Update on Comcast HD DVR plans

[Frobozz]

I just received notice that Comcast is about to change its cable guide. In the demo of the new guide –viewable at http://newguide.comcastnw.com – it describes two HD DVRs that will be offered soon. One is a 40-hour DVR that records 10 hours of HDTV content and the other is a 60-hour dual-tuner DVR that records 15 hours of HDTV and can record two channels simultaneously. They feature some basic TIVO-like features. I suspect they won't have any easy way to export the MPEGs for burning to DVD but that's just my guess.

I talked with a Comcast rep who says these Motorola units are supposed to be available some time in December and although there isn't an official price it could be around $10 per month. This would be only $5 more than I'm currently paying for my HDTV cable box which I wouldn't need any more.

Stay tuned.

[johnnysc]

I've actually had the 40 hour dvr for about 4 months now. Comcast released it here in pittsburgh at the end of summer. It sucks cause i only have the 1 tuner one so if you're recording you can't watch another channel but i love this box. I read a few forums and supposedly you can hook it up to your computer via the usb port, or firewire port to directly take the videos to your computer. I havent tried it yet. Oh and they are 10 bucks a month, only 4 more than the regular digital box. Just thought i let you know.

[Frobozz]

I'm getting my Dual-Tuner Comcast Hi-Def DVR on the 15th and will let you know how it works along with my Pioneer DVR-510. Here is the link to its specs:
http://broadband.motorola.com/catalog/productdetail.asp?ProductID=379

It can record two programs simultaneously and do that while watching another program from its hard drive. It also records High Definition with 5.1 sound. There is no editing; just a variety of playback controls including a 15-second skip back.

The monthly cost is $9.95 which is just $5 more than I'm paying now for my Comcast High-Def box.

It won't record On Demand programs, which my Pioneer will record via the line inputs.

Stay tuned.

[Frobozz]

I've been comparing the Comcast dual-tuner high-def DVR with the hard drive recorder in my Pioneer DVR-510H-S to determine if the DVR makes having a hard drive pretty much unnecessary with a DVD recorder. The answer is yes if you plan to burn DVDs from TV programs and no if you plan to burn DVDs from other sources such as VHS or Laserdiscs (which the DVR will not record).

The Comcast DVR does not have any record quality settings. Comcast says the recorded program quality is equal to the original signal received. This is believable because the 120 GB hard drive holds about 60 hours of NTSC programming and 15 hours of HDTV programming. I suspect the HDTV content is recorded as a data stream with no decoding or encoding until it is played. Therefore, you can save a program to the DVR for later play back to the DVD recorder with essentially no difference in quality than if you had connected the live signal directly to the DVD recorder.

One thing of note: I had to use Y connectors to connect the DVR analog audio to both the TV and the DVD Recorder because the DVR has only one pair of analog audio output jacks. The DVR also has coaxial and optical audio outputs for 5.1 surround sound and has S-Video and standard video outputs along with its component video outputs. It does not have an RF output.

There are USB and Firewire connectors as well. My Mac recognized the device connected via Firewire but there doesn't seem to be anything that works to send or receive video that way. I don't think any of those connectors serve any purpose.

As for comparing the DVR's controls to the Pioneer, I like my Pioneer's 30-second skip button which is perfect for skipping the huddles when watching football games. However, I like the DVR's 15-second replay feature. The DVR remote includes a set of buttons for controlling picture-in-picture but these don't have any effect.

The DVR has the advantage of always recording whatever show you are watching into a buffer ready for pausing or replaying. The programming is wonderfully easy. You can set priorities for when shows might be automatically erased; although you can keep a show forever if you like. And best of all, it can record the High Def shows in High Def.

When playing a High Def program it is converted to NTSC for output via either the S-Video or standard video jacks, so that is how it will be recorded onto a connected DVD recorder.