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Motorola's serious looking DVR rolling out to Comcast
I've been reading reviews and reports of Motorola's dual tuner, HDTV 6412 DVR, and word on the street is that it's finally reaching a lot of major Comcast markets. While almost all reviews of cable company DVRs have been mostly poor, due to bad software, bad hardware, or an overall low quality experience, this one looks like a serious TiVo fighter, since it packs a lot of features you just can't get in a TiVo.
Dual tuners for cable - DirecTV users with TiVo know the joy of this. Basically season pass conflicts are rare once you've got two tuners going at once, plus you can watch other live programs while things tape, which comes in handy.
Records HDTV - only 15 hours of HD content max, but there are only about ten channels on Comcast systems so it's probably not too much of a problem.
60 hours of regular TV recording - pretty good number, probably using a 80 to 120 Gb drive to fit that much standard TV and HDTV.
HD VOD - video on demand movies, in full glorious resolution (though you can't record them). I'm not the biggest fan of VOD, but it's certainly a cool feature when you can get a pay per view movie right now instead of having to wait for TiVo to grab it later tonight to watch tomorrow, which is how I use DirecTV's PPV.
My friend Lance got one of the first units in San Francisco and he posted a full review on his site, and we did a little back and forth interview about the particulars, which follows:
So how's the new HD recorder? Glorious or just so-so?
The interface is kind of klunky, the remote has way too many buttons on it, picture-in-picture isn't really, and it lacks the thumb's up/thumb's down capabilities of tivo, naturally, so it won't record anything you don't tell it to
On the plus side, two tuners is aces, recording hd programming is great, it's relatively cheap, it's simple, it has a huuuuuge program buffer (up to 60 minutes for digital programs, according to the manual) and the remote is fairly programmable.
You can't record on-demand programming, it'll hold 60 hours of regular programming or 20 hours of hd. It's very quiet.
you have to watch the VOD stuff live?
Yes, you have to watch on-demand as you order it
The ffd and rew are really smooth, and ffw goes hella fast if you want it to
The tivo-lag in changing channels disappears, of course, and it takes some getting used to to remember that you can now swap tuners and record one thing while watching another, or record two things at once.
As usual, the installers don't have any clue about what they're doing (yet) - same problem I had when I got hd-cable installed. they can plug stuff in, but when it comes to answering questions they have no clue -- which is why i suppose they gave me the wrong box on friday. i said "this looks exactly like the old one," and he said "it is, except for the hard drive" but it didn't weigh any more. the real box weighs a few pounds more and it's labeled DVR on the front, otherwise it looks exactly the same
Whoa, that's crazy.
I think they realized the problem, though, because the manual includes how to tell the box what kind of tv (740, 1080, 480i, 480p) you have so your signal works properly. It records dolby digital when the broadcast uses it, too.
I haven't checked on what ports it has -- and which ones actually work. Looks like two usb on the front, probably 1.1 rather than 2.0 but you never know. The back has digital video out as well as component and rca
No DVI or anything?
The things i miss most are being able to tell it what channels i use versus which ones i receive, and the guide isn't as well integrated as tivo - yeah it has dvi out
You're using component to drive your widescreen Sampo TV, right?
Yeah.
The 'last' button seems to have endless memory. It goes backwards through whatever channels (or screens) you accessed as many times as you press it
Whoa, like a browser history. That's cool
You can change the color of the guide screens through about a dozen different templates, i'm using 'pewter'. there are two guide views, one (when you press guide) takes over most of the screen and shrinks what you're watching into the upper right, the other (when you press OK) appears on the bottom of teh screen showing just two channels at a time
heh, it's always about the skins.
Digital cable channels look uniformly crisp and not too much jaggedy going on. analog channels in the low register look ghosted and uniformly awful. Luckily, most of those are also hd-capable since they're the networks and pbs.
Haven't found too many glaring idiosyncracies. the pic-in-pic needs relabeling or they need to make it work. the guide has an hd-only mode but it doesn't show all the channels for some reason, most obviously it doesn't list hbo-hd.
You can record a series and it has the usual options (first run only, keep until space needed or keep until i delete it, re-order based on priority) but you can't search a database, you need to go into the guide, find the show, hit record twice to bring up the recording options and then it'll record the series.
That kind of blows
it's awkward. when you go into the dvr, there's a bar that shows how much memory you've used up so you can kind of manage things. if you tell it to record a single show, that will always override a series recording but you need to remember that.
Oh, it doesn't notify you of the conflict? lame.
