Anyone Have Comcast Cable?

I have Comcast and have been trying to figure out what it all means.

The FCC forced the cable industry to allow a "cable card" to decode signals. Some DVRs have cable card built in, some have a slot to install them. Comcast will probably lease you a DVR, or I believe Tvio can be used.

Some cable cards can decode multiple channels at the same time (so a DVR can record multiple channels). I don't have one - probably can record and pass through different channels.

Some TVs also have a cable card slot. I have read the FCC set a max fee of $2 for a cable card. Here the first one is free. A cable card in the TV and a converter ahead of the VCR is the equivalent of 2 converters.

From what I have read "Tru2way" capability built into a TV allows watching pay-per-view, which Comcast would like you to do. As far as I know, if your TV does not have Tru2way you can still use a cable card and just not have the interactive functions.

The only way around having some kind of decoder for the upper channels is if one of the channels you want is direct broadcast and use an antenna. Those channels are probably available on Comcast as the low channels unencoded anyway.

The reason for the digital changeover is, presumably, when Comcast gets rid of the old "analog" channels and switches to "digital" they can add more channels. This is partly because digital takes less bandwidth. They can also compress digital to reduce bandwidth (which degrades the signal).

I have found it real annoying how hard it is to get good information on all of this. (Anyone have any good sources?)

Reply to
bud--
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Hello,

This is not really a "repair" question, but I am still looking for some info. please. Comcast Cable is doing some kind of switchover to mostly all digital channels on April 15th of this year, I believe it is. They say that channels 23-69 are all going to be in digital, and the only way you can view them is if you have either #1 a "Digital Converter Box", OR #2 a "DTA Box, both if which you get from Comcast.

If you don't use one of those 2 boxes, then you won't be able to view channels 23-69 after April 15th, 2010. Anyway my question is, in the living room where we have our TV and the Comcast "Digital Converter Box", we have the A/B Switch hooked up to the VCR, so that we can record one show on the VCR while watching another show on the "Digital Converter Box". But now when they do the switch over, the VCR will no longer get channels 23-69.

I know that you can hook up the "RCA Plugs" to the "Digital Converter Box" and plug them into the VCR, but the problem with that is you HAVE to watch whatever your taping. So what happens if you want to tape something on your VCR, and watch a different channel with the Converter Box??

According to Comcast, the analog VCR will no longer be able to get channels 23-69. So basically they are forcing you to USE either the "Digital Converter Box" or "DTA Box" at all times.

They say that you CAN'T use both boxes together, it's either one or the other. So what happens if I want to tape something on say channel 49 at

8:00 pm, and watch something on channel 31 at 8:00 pm as well? Channel 49 won't come in on the VCR and only on the "Converter Box", so I can't tape one thing and watch another.

Does anyone know if there is a way around this? Is there a VCR with a digital scrambler in it to pick up the digital channels, so that I can continue to tape one show while watching another?

Any info. would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Reply to
MICHELLE H.

I think your chances of finding anything vcr that deals with new digital stuff are about zip. It's just about impossible to find a vcr period. You will need a second converter box and I also suspect comcast charges by the month per box? You may find it is no savings over going ahead with a dvr and dumping your vcr. On the plus side the dvr makes scheduling recordings far easier.

Reply to
jamesgangnc

Yes, Comcast charges like $6 bucks a month for the "Box Rental", and then it's like a $3 bucks a month for the "Remote Control Rental" as well.

Reply to
MICHELLE H.

That's a simple one. Dump Comcast and get Dish Network. More channels, less $, less BS.

HTH,

Unc

Reply to
uncle K

I don't have Comcast, but from the description of the problem, I agree. Most of the cable companies are going to digital to pack more channels into the same system. But you then need a QAM digital tuner to receive that channel.

=A0It's just about impossible to find a vcr

I think you probably mean a DVR supplied by Comcast, which is just a different cable box that cable companies typically charge about $10/ mth extra for that include recording capability. That would solve the problem, because all the ones I've seen let you record one program while watching another. On the other hand, a second cable box is probably only about half that. But I agree that the DVR makes recording and watching things MUCH easier.

