New moto 6412 with HDMI and SATA - Page 8

The only way to power off the STB, is to unplug it. The on/off button only turns the unit to Standby.

the only way the fan is off is when its unplugged, it cant be normal. i just programmed it and got shows already on it. i dont want to have to change it out.

Why would the box be sold from the Cable Company. Comcast only leases them to me

For those looking for a great remote I just got the Harmony 520 at Walmart and it is amazing!!! It controls everything you could possibly need. There is a great thread running in the accessory area discussing different remotes, but this one is fantastic.

I had a noisy fan, and took the box back and got a new one. The new one is almost completely silent (fan & drive). Don't settle for less.

I just read this whole thread and didn't see if anyone has ever tested the SATA port.

Has nobody actually tried hooking up an external SATA drive using the 6412's rear SATA port???

The port is not currently enabled, nor does the current firmware 09.12, 09.15, 09.17, 09.19, or beta 09.21 have support for it.

In order to increase the recordable hard drive space available, i set up two 6412's on the two component inputs on my TV. I assigned each 6412 several program series to record. The set up went fine as I turned off one 6412 while scheduling programs on the other 6412 to compensate for the fact that both had the same remote access number and both responded to the same commands. The problem occurred when I deleted the program from one 6412. Because the same signal went to both 6412's, a program was deleted from both. When I turned off one 6412 and pushed menu on the other, the diagnostic menu would come up on the turned off 6412, change the settings, and that would have to be corrected. In other words, it was a constant problem and required daily monitoring. Finally, I went back to D* and Tivo to provide more backup and SD space, and retained one 6412 in order to record the superior HD picture. Comcast has a good product, but need to activate the SATA outlet to provide sufficient hard drive space.

I got a 2nd one in the same room here recently to add more space, and it works fine if you place a piece of cardboard in front of the one you aren't controlling

But I agree this is not as elegant as the code-settable UHF remotes I had with Dish Network.

I will be changing my older 6412 for a Phase 3 unit. I have an ongoing issue with my cable company regarding the poor analog picture quality and the Phase 3 seems to address that.

In preparation, can anyone tell me what type of HDMI to DVI cable I will need?
More specificially, is the HDMI connector on the 6412 a female or male?

LD500,

All connections on source devices are male and the cable is female when HDMI is concerned. It is the oppposite when DVI is used.

I can get you the required cables, contact me for details.

Are the phase III's more sensitive to low signal conditions?

I had a tech over today who finally got my phase III working. This is the 3rd 6412 I have, the other two have been fine. The P3 didn't want to receive "hits" from Comcast to update it, and wouldn't let me watch most of the digital channels.

I swapped it out for a 2nd P3, but that didn't help - same problem. I swapped it to use the cable outlet my original 6412 is on, and that didn't either (similar signal levels on both outlets).

The tech today boosted the signal and the P3 finally took a hit.

When you turn this box off and access the menu is there a "passthrough" option or just the same 480, 720, 1080 options?

What do you mean by a passthrough?

Comcast sends all HD in 1080i format from the headend to the STB as stated on there website and commercials. (Networks are sent in native xxx or xxxx format)

Yes, but you have to select what format the 6412 will output, either 480i/p, 720p or 1080i. If it had a "native" or "passthru" mode it would allow the box to change it's output to whatever it's receiving.

Are you saying that Comcrap is sending ESPN-HD to the box in 1080i mode, even though it is natively 720P??? I don't think that's right because I have the Sony HD DVR and when it receives ABC-HD and ESPN-HD it says it's coming in at 720P.

What I mean by "passthrough" is unscaled. I have Brighthouse cable and I'm not sure how they send their HD. I had assumed they sent it how ever it came from the network. I'd like the cable box to pass the signal through to the output without scaling at all.

Dave,

We all have asked this question, but there are several answers out there. The info I have is from some of my former Comcrap Employees. But thats what they tell me.

Does anyone have access to a HDTV signal tester that can test the HDTV Ch on a comcast feed line?

The STB must be set to whatever your TV/Monitor/projector is set to.

The 64xx STB does not pass through any native signal, it must be selected in the setup menu.

That's exactly what he's asking for though, a native passthru mode so it can be used with external scalers and monitors that can handle all resolutions and can also scale better than the Motorola units can.

I am confirming that the Comcast signal is native in nature coming into the Motorola. It is the Motorola boxes that change the resolution if need be. Like I said, I have the new Sony HD DVR that decodes cable and OTA SD and HD signals and when I tune to ABC, FOX and ESPN HD channels it comes out as 720P and also says that it is being input at 720P. WHen I go to the NBC, CBS, etc. channels it is at 1080i. This is all when I set the Sony into it's native mode.

Yes, it is correct; fan stays on, unless unplugged.

I wonder what would happen with firmware 12.13. Do RCN boxes have different firmware for the Phase III compared to other providers?

That's true. I have done that in the past also by passing the firewire stream out to a DVHS unit, then out it's component output to the display so it would be in native mode. The only thing that sucks w/ that is you lose the menus and OSD.

Hey flyersfan, noticed your handle here at AVS...VERY COOL!!! I am foaming at the mouth waiting for Hockey to return, especially the Flyers. Time to bring the cup back home to Philly and make Bobby Clarke proud!!!

First of all, thanks Dave for answering.

Strange, all the computer stores locally only seem to sell Male HDMI to Male DVI cables. When I look at the photos at the start of this thread it looks like a female connector to me, but I'm not that familiar with HDMI.

Can anyone else confirm that the Motorola 6412 indeed has a female HDMI port on the back of the unit? And therefore I would need a Male HDMI to Female DVI cable to hookup my TV.

Hoping to buy the cable this weekend and swap to a Phase 3 ASAP.

Thank You

LD500,

That is a standard HDMI port on the Ph III 6412 according to the pix. Just get whatever they are selling locally, it will be alright. That is the standard HDMI hookup config. Look at the cable's HDMI end, if it has a thin narrow opening in the center, that's the one you want. For the DVI end, it should have the pins protruding out, not small holes to accept the pins. That's the male end of the cable for DVI.

Go to www.extron.com and it'll explain just about every cable and connector out there.

This is what you need:

http://store1.yimg.com/I/bettercable...m_1860_4948278

When I got my phase III I needed a HDMI cable. The best price I found (didn't search too long) was at svideo dot com - under $10 for a 6 foot one. Works perfect!

This is where I got my cable, under $10 for a 15 footer, works like a champ.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/su...d=10231&style=

Does anyone know if the HDMI port on the phase 3 box is version 1.1 or version 1.0?

Thanks

Steve

Good to hear as I ordered a 6 ft one yesterday for $7.30 shipped.