Comcast issue?

[CMANN]

Has anyone noticed that previously non scrambled chanels are now scrambled?

I have hade Comcast for many years and have always had a number of unscrambled chanels. I wonder what's up?

[getdul981]

Did you get one of the digital converters? If you did not, you will only be able to receive chanels 2 thrugh 22. They are free and Nov. 1 was the date they went all digital.

[CMANN]

Did you get one of the digital converters? If you did not, you will only be able to receive chanels 2 thrugh 22. They are free and Nov. 1 was the date they went all digital.

Having a digital TV doesn't help?

[ajbrown]

Having a digital TV doesn't help?

I wondered that myself. Here is some info....

http://forums.comcast.com/t5/XfinityTV-and-Equipment/Why-Do-I-Need-a-DTA-Box-with-a-Digital-TV/td-p/983921

[2BNTV]

Having a digital TV doesn't help?

I would call and ask them. My impression is that one does need a digital converter to receive all channels that are transmitted.

Does your converter box have a slot for a HDIMI cable?

[CMANN]

I wondered that myself. Here is some info....

http://forums.comcast.com/t5/XfinityTV-and-Equipment/Why-Do-I-Need-a-DTA-Box-with-a-Digital-TV/td-p/983921

Any idea what these converters cost?

[CMANN]

I would call and ask them. My impression is that one does need a digital converter to receive all channels that are transmitted.

Does your converter box have a slot for a HDIMI cable?

They have 2 HDMI slops

[ajbrown]

I would call Comcast to verify my diminishing memory. I _believe_ you get one set top box and two DTAs for "free" from Comcast with their digital service. A set top box provides On-Demand in addition to converting the signal. If you need HD there is an additional cost.

Here is a pretty good link with lots of information.

http://customer.comcast.com/Pages/FAQListViewer.aspx?topic=Cable&folder=57641d6e-8f30-4496-af85-d21ca0a8878e

[2BNTV]

cmann;

I may be totally off base but.............

I would call them and verify you have the proper equipment needed unless they did something with your account and stopped giving you all the channels you should be receiving.

Good luck with this issue.

[villages07]

Cmann...where do you live? I am in Sabal Chase and noticed some unannounced channel changes starting yesterday, nov 1. Lots of new HD channels and a bunch of Spanish language channels. Weather channel hd, cnbc hd, and a few others. I have 2 HD boxes and 2 DTAs so I was ready for the conversion but have not heard any official word from Comcast on when it would arrive in my neighborhood.

I sure wish they were better about communicating service changes.

[momesu]

Did you get one of the digital converters? If you did not, you will only be able to receive chanels 2 thrugh 22. They are free and Nov. 1 was the date they went all digital.

Well that is a bummer......went from enjoying wonderful TV after never having had cable in my entire life to getting virtually nothing. I guess I will call the landlord. Cable is included in my rent I don't control the service.

Suzanne

[getdul981]

Having a digital TV doesn't help?

No it doesn't.

Any idea what these converters cost?

They are free for 2 of them. You can pick them up at Comcast in Lady Lake or Leesburg. Or you can call to have them delivered and wait for a week or two.

[VillagesFlorida]

No it doesn't.



They are free for 2 of them. You can pick them up at Comcast in Lady Lake or Leesburg. Or you can call to have them delivered and wait for a week or two.

We have two larger LCD TVs that have HD boxes so we get a ton of channels. Last spring we hooked up a 24" LCD TV to our cable outlet in the kitchen (no box from Comcast) and we can get quite a few channels on that one. We get all 4 major local TV stations from Orlando in HD. For instance, channel 9 comes in on 9, with a lousy picture and on channel 9.1 with a HD picture. The same is true for NBC, CBS and Fox, plus we receive several other channels in HD. All I did was plug the TV into a power outlet, the cable into the cable outlet and I did a channel search. It's perfect for the kitchen as I wanted it mainly to watch the news in high def.

