Comcast cable box sucks
Closed: New threads not accepted on this page| Thread | Last Poster | Posts | Last Post | |
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| Archive through July 25, 2005 | Question from SF | 100 | ||
| Archive through April 18, 2005 | Ben Kellner | 100 |
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cable girl Unregistered guest | digital does not really give better picture clarity but it is advantageous in the fact that if you are having a problem with your service we can send a hit from the office to a digital box and clear your picture up, add or delete service immediately, etc. can't do that with analog. any service problems require a service tech. the other thing you get with digital is access to pay per view and if it is available in your area, video on demand. for digital you need the dct. for analog you don't. one option in the market i work for is a buy thru dct, which all that means is that you have analog chnls only and you are only chrgd the analog service price plus 5.00/mo for the dct to be active so you have access to order ppv events. but video on demand only works if you have a digital package. yes, you have to return the comcast box, if you return a box you bought on ebay then 1) we know it's not the equipment we assigned to you, which you signed for so are responsible for, and 2) we tell you that box is comcast property as well and we will collect both boxes. because it is comcast property. the person that sold it would have at one time had service, and not returned that box. which they signed for. which they are responsible for. plus, there are usually always promotions on digital and internet installations, not on analog installations, which in my market that install is close to 35.00 + 20.00 for each additional outlet. no contracts, so when promo ends you are at no obligation to keep the digital service. |
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Question from SF Unregistered guest | Thanks, Cable Girl, that's very helpful and will allow me to save a few $ a month. The same "stolen" units must be re-selling over and over again on Ebay. |
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cable girl Unregistered guest | yes they most likely are. another thing is that if you live in georgia and you buy a dct from someone that had service in california, then that box is specifically provisioned for california's chnl line up. so even if you do manage to get an inexperienced rep to send a hit to the box, it still won't work right because 1) rate codes for digital chnls to be sent over your line do not exist on your account and 2) the box is pre set for the other market and would not recognize the information being sent from the new market. i don't know if that makes sense unless you have to deal with it every day, but hope it helps. don't forget on the promos, the first month is not discounted, it is prorated, then you get your discounts. if you have 22 days of service before your billing cycle starts those 22 days will be charged per day at regular rate. (this is because the promotional discounts are only entered as full discount, so only make the price correct when subtracted from a full mo charge. ex. 73.95 digital silver - 43.96 promo discount = 29.99/mo, but if only 2 wks that discount would not make the charge 29.99). so your intitial bill will show the first few weeks or days at prorate then one month in advance at discount rate so could be almost 2 full months of service but only one discount code. not all reps will explain that to you but i think its nice to let customers know. plus each additional outlet is 19.95 to activate. even if it's already a live house. sorry. i don't get that one either. but it's policy and no one can waive that fee. good luck. oh, and if you get analog with the buy thru dct you can get hbo that way without having to get a digital package. this is a government requirement. the hd/dvr box is NOT offered as a buy thru for analog and is not required by law because that box is a digital enhancement box. |
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overpriced scum Unregistered guest | Step 1: Tell your elected officials to take action against unchecked cable rate hikes Where Does Your Money Go? Wonder where all those high rates you pay for cable television and Internet service are going? Do you assume that the cable industry must be tightening its own belt as well as raising rates in response to rising costs? Think again. Here are just a few of the ways that the cash-strapped cable industry is spending its revenue: 1) Now cash-strapped Adelphia Communications squandered its customer's money making investments and purchases - many of which stunk of nepotism - that should have rung bells by any accounting standards. Consider just a few: * the company purchased over $12 million in office equipment and interior decorating services from companies controlled by the wife of former Adelphia chairman and co-founder John Rigas;1 * Adelphia helped fund a film project and two motion picture companies owned by Rigas' daughter;2 * the company paid $13 million to build a golf course on Rigas-owned land;3 * Adelphia acted as guarantor for loans to the Rigas family amounting to over $3 billion, $1.4 billion of which was used by the family to buy stock in Adelphia;4 * the company transferred $100 million worth of set-top boxes to a Rigas-family owned partnership in order to make its debt load appear smaller;5 * Adelphia told Wall Street analysts that it was upgrading roughly 50 percent of its cable systems, but in reality upgraded less than 40 percent.6 2) AOL Time Warner, parent of the cable industry leader Time Warner Cable, is building a colossal new headquarters in New York City. The cost of the yet-to-be completed edifice and property is estimated to be $1.6 billion. Meanwhile, in 2001 the company raised rates for its "basic with standard" cable television service - its most popular cable offering - three times in certain areas of the country.7 In doing so, AOL Time Warner blamed rising programming costs, but it made no mention of its mammoth investment in the new building, nor of the beating the company has been taking on the stock market. 3) Comcast Corporation will pay roughly $70 billion to buy AT&T Broadband, which will bring with it a debt load of roughly $20 billion.8 Not surprisingly, consumers are already being asked to subsidize the spending spree, with both AT&T and Comcast announcing rate increases for cable television and Internet service.9 1 Farrell, Mike. "Bankruptcy Looms: 'Delisted Adelphia Is In Full Free-Fall." Multichannel News. June 3, 2002. 2 Ibid. 3 Ibid. 4 Solomon, Deborah. "Adelphia Plans to Dismiss Auditor, Citing Failure to Flag Troubles." Wall Street Journal. June 10, 2002. 5 Frank, Robert and Deborah Solomon. "Adelphia Inflated Subscriber Data, Kept Two Sets of Accounting Books." Wall Street Journal. June 7, 2002. 6 Ibid. 7 McGuire, Mark. "Higher Cable TV Bills Coming." Public Utility Law Project. Nov. 22, 2001. Available at http://www.pulpny.org/html/higher_cable.html. 8 Lieberman, David. "Comcast to Buy AT&T Broadband." USA Today. Dec. 20, 2001. Available at http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/invest/2001/12/20/att-comcast.htm. 9 For AT&T rate increases see Hadley, Jane. "Cheaper Cable? Go to Tacoma; Rates Will Jump." Seattle Post Intelligencer. May 29, 2002; for Comcast rate increases, see Parker, Akweli. "Comcast Raising Rates in Philadelphia." Philadelphia Inquirer. March 30, 2002. |
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Happy Happy Unregistered guest | If cable rates rise too high people will find alternatives. Simple economics. It appears that current rates aren't too high since the cable companies have money to burn. I love capitalism!! Happy cable Subscriber |
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cable girl Unregistered guest | cable rates are not unchecked. they are regulated by the fcc and by the local community government. in the community i live in/work for we provide free cable for every classroom in the public school system as well as in the local university. also at the university we provide special rates for on campus housing. THAT is what the fees and the cable rate increase per year pays for. if you have a problem with the price of cable then don't get it. |
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johnn Unregistered guest | Comcast high speed internet... Well, it is not even high speed any more. It was some time ago because people found out about it and started using it, which is a good thing, however, Comcast is too cheap to add more nodes(a type of local computer that you connect to). It should not be more than 12 users per node for you to get the speed that they advertise and promise. In 2005 so far, it has been 18 to 24 people. As a matter affect, you get about 1.5 mega bits per second (mbps) instead what they advertise and promise (6 mbps). If a user switched to them from dial up, even this low speed is very fast for them so think they are getting what they were promised. Everybody please WAKE UP. Test your connecion speed; just type free internet speed test in google. If you have Comcast you have the most expensive internet service in the country (for household), dont you think you should get your money's worth? In addition, Comcast is not number one in anything but hiring technicians who are nothing more than your average user; all they would know is how to power cycle your modem (fancy words for unplug and replug), restart your computer and ping your connection (ping is nothing more than sending test 4 test packages to your computer in DOS and see if they arrive or get lost and time average) In other words, if you have a problem, dont call them unless you want to waste your time. Search it on the internet and do it yourself. It will be faster and better. Finally, until Comcast stops misleading consumers and overcharging them, and starts delivering what they promised to deliver, do not get COmcast high speed internet. If you are going to pay almost $50 a month (if you have comcast TV, without Comcast TV it will cost you almost $65 a month) for about 1.5 mbps, think again; get dsl for $29 for the same speed (1.5 mbps) |
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Bronze Member Username: AvernusPost Number: 25 Registered: Jul-05 | I am getting 2.7, but if I restart my computer...it'll be faster |
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Bronze Member Username: AvernusPost Number: 26 Registered: Jul-05 | also, there are programs to increase your speed...so when I download movies, I get 200+ mps |
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cable girl Unregistered guest | yes and the techs have to ask you to powercycle that is not their favorite thing to do but there are certain trouble shooting things they have to ask. if your speeds are that slow then there is a problem and you should listen and let the techs help you. yes they ping your modem because they test for your actual speed and you packet loss of there is any, they start with the little things and work up. usually such slow speeds mean you have some serious adware or spyware or you have just too much crap and if you surf p*rn AT ALL then you end up with all kinds of garbage. dsl is absolutely not better than comcast internet. |
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eh? Unregistered guest | Cable Girl, I have cable internet and not cable tv....I should mention I am in a different country....anyway....I do get 2 channels when I hook up my tv to the same connection source as my cable internet modem. I have learned that this means there is a trap or filter on my line to only allow high frequency signals to my house...the internet channels. Hope that is correct. anyway, theoretically, if a guy wants to remove the filter he would have to climb the pole...right....ok.....what would that guy expect to see and would he need any special tools when he shimmies his fanny up there? |
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cable girl Unregistered guest | not too sure about what you would be removing, i have only been on one tech ride and i do not climb poles or ladders, period. scared of heights. so in all honesty i have no idea what the traps actually look like. keep in mind if you do attempt to do this the city or the cable company could fine you if they find out and nosey neighbors love to call and report things like the guy next door climbing the pole. also, don't get electricuted. no electricity runs thru a cable line but most poles have electricity, cable, phone, etc. (all utilities) sorry i couldn't be of any help on that one, i work in billing and repair, not a field tech. best bet is to call in and see what sort of promotion you can get on video service. no obligation to keep it you can cancel the video after the promo period. |
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cable boy Unregistered guest | As far as i am aware the HSI travels on a very low frequency. This is why channels 2-5 will be grainy sometimes when you are noticing slow speeds. this is caused alot by having a bad drop line or splitter in the house. Tech support asks this question first often. The traps look like little cylinders. Like cable girl said, Neighbors get FURIOUS when thier neighbors steal cable, as well as the legal problems you could face. |
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eh? Unregistered guest | legal shmegal, I work too hard for my money and am tired of being bent over just to watch the tv channels I want. As for the neighbors, I will just stay up really late or get up really early. Little cylinders huh? I guess they just screw into the coax line then like you would when hooking it up to the TV? It's either that or there is a special tool because the cable guy only takes a few minutes up there so it can't be that complicated. |
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cable girl Unregistered guest | i don't see why you would want to do all that when you could just get cable tv at a promo rate. in my market you can get digital w/hbo for 3mo. after that if you want to cancel then just bring back the box and cancel. wait a while and come back on another promotion, it's shady but at least it's not cable theft. plus if you get the cable tv then your internet price drops. |
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cable girl Unregistered guest | oops, the price on that promo, sorry: digital w/hbo 3/mo 19.95 |
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JOEy SCHMOey Unregistered guest | GOtta quick question.....now just be honest with me now, ok? Just keep it real a'ight! I am paying for HSI service AND ANTENNA Cable ($8.95/mo) service with Comcast...thats you Cable Girl... Now...heres the question...Can I simply purchase an analog cable descrambler box, plug it in and get BASIC Cable without having to notify Comcast?? As of right now, all the BASIC cable channels are scrambled like ESPN, CNN, MSN, etc. To tell you the truth...I don't want Digital Cable...I just want some ESPN and CNN...you know..BASIC cable. So whats up cable pros??? What do I need to do??? |
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Cable boy Unregistered guest | No they are not scrambled, they are blocked by equipment located on your line outside. see above comments. Sorry bud... Remember you probably have the fastest internet service available to you and approx 70 channels of programming available to all tv's in the house for about 95.00 after all taxes and fees. that is not that bad of a deal, and if you can not afford it, well I'm sory i wish you could but it is a luxury not a need. just be aware of that when you complain about price of service. (Comcast) Cable Boy out.... |
