If your display has an internal QAM tuner then yes you are, I'm not going to look it up online but I imagine yours does.
What Comcast really means is any scrambled (not in the clear) HD channels will require a CC or an STB in order to unscramble the protected programming. This is normally for HBO and other HD movie channels and on most systems ESPNHD and DiscoveryHD as well.
Does anyone know if Comcast intentionally blocks the audio on these subchannels (88-2, 101-8 etc) through the QAM tuner for protection. I had these stations (HD & non HD ) with full audio for about 10 minutes after initial scan and then it disappeared. Channels coming through on regular channels (2,4,6,32,etc) are fine.
I read your other post on this subject as well. No they don't do that. What good would that do? I would suspect you need either do another scan or a cable came loose or one last suggestion an audio setting was changed somewhere.
Thanks for responding, I've done additional scans and as far as the wire loose, the signal is coming in from a coax cable and as I said the regular channels on that input come in fine. As far as what good would it do, if someone was watching Comcast HD channels and others through their QAM tuner w/o the box, Comcast loses $$, on the rental for the box and probably programming. Some of the channels I was picking up were HBO On-Demand and PPV movies. I thought it was on the Comcast end because when I check the digital audio settings for one of these channels on my TV is states "unknown AC3" which I think represents some kind of audio codec.
Anyway, thanks for responding, it's not a big deal for me because I do have a HD cable box, I was just curious what happened to the audio.
I currently have Comcast Digital Service with a STB for my HDTV without a built-in tuner. I just purchased a new HDTV with a built-in. Comcast is telling me I must have another box (which will add $11 to my bill) in order to receive true HD programming. If I connect the cable that is presently connected to my old non-HD TV and use no box, what HD signals will I receive, if any?
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I hooked up my HDTV directly to my Comcast cable and let the TV scan for usable channels.
I founnd a variety of HD channels in 5.1 for PPV and ON Demand. I think I am seeing my neighbors On Demand and PPV stations. One show was being fast forwarded and had the On Demand watermark on the lower right of the screen. The channels are odd like 94-4, 94-5, ect...
interesting If you can see more than one PPV then it is not your neighbor As far as I know you might be missing a trap or a filter that blocks certain QAM channels Cable company forgot to put it.
please tell me more about it do you get premium channels as well?
I do not see any premium channels. Most of the "odd channels" like 94-8, 94-9, ect are just black. The other night, on channel 98-6, someone was watching a p*rn PPV. They would speed it up between the sex scenes and return to normal speed. You could even see the progress bar and the double right arrows during the fast forward. At the end of the show (yes, I watched it to the end), the screen went black and my TV displayed "Missing or scrambled channel".
I believe I can see more than 1 of my neighbors PPV and ON Demand.
Keep in mind, this is a straight connection between the coax and my TV, there is no STB. I don't really see it as a big value, as nothing on these "odd stations" are on the schedule.
I do not know if Comcast made a mistake to allow this to happen, but it's reallty no big deal other than the free p*rn periodically!!