Comcast HDTV - Page 386

It appears as if we're out of space, again. Even though the bandwidth was increased in the last few years with the WoM/Project Cavalry bandwidth reclamation projects, not long after that, as other national nets(BBCA, Fox Soccer, etc) are added, we'd lose another premium channel until now where we have just the one per network left. While there are 1GHz and 860MHz systems in this market, there are still quite a few 750MHz systems. It's speculated that in the interest of keeping the channel lineup somewhat uniform across the whole market, those who have 860MHz/1GHz systems, while having plenty of bandwidth, are losing out on having more channels due to accommodating that uniformity with the lower bandwidth systems. It is also believed that Comcast expects those who want to see programming from those premiums channels that have been removed use their VOD OnDemand service to view them, of course, this leaves TiVo/Moxi/computer users out in the cold. On the other hand, since those numbers are so small I expect Comcast feels them to be inconsequential.

Also, as I've noted before, the San Francisco bay area market has the first or second highest number of local channels in the nation, all of which use or want bandwidth on the local systems, and that certainly chews up bandwidth as to date Comcast does not further compress those channels, providing them with a full 19.xMHz slots per channel/station.

SDV has also been shelved indefinitely here as well, so there does not appear to be any relief or chance of getting those multiplex channel back anytime soon. Possibly when/if Comcast goes to packing more channels per QAM and/or moves to MPEG4 distribution maybe we'll see them again.

There has not been any sort of announcement about a price reduction/accommodation for the loss of those premium channels either, it's $20 per month per network, whether you get 1 channel(SF bay area) or 5-6 channels per net(other Comcast systems across the country). I expect the Comcast position would be that when we were getting those extra channels we were getting a deal, getting them "for free" in other words, now we're getting what we're paying for and no more.

P.S. While I don't recall where I read it, it has been said that Comcast is reducing the amount of premiums across all their systems, focusing instead on the use of the VOD product for viewing. So while it's not happening everywhere yet, the scuttlebutt is that it's going to. Maybe you might get some insight from your connections with Comcast.

I'm not sure if the 750MHz systems are an issue here. In our 750MHz part of the Bay Area, we haven't gotten the new lineup at all yet.

The local thread had some comments about San Mateo area systems show the channels listed but they aren't live yet. Do you not have the channels even listed?

It may not be a bandwidth issue, but then that would support the idea that it's a corporate decision to eliminate all but the main channel with premium networks.

I don't know, I just know that instead of increasing premium channel lineups, we've been decreased to the point where they can't be decreased anymore other than removing the network as an offering with Comcast, at least as far as linear channels go.

No, the new channels are not listed (in Comcast's channel lineup), and are not active. As far as I know, there hasn't been any notification that the new lineup is coming anytime soon.

Thanks for the info. So do you still have the extra premium channels? If so, I bet they'll disappear when the new channel additions finally do show up. Hopefully they won't, but all Comcast systems in California operate under the same "umbrella" so it would stand to reason they would pretty much follow the same formula.

Per at least one post in the Sacramento/Central Valley thread, it looks like the same thing has happened, only the primary channel for each premium network is left after the recent additions of BBCA, NatGeo Wild, Fox Soccer, etc.

By the way, as far as I know, Comcast here never made any announcement about the new channel additions or the dropping of the premiums, it just happened overnight without notice.

Comcast Launches HD, Full-Screen Versions Of TV Guide Network In Freedom Region

Rollouts Should Be Completed By End Of Q1

Mike Reynolds -- Multichannel News, 10/25/2011 6:15:22 PM

Comcast today began rolling out high-definition and full-screen versions of TV Guide Network in its Freedom Region.

The launch, according to the programmer, manifests in an upgrade to a full-screen from its old scrolling guide format for a number of Comcast customers in the region, including its home market of Philadelphia and New Jersey. The result: TV Guide Network, which counts some 80 million homes around the nation, will add more subs in this Comcast territory.

The digital channel is number 100, while the HD service is positioned on 1316. The staggered rollout, the programmer anticipates, will conclude by the end of first quarter 2012.

As part of an initiative that began more than a year ago, upward of 70% of TV Guide Network subs now receive the full-screen version of the channel.

This provides a better viewing experience, as the network continues its evolution into a general-entertainment service, whose programming roster includes original series, such as Hollywood Moms Night and Wilson Phillips: Still Holding On, both of which will premiere in November, plus entertainment news, red carpet coverage, specials and off-network acquisitions.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/...dom_Region.php

Seattle and Portland are in a similar situation. As we have added HD channels this year (Fox Soccer Channel, BBC-HD, Bloomberg, etc.), we have had a corresponding drop in HD premium channels, presumably to free up space.

I have contacted Comcast, who have pointed out that most of the programming from these channels is now available OnDemand (which is quite true), but Comcast has not confirmed that the channel drops are due to lack of bandwidth nor will the comment on whether we might see them back if and when the remaining analog channels are dropped locally.

I'll ask.

My guess is if it was going to happen in the Detroit area, it would happen if they added the newly available Team HD & Game HD channels.


