biglittlewil
join:2009-04-02
Seattle, WA
| reply to nick11
Re: [DTA] Can I change the TV channel without the DTA remote?
I will do my best to address each of your objections.
said by nick11  :how can sony provide me with a code for comcast's box when comcast manufactured a box without a code? Comcast doesn't come up with the codes for you Sony remote. That's what I meant. Sony does. That's why you had a code book when you bought the remote(new codes or unpublished codes are sometimes on their sites or found by doing websearches). There may be a code that works with it, there may not. Universals aren't guaranteed to work with all equipment, that's why you're provided with a remote when you get said equipment.
said by nick11 :it was comcast send me a box that broke my remote. said by nick11 :before I installed the DTA, when I pushed the button with the number 5, my TV started displaying channel #5 after I installed the DTA, when I push the the number 5, I get snow The remote is not broken. Your second quote attests to that fact.
Your TV has snow on it because the DTA is your tuner now and not the TV.
said by nick11 :are you kidding me? I'm not exaggerating or trying to be funny, but I don't see what this "more" you're talking about I see less, I see my stuff (pip, vcr, remote) not working yes, I got some shopping and some japanese and some religious channels that's like subtracting 1000 and adding 1 When the whole reclamation is over you'll have the ability to have 100m internet and more channels(not just religious and Japanese).
PIP- has always required 2 sources. So if you want you can split the signal between your VCR and your DTA and input them both in the TV.
VCR- I'm sorry that you're losing this functionality but the reality is that the VCR is going the way of the 8 track, cassette player, and record player. Get yourself a TiVo, Moxi, Comcast, or any other DVR and I bet you'll be happy with it.
Remote- we've gone over this a couple of times already.
Again, I'm sorry that you feel this way.
As an employee I'm happy to see that we're finally moving in the right direction with our upgrades. For years competitors have been able to say "We have X or Y" and we've remained the same. Until now.
I'm not trying to upset you or argue with you, just stating what it is. |
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cdbma
join:2003-01-19
Bolton, MA
| reply to nick11
I understand both sides. My [unsolicited] input is that Comcast should "over-communicate" wrt features (or lack thereof) on DTAs and STBs. I checked the Comcast FAQs, and that helped, but I think that "more is better" when it comes to this stuff.
The digital early adopters have a few years under their belts. Those of us that are still living in the analog age are just spinning up on the nuances of digital and the restrictions when hooking up legacy equipment such as analog TVs and VCRs. We need help from the veterans and from the service providers.
my $.02. |
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nick11
join:2005-07-17
Chicago, IL
| reply to biglittlewil
said by biglittlewil :I will do my best to address each of your objections. thank you
Comcast doesn't come up with the codes for you Sony remote. That's what I meant. Sony does. That's why you had a code book when you bought the remote(new codes or unpublished codes are sometimes on their sites or found by doing websearches). There may be a code that works with it, there may not. Universals aren't guaranteed to work with all equipment, that's why you're provided with a remote when you get said equipment. yes, you're absolutely right on what you say.
but it doesn't matter because that's not what you're disputing.
this is like me saying '2+2=5 is not right' and you responding 'no, 2+3=5 is correct'
yes, of course 2+3=5 is correct. but that's not what I said.
you are saying comcast doesn't have to come up with codes to make a remote I get work.
yes, I understand.
but I didn't go out and bought a remote and now I ask for codes from comcast to make it work.
comcast send me something with a note 'install it or lose your TV.'
and upon installing it my remote goes bye bye.
I didn't do anything. it was comcast that stopped it from working by telling me to use equipment they send to me.
The remote is not broken. Your second quote attests to that fact. "broke." as not doing its job. as not working as it should.
the job of the remote is to change the channel.
I didn't said 'it is not doing anything.' it is doing something. just not its work.
When the whole reclamation is over you'll have the ability to have 100m internet and more channels(not just religious and Japanese). "When the whole reclamation is over" and my TV life is a living hell you'll be able to order more channels
I don't care about the NON-REAL-YET I might be able to order IN THE FUTURE
I care about the VERY-REAL things I lost NOW
PIP- has always required 2 sources. So if you want you can split the signal between your VCR and your DTA and input them both in the TV. I have two sources. my TV and the VCR. prior to installing comcast's DTA they were working fine.
not my fault if comcast knocked one of them out.
VCR- I'm sorry that you're losing this functionality but the reality is that the VCR is going the way of the 8 track, cassette player, and record player. Get yourself a TiVo, Moxi, Comcast, or any other DVR and I bet you'll be happy with it. can I buy it? that'll be OK as long as it's something costing me $50-100-200. I'll go out and buy it tomorrow.
but I won't go higher nor do I like the idea of paying for it every month.