[Hancle704]

While Comcast continues to advertise that all digital is coming, in some areas it is already here. They sent letters out to all of their customers well in advance of the conversion. If you already had sets with cable boxes from Comcast you did not have to do anything when the conversion took place. Believe that was in August in some parts of TV. If you have tv's wthout cable boxes you could get up to 2 (DTA's) Digital Transport Adapters from them at no charge. Their installation was simple and they even included new remotes.

I know some folks upon receipt of the letters, left them at their mail stop in the trash without reading them as they thought they were just advertisements. To be fair, Comcast did send letters and have made multiple advertisements on TV informing the public of the changes and what they had to do. I believe that you can still visit the Comcast store in the Spruce Creek shopping plaza across from the Summerfield Wal-Mart on Hwy 27/441 and pick up your free DTA's.

[getdul981]

We have two larger LCD TVs that have HD boxes so we get a ton of channels. Last spring we hooked up a 24" LCD TV to our cable outlet in the kitchen (no box from Comcast) and we can get quite a few channels on that one. We get all 4 major local TV stations from Orlando in HD. For instance, channel 9 comes in on 9, with a lousy picture and on channel 9.1 with a HD picture. The same is true for NBC, CBS and Fox, plus we receive several other channels in HD. All I did was plug the TV into a power outlet, the cable into the cable outlet and I did a channel search. It's perfect for the kitchen as I wanted it mainly to watch the news in high def.

If you can still get channels above 22, then consider yourself fortunate. We have 2 HD boxes and had to get 2 converters for other sets even though they are LCD sets.

[VillagesFlorida]

If you can still get channels above 22, then consider yourself fortunate. We have 2 HD boxes and had to get 2 converters for other sets even though they are LCD sets.

Hmmmm, this is very weird! We didn't have to get any converter boxes for the two bigger LCD sets. We are using the same HD boxes we have had for several years. I have NO box at all on the kitchen TV......just plugged it into the power outlet and ran a piece of coax from the cable outlet above the back splash to the back of the TV. There are gaps in the channels that I get on the TV that has NO box....but, some of them are numbered over 100. Most are above 22. Many come in, in HD. I wonder if our location in The Villages has anything to do with this issue?

[Mikeod]

Hmmmm, this is very weird! We didn't have to get any converter boxes for the two bigger LCD sets. We are using the same HD boxes we have had for several years. I have NO box at all on the kitchen TV......just plugged it into the power outlet and ran a piece of coax from the cable outlet above the back splash to the back of the TV. There are gaps in the channels that I get on the TV that has NO box....but, some of them are numbered over 100. Most are above 22. Many come in, in HD. I wonder if our location in The Villages has anything to do with this issue?
You may be in an area that hasn't converted yet. Previously, we were able to get reception like you describe just by connecting to the wall outlet, but that ended with the conversion to all digital. With the new adapters, I don't get all the same HD channels, but the other channels are better than they were without.

[Skip]

Hmmmm, this is very weird! We didn't have to get any converter boxes for the two bigger LCD sets. We are using the same HD boxes we have had for several years. I have NO box at all on the kitchen TV......just plugged it into the power outlet and ran a piece of coax from the cable outlet above the back splash to the back of the TV. There are gaps in the channels that I get on the TV that has NO box....but, some of them are numbered over 100. Most are above 22. Many come in, in HD. I wonder if our location in The Villages has anything to do with this issue?

No, network HD stations have always been carried "in the clear" on the subcarriers (9.1 etc.). It's the higher channels (14+) that were reassigned recently. If you want to see those higher numbers you'll need a STB (Set Top Box) or DTA (Digital TV Adapter). They (up to 1 STB & 2 DTAs) are free. However, with a STB you no longer get HD. If you want to keep HD, you'll need an HD-STB and they will want to charge you $8.50/month extra for the HD package. You'll get other HD stations too.

