My CableCards are Digital Simulcast only.

[shanedude]

I had direct tv for a while (99-02), my biggest complaint was they didn't want to support the equipment I purchased. I was referred to Hughes anytime I had tech trbl with that darn receiver. Also got sick and tired of clearing out ice on the lnb. Stupid contractor installed the dish just below the roof line and the rain and snow would build up. I now see people put little bags over the whole dish and lnb which would prevent that. Wish I had known when I had one I moved from that home in the country to a condo and they frowned on the dishes hanging off people porch so I had Warner cable and kept them when the new house was done. Still have them. Looking forward to the new tru2way devices to come out.

So my experience with direct tv was bad due to the receiver I had and their install. Maybe if I had a Sony or other brand receiver things could have been better.

Cable stays on whenever I am watching it. I just wish I could better interface my PC to cable for DVR. Microsoft did a piss poor job with media center! They should have a device which can connect to my express card slot on my laptop then to a standalone unit to interface to this SA dvr via HDMI. Maybe then I could archive shows on my pc.

Wonder how the new Cisco branded cable receivers will be? For them to finally put their name on the units maybe they will come out with a nice GUI for the older units like this one I have?

CES had a Cisco 8550? It looked cool and was Mpeg4 & 1080p

[xzi]

Those DirecTV issure are definitely a thing of the past. USSB is LONG gone, and so is Hughes. Last time I had DirecTV I had a local company servicing it too, Pegasus another practice they no longer have.

All equipment is now leased only, and all made/branded as DirecTV so no more Sony, RCA, Philiips recievers etc.

Also, the new 5-lnb dish (Slimline they call it) is so huge, it only goes on the roof these days, and you are required to get it professionally installed (free, ofcourse). I'm sure they are well aware that installing your own dish and buying third-party receivers was a recipe for disaster, and they used the 5-LNB/MPEG-4 conversion as an excuse years ago to force those practices out.

Also, the new Ka signals and spotbeams are less susceptible to rain fade than the older stuff-- much like XM and Sirius' S-band which is not susceptible at all, because they are stronger and wider signals

[dkennedy]

Well this is very interesting...a tw tech by name of Gary left a voice mail at my home yesterday to explain that because of the issues with the CC, he was adding "something" to my account so I can pick up four 4250 STB's for the monthly price I pay now for CC.

Isn't this interesting?

I called to confirm and yes! I can go pick up four STB's for the price of the monthly CC!!!!

I am leaving work early to go get these 4250's before the snow gets any worse!!!

By the way, how do you get into diagnostic mode to see SDV information on the 4250??

[Skaggs]

dkennedy said:

By the way, how do you get into diagnostic mode to see SDV information on the 4250??

Try the same method as the 8300HD DVR:

There are two ways to enter the diagnostic mode:

1. ON THE BOX, hold the "+" or "SELECT" button in for a few seconds until the mail light begins flashing. (The "+" button is in the center of the up, down, left, right arrow buttons.) Press the INFO button.

You can page through the informational screens by using the left & right arrow buttons. You can see the TV picture by pressing the "+" button...once will make the diagnostic info about 50% opaque and twice will make it about 20%. A third time will bring you back to 100%.

2. WITH THE REMOTE - You can enter the diagnostic mode with the remote by pressing and holding the pause button for about 10 seconds until the Mail light starts to flash. Press PAGE up and you will enter the diagnostic menu.

The SDV pages in the diagnostic menu are the last ones. Press the left arrow to go to the last pages once you have accessed the diagnostic menu.

Let me know how you make out.

I haven't gotten a call from TWC with this offer. I wonder if they plan on making this offer to all cable card users? Hurnik, any calls from TWC?

You don't have to turn in your cable cards, do you? A few days ago, I posted how Brighthouse in Central Florida (affiliated with TWC) is allowing customers to trade in their CableCards for an HD DVR set-top box for free until they are able to view those channels on their TiVos (with the tuning resolver that is supposed to be released in 2Q 2008).

[dkennedy]

Thanks for the diagnostic information. It's been a long time since I've played with a TW STB...

Anyways, I didn't have to turn in any cablecards. I just went over to TW office at HighBridge RD in Schenectady and I mentioned I was told to get STB's, they looked at the notes on my account...and...

The lady just went behind the counter and gave me four 4250HDC STB's with remote and went on to apologize for the CC problems she mentioned that this wouldn't increase my bill....etc...etc...etc...

So I have four 4250HDC to hook up!!! each for the monthly price of a CC.

Now that is what I call CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!!


Skaggs...I will PM

[Skaggs]

dkennedy:

Just want to confirm that the "issues" you are having with the cable cards are not being able to receive some of the analog channels?

Are you able to get into the diagnostic menu ?

[dkennedy]

admin said:

dkennedy:

Just want to confirm that the "issues" you are having with the cable cards are not being able to receive some of the analog channels?

