Mediacom HDTV - Page 26

Grrrrrr.....and we get crap for HD here in the Quad Cities....31 HD channels on family cable (doesn't include premium, local channels, etc.)...

We've had 45 family cable HD channels for a while, which is nearly all of them. Now they are adding HD to the extra tiers and premiums.

I just looked at your family HD lineup....very nice. Especially with NBC Sports HD (formerly Versus). In the Mediacom system just east of here, they are charging extra for that (it's a package called "HD Sports & Information (Included with Sports & Information service)"). I just don't understand why it's "free" in some areas (like yours) and not in other areas. I'm a HUGE hockey fan (Blackhawks), and to get that extra hockey in HD would be nice. Hopefully Mediacom will be aligning their systems with nearly the same offerings in the not-too-distant future...

Starting at the end of October 2011, Mediacom broke up their Digital cable service into three "paks":
Sports & Information, Movies & Music, and Kids & Variety.

Given that this is effectively a price hike on their digital cable offering, I don't understand why they haven't moved those three other HD channels from the old "HD Pak" into these new "Paks". How can Universal HD, Smithsonian Channel HD, and MGM HD still be worth $7 a month by themselves?

well the analog is still going here... at the snap fitness they'll be forced to make some changes to get the cable to work right, since right now the signal is poor.. the analog stations come in, their digital versions do not.. simple matter to fix, but they'll have to do it. Bring on the digital revolution, out with the analog garbage.

How much was the digital pak originally? That kids and variety pack looks good for 8 bucks... too bad they don't do that with the entire family cable package, split it up into 3 packages. Good bye having to subsidize the overpriced sports channels like ESPN when I don't watch them.

...and that info page on the "paks"doesn't specify HD channels either. It's no wonder people are so confused....

Not sure this is quite the right forum, but does anyone know anything about optical audio and the digital STB? I'm having some audio 'drops' and am baffled.

I've read about other providers (on here) with this issue, but nothing with Mediacom per se. Thanks!

I am now on my 2nd Cable Card and still no activation. Had someone come out and told me that I have to go to the office to get another card. This seems like somethign that should be really simple to setup. Is there any tricks with the operator or do I just keep callig and have them try to activate.

True, all of the digital channels listed are in SD and only a subset of those will also be available in HD in any given Mediacom locale. For example, BBC America is just now starting to be rolled out in HD to certain areas.

The price for digital cable before the new "paks" was $14 a month, which is now what only two of the three paks cost. Up until December 2011, they were still grandfathering in the old price, so I took advantage of that, getting all three paks for the price of two.

I will say it is clever in that it appears like they are offering ala cart, but given that they know the vast majority of customers will choose to have all of the channels if they decide to ever get digital cable at all, it is going to generate them more revenue in the end. The problem with true ala cart, where the customer picks and chooses every single channel they want and only pays for those channels, is that it would lead to less revenue for the cable companies, so it will never happen.

Yes, it is common knowledge that all cable customers are essentially subsidizing ESPN channels, whether they have ever tuned them in or not. Since I do watch ESPN programming frequently, I thank all of you.

Mediacom going digital on valentines day

http://qctimes.com/business/mediacom...871e3ce6c.html

Hoping this is for everywhere, not just the quad cities.

As a digital plus customer before the new packs, I saw no reason to pay $3.95 more for three sports channels I'd never watch anyway.

I'll have to make the choice when the all digital upgrade takes place. Mediacom has stated that no new channels will be added for those on DP so when the upgrade happens I'll have to decide if the additional HD channels are worth it.

When I activated my parent's Cable Card over the holidays, I got an inexperienced person on the phone as well. He didn't ask for all the numbers necessary and kept trying to get rid of me even after I told him he didn't have all the necessary info to activate the card. He did the usual "It takes a while for the signal to reach the card so it will be working in a few hours."
Instead of calling back multiple times, I went to the Mediacom forums. They have support guys who monitor them constantly (this was over the Christmas weekend!) and a tech PM'd me and took my all my info. They had the card activated after just one email which was a way better experience than the the multiple journeys through the phone support maze I had to do with Comcast when I activated my first Cable Card.
So my advice is go post in the Mediacom forums and you will likely get an immediate response from an actual, knowledgeable Mediacom employee.