TiVo seems much more 'set it and forget it' than comcast's solution, but i think they see their competition as directv rather than tivo, because of hd and twin tuners. You either pay a grand for a satellite dvr hd solution, or $10 a month for this
Right.
It sounds like it's great except for a few "yeah, but..." things
I'd say that's about right. if i had no tivo experience, i'd give it a 9 out of 10. but having seen the tivo interface and being used to its ease and simplicity, i'd downgrade this to an 8. the stuff i miss isn't the stuf i use all the time, it's more about my convenience.
and the ability to record hd, plus having two tuners raises the bar a lot.
i think i may miss 'tivo selects' surprises as the days go on. i kind of enjoyed sitting down on a weekend and seeing what tivo found for me that i didn't know was on. now i don't get that, so i've sort of lost my programming concierge.
and i never really used tivo media and i doubt i would have found tivo-to-go very useful, personally.
Thanks Lance!
by Matt Haughey December 22, 2004 in News
Comments
I've had the 6412 for about three months, running Microsoft TV foudnation 1.7. Overall it is OK but the lack of a 30sec skip relegates it to the HD-only department and the wife refuses to use it just becuase she refuses to play the precision FF reflex game. I had it reboot while watching an HD movie timeshifted while recording and I lost all of the move before the reboot.
The thing has a 1394 port but does not support extneral storage. Word is the MSFT and Mot will eventually add support for this, but who knows when that wold actually happen.
The drive in the unit is 120GB. The recordiung quality for digital is of course perect as there is no re-compression. Analog recording looks good too at a 4mbps bitrate. I'm using it on a 92" front projection system.
The hardware seems good, but the software can use some tweaks. However I cannot stress how much better this thing is with MSFT software compared to the absolutly aweful JUNK from Gemstar/TBGuide we've been stuck with in the past.
Posted by: Ian at Dec 22, 2004 8:03:07 PM
Unfortunately, PIP will probably never be enabled. Rumor is there's a hardware limitation in the 6412 to display an overlayed mpeg stream. The analog channels kinda look like crap because of the cheap encoder the box uses. Fortunately, Comcast is going to be deploying digital simulcast of their analog channels in most markets. This ensures that the digital-to-analog conversion happens at the head-end with the much better encoders. Another pleasant side effect of this is increased room for SD material on the DVR. Currently, standard (non-HD) digital cable recordings are tiny since the 6412 doesn't need to do any encoding (it just dumps the bitstream to disk). While the 6412 with iGuide is no tivo, it's definitely a huge improvement over the old tv guide software and a really nice deal for $10/month.
Posted by: Raj at Dec 23, 2004 4:24:54 AM
The 6412 DOES haved a 30 second skip AND mine has 1394 support so I can dump HiDef to my JVC 30000 or Win XP PC. This unit is a DREAM! TIVO is dead!
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4636291#post4636291
Posted by: Darryl at Dec 23, 2004 4:29:25 AM
Where is this new unit available? Is it in all Comcast markets or anyone know if it is in Atlanta yet?
Posted by: Scarabone at Dec 23, 2004 5:03:46 AM
I dunno if Tivo is dead, but this box is a huge improvement over Comcast's single-tuner unit. The guide's getting better and any sort of series recording option is better than none. Above all else, the dual-tuner unit doesn't have that awful static-and-snow show when you change from a high-def channel to a normal one. The tuner swap is a bit too magical for me. I'd like some sort of clear indication when I swap tuners back and forth. And I'd love to know what all the different colored circles (blue, green, red, etc.) mean.
They don't have the right remotes for the unit here in NH, so we had to program an underused button on the remote to act as the tuner swap. Now I'm off to discover how to do a 30-second skip (since the book that came with the unit is the one for the single-tuner unit and thus worthless).
Posted by: Tom Clancy at Dec 23, 2004 5:10:04 AM
I believe it is available in the Atlanta market. I'd check out the threads at avsforum in the hdtv recorders section.
Posted by: Raj at Dec 23, 2004 6:19:19 AM
I'm not sure if I have this exact model, but mine looks very much the same. It's a motorola DVR unit though (from the front it looks the exact same as this unit)! I don't think mine has dual tuning capability, as this would be an amazing plus - in fact, this is sorely needed. Don't know how many times I have an HD show scheduled to recrod, and a HD broadcast of some sports event at the same time! Does the dual tuning model have two coax cable inputs on the back end (pics pls!)? Maybe I should call up comcast and see if they have an "upgraded" unit with dual tuning? The interface is OK, just nowhere as robust as my ReplayTV for ease of use, scheduling, etc. Let's not forget commercial advance! I doubt they will ever add it, but a 30 second skip feature would make this unit amazing. For now, you have to get perfect timing, and fast forward through commercials at 4X; 2X and 3X don't appear to really go all that fast. The ability to record HDTV trumps all the issues hands down, at least for now. He says you "can't search a databse" for shows that you want. This is false, as you can search for shows in the guide just as easily as TiVo or ReplayTV. In fact, it might be a little more robust as it "filters down" as you enter in more and more letters of the show. Kind of like how iTunes filters down as you enter more characters in the search bar. Of course, comcast has other browsing options, like movie categories, sports, etc. So finding shows is pretty easy, only problem is that I don't believe the comcast program guide goes out but for a few days in advance, whereas my ReplayTV goes for two weeks!