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Cable boy Unregistered guest | Remember, An analog box does not de-scramble anything, all it does is tune to the channels so an older tv(dials and 2-13 buttons on the front) can tune to those channels. Dont waste your $$$$... |
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Cable boy Unregistered guest | Remember, An analog box does not de-scramble anything, all it does is tune to the channels so an older tv(dials and 2-13 buttons on the front) can tune to those channels. Dont waste your $$$$... |
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JOEy SCHMOey Unregistered guest | Cable POLICE Boy....do you really think I'm that stupid. I've already been outside and looked at my cable line....there is nothing...just pure coax cable coming straight into my house from the box in my front yard...the picture is scrambled..I can see right through it AND I can hear the audio. Keep it real POLICE BOY....I actually can afford $95 bucks a month...it's not the money...its just not WORTH it. |
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Cable Unregistered guest | In that case, go buy one, go buy the most expensive one you can get. Good luck and thank you for asking. |
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cable girl Unregistered guest | if you are only getting those channels and they appear to be scrambled then your coax is working like an antenna and there isn't any live service on that line at all. i agree with cable boy the line is most likely trapped and if it is it would be done at the line so you wouldn't know that for sure unless you climbed the pole (don't do that). you can get a promo on your video service i have said that over and over again. there are some really good deals. and you are never obligated to keep anything. it's very hard to steal cable. it has been done to death and the cable companies are on to the game now. sorry. thank all the cable pirates before you for that. you can get channels 2-15 for about 9.95/mo in most markets, then you would get a 15.00 discount on your internet, making your bill about 2.00 less than it is now. basic analog service is about 46.50/mo in most markets. digital is about 62.00 w/one movie chnl (hbo) 73.95 w/2 movie chnls (hbo & showtime) 83.95 w/all movie chnls 93.95 ALWAYS a promo going on. never a contract. so cancel after the promo period. right now in the market i work for you get digital w/hbo for 3mo for 29.99 - if you cancel after the promo then wait a while then take advantage of a new promo i mean it is sort of shady but at least you aren't stealing cable. seems like everyone thinks you can descramble the signal. you can't. that doesn't work anymore. |
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cable girl Unregistered guest | oh, just noticed you said you do get the 2-15 antenna service. sorry, just in from work and just sort of skimmed over it. my advice, see what rate you can get on a promo. cable boy is right, there are traps on your line. whether you can see them or not they are there. somewhere. would have been added when the work order said 'limited service' - automatic traps on the lines. |
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Bronze Member Username: AvernusPost Number: 37 Registered: Jul-05 | Here in philly, we can't get cable without a box anymore. We used to be able to just hook the line up to the TV (with the service of course ;) )and have our channels... But now, we need even a basic box, just to get a picture... |
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cable girl Unregistered guest | is that with comcast? |
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Cable boy Unregistered guest | Odds are with the FCC makng sure everything gets changed to digital, You could be in an all digital market, that would require you to have a digital box on every TV. There are now TV's comingout that are Digital cable ready and you can have a cable card installed that is similar to a cable box. Those usually are free with a cable provider. Problem with that though is that you have to buy a new tv... |
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cable girl Unregistered guest | again cable boy, where are you? what region? i am in the southeast and we are not allowed to have an all digital market because of the fcc, we have to provide buy thru dct's and no customer (sub) can be forced to pay for a full digital package to receive hbo starz cinemax showtime etc. of course, by the time they pay for the preferred service, a buy thru dct, and the a la carte premium chnl they may as well get digital they are only coming out a few dollars cheaper and losing alot of chnls too. no digi chnls for the same price no thanks if you ask me. |
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sol Unregistered guest | cable sucks...not only they digged up your yard to put in those useless fiber optic cables, and their services suck and they can't produce HD content as they advertised...i hope they go bankrupt with those lawsuits for the damages caused by digging....satellite is way to go. |
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cable girl Unregistered guest | yes go with sattelite. have fun with it. trust me cable companies won't be going bankrupt any time soon and since they provide free internet for the public schools in their areas as well as for the local government offices i seriously doubt they are going anywhere. if you don't like cable get satellite. one less person calling me being a jerk. **just a side note, i am nice and helpful to the people that call me. unless they are jerks. then i do the bare minimum that i have to do to get off that call. even if i could do more to help. |
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yellow flasher Unregistered guest | We have (and pay for) digital cable + HBO. I have one box that Comcast brought with my service. I can hook up cable to other TVs and have basic cable, but none of the digital channels without the magic box. Comcast support said their box is made by Magnavox and I can buy another one to connect to TVs in other rooms. Is there anything at the box end that needs to be set by Comcast or can I just buy another one or two boxes from Magnavox and be able to watch the digital channels elsewhere as well? |
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cable girl Unregistered guest | You can do that if you want to but no one will add the serial number from the non-comcast box to your additional outlet so the codes for the digital chnls will only exist on outlet 1. New database, so now only outlets with the digital rate codes will get the digital chnls. Sorry. I don't know who told you that you could do that but they must not have really known what they are talking about. |
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CodeCracking Unregistered guest | How do you bypass the parental control codes...is there a way without the password that was chosen? |
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cable girl Unregistered guest | no there is no way unless you are the parent and can confirm your account information and get the password cleared, which you aren't and can't, so no, there is no way. Sounds like your parents put the code on there for a good reason. |
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Anonymous | Comcast is telling me that since my hdtv (a sammy hlr series) has a built in tuner that I don't necessarily need a stb to receive hd with digital cable? and that I would only need a stb if I wanted any premium channels, is this correct? btw I live in Maryland. |
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Silver Member Username: CableguyDeep in the ... U.S. Post Number: 267 Registered: Mar-05 | is it CableCARD capable? |
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New member Username: Rf186Post Number: 7 Registered: Sep-04 | Comcast website quote. "I have a digital-cable-ready HDTV set. Do I need a CableCARD or a special HD set-top box to view HD programming? Digital-cable-ready HDTV sets have built-in HD capability so no special set-top box is required to receive HD signals for broadcast digital channels. You would need to use either a set-top box or a CableCARD to receive non-broadcast Comcast Digital Cable and/or HDTV channels that are not available on the basic service tier." |
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New member Username: Cable_peonPost Number: 1 Registered: Aug-05 | cable girl keeps mentioning that there is NO contract for Comcast services. This is very misleading. Upon subscription to any service provided by Comcast, you are in fact entering into a very detailed contract regarding those services. It is, however, true that Comcast does not include in that contract any TERM commitment (that is, you are not required to keep any Comcast service for any pre-determined length of time). |
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New member Username: Cable_peonPost Number: 2 Registered: Aug-05 | Reuben Franklin - - In order to receive the HD channels provided by Comcast, you WILL need an HD cable box (provided by Comcast at the rate of $5.00 per month, including universal remote) (or a CableCard, also provided by Comcast). If you own a TV with a built-in HD tuner, it will only receive signal "over the air" (antenna). That is, the local network channels that have converted to digital HD transmission in your area. You may also need one of the new digital antennae now available, depending on the distance between you and the local channel's transmitter. Comcast's availability of HD channels is currently a little limited (usually around 12-15 channels total with several of these being premium movie channels for which you must have a subscription). You will receive ESPN, Discovery and Comcast Sports Net HD channels with a minimum Standard Analog Cable (approx. 65-72 channels) subscription. The local HD network channels in your area would be available with a minimum Basic Analog Cable (approx. 20-40 channels) subscription. All in all, not a bad deal for $5.00 per month to guarantee digital quality reception of the HD channels that you choose to receive. PS - Comcast structures the HD portion of their service as a "box only" charge with no addtional charge for the channels themselves. Bearing in mind that you must have the correct service level subscription in order to view the traditional cable channels on their HD equivilent channel. I hope this assists in answering your question. |
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New member Username: Cable_peonPost Number: 3 Registered: Aug-05 | Earlier in this discussion, "cable girl" stated that there would be no improvement in reception quality of Comcast digital cable service vs. traditional analog services. This is just not true (sorry "cable girl" - I am not attacking, just correcting). Any digital cable service WILL improve the picture quality that you receive on the digital channel portion of transmission. Provided that your TV was manufactured within about the last 10-12 years. Since that time almost all TVs produced have been capable of higher resolution (higher number of scan lines) than the standard NTSC broadcast specification of 525 scan lines. The reason for this is the introduction of newer technology (ie. SVHS and then DVD) for peripheral devices attached to your TV. Digital cable services certainly take advantage of this higher technology by providing "near DVD" quality signal. The caveat here (at least for Comcast) is that the traditional analog services (Basic & Standard) are still analog even if you subscibe to digital services. It makes no difference that they pass through the digital box (they are not converted to digital signal by the box). So, for channels up to the 100 range, you will still be receiving analog signal and it will only be as good as the facilities, connectors, splitters and amplifiers at your home will provide. This IS only a temporary state, as the FCC has mandated that ALL TV signal ("over the air", cable and satillite) must be digital by the end of 2008, extended from the end of 2006). The FCC is doing this in order to "open" more "over the air" bandwidth (broadcast digital signals take up much less transmission space than the traditional analog VHS & UHF signals) for use by "To Be Determined" applications. Cable Pirates beware - - once the 100% conversion to digital signal has taken place, you will be Out Of Business! (That is unless you have access to highly technical labratory facilities and a few hundred thousand dollars to pump into research). Just for the info....... |
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Bronze Member Username: Rf186Post Number: 14 Registered: Sep-04 | "Reuben Franklin - - In order to receive the HD channels provided by Comcast, you WILL need an HD cable box (provided by Comcast at the rate of $5.00 per month, including universal remote) (or a CableCard, also provided by Comcast)." Uh Cable Peon, isn't that what the quote from the faq section of comcast says? I was answering the anon above, not posing a question. |
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New member Username: Cable_peonPost Number: 6 Registered: Aug-05 | Sorry. |
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cable girl Unregistered guest | peon, i saw a post by cable boy earlier saying that in some areas (not mine yet) there is a difference, here there is not. the analog channels are analog. digital is digital. no big reception difference, just better choices for more channels. apparently in some areas the portion that is now analog here would be digital as well as the digi nets when we make the same changes being made elsewhere, and in fact some techs were talking about that outside on break tonite so it is going to happen here, the problem is that techs have to go all over our area to make sure there are no leaks on any cable lines, very time consuming. no offense taken on that. i don't remember who said this, but whoever, the fact that you are not obligated indicates you are not bound by contract, comcast is. we are bound to provide the services and follow all fcc guidelines. you are not required to sign a commitment. |
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Cable boy Unregistered guest | Okay first there is a difference between a digital picture and an analog picture. A digital picture is a better quality and a clearer or crisper(not sure if either of those are real words...)picture. Most people like myself that own a Sears or Target blue light special TV, we are not going to see much of a difference. those of you who are not Comcast gurnts and can afford a few grand on a tv for a HDTV, you WILL see quite a difference in the picture quality from nalog to digital. A picture that looked grainy now will be clear. This is evident just by looking on the message boards. I am glad to see people seeing a difference. It has caused quite a headache for us here. I know that by January 1st 2006 that there must be a digital feed on all channels. As far as how long we are obligated to continue an analog feed is unknown to me. I have looked but do not know. If anyone has that info it would be very helpful. |
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Unregistered guest | hi i bougth a 43in pioneer plasma tv with no cable and media box just wondering where i can get hold of cable and media box from? thanks best regards nick |
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Cable boy Unregistered guest | As far as from yur cable provider? I think you are from the U.K. so I really dont know. sorry, |
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Anonymous | I subscribed to Comcast Digital Cable last month and was receiving ALL channels for free. I thought it was some sort of promo. I had problems with the box and the cable guy swapped it out for a new one and changed IPPV to "On" on another box. Now I dont get all the channels on those two boxes, however, the third box I have still has IPPV "Off" and receives all channels. Does anyone know why this is? |
