[mythtv-users] Comcast follies

David Williams mythtv_david at yahoo.com
Fri Jul 9 11:27:22 UTC 2010


    
Comcast cheated on me one last time and I think it might be time for a divorce. 
I haven't seen a report of anything like my recent experience so I thought I'd 
pass along what happened. I've used MythTv for several years and while I've 
lurked for quite a while this is my first post and in the spirit of full 
disclosure I'm a little older, I don't have a technical background, and I'm 
nowhere near as technologically sophisticated as most who traffic this forum.  I 
have a home-built linux box using Ubuntu 10.04 and HdHomerun and Hauppauge 500 
tuners. 


In an effort to discover my VCT_ID I finally picked up the boxes. Using the wiki 
methodology (http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/Scte65scan) neither the DTA nor the 
RNG110 I was issued yielded anything that remotely resembled either the numeric 
or hexdecimal codes that showed up when I ran tables.txt which makes me wonder 
if Comcast intentionally defeated this resource. 


I only pay for the basic, analogue service. I took a couple of weeks to get 
around to installing the boxes but when I did I discovered the RNG110 brought in 
many of the HD-  as well as the analogue channels. What a bonus, I thought. It 
interfaced straightaway with firewire once I changed a setting from generic to 
DCH-3200 and the  performance was remarkable. After about a week I stopped 
receiving HD video signal (audio was OK)  although the analogue channels came in 
and continued to interface with firewire. I should have quit while I was ahead 
but thinking Comcast is required by law to provide HD for the network stations 
(or so I've read on some posts) I contacted the help desk and after 
unsuccessfully attempting to remedy the situation from her end the rep 
dispatched a technician to my home. He diagnosed a weakened signal for which he 
replaced the line coming into my home because of damage from “squirrels”  and he 
removed the line amplifier I had installed. He also told me he had to go up the 
pole and change a setting to enable “two-way” communication. 


Once he finished I discovered the RNG110 firewire access is defunct. It, the 
RNG110, continues to show up on the back end but no signal comes through via 
firewire. 


Although I've lurked for a long time this is my first post and I a couple 
questions. Are there some setting changes I can make to resurrect firewire 
access and, if not, is there a feasible alternative (Dish???)

Thanks, David



      
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