I can get about 12 hours of HD programming before I am full up in the Comcast unit, which was more than I was told it would hold (I was told 7 hours!!!). Since I still have my ReplayTV, I decided to stick with using it for Standard Def shows, and my Motorola unit handles all the HD stuff. I keep the motorola unit downstairs on my 90" projector system, and my ReplayTV sits with my 32" TV upstairs - works well for my setup!
To make the whole deal sweeter, Comcast hooked me up with an introductory deal with the DVR/HDTV setup. For 49.99 a month, I get HDTV/DVR and even two premium movie channels (my choice as to which two). That was less than I was paying before just to have HDTV (no premium channels, and NO DVR)! The deal lasts for 12 months! So that sold me...less money for more!
So all in all, this is a great unit...HD recording kicks a$$. Now if Comcast will just set it to improve their GUI so that it doesn't look like it was made in the 70s (channel guide, DVR, etc), this will be an amazing unit. As it stands, the only knocks I give it (and Comcast cable as a whole) are in the interface category. Dish network and DirectTV still own this category.
Sorry if this was a disjointed review!
Posted by: Eric P in Boston at Dec 23, 2004 7:27:17 AM
The DCT6412 is in Atlanta. I live in the Atlanta burbs and have two. Reprogrammed the HDZoom button on remote to skip ahead function and it works great.
Posted by: Rich at Dec 23, 2004 7:53:04 AM
Folks,
I knew at CES last year that Tivo was a walking corpse. When they told me they were concentrating their efforts on DirecTV, instead of doing a dual-tuner CableCard unit, I knew they were living on borrowed time. They're idiots for hitching their wagons to DirectTV who are already making plans to screw them out of the business. Tivo sucks if you don't have DirecTV (no dual tuner options outside of DirecTV) and DirectTV sucks for HD. On HD DirecTV only offers CBS if you live in a city where the CBS affiliate is network-owned (I don't) and recently they began offering NBC but I don't know how long that will last. No sign of ABC, PBS, FOX, UPN or WB in HD for at least another two years thanks to the government not letting them merge with Echostar. Tivo should have made a CableCard unit that could be on sale today working on every US cable system but instead they've stuck their head in the sand. I can see why - they're cornered by much lower pricing from the cable companies and direct competition (coming soon) from DirecTV.
I have both the HD DirectTivo (DirectTV) and three Scientific Atlanta 8000HD units (Time Warner Cable Raleigh, NC). I actually find the Scientific Atlanta box to be BETTER than Tivo in many ways. First of all it has picture-in-picture that works perfectly. The guide is much more readable and displays the show you're watching in the upper right corner. It has most of the key features of Tivo including a seasons' pass with adjustable priority. Channels change much more quickly than Tivo and it is much faster to set up a recording on the 8000HD than on the Tivo.
Plus guess what? It costs me $7 a month with nothing up-front and no commitment. My Tivo cost me $999 and $5 a month for the Tivo service. So it would take about 42 years for the Tivo to pay off vs. the cable box. Over 4 years (the maximum useful live of these devices) I save $903 with the cable box and if it breaks down the cable company brings another one to my door at no charge whereas I get nothing from Tivo unless I pay DirecTV another $5 a month for their warrantee.
Are there any advantages to the Tivo? Hmmm... the thumbs-up feature is nice. Being able to hack it to give a 30 second skip is OK. The DirecTivo lacks any of the home media and sharing options that you can get on the Series2. It would take 20 years for the price of the Tivo (with lifetime service) to cost more than a single cable box. That's nuts. In fact for the cost of a SINGLE DirecTivo over five years I could have 3 of the Scientific Atlanta boxes and I'm relatively sure the Tivo won't last more than 5 years. Plus if any of those units break the cable company fixes them.