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Cable boy Unregistered guest | What that means is that the DCT is not responding properly with our headend. The box may be brand new and not configured yet yo the area. This usually happens in 24-48 hours. The Box should eventually start showing the correct channels and the ones you dont subscribe to will say the approperiate Not Authorized. Otherwise the box will probably stop working eventually. |
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Cablewatcher Unregistered guest | Cable Boy, Thats what I thought too, but Its still working on the third box and has been working for almost 1 month. The tech had to phone in to change the IPPV so we could get VOD. Thanks! |
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plzhelp Unregistered guest | We just got digital cable plus hbo and a digital box on our downstairs tv, we have 6 other rooms with cable outlets already installed, but comcast says it will be 10.00 per room to hook up, is this true, or should the rooms work already since our family room tv works? |
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Unregistered guest | We have the DCT6400 through Armstrong Utilities and they just turned on the second tuner. Is there any way to have different channels on the PIP? We have the Hitachi LCD projection TV and I can't find any way to set either the DCT or the TV. Any help? |
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Cable boy Unregistered guest | Plzhlp, What they are saying is true. The lines are probably already run in the house but where the splitter is they are not hooked up. What we are telling you is that the ends are not hooked up and for 60.00 we'll come out and hook them all up as well as put in a new splitter. If your a handyman I would not pay for it but do it myself(and no I am not a tech). you can get press on connectors and strip the lines yourself. The other thing to be aware of is once you push that many outlets you ARE going to need a booster or amplifier. You cant run a hose and then split it 6 ways and get mad when you have no water pressure at 6 sprayers... Total, expect to pay 110.00 abouts for all the work. I would say that you could do it all yourself if you feel up to the challenge. But to get it done professionally and have an amplifier that is warrantied as long as you have Comcast may not be a bad idea. And remember ou are only looking at up front cost, no charge for standard on those tv's. Sounds like you just moved in and if planning on being there long or having kids and wife/husband complaining about hating what your watching it probably is worth it. OH by the way, if you can afford 6 tv's, you probably got the buck! Just kidding and let me know if you have any other questions. P.S. If you are a homeowner with an amplifier purchased through Comcast: If you move, take it with you. You bought it, its yours. And well warranty it for life at the new house as long as you have Comcast. |
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Cable boy Unregistered guest | David, Not really. You would have to call and speak to someone as it would take a lot of..... forget it... this is what you would have to do. Your only option is to run a splitter before the box. then you would have to run 1 through the box to the tv and the other directly to the tv. then you could get the digital DVR functions on your main screen and analog on your PIP. unfortunatley your pretty much stuck with that unless you buy another box. late so horrible punctuation.. sorry. |
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Silver Member Username: CableguyDeep in the ... U.S. Post Number: 311 Registered: Mar-05 | plzhelp, Although Cable boy is right on most of his statements I would highly discourage you from using any press on connectors. If done improperly they can cause signal leakage, also ingress which can cause certain channels to be interefered by locally broadcast digital signals, ham operators, etc.. If you're going to do it, it would be wise to purchase a set of crimpers or a compression tool (depending on what type of connectors you can purchase) Push on connectors are a nitemare in the long haul, and should only be used as a bandaid until you can get the correct connectors installed. And yes I am a technician |
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Cable boy Unregistered guest | And if you wanted to buy all the toos and spend the time to do it ask yourself if it would then not just be the having the cable company do it. |
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Silver Member Username: CableguyDeep in the ... U.S. Post Number: 315 Registered: Mar-05 | It's always easier to have somebody else do it. You suggested they go out and get press on connectors, I merely stated that it's not the best way to put connectors on. Sure you can go out and get press on connectors, but then when you put them on and something is wrong, you'll have to go back through everything to see where the problem originated. There's an old saying out there, Do it right, or don't do it all. Plzhelp obviously doesn't want to have to pay $60 to have them come out and make all the outlets active, it would be cheaper to go buy a crimp tool and a bag of connectors, plus the added benefit of knowing how to put connectors on by himself, he wouldn't have to call the cable company to come out when ever he needed to move an outlet, or make a repair on an existing line....gee imagine that! no waiting!!! It's not that complicated to cut a connector, it only gets complicated when it's not done properly. |
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Anonymous | Couple of questions and opinions. First, multiple boxes in the house. Why again should I pay twice? Saw the argument re: two phone lines but if I watch in the kitchen in the morning and the den at night, why twice? Basically, why haven't we progressed to the point where the STB really has computer-like capabilities at the point of entry so that all of those bits and bytes are unscrambled right then such that any digital tuner in the house can show any channel, just like with analog? Seems to me like either cable co. or studio greed or maybe FCC rule. Regardless it seems really stupid because it's economically inefficient (too many pieces of equipment, complicated distribution system, etc.). Similar situation as when we had to rent phones and now we can own them: the fact that the cable cos. are allowed to require us to use multiple pieces of equipment and lease them rather than own them is almost certain proof of an inefficient economic situation. In today's technological world, it seems like one piece of equipment should do it and the consumer should be able to own the one he wanted. I'm not saying that the cable cos. are wrong or evil; my opinion is (just for the fun of the discussion) that the system is clearly economically inefficient and in a rational world the distribution system would make one unit, owned by the consumer, the most likely choice. Why didn't it work out that way? The cable companies were all monopolies at the start. They were all "regulated" and now they are able to take advantage of the infrastructure they built up when they didn't have competition. Their competition? Phone companies that were also "regulated" and take advantage of the infrastructure THEY built up before they had any competition. Not that I really mind - I think there is reasonable value. I choose to pay for it, I'm happy to do so, and I don't steal the service. However, in a truly capitalistic, free-market based environment, IMHO there is virtually no chance it would have evolved to this mishmash we have today, which is so cumbersome it is laughable. I also acknowledge a lot of the problem is not the cable companies' fault, it goes back to the greed of the networks. (I don't know much about the "broadcast flag" yet, but if there ever comes a time when the networks take advantage of technology and lobby away the right to timeshift the shows, I think we should revolt.) Of course, even then, the markets work in a macro way (but slowly) because I will spend more time on my computer on the internet and even less time watching network TV, and then when my kids leave home I will drop my subscription to cable altogether. In the mean time, my hat's off to cable girl and cable guy for providing useful information and pretty good value in an industry that is still relatively new, actually. I believe the cable cos. were monopolies to start and therefore still enjoy an unfair advantage. I also believe that the early investors put their money up and took a chance, and more power to them. Great fun to watch it all, but I wish our government and the FCC would strengthen and protect fair use rules as well as require all content distributors to support practical, simple means to enjoy them until the market evolves more. So there! |
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Unregistered guest | I used to be a cable tech for a system of 200K subs that was bought out(including the next neighboring city cable co.)by Comcast so when they moved in an got rid of 75% of the suits,CSR,repair an field techs, I kept all the lockout tools an Eprom test chips possible an became the renegade cable tech! that was 95' an I havent paid for service since.Best way not to get caught stealing is just to hook everyone else up. |
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Silver Member Username: CableguyDeep in the ... U.S. Post Number: 322 Registered: Mar-05 | anonymous, actually if you want to move one STB around in your house based on where you want to watch encrypted channels, there is no rules saying you can't do that. It's usually not very user friendly to have to move the box between the TV in the kitchen to say, the living room, but there is no reason why you couldn't do that. Once the cable is in your house, where you decide to have the STB is your business. The advent of the CableCARD technology is the closest thing the consumer is going to get to actually owing their own equipment, the CC belongs to the cable co, but the TV belongs to you. The cost of the CC is significantly lower then renting a STB, and the benefit of better PQ. Once the two way version comes out I see a quick demise for STB's. |
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hotsweetcoffee Unregistered guest | I have comcast internet and basic cable tv just for the discount as cable girl suggests. Love the internet service and ran the free speed test and I'm running at 5.9mps, awesome is my rating. Thank you Comcast! Now for my question. As I said we have basic cable only as we are not big TV watchers but we recently bought a HD ready TV because we are avid movie watchers. However due to our lack of knowledge and the failure of the salesman at Best Buy we didn't realise until we got the TV home and installed it that the TV does not come with an inbuilt tuner or is not cable ready. Now I am assuming that we have to rent a cable box from Comcast. Is this correct. We can hook the cable through a VCR but the picture isn't great. So is the cable box the only option. Again we only get basic cable and don't have a cable box at the moment. |
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Laughing Unregistered guest | I have a friend who has had free basic cable for years. The bill was in his roommates name. His roommate moved. They came out with a bill, threatened to disconect and he said go ahead and turn it off. He had satelite at the time in his room. Apparently, the cable guy never turned off the cable. He found out after tiring of poor satelite reception during rainy days. Killed the satelite, plugged in the old cable wire and cable was still there. He recently bought a TIVO unit. Same day he hooked it up free cable disappeared. He claims coincidence, I claim irony and karma. Anyone out there know for sure? |
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louis_cable Unregistered guest | i live in a apt building... it think i found the box where all the appartements are listed.. is there a way to simply plug mine back on (regulars cable.. i already have cable internet)... |
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hunter123456 Unregistered guest | Hi. i have an illegal cable(basic comcast) setup and recently lost all of my channels. I have split wire and one of the end goes into my VCR(samsung brand)I was receiving alot of channels till yesterday and have no idea how to get them back. Someone mind trying to help me |
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Anonymous | Same thing happened to me! I have one cable box (paying for it), but just have a straight cable-wire to tv connection in the other rooms...well the other day I came home and I had scrambled TV with the exception of a few channels..(abc,cbs, upn, ect......basic stuff that I would probably get anyway without the wire connection). Of course the digital box is working fine. This has happened before, but on just a few channels which always returned to picture within a day or two. But I'm not too sure about this... Are they scrambling analog?!?!?! |
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Anonymous | Where I am located we have cable underground, not on poles. The cable comes from the street into a box on the side of the house. Inside that box the cable has a trap installed on it since we only pay for high speed internet, it then feeds into the house. We would like to get basic cable (analog only, channels 1-75) without paying for it. Can we dig up the main cable line that comes onto our property from the street, before it reaches the box on the side of the house, add a splitter with another line, bury it again and run that completely separate cable line underground and under the house to feed into our TVs without the cable co. knowing? This way the cable in the street box is untouched, and the cable installed on the side of the house (with the trap on it) is untouched and an audit team will not see anything wrong. From their office the cable co. should only see the cable service "on" and the audit team will see it properly trapped if they come to visit. Can the cable co. do a "tap audit" of the line and see anything? |
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fx Unregistered guest | "Can we dig up the main cable line that comes onto our property from the street, before it reaches the box on the side of the house, add a splitter with another line, bury it again and run that completely separate cable line underground and under the house to feed into our TVs without the cable co. knowing? " And who said all thiefs were lazy? What a goober you are. xvxvxvxv |
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Anonymous | Instead of resorting to name calling, can somebody with knowledge on the subject give me their opinion about what I'm proposing. |
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melissa0411 Unregistered guest | I currently have digital cable, and have 1 Motorola box in the living room. We recently bought a Motorola box for our bedroom so we could have digital cable in there, but we hooked it up, and it doesn't work. Does anyone know if all Motorola Cable boxes are compatible as long as you have the service? |
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New member Username: EileenPost Number: 3 Registered: Sep-05 | Hello, I currently have Comcast Basic "Analog" cable, which gives me channgels 1-100 WITHOUT the Premium movie channels (Showtime-ch 74, HBO-ch24 and Cinemax-ch73)***With a Coolbox Converter I am able to descramble ch 74 and ch 23 but not ch 73. Does anyone know why I am unable to get ch 73 descrambled. **Also, How can I get Comcast DIGITAL channel lineup without paying for it? I spoke with someone today who said there is no such thing as a Digital Descrambler for Comcast. Is that True, or was he just pullling my leg? Any information is greatly appreciated!! |