Think of it this way, TV sets look for stations in fixed increments (like "broadcast over the air" is set up). All the channels are predefined. Cable companies have total control over how they put stations on the "cable". They don't have to be that fixed frequency width especially if it's not all analog stations. For digital, they can cram in many more and even compress them. They can use any frequencies and widths they want. (Has nothing to do with scrambling either.) To figure out where these channels are and how to decode and decompress them, you need a unique tuner that has the cable company's "method" built in. (Or you can use a "CableCard" - but that's another story.) Thus a Set Top Box is required. It's just a special tuner. These units can receive and understand the info from the "head end" and in fact they are each addressable. Each has a unique IP address, so to speak. The STB is a two way communicator too (DTAs are not). The STB can send a signal back to the "head end" and the cable company can stream you the program you just requested. Thus you have "on-demand" and "pay-per-view". The STB has a "universal remote" that can be programmed to work the STB and your TV with one remote. Also the cable company can shut you down, change your "plan" or do lots of things by sending the box a code. Cable modems for internet access are the same. They are addressable too. Don't pay your bill on time? Comcast sends codes to your devices and bamm!, you no longer have internet or TV reception. No one has to visit your property to do that. What has happened recently is that they want to offer faster internet through-put and even more TV stations (many of them premium stations). The "pipe" is only so big, so change the analog (fat) signals to digital (skinny) signals and they can get 20-40 times as many stations through that "pipe". It's called "band-width". If we had "fiber-optic to the curb", we'd have 1000 times more band-width. Some day that may happen, but that's a lot of digging.

So far today, channels 2-13 and a few others are still there in analog, so you can still get the major networks stations without a special box. If that suits you, you can get a big reduction in your cable bill by going to just the "basic" plan. You'll get about 15 analog stations and still 5 or 6 HD stations at no extra fee. (Comcast won't tell you that some HD is free, however.)

Want to save money on your ISP bill? Buy your own Cable Modem, call in your MAC address number, return their modem and they take about $7/month plus tax off your internet bill. Make sure it's a DOCSIS 3.0 and you don't have phone service from Comcast. Zoom brand Series 1079 is a good one (Best Buy) and it'll pay for itself in less than a year.

Hope this helps. Class dismissed.

Skip

[Skybo]

Very interesting. Thanks Skip!

[getdul981]

I'm glad someone understands this better than I do. I just know what they told me at the store in Leesburg and the tech told me when we had our service moved to the new house.

[2BNTV]

No, network HD stations have always been carried "in the clear" on the subcarriers (9.1 etc.). It's the higher channels (14+) that were reassigned recently. If you want to see those higher numbers you'll need a STB (Set Top Box) or DTA (Digital TV Adapter). They (up to 1 STB & 2 DTAs) are free. However, with a STB you no longer get HD. If you want to keep HD, you'll need an HD-STB and they will want to charge you $8.50/month extra for the HD package. You'll get other HD stations too.

Think of it this way, TV sets look for stations in fixed increments (like "broadcast over the air" is set up). All the channels are predefined. Cable companies have total control over how they put stations on the "cable". They don't have to be that fixed frequency width especially if it's not all analog stations. For digital, they can cram in many more and even compress them. They can use any frequencies and widths they want. (Has nothing to do with scrambling either.) To figure out where these channels are and how to decode and decompress them, you need a unique tuner that has the cable company's "method" built in. (Or you can use a "CableCard" - but that's another story.) Thus a Set Top Box is required. It's just a special tuner. These units can receive and understand the info from the "head end" and in fact they are each addressable. Each has a unique IP address, so to speak. The STB is a two way communicator too (DTAs are not). The STB can send a signal back to the "head end" and the cable company can stream you the program you just requested. Thus you have "on-demand" and "pay-per-view". The STB has a "universal remote" that can be programmed to work the STB and your TV with one remote. Also the cable company can shut you down, change your "plan" or do lots of things by sending the box a code. Cable modems for internet access are the same. They are addressable too. Don't pay your bill on time? Comcast sends codes to your devices and bamm!, you no longer have internet or TV reception. No one has to visit your property to do that. What has happened recently is that they want to offer faster internet through-put and even more TV stations (many of them premium stations). The "pipe" is only so big, so change the analog (fat) signals to digital (skinny) signals and they can get 20-40 times as many stations through that "pipe". It's called "band-width". If we had "fiber-optic to the curb", we'd have 1000 times more band-width. Some day that may happen, but that's a lot of digging.