The other choice is to buy a standalone DVR with a QAM tuner. For example, you can buy a Tivo and a plug-in cable card. I've used Tivo and Cablevisions DVR, made by Scientifc-Atlanta. And I can tell you there is no comparison in ease of use. The Tivo is far superior. However, the Tivo together with the service aren't cheap. It would probably take 5 years to break even, after that you;d be ahead.

You might also be able to find some standalone QAM tuner product on Ebay or someplace. But that leaves one big problem, which is unless the existing VCR can talk to and change the tuner, it won't be able to switch among the channels. So, to record something, you'd have to set the QAM tuner to the channel and the VCR to the record time for a one time recording.

Which gets back to what James said about DVRs being so much more user friendly. If you're looking for a cheap non hidef DVR solution, another possibility might be to find a used Tivo on Ebay that is bundled with lifetime service. People might be dumping them when moving to HD, etc. Just make sure you get one with a cablecard, as that is the critical piece to receive the digital channels.

Reply to
trader4

The OP should also consider the Magnavox H2160MW9, which is a non-TIVO DVR with built-in ATSC and QAM tuner. It sells at walmart.com and target.com although it is usually a better buy at walmart. I paid $248 last year, including shipping directly to my home. I've used it extensively and have been entirely satisfied with it. (It also has a DVD player/recorder built-in and you can dub either way from hard drive to DVD, or vice versa.) Although it only records/plays back in standard definition, it's HDMI output format can be set to 480P, 720P, 1080i, or

1080P to get the best quality picture your TV is capable of providing.

The DVR has an antenna out jack which is a pass through analogous to a VCR's antenna out connection. Although I receive over the air reception only, it seems to me that you could connect the COMCAST cable directly to the DVR (and choose which digital signal you want to record) and then connect the antenna out from the DVR to where the cable is usually connected to the COMCAST box. Although the DVR would not be able to receive scrambled signals from premium subscriptions, I suspect that all the standard package signals would be viewable and recordable.

Reply to
Peter

*I have Cablevision. When they switched over to digital signals my VCR no longer recorded anything even if the signals come out of the converter box and go directly into the VCR. Of course they will rent me a digital video recorder for an additional monthly fee, but I don't watch too much TV to justify the additional cost.
Reply to
John Grabowski

Post in the Comcast group. Way mine are set up on converter boxes, I can only tape channel I'm watching. If you go all digital and HD you get what I think is called a DVR box which allows recording one and watching another. I don't have one but my son does and it works great and is easy to use. As others mention, VCR's are becoming a thing of the past. Also Comcast will give you free, two DTA boxes and you could set up on another TV. WIll not get the premium or upper channels but won't cost anything.

Reply to
Frank

Or DirecTV.

Perce

Reply to
Percival P. Cassidy

Actually, here in Naperville/Lisle IL area, you can get 3 boxes. before paying an extra $2.00 per month that they told me it would cost. I have one convertor on the living room tv, the output of the box goes to the VCR and then into the tv thru the VCR. You can only record what the Comcast box is outputting. I have the other two convertors hooked up to two other TV sets in other parts of the house. So, if you want to record something on the vcr, you set that up in the living room and then go to other parts of the house to watch another channel. WIth only two of us at home, that works out fine as my wife watches in one room, I watch in another room, and the living room watches/records whatever it is we want to record. My problem was the signal strength from the cable was weak and whenever it rained, the signal got so weak the convertors would not work. I complained and Comcast finally replaced the cable from the pole to the house due to a squirrel having eaten thru the cable insulation out near the pole connection. Whenever it rained we lost the signal. Comcast was a real pain to get to come out to fix things, they acted like I didn't know what I was talking about, even though I had worked in the electronics industry for more than 45 years and was head of an international electronics engineering organization.

Reply to
hrhofmann

Yes, that it what it is, the smaller "Comcast DTA boxes" that you have to now use, if you don't have a full-size "Comcast Converter Box".

