for HD reception (I already had and still have OTA HD for KOIN, UPN and Fox), I was pretty much forced by the terrain. But I have not been happier, for the most part.

I did get the Motorola 6200 box and have it hooked to my Sony RPTV via component for now. The Sony has only 2 component inputs and I use the other for DVD. I swap out my OTA box with the DVD player's components when needed. I am trying to get the 6200 to put out via DVI but have not been able to get it working. When I turn them on I get the DVI handshake as shown in the 6200 display window but no picture. Then when I tune to the component source, the picture splits in weird ways. All is cured when I unlug the DVI. A call to Comcast is next.

I have the Comcast RG-6 coax going straight to a splitter. One goes to the 6200 and the other direct to the TV. That way I get PIP service so I can watch Ch 1- 77 side by side with any of my other sources. It's just a cheapo RS splitter and I don't notice any PQ degradation from going in straight. All my audio goes thru a JVC receiver using digital coax. The receiver, DVDs & other audio gear is on the other side of a fireplace from the TV and cable box so an optical audio line is prohibitively expensive. All the wiring is under the fireplace in the crawl space for WAF.

Not sure if any of the thought you wanted addressed are answered but welcome to the forum! There are really some very informed and talented people in the Portland area, so come back often and learn as I have.

Bob

Hey, thanks Bob. Much abliged. I was feeling kind of ignored there...

In any case, I'm thinking that the reason I wasn't getting replies is that hooking this up is ridiculously straightforward. They got here with the set last evening, we plugged in the component and audio cables (just using the ones nicely supplied by Comcast), turned it on, and there was the football game on 735. The delivery guys just stood there for a couple of minutes, and then one of them said, "hey, that's a really nice picture." I'm in business. Spent the rest of the evening tweaking the color, settings, etc. on the set. Amazing PQ on the iNHD stations and Discovery HD, huh? I think I'll start watching nature shows!

**I do have one additional question for the veterans: Prior to getting the new HD cable box, I was getting a fair amount of pixelization/artifacting on digital channels, Fox Sports World in particular. Comcast suggested that I try the new box and if the problem persists, call them, because I probably have a bad signal (water in the line, etc.?). I was living with the crap/pixel picture because I thought this was how it was supposed to be! Does/did anyone else have this problem on digital channels, and can Comcast fix this? I'm seeing it a bit now on the HD channels as well. I'd rather not call/deal with them on a repair if this is how everyone else's digital stations look too.

Thanks again (and maybe I'll be able to pitch in at some point...),
rmacdo

rmacdo: I write those brief pixel abberrations off as the imperfections that still exist in the broadcast of those signals. As I have learned in these threads over the past year or so, there are so many things that can create a breakup in the stream of 1s and 0s, from codecs not dealing properly with the compression to sunspots (just guessing here). Unless it become unwatchable/unlistenable I put up with it or switch the program. Before I jump to a conclusion it's in my line or equipment, I check to see if any AVS forums are dealing with the same experience. That helps me understand if it's a local station problem, national or whatever.

rmacdo, I'm a newbie to the forum and hesitant to ask questions yet until i get more info. I recently left D* tv to comcast because their channel 14 showed sports etc. I just got a runco hdtv projector and love to watch sunday and monday night football on a 92" screen. I check this forum regularly to see when fox and cbs will get hdtv to comcast. It's great to see a note that a game isn't in hdtv or 5.1 sound and know it's not just me. If I can share info, I certainly will.

Footballnut: You probably already know this, but in case you don't, you wll like this NEW Comcast In Demand feature - you can go to In Demand\\Sports\\NFLNetwork\\Highlights - to watch this weeks highlights till you are blue in the face. Cool eh? ENJOY!

Tsar Chasm, Glad they're letting comcast employees use the equipment. Most of them I've dealt with don't know half as much as I do, but then I did spend hours on research before going hdtv. When I picked up the cable box and told the comcast employee that I was going to use the optical output, he said that I better take an s-video cord then. I didn't bother to explain it to him. If they start using hdtv perhaps they'll understand why we need cbs and fox.

rmacdo: I think the pixelization you are seeing is primarily MPEG compression artifacts as a result of Comcast limiting the bandwidth on digital channels. MPEG compression works best when the image doesn't change much between frames. When the image changes rapidly the signal doesn't compress as much and needs more bits than Comcast is allowing to properly display all the picture detail so you end up with blocking or pixelization as a result. This happens a lot during sports programming but also during action films and nature programming occasionally. I see this kind of thing regularly on the SD digital channels and on the HD channels also.