So the Tivo value proposition is ludicrous compared to the cable box and the functionality (on the HD side) does not justify the extra cost. The only reason why you need an HD Tivo is if you're a football fan, like I am, and you want to be able to watch your favorite NFL team every single week because the NFL wants to screw it fans over with exclusive deals that remove your options like they did with DirecTV and Sirius for their NFL package and now with EA Sports for their video games. I honestly don't think any of these deals ultimately maximize their revenue. They just piss off the fans. On the positive side however DirecTV offers almost every Sunday NFL game in HD which rocks and justifies the price for ONE HD Tivo unit and DirecTV in the house. Yes I'm one of their suckers :)
There's another caveat with DirecTivo - to get two tuners you need two wires from your satellite to your Tivo. That makes it very difficult to install them anywhere you want. With cable a single wire (the one already run around your house) takes care of as many tuners as you want to plug into it and you can always go to Radio Shack and buy a splitter for $3 if you want more. Plus the cable doesn't go down in a heavy rainstorm :)
Posted by: UsesBoth at Dec 23, 2004 8:50:11 AM
And does it record and play back HD and SD captions and (this is the dreamworld part) audio descriptions?
Posted by: Joe Clark at Dec 23, 2004 11:03:03 AM
For me the biggest frustration with my S1 DirecTivo is the speed of the interface. Incidentally, 2 tuners is indispensable (surprised actually to learn that Tivo doesn't have a standalone unit with two) and I don't have an HDTV, so I'm not comparing on those grounds. How does the 6412 compare in the speed department? Can you schedule a new season pass in less than a minute? Does bringing up the "now playing" list (or Motorola equivalent) often require you to wait tens of seconds while the unit catches up?
Also, can anyone explain *why* tivo is so slow? Sure, it's got a slow processor, but what does it need to do really? I heard a rumor that the show database (to store meta data, not content) was over 500 MB. I do know that it's painfully slow to access -- something that can be sped up by hacking in a cache card, but then only 2-3x. I'm looking for an order of magnitude.
I stopped by the Microsoft kiosk in the mall the other day and I was very impressed with the speed and usability of their XP HT offering... If I weren't generally opposed to giving money to MS (or Comcast for that matter) I would probably have already swtiched. I love my Tivo, but unless they can get their act together I'm afraid a switch may be imminent.
Posted by: Mike at Dec 23, 2004 11:13:14 AM
I have on of these from MediaCom!!
There not as cool as you would think, here are the top 5 reasons these blow.
5. It locks up sometimes when changing HD channels.
4. The DVI output connector is not like on my Apple HD display
3. The interface in fugly, and clunky
2. There are not 2 tunners in the MediaCom unit
1. The network IO is crippled
But they are better than paying for a tivo.
Posted by: JFish at Dec 23, 2004 1:28:02 PM
Mike...
>>There not as cool as you would think, here are the top 5 >>reasons these blow.
They're (they + are)
>>The DVI output connector is not like on my Apple HD display
What does this even mean? Male/Female connection wise?
>>2. There are not 2 tunners in the MediaCom unit
Then you aren't even comparing the same unit!!!
Posted by: Bryan at Dec 23, 2004 4:50:20 PM
I just got my 6412 and I am very pleased with it. The one problem I have is that after recording about 11 hours of regular SD programming, it shows that is 43% full!!! I called Comcast twice. The first time they told me that it only records 20 hours of SD and tough luck, so I hung up on the custmore diservice @^%#@& The second time they schedules a technician to come look at the unit next week. Any ideas/suggestions about this issue? Am I the only one with this problem? Thank you for any help you can give me.
Posted by: Peter at Dec 24, 2004 7:53:04 AM
I have had an HDTV since July, and got Comcast's one-tuner DVR in September (before that, I had a standard HD box). When I got that, they said they had no idea when they'd get around to the two-tuner models. After I saw this post, I decided it was time to bug them again, so I sent in an email. They replied that the two-tuners are in, and that there's a $75 deposit due that gets returned after 12 months, or if you cancel service within 12 months, it gets applied to yourr final bill. Seems a bit step, but being the two-tuner-DVR-wanting sheep that I am, I will gladly pay it as soon as they schedule me a visit. Baaaaaa!!!!
Posted by: Geoff Brown at Dec 25, 2004 7:08:48 AM
horrible.. not as bad as Time Warner's Sci Atl box.. but still quite crappy compared to Tivo. . top 4 issues I found....... guess i willhave to wait until we can Tivo with cable cards
1. noisey hdd, it is exposed out just below the vents. .i doubt it is rubber mounted.. anyways.. hate the noise.. while watching a quiet thriller late at night.