Does your area still have Limited Basic in analog? That's another area where bandwidth will be reclaimed for other services.

All the extra premium channels are still there (at least they were the last time I checked, which was in the last day or two). I believe the latest changes did add more channels than were removed, so if our system is full, that would explain why the change hasn't happened yet (and if that's the case, it might not happen until the remainder of the analog channels are removed).

Yes we do, the Expanded Basic tier has been switched, but the core Limited Basic lineup is still in both analog and digital.

There is some comment about this subject over at DSL Reports from someone, whom I gather from the comments of others there, is in a position, or has access, to know about the situation. The timeline indicated in the linked post is fairly accurate so far, at least for California systems, and it appears for Pacific Northwest systems as well.

I cannot vouch for the veracity of the source though.

Given the bandwidth crunch, is there a possibility they could reinsititute data rate reductions (increase compression) to cram more channels in the available bandwidth?

Just thought I'd ask.

The present policy is that no more than 2 local broadcast stations are run through a single encoder, offering up to 19mbs, or full broadcast bandwidth to both. Other cable networks may have up to 3 running through a single encoder. Now there are some bandwidth sharing options within the software, and Comcast tries to pair up one high bandwidth net...such as ESPN, with less needy channels, such at Nat Geo. Obviously, there are going to be instances where the total bandwidth available is not enough when all 3 encoded channels need full bandwidth, with the result being pixelization, momentary freeze frames or other digital artifacts.

The principal is not much different than broadcast stations which run an HD signal on their main or .1 channel, then run several subchannels. The success of such an arrangement is no different than what occurs at Comcast. If there's a live football broadcast on .1, plus momentarily busy video on .2 and .3, picture quality is going to be affected. In plain English, issues will occur when you try to put 10 lbs in an eight pound bag!

Whatever happened to Comcast's supposed plan to start places 4 channels per QAM channel? I haven't heard anything about it recently.

Not a word here either. Hopefully it died a proper death!

Well, sometimes Comcast likes to cheat with the locals. Or maybe they're just incompetent. Maybe the official policy really is 2 locals per 256QAM, and an overzealous underling exceeded his authority. An honest bureaucratic snafu.

Here is a post from the middle of a discussion about degradation of a Portland Oregon local by Comcast cable compared to its OTA version. I chose to link to that particular post because of the images. Scroll back one post and see the numbers. OTA was 18 Mbps while cable was 10 Mbps. As Charles Barkley might say: "That's embarrassing!"

I just received notice from Comcast that Montgomery County. MD will be discontinuing all analog channels and going all digital on or about December, 6, 2011. At the bottom of the notice Comcast states that the limited basic channels will not be scrambled and can be received with a QAM tuner. Although it is not stated in this communication I assume this also means that we will be adding additional HD channels.

They removed the last of the analog channels in Baltimore on 10/6 but no word on new HD yet.

Our office has Comcast and they went to all digital month ago and the day they did they added at least 30 more HD channels.

Maybe they are waiting for Montgomery County along with the surrounding counties to eliminate the analog channels before adding more HD - Comcast will probably implement a channels realignment with moving all the HD channels and putting channels into the 1000 to 2000 range. It would be easier for advertising if all the additional channels were added and the channels numbers were standardized at the same time.

Another possibility is the want to withhold the added HD channels until the new year when they announce the annual price increase so as to soften the blow of the increase. But Comcast would never resort to things like that!

Information on the new 'Barcelona' HD guide upgrade:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...2#post21246362

Still no Game or Team HD channels 2-9 in MA

hopefully they're added by next march/april when MLB Ex begins.

I don't know what Comcast is doing with game1 and game2 HD here in Harford County, MD. We usually get the HD game on game 1, but sometimes it doesn't show up till part way into the first period. We only seem to get game2 when game1 is carrying the Caps and is blacked out. I've never seen both carrying games at the same time.

Hopefully by next season we will have the full game1 through game9 slate working in HD. And MSG better get things straightened out so we can get Sabres telecasts in HD too!

Cherry Hill, NJ just lost the CBS affiliate KYW-HD from the clear QAM lineup. As usual, no advance notice. I only found out when my recording picked up the wrong channel.
There seems to be an attitude on their part that all will be OK if you use -their- boxes and DVRs.

Sometimes you have to do a rescan as Comcast sometime moves channels around.

Still Wondering why Bristol County, MA doesn't have WLVI-DT and WFXT-DT, all surrounding counties with comcast in Southeastern Massachusetts have them

Comcast wants to eliminate all clear QAM and scramble them.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...5#post21338165

Comcast wants to eliminate all clear QAM and scramble them.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...5#post21338165

They may also want to require Digital Starter for the HD feeds of locals.

The biggest issue I have with this (other than the obvious, QAM becoming obsolete AND hanging a box on every TV) is Comcast's "free" boxes NOT supporting HD. For that, we'll have to pay.

Carl-
You get any notice yet on when they're pulling the remaining analogs in NCC? Looks like Delaware's low on the rung of conversion this time around.