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James Tech Unregistered guest | I'm a comcast subscriber in Jersey City(analog programing)and i bought an analog addressable box in a flea market. When i hook in my TV i don't get any picture, but i can turn the boix on/off.I know the box was lockout, if i will replace/remove the eprom CHIP and expose it to UV light (ultra violet light) can i unlock the cable box? I know that this is one method to earase a program in EPROM chip. I'm interested in this box because i can get HBO ch17 SHO ch20 MAX ch22 FSN ch24 please advise. |
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New member Username: VasilisPost Number: 1 Registered: Oct-05 | I have the motorola dct 2244 box. I have a broblem with error E11 on the led, that is unit address error. I reset the box and it shows now "hunt" on the led. Any good advice? |
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Rick35 Unregistered guest | I got Comcast digital Weds with a cable card and only some digital channels are coming in. 110 is not for instance, but 210,211,212 are. I think the tech didn't program the channels correctly. How are the channels programmed in a cablecard and is this something that I can do to fix the bad channels. In the TV (Mitsubishi) antenna setup screen the channels seem to say things like "89 renamed" and it seems that the channels that do work use certain numbers renamed and the ones that don't work have other channels renamed. Can anyone explain the mystery of the renaming? |
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freddy_wzolek Unregistered guest | I've seen this question asked several times before, but haven't seen an answer. I have Comcast Digital Cable, fully legally. The digital box is in my living room. Yesterday, I found the box that I had at my old house (must have packed it in a box and forgotten all about it). Can I use the old box in my bedroom? Will it work? Can Comcast tell it's plugged in? Is there an extra charge if I call and tell them I have the second box? Any help would be appreciated. |
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Anonymous | HI cable guy and cable girl I am in phoenixville PA and just want the basic channels. Reading the posts above it looks like all you have to do is plug in your tv to the coax wall mount. but I dont see anything. Is there something I am missing. |
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Silver Member Username: CableguyDeep in the ... U.S. Post Number: 420 Registered: Mar-05 | freddy, I don't work for Comcast, so it depends on if the box has been disabled in the system, and if your "forgotten" STB will work or not based on it's status. Usually speaking, the STB is assigned to an account, and if it's still officially in your status and still exist on your account it should work. If it doesn't turn it in, I'm sure eventually they'll get around to charging you for an unrecovered STB. Anonymous, Do you already have basic service in another room of your house? It's possible the outlet may not be connected to anything if you already have cable in another room. Check behind the wallplate and make sure it is connected, if it is, the outlet isn't connected on the other end. If you don't already have cable service in your house, can't help you there. |
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Anonymous | hi cableguy i just moved to this new apartment, so i dont know. all i know is, the previous resident had comcast cable and hsi here. i will try hooking up at the different points in the house. thank you |
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Silver Member Username: CableguyDeep in the ... U.S. Post Number: 422 Registered: Mar-05 | Ahhh an apartment, odds are if there isn't a main connection point in your apartment, it's going to be out in the lockbox that only your cable provider has access to, and odds are they are going to charge you to make the outlet(s) you need activated. Some apartments have central points inside, most of them are located outside, this makes a difference in what you can do, and what the cable company must do. Sorry, at least you can call them and ask what they charge to activate "x" number of outlets. |
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411 Unregistered guest | freddy_wzolek Your cable box from your old house will stop working when your service to the other house is terminated. Also if you don't return the box back to comcast, they will eventually charge you a few hundred dollars for each box you don't return. If you moved within the same city you can have them transfer the other box to your new address and it will be an addition charge per month. With comcast nothings free |
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Anonymous | I just moved into an apartment and it still has basic cable from the previous tenants. I just want to know if there is a way for me to receive hd programming without a digital signal. |
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fx Unregistered guest | "<b>I just moved into an apartment and it still has basic cable from the previous tenants. I just want to know if there is a way for me to receive hd programming without a digital signal.>/b>" That is like making a sandwich without the bread, or koolaid without the water or putting tires on your car but no wheels or a buying a saddle without a horse or.............. xvxvxvx |
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411 Unregistered guest | If your tv has a hd tuner built in and you live somewhere in some open space without anything blocking the air waves, you will be able to receive some hd channels through the air if your city broadcasts them. So regular channel will be 2 and hd will be 2.1 or some channels around 100 - 115. |
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Anonymous | I have a SOYO DYLT032A 32-Inch LCD and cannot find a code that work with the Comcast Motorola cable box. Comcast has not been helpful. Anyone have this TV and find a working code? Thanks. |
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Anonymous | Cable experts, please help me out with this question. I have very basic cable with Comcast in the Pittsburgh, PA area. (Home of Big Ben). My question to you is, I pay for basic: channels 2 thru 24 then 64, 72, and the wheather scanner. All of this comes over on the old fashion A-B Switch. The cable on the bedroom TV runs through the VCR with the above channels but very fuzzy from channel 25 to 63 but the channels can be viewed with some clearity. Is there any way to bring these channels out just a bit more clearly without the hassle of having to up-grade to extend basic. Not looking to steal, just wanted to know if these channels can be cleared up some how. The family room TV those channels are just a big cloud of smoke. The bedroom TV those same channels have some clearity to them. Just trying to make use of a good thing. P.S. I had basic cable now for 13 years, not planning to change or up grade. Just want to know how can I bring in the channels that come in slightly unclear. Black Ice |
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Anonymous | P.S. I pay $14.34 dollars for basic (Economy)Cable. Black Ice |
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Anonymous | i have a question. i was looking on ebay and they sell decoders and descramblers that are supposed to be compatible for most cable companies. they are selling for around 200 dollars. if i buy one of these, what am i getting? am i getting any free channels? |
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Anonymous | i have a question. i was looking on ebay and they sell decoders and descramblers that are supposed to be compatible for most cable companies. they are selling for around 200 dollars. if i buy one of these, what am i getting? am i getting any free channels? |
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Bronze Member Username: ThehitchFla. Post Number: 25 Registered: Oct-05 | I also have some ocean front property in arizona I`ll give you a deal on! |
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Anonymous | Can you help me out with question regarding cable. Cable experts, please help me out with this question. I have very basic cable with Comcast in the Pittsburgh, PA area. (Home of Big Ben). My question to you is, I pay for basic: channels 2 thru 24 then 64, 72, and the wheather scanner. All of this comes over on the old fashion A-B Switch. The cable on the bedroom TV runs through the VCR with the above channels but very fuzzy from channel 25 to 63 but the channels can be viewed with some clearity. Is there any way to bring these channels out just a bit more clearly without the hassle of having to up-grade to extend basic. Not looking to steal, just wanted to know if these channels can be cleared up some how. The family room TV those channels are just a big cloud of smoke. The bedroom TV those same channels have some clearity to them. Just trying to make use of a good thing. P.S. I had basic cable now for 13 years, not planning to change or up grade. Just want to know how can I bring in the channels that come in slightly unclear. Black Ice |
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Anonymous | OK Cable girl or Cable Guy.... I live in the Philly area, have Comcast and "extended basic/" (about 60 channels 3HBOs) and NO CABLE BOXES (direct to TVs) Question: What do I need to get the online program guide? My guess is the "digital pkg" but maybe I'm wrong? |
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Silver Member Username: CableguyDeep in the ... U.S. Post Number: 493 Registered: Mar-05 | You would need to have a STB in order to get the guide. However, if you have a DCR TV with the TVGOS feature you can get guide data through your TV without a STB. I don't work for Comcast, so I don't know what package allows access to IPG for them, but you can always call them and verify. |
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Anonymousgirl Unregistered guest | hi folks! Here's my story: I pay for basic cable for 1 TV in my house. No premiums, no digital. I had a "hot box" loaned to me and had it hooked up to another TV in my house, and I got most of the regular cable plus some premiums on that TV. Sadly, I had to give the box back. I miss it! I hear that these boxes go for upwards of $300, but I checked ebay out and see some for a lot less; however, they all say to make sure they are compatable in your area. I live in the Philadelphia area. Can anyone tell me which analog boxes are compatable? I'd appreciate it. PS I know it's wrong to steal, but comcast is rich enough to afford to let every subscriber have a hot box. I am a poor student and can't afford these ridiculous prices. Thanks for any help you can give me... |
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TechUnknown Unregistered guest | Am a Comcast Field Tech just like all those in their little trucks. I have done enough installs to tell you that it is IMPOSSIBLE to steal digital cable. So many poeple have tried to ask me about stealing cable. The answer is alwasy no. Its a 2 way communications, unless you have the hook up from the inside (Am trying to bribe my dispatch to hook me up) besides that, we tech cant do much about it. AS for HSI ..Comcast has capped your modem to 6M. If you want more you got to do what I do, hack into the modem, change the serial, download a new firm ware, uncap the speed, bridge 2 modems together,,,THEN,,,,you can get that sweet 24 M speed. (actual download speed is around 4 MBPS) just for the info...hehehe AND u wont have to pay a penny per month....hihi |
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New member Username: Jffj2Post Number: 1 Registered: Nov-05 | Like to relate this post to Cableguy, cablegirl,and cableboy. My Comcast HD reception is not very good. I live in an apartment complex where Comcast basic service is provided to every apartment. I bought the latest 45" Sharp LCD HDTV and picked up Comcast's Motorola HD DVR. Screwed up the cabling so Comcast tech was here twice because the basic RF cable to the computer has a poor image, and the HD was also poor through the DVR. He replaced all the cables and splitter, said the signal read "7" and that was acceptable but the reception was still poor. I received the impression that Comcast was having problems with the Motorola HD DVR so the next day he returned and installed a standard HD cable box. The TV is better, including the HD reception, however it is not what it should be for a $4000 TV. When I called Sharp they claim my HDTV is too advanced for the signal Comcast is providing, that the TV can use more lines than Comcast can deliver. The TV is set at 1080i. I relate all this to get to my questions. Is Comcast having problems with the current DVR and are they expecting a new model or supplier in the near future? How do I ensure the Comcast tech. is trained sufficiently to diagnosis my problems. Thanks. |
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No-one in particular Unregistered guest | Guess what, im posting just to post! |
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No-one in particular Unregistered guest | Guess what, im posting just to post! |
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vizhin Unregistered guest | This may be the wrong thread to post this question to, but here goes. After months of seeing DVR (comcast, south jersey) advertised for $10 a month I decided to give it a try. It works great, I love it. Problem is it is costing me $17 a month extra. When I went to get the box I brought the regular digital box that I had with me to turn it in. I was told by the person in the office that there was no need to return the other box, that I could just hook that box up to another TV. She went on to say that there would be no additional charge and that my bill would only go up by $10/month. When I received the bill I immediately called the billing department where I was made out to be an idiot. The lady constantly told me to go back to school to learn basic math. She was a real C*NT (sorry to all that that word offends, but that is truly the BEST word to describe the person I talked to). The lady got me so pissed that I just hung up on her. I called back about an hour later, when I calmed down a bit, and spoke to someone else (at least I thought it was someone else). This time the person said i was right and that the extra $7 charge shouldn't be there and that I would be credited. I felt vindicated....till my next bill came. No credit and still the same charges. Now I feel that I probably called the same call center and was just told what I wanted to hear to get me off the phone. Mind you, I now understand where the $7 comes from. It's the charge to have a second box (outlet) in my home. That would be fine except for the following 2 things. First, as I initially stated, the person in the office assured me that there was no extra charges for keeping the original box (remember, I took the box with me to turn it back in). So should I not be credited for the months in which I was given false information by a Comcast employee? Second, that $7 monthly charge is broken down as follows: Additional Outlet @6.95 each Includes: 1 Digital converter @$4.35 1 Remote control @$.15 There is a charge for a second digital(non-DVR) box included. Shouldn't I be credited the $4.35 seeing as how I don't actually have a second, non-DVR, digital box? Has anyone else been told the same thing when getting the DVR? If so, I would really like to hear about it, because I think Comcast was extremely misleading...at least to me. If there are are more people out there that this has happened to, then I will put forth the effort to contact the right people ie., congressmen and lawyers. I am sure a prominent lawyer would love a class action law suit against Comcast. Seeing as how NJ brought a lawsuit against Blockbuster recently for misleading NJ residents when it came to its new "No late fees" policy, I think the state would love to try something like this also. Again though, if I am the only person that this has happened to then I chalk it up as just my misfortune to have had to deal with a Comcast employee that didn't know what she was talking about. |