I had the exact same problem that Tallen94 described when I self-installed a card in my Tivo. On the third call they said I needed a truck roll.

The tech arrived and called a special number another tech gave him which went to their national center to talk to a specialist
on cable cards since he had never done one before. She told him the original card got the wrong signal which bricked it. She told the tech to try another card which he did. He gave her the info off the tivo screen, she hit it and I was watching cable a few minutes later. I made sure I wasn't charged for a service call since their person screwed it up.

I don't know if the Mediacom forums existed back then but I have used them since and they do know what they're doing. That is your best bet.

update on the digital conversion and HD upgrades in the Quad Cities: QC Online

I have an M-card that I have been using in a HDHomerun Prime (PC-based network tuner) but I am switching to a Ceton InfiniTV 4 (PC-based PCI-X tuner) due to problems with the HDHomerun. Can I call Mediacom and pair the same M-card with the new hardware or will I have to go swap for another M-card from Mediacom?

No reason they shouldn't be able to handle the de-pairing/pairing over the phone. Of course, the experience-level of the customer support person is random chance when you use phone support for something like this. If their support people don't get it right the first time, I'd highly recommend going to their online forums and asking for help since you will get in direct contact with a knowledgeable person and there's less chance of your key data being mis-entered when you just cut and paste it.

Here are the NEW HD additions to the Mediacom HD Family Cable (as of March 7 according to their Web site)...

724 ION TV HD*
727 NBC Sports Network HD*
749 National Geographic HD*
752 WE HD*
764 Lifetime Movie Network HD*
765 AMC HD*
766 Travel Channel HD*
772 MTV HD*
773 VH1 HD*
774 BET HD*
775 CMT HD*
776 ABC Family HD*
779 Hallmark Channel HD*

Also a bunch of HD Premium channels to be added...

Agree about their forums. Whenever I have a problem I just post to the forum and within minutes I have a response. The guys that work the forums are extremely knowledgeable and friendly.

Awesome! That looks like it covers every channel that my wife and I watch.

Yepper...only one that's not there is TV Land which airs Hot in Cleveland...

And one other note -- KWQC will move from 705 to 706 about that date.

Quick question. Mediacom is charging me a $4.00/mo Digital Gateway Fee. I got rid of all my boxes and only have a CableCard and have no premium level channels. I was under the impression that I wouldn't have this hidden charge anymore when I got rid of the boxes. Does anyone know if this charge should still be there or not? I don't want to pay it if it's not suppose to be there, but I'm not opposed to paying it if I legitimately owe it. I called and the CS was not much help. Supposedly his supervisor is suppose to call me about it.

From what you describe that charge should not be there. I've had a cable card for three years and have never had the gateway fee charged. It's primarily for VOD and program guide access, neither of which are available with a cable card.

That's what I thought. Although, looking at the outline of charges from their pricing chart, it says the Digital Gateway fee says it is needed for the Digital Music Channels as well. At the same time, it says they aren't available on the CableCard, yet I have them all. I would gladly do away with them to save $4/mo if I have to, but I don't think they would possible or is even needed.

Good to know you aren't paying it, I was pretty sure I was correct that I shouldn't be charged it.

Same here, I have CableCARDs, but I also do not pay that particular fee. I do know that I do not get those digital music channels, though, so it sounds like if you do get them to drop that charge, you will indeed lose those channels.

Ditto -- three CableCARDS for me, but no such fee on our bill.

I don't think they have CSN CHI + HD. But you still don't the get WGN games.

Now with Directv you get CSN CHI HD and CSN CHI + HD and when you add the sports pack get



FS North HD (Ch. 668) - HD Available

Brewers (HD Available)

Minnesota Timberwolves (HD Available)

Minnesota Wild (HD Available)

Twins (HD Available)

FS Midwest HD (Ch. 671) - HD Available

Cardinals (HD Available)

Royals (HD Available)

St. Louis Blues (HD Available)

Yep, we're lucky to get CSN+ even in SD (and we'll find out tonight since the Hawks on on CSN+ -- with the digital switchover, who knows?)

