San Francisco, CA - Comcast - Page 2

Great news about FSN-HD in Sunnyvale! Anyone out there getting it to show up on their S3 Tivo Program Guide?

On that same note: Anyone using a cable card getting this with Limited Basic + Digital Classic?

Walk,
Thanks for the reply. I think most of what I'm seeing is variability in the quality of programs. Some 1080i programming actually looks pretty good when output at 720p, while other shows on the same network appear a bit soft. In any case, live sports definitely looks best on the networks broadcasting at 720p.

-Steve

I just bought a Sony DVD Recorder, and there was a note (either a separate note inside the box or part of the manual) that said that a digital converter would be needed to record with the tuner starting in 2009.

-- Don

I got my bill the other day, the first one with the price increase and I often wonder why I am paying so much for diversion? I think the model for the future is existing broadcast channels and VOD and that VOD a very open format not the limited one offered now. IOW, if anyone here had some content they wanted to make available then one puts up a web site and the content on a server which can handle VOD and takes care of the charges Comcast taps into this and takes a portion of the fee. BTW, the web site is something that is displayed via the STB not something seperate you need a computer for.

I would love this as movies and content that does not have a vast market can finally get distribution. I'm sure this is a logical model that Comcast and other VOD have been looking at. The only fly in the ointment to keep this from happening is the Hollywood stuffed shirts that want to control media and keep competition out. The arts belong to the people not the fat heads.

Along those lines if they went with a 30 channel analog lineup, that would free up bandwidth for rougly 100-150 HD channels.

Eventually cable will be all digital, there is no argument there. The question is whether this is a gradual transition or some abrupt event. There are folks on both sides and a case can be made either way.

Definitely, a 30 channel analog lineup is not such a bad thing for us digital fans, 40 or so analog slots can provide a lot of room for HD, more room than there is HD channels today, or even probably by the end of the year.

As you note, there is logical speculation on both sides, my money is on there being 30 basic cable analogs well past 2010, there's just way too many folks out there with analog sets that a cable company does not want to disenfranchise.

I agree, it's going to happen eventually. IMO, it's going to happen later rather than sooner. As far as boxes go, don't think that that isn't a significant selling point for cable versus the satcos, plug the cable into your TV, call the cable company, bingo, you have cable TV. Not so with sat.

I'll certainly check my S3 tonight

It hasn't appeared on my line-up on TiVo Central Online. I wonder how long it takes TiVo to update the lineup, or if we can speed that up if it hasn't happened yet by calling their CS. I just want to make sure I can record Tuesday's Sharks/Stars game in HD, since I'll be traveling to Home Depot to get some locust repellant.

On a related TiVo S3/CableCad note, just got a message last night to call Comcast (or their subcontractor) to give them CableCard info for pairing those to my TiVo. I was wondering if they'd ever call.

sorry for off topic, but i'm not getting any response on the ota thread. i'm in los gatos near lark and winchester. anyone in the area been sucessful in picking up all local hd broadcasts with attic antannae. if so what kind, and how hard was it to set up.
thanks

Here's an article about SDV and Comcast's plans:
http://www.multichannel.com/article/...=Breaking+News

As a TiVo S3 owner many are finding it worrisome, TiVo Community discussion here.

Yeah, that's a little worrisome for S3 owners, although I really don't think this will be widespread for at least 2-3 years. Are there any cable systems in the US who are actively using switched video right now? If so, how does the S# interact with those environments?

Yes, Cablevision is using Switched Video in it's system now. Comcast is in trials in 2 markets and is saying they will deploy it in the 2nd half of this year. How wide spread that initial deployment will be is yet to be determined but it's coming a lot sooner than I had initially thought.

Laters,
Mikef5

Switched video makes a lot of sense for niche channels. Get those out of the bandwidth makes room for more mainstream & HD.

Some light reading from Light Reading about the new DCH boxes from Motorola, seems Comcast will be using these boxes. They have a feature called " follow-me " which is a great feature, sort of a home network box. They are also the first boxes to use cable cards.

http://www.lightreading.com/document...299&print=true

Laters,
Mikef5

Can they do a hybrid system like that or does the system have to be all switched ?? Nice to see you out and about Dave

Laters,
Mikef5

dunno really. To me, it looks like nothing more than full time On Demand.

Look at what is on the DCTs now: analog channels re-digitized, digital channels, VOD streams, local FM radio stations & legacy pay per view. Coax is amazing, anything that can be done with twisted pair can be done so much better on coax.

