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Russ6
join:2011-03-17
Houston, TX

Russ6 to FifthE1ement

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to FifthE1ement

Re: New Guides for SA/Cisco Areas (Info from Ted Hodgins Blog)

said by FifthE1ement:

I live in that area. Why won't Comcast push that update out to all of their boxes? I just don't understand why your forced into paying for AnyRoom DVR for an updated guide? This is just absurd!

I don't think this was Comcast's original plan. Click »Re: New Guides for SA/Cisco Areas (Info from Ted Hodgins Blog) for more info. It just worked out that way because it took Comcast so long to release the guide updates.

Comcast has just started deploying the S26 Guide (the follow up guide to the current S25 Guide).

On-Screen Guide 2.0, which includes AnyRoom DVR functionality, is a bridge to On-Screen Guide 3.0 (a.k.a. the X1 Guide). Click »Re: New Guides for SA/Cisco Areas (Info from Ted Hodgins Blog) for why On-Screen Guide 2.0 is not being pushed out. Currently, it is only about 7 states and scheduled for New Mexico this year.

On-Screen Guide 3.0 will be pushed out to specific Cisco RNG STBs, click »Re: New Guides for SA/Cisco Areas (Info from Ted Hodgins Blog) for more info. Currently, only a few sites have On-Screen Guide 3.0 and use the Pace STB.

FifthE1ement
Tech Nut
join:2005-03-16
Fort Lauderdale, FL

FifthE1ement

Member

I have the Motorola DCX3400 and the iGuide A28. Thanks for all the info in an easy to read format for others. According to the original OP the DCX moto models will get version 3.0 (X1) of the guide sometime in 2013. I don't know why they don't push this out faster as they are already so far behind.

According to them the reason they are having so many issues is that they don't want to update the boxes and force users to lose their favorites, recorded DVR shows, series, etc. The problem I have with that response is that I lose those twice a year anyway? My favs always disappear or change by themselves, series recordings sometimes change on their own and I don't care if I lose shows on my DVR as long as they give me a date by which to watch everything before the switch.

Also still has a huge amount of DCH and DCT model boxes out there. What are all those users going to be stuck on the current guide forever?

cypherstream
MVM
join:2004-12-02
Reading, PA
·PenTeleData
ARRIS SB8200

cypherstream

MVM

said by FifthE1ement:

I don't care if I lose shows on my DVR as long as they give me a date by which to watch everything before the switch.

That's the problem right there. They don't like to give dates because what if there's a screwup and its delayed for some reason. Thus, they are on software from the Windows ME generation.
Russ6
join:2011-03-17
Houston, TX

Russ6 to FifthE1ement

Member

to FifthE1ement
said by FifthE1ement:

I have the Motorola DCX3400 and the iGuide A28. Thanks for all the info in an easy to read format for others. According to the original OP the DCX moto models will get version 3.0 (X1) of the guide sometime in 2013. I don't know why they don't push this out faster as they are already so far behind.

I think one of the reasons Comcast is so far behind is Comcast does not do a good job at quality control testing of the software. The S25 Guide deployment had to be stopped so Comcast could create and send out a patch because the S25 Guide would truncate recordings under certain conditions. Creating and testing the patch took about 6 months and deploying the patch took about 4 months. I hope they don't try pushing out On-Screen Guide 3.0 (X1) on Cisco or Motorola STBs without extensive quality control testing.
said by FifthE1ement:

According to them the reason they are having so many issues is that they don't want to update the boxes and force users to lose their favorites, recorded DVR shows, series, etc. The problem I have with that response is that I lose those twice a year anyway? My favs always disappear or change by themselves, series recordings sometimes change on their own and I don't care if I lose shows on my DVR as long as they give me a date by which to watch everything before the switch.

The main reason for On-Screen Guide 2.0 is to provide AnyRoom DVR functionality in the SA/Cisco areas so I don't have a problem with having to get a new box via a truck roll so a POE filter can be installed.
said by FifthE1ement:

Also still has a huge amount of DCH and DCT model boxes out there. What are all those users going to be stuck on the current guide forever?

I think they may be updated to the A30 Guide depending on how many issues the A30 Guide has. I am surprised that Comcast is working on the A30 Guide instead
of working on On-Screen Guide 3.0. I don't think Comcast has enough people to program and test all the different guides they have.
Russ6

Russ6

Member

The following excerpt is from Comcast's Ted Hodgins, Sr. Director, Video Product Development - Navigation, in Media & Entertainment, "New Guide for Scientific Atlanta Cable Boxes" blog and states that AnyRoom DVR functionality for Houston, Texas has been delayed again. It was initially targetted for August 2012, then it was targetted for this year and now it is targetted for early 2013.
quote:
AnyRoom DVR is a separate feature that we are targeting for Houston in early 2013. Thanks for your patience.

