Recent info acquired from Comcast Rep. It appears that Comcast is slicing and dicing the lineup which interferes with the required information for the TV Guide functionality to operate. The required carrier signal is offered only in the Digital Classic and above packages. This means that customers who subscribe to Basic or Standard (extended) level do not receive the required signal. Also, to compound the issue the TV Guide functionality requires two way communications. This means that a customer can not use a Cablecard. The customer must rent the Cable box. Now if this is not enough of a twist, if a person uses the Cable Box and subscribes to Basic or Standard levels and Digital Classic (at a minimum to get the carrier signal only (not the full $52 package)) the box must be connected to the TV using the composite video interface. The signal information does not appear to be passed through a component or HDMI interface. (The previous inteface information is provided by Sharp, see Aquos user manual). If the interface connection to the TV from the Cable box is made using the Composite interface the customer will not obtain High Def TV images. This is a catch 22. The customer purchases an HD TV with TV Guide and must give up one or the other of these features to use the product. This information was discovered after multiple cable techs spent numerous hours at my home at a cost of over $216. I provide my lesson learned only to educate the consumer so that you nay ask the correct questions of your cable provider and TV vendor / manufacturer. If anyone can over more insight to this issue please do so. My cable provider insists that it should work and wishes to send yet another tech to my home on my dollar. I think I shall cut my loses at this time.
so, bill, what is the output from the Comcast HD DVR to the tv? Can it do HDMI? If not, then component carries HD signals, right? In either case, there is no guide issue with the DVR since the guide info comes "from" the DVR, right? I hate comcast's website -- it wants to show flash movies instead of just presenting informative text!
---- FYI, i just got a HD plasma over the holidays and now I'm struggling with how to get HD on the dam thing! I currently have Direct TV satellite and I was really happy with the DTV/tivos combination that we had. Looks like if i wanted to stay with DTV, i'd need to get a new $400 hd-dvr, get an antenna for locals (!!!), and would end up with less HD channels than with comcast. (Also, i think that they are changing all their satellite technology later this year to MPEG4...so might need new boxes then??) Alternately, i can go to comcast, but then its more expensive, i have to chuck the existing DTV-tivos (which I own & love and only pay $5/month for tivo service) and RENT DVRs from comcast at $10/ month EACH....and lose some of the tivo-specific functionality. I guess i'll take this paragraph to a new topic to make sure I got this right.....i'm totally confused and don't like either choice particularly ...
I am having a problem getting the Gemstar TV Guide to download. I am connected to COMCAST cable in northern New Jersey, using a CableCard, with a LG 42PX5D Plasma HDTV. I called LG, which referred me to COMCAST, which says it is not a problem with their system. LG then said they would have TV Guide get in touch with me, refusing to give me a direct telephone number or email address for Gemstar TV Guide. Then LG called to tell me this a problem, which Gemstar TV Guide and COMCAST are working on. I called COMCAST (Can't reach Gemstar TV Guide); and, COMCAST had no idea about what LG claimed they were working on with Gemstar TV Guide. Does anyone have any insight on how to get the Gemstar TV Guide to work with a COMCAST cablecard in northern New Jersey? Anyone with the same problem? Anyone have any contact information for Gemstar TV Guide? (Their website has no customer service number). Thanks.