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galaxiecarol Unregistered guest | NEED HELP HOOKING UP DVR WITH HI DEF My dvr recent bit the dust and I had a new one delivered. New one works fine, but the high def channels are not coming in. It is scrambled looking with lines. The cable guy came back out and hooked up a coaxial cable between the dvr and the tv. Then changed the channel from the input channel to channel 3. Well, it worked, but the picture quality is crappy. Can someone tell me if this hook up sounds right?? Shouldn't I be getting the high def channels though the composite connections (did with the old box). What could be wrong?? |
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galaxiecarol Unregistered guest | CORRECTION TO ABOVE sorry, I have component cables... |
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Anonymous | I have basic cable. Live on Social Security. I have a descrambler it worked fine until they change the all the pay channels HBO ect. to higher channels.Is there any other descrambler for basic cable. Thank You. |
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Unregistered guest | Cable girl, You say they give free cable to schools ect. How about me. I am 79 years old make less than $820.00 a month. Basic cable cost me $35.00 per month. I can get four dinners at a restaurant for that. |
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Anonymous | Richard, If you make less than $820.00 per month you should not be eating at restaurants at all! I think with the money you save by eating at home you can upgrade to the extended basic cable package. |
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Anonymous | I recently upgraded to digital cable but maintained analog on my upstair's TV. I also paid for premium channels. I have one digital set top box and receive movie channels with this on the HDTV. However I was wondering if I brought a univeral (if one exists) analog set top box off of ebay would I be able to receive the movie channels (e.g.: showtime) from basic cable? Some of the channels that are not HD or still on channels lower than 125. |
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Unregistered guest | I just got the Comcast HD box for my Samsung HDTV in my room. Do I need to order digital cable to get a crisper picture for the HD channels, or will I receive the same results with analog basic cable? |
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cchashiddencharges Unregistered guest | Just to let you know do not fall into the trap of Comcast deals unless you are willing to shell $15 twice once while installing the digital box & other while downgrading your service to basic. Previously, I could just take my box and get a new one but now they started adding these hidden charges. |
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Anonymous | Don't know of any BASIC cable that is $35.00 per month. Think someone is a little confused. Thats more like Standard cable (expanded basic). E bay dcts are a waste of money, cause they will NEVER work in your area, regardles of where it is.( they belong to each individual system) As far as digging up the cable prior to it getting to the ped and trying to splice into it, Do you even have a brain? You think no one would know that the second you touch the main line? Moron. Oh by the way, if you want to steal cable from Comcast, don't be upset or shocked when we come to your house with the police and a search warrant, and sieze all of your tv's, surrond sound, computer, x box, play station, vcr, dvd, ect. Comcast does not play around. They will do it too! |
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Beto Unregistered guest | I have a Motorola Comcast DCT with composite, rf and VGA outlets(labeled data for some reason) should i get a VGA to DVI adapter to hook it up to my HDTV using its DVI input or just high quality composites? also which would be better in this situation DVI-I or DVI-D? reply ASAP |
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Unregistered guest | This is to The "cable family" (all you comcast cable geeks). I have read that uncapping your cable modem isnt only illegal, it can get your name "red flagged" for the rest of your life. I was looking into uncapping my modem until i read that on another site, but when i come here, it sounds like its something that you can get away with. is there a way for comcast to trace it back to the user? and how does one specifically do it? I also recently bought another RCA cable modem off of eBay, and it keeps giving me the you need to register your modem and all that crap, is there anyway to make the modem active without comcast knowing that it was activated? There is that stupid little exe you download to activate it, is there anyway around it? |
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Anonymous | hi, i just got comcast's limited basic package. it only has like 25 chanels. i did not a "box", they said if i have a cable ready tv to just hook it in, so i did. i know there are more chanels than that because i did have preffered service a few months ago but i could not afford it. so anyway, is there a way to get the rest of the chanels? how are they being blocked? is there a way around it without getting caught. i don't want to climb any tele-poles either. |
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MIAMIBOY01 Unregistered guest | I think comcast * has had a big change * in my area * I Pay for all service Expect Phone Service * There HD Service is The Same and Eveb Better then DISH NETWORK OR DIRCTV * VOD HAS HAD MAJOR INPROVEMENT >>> <<< The only problem with comcast is internet speeed ( i get 4 and i should be geting 8mbps ,, anyone know what i could do .? |
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MIAMIBOY01 Unregistered guest | I think comcast * has had a big change * in my area * I Pay for all service Expect Phone Service * There HD Service is The Same and Eveb Better then DISH NETWORK OR DIRCTV * VOD HAS HAD MAJOR INPROVEMENT >>> <<< The only problem with comcast is internet speeed ( i get 4 and i should be geting 8mbps ,, anyone know what i could do .? |
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dude75 Unregistered guest | want to move a digital box from one tv/room to another tv/room that does have active cable (except for digital channels). Will this work? Just wondering before I rearrange everything. The box is paid for monthly. |
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Unregistered guest | I recently moved into a new apt in brooklyn and the guy who lived there before me had split the cable wires. I have (legal) wireless internet through, ahem, Time W***er. My roomate just bought a ScientificAtlanta 2100 cable box with remote on ebay. I hoped it would have magically worked fine but it doesn't at all. Do we have to buy any additional parts or should it (again) magically work with the split wires and ebay-ed cable box? Do we have to buy these uknown items that have been thrown around such as a "card" or "descrambler". Thanks if you have any thoughts. Hopelessly lost. |
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YourMom Unregistered guest | I've been sitting on hold with comcast for 27 minutes now, waiting to get a representitive. I'm having a problem w/ my DVR box. Random shows appear to be recording, but once I go to view them, the position marker is at the end and the show will not rewind. Also, other blank recordings are showing up on my DVR list which I cannot delete. Is this a box problem or a firmware issue? |
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Comcastic Shmastic Unregistered guest | Quick question for the cable renegades out there. I am subscribed to Comcast and have an HD box on two of my lines. Can I get an HD box off of eBay or something and get HD without paying $5/month for an additional box? I don't care about premium channels. I'm in Chicago. |
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Comcastic Shmastic Unregistered guest | Quick question for the cable renegades out there. I am subscribed to Comcast and have an HD box on two of my lines. Can I get an HD box off of eBay or something and get HD without paying $5/month for an additional box? I don't care about premium channels. I'm in Chicago. |
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Bronze Member Username: CabletoolMidwest Post Number: 15 Registered: Jan-06 | Comcastic. Yes. Buy a box off of EBAY. It will give you all the channels you want. Usually the more you pay fort te box the mroe channels it will get you. HAPPY BIDDING! :/ |
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upset customer Unregistered guest | Hi, I had a comcast tech out to my house to fix a problem, as he worked I complained that I couldn't get FMC without paying extra $5/month. I told him I already pay over 100/month and I couldn't beleive that channel wasn't available. He agreed rates were too high. Then he did something to my box and now the channel comes through. Does anyone know what he did??? he never said anything he just smiled and left. |
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Clueless in BOSTON Unregistered guest | question for any one who may have seen this problem. I just got a 50" samsung DLP tv. Just got a Motorola HD/DVR box from comcast. When i change from an HD channel ie: 849 to a regular non hd channel for the first 5 minutes or so the video jumps/pauses/pixelates/jumps again. I had the cable guy come out and he tested and saw some interference initially. He tightened all the Co-axe cables and did another reading. the interference was then gone. He said it was all set. Well since then, i am still having the same problem, switch from HD to non-hd channel and it jumps and pauses. At first I was using component cables, just bought an HDMI cable and the problem is still happening. Any IDEAS? Do you think it might just be a bad cable box? if I just bring my box in will they give me a new one? |
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New member Username: Cable_guyPost Number: 1 Registered: Feb-06 | well if it is a bad box then yes you could get it swaped out. just have them do a sro on it. but in my experiance its not really a bad box in my opinion. hd channels feed more information and therefor are a different format as your standard channels. its the box switching formats when that happens. how long does it pause. if it only pause for a few seconds then i would say your box is fine. if it pauses for 10 or more seconds then i would ask comcast to switch it out. they will send a inhouse tech to do that for you. |
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New member Username: Wizfan07Post Number: 1 Registered: Mar-06 | Does anyone know how to unlock a cable descrambler? |
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New member Username: Wizfan07Post Number: 2 Registered: Mar-06 | If a cable descrambler is stuck on "0" how do you unlock it. Unplugging it doesn't work. Anyone know |
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New member Username: Fred12Post Number: 1 Registered: Mar-06 | I have comcast digital cable and hd,totaly sucks analog picture looks better than digital. digital pic is all blurry probrably because the box up converts the signal to 1080i.comcast internet worst ever, had for a year slow slow slow i just went back to dsl it blows comcast away.no service they sell does what they say.I cant get sat from my house so im stuck with this crap.cable techs, i know 100 times more than the guys that come to my house.comcast should be sued for fraud.even HD channels some look awsome some look just ok cbs totally sucks for HD.And as far as cable being cheaper more bullshit for what i pay for comcast digital with hd dvr for one room i could have had three with sat even with all the extra charges. COMCAST MUST GO!!!!!!!!!! I wont even get into customer service.Oh what customer service.It might be time to cut down some trees |
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Bronze Member Username: CabletoolMidwest Post Number: 50 Registered: Jan-06 | Awol- WOW! What an insightful and helpful post!!!! Comcast doesnt "upconvert" to 1080I unless your box is set to output at 1080I. In that case, any show coming in at 480 or 720 will be upconverted. It all can be controled within your box settings and further controlled in your tv's settings. Since your pictures are so horrible I would say there is a conflict between the way you are telling the box to handle aspect and they way you are telling your tv to handle it. I really suspect you know a lot less then the average Comcast technician. If some HD shows look awesome and others suck then Im assuming your set up is way off. Of Broadcasters are passing some crappy HD signals. |
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New member Username: Who13Post Number: 1 Registered: Apr-06 | hello all im moving to a new at... im am going to order basic/enhanced cable..i plan on buying a 2006 smart box pro...will this do the job??? and do i have to "rent" the box from the cable company-comcast- or tell them no i dont need the box,my tv has tuner... thanx for the info... |
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Bronze Member Username: CabletoolMidwest Post Number: 52 Registered: Jan-06 | You will have to rent a box regardless to decrypt the digital channels. Whatever box you are planning on buying will not decrypt channels and your cable company will NOT add your box to their inventory. Especially if it isnt equipment they already support. There have been cases where someone purchased a Motorola or SA box and the cable company added it in and waived the rental fee. But with the changing technology you will be kicking yourself in a matter of months when changes to the network can only be enjoyed by an upgraded box. I havent come across a box yet that will decryopt any cable companies encryption. Its your 180.00 though. |
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New member Username: FuzzPost Number: 1 Registered: May-06 | Had free basic for years with Comcast. Had Tivo for about 6 months. Came home today and the cable outside was capped off. Coincidence or did Tivo somehow give it to me in the keester by tipping off Comcast. Whats the link ? |
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New member Username: SkoobytimePost Number: 1 Registered: Jun-06 | Hello cable experts I came home one day and found a Comcast Motorola cable box in front of my apt. I plugged it in and received all channels except HBO, Cinemax, pay per view, etc... I pay for basic cable. Can I use the box without the police/comcast knocking on my door? Does the box call home or can comcast find out if I have this lost box? |
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Silver Member Username: BoycePost Number: 194 Registered: Apr-06 | I will not, if the owner call cable company, they can easy to locate the box out. |
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New member Username: Skibum_njPost Number: 1 Registered: Jun-06 | Hi all, I just purchased a Samsung 50" plasma HP-S5053 and a Samsung Upconverting DVD-R. I also got a Motorola HD/DVR set-top box from Comcast. The cable box and the DVD-R are both connected to the TV by separate HDMI cables. The HD channels look amazing, but the non-HD channels are very pixelated, especially if there is fast movement on the show that you are watching. At first I thought it was just due to the conversion from 4:3 to 16:9, but if I view the same channels through the tuner on the DVD, the pictures are clear. I had a Comcast HD box without the DVR until yesterday when I swapped for the DVR version and I had the same problem. The HD box and the cable box are both st at 720p. Any ideas about what can be causing the PQ issues with the cable box output? Thank you |