Comcast gives you 2 for "free", but I am sure that the cost is worked into the bill somehow?

Also, I have a TV and a VCR in the bedroom, so I need to hook the "DTA" box up in there now. One of the other questions I have is, when hooking it up to the TV and VCR, do I need to use "digital cable wires" specifically because the "DTA Box" is a digital box, or can I just use the cheap "push in" antenna in/out wires that I use now?

Reply to
MICHELLE H.

If you have a newer TV it probably has a QAM digital tuner that will be able to see the unscrambled digital channels so you could run your VCR off the box and watch TV directly.

Reply to
gfretwell

Now that I don't understand. The signals will go into a standard TV as RF, Svideo, composite video, etc. So, there is no technical reason I can see why the VCR would not accept them as well.

Reply to
trader4

You can continue to use the same cables you are using now. The boxes output signals that any TV or VCR will input. The exception would be if you're moving to HD, then you would need the appropriate component video or HDMI cables.

Reply to
trader4

Yeah, the output of the comcast boxes is plain old NSTC analog, either on channel 3 or 4. I use the channel 4 output from the living room converter to the vcr to the tv, and also wire the output thru a splitter and an amplifier to several odd sets in the family room and basement and garage. I use the channel 3 output from the 2 other converters we use for the tv's in the bedroom and office. Using all adapters on channel 3 or all adapters on channel 4 seemed to give a little background noise when we first set everything up. I haven't reset any of the adapters to all channel 3 or 4 since then to see what happens.

Reply to
hrhofmann

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all the helpful responses so far, I really do appreciate it! Just so I understand this, let me ask something else. Unfortunately, I don't have a newer TV with a "QAM" built in digital converter. But if I did have one of those types of TVs, could I tape one channel through the cable box, by using the RCA jacks plugged into the VCR, and then just turn the TV to another channel and watch something else?

Reply to
MICHELLE H.

The new converters available here are: Digital set top box - programmed channel changes, on-demand, ... Digital adapter - simple version of the above HD receiver

Do you get 16:9 HD with the first 2, or do you need the 3rd? Now (analog) Comcast has 4:3 and 16:9 HD versions of some channels. Will that continue, with the 3rd converter required for 16:9 HD? If not, what different do you get with the HD receiver?

(I have not yet called Comcast to sort all this out.)

I have read that the first two converters (above) have coax out. They could still send 16:9 HD signals to a single QAM channel. (That wouldn't work with the VCR.) Or maybe it is NTSC/analog - which would work. Sounds from hr's post that this is what it is.

I have also read than none of them have audio out - so if you are listening to audio-only channels you need to get audio from the TV.

Lower channels here will mostly be local broadcast stations. _All_ upper channels (probably all that the OP talked about) will be scrambled. They will not be available without a converter or device with cable card.

Reply to
bud--

Your QAM tuner TV connected to cable can only watch channels that are not scrambled. All the high channels (probably all that you asked about) will be scrambled, so your QAM tuner also needs a cable card or the TV needs to be fed by a converter. With a cable card you _may_ be able to get 16:9 HD channels that you can't with the lower end (free) converters.

From reading this thread hopefully you know the right questions to ask Comcast (if you call them to verify what appears here). Knowing the questions is a real big part of getting the information you need.

Reply to
bud--

That answers a lot of questions. Thanks

Your Comcast system has gone through the digital conversion? (Everything is digital except maybe the bottom 20 or so channels.) The conversion is just rolling through this area.

So the signal from the low end boxes is 4:3 analog, not 16:9 HD digital.

Do you know if you are getting 4:3 cable channels where there are 16:9 HD equivalent channels (which your converter ignores)? Or a 4:3 low def letterbox of a 16:9 channel? Or ...?

In our unconverted system there are 4:3 NTSC analog channels and equivalent 16:9 QAM digital channels for many of the cable networks. (These analog channels will disappear in the changeover.)

An HD converter here is $7/mo. A single cable card, which I believe gets you the HD basic and? HD starter channels (now) is free.

IMHO information from Comcast is appalling.

Reply to
bud--

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