Again, I'm sorry that you feel this way. thanks
As an employee I'm happy to see that we're finally moving in the right direction with our upgrades. For years competitors have been able to say "We have X or Y" and we've remained the same. Until now. careful here. prior to installing the dreaded pace dta I was turning on the TV around 10am till 1pm and from around 4pm to 3am. that's about 14 hours a day.
now I open it around 7pm to catch a baseball game. then 10-12 for stewart-conan-ferguson. that's 5 hours.
I also used to record colbert-letterman-others and watch them after ferguson. now I just shut it down after ferguson. I don't have any urge to see what's happening on other channels. I just put it on a certain channel and leave it there. you see, I was used to the speed and convenience I had. now comcast makes it difficult. I don't have any will to stick around and work with it. I just fire up my laptop and surf the net.
should anyone care about what shows I watch? no
but my amount of total viewership is a something comcast cares. my TV watching is down and down by a lot.
and comcast better worry about how much its customers use its product. and about the 'leave the channel there' thing too.
you can improve your product's abilities by a lot. but if by doing so you ruin the experience of your customers and drive their usage of your product down, it doesn't matter much. you can have a product that can do what nothing else can, but if noone uses it, it doesn't matter.
I'm not trying to upset you or argue with you, no worries. I'm not interpreting it as anything like that
just stating what it is. same here! |
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nick11
join:2005-07-17
Chicago, IL | reply to cdbma
thanks for the post cdbma6. your points are all good.
and your advice isn't unsolicited. I posted on a public forum! |
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Arnieh
@comcast.net |  reply to nick11
Comcast wants you to rent a DVR. I solved the DTA/VCR/TV issue using a "splitter" and "a-b switch". Go to »www.ascbiz.com/DTA to see a sketch of the solution. |
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nick11
join:2005-07-17
Chicago, IL
| Thanks for the reply.
Looking at the diagram I get the understanding that after the signal gets splitted, one part goes to the VCR while the other goes to the DTA and then the TV. Am I close?
The letter from comcast says "your Expanded Basic cable channels 29-75 will be transmitted exclusively in digital format starting on 9/29/09." If they are digital-only after 9/29 will the VCR be able to record anything since the signal to the VCR isn't decrypted by the DTA? |
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Joe12345678
join:2003-07-22
Des Plaines, IL
| reply to owlyn
said by owlyn :said by nick11 :said by Chuckles :Ugly little thing. You can say that again. I'm so frustrated with this thing: 1. I lost my picture-in-picture 2. I can't record a channel different than what I watch 3. I lost the channel control of my remotes 4. It takes a lot of time (compred to what it used to) to change channels 5. The volume decides to take some time off whenever it wants This sucks... If the serial number starts with GI or M it's motorola, SA is scientific atlanta.
Edit: Google shows it's made by pace. yes, the serial starts with PAEH The Pace box is not meant to do the things you are trying to do. It is a simple tuner designed to allow Comcast (and others) to migrate off of analog and reclaim bandwidth. It has nothing other than basic functionality. It gets most of the digital channels except premiums, does not support VOD, does not have a guide, etc. What do you want for free? it does not get most of the digital channels only the older analog ones for now. Some starter and high ones need a full box or cable card. |
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Arnieh
@comcast.net | reply to nick11
Hi Nick,
I think the VCR will record because it now records whether the a-b switch is on the DTA or VCR side. |
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earletp
join:2004-02-03
PDX
1 edit | reply to nick11
If this was covered and I missed it I apologize,
but since Comcast policy seems to be 2 free DTA's in areas that have converted to digital, instead of going through the trouble of splitting the signal and using an A/B switch, why not add a splitter and a 2nd DTA, one for the TV and one for the VCR.
(edited to add...) That way you'll still be able to watch one show and record another and your PIP should work again too.
As to the remote issue, the simplest solution would be to buy a learning remote like the Harmony line, that way if there is no preset code available the universal remote can "learn" to control the device from the OEM remote. |
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Georgia85
@bellsouth.com
| reply to nick11
Nick, you will not be able to record your channels 29-75 on your VCR if you use the splitter and A/B switch because those channels are going to be transmitted digitally and your VCR will be receiving an analogue signal. You know all those little notices that are scrolling across the bottom of the screen that are saying "Effective Sept 29 this channel will no longer be accessible unless..." Once those channels are digital when you try to record one of those channels - bypassing your set-top - you will just have a blank screen.