I miss not getting the Hawks on WGN (since the NHL has some kind of stranglehold on broadcasting those games "out of market" on WGN -- seems weird since we get Bulls and Cubs games on WGN here).

That sports pack is nice, but I'd be divorced very soon if I subscribed

That is the other NON local WGN and they do not have all the bulls games. and I don't think you get the WCIU sox, Bulls and cubs games as well.

Now you should be asking the hawks, bulls, cubs, and sox why do people in the teams area but not in the Chicago DMA can't get the all the games.

I know up at the brat stop in Kenosha, WI they use a OTA antenna to get WGN 9 HD and the other Chicago OTA channels. They CSN HD / CSN + HD (bulls blacked out) + FSN Wisconsin HD / FSN North HD on directv.

but no CSN + at all??

Also with directv you can cheat and get a Chicago DMA address and get the real WGN. Some on a other forum lives in springfield il and does that to get WGN HD and WCIU HD.

55 new HD channels to arrive March 6 to Mediacom customers

Posted Online: March 01, 2012, 10:23 am

Press release submitted by Mediacom

Mediacom doubles high def channel choices; 55 new HD channels to arrive March 6

HD Lineup will Top the 100-mark due to Digital Upgrade in Quad Cities and Surrounding Area

Moline, IL - March 1, 2012 - Today Mediacom announced its plan to add 55 new high-definition (HD) channels on March 6, a move that will more than double the number of HD channel choices available to viewers in an eight-county area in and around the Quad Cities.

Ranked as the company's largest one-time expansion of HD channels, this boost will put Mediacom's HD lineup above the 100-mark with a total of 102 HD channel choices. The elevated status is a direct result of Mediacom's recent digital upgrade that eliminated the analog component of signal transmission for 50 Family Cable channels.

The 55 new HD channels will be added to Mediacom's network beginning March 6. Todd Curtis, Mediacom's Regional Vice President, said that customers can expect to see several more HD channels added in coming months, as well as enhancements in the company's broadband Internet service.

"The results of our digital upgrade bring dual benefit to consumers," Curtis said. "On the video side, 102 HD channels give customers greater ability to maximize the experience with high-definition televisions. Additionally, expanded network capabilities give us full confidence to say we will always deliver faster broadband Internet speeds. The technology that puts Mediacom's 50-meg speed in customer homes today is ready to deliver 100 or even 150-meg speeds in the future."

At the same time as HD channels are added, customers will see a change in location for local NBC affiliate, KWQC. Beginning March 6, KWQC will be located at Mediacom channel 6, and KWQC HD will move from 705 to 706. The digital channel used by KWQC to provide first-alert weather will move to 247, a basic-level digital channel.

As part of the new HD channel additions, Family Cable customers will receive ABC Family HD, AMC HD, Travel HD, Hallmark HD, and others. Family Cable subscribers pay no additional programming costs to receive Mediacom's HD Family Cable lineup when equipped for HDTV (must use HD cable set-top box). The Family Cable portion of the HD lineup will gain 13 new channels. The 42 other channel additions will be HD versions of premium movie channels, as well as CBS Sports HD and Fox Business HD added to the Sports & Information Tier; and other special-interest channels offered in digital tiers. (complete listing of HD channel additions below).

Mediacom Communications is the nation's eighth largest cable television company and one of the leading cable operators focused on serving the smaller cities in the United States, with a significant concentration in the Midwestern and Southeastern regions. Mediacom Communications offers a wide array of broadband products and services, including traditional and advanced video services such as digital television, video-on-demand, digital video recorders, high-definition television, as well as high-speed Internet access and phone service. Through Mediacom Business, the Company offers affordable broadband communications solutions that can be tailored to any size business.

SUMMARY: 55 HD channels to be added to Mediacom's lineup March 6, 2012 --

To view HD channels included in Family Cable, Digital Tiers or Premium subscriptions, customers need to use an HD television connected to an HD digital converter or cable card. When equipped for HD reception, there is no extra cost for Family Cable customers to receive the HD Family Cable lineup. HD Family channels are generally located between 703 and 779 and include HD broadcasts from local television stations.