So far today, channels 2-13 and a few others are still there in analog, so you can still get the major networks stations without a special box. If that suits you, you can get a big reduction in your cable bill by going to just the "basic" plan. You'll get about 15 analog stations and still 5 or 6 HD stations at no extra fee. (Comcast won't tell you that some HD is free, however.)

Want to save money on your ISP bill? Buy your own Cable Modem, call in your MAC address number, return their modem and they take about $7/month plus tax off your internet bill. Make sure it's a DOCSIS 3.0 and you don't have phone service from Comcast. Zoom brand Series 1079 is a good one (Best Buy) and it'll pay for itself in less than a year.

Hope this helps. Class dismissed.

Skip

Skip:

You Da Man!!!!! :bigbow: :bigbow: :bigbow:

[Skip]

Skip:

You Da Man!!!!!

Not hardly.

I do know this, ask anyone in Comcast if you can receive HD with just basic or basic-extended service and they will tell you "NO, you need an HD box and pay our HD fee".

That is a lie!

Thanks,
Skip

[vabeachers]

On November 1, Comcast in The Villages went to all digital. Comcast claims that they notified customers via bill inserts as well as making announcements via advertisements on various channels. However, I spoke with several Comcast customers, and none were aware of the switch-over and necessary customer actions until they lost the higher numbered channels.

The Comcast office on Hwy 441 in the shopping center across from Walmart was distributing the required Digital Transport Adapter (DTA) boxes in a self-installation kit. A DTA is required to receive the higher-numbered channels for all TVs that do not have a set-top box. (At least one TV in your home will have a set-top box - mine is Motorola - provided by Comcast. You can obtain as many boxes as you have activated connections in your home. It is my understanding that the first two are provided at no charge, but additional ones incur a charge - I don't know how much.

When you go to the aforementioned service location, signs will direct you to the other end of the shopping center, where a couple of Comcast trucks/vans are parked, with a table set up outside a vacant shore where two representatives are issuing the DTA boxes. At least that's how it was set up on Friday, 11/4. You'll need only some form of ID - driver's license, Comcast bill, etc. and will sign for receipt of the boxes. Instructions inside the boxes show you how to connect the DTA to you cable input and TV, and provide a toll-free number to activate them. However, it's not quite that simple.

If you have only two TVs - one with the set-top box plus one other to which the DTA will be connected, the process is pretty straightforward. You connect the DTA per the instructions, program the provided remote to control your TV (on/off, volume. channel; instructions also included), and call the toll-free number to activate.

But if you have more than one additional TV, OR IF YOU ARE USING TIVO OR ANOTHER DIGITAL VIDEO RECEIVER/RECORDER, you are going to have problems. The automated toll-free number to activate the DTAs does not have a provision (at least that I could discern) for multiple DTA activations, and nowhere does Comcast mention what to do for TIVO.

After much discussion with technicians in various departments at various locations around the world and on line, here's what I learned.
1. If you have TIVO or another Digital Receiver, do not connect a DTA to that outlet. You need to install a cable card into your receiver and activate it with a different telephone number than that used for the DTAs. Or you can schedule a service call to have Comcast do it for you at a charge of either $29.95 or $42.95 - I got both quotes from different Comcast support technicians. But do not schedule a service call for that until you have installed and activated all DTAs on your other connections.
2. The automated line for DTA activation is not "user-friendly" if you have more than one DTA to activate. I had a problem because of that and had to go online to the support page "chat" to get my DTAs activated. My suggestion for the telephone activation is to do one at a time.

3. For online activation, go to the Comcast web site, click on My Account and log in. In the Search box, type "chat now" (no quotes) and click on Search. Then click on the Live Chat link. That will open a chat window, and a technician will come on. Tell him or her that you want to activate one or more DTAs. In addition to your account info (name, customer #, service address and telephone number), you'll need the serial numbers of the DTAs.

4. Getting back to TIVO, because I couldn't get a consistent answer about the charge, I elected to go with self-installation. That means I need to contact the local support office to verify they have a cable card compatible with TIVO, then go pick it up and install it. I'll do that Monday (11/7/11). Wish me luck.

Good luck with your DTA installation.

[zcaveman]

On November 1, Comcast in The Villages went to all digital. Comcast claims that they notified customers via bill inserts as well as making announcements via advertisements on various channels. However, I spoke with several Comcast customers, and none were aware of the switch-over and necessary customer actions until they lost the higher numbered channels.

The Comcast office on Hwy 441 in the shopping center across from Walmart was distributing the required Digital Transport Adapter (DTA) boxes in a self-installation kit. A DTA is required to receive the higher-numbered channels for all TVs that do not have a set-top box. (At least one TV in your home will have a set-top box - mine is Motorola - provided by Comcast. You can obtain as many boxes as you have activated connections in your home. It is my understanding that the first two are provided at no charge, but additional ones incur a charge - I don't know how much.

When you go to the aforementioned service location, signs will direct you to the other end of the shopping center, where a couple of Comcast trucks/vans are parked, with a table set up outside a vacant shore where two representatives are issuing the DTA boxes. At least that's how it was set up on Friday, 11/4. You'll need only some form of ID - driver's license, Comcast bill, etc. and will sign for receipt of the boxes. Instructions inside the boxes show you how to connect the DTA to you cable input and TV, and provide a toll-free number to activate them. However, it's not quite that simple.

If you have only two TVs - one with the set-top box plus one other to which the DTA will be connected, the process is pretty straightforward. You connect the DTA per the instructions, program the provided remote to control your TV (on/off, volume. channel; instructions also included), and call the toll-free number to activate.

But if you have more than one additional TV, OR IF YOU ARE USING TIVO OR ANOTHER DIGITAL VIDEO RECEIVER/RECORDER, you are going to have problems. The automated toll-free number to activate the DTAs does not have a provision (at least that I could discern) for multiple DTA activations, and nowhere does Comcast mention what to do for TIVO.

After much discussion with technicians in various departments at various locations around the world and on line, here's what I learned.
1. If you have TIVO or another Digital Receiver, do not connect a DTA to that outlet. You need to install a cable card into your receiver and activate it with a different telephone number than that used for the DTAs. Or you can schedule a service call to have Comcast do it for you at a charge of either $29.95 or $42.95 - I got both quotes from different Comcast support technicians. But do not schedule a service call for that until you have installed and activated all DTAs on your other connections.
2. The automated line for DTA activation is not "user-friendly" if you have more than one DTA to activate. I had a problem because of that and had to go online to the support page "chat" to get my DTAs activated. My suggestion for the telephone activation is to do one at a time.

3. For online activation, go to the Comcast web site, click on My Account and log in. In the Search box, type "chat now" (no quotes) and click on Search. Then click on the Live Chat link. That will open a chat window, and a technician will come on. Tell him or her that you want to activate one or more DTAs. In addition to your account info (name, customer #, service address and telephone number), you'll need the serial numbers of the DTAs.

4. Getting back to TIVO, because I couldn't get a consistent answer about the charge, I elected to go with self-installation. That means I need to contact the local support office to verify they have a cable card compatible with TIVO, then go pick it up and install it. I'll do that Monday (11/7/11). Wish me luck.

Good luck with your DTA installation.

Or you can go to https://digitalnow.comcast.com/ and activate the DTA boxes without calling Comcast.

If fact, I have activated DTA boxes for neighbors that do not have a computer by hooking them up and then coming home and activating them from my PC. All I needed was the DTA box serial numbers and a copy of their Comcast bill to get the necessary information. It only takes a few minutes.

Z

[Snowbirdtobe]

I am new to Comcast but not new to TIVO. There are different types of TIVO receivers. The older TIVO boxes used a cable box and a infra-red (IR) transmitter to control the cable box. These do not accept a CableCard.
The newer TIVO boxes have CableCard slots and I self installed one last week.
The card that I got from Comcast allows me to record 2 channels at the same time in my TIVO HD with only one card. The install required only one phone call to the CableCard setup number.

[Blackie]

I picked up 2 DTA's on Friday from Comcast near Walmart.

I activated both at the same time thru the toll free line, I was only on the phone for a few minutes. All the channels came thru after a few minutes.

The first DTA was simply connected to the wall cable outlet and the other to the TV, then I set the supplied remote per the instructions.

Everything works as expected.

The second TV has a Series 2 TIVO Box. I connected the DTA between the TIVO and the cable wall outlet. Then I reset the TIVO box per the instructions on the TIVO website for the Comcast DTA.

The TiVo works fine using its own remote - I do not need to use the remote supplied with the DTA at all. Below is the link for the Series 2 TiVo - there are probably similar documents for newer TIvo's.

http://support.tivo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1277

[EdV]

Great post Skip. That explains why you would need an A/B switch box as shown in this diagram (http://customer.comcast.com/Pages/HelpNFC.aspx?id=article-connecting-digital-adapter-to-hdtv) if you wanted to receive basic channels (2-13), expanded basic (above 13) and the broadcast HD channels without having a rented Comcast digital set top box.

But those of you with older Tivos won't be happy with this change.

However, a poster in this thread (http://customer.comcast.com/Pages/HelpNFC.aspx?id=article-connecting-digital-adapter-to-hdtv) indicates that he lost access to most of the clear QUAM HD stations after his area was upgraded.

[faithfulfrank]

We will finally be full time Floridians in less then a month. At our Florida home we currently have Comcast expanded basic....which was fine for me as we were only there a few months a year. I have not been down there since May, so I do not have any of these boxes. I suspect when we do get down there in a few weeks my cable will not work, or not work well I'm sure.

Perhaps this will be a very good time to just get internet from Comcast....THANK YOU Skip for the modem info...!! I think I'll switch to Direct TV, as that is what many of my neighbors have done. I'll finally be rid of a landline and just have our Verizon cellphones.

Comcast has been sending my bill up to my NY home. I have not gotten any mailings from them about this, but of course have followed this news here on TOTV. Thank you all for keeping me informed....!

My other option is to just keep the expanded basic from Comcast and use the internet to get netflix and Hulu......all quite complicated....we'll see.

Call me crazy, but I seem to remember a time when we had an antenna in the attic and we turned on the TV and got about 12 channels....and amazingly we never ever got a bill for that......another time for sure...

Frank

[quirky3]

Ah, yes, the good old television days - 3 channels, and aluminum foil on the inside antenna

[l2ridehd]

Skip, great information. Comcast has a significant business problem. They are losing subscribers and trying to maintain their revenue stream. Remember when AOL was charging $19.95 for e-mail? Comcast is at that point in the business cycle. AOL almost failed and they never did recover from going to free e-mail. Comcast has to make a tough business decision. They can continue current course and speed and will be out of business in less then 10 years, or they can do the necessary market research, provide a product and service that will be perceived as value that will prevent folks moving to alternatives, and perhaps survive long term. It would take giving all HD, plus most sports and movies plus internet at a price point people would believe it was not worth changing. Probably under $50 a month. My guess is based on their model, they will go out of business. They have the worst customer service in the world (validated by multiple surveys) and the only change they make is to run ads stating how good their service really is. That is a company that senior management just doesn't get it. The current leadership will lead them to complete failure. Wish I was on their board of directors.

[Schaumburger]

We will finally be full time Floridians in less then a month. At our Florida home we currently have Comcast expanded basic....which was fine for me as we were only there a few months a year. I have not been down there since May, so I do not have any of these boxes. I suspect when we do get down there in a few weeks my cable will not work, or not work well I'm sure.

Perhaps this will be a very good time to just get internet from Comcast....THANK YOU Skip for the modem info...!! I think I'll switch to Direct TV, as that is what many of my neighbors have done. I'll finally be rid of a landline and just have our Verizon cellphones.

Comcast has been sending my bill up to my NY home. I have not gotten any mailings from them about this, but of course have followed this news here on TOTV. Thank you all for keeping me informed....!

My other option is to just keep the expanded basic from Comcast and use the internet to get netflix and Hulu......all quite complicated....we'll see.

Call me crazy, but I seem to remember a time when we had an antenna in the attic and we turned on the TV and got about 12 channels....and amazingly we never ever got a bill for that......another time for sure...
Frank

When I was 10, I got a 13 inch black and white TV for Christmas. I was the happiest kid in Iowa. I'm showing my age...

[njbchbum]

Ah, yes, the good old television days - 3 channels, and aluminum foil on the inside antenna

old days? without cable or another resource, with just an outdoor antenna we would only get the 3 major television stations at my home in maine!

[cquick]

Has anyone noticed that previously non scrambled chanels are now scrambled?

I have hade Comcast for many years and have always had a number of unscrambled chanels. I wonder what's up?

yes, we turned on our TV's on Nov. 1 to a big surprise, but the converters help. The main TV with the original converter box stayed the same, but we had to add the extra small boxes to the other TV's and program the remote control that came with them.

On another subject, I think Comcast is really bad. There's no way to block channels or search to see what's on.....I have started using the TV guide site on the computer.....we are renting now, but we are definately changing cable programming companies when we get our house finished!:spoken:

[CarGuys]

(Think of it this way, TV sets look for stations in fixed increments (like "broadcast over the air" is set up). All the channels are predefined. )

Here in UpState NY our home was at 1700 ft above sea level.

I hooked our 1985 non HD antenna in the attic to our Direct TV cable box antenna connector. Let it run a search and!

We had over 13 free HD signals with clarity better than the Satellite.

I don't understand why but it worked. The old 13 inch color TV in the cellar gym worked with a Zenith HD converter box and got the same free in air stations.

Would this not work in TV also if you had a HD antenna in the attic.

H

[JohnM]

When COMCAST went all digital on 11/1/11, our MEDIA CENTER stopped working ... has anyone figured out how to get their MEDIA CENTER working again?

[getdul981]

What do you mean by Media Center?

[CTgolfer]

We have already installed the 2 free DTA converters on TV's. We have a third TV we would like to convert, but don't want to pay a monthly fee. Has anyone purchased the Comcast DTA converter available through eBay? If we made the purchase, does anyone know if we can just install it and have it work, or will it only work if Comcast initializes it?

[JohnM]

What do you mean by Media Center?

MEDIA CENTER is a software program from Microsoft which is included in Windows 7 ... it connects to cable and to the TV and is basically a fancy DVR and is supposed to bring all your "media" (TV, radio, internet, DVDs, pictures, etc.) together in one place) ... you can akso have a HUGE hard disk so you can record and store LOTS of movies and TV shows ... was working GREAT until COMCAST went all digital ...

[memason]

MEDIA CENTER is a software program from Microsoft which is included in Windows 7 ... it connects to cable and to the TV and is basically a fancy DVR and is supposed to bring all your "media" (TV, radio, internet, DVDs, pictures, etc.) together in one place) ... you can akso have a HUGE hard disk so you can record and store LOTS of movies and TV shows ... was working GREAT until COMCAST went all digital ...

I don't have this setup, but I would expect that you have to put the digital box between the cable wall outlet and your PC Card. You also may need to check your video receiver card (in the PC) to see if it's capable of using digital signals.