I saw those new Moto boxes at CES (cable card slot is in the back):
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a4/barovelli/boxes.jpg

Also saw the UI on them (and the follow me feature)
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a4/barovelli/guide.jpg

Then I saw a Motorola booth babe's hand in front of the camera. Oops!
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a4/...i/motohand.jpg

Check out MoCa for some interesting developments in home networking. And check out the logos listed in "Board of Directors". This may be the magic behind 'follow me'..
http://www.mocalliance.org/

Nice looking hand Was there a body with that hand ???
From what I've garnered from my readings, this Switched Video is Video on Demand all the time and it seems the only upgrades needed are in the head-end equipment, not sure if existing boxes could be used or not but I'd rather have those new boxes anyways. That follow me feature would be nice. You wouldn't happen to have the specs on those boxes do you ??

Laters,
Mikef5

Anyone know if we'll be getting UFC 67 in HD next Saturday? I was hearing rumors that it may be on the HD-Special Events channel.

Wow, and right up at the top too....

Charles Cerino
Vice president of New Services Technology
Comcast New Media Development

Looks like that Moca system can do quite a lot, server box using existing cable to communicate with other boxes on the cable, sounds like the promised Home Networking system.

Laters,
Mikef5

Is switched video something that can run on top of existing infrastructure, where you can select some less popular channels to be delivered via switched video and leave the more popular ones at their normal semi-fixed locations, or is it something where you have to go all switched video or none?

The reason I ask is for compatibility of CableCARD devices like S3 which do not handle switched video. If it is just the less popular channels then I think many people would not be affected nearly as much.

You can file a line up report on the web site, there's tech article pointing to that at http://tivo.com/lineup .

For UHD, TiVo didn't seem to notice until I poked them.

Those new boxes look nice too. Would blend in nicely with my PS3 8)

I would fully expect SDV to be used on the less popular channels, it makes no sense to use it with the channels the majority of people watch, networks channels being at the top of that list, with maybe premiums right behind them along with the popular cablenets.

I have an S3 Tivo with no cablecards (yet...?). I have no HDTV yet either, so this is just me playing with the digital channesl so far (esp since I can't use Tivo functionality without the cards)..

anyway, is there some other info in another thread about the "regular" numbers for these channels?

In other words, I know that Fox is 2-1 cable, CBS is 5-1, etc.. The one I couldn't find was NBC, which someone else told me is 84-1.

So I'm wondering if there are others I'm missing. I'll try those channels when I get home, but I don't think they'll work.

Yup. With an authoritative voice, too. She said "No Pictures". I waited until someone else in the crowd to whipped out a camera, but I was the one who got caught.

The AMD/ATI booth dude with the digital cable tuner cards was generous to picture takers.

On that subject, C* has produced a training video for techs that have to install cable cards in Media Center PCs. I thought it was very good at explaining the process and some key words to look out for. There was a lesson on just what a MCE PC is and what it does, then it goes on to show installation one and two cable cards in expansion cards, and in the external ATI USB tuner.

Expansion card Media Center
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a4/...lli/atipci.jpg

External tuner
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a4/...lli/atiusb.jpg

So - how did I miss anyone from this thread at the AVS Hollywood party? I tried to stand out (that aint hard for a 6'6" person), talked with a few other people, but no names that I knew. Even had my picture taken with Celine, Whoopi, Brittney & Prince.

http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_20...7cfr76.630.htm

Is this explicit enough?

But the digital channel is different from the analog channel, so technically it's not a signal "on the basic service tier".

Hi,

I live in San Francisco where we have Comcast. I recently got an HD Tuner for my computer (Maglia TV Mini HD), but I can't seem to get many channels. I let the tuner software (EyeTV2) scan for all the cable channels for unencrypted channels (Clear QAM) and it came up with 215 channels. I flipped through all 215 channels to identify them, but none of them are local channels which I really want. I'm only getting some PBS, home shopping, and government channels along with a few I could not tell (but they weren't local channels). I tried the auto-scan several times, but ended up with the same 215 channels.

Am I missing something? I thought Comcast was broadcasting the local channels in HD through basic cable? I can't use the antenna because my reception sucks here. I could only get 2 stations (PBS stations) via ATSC.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks, Phil

I'm now getting 720 for FSN HD in Sunnyvale, but am only getting a 3D logo and no programming yet. The logo looks pretty cool in HD, but I'm itchin' for the sports. I'm going to call Comcast and ask what's up. Is the programming not yet available, and is anyone else seeing what I'm seeing? Thanks, Randy

FSN-HD pretty much only broadcasts during live events (i.e. Sharks, Warriors, A's, and Giants). During off-times they just show the logo.