I didn't receive the analogs disney, pax, tcm, yes network and the digital equivalents but the CC is unstable which was seen by the tw tech. The CC would tune in 1869 (ESPN HD) and thats it! no other channels unless you remove the card and re-tune. They did a temporary fix but I guess I can't keep that fix because they want me on STB's!

admin said:

Are you able to get into the diagnostic menu ?

Not home yet.

[hurnik]

admin said:

dkennedy said:

By the way, how do you get into diagnostic mode to see SDV information on the 4250??

Try the same method as the 8300HD DVR:

There are two ways to enter the diagnostic mode:

1. ON THE BOX, hold the "+" or "SELECT" button in for a few seconds until the mail light begins flashing. (The "+" button is in the center of the up, down, left, right arrow buttons.) Press the INFO button.

You can page through the informational screens by using the left & right arrow buttons. You can see the TV picture by pressing the "+" button...once will make the diagnostic info about 50% opaque and twice will make it about 20%. A third time will bring you back to 100%.

2. WITH THE REMOTE - You can enter the diagnostic mode with the remote by pressing and holding the pause button for about 10 seconds until the Mail light starts to flash. Press PAGE up and you will enter the diagnostic menu.

The SDV pages in the diagnostic menu are the last ones. Press the left arrow to go to the last pages once you have accessed the diagnostic menu.

Let me know how you make out.

I haven't gotten a call from TWC with this offer. I wonder if they plan on making this offer to all cable card users? Hurnik, any calls from TWC?

You don't have to turn in your cable cards, do you? A few days ago, I posted how Brighthouse in Central Florida (affiliated with TWC) is allowing customers to trade in their CableCards for an HD DVR set-top box for free until they are able to view those channels on their TiVos (with the tuning resolver that is supposed to be released in 2Q 2008).

Nope, no call yet. Although I wouldn't want the crappy TW DVR even if it is free. The software is total crap and unreliable. The TivoHD won't work with a STB either.

I filed my complaint with the NYSPSC and it went out on Tues. They probably just got it today.

[hurnik]

dkennedy said:

admin said:

dkennedy:

Just want to confirm that the "issues" you are having with the cable cards are not being able to receive some of the analog channels?

I didn't receive the analogs disney, pax, tcm, yes network and the digital equivalents but the CC is unstable which was seen by the tw tech. The CC would tune in 1869 (ESPN HD) and thats it! no other channels unless you remove the card and re-tune. They did a temporary fix but I guess I can't keep that fix because they want me on STB's!

admin said:

Are you able to get into the diagnostic menu ?

I thought you'd posted that Tier3 in NYC was able to fix it for you though?
Not home yet.

[dkennedy]

hurnik said:

dkennedy said:

I didn't receive the analogs disney, pax, tcm, yes network and the digital equivalents but the CC is unstable which was seen by the tw tech. The CC would tune in 1869 (ESPN HD) and thats it! no other channels unless you remove the card and re-tune. They did a temporary fix but I guess I can't keep that fix because they want me on STB's!




I thought you'd posted that Tier3 in NYC was able to fix it for you though?
Not home yet.

Yes I can receive the analogs & digitals with the current CC's I have thanks to TWC. However, I was told this was a temporary fix until a permanent fix is found.

I am enjoying the temp fix.

[hurnik]

Whether this is true or not, I do not know.

Supposedly all TW has to do is provide a channel map for the analog stations.

Apparently they are NOT doing this. They're doing a digital only.

To test:

Go into your cable card (doesn't matter what/where), and somewhere there's a modulation section that tells you if it's receiving NTSC or QAM-256 (ie, digital). On my TivoHD, the M-card shows every single channel as QAM-256

This would seem to "jive" with dkennedy saying that the cable cards are provisioned as digital only (ie, not providing an analog channel mapping), thus forcing the cable card to receive the digital signal only (since it does not know about the NTSC signal).

This may also explain why TW has 0x02 CCI byte set for all the "analog" channels because the cable cards can only see the digital versions, and not the analog ones.

And where we live, it appears that TW has digital counterparts for every analog channel.

[Skaggs]

Chris Kaling from TWC just left me a voicemail. He said that they ran a new script last night that should fix the missing analog channels for those of us with cable cards.

I came home and looked on my TiVo HD and I still had the same problems...no channels 34,58,68, etc.

I restarted my TiVo and still was not able to receive the channels.

I've got to go to the gym, so I can't call Chris now. Will call him later tonight.

[hurnik]

Hmm, last night is when I lost channel 8. I'll have to check again tonight.

[Skaggs]

The missing analog channels are now working...I haven't checked all channels yet to see if they messed with something else.

[hurnik]

How does your Discover Health come in? Both 68 and 215 look like crap. I mean REAL bad. snowy, I'm getting "ghosting" from some other channel it looks like. I've only checked 58 and 110 and they look fine.