New Addition to HD Basic (automatically included in Family Cable):

Channel 724 ION HD
New Additions to HD Family Cable:
Channel 727 NBC Sports Net HD
Channel 752 WE HD
Channel 754 MSNBC HD
Channel 764 Lifetime Movies (LMN) HD
Channel 765 AMC HD
Channel 766 Travel Channel HD
Channel 772 MTV HD
Channel 773 VH1 HD
Channel 774 BET HD
Channel 775 CMT HD
Channel 776 ABC Family HD
Channel 779 Hallmark HD

New HD Channels added to Digital Plus Tiers (channel sets above Family Cable):

Channel 660 FOX Sports Soccer HD (Sports & Info Tier)
Channel 662 CBS Sports HD (Sports & Info Tier)
Channel 665 Fuel HD (Sports & Info Tier)
Channel 666 NFL HD (Sports & Info Tier)
Channel 675 FOX Business Network HD (Sports & Info Tier)
Channel 726 Golf HD (Sports & Info Tier)
Channel 728 ESPNU HD (Sports & Info Tier)
Channel 729 ESPN News HD (Sports & Info Tier)
Channel 746 Outdoor HD (Sports & Info Tier)
Channel 670 Biography HD ((Kids & Variety Tier)
Channel 671 History International HD (Kids & Variety Tier)
Channel 672 Investigation Discovery HD (Kids & Variety Tier)
Channel 673 Nat Geo Wild HD (Kids & Variety Tier)
Channel 691 BBC America HD (Kids & Variety Tier)
Channel 696 Disney XD HD (Kids & Variety Tier)
Channel 745 Discovery Science HD (Kids & Variety Tier)
Channel 749 National Geographic HD (Kids & Variety Tier)
Channel 683 G3 HD (Movies & Music Digital Tier)
Channel 686 IFC HD (Movies & Music Digital Tier)
Channel 690 Reelz (HD Movies & Music Digital Tier)

New Additions to HD Premium Channels:

Channel 649 HBO Latino HD
Channel 650 HBO Zone HD
Channel 651 More Max HD
Channel 653 Showtime Showcase HD
Channel 654 Showtime Extreme HD
Channel 655 TMC Extra HD
Channel 658 Encore Drama HD
Channel 667 NFL RedZone HD
Channel 781 HBO 2 HD
Channel 782 HBO Signature HD
Channel 783 HBO Family HD
Channel 784 Encore HD
Channel 786 Starz Edge HD
Channel 787 Starz Comedy HD
Channel 788 Starz Kids & Family HD
Channel 789 Starz Cinema HD
Channel 791 Showtime Too HD
Channel 793 Starz West HD
Channel 794 Encore Action HD
Channel 796 Starz in Black HD
Channel 797 Cinemax HD
Channel 799 In Demand / Pay-per-view HD

IMPACT AREA: Cable viewers in the following communities will experience an upgrade to an all-digital channel lineup for Mediacom's Family Cable.

ILLINOIS:

Carroll County: Savanna, Thomson (several areas of Carroll County are served from a separate Mediacom network center)

Henry County: Cleveland, Colona, Orion

Rock Island County: Andalusia, Carbon Cliff, Coal Valley, East Moline, Hampton, Milan, Moline, Oak Grove, Rock Island, Rock Island Arsenal, Silvis, Taylor Ridge

Whiteside County: Albany, Erie, Fulton, Lyndon, Morrison, Prophetstown

IOWA:

Clinton County: Camanche, Charlotte, Clinton, DeWitt, Goose Lake, Low Moor

Jackson County: Maquoketa, Miles, Preston, Sabula

Muscatine County: Durant

Scott County: Bettendorf, Blue Grass, Buffalo, Davenport, Eldridge, Le Claire, Long Grove, McCausland, Mount Joy, Panorama Park, Park View, Pleasant Valley, Princeton, Riverdale, Walcott

http://qconline.com/archives/qco/display.php?id=583406