Ted Hodgins replied to comment from Kevin Stephenson | September 5, 2012 11:40 AM

»blog.comcast.com/2010/05 ··· nt-57483

FifthE1ement
Tech Nut
join:2005-03-16
Fort Lauderdale, FL

1 edit

FifthE1ement

Member

Arg... lol

We've had the AnyRoom DVR service available here for quite sometime now. The South Florida market usually gets features and other test plans first. I wish they would make some moves as they are years behind. I remember getting the iGuide over ten years ago! Before then we had a yellow guide with (blue?) show lists in bubbles.

Now over the ten years they've added features, fav lists, recently MyDVR, etc but utilizing the same guide for a decade while everything else around has moved at warp speed is crazy. I look at my tiny phone which is more powerful than my home PC and with a 720p screen to boot and looking at my TV I'm brought back to reality having to remember what HCHD, WSVN, BTVHD, etc mean? Why can't they use full channel names?

Quality control isn't going to help when they never release anything? I mean what happened to the TIVO DVR, Tru2Way TV's & guide, switched digital video (SDV), Instant Info Widgets, and multiple "other" guide updates which they (Comcast) has named over the years?! I've never seen a company do so much and yet so little at the same time and never release anything new?

As for the always coming X1 platform: According to the Ted Hodgins Comcast blog you didn't have to get a specific box (Motorola DCX3501) as the X1 platform should work on all DCX models? Is the X1 a platform or a box as the X1 website doesn't show any box on the site or faqs? According to his blog it's a platform that can go on any capable (newer) box but I have no idea why Comcast is making their loyal customers suffer by limiting X1 service to NEW triple play customers ONLY! The only reason I can see is that they know they can't get away with a decade old guide today and new users would hate it right away (BYE BYE) but older, loyal users are just used to it so STFU. WTF?

5th
Russ6
join:2011-03-17
Houston, TX

Russ6

Member

said by FifthE1ement:

We've had the AnyRoom DVR service available here for quite sometime now. The South Florida market usually gets features and other test plans first. I wish they would make some moves as they are years behind. I remember getting the iGuide over ten years ago! Before then we had a yellow guide with (blue?) show lists in bubbles.

If you think the Motorola STB markets are years behind, you should see the SA/Cisco STB markets. The S25 Guide is the equivalent of the Motorola A25 Guide. The current update being deployed is scheduled through the end of the year is the S26 Guide. I think this is the equivalent of the Motorola A28 Guide but without AnyRoom DVR functionality and there may be other missing features. On-Screen Guide 2.0 will add AnyRoom DVR functionality in the SA/Cisco STB markets.
said by FifthE1ement:

Now over the ten years they've added features, fav lists, recently MyDVR, etc but utilizing the same guide for a decade while everything else around has moved at warp speed is crazy. I look at my tiny phone which is more powerful than my home PC and with a 720p screen to boot and looking at my TV I'm brought back to reality having to remember what HCHD, WSVN, BTVHD, etc mean? Why can't they use full channel names?

While the Motorola STB markets were being updated, the SA/Cisco STB markets were not updated for years with most markets using the SARA Guide. When the SARA Guide was replaced with the S25 Guide, the S25 guide removed more features (Picture-In-Picture, No Skip to End of Recording, No Pass-Through, etc.) than it added and introduced major bugs (truncated recordings, overrecording of shows, etc.)
said by FifthE1ement:

Quality control isn't going to help when they never release anything? I mean what happened to the TIVO DVR, Tru2Way TV's & guide, switched digital video (SDV), Instant Info Widgets, and multiple "other" guide updates which they (Comcast) has named over the years?! I've never seen a company do so much and yet so little at the same time and never release anything new?

Comcast will "test" new guides in limited market trials, but it takes years before these guides are rolled out to most customers. Comcast is using Tru2way technology in the On-Screen Guide 2.0 & 3.0 (a.k.a X1 Guide). I haven't seen any Consumer Electronic Companies that will use this Tru2way technology. The TiVo DVR that allows the user to view Comcast VOD has recently been introduced in a few more markets. Comcast has put SDV on the backburner and is in the process of reclaiming bandwidth by eliminating analog channels.
said by FifthE1ement:

As for the always coming X1 platform: According to the Ted Hodgins Comcast blog you didn't have to get a specific box (Motorola DCX3501) as the X1 platform should work on all DCX models? Is the X1 a platform or a box as the X1 website doesn't show any box on the site or faqs? According to his blog it's a platform that can go on any capable (newer) box but I have no idea why Comcast is making their loyal customers suffer by limiting X1 service to NEW triple play customers ONLY! The only reason I can see is that they know they can't get away with a decade old guide today and new users would hate it right away (BYE BYE) but older, loyal users are just used to it so STFU. WTF?

5th

X1 is both a box and a platform. X1 is being introduced using a Pace Gateway DVR. The Pace Gateway DVR has 6 tuners but Comcast has restricted it to only record 2 shows at the same time although you can watch a different show while recording 2 other shows. Comcast is working on the X1 guide for both Cisco and Motorola STBs with a projected release sometime in 2013. Since X1 is new, Comcast is trying to use it to bring in new customers. I think Comcast will allow existing customers to get it after a period of time when it is no longer "new".