On a different note I've been having a lot of audio problems with KATU HD (704) ever since I got hooked up with HD a couple of months ago and I'm wondering if anybody else gets this. After I've been watching 704 for a while (half an hour or more usually) the audio just goes completely out of whack. All choppy and garbled, completely unintelligible. If I change channels and come back then it's fine. I don't have this problem with any other channel, HD or otherwise.

George

GeoBy, I had some problems like that and changed features on cable box. I think I have model 6208 and i changed audio feature to advanced rather than stereo. This helped my audio problem, but don't know about yours. Just a thought. J

What you're describing around the pixelization is exactly what I'm seeing. The clarity can't keep up with the movement of the action, particularly on the green field itself. When the action stops, it re-assembles into a fairly clear picture. This is really bad watching soccer on Fox Sports World.

What does anyone think the chances are of petitioning/e-mailing Comcast to clear this up? It sounds like everyone's seeing the same thing, but if they don't think anyone's noticing, they won't fix it. They're touting a clearer picture as a benefit of digital cable, but I know that, in it's current form, it's significantly worse than analog (HD's damn nice, though...).

Thanks,
rmacdo

I would think that the chances of getting Comcast to do anything about this are very slim. They only have so much bandwidth and they would have to increase the allocation for every digital channel. Which means that they'd probably have to get rid of something else to make room. They market the digital channels as better quality but really they use digital to cram more channels onto the wire thanks to the compression. Most people buy into the marketing hype and don't realize that just because it's digital doesn't necessarily mean it's better - especially if it's heavily compressed low bandwidth digital. You see the same kind of thing with the OTA digital feeds from the stations that are trying to use multiple sub channels instead of devoting all the bandwidth to a single HD feed.

I was about ready to say, "Go ahead and get your hopes up", but then I check that page and all it says is, "Digital Video Recorders Are Coming!" Not even two weeks ago did it specifically state "Digeo Moxi" *grumble* I just got off the phone with a rep today, who confirmed the "field techs were testing it," but she couldn't confirm the model number. She did state that the "6280 [sic]" wasn't likely, though, and it definately wasn't the 6212, so what does that leave? *cough*BMC9000*cough*

I'm still keeping my hopes up

A while ago Comcast tried to install the Moto 6200 to my Philips TV via the DVI, worked at 480p but picture scrambles when the 6200 was switched to 1080i. They tried again with my TV and another fellow who also has the same Philips TV I do with no luck. My TV works fine with my Sammy 165 via DVI. The TV has component(AV4) that the DVD is hooked to and the DVI(AV5), if the hi-def goes to component I loose the DVD.

I have a Pioneer VSX912K receiver that has component switching(2 in/1 out). I hear that only certain receivers are HD compatible in their component switching and my 912K is said not to be one of those.

Please feel free to get technical and tell me why it won't work. I'd have thought that the receiver acts like nothing more than a relay to switch the electrical path, there is no processing going on.

Thanks, Chuck

NikeMan, I don't know if I can help, others who on this board have more experience, but I'll try. Why run video thru A/V? Go DVI from Moto 6200 directly to TV DVI. Run Component DVD directly to TV component. Then what happens if you set cablebox to 720P? I only run optical out from cable box to A/V optical in and my system seems to run fine. Monday night football was excellent picture(720P) and Audio was true 5.1 sound. J

footballnut,
You mention "setting the cablebox to 720p" and getting good picture and sound on Monday. On my 6200, I don't see an option to set the output at anything but 1080i (component out) or 480i or 480p for 4:3 override. Is 720p a setting that is just activated when using the DVI out?

I'm interested because an aspect of the 6200 box that I'm not completely happy with is the picture quality on non-HD stations. I'd say the quality is "ok", but not as good as with my old, non-HD cable box and old analog tv. Any tricks to getting better reception on analog and digital stations with the 6200 box? Is DVI (I'd have to convert to an HDMI...) an answer?

Thanks,
rmacdo

rmacdo: Have you tried bypassing the 6200 to see what your experience is with standard analog cable Ch 1-71? Maybe your digital TV isn't happy with the signal it gets from line in and the problem isn't in the box. As I said earlier, I split my line in so I can do PIP. Looking at the pictures side-by-side, I can't say I see a difference between the one coming out of the 6200 and the one coming in directly.