As for buying a DVR - I wish we could. I would rather paid a one time fee and own it then pay $15.95 a month to Comcast and have to return it when I was done. However, DVR's are only provided by cable and satellite companies on a rental basis. Even if you bought one off of E-bay it would not be guaranteed to work because the DVR is also a de-scrambler for Comcast signals.
Finally, no I don't have a remote that does a picture in picture thing - well actually I do. The remotes for the DVR have that button HOWEVER it is not functional yet. |
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biglittlewil
join:2009-04-02
Seattle, WA
| said by Georgia85 :
As for buying a DVR - I wish we could. I would rather paid a one time fee and own it then pay $15.95 a month to Comcast and have to return it when I was done. You don't have to rent a DVR from Comcast. As I said in a previous post you can buy a Moxi or Tivo.
»moxi.com/
»www.tivo.com/ |
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mahermusic
join:2001-07-06
Chesterfield, NJ
 ·Vonage
 ·Comcast
| reply to Georgia85
said by Georgia85 :
As for buying a DVR - I wish we could. I would rather paid a one time fee and own it then pay $15.95 a month to Comcast and have to return it when I was done. However, DVR's are only provided by cable and satellite companies on a rental basis. Even if you bought one off of E-bay it would not be guaranteed to work because the DVR is also a de-scrambler for Comcast signals.
Of COURSE you can buy a DVR that works just fine with Comcast. You can choose to pay monthly, or do what I do and pay for the service outright. Actually the best DVR out there isn't even one of the crappy Comcast products... it's been around for years, and I own three of them, all with lifetime so I don't have to pay a monthly fee. They all use cable cards (so no monthly remote/box rental) and Comcast even CREDITS me $4.20 each for NOT renting a cable box/remote. I use the remote that comes with it. I can get beautiful hi-def channels, have it record one channel while watching another or record two different channels while watching an already-recorded third), get my Netflix movies streamed to it. Start one movie in one room, and finish in another, access thousands and thousands movies off of Amazon almost immediately, watch Youtube videos, play games, access my Mac, tell it to remotely record from a computer or my cell phone's browser.
It's called TiVo.
--
1/20/09 = The final day of our Retarded Cowboy President! |
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Audifan1989
join:2009-11-07
60174C
| reply to nick11
To all of the Comcast defenders, I think you are missing the point here. The key thing that Comcast is failing at is the TV viewing experience. Comcat is not "giving" its customers anything really. It is doing this ONLY to maximize its revenues. Yes, they are looking to reclaim bandwith but that is not the only reason they are doing this conversion and specifically doing it this way. The reasons they are doing it this way include the following:
1) Requiring a box for each television is a way of eliminating piracy of their cable. While this is an understandable goal, it requires this new ugly box with crappy remote. If the plan was just to convert to digital only, they could have had a single box at each residence and continued to allow customers to use their tv tuner to tune each station. They also want to sell you Pay-per-view. This could easily have been handled by blocking out several channels to broadcast those, allowing you to view them on any tv. Additionally, this conversion is not "free" as you say since you have to pay for each DTA beyond the three they provide at no extra charge. We all have to pay for the extra energy used by each of these devices which are on all the time and in many cases for a signal amplifier that needs to be installed.
2) They want you to pay for their DVR service and so far as I can tell nobody I know has been able to get their tivo to work properly with the DTA. Even if you are able to figure out a workaround, they sure have made it difficult for you The previous post about PIP requiring 2 sources is technically incorrect. The PIP needs a single source - it's just that the source needs to be unscrambled in order for the tv's tuner to tune the 2 channels simultaneously.
3) Many of the new "free" channels Comcast is "giving" you are leased crappy infomercial and other stations most people don't want - it's just more "spam" you need to surf through. You can't "delete" these channels from your tv's channel lline-up.
Most of what's being touted as was posted earlier by a Comcast critic will only happen in the future. Here is what is LOST right now.
1) You MUST use multiple remotes to control anything beyond a simple tv/cable box setup.
2) PIP - forget it. Same goes for any of your factory tv remote functions for that matter.
3) If you have more than 3 tvs you need to pay extra for those crappy boxes you never wanted in the first place.
4) Tuner response is quite a bit slower now.
5) The ONLY way to change the channel is with the new crappy remote. I hope your kids don't misplace it or you'll be stuck on the Disney channel.
6) Overall the tv viewing experience has been diminished, not enhanced. |
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CT3s
join:2009-10-05
Barrington, IL
| reply to nick11
Excuse me while I go take a shower and wash off the ignorance from this entire thread. Except for the Comcast employee actually trying to help nick11.
Generally I would help, although it appears the OP just isn't listening.
