[KLEEEG]

Comcast just started offering a DVR STB in Montgomery County Maryland. I assume it is the Motorola 6208, although the CSR was not sure. The cost is $9.95/mo. They want $21.11 for the "installation" but if you complain enough they will waive it!


Mike

 

[RalphArch]

I ordered before I saw your note on the one time fee. Oh well. The rep did say it was the 6208 and its coming Friday. I was her first order so she was unsure of some of the specifics like whether it was two separate boxes (No).

 

[CycloneGT]

Now is this $9.95 vs the current price for the HD box? Or in addition too?

 

[RalphArch]

I was told it included the box - but I am keeping my current box as I have two HD displays. My current box has been changing; part of fee for VIP package through 2003; then $5 last month and I believe $2.50 currently (VIP prices went up)

 

[dneily]

As I just posted on the Recorders forum, Prince Georges County is charging NO install fee for the 6208 (you pick it up at their office and install it yourself). Want more than one? ... no problem.

 

[KLEEEG]

I was told the $9.95 would be added to my VIP+ fee, which recently went from $100 to $115. Also, I asked about the DVI and Firewire ports and was told they were inactive.

 

[CycloneGT]

How is the pricing structured? I have a friend with Comcast HD (but not on the digital tier). He just pays extra for the HD box. How much more per month will the DVR box be over the existing box?

 

[SonomaSearcher]

It has been suggested, reported, etc. (but no official word), that a digital tier subscription will be required in order to get your hands on an HD DVR (or any DVR) from Comcast. This may or may not be correct (or it may vary from one area to another).

 

[KLEEEG]

When I called Comcast, the CSR checked my current level of service before quoting me the $9.95 price. As I already had the Motorola 5100 and the highest service level, the $9.95 appears to be the minimum fee, but may be higher depending on your existing setup.

 

[dneily]

In PG County, the cost per month is an extra $9.95 for the first Moto 6208 and $6.47 for each additional Moto 6208.

 

[UCSB]

dneily,


I just want to make sure I understand the pricing for the 6208. If I wanted to get two units, I would pay $9.95/mo for the first one and $6.47/mo for the second one. Are these all the costs? Currently, I am paying $5/mo for the 5100. So if I returned the 5100, I could get two 6208's for $16.42/mo. This would only be $11.42/mo more than I am currently paying. Any other hidden fees?

 

[dneily]

No. When I said "extra", I meant to imply the increase over what I had been paying with just one 5100. So in your situation, it would also be an increase of $16.42/mo. over what you are currently paying.

 

[hmil]

The cost of each box is $9.95. I received no lesser quote for extra boxes. It is not over and above what you paid for the 5100, assuming you return it.

 

[RalphArch]

Quote:

Originally posted by KLEEEG Also, I asked about the DVI and Firewire ports and was told they were inactive.

The 1394 device is installed on my box but the interface status indicates no active ports; I may try to hook it up to my computer and see if this changes.


The DVI port looks (?) good to go but I do not have a DVI device to test it with. The status menu indicates no device connected with all the other settings as NA (yes I don't have anything connected as I use the component out)


The code modules are 3.06 for the bootloader and 7.07 for the firmware which others in different locations seemed to indicate is what you need for DVI

 

[hmil]

Ralpharch,

Did they charge you for installation or did you set it up yourself?

 

[RalphArch]

they charge like $21 for installation - was worth it for me; the first box didn't work and would have required a trip back to the office. Plus technician fixed two of my connections which were bad


EDIT - actually it was three connections (I moved the other box upstairs and I had done a lousy job installing the coax on the RG-6) and also he replaced a 5 way splitter I had with a better brand; my analog reception was then significantly enhanced. They do have meters to check signal strength as well.


but I don't believe they even allow you to pick one up in Montgomery Cty

 

[hmil]

Good point. The last technician uncovered a weakness in one of my cables and fixed it. While I've installed a lot of Direct TV dishes and boxes, I don't have the equipment to detect that sort of thing along the lines. And, those repeated trips to their office are a pain!

 

[RalphArch]

When it actually came to setting it up I did that myself as this was his first Digital DVR box; really just unhooked all the cables and connected the same way but since I have a transcoder for RGB TV plus a projector with component input it was just easier to do it myself and he didn't mind. He didn't test the record features before a download was initiated so that took a while. But it seems to be working without any problems; I have just recorded one short segment of HD.


Fortunately the new remote comes preset for an RCA TV and Pioneer Receiver which I have; so there was no problem with that - and this time the instructions came with it so I could program all on etc.


The only question I have is on the Cable box setting for the remote. The instructions indicate it comes preset for a Scientific Atlantic model and has codes for a Motorola; but the Remote is branded with a ComCast label and everything seems to work correctly with the Motorola; I'm not going to reprogram it just because of what the manual says.

 

[steve]

I just spoke to comcast. They told me the cost for the 6200 (which replaces the 5100) is $5/mo. and the cost for the 6208 dvr is $9.995/mo. He also said if I swap the 5100 for a 6208, the increase per month is an additional $4.95/mo.


The sticker is the "delivery" fee. He quoted me $28 to deliver the unit and "install" it. I told them I paid a fee the last time, and they merely dropped off the unit and told me to install it after looking at my front projector/scaler et al. installation. The Comcast CSR guy said he was sorry to hear that, but would not waive the "delivery" charge. I would much rather go to Comcast (when it is convenient to me) and swap units, but that was also a no go. He said that HD installations must be installed by Comcast, due to its difficulty. I did not see the point in arguing that it is no more difficult to install a HD stb as compared to a SD stb. I just figured I'll call back later and try someone else.


Steve

 

[msilver]

Has anyone tried an external drive, to increase recording time?