BTW, I'm taking my box in for a swap to see if another box will allow me to use the DVI out. The one I have isn't putting out a picture from DVI. Hope I'm not screwing myself with other elements that ARE working for me on the 6200 I'm turning in. We'll see.

Bob

Thanks, Footballnut, but the Philips TV only goes 480p and 1080i, it does not have 720p.

Rdamco: the Comcast tech got the 6200 to go to 480p, 720p and 1080i via the buttons on the unit(pressing, holding, pressing another) but I did not see how. Do it bug anyone that they do not bring a manual with the unit.

ridgefamus: Between my TV and a friend with the same TV I have we went thru about 6 Motorola 6200 boxes. They just wont talk to the Philips TV via DVI.

Has anyone used an AV receiver to switch HD material via component wiring?

Nikeman.
Try turning the Cablebox off. Then hit menu and see if that brings up a menu that allows you to change outputs.

NikeMan, As other post said, you MUST turn cable box off, then push menu button and eventually 720p 1080i , etc shows up. then turn on cablebox. Currently I have component out of cable box to TV component in. (Tried DVI but didn't always work) I use DVI out from my DVD player to TV DVI in and this combination seems to work fine. Hope this helps. J

ridgefamus,
I tried what you suggested, running the cable directly into the tv for the analog stations. It's definitely better than using the box. My tv seems to like the direct signal better than the processed one. Hmmm. I've got Comcast coming over tomorrow to check my signal, but if it stays this way, viewing will be slightly more complicated, using the different inputs, but I can live with it. Thanks for the suggestion. Hopefully Comcast can clear up my "digititus" on the digital channels ("squirrel-chew" was one reason they gave me for my bad digital reception. Something about peanut oil in the cable... Interesting).

Nikeman,
To access the adjustment menu for the 6200 box, turn off the 6200, leaving your tv on. Hit the menu key on the Comcast remote and it will pop up. You can adjust the signal coming out for HD (you'll see the choices on the box itself as you scroll through) and 4:3 (480i or 480p) using this menu. I did get a manual for the 6200 when I picked up the box at Comcast down on Nimbus. You can probably get one there.

Later,
rmacdo

Thanks everyone. We got the box to switch modes without problem, it is just that the picture fails at the 1080i setting when using the DVI. Another person I know with a Philips TV has the same exact problem when Comcast tried to hook up the 6200. I gave up and sent the box away. My big issue now is to try again using the component cable switching that my AV receiver has. Problem is I don't know if the 5Hz-40MHz freq range of the component switch is enough for 1080i, I have heard many ideas such as 33MHz is enough, others say 60MHz or 80MHz is needed.

Thanks again,

Chuck

Has anyone got one of these yet?

Anybody know how the picture quality is, and the pricing?

Yep, I've had one since the end of July.

Picture quality--beware of weak signals. If your signal is marginal things may get worse after a cablecard is installed, analog picture quality may get grainy and you might see more digital dropouts. At least it seemed to work that way here. Comcast acknowledged my signal was weak and put an amplifier on the cable and everything has looked great ever since.

No monthly charge, they'll bill you if you cancel cable and fail to give it back, but that's the only financial liability.

Any news on the potential for FOX/UPN HD programming via Comcast any time soon? Just got my 6200 Saturday, really enjoying Discovery HD, but it would be nice to have more HD content than one channel I watch on a regular basis

Over in the OTA forum, KPDX announced that they have a tentive date of October 15th to go HD (for both 12 & 49). If cable will happen at the same time wasn't mentioned, but the equipment will definitely be there to make it happen soon.

--Chris ^_^

Hi, I'm in Vancouver, WA and was thinking about finally trying to get some HDTV going. I was thinking about signing up for the $5.00/month plan Comcast offers. Currently we have the standard basic cable subscription ($41.00/month). What channels will I be getting in High-Def? Will everything they supply work OK with an Infocus X1 projector?

Thanks.

I have the limited basic cable service for $8/mo + the $6.45/mo box rental. You would get KWBP, KATU, KGW, and KOPB in HD and the X1 should work just fine with their Motorola box. Unfortunately, you'll need to upgrade to a Digital Cable Package for the additional HD channels (Discovery HD, ESPN HD, INHD, etc.).

--Chris ^_^

Ugh, only 4 channels!? And only one that I ever watch (KGW). That sucks. I guess i'll just pass for now. How many years is it going to be until like every station is broadcast in HD?

On a side note... what station is the Super Bowl going to be broadcast on this year? It may be worth getting around that time just for that occasion.