Re: Did Comcast cancel Sci Fi channel in all areas?

In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, shawn
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:

>[EMAIL PROTECTED] (PkJ0891) wrote:
>
>>jayembee <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>>
>>>"Mac Breck" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>>>
>>>>"D.F. Manno" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>It won't add a box, it will just replace the one you have now.
>>>>
>>>>It would add one for me, since I don't have one now.  That's
>>>>one of the things I LIKE about analog cable.  No damned box
>>>>to buy or lease.  Ease of splitting the signal.
>>>
>>>Well, only if you don't sub to any premium channels. If you do, you'd
>>>still need a box, even for analog. But that aside, I have no problem
>>>splitting the signal, even with a box:
>>>
>>>Cable from the outlet goes to a splitter. One line goes to VCR "A",
>>>the other line goes to the cable box, and from there to another
>>>splitter. One line from that goes to VCR "B", the other goes to VCR
>>>"A" (actually, both lines to VCR "A" actually go to a switch box, then
>>>to the VCR).
>>>
>>>That way, VCR "A" can be used to tape direct feeds from unscrambled
>>>channels or via the cable box from scrambled channels. VCR "B" does
>>>just the latter.
>>>
>>>The only pain in the ass about the digital cable box that Comcast
>>>supplies is the fact that, unlike the analog box we had before, it
>>>can't be programmed to switch channels by itself.
>>
>>I guess it depends on which digital box you're given.  
>>
>>Cutting a very long story short - the facts of which I've gone into before -
>>Comcast does supply digital boxes with timer recording.  Maybe not in your
>>system, but I have them.  I'm too tired right now to pull out a box and read
>>off the info, but I will tomorrow, if you need the details.  In the
>meantime,
>>call Comcast and tell them you want a digital box with the timer recording
>>feature.  You'll probably get a Duh?, but believe me, they're available.
>>PKJ
>
>I don't think it matters what digital box you have. The key component
>is the software. I've had Comcast for a few years (since they bought
>out AT&T) and have had the DCT-2000 the entire time. This is the basic
>digital box that they've had for a while. There wasn't any ability to
>do timer recording until recently.  
>
>A month ago they changed the software as part of the On-Demand roll
>out. Currently the software version is 17.44. Now I have timer based
>recording and the video  on demand. They may be providing the ability
>to do timer based recording separately from the On-Demand rollout, but
>they are steadily pushing that feature into all markets starting with
>the largest markets. So if you see that you will be getting the
>ability to do video on demand then you should also be getting the
>ability to do timer based recording.

I think we had this conversation in late April of this year.  Weird.

Anyway, I *thought* it was strictly a software problem, but I was wrong.  Two
of my six General Instrument DCT 2000 digital boxes had to be replaced.  Just
by chance, I discovered that, with the two new boxes (which were labeled
Comcast/Motorola but much smaller than the GI),  there was a new listing under
Viewer Services/Set Up for Timer. 

Comcast told me that, in order to have timer recording, the remaining GI boxes
had to be switched.  I wasn't charged for this, so it's not as though Comcast
was ripping me off. 

All I'm saying is, if you're like me and  fairly clueless about splitters and
such, don't accept the party line that you can't have a programmable digital
box . . . that it's all software . . .  and, you're stuck with what they give
you.  You might be, but then again, maybe not.  

Yes, my "new" boxes are still Motorola variants of the DCT 2000, but they're
much smaller, are programmable, and have been for at least a year.  Long before
the rollout of VOD in my area.
PKJ