View Full Version : comcast hd
lskarritt
02-01-2003, 05:24 PM
?comcast hdtv do you need to use their box if your set has a
cable hd tunner all ready in it? My Mitsubishi 55311 is supposed to be upgradable where I can upgrade to a HD cable tuner? Right now I am using the comcast motorolla box and the analog channels are terrible. They claim they are working on this?
Les
Ratman
02-02-2003, 06:24 AM
Your TV is 'HD Upgradable', which means you do not have an HD receiver built into your set. If you want you HD via cable, you must use the Comcast box.
If you want HD via satellite or locals off the air, you must buy a Set Top Box (STB).
I don't believe you can purchase digital cable convertors. They are leased by the cable companies.
Eyedox
02-02-2003, 04:36 PM
Actually for $999, he can purchase a Mitsubishi promise module which adds an ATSC (OTA HD) Tuner, QAM (HD) Digital Cable Tuner, and FIREWIRE. So he could receive Comcast HD Digital Cable WITHOUT a STB. I know because Mits people in Omaha (Comcast just went HD there), they can pick up the LOCAL HD affiliates on channel 108.1 and 109.1,etc without a STB. He could also receive ATSC (OTA HD) WITHOUT a STB. But you are correct in that as his TV is set up now (ready only), he cannot receive any HD content without SOME upgrade or STB.
Just make sure that Comcast will "activate" the setup. Most Cable companies do not yet "activate" equipment that is not theirs, due to the "finger pointing" that could occur if the signal is not properly received. They say it is your tuner, you say it is their signal...
That is also why they typically "rent" their equipment. If something is wrong, you exchange it - easy.
Some cable companies allow you to buy equipment, but only from them, at this time.
In future this will all change, as previously stated, once internal cable tuners are more prevalent.
I just got Comcast digital cable service this weekend. I concur about the analog channels looking like crap. I was also shocked to see the Motorola STB did not offer Digital audio out and only composite video out !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What the heck is that all about, what a joke! I did ask them to give me the Motorola 5100 HD STB when I scheduled the installation, but they were out of them. I asked the installer about it and he said they would not give me one anyway because I have no HDTV (yet). I hope they can do better than this with the NTSC. It looks bad on my standard 4x3 tube. I'm sure it would look really bad on a big screen HDTV monitor.
fanshen
02-03-2003, 12:54 PM
the 5100 DCTs are pretty scarce at most Comcast offices...In most areas, if you don't have an HD set, they won't connect it for you
lskarritt
02-03-2003, 03:33 PM
My comcast motorola box has a optical out. I went to my recevers
optical audio in and do get 5.1 on some chs,
There's a post in the FAQ section on what's available in DD5.1.