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New member Username: Bmw1966Post Number: 1 Registered: Jun-06 | Can anyone (preferably from Comcast) tell me what the penalties are for stealing Cable and HSI? Also, how would you go about reporting someone who is not only doing so, but helping others do it??? |
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New member Username: ClarkgriswaldHamilton, Ontario Canada Post Number: 4 Registered: Jun-06 | Theft of communication services is an offense in all jurisdictions. Penalties would be a fine determined by a trial judge. Depending on the circumstances, ie. just an individual user or a person assisting others as well would be treated much like a person in possession of drugs. A call to one of your local cable providers would tell you how to report such thefts. Regarding the dct situation, our cable provider sells them to subscribers for C$50 and charges C$1 per mo to activate it if you do not subscribe to any of their "bundles" This includes receiving the basic channels in digital format plus access to the network time-shift channels. |
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Silver Member Username: CableguyDeep in the ... U.S. Post Number: 779 Registered: Mar-05 | In the United States the Penalties can be up to $50,000 U.S., and up to 2 years in jail. The FCC mandated the penalties, but it is up to local courts and the company affected by the theft of services to persue the offense. Reporting theft would be as William indicated, call your local provider and ask to speak with a supervisor. If you are in a position to tell them of somebody who is offering to illegally connect, they'll be very happy to speak with you. I'm not sure if your state or if Comcast offers rewards for ratting out somebody that is illegally offering to connect, but it would be worth the phone call to find out. Good luck |
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New member Username: BellairPost Number: 1 Registered: Jul-06 | I have a question? I have Comcast High Speed Internet only, I pay only $57.95 and thats because I only choose to pay for High Speed Internet only, but this is what I discovered! even the tech who came told me this. When they come out to hook your service up, cable automatically runs on top of your high speed, so 95% of the time when youget high speed & cable too. So i have high speed and cable (basic) but no premium service? could a descrambler work to obtain those channels since the basic cable im getting maybe analog? |
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New member Username: JagnercPost Number: 2 Registered: Jul-06 | I've recently switched cable provider (from RCN to Comcast) and in doing so, the Guide Plus system that came with my GE Projection TV is no longer working. I've read and followed tips from a discussion group regarding this (see https://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/forum/home-video/133118.html) but I'm still not seeing any TV listings in my GuidePlus (except for the TV Channel listing -- that is, each TV channel is showing "No listings available"). I've waited a week to see if it's a dowloading issue but still, no resolution. Anyone else have this problem and found a fix for it? Thanks much in advance! |
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New member Username: BeegeePost Number: 2 Registered: Jul-06 | Quick question. I recently signed up for basic cable service (ch 1 - 30), and the cable guy left the lock box on the side of my house unlocked. The filter mysteriously fell off the line after he left and I was getting all channels. I have an HD capable TV, so I went to the comcast office and rented an HD box for 5.00 per month. I thought I was set! All channels and HD, woohoo! A few days later, I'm not getting any channels except 1 - 30. My question is, how did they know? Does the HD box send signals back? Would I have been ok if I hadn't got the HD box? Did they have to send someone out to re-install a filter? Thanks! |
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Bronze Member Username: 1movibuffPost Number: 12 Registered: Jul-06 | Bee Gee- In order for any stb to work, the account it is assigned to needs to have the proper billing codes or it won't work. Let's just say that your house does not have a filter and you are getting 2-99 channels, but your account only has the billing code for the very basic package. The signal sent to your HD box is preventing any other channels BUT the ones you are paying for from coming through on the HD box. Also, just so you know, routine audits are done. Techs have equipment that can detect what service is going into a house. |
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New member Username: LmmmmmPost Number: 1 Registered: Jul-06 | Just bought a HDTV built in tuner tv. I have comcast total tv package (gets all premium channels) I have a motorola cable box but i dont see a model. Do i need to get an HD cable box to get hd programming? |
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Bronze Member Username: 1movibuffPost Number: 14 Registered: Jul-06 | LM - An HDTV that is intergrated (not a monitor)can pick up the local HD channels, but not anything in the digital package that you have. Yes, you do need the HD box to pick up HD channels above 100. If your stb is black, more than likely it is not capable of picking up HD. If it is silver and has Motorola on the upper left with red, yellow and white inputs underneath than it is probably an HD box. It is worth it to lease the HD box and get all the extra HD channels such as discovery, TNT, ESPN, etc and the VOD HD channels...but it is your choice. |
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New member Username: LmmmmmPost Number: 2 Registered: Jul-06 | 1moviebuff: thanks for the info. what type of connections are on the HD box. Comcast is telling me if I want to use my HDMI connection i have to get the DVR service. I only have 1 component connection but 2 HDMI. What would I to connect my dvd player: S video? |
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Bronze Member Username: 1movibuffPost Number: 15 Registered: Jul-06 | LM- Motorola DVR's are capable of supporting HDMI, and the HD receiver is not,and there is only a limited supply of DVR's that support HDMI and you must state you need one with HDMI connections. it is a few dollars more a month than an HD box, but it is worth it. also there are some dvd players that have connections on the back for HDMI cables. The tech's I have talked to are divided on HDMI. Some like them, some don't see any difference. I haven't done any research on S video cable, but I've heard S video is better than RCA cables. If your HDTV and dvd player support both & if they are not too pricey, try hooking both up and see if you notice a difference. A key thing to keep in mind is HDMI has built in copy protection, so if you hook up a vcr or a dvd recorder the HDMI may block you from recording anything from the stb. There is an excellent article on this site about HDMI, I think if you search under the tab articles you can find it. |
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New member Username: ZanderPost Number: 1 Registered: Aug-06 | Cable Girl, if you really dislike it would you be interested in selling it? |
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New member Username: Carguy474Post Number: 1 Registered: Aug-06 | My buddy Alan works for comcast and he hooks up the digi-converters for a fair price. They work with both comcast and cox cable |
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New member Username: Asokrplyr1Post Number: 1 Registered: Sep-06 | Comcast guys/gals...I think you are wrong when you say you can't see HD if you are not paying for the service. If it really is a two way communication pattern with digital receiver and headquarters then how do you explain people who don't pay for cable (Comcast) but somehow got someone to open the line for them...I heard some people can see all channels, even premiums and HD channels however all HD channels skip about every 3-4 seconds. BUT, they still get reception of both analog and digital...how can that be and is there a fix to the skipping of the HD channels...remember, I heard these things, people tell me there is antipsychotics for this type of thing but I don't like pill poppin!  |
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Bronze Member Username: CabletoolMidwest Post Number: 54 Registered: Jan-06 | If your TV has a qam tuner it can view a handful of digital channels without a box. A handful of unencrypted digital channels. These are NOT the premium channels. But usually will include the local HD channels. Non of this is through an addresable box that is not authorized to view them. Its only a two way system if you use a box. Your TV cant talk back to us. |
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New member Username: BellairPost Number: 2 Registered: Jul-06 | I have a question? I have Comcast High Speed Internet only, I pay $57.95 and thats because its High Speed Internet only, but this is what I discovered! even the tech who came told me this. When they come out to hook your service up, cable automatically runs on top of your high speed, so 95% of the time when you get high speed & cable too. So i have high speed and cable (basic) but no premium service? could a descrambler work to obtain those channels since the basic cable im getting maybe analog? or can i purchase a DCT from Ebay to receive digital cable channels? your help is greatly appreciated |
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Bronze Member Username: CabletoolMidwest Post Number: 60 Registered: Jan-06 | No. The DCT's on EBAY are either stolen or ... stolen. They are not active and will not work in your system. You can spend the money to buy one but I gaurentee it will not work. And why the phuck would anyone help you to steal cable. When they hook up cable only they should be placing a filter on your line to block the video signal. Somtimes they do, sometimes not. Some techs think it interferes with the HSI freq too much and will not put it on to ensure your service is solid. It takes a real fucktard to trun around and try to steal digital service on top of that. Congratz. |
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New member Username: RnovembriPost Number: 1 Registered: Oct-06 | I recently changed out my Comcast box for a new one that has a HDMI output (not DVI). I hooked the box up as it was previously with component cables and separate audio which allowed me to control the TV volume with the cable remote. I changed out the component cables to HDMI but now I am unable to control the TV volume with the cable remote. I've reset the cable box options and unlocked the volume control but it only allows the mute function to operate, still no volume control. Any ideas? Comcast Cable Box DCT3400 Philips 42PF9630A |
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Bronze Member Username: 1movibuffPost Number: 46 Registered: Jul-06 | If you have the standard silver DVR remote control, then this link should help. If none of these codes work, let me know. It may take me a few more days but I should be able to find the solution. http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Programming_the_Remote |
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New member Username: RnovembriPost Number: 2 Registered: Oct-06 | Thanks 1moviebuff. I did go through this exercise before I posted with no luck. I did talk with Comcast and they indicated that the remote should operate the volume through HDMI. They reset the box but it didn't make a difference. I'll probably just get a tech out here next week. |
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New member Username: ZorrozMaryland USA Post Number: 1 Registered: Dec-06 | By cable girl: cable rates are not unchecked. they are regulated by the fcc and by the local community government. THAT is what the fees and the cable rate increase per year pays for. I know this is an old thread, but I saw the above disingenuous comments by "cable girl," I felt it necessary to respond. The only cable rates that are regulated by the FCC are for services that provide access to local stations, as well as public, educational and government channels. Currently, that service is called "Basic Cable," and is $14.75. HOWEVER, every other service offered by Comcast, including "Standard Cable," is completely UNREGULATED. Further, Comcast rate hikes outpace current US national inflation rates by roughly 3 times, and that cannot be attributed to classroom or university services because the rate of building/technical expansion for that sector is so low. Cable girl is clearly trying to advertise false information about Comcast rate practicies. Caveat emptor. |
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New member Username: MonkieePost Number: 1 Registered: Dec-06 | I am looking at buying a PVR and would like to be able to program it via the on screen menu. I understand that in order to do this, you need to get the Rogers PVR (Future Shop $299 after Rogers Rebate). Rogers told a friend looking to do the same thing that you need to pay $2.90/mth to get Digital. I am currently analog basic, removed the filter to get expanded. I am pretty sure that the Digital Box/PVR will now make the outside filter obsolete for the Digital Set and the Boxes IP address will control my "Package". My question....shouldn't I be able to continue to get the Expanded Package on the other TVs in the house that are only Analog? |
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New member Username: BoxterPost Number: 1 Registered: Dec-06 | Hi, I am a total newbie. In addition, not familiar with the US broadcast system. I recently got an HDTV with built-in tuner (Samsung LN-S4051d). In the appartment complex where I live, Comcast is the exclusive provider. 1) Do I really need an HD box from Comcast in order to view HD channels? 2) Will I be able to get HD channels with Classic cable subsciption? Thanks and sorry if you are tired of questions like these. |
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Silver Member Username: Formerly_fxDallas, Tx Post Number: 209 Registered: Mar-06 | I know this is an old thread, but I saw the above disingenuous comments by "Sean Finn," I felt it necessary to respond. The cable rates that are regulated by the FCC are for services that provide access to local stations, as well as public, educational and government channels. Currently, that service is called "Basic Cable," and is $14.75. HOWEVER, every other service offered by Comcast, including "Standard Cable," is completely REGULATED by the local community franchise agreement. Just thought I would correct the newbie. xvxvxvx |
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New member Username: ZorrozMaryland USA Post Number: 2 Registered: Dec-06 | By Scooby Doo: "HOWEVER, every other service offered by Comcast, including "Standard Cable," is completely REGULATED by the local community franchise agreement." The FCC disagrees with you: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/cablerates.pdf I may be a newbie to this site, but I'm expert at law; next time you want try and outwit someone, know what you're doing first. |
