Comcast Digital Simulcast - When?

3493 Views 25 Replies 13 Participants Last post by Marcus Carr, Feb 20, 2006

maxman

Discussion Starter · Feb 24, 2005

Word is that Comcast has begun beta-testing digital simulcasting of their current analog channels (those below 100), and that they are planning to adopt the simulcasting within a few months (at least in this area - South Jersey). Anyone here experiencing this yet?

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blitzen102

· #2 · Feb 24, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by maxman
Word is that Comcast has begun beta-testing digital simulcasting of their current analog channels (those below 100), and that they are planning to adopt the simulcasting within a few months (at least in this area - South Jersey). Anyone here experiencing this yet?

Yes, it has started. This thread

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=500545

has reports of it starting in NJ and PA. To me it doesn't seem like the thread is in the proper forum.

maxman

Discussion Starter · #3 · Feb 24, 2005

blitzen102, I asked the moderator for help with placement. Haven't received a response yet. Any suggestions?

maxman

Discussion Starter · #4 · Feb 24, 2005

PS: Thanks for the link.

blitzen102

· #5 · Feb 24, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by maxman
blitzen102, I asked the moderator for help with placement. Haven't received a response yet. Any suggestions?

I would think the thread I posted the link to should be in the "DBS, Cable, Digital Cable - Non-HDTV" thread in Home Theater General.

blitzen102

· #6 · Feb 24, 2005

Some folks in Delaware and Florida are also now seeing some anologs being digital simulcasted.

Per here...

http://www.broadbandreports.com/foru...9999~start=120

boo

· #7 · Feb 24, 2005

Parts of Metro Detroit, Michigan also, my step-father received the letter from them about all the changes starting on March 3, but it has already started, for example, Disney is on analog #57, it is also digital #136 here, there are others, but I am at work now so I can't check.

willwhdtv

· #8 · Feb 24, 2005

Here in Central (South Brunswick - NYC DMA) New Jersey that have started their Digital simulcast. Currently channels 2, 5, 7 and 9 are broadcasting digitally and you can tell the difference especially channel 2 which has always been the worst.

maxman

Discussion Starter · #9 · Feb 24, 2005

What channels are the corresponding digital channels?

willwhdtv

· #10 · Feb 24, 2005

The way I understand this is working is that if you have a Digital Box and a Digital television or a HDTV you will get the Digital Signal on the same channel. If you do not have both you will only get the analog signal. The channel numbers will remain the same just the signal changes.

But I could be wrong on the Digital Simulcast.

LonghornXP

· #11 · Feb 24, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by willwhdtv
The way I understand this is working is that if you have a Digital Box and a Digital television or a HDTV you will get the Digital Signal on the same channel. If you do not have both you will only get the analog signal. The channel numbers will remain the same just the signal changes.

But I could be wrong on the Digital Simulcast.

This has nothing todo with HDTV. Customers with a digital cable box will get all analog channels in digital on another channel. This includes all channels below 100. Any customer with a digital box regardless of what type of TV they have will get the benefit of digital. Just think of it this way below.

All your channels above 99 look much better than analog today. Soon you can expect all channels below 100 to look as good as channels above 100 but the only drawback is you need to have a digital cable box to tune into the new channel.

michaelggray

· #12 · Feb 25, 2005

In Central NJ (Comcast - Toms River) I currently receiving the following in 480I:

09 WWOR

11 WPIX

13 WNET

15 WPSG

24 WHYY

25 WNJN

27 WMCN

With CableCARD its easy to tell the digital channels. The channel banner either says NTSC or 480I. Also it takes longer for the channel to change when changing to a digital channel.

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willwhdtv

· #13 · Feb 25, 2005

Their is no channel remapping for Digital signals only for High Definition channels.

neeshu89

· #14 · Mar 1, 2005

the digital simulcasting is lame. I have a CableCard for Comcast in southern NJ, and they are currently digitally transmitting CBS and WB. Usually I can PIP an analog signal with a digital-HD signal to know when to switch channels, but now i get no cbs or wb in my PIP because they are digital.

maxman

Discussion Starter · #15 · Mar 1, 2005

neeshu89, what channels are you receiving the simulcast on for CBS and WB???

neeshu89

· #16 · Mar 1, 2005

their normal channels... 3 and 7, thats why i cant PIP them

darinp2

· #17 · Mar 2, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by neeshu89
the digital simulcasting is lame. I have a CableCard for Comcast in southern NJ, and they are currently digitally transmitting CBS and WB. Usually I can PIP an analog signal with a digital-HD signal to know when to switch channels, but now i get no cbs or wb in my PIP because they are digital.

If you had a DVR you probably wouldn't find you need PIP. I used to use it, but with a DVR I'm pretty much never watching where I can't either fast forward or just pause and switch to something else while the buffer fills up some more.

--Darin

GoIrish

· #18 · Mar 2, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by neeshu89
the digital simulcasting is lame. I have a CableCard for Comcast in southern NJ, and they are currently digitally transmitting CBS and WB. Usually I can PIP an analog signal with a digital-HD signal to know when to switch channels, but now i get no cbs or wb in my PIP because they are digital.

Almost 1/2 of all Comcast customers have some form of Digital service using a Comcast box. For that growing group, simulcast is a real plus. For the 1/10th of 1% of customers like you that use cable card, this is a downside.

neeshu89

· #19 · Mar 4, 2005

I'm sure DVR wouldnt help because PIP is usually to skip to watch a Sixers game during the commercial of Lost or something. CableCard is the way of the future, and that 1% will soon grow as more new TVs are bought. Besides, that is a hastle, the huge box taking up more space on my shelf, I like the fact that i can use my TV's remote to change the channel.

Inundated

· #20 · Mar 4, 2005

Just a note on this phenomenon locally here in Northeast Ohio:

Adelphia's Cleveland-based system added digital simulcast of five OTA network affiliates here - WKYC/3 NBC, WEWS/5 ABC, WJW/8 FOX, WOIO/19 CBS and WUAB/43 UPN.

Originally, they added the digital versions in the 800's. Then, we started noticing that the 800-series channels looked like crappy analog feeds.

It turns out they are, on the digital cable boxes, remapping the digital signals down to the lower formerly-analog channels, the same channel numbers as the analog OTA stations except that 19 is on 4, and 43 is on 6. The 800-series channels are apparently now the placeholders for the digital versions. The lower channels (3/4/5/6/8) are obviously now the digital feeds.

I would assume that the folks using no digital box get the analog versions of 3/5/8/19/43 on the lower channels.

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