[tabi] Re: Comcast
- From: "Chip Orange" <Corange@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2010 13:49:18 -0400
Hi William,
Yes, I have one of these cards, it's called a "cablecard", and you can
either buy it, or you get one a for free with your Comcast account. If
you want more than one from Comcast, they charge you a few dollars a
month to rent it if you don't go buy one.
However, the hang-up is very few TVs will take a cablecard. Generally
it's those HD flatscreen TVs, above 40 inches in size, which are priced
at the high end because they're full of features. Sony has offered it
more than any other brand.
I have a TiVo, which also will take a cablecard, and since a TiVo sits
between my TV and the cable system, it's acting like a TV and sort of
like a cable box for me.
The advantage to cablecards is that you don't have to have a box sitting
out, and you don't have to deal with a second remote control, or trying
to program the universal remote from Comcast to control your TV and
stereo. You get to use your TVs remote if it has a cablecard installed
in it (or I get to use the TiVos remote, which controls the TiVo, my TV,
and my stereo).
Sorry, I know the next question from someone is whether a TiVo is
accessible, and for the most part the answer is no.
I can program it via the web site (meant for people who are away from
home and who don't want to miss some show), but that's all; trying to do
anything with it except view live TV causes it to put up an on-screen
menu.
Hth,
Chip
------------------------------
Chip Orange
Database Administrator
Florida Public Service Commission
Chip.Orange@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
(850) 413-6314
(Any opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not
necessarily reflect those of the Florida Public Service Commission.)
From: tabi-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:tabi-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of blindwilly
Sent: Monday, September 27, 2010 1:40 PM
To: tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [tabi] Re: Comcast
Chip,
I have heard that I can just get a plug in card for a modern flat screen
TV. Do you know anything about this or where to get it or how to find
the plug in place?
Willy
----- Original Message -----
From: Chip Orange <mailto:Corange@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Monday, September 27, 2010 1:34 PM
Subject: [tabi] Re: Comcast
Hi Darla,
You don't need to do anything except get a new box.
FYI, for some strange reason the new box will only give you the
digital version of the same channels you had under premium basic cable;
that is, those under 100.
However, at no charge, you can call Comcast and get switched
over to "digital starter", which adds a lot of extra channels above 100.
It costs no more than premium basic cable, and it made sense back when
premium basic was preferred by those who didn't want a cable box; this
was a way comcast was using to get people to switch to digital (by
offering it at no extra charge).
but now that we all *must* have a box for anything other than
the 6 local channels, it makes no sense not to switch us all over to
digital starter! But no, you must call and ask for it! It's really
needless.
Those 6 local channels by the way, Comcast is required by the
FCC to offer those to you in analog format (so no cable box), and at a
price around $12 a month. So if that's all you want, insist enough and
you can have just those (now pushed to channels 2 through 7), and no
cable box.
For those who want more than that, for about $15 more you can
get even more digital channels with the next level of digital plan
("digital preferred").
and for those with sighted people in the house, be aware that
all this talk of digital cable does not mean HD at all! You get ABC in
HD (and perhaps all the local channels in HD I'm still trying to verify
that), but nothing else. Digital is still being sent to you by Comcast
at standard TV resolution.
You have to pay more for a group of HD channels, and the first
level of HD package is $8 a month more. These are channels numbered
higher than 384; so any channel above that is HD, but it almost always
just an HD version of a channel you're already getting in lower
resolution. Of course, you must have a new HD TV.
It's amazingly difficult to get all of this explained to you by
a Comcast rep, and it's a modern miracle if you can find it on the
Comcast web site!
Hth,
Chip
------------------------------
Chip Orange
Database Administrator
Florida Public Service Commission
Chip.Orange@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
(850) 413-6314
(Any opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do
not necessarily reflect those of the Florida Public Service Commission.)
From: tabi-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:tabi-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Darla J. Rogers
Sent: Monday, September 27, 2010 7:19 AM
To: tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [tabi] Comcast
It appears we don't have TV now; is it easy to reset the boxes
when we get it back?
Darla
Darla J. Rogers
djrogers0628@xxxxxxxxxxx
Home phone #: 850-329-7437
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