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Bronze Member Username: CabletoolMidwest Post Number: 68 Registered: Jan-06 | Scoob- The local community franchise agreement only regulates BASIC. No one regulates anything else. Scoob, your an idiot. And what makes your comment even more idiotic is that your trying to correct someones correct information with completely made up information. Classic. And Sean- rates riseing have very little to do with inflation so comparing them to inflation is baseless. They are based on programming content and expenditures. If ESPN didnt take a 23% increase each year along with countless other content providers then you wouldnt see the yearly increase. You will see a yearly increase without fail due to the content providers. Not the cableco. Now if the ESPN only increased their price based on inflation.. we would all be happier people. |
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Silver Member Username: Formerly_fxDallas, Tx Post Number: 212 Registered: Mar-06 | Sean, Legal advice is worth what you pay fior it, in your case nothing. I helped write our local cable franchise agreement and negotiated with the local cable companies. Our franchise agreement allows us to set rates and approve any any increases for all services offered by the cable company to subscribers within our city limits. If that doesn't constitute regulation of all services I would not want a fool like you as our city atorney. Cable Tool, stick to the tech stuff, you make more sense there buddy. xvxvxvx |
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Bronze Member Username: CabletoolMidwest Post Number: 69 Registered: Jan-06 | If YOUR local franchise agreement allows you to control what your cable company charges for all services thats great. But by law, Local franchise agreements can only regulate basic service. Anything else in that agreement is negotiated. I appreciate however that you believe your local franchise agreement is idicitive of all local franchise agreements and that you speak as such. Good Show nimrod! |
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New member Username: ZorrozMaryland USA Post Number: 3 Registered: Dec-06 | By Scooby Doo: "I helped write our local cable franchise agreement and negotiated with the local cable companies." It's not unheard of for cities to negotiate directly with a business, Comcast in this case. But, for the rest of us, the law is that basic cable is regulated; everything else is for the cable company to decide. As for the ad hoc insults, honestly, I don't care. You're only demonstrating your lack of broad knowledge and that has no impact on my skills as an attorney. You have my name, how about you give us yours, or at the very least, your city of residence. I'd like to compare and contrast your local laws concerning cable rates, if in fact, what you say is true about your home town. |
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Silver Member Username: CableguySomewhere on... U.S. Post Number: 898 Registered: Mar-05 | ....and for these United States of America. Hmmm, different states have different laws, who'da'thunkit? BTW Happy New Year ya bunch of grumpy ol men |
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New member Username: ZorrozMaryland USA Post Number: 4 Registered: Dec-06 | By cableguy:"Hmmm, different states have different laws, who'da'thunkit?" Actually, if you'd taken the time to read the FCC link I provided, you'd see that the states still have to act within accordance of the laws set by the federal government. That power extends to local cable companies, excepting cases where the cable company in question is very small; which is probably the situation that Scooby Doo has with his city. However, Comcast most certainly is a large company, and subject to all federal laws, as well as the LFA. |
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Silver Member Username: Formerly_fxDallas, Tx Post Number: 213 Registered: Mar-06 | Sean, I searched the ABA database and cannot find any record of your registration. That may mean you are still in school but I do still applaud your research and hard work on this subject. xvxvxvx |
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New member Username: ZorrozMaryland USA Post Number: 5 Registered: Dec-06 | By Scooby Doo:"I searched the ABA database and cannot find any record of your registration." You're incorrect. Again, what is your name? And, if not your name, what is your city? I'd like to see your local LFA laws. |
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New member Username: DrumguyTN United Post Number: 1 Registered: Jan-07 | I have a question... We upgraded to the "Enhanced Cable" package yesterday. We're receiving a whole bunch of channels not listed as being included in the package. Will this go away, or is this normal? |
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New member Username: Vyoung85Post Number: 1 Registered: Jan-07 | help! i have comcast digital cable and i recently unplugged the box and cable cord to move my tv a bit... now that i plugged it back in nothing. it just says one moment channel will be up shortly but its been hrs! any help?? |
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Bronze Member Username: CabletoolMidwest Post Number: 71 Registered: Jan-06 | there is a really excellent chance you hooked it back up backwards. The message usually means there is a signal issue. You could have put a device between the cable and the box, like a VCR or something hooked up wrong, or you put the cable into the output of the box as opposed to the input. |
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Silver Member Username: CableguySomewhere on... U.S. Post Number: 910 Registered: Mar-05 | quoting Sean Finn: "Actually, if you'd taken the time to read the FCC link I provided, you'd see that the states still have to act within accordance of the laws set by the federal government. That power extends to local cable companies, excepting cases where the cable company in question is very small; which is probably the situation that Scooby Doo has with his city. However, Comcast most certainly is a large company, and subject to all federal laws, as well as the LFA." uhm......... maybe my sarcasm didn't get all the way through your legal mind. However, did you read the link you provided?? Copied and pasted for your reading How Cable TV Rates Are Regulated Your local franchising authority (LFA) -- the city, county, or other governmental organization authorized by your state to regulate cable television service -- may regulate the rates your cable company charges for the basic services tier. The basic services tier must include most local broadcast stations, as well as the public, educational, and governmental channels required by the franchise agreement between the LFA and your cable company. If the FCC finds that a local cable company is subject to "effective competition" (as defined by Federal law), the LFA may not regulate the rates it charges for the basic services tier. The rates charged by certain small cable companies are not subject to regulation. They are determined by the companies. Your LFA also enforces FCC regulations that determine whether a cable operator's basic services tier rates are reasonable. The LFA reviews rate justification forms filed by cable operators. Contact your LFA if you have any questions about basic service tier rates. ~end copy and paste~ So.....what part of Scooby's statement was incorrect? The only reference to the FCC and rates is (in legal terms a vague and unspecified term) "Your LFA also enforces FCC regulations that determine whether a cable operator's basic services tier rates are reasonable" Who determines what is reasonable? Is $10 a month reasonable to somebody who is making minimum wage? Is $30? How much money does the cable company have to pay per subscriber to the originating station for those services, and how much does it cost the cable company to provide all the equipment and manpower needed to support said services per customer???? To somebody in New York $20 might be reasonable, but take that into a rural area like in the West Virginia hills and $20 isn't so reasonable now is it? (no disrepect meant to people living in poverty conditions) The bottom line is like most legal documents that "dictate" what the law is, the FCC failed to clearly identify what it deems resonable, and since they leave it to the LFA to work out rates and services in accordance with it's own laws, doesn't that clearly identify the LFA as the one setting the rates? ~class dismissed~} |
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New member Username: ZorrozMaryland USA Post Number: 6 Registered: Dec-06 | By Cableguy:"So.....what part of Scooby's statement was incorrect?" Scooby's statement was this: "HOWEVER, every other service offered by Comcast, including "Standard Cable," is completely REGULATED by the local community franchise agreement." So... which part of his statement was incorrect? Well, let me copy and paste the parts of the link that you didn't. Here's the part of the link to which I was referring: Non-Regulated Rates The rates for any tier of service (other than the basic services tier) and for any pay-per-channel programming (i.e., a premium movie channel) and pay-perprogram services (i.e., a pay-per-view sports event) are not regulated. There is nothing vague about that statement. Regarding what is a fair price is a strawman argument not relevant to the issue. The fact of the matter is, as it has been all along, is that the only cable service charge that is regulated by the government is basic cable as defined by the FCC. Everything else is up to the company. So, yes... Scooby, and yourself, are quite wrong. |
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Silver Member Username: CableguySomewhere on... U.S. Post Number: 923 Registered: Mar-05 | Sean~ Your opinion is duly noted, however you're missing the point that local franchise agreements can set the cost of services, they do where I live. If you live in the northend of our system you pay more for "non-basic tier services" then if you live in the southside. The northend franchise agreement get's their fingers in the pot, thus raising the amount of money the customer must pay to have additional services. If the cable company didn't agree to their terms, they would not be allowed to provide service in that area, so again, not discounting your argument, there are 2 sides to the equation. |
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New member Username: ZorrozMaryland USA Post Number: 7 Registered: Dec-06 | Exactly where is your area? Everything you're telling me about "your area" is hearsay without copies of your local laws. You're debating me with absolutely no evidence to support your claims. In fact, what you're telling me contradicts everything that is dictated by the FCC. The LFA's agree to enforce the regulations that are handed by the FCC, and control over non-basic cable rates is not in the pervue of the LFA. Either you're lying about your LFA, or you have absolutely no idea how your local laws work. |
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Silver Member Username: CableguySomewhere on... U.S. Post Number: 924 Registered: Mar-05 | Sean~ I'm not debating you, and I could really care less about what you think of my postings. You may be a lawyer, that's not my place to debate if you are or not, I'm a cable tech with over 28 years in the business. I'm not going to post where I work because my company frowns on techs posting information in forums and I'm not going to lose my job because you want to argue laws. If you're a good lawyer you should be able to find the information, and it is out there. I've attended every cable commission hearing for the past 15 years, and I've also been to each municipality hearing over the past 10 years, and in each case, everytime my company has submitted rate increases the cable commission assesses the basic rate for compliance and the municipalities ensure that their constituents are getting a fair deal on the other services. I have no reason to lie about what I write, and it is furthermore noted that you are the one on defense accusing others of misinforation. If you don't know the laws in other states, just acknowledge the fact that you may be wrong if you don't know the laws for each municipality and we'll agree to disagree. |
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Silver Member Username: Formerly_fxDallas, Tx Post Number: 216 Registered: Mar-06 | Cableguy, I quit responding to this imposter after I let him know he is not registered with the American Bar association and all he said was that I was incorrect. I suspect he is a kid in college somehwere with no real world practical experience. xvxvxvx |
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New member Username: ZorrozMaryland USA Post Number: 8 Registered: Dec-06 | So, just to be clear, you are refusing to post the cable laws for your city. That's all I need to know. I don't buy that you're trying to protect your job, else you wouldn't be giving me all this information about your experience that could be used to identify you, further, you're telling me that posting in forums is a violation of your work orders, and yet here you are, so truly, how honest can you be? Regarding my knowledge of laws in other states, that's not issue relevant to this debate. All the states agree to abide by the mandates setforth by the FCC, a Federal power. You're trying to make this a debate about state laws, when it's not... it's a FEDERAL issue; claiming your LFA has different laws for your city goes against the policies of a Federal agency. The LFA's wouldn't have the power to dictate anything unless they agreed to abide by the FCC ruling, which means you either don't have a Federally licensed LFA, or you're outright lying. Given that you're unwilling to post evidence that you state is easily found indicates to me that you're lying. You're making claims with no supporting fact, hence, the onus on you; you are in fact on the defense. At the very least, provide us with something, anything that supports what you're claiming. You can produce information from a state not your home if you're concerned about revealing your identity. I'm not going to do your work for you. |
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New member Username: ZorrozMaryland USA Post Number: 9 Registered: Dec-06 | By Scooby Doo:"I suspect he is a kid in college somehwere with no real world practical experience." Oh, c'mon. You'll have to do better than that. If you truly wanted to pull the rug from underneath my arguments, you'd post the LFA's guidelines for your city. I can't help it if you don't know how to work the ABA website. I could be a janitor for McDonald's, that doesn't change the fact that you can't provide evidence for your claims. I've shown you the FCC laws, and your response thus far has been, "That's not right." So, we're to understand that the FCC is posting false information while at the same time believe that your LFA has different laws without absolutely no evidence to support your claims. Wonderful. |