2. here in Dallas the dual tuner does not work,.,,
3. interface requires you to scroll thru all the channels... very annoying to skip thru 100s of music channels ..
4. i can notice a drop in quality on normal channels.. . don't know if this is a local thing .. HD channels record fine
Posted by: am at Dec 25, 2004 9:26:52 PM
Am, Let's assume TiVo is not going to come out with a cable card device...are you going to stick with TiVo or help influence a change in the market so that other manufacturer's (who have deals with cable companies) are willing to innovate?
We need to support these non-TiVo DVRs because TiVo is dead in the water. No cable company will support a cablecard TiVo with the contracts which they have with other manufacturers and eventually, and we're really close, the DVR's of the competition to TiVo will surpass the TiVo interface. Hardwarewise they are already far beyond.
Posted by: Arthur at Dec 26, 2004 7:33:55 AM
Arthur,
I know I am probably fighting a loosing battle. Tivo is being pretty dumb about not being able to make the alliances with the cable companies. I really do not like having 2 boxes and paying for the cable box and the tivo service... Alas, Sci Atl is made like it is designed by highly sadistic folks... the Motorola box is slightly better..the c I guess this is going to end up as MS vs Apple... the cable companies are going to win .. I would be one of the the last people resisting change and still holding Tivo stock (then in pennies) until the cable companies give out DVRs part of the service... with massive controls on what you can record and how long.. and we will all be slaves to the big man once again .. after all we are just .. consumers.
Hopefully by that time we will have a number of IP TV companies over our Fibre links... and it will be the cable companies that will be dead in water.. who knows..
Posted by: Am at Dec 26, 2004 8:04:54 AM
The post below is credited to RMAntala01
at broadbandreports.com and is identical to the avsforum.com post.
"[COMCAST] 30 second skip on 6412 DVR
I just got done finding some useful information on www.avsforum.com regarding the Motorola 6412 dual-tuner DVR box. I tried the following and it worked flawlessly for me.
The following instructions will re-program the "HD Zoom" button on the remote control to function as a "30 second fast forward" button. Works perfect for skipping through commercials. It will function when playing programs recorded on the DVR & also when playing a buffered program.
1) Press the "Cable" button at the top of the remote to put it into Cable Box control mode.
2) Press and hold the "Setup" button until the "Cable" button blinks twice.
3) Type in the code 994. The "Cable" button will blink twice.
4) Press (do not hold) the "Setup" button.
5) Type in the code 00173 (for 30 second Skip).
6) Press the "HD Zoom" button to map the skip or swap function to it.
7) You're done."
Posted by: Michael at Dec 27, 2004 11:30:36 AM
I made the final switch from Tivo because of this box. Early Motorola iterations just weren't good enough and the guide was abismal. The 6412 w/ iGuide is for me, hands down, better than my old Tivo.
The software isn't as elaborate or user friendly as Tivo's, but it's more than capable and does the job with season passes and manual recordings. 2 tuners is a great thing to have and I can't begin to explain how nice it is to finally have HD recording (not to mention DD 5.1).
Most of the major downsides I've read all seem to be specific to faulty units (loud harddrive, etc.)
I'm done with Tivo. I can't imagine their current business model existing in 2 years.
Posted by: Nick at Dec 27, 2004 2:20:19 PM
"No cable company will support a cablecard TiVo with the contracts which they have with other manufacturers..."
No cable company has any choice in the matter. CableCard is an FCC-mandated standard in the US; cable providers are required to support it.
Posted by: Ernie Longmire at Dec 27, 2004 2:26:50 PM
when well motorola box be availible in my area becuase i have the scientific atlanta dvr box and i dont like it that much
Posted by: fads at Dec 27, 2004 8:39:38 PM
when will the motorola dvr box from comcast be availible in my area, i live in Marlton, NJ. Because i have the scientific alanta box and i dont like it
Posted by: Fred at Dec 27, 2004 8:48:22 PM
The 30sec skip code thing does not work on boxes running MSFT software. I tried it to no avail. :-(
Posted by: Ian at Dec 28, 2004 12:14:59 AM
If you have the Scientific Alanta box, odds are your cable company won't ever have the Motorola.
Posted by: Michael at Dec 28, 2004 6:56:21 AM
Why is it unlikely to see the Motorola box in markets that cary Scientific Atlanta. I"m in the DC/Northern VA Comcast market, which uses the SA boxes.
Posted by: Kurt at Dec 28, 2004 12:19:01 PM
But then I realized it cancelled out my enter button ... how did I change it back?