Use Google too....there's some info about this situation/setup online.

Good luck!

[Dirigo]

old days? without cable or another resource, with just an outdoor antenna we would only get the 3 major television stations at my home in maine!

Four if you count MPBN (Channel 10)...and it weren't stormin'...:loco:

[njbchbum]

Four if you count MPBN (Channel 10)...and it weren't stormin'...:loco:

rotflmao! thanx for that reminder! :a20:

[getdul981]

MEDIA CENTER is a software program from Microsoft which is included in Windows 7 ... it connects to cable and to the TV and is basically a fancy DVR and is supposed to bring all your "media" (TV, radio, internet, DVDs, pictures, etc.) together in one place) ... you can akso have a HUGE hard disk so you can record and store LOTS of movies and TV shows ... was working GREAT until COMCAST went all digital ...

Never heard of that. We have Win.7 on 2 computers, but I have no idea if that's on them or not. I'll have to check that out.

[Skip]

(Think of it this way, TV sets look for stations in fixed increments (like "broadcast over the air" is set up). All the channels are predefined. )

Here in UpState NY our home was at 1700 ft above sea level.

I hooked our 1985 non HD antenna in the attic to our Direct TV cable box antenna connector. Let it run a search and!

We had over 13 free HD signals with clarity better than the Satellite.

I don't understand why but it worked. The old 13 inch color TV in the cellar gym worked with a Zenith HD converter box and got the same free in air stations.

Would this not work in TV also if you had a HD antenna in the attic.

H

Your antenna (in The Villages) would only bring in one broadcast station, the Fox station in Ocala. All the rest are either in Daytona Beach or the other side of Orlando and way too far for good reception.

Skip

[Skip]

Skip, great information. Comcast has a significant business problem. They are losing subscribers and trying to maintain their revenue stream. Remember when AOL was charging $19.95 for e-mail? Comcast is at that point in the business cycle. AOL almost failed and they never did recover from going to free e-mail. Comcast has to make a tough business decision. They can continue current course and speed and will be out of business in less then 10 years, or they can do the necessary market research, provide a product and service that will be perceived as value that will prevent folks moving to alternatives, and perhaps survive long term. It would take giving all HD, plus most sports and movies plus internet at a price point people would believe it was not worth changing. Probably under $50 a month. My guess is based on their model, they will go out of business. They have the worst customer service in the world (validated by multiple surveys) and the only change they make is to run ads stating how good their service really is. That is a company that senior management just doesn't get it. The current leadership will lead them to complete failure. Wish I was on their board of directors.

You said it. This is the only place where they get a net increase in subscribers every year (but it's from new home sales not via competition). However there are many customers, so fed up with their lousy service, they go to Direct TV or Dish after a while.

The county governments (who license these carriers) need to know how bad they really are. Complain to Lake/Sumter/Marion. It's actually possible for them to lose the contract for this area and have BrightHouse (or Cox) take over (not that they're any better).

Skip

[momesu]

Comcast just left and yea!!! I have more channels to choose from than I have time to watch. Funny thing was I never saw an ad for the need to update to all digital until I just got my service back. So I now have Xfinity...Comcast remade.....the picture is clearer than what I had before though and I do have more channels. So I'm happy once again. Oh and I got my DVD player hooked up so I can watch my DVD's but then I learned I also have OnDemand movies...I guess DVD's are so old tech....

Suzanne

[getdul981]

You can also watch some tv shows after they have aired without recording on the DVR. I'm not exactly sure how many are available or for how long, but I do know there are quite a few.

[momesu]

For one who never even had basic cable up until 3 weeks ago this is all a bit overwhelming.....but I will figure it all out.

Suzanne

[getdul981]

For one who never even had basic cable up until 3 weeks ago this is all a bit overwhelming.....but I will figure it all out. Suzanne

I don't know if anyone can figure it ALL out.