[mythtv-users] Comcast encrypting World Series on FoxHD

[Bob Shanteau]

On 11/3/2014 6:57 AM, Gary Buhrmaster wrote:
> On Mon, Nov 3, 2014 at 1:19 PM, Ronald Frazier <ron at ronfrazier.net> wrote:
>> On 11/1/2014 12:55 PM, Bob Shanteau wrote:
>>> Oops, sorry. I thought I had told you that I was not able to record World Series games on my local (Salinas, CA, USA) FoxHD channel with either a Motorola DCH3200 using firewire
> While tuned to the station in question, go into the STB diagnostic mode, and then select current channel status.  The flags (and other useful info) are there.

Channel 706 (not viewable in MythTV over firewire from STB)
CCI: 0x02
APS: 0x00
RC Flag: 0x00
CIT: 0x00
DRM: 0x00
RS: Forever

Channel 707 (viewable in MythTV over firewire from STB)
CCI: 0x00
APS: 0x00
RC Flag: 0x00
CIT: 0x00
DRM: 0x01
RS: Forever

I don't know whether the content on FOXHD, CBSHD and so forth is being 
blocked by MythTV or is simply not being output by the STB. Comcast tech 
support sent me another settop box (an Arris RNG150N) but I see no 
change in the channels that MythTV can see.

Comcast tech support tells me that some of their customers have 
televisions that use firewire as their input, but they don't officially 
support it, so they are amazed that anyone is getting any output on 
firewire at all. They said they are not able to help me with my having 
no output via firewire on Monterey channels 702, 705, 706 and sometimes 
707 and 709. (I can get those channels just fine on my TV using the 
component cables.)

The Comcast guy also said that their STBs only support one output at a 
time (among HDMI, component, coax and composite). Thinking that firewire 
might be in that list, I disconnected everything but firewire on my STB 
but that made no change in my not being able to view the lower broadcast 
HD channels.

The Comcast guy also said that the flags are provided by the content 
providers (the networks in this case) and that Comcast does not change them.

> Of course, you are now going to have to wait nearly a year for the next game (or find another sport that Fox is setting flags on).

Yes, Comcast tech support tells me that they would only be able to 
diagnose a network blocking a given channel is in real time.

>>> or an HDHomerun Prime using ethernet.
>> Just use the hdhomerun_config utility to change the vchannel on a (currently available) tuner,

I upgraded the HDHomerun Prime to the current beta firmware to try to 
fix a minor problem some months ago, thinking that I could always 
downgrade again. Wrong. I wish that SiliconDust had warned me before I 
upgraded. I just now upgraded to a newer (11/7/2014) beta. I see no 
change in the channels I can view on the HDHomerun Prime.

As far as not being able to record the World Series or whatever, I'll 
have to catch it when Fox once again blocks the HD signal.

> and then look at the vstatus for that tuner.  The flags will be shown.

Huh? All hdhomerun_config shows is whether the channel is encrypted or 
not (they all are). I don't know how to find the "vstatus for that 
tuner." Locate does not find a file "vstatus*" on my system.

Bob Shanteau