[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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