If you are honestly this frustrated by the entire situation then switch to a different provider. If you are in the city of Chicago then you should have RCN. Try Dish, or Direct TV. Lets see how long it actually takes you to come crawling back to Comcast.
Or you could just head over to Walmart and buy a OTA DTA, and incur no monthly charges.
/rant |
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Ph4r
join:2007-01-11
Saint Clair Shores, MI
| Agreed, I don't know why I kept reading this earlier. It's like a train wreck you just have to watch...
All these adjustments over half of the current populace has already made these and are now getting by fine, or many would say... better.
I see these things as opportunities, not failures. Just like whenever I start a home improvement job, I look forward to buying at least one new tool that will make this job and maybe future jobs easier. This is the same point, the OP could go to Walmart, K-Mart, Meijer, or other and buy a new $10 Universal remote that will work with the DTA, TV, VCR. If they even need to, as mentioned by the overly calm and helpful Comcast employee they could call Sony and ask if they have a code for the DTA that would at least get the Channel controls the OP is frustrated over.
I am going to go through this 5 times more complicated when I help my in-laws setup their new AV receiver, Component DVD Player, VCR, Cable Box, Surround Sound System over the holidays this year. |
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CT3s
join:2009-10-05
Barrington, IL | Well hopefully your in-laws are more understanding. While being able to comprehend that this is a good thing. |
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PogKing
@comcast.net | reply to nick11
I guess I'm just not understanding why it's Comcast's fault that they are moving technology forward? Analog cable is old outdated technology, hell even OTA broadcasting isn't analog anymore. |
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owlyn
Premium,MVM
join:2004-06-05
Newtown, PA
clubs:
| reply to Audifan1989
I am on my township's cable TV advisory board. Residents may call the township to register complaints about their cable service, and these are reported to us. We have recently (Sept. 30) completed the all-digital migration, requiring everyone to have DTAs or better. Much to my surprise, we did not receive a single complaint. I was sure we would- we have a lot of senior citizens, and a lot of residents who complain about any little thing. Not a peep. |
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CT3s
join:2009-10-05
Barrington, IL | You my friend must have been eating horse shoes for a year. lol |
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Audifan1989
join:2009-11-07
60174C
| reply to PogKing
The reason OTA broadcasts are digital-only is that they were required by federal law to do so. The RF spectrum is licensed by the government and the law applies to Full Power broadcast Stations. There is no requirement that the the cable companies either switch to digital or stop broadcasting in analog format. Up until last month Comcast was broadcasting in both digital and analog formats.
Comcast has been broadcasting in digital format for some time now and that's a good thing. However, it was not until recently that they made the decision to stop broadcasting most stations in analog. The fact that they decided to do this has NOTHING to do with any federal requirement. The bandwidth they "reclaimed" largely suits their own purposes. Again, there's plenty of bandwidth for the stations people want - just not enough for the leased stations and other stuff Comcast wants to bill you for.
Since a huge number of people still have analog tv's, it makes sense for the conversion to gradual, particularly for a company that several short months ago was touting that you didn't have to do a thing for the digital conversion.
Many people want access to certain stations and are not particularly concerned about the High-Def aspect at all. They want to be able to use the remote that came with their tv to control all of their inputs. This is no longer possible.
It's possible that my opinion of Comcast has something to do with many bad experiences with customer service in getting my parents DTA's up and running. They wasted lots of my time (which they don't mind doing. Several calls got me nowhere, they simply wanted me to wait for ever increasing periods of time before they said all of the channels would come in - the last thing they want to do is send a human being - that costs money). When the Comcast guy finally arrived 4 hours late it turned out the cable needed an amplifier which they charged them for even though it was previously working fine before the DTA's arrived.
I like the idea of having a hardwired system and I think it offers some advantages to be sure. I just think those advantages are being squandered because Comcast is more concerned with profit than they are about their customer's experience.
I appreciate the comments for the Comcast guy who I believe is trying to help. I'm not trying to shoot the messenger.
Some people don't mind paying a bit more to enhance their user experience by buying or renting additional equipment but many customers simply can't afford to cough up additional cash for something they had before Comcast changed it.
I feel fairly certain that this change was implemented with the idea of forcing tivo users to buy their dvr service and think it's likely that they could have used a very basic remote code set and mad it available to the manufacturers BEFORE making the change. When we are all using TV's with the equipment to properly decode the Comcast signals and can use a single remote again, I will happily embrace this change. Until then...I think this was a bad implementation.
As for owlyn's community - I'm glad you're not getting complaints about the conversion, however, in my community when you mention Comcast there's lots of grumbling. My sister-in-law has been waiting for weeks to figure out why she can only get 1 DTA to work in her house. |
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