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Silver Member Username: CableguySomewhere on... U.S. Post Number: 926 Registered: Mar-05 | Quote from Sean "you're telling me that posting in forums is a violation of your work orders, and yet here you are, so truly, how honest can you be?" I'm posting in here to help those who are seeking help and I'm not going to waste my time any more with you and your childish rantings about me and my ethics. There are plenty of people who have come to this site seeking assistance from me and have thanked me for that assistance because their own cable company was unable to help them. You can say all you want about what I do and don't post, those that know what I've contributed at this site can attest to my credentials as knowing what it is I speak of. IF you're a lawyer, do you believe in innocent until proven guilty? If so, then practice what your doctrine dictates. Quote #2 " Given that you're unwilling to post evidence that you state is easily found indicates to me that you're lying." You really need to re-evaluate your profession if this is how you think. It doesn't even warrant a response. I've clearly identified why I won't post my state laws, but being that I'm such a kind person, I did you a favor and googled to find something that will prove my point: To wit: Baby Bell-friendly bills in the 2006 Indiana General Assembly, Senate Bill (SB) 245 and House Bill (HB) 1279, propose significant changes to state telecommunications laws. The bills propose a move from local cable franchising to streamlined state-level video franchising through the Indiana Utilities Regulatory Commission (IURC). Cable companies with existing franchise agreements would have the option of switching to statewide franchising on July 1, 2006, or continuing to abide by their local franchise agreements until they expire. The bills would also eliminate basic telephone and cable rate regulation, prohibit build-out requirements, prevent regulation of high speed internet and advanced internet services, and eliminate regulation of telephone service quality. SB 245 also limits the development of municipal broadband projects. A related bill in the Senate, SB 23, proposes property tax abatement for new communications service infrastructure. Now, pay attention to the bolded area in lower section of this document. How do you suppose they could "eliminate basic rates" if the FCC says otherwise??? More importantly why does it identify state telecommunication laws and not FCC regulations if the state didn't have any say in the rates? I've admitted when I've been wrong in the past, I've got nothing to lose by being humble. You, I think don't have the ability to do so. I know that I'm not the only person in here that is contradicting what you are saying can't possibly happen, so maybe you should do a little research before you say others are wrong. Then again the Federal Govt. says "no illegal drugs", but yet you can walk into any city in the U.S. and find them. Now before you start huffing and puffing about comparing drugs to the issue at hand, I'm no school kid so don't waste your time. I'm using it as a simile, to convey a point. You can feel free to reply, but don't insult my intelligence. Scooby, I hear ya loud and clear. |
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New member Username: ZorrozMaryland USA Post Number: 10 Registered: Dec-06 | By cableguy:"I'm not going to waste my time any more with you and your childish rantings." Given the professionalism with which I have responded to your prodings, insults and ad hoc debate tactics, I it find contradictory on your part to call my "rantings" childish. "Senate Bill (SB) 245 and House Bill (HB) 1279, propose significant changes" SB 245 and HB 1279 were proposals... nothing more. The language in the proposal is clear; they acknowledge that the state has no power by PROPOSING a shift in power from the LFA, to the state. As you well know, the LFA controls pricing, and, as we have already determined, the LFA's agree to abide by the Federal laws. So, yes, this is still a question of Federal power. "Then again the Federal Govt. says "no illegal drugs", but yet you can walk into any city in the U.S. and find them." So, am I to understand that your LFA is acting illegally, and with your support? I wouldn't reveal my identity if I were you either. |
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New member Username: KramgPost Number: 2 Registered: Feb-07 | Hi, I purchased a Magnavox LCD HDTV which is HD ready with a ATC? Tuner. I hooked the TV directly to the cable outlet (no box) and ran autoprogram. The TV identified 333 digital cable channels as well as HD channels but the channel numbers run from 77-171 with a digit after each channel (i.e.- 171.1; 171.5; etc..) Comcast originally said I would need a box to get digital and cable. I can use some help us to how is it possible that I got all these channels and how do I get the regular channels associated with these stations. Thank you |
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New member Username: ErinawPost Number: 1 Registered: Feb-07 | In an attempt to save $ I recently got rid of my satellite service and went with "basic" cable. All of my neighbors tell me that they pay the price for "basic" but are actually getting "enhanced"- with a lot of channels. My "basic" was set up- and just my luck it's only BASIC! Is there a way to change the settings on the tv or vcr to get all of the channels- or is it something done in the cables or wiring that the cable company has control of? If it is that- why wouldn't they fix it so that nobody got the free extra channels??? |
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New member Username: Redneck_mud_runnerShelton, WA Mason Post Number: 3 Registered: Feb-07 | there are usually 3 levels of 'BASIC' cable (at least with comcast) there is basic which is the bare minimum, then 'expanded' or 'extended' basic which is usually channels 2-99 (all the analog chanels) then for usually a few bucks more you can get 'enhanced' cable which is just about the same as expanded basic, but you get an STB so you have an interactive program guide and access to on demand |
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New member Username: Dcdave861Post Number: 1 Registered: Apr-07 | I have Comcast and a box for digital and HD programming. The on demand quit working. It says communication error please try again. I called and they sent a signal to the box and still the same thing. I unplugged it for a few hours and called and they sent the signal again. Still get the same error. I have a hard time taking the box back as its far away. Does it sound like the box is bad and I should just trade it for a new one? They said they can send someone out but that someone wouldn't have a box on the truck, I would need to return it to verify the serial # and then get a new one. What do you think? |
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Bronze Member Username: Redneck_mud_runnerShelton, WA Mason Post Number: 31 Registered: Feb-07 | Hey David try this if your box is a Motorola Unplug for 1 minute On the front panel (not the remote) hold down MENU and Power together Plug the box back into power and release the buttons The box should display BOOT for 1 to 3 minutes then allow about 30 min for the box to stabalize and try the OnDemand again Another thing to check is your splitters and cables. There should be no equipment inline before the STB (set top box). And if you have splitters outside make sure they arent corroded , make sure all your connections are tight. If this dont work and Comcast doing soft resets still dont work I would think that your STB has lost it's abillity to send upstream data back to the headend and needs to be replaced. |
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New member Username: IndyaccessIndianapolis, IN USA Post Number: 1 Registered: Apr-07 | I have to weigh in with Sean Finn that local franchise authorities (LFAs) only have the authority to regulate "basic" aka "limited basic" tier of cable service rates. Cable TV rates are effectively unregulated, and have been for a while. To my horror, Cableguy used a section of a newsletter article that I wrote, to argue the opposite. ".. I did you [Sean] a favor and googled to find something that will prove my point: To wit: Baby Bell-friendly bills in the 2006 Indiana General Assembly, Senate Bill (SB) 245 and House Bill (HB) 1279, propose significant changes to state telecommunications laws. The bills propose a move from local cable franchising to streamlined state-level video franchising through the Indiana Utilities Regulatory Commission (IURC). Cable companies with existing franchise agreements would have the option of switching to statewide franchising on July 1, 2006, or continuing to abide by their local franchise agreements until they expire. The bills would also eliminate basic telephone and cable rate regulation, prohibit build-out requirements, prevent regulation of high speed internet and advanced internet services, and eliminate regulation of telephone service quality. SB 245 also limits the development of municipal broadband projects. A related bill in the Senate, SB 23, proposes property tax abatement for new communications service infrastructure. Now, pay attention to the bolded area in lower section of this document. How do you suppose they could "eliminate basic rates" if the FCC says otherwise??? More importantly why does it identify state telecommunication laws and not FCC regulations if the state didn't have any say in the rates?" Now if any of your LFAs are, in fact, regulating more than the $12-15 cost of basic tier cable (and equipment,) then your (small) local cable companies are only going along with it out of decency, because they don't have to. None of the big companies would agree to this. I suppose it is possible that a very long and old local franchise agreement could have broader rate regulation written into it, or a local ordinance could still call for it; however, LFAs no longer have that authority. Quoting Consumer's Union: "Until 1984, local governments kept cable prices in check. Then deregulation resulted in a torrent of price hikes, interrupted only by a brief period, 1993-1996, when rates were regulated. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 opened the flood gates to deregulation and more price hikes." The LFAs do not determine what is a reasonable rate increase for basic cable; an FCC form with FCC equations is used to calculate the maximum allowable rate increase. The LFA is just checking to make sure the rate increase is not higher than what is allowed by the FCC. My LFA was fairly diligent about "regulating" the basic tier -- the first $15 out of my now $115 Comcast cable TV bill. BTW, LFAs CAN enforce customer services standards -- call center response time, installation time, etc. Let me give you a similar real world example. Our old franchise agreements said the cable companies had to carry ALL local broadcast stations. When the FCC came up with new "must carry" broadcast TV rules that meant that all our local broadcast channels did not have to be carried on cable, the cable companies refused to abide by what they had agreed to in their franchise agreements. And to another point made about how channels like ESPN are the ones behind the skyrocketing cable rates, let's not forget that cable operators have a financial interest in a large number of the channels on their own cable systems. It is very tough for an independent cable channel (not affiliated with the cable company and/or one of the major media companies) to even get carried on cable. |
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New member Username: JimbobinrichmondUSA Post Number: 1 Registered: Aug-07 | Comcast just added length to an existing and working cable to which I plan to attach a cable box (to ultimately connect via HDMI to new HDTV.) I also need another cable run off this same line to another non-HDTV. Will a 2-way splitter work without degradation? Or, am I better off running a separate cable to the non-HDTV? |
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New member Username: PolekatPost Number: 1 Registered: Aug-07 | I've just self installed a digital converter (motorola) between the outlet and my tv. Comcast activated it, and I programmed the tv control code. The controller only works when you stand directly in front of the box, hold it chest high, and point it at the box like a flashlight. The box seems to have a very narrow line of sight for the signal. Is this normal?, Does comcast offer a different digital converter box, perhaps not so pretty but with a wider line of sight for the signal? Thanks for any suggestions. |
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Bronze Member Username: Redneck_mud_runnerShelton, WA Mason Post Number: 43 Registered: Feb-07 | I am guessing that you have one of the DCT-700's, it is a common problem with these STB's to not respond to the remote unless you aim it directly at it. there is 2 solutions, first, you can locate the STB somewhere in a more direct alignment to where you sit, or the other option is to get a DVR STB, they go for 11.95 a month, but they have a wider IR range, plus you will have the added benefit of the DVR |
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New member Username: JustncrediblePost Number: 1 Registered: Oct-07 | Hi, Does anyone know if I can use an existing cable box at a new service. For example, I am moving in to a new house that is already hooked up to comcast cable, and I was considering just getting an after market cable box to hook up. Will this work, or would I have to call Comcast to send me a new box for my own room at a cost? |
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New member Username: ComcastterryPennsylvania Usa Post Number: 1 Registered: Feb-08 | comcast cable boxes not rented from comcast will NOT work period. Only a box installed by a tech like my self, activated and partitioned will work. if you think you can buy one from ebay and plug it in you will have wasted your money. it will do nothing but sit there. It will be in brick mode (looks like 4 dashes across its face where the clock and channel numbers should be)the box has to be authorized to work. if you try to get it authorized or even just try to plug it into the cable it will come up as a stolen box back at the head end. (The box automatically contacts the head end hundreds of times a second as long as its powered up) Putting you at risk of having a visit from a comcast representative and having cable service terminated. |
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New member Username: Spirit2008Post Number: 1 Registered: Apr-08 | I have always paid for cable internet. I also get some cable chanels. I bought a TIVO and want to use it. Will TIVO affect the chanells I get. I am unsure if I'm supposed to get this chanells (basic cable). thanks.. |
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New member Username: FumpserPost Number: 1 Registered: Apr-08 | I just got a new HD tv. I currently have Comcast digital cable (not HD). I also have an antenna in my attic that gets 21 HD signals free OTA. My problem is that I cannot send both signals into the new HD TV via coax connections. If I send either signal through a Cable box or DVD unit, the HD channels either one does have are lost. Further, the Picture In Picture feature of my HD tv only work if one signal is HDMI or composite and the other is coax. My Question is -- HOW can I get the antenna or the digital cable feed from coax to my tv digitally (HDMI or composite) WITHOUT sending it through a "box" that steals the HD channels and requires a remote other than my TV remote to change channels. Does Comcast have newer, non-HD cable boxes for digital cable that have HDMI out ports? My Comcast box does NOT currently have a HDMI out port. I am NOT interested in buying Comcast (or anyone's) HD service - especially since I get so many free HD channels via antenna. |
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New member Username: GocubsgoPost Number: 1 Registered: May-08 | We have Comcast Digital + HBO. Small Motorola Cable box on our main TV. Just coax into our other 3 sets, so we only get ch2-99 on those. Usually, the set in our bedroom is fine, but sometimes in the evenings, all channels are very snowy, and sometimes give us the dreaded blue screen (signal quality too poor to tune at all). An hour later the signal quality may return to normal, sometimes longer though. What causes these intermittent quality issues on this line. Obviously the cable is capable of a good signal, and the TV is capable of tuning ch2-99. |
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