Posted by: Ken P at Dec 28, 2004 12:34:28 PM
Am at December 26, 2004 08:04 AM
Post reply .... what is the code to change the enter button back to an enter button .. thanks!
kp
Posted by: Ken P at Dec 28, 2004 12:57:53 PM
Has anyone in San Francisco managed to get 30 second skipping? I don't have a "Setup" button on my remote so am unable to follow the instructions above.
Also, does anyone know if program extraction is possible? I dumped Tivo for Replay for this specific reason but now it looks like I will need to go back to Replay.
How do I determine if I have the Microsoft software? Did anyone outside of Washington get it? Does that mean I have "iguide"?
Posted by: pb at Dec 28, 2004 1:14:13 PM
pb:So far only Seatle has the MSTV FE Ver1.7, your remote is not the same so I wouldnt Know how to tell you to verify this ,with my remote you power of the DVR then press and hold "Ok/Select" but with your remote this liekly will not work,Call them and ask?!?!?!
Posted by: Samuel at Dec 28, 2004 9:27:30 PM
I just got the Motorola Dual Tuner in DFW area on Friday thru Comcast. With the deal I got, it will cost me about $15-20 less than my DirectTV/Tivo combo with HBO for the next year. I would agree that the Tivo software is still slightly better. But the On Demand and HDTV Tuner/DVR capability far outweighs the Tivo Software benefits. I have had a Tivo for three years and did not move to a HD Receiver in the past because I wanted the DVR copability. I came close to buying the HDTV Tivo for DirectTV a few times but the cost kept scaring me away. Now I am glad I didn't.
The only issue I have had was trying to record one specific program which locked up my DVR both times I tried to record it (was trying a season pass). Other than that, it has worked great. Love that HDTV with DVR capability.
Gary
Posted by: Gary Lunceford at Jan 2, 2005 3:17:33 PM
In Fremont, CA the 30 second skip hack works. So does dumping to VCR.
I also found that the procedure to access the DCT Setup screen didn't work. With the unit off, pressing Menu would flash the menu screen on the tv and then go away. I was wondering if the cable tech can lock it out. So I held down the Menu button and pressed the Option button. Then I could access the Setup normally. Useful if you want Closed Captioning enabled. Interestingly, getting back into that setup screen now works normally, without my trick.
Posted by: rw at Jan 2, 2005 8:44:25 PM
I am new at this. I am not seeing any Closed Captioning on Comcast's high definition channels. I thought at least PBS is broadcasting with CC.
Posted by: nt at Jan 3, 2005 1:03:37 AM
Just got my 6412 on Sunday. I also have a Series 2 SA unit. In my area (Western Washington), the UI on the 6412 has the ability to search for shows by title or you can search by actor. So it seems that a software update is probably in the works for those of you w/out a search function. Also, I was told by my technician that everything in my area was going digital in 2-3 weeks. For some reason the 6412's do a horrible job of displaying and recording analog channels. He said that going digital was the only solution for Comcast and that they were cutting over 2 years ahead of schedule.
Like others, I will miss some of the TiVo features. I just can't justify spending $12.95 a month for a service that Comcast offers (albeit not as robust) for $5 a month. It's actually $10, but I already had an HD box so my net gain is only $5.
Posted by: jedimike at Jan 4, 2005 10:54:30 AM
Two quick question on new Motorola 6412 for Comcast in SF
1. I think I have the "2 tuner" model since I can record two programs at once, however the remote provided does not have the picture in picture section at the bottom. Did Comcast give me the wrong remote?
2. Our current TV has a single RCA video/audio input (we are upgrading to new HD shortly) which is now being used by the DVR. For the time being, the old TV does not have a free input for the DVD player. Does anybody now how to access the RCA video/audio input on the front of the 6412?
Thanks
Posted by: Larry at Jan 4, 2005 3:41:30 PM
I recently changed subscriptions from Dishnetwork to Comcast once the Motorola 6412 was available in the Chicago market. I have had the new Motorola unit and comcast service for ~1 month. Here are some observations and a brief comparison between the dishnetwork PVR and motorla 6412. I believe your choice may boil down to pay now or later because with the pvr 721 we initially had to pay ~400 for the unit.
The best part of moving to comcast was improving my internet access and the HDTV out put from the 6412. I believe we saved ~$30 per month by switching to comcast. While watching HD I feel that I made the right choice in switching content providers. Unfortuantely, I find myself irritated each and every time I switch to any non-digital program with Comcast. The programs are either not decoded very well with the 6412 or the picture just stinks. The picture is much better from our off air antenna.
I hope that there are some soon to released software patches as previously described in this thread to improve upon the resolution and functionality of the motorola unit. Integration with other AV components with the IEE1394 port or to save onto DVD rom would be nice. Wow a digital vcr, what a concept.
Dish Network PVR 721 vs new Motorola 6412
Pros and Cons
PVR 712 Pros:
2 tuner PIP works well
User friendly programable guide that allows you to map to your subscription and favorites
You don't have to pay $10 per month for the privilage of recording TV shows
30 Second skip works
Standard def is 480 lines res.
Local channels integrated into receiver with off air antenna
IR remote has extended range.
PVR 721 Cons:
No HDTV decoding
No $ bundles for High speed internet
Motorola 6412
Guide is slow to respond and not programable, or weak at best when trying to map favorites and subscription channels.
Ability to bundle services
Horrible resolution with standard channels & HD service only includes 10 total HD channels. i.e. one each for CBS, NBC, ABC, ESPN, WGN, PBS instead of the off air 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 7.0, 7.1, 7.2 etc...
Customer Service has been very pleasant and helpful explaining options with the remote and integrating unit into our surround system. We were never given any operating instructions when it was installed.
PIP does not with the unit as indicated on the remote
DD 5.1 is working well even when played back through harddrive.
PS> TIVO never had a chance, i just can not wait for Comcast to stop trying to charge $10 per month for the privilage of using their digital vcr.
Posted by: Brett at Jan 4, 2005 7:13:38 PM
Brett:Moto DCT6412 "PIP does not with the unit as indicated on the remote" this PIP button is not for the DVR box it can only output one channel at a time the dual tuning is an internal use tuner only for recording this button is meant to operate your tvs PIP function if you program the remote under the TV button to operate your tv functions,however you can get PIP with a splitter and a coax running directly to your TV tuner coax input "ant a" or it might be labled "ant 1",then the second coax going back to the cable in on your cable box,again this will only alow the guide options of your DVR on your HDTV input then list what TV brand you have and I have a code sheet for 2 of the remotes they are handing out with this unit I ll tell you how to program it so that PIP button operates your TV PIP or you can just use the remote that came with your TV.The second chanel on "ant a" or "ant 1" whichever it is find that with your source button or your PIP input button and like I said it will be all analog no guides but atleast you can have PIP hope this makes sense or helps e-mail me at Sam26in@aol.com if you want to ask further questions or need clarifying of these steps in the subject line type "Comcast DVR" to get past my spam blocker..otherwise keep us posted
Posted by: Samuel at Jan 5, 2005 12:36:23 AM
Larry:The Moto DCT6412 "WILL NOT OUTPUT 2 CHANNELS" The second tuner is for internal recording again not outputing another channel.Yes there are some remotes they are giving out with them that have PIP buttons "BUT THAT FUNCTION IS THERE BECAUSE THE REMOTE IS UNIVERSAL AND WILL OPERATE MOST ANY BRAND TV's PIP FUNCTIONS" not for the DVR boxes dual tuners!!!So they do have multiple remotes theyre handing out with these units the only way they gave you the wrong remote is if it didnt have the "SWAP" button!!!Which is key when recording 2 shows at once....The inputs on the front I have googled and searched high and low for activating them and it has yielded dry results if you find a way to turn them on PLEASE e-mail me at the address in the post above this one or if you have further questions....Keep us posted hope you find a HDTV that youll enjoy...............
Posted by: Samuel at Jan 5, 2005 12:53:08 AM
I'm in Metro Denver (Castle Rock) and have a 6412 that was installed about a month ago. I'm having trouble with the s/w not recording series correctly. I have it set to do First Run Only but it's recording things like South Park from 2000 - NOT "First Run", I'm sure. Also, set to record Inside The NFL on HBO on "This Channel Only" but it records it on Wed & Thur & Friday & on and on. Anyone else have these kinds of problems? I have an "E-Mail Call" into Comcast but no response yet. Thanks...
Posted by: Charles Culp at Jan 5, 2005 8:10:15 AM
Charles Culp:I have minor occurances of this issue.With the South Park look back and think did you set the Series record First Run Only on a repeated 2000 not new episode if so this is why??The NFL show on HBO if its the same episode repeatedly the way the guide sees it how HBO airs it as a First Run when infact it was on the Day before...lol ..this is just lack of attention to detail by whomever programs the info for the guide...Hope this was helpful Keep us posted on the results of your email you can email me with further questions my address is a few posts up........Good Luck
Posted by: Samuel at Jan 5, 2005 9:38:40 AM
Could some of you test to then and let me know if you can get closed caption to work on any of the high definition channels through Comcast (or any other way.
Posted by: nt at Jan 5, 2005 6:03:04 PM
Nt:Yes I will do this for you get in email or IM contact with me sam26in@aol.com there is a selectable closed captioning feature in the Setup menu when you power of the box press and hold the MENU button Ill work with this and update you...............Email or IM me
Posted by: Samuel at Jan 5, 2005 9:42:25 PM
Nt:Ive figured it out Most Tvs CC decoder is for analog signals, However If you go to the setup menu of the DVR by powering it off holding down then "MENU" button until you see either 4:3 or 16:9 displayed on the front readout then scroling down to enable Closed Captioning make sure"Analog is set to CC1 " it should be by default
and "Digital set to Primary Language" again this is default.Now youll see more CC content on HDTV Premium Movie Channels HBO,STARZ,SKINIMAX,Showtime....how ever I didnt get any CC on INHD or INHD2 or PBS but was able to get it on my other -DT local staions..Hope this is helpful........Keep us posted.....
Posted by: Samuel at Jan 6, 2005 6:02:54 AM
Samuel. Thank you! All the other settings were the same...just by enabling it, I'm now getting closed captioning on at least some programming on the HDTV channels.
Posted by: nt at Jan 6, 2005 8:45:26 AM
Comcast just installed a Motorola DCT6200 DVR. I’m in the Seattle area and using MS 1.7. Love it. Tried to connect a DVI-HDMI cable and got nothing. Call Comcast and they say the box is not programmed to allow DVI-HDMI only component cables. Any one else tried to use DVI-HDMI on their set.
Posted by: syberuss at Jan 6, 2005 8:49:02 AM
syberus:The DVI output on most of the Motorola DCT series boxes is active.Try turning off the DVR and turning it back on with the tv on and the DVI-To-HDMI cable should then work...... Keep us posted....................
Posted by: Samuel at Jan 6, 2005 11:46:32 AM
I had a Motorola DCT6200 with Comcast until this week when it I got it upgraded to the 6412 DVR. I was using a DVI to HDMI cable on the 6200 and now with the 6412 to a Pioneer Plasma display. I initially could not get it to work until I found the setting on the Pioneer that enables HDMI input (rather than Component). It is hidden on the Options menu. Don't know if that is your issue or not, but it stumped me for about a week.
On the DCT-6412 - I have been a long-time ReplayTV lover (I got one of the original ones with a 20 GB hard drive and NO subscription fee). The Replay just didn't cut it with my Pioneer HD display. I was very pleasantly suprised with the DCT-6412. I love the dual tuners and I love being able to record in HD. I have a univeral remote that I programmed (it is an All-in-One 8811 that supports JP1 programming), and I have all of the features that I previously had on the Replay, including 30-second skip, 15-second instant replay, and go to Live, as well as full contol over my other components. The only feature I miss from the replay is the program search ability. There is a rudamentary title search on the DCT6412, but it is ripe for a nice software upgrade.
So far, I'm extremely pleased with the 6412.
Posted by: TG at Jan 6, 2005 1:45:24 PM
Samuel: Thank you for the hints (series recording problems). My E-Mail to Comcast WAS answered but it almost looked like a 'bot' reply. I asked "WHERE can I go to ask questions / get support / etc." The 'reply' I got was something like "Thanks for your suggestions ( SUGGESTIONS? I ASKED QUESTIONS ). We'll take them into consideration." Bottom line - reply STUNK UP THE PLACE. Guess I'll have to contact a "real person".
Do you know... Do "they" update the program in the "box" via the cable connection ( like my Tivo used to do via the daily phone call )?
I REALLY like the box and the HD on my 60" Sony Wega is AWESOME, but I'd like their software to work a little better...
Thanks!
Charles (Chip) Culp
Posted by: Charles Culp at Jan 6, 2005 5:16:34 PM
I've had the DCT6412 for a month now and have to say the DVR is klunky and doesn't work very well. I used to have a DirecTivo and it was hands down much better than the DCT6412 (I switched because I wanted local HD and didn't want to pay $1K for the HD Tivo).
I had 4 shows lined up for recording Wed night and only two of them got recorded. There was overlap but nothing the dual tuners shouldn't have been able to handle since only two channels were being used to record. The two shows that weren't (really) recorded showed up as recorded but less than 5 seconds of each (just a blank screen) appeared when played. One show was from 7pm-8:01pm on ABC (recorded), the other was from 8:01pm to 9pm on ABC (recorded), the other was from 8pm-9pm on NBC (not recorded), and the 4th was from 9pm-10pm on NBC (not recorded). I don't know if the extