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post #14311 of 14809
4/25/12 at 11:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by videojanitor View Post

Well, after comparing the game to MLB.TV, I will say that there has been an improvement, but it is still very far removed from the way the game is being produced. The crowd noise was much louder on CSNBA, and all of the louder moments (crack of the bat, excitement in Kuiper's voice) were all smashed down. I have reported my findings back to CSNBA, and hopefully they will continue to work on this.

The original complaint was that the commercials were too loud, so rather than fixing the overly loud commercials, they destroy the dynamic range of the show and make it too loud too.
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post #14312 of 14809
4/25/12 at 11:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by yunlin12 View Post

Is anyone getting channel 187 Universal Sports? I'm using cable card on Tivo with digital preferred, getting all other channels, except 187 US. When I 1st got the package a couple of weeks ago, I thought I was getting it, but now it's not there. Called Comcast, they resend the signal to my cable card, but no change. Any ideas?

Comcast stopped carrying Universal Sports on January 1. To be precise, US was just one of the sub-channels of the local NBC affiliate and that stopped when Universal Sports changed their distribution model. At that time, only DirecTV had an agreement to carry US:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/ente...-that-way.html

Since that article was written, Dish has started carrying US. Supposedly, Comcast is still negotiating.
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post #14313 of 14809
4/25/12 at 12:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by spear View Post

Comcast stopped carrying Universal Sports on January 1. To be precise, US was just one of the sub-channels of the local NBC affiliate and that stopped when Universal Sports changed their distribution model. At that time, only DirecTV had an agreement to carry US:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/ente...-that-way.html

Since that article was written, Dish has started carrying US. Supposedly, Comcast is still negotiating.

Not sure Comcast has much incentive to add the channel as it would directly compete with their lineup of sports networks which now includes the TV rights to the Olympics, which was a lot of the focus of Universal Sports. Comcast/NBC is a minority owner of Universal Sports, because it was seen as a sub-channel on NBC stations many assumed NBC was majority owner.
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post #14314 of 14809
4/25/12 at 12:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DAP View Post

The original complaint was that the commercials were too loud, so rather than fixing the overly loud commercials, they destroy the dynamic range of the show and make it too loud too.

Yes, this is an unfortunate circumstance that is becoming quite prevalent in all broadcast and cable operations. Audio keeps getting more compressed. In our area, just check out KPIX or KGO -- both sound awful to me. I can only listen for so long before my ears explode.
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post #14315 of 14809
4/25/12 at 8:30pm
I guess that's crappy sound to go with a crappy game.

I'm so thankful that folks are talking about this here--and actually producing good information about the source. I thought the sound from Cincinnati tonight was atrocious. I've got to figure out the right way to use my D* box and receiver to filter out the crowd sound.

I know this is not really a Comcast issue . . . it's a CSN-BA issue. But it seems as good a place as any to make progress on the issue.

Thanks to all.
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post #14316 of 14809
4/25/12 at 8:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by keenan View Post

When switched to PCM, the 2 channel feed comes through and DD PLIIx is allowed to perform it's magic and you get the best audio presentation available with Giants broadcasts.

Keenan, how are you switching to PCM? Switching the output of the cable box? Kind of a PITA to do that every time you want to watch the Giants. Or do you have both a Dolby Digital and PCM feed from cable box to receiver, and then you can just switch the inputs on the receiver?
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post #14317 of 14809
4/25/12 at 8:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Koegel View Post

I guess that's crappy sound to go with a crappy game.

I'm so thankful that folks are talking about this here--and actually producing good information about the source. I thought the sound from Cincinnati tonight was atrocious. I've got to figure out the right way to use my D* box and receiver to filter out the crowd sound.

I know this is not really a Comcast issue . . . it's a CSN-BA issue. But it seems as good a place as any to make progress on the issue.

Thanks to all.

Yeah, I don't know where else to post about this. At least it is a KNOWN issue that has been acknowledged -- I hope they do something about it soon though. I feel kinda bad for the people at the CSNBA studios in SF -- they are trying to put out a quality product, only to have it ruined by some corporate facility on the other coast. That has got to be frustrating.

Edit: For what it's worth, I just checked out part of tonight's game on MLB.TV, and it sounded pretty bad there too. Not as compressed, but the crowd mix was poor (far too loud).
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post #14318 of 14809
4/26/12 at 1:40pm
Hmm. Was wondering why my SageTV started spewing errors (I'm not at home and doing this all remotely at the moment) and it looks like my SiliconDust Prime says there are suddenly no Comcast CableCard channels available above 419. The SageTV box is attempting to record HD material above channel 700; that's a problem. Anyone else seeing anything like this with the channel list suddenly disappearing like that? I'm in the Los Gatos area.

Edit: Found this error in a log.

20120422-04:28:32 CableCARD: message: A technical problem is preventing you from receiving all the cable services at this time. Please call your cable operator and report error code 161-0 to have this problem resolved.

Looks like the CableCard may have had a firmware update and now my subscribed channel list is messed up. Great.
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post #14319 of 14809
4/28/12 at 6:38pm
Well, we now know it's not the venue. Friday's Giants game on CSNBA sounded bad -- same as the road games. Tonight's game on KNTV sounds fine.
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post #14320 of 14809
4/29/12 at 11:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Koegel View Post

Keenan, how are you switching to PCM? Switching the output of the cable box? Kind of a PITA to do that every time you want to watch the Giants. Or do you have both a Dolby Digital and PCM feed from cable box to receiver, and then you can just switch the inputs on the receiver?

The TiVo has an audio section in the settings menu where you can switch between the 2 outputs, it's very quick to change. I have forgotten to switch it back at times, I usually catch it a few minutes into watching something else though.

Watched a few minutes of KNTV's Saturday broadcast and it's still screwed up, switching it to PCM changes it from intolerable to very tolerable, I'm not hearing 4 voices coming from only 2 announcers, and I actually get surround activity.

Haven't caught any CSNBA games lately, been spending my time watching Superman play center field for the Dodgers!
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post #14321 of 14809
5/2/12 at 7:03am
Well, it's official now, Comcast is supporting Tivo now.

It seems we are the first market to do this.

http://www3.tivo.com/products/source...mantle_xfinity

And with support I mean that now you can access Xfinity OnDemand.

Has anyone tried this?
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post #14322 of 14809
5/2/12 at 8:45am
I've got XFinity on demand on one of my TiVos, we watched a show just to see what it was like. It was OK, but we don't usually think of bothering.

The other TiVo still hadn't got it last I looked, despite TiVo support trying to help. That's the TiVo I might have more use for it on.

There's been a lot of talk about this over on TCF.
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post #14323 of 14809
5/2/12 at 10:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by rsra13 View Post

Well, it's official now, Comcast is supporting Tivo now.

It seems we are the first market to do this.

http://www3.tivo.com/products/source...mantle_xfinity

And with support I mean that now you can access Xfinity OnDemand.

Has anyone tried this?

Yep. We've have it on our Premiere for a week or so. There's a ton of good stuff on there. It's a great addition.
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post #14324 of 14809
5/4/12 at 10:44am
We sorta covered this awhile ago (check back a few pages to about April 8 I think). Yes, the feature works great.

My first test was a back catalog movie that had a horrible encode and I said it looked comparable to Netflix (which can be pretty bad sometimes). But later I watched mission impossible ghost protocol and the PQ was outstanding. Plus it was in 1080p24, always a plus for those with 96Hz displays..
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post #14325 of 14809
5/8/12 at 8:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by videojanitor View Post

Yeah, I don't know where else to post about this. At least it is a KNOWN issue that has been acknowledged -- I hope they do something about it soon though. I feel kinda bad for the people at the CSNBA studios in SF -- they are trying to put out a quality product, only to have it ruined by some corporate facility on the other coast. That has got to be frustrating.

Edit: For what it's worth, I just checked out part of tonight's game on MLB.TV, and it sounded pretty bad there too. Not as compressed, but the crowd mix was poor (far too loud).

So how hard is this to fix? It's been over 3 weeks now since they acknowledged they actually have a problem, what's the holdup?
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post #14326 of 14809
5/9/12 at 2:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by keenan View Post

So how hard is this to fix? It's been over 3 weeks now since they acknowledged they actually have a problem, what's the holdup?

The intel I'm receiving says that there was a change made last week to further reduce the compression, but it is not yet at a level that that the (local) Comcast SportsNet people think is acceptable. I would certainly agree with that, though I will also say that it is at least listenable now, compared to what it sounded like a month ago. Still, MLB.TV blows it away (even though that appears to completely mono).

So, I'm being told that it is still being worked on, even though on the surface, things appear to be moving at a snail's pace.
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post #14327 of 14809
5/13/12 at 2:27pm
Hi all,

Just wanted to share my experience installing a new TiVo Premier XL to work with my Comcast Digital Starter package. Previous to this I was using the Comcast cable box.

I purchased my new TiVo Premier XL from Amazon. Before it arrived I stopped at the Sunnyvale Comcast store and picked up an M-CableCard. That store has recently been remodeled and is now very pleasant. I was met at the door by an agent, asked for my name and what I wished to do, then asked to wait in their sitting area. Someone called my name within 5 minutes and quickly provided my new M-CableCard. Before giving it to me, she scanned several bar codes on the card and added them to my account. She also said there was a $1.10 charge per month for the card.

When the TiVo arrived, I initially set it up without the CableCard. That took some time as it seemed to download and install new software, maybe more than once. Anyway, after an hour or so it was working with the Analog channels.

Next, following TiVo and Comcast instructions, I plugged the CableCard into the powered on TiVo. It recognized the card and displayed the installer screen. I wrote down the numbers thinking I would have to "Pair" the card to my account. I went to the Comcast web page and activated the card. I kept looking for where I needed to enter the pairing information, but could not find it. It seems that the agent at the store had already done that and forgot to tell me. So all I had to do was press the Activate button and within a few minutes everything was working.

Unfortunately, as I was setting up a seasons pass, it suddenly went to a gray screen and seemed to hang there for some time. I finally got tired of waiting an rebooted the TiVo by pulling the power cord. It went through the boot-up sequence, and then started another download. This one took over 1 1/2 hours. (This may have been to download the On Demand code once it saw the CableCard?) Eventually it finished and everything is now working great, including On Demand.

So all in all, a very positive experience. My only minuses were the downloads took very long even. This even though I am connected via Ethernet. I expect that is a TiVo problem. And I kept trying to find how to "Pair" the card when I didn't have to. (A little knowledge can be deadly )

I will be returning the Pace STB soon, and that should remove the $10 HDTV charge from my bill.

Greg
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post #14328 of 14809
5/13/12 at 2:43pm
Comcast charges for the CableCard?

What BS.
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post #14329 of 14809
5/13/12 at 3:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by wco81 View Post

Comcast charges for the CableCard?

What BS.

The base subscription includes the cost of one user premises device (STB or CC). If you want more than one, they charge a rental fee for the additional devices. Since I currently have a STB and I added a CC, they charge me for the CC. But that cost should disappear when I return the STB. So should the extra $10/month they charge for the "upgrade" of the STB to HD.

Greg
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post #14330 of 14809
5/13/12 at 3:29pm
There is a rumor that Tivo is working on an extender. That is a box that will let you watch what is on the main DVR without having to actually get channels on its own or pay for the Tivo service.

So we'll see how cable companies react to these extenders.
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post #14331 of 14809
5/13/12 at 6:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gfbuchanan View Post

When the TiVo arrived, I initially set it up without the CableCard. That took some time as it seemed to download and install new software, maybe more than once. Anyway, after an hour or so it was working with the Analog channels.

This is strongly recommended and can avoid other hang ups. Always let the Tivo get it's updates before even thinking about picking up the cable card.

Nice report, I'm leaning toward re-joining the Tivo army soon too.
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post #14332 of 14809
5/14/12 at 2:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by gfbuchanan View Post

And I kept trying to find how to "Pair" the card when I didn't have to. (A little knowledge can be deadly )

You only need to have a paired card if you have premium services, such as HBO. When you try to tune to a premium channel, it'll throw up the pairing screen with all the right numbers. If you want to do that proactively, you can go into the cable card menu, there's one screen which has all the right numbers (I've forgetten which screen that is). You need the card serial number (listed on the screen), the "host ID" and the "Data ID". You ring up Comcast (the phone number is on the pairing screen) and say you want to pair a cable card. This usually gets you someone who can help. They need the serial number, host and data numbers, if they don't get all three it won't work. If they don't get them right, it won't work. If it doesn't work, you should try again with a different CSR.

Quote:
Originally Posted by wco81 View Post

Comcast charges for the CableCard?

What BS.

They charge you $1.10 for the card, but then if you don't use a cable box, they'll refund you $2-50 for no box. They pay me $1-40 to have a card.
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post #14333 of 14809
5/14/12 at 11:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by btwyx View Post

You only need to have a paired card if you have premium services, such as HBO. When you try to tune to a premium channel, it'll throw up the pairing screen with all the right numbers. If you want to do that proactively, you can go into the cable card menu, there's one screen which has all the right numbers (I've forgetten which screen that is). You need the card serial number (listed on the screen), the "host ID" and the "Data ID". You ring up Comcast (the phone number is on the pairing screen) and say you want to pair a cable card. This usually gets you someone who can help. They need the serial number, host and data numbers, if they don't get all three it won't work. If they don't get them right, it won't work. If it doesn't work, you should try again with a different CSR.

They charge you $1.10 for the card, but then if you don't use a cable box, they'll refund you $2-50 for no box. They pay me $1-40 to have a card.

Same here, I have 3 cards in 2 TiVos and they charge me only $1.10 total(not sure why, decided best not to ask!) and then refund me $2.50.


It's the CableCARD Pairing screen that has the info needed.

In the TiVo Menu go "Settings" > "Remote, CableCARD & Devices" > "CableCARD Decoder" > "Configure CableCARD 1" > "CableCARD Menu" > "CableCARD Pairing".
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post #14334 of 14809
6/6/12 at 8:53pm
I may be dense (no jokes please) We now pay about $15-$16/mo. for our Comcast (Motorola) DVR. What is the advantage of paying for a Tivo box and still paying about $15/mo for the Tivo service?
Question - does the Tivo remote have (or can it be programmed) to do a 30 second or 15 second skip? If not - no Tivo will be considered here.
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post #14335 of 14809
6/6/12 at 10:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by snidely View Post

I may be dense (no jokes please) We now pay about $15-$16/mo. for our Comcast (Motorola) DVR. What is the advantage of paying for a Tivo box and still paying about $15/mo for the Tivo service?
Question - does the Tivo remote have (or can it be programmed) to do a 30 second or 15 second skip? If not - no Tivo will be considered here.

Yes the TiVo remote can be programmed to do 30 SS by pressing a button sequence. The sequence is: "Select, Play, Select, 30, Select".
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post #14336 of 14809
6/7/12 at 12:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by snidely View Post

I may be dense (no jokes please) We now pay about $15-$16/mo. for our Comcast (Motorola) DVR. What is the advantage of paying for a Tivo box and still paying about $15/mo for the Tivo service?

I've had various TiVos for the past 12 years, all lifetime. My current 4 TiVo HDs are about 4 years old and still have significant resale value because of the lifetime service. That's something you may want to consider.
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post #14337 of 14809
6/7/12 at 5:55pm
Quote:
Comcast's Vallejo and other customers to see maximum fees skyrocket July 1


By Rachel Raskin-Zrihen
Posted: 06/05/2012 01:03:16 AM PDT

Starting July 1, some fees Comcast can charge for cable services will double and even triple, though not everyone will have to pay them, a company spokesman said.

Comcast spokesman Andrew Johnson said these figures are the maximum the firm may charge, and that the alert consumer can avoid most of them.

A slew of data is plugged into an FCC equation annually to determine the maximum cable operators may charge for a variety of services, but these are rarely what actually is charged, he said.

"You should look at it like an auto dealership's list price on a car," he said. "No one pays that price."

Consumers are urged to "be alert for our sales and specials," Johnson said. "We always have special offers and a component of that is usually a discounted or free installation."

Using the self-installation option helps consumers avoid those charges, as well, he said.

The fees cover equipment lease rates for things like converters, remote controls, and inside wiring, as well as service installation, according to a press release.

It also notes that federal regulations allow cable operators to include regulated equipment and installation costs, plus a reasonable profit, as a separate itemized line item on subscribers' bills.

Johnson blames higher programming costs and operating expenses for the sharp rise in these fees this year, but contends cable remains a bargain.

"We continue making investments in next-generation technology to add value to our products and improve service," he said. "While we've worked hard to hold down price adjustments, the average customer bill will increase by 5.2 percent beginning with the July 2012 billing cycle," he said. "These adjustments will not impact more than half of our customers because they currently receive services as part of a promotional offer." Johnson said the average Comcast California video customer will see their cost rise 11 cents a day for its "Digital Starter" service and that the Xfinity high-speed data "Performance" package, now $1.51 a day, will rise to $1.61 a day.

However, The hourly service charge for a custom installation, which was $33.75 last year will be $50 now. A $7.75 fee to activate a pre-existing added outlet with initial installation will now be $25. The same thing after initial installation will cots $50 starting July 1.

Comcast is running a required notice in the Times-Herald and other publications that spells the details out more fully.

http://www.timesheraldonline.com/ci_20784369/comcasts-vallejo-and-other-customers-see-maximum-fees?IADID=Search-www.timesheraldonline.com-www.timesheraldonline.com


"You should look at it like an auto dealership's list price on a car," he said. "No one pays that price."

Then why list that rate in the first place? Could it be because there will be customers who won't know any better and will pay it anyway? rolleyes.gif
Edited by keenan - 6/7/12 at 6:02pm
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post #14338 of 14809
6/7/12 at 6:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by c3 View Post

I've had various TiVos for the past 12 years, all lifetime. My current 4 TiVo HDs are about 4 years old and still have significant resale value because of the lifetime service. That's something you may want to consider.

Yes -but what is the advantage of both paying $$ for the Tivo box AND paying the approx. $15/mo fee. By using the Comcast DVR you simply pay the monthly fee for the DVR. And, the few times Comcast does upgrade the box, or if it breaks, you just turn it back in.
All the extras (like Netflix, YouTube etc.) come w. almost any Blu-Ray player which most of us have.

...mike
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post #14339 of 14809
6/7/12 at 6:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by snidely View Post

Yes -but what is the advantage of both paying $$ for the Tivo box AND paying the approx. $15/mo fee. By using the Comcast DVR you simply pay the monthly fee for the DVR. And, the few times Comcast does upgrade the box, or if it breaks, you just turn it back in.
All the extras (like Netflix, YouTube etc.) come w. almost any Blu-Ray player which most of us have.
...mike
Depends on how long you think you'll stay with Comcast. An owned TiVo with Lifetime service costs $0 per month other than the CableCARD fee which is in turn credited back to you by Comcast with the customer owned equipment credit. I have 2 HD-capable TiVos with Lifetime that have already paid for themselves. It's an investment, I also own my Internet modem so no Comcast charge each month for that either. I pay Comcast $0 each month in rental fees.
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post #14340 of 14809
6/7/12 at 6:36pm
1. Up to 4TB storage.
2. Copy non-copy protected shows to PC.
3. Better user interface and features? I've never used a Comcast DVR, so I cannot really compare the two.

As a Limited Basic customer, I cannot rent a DVR from Comcast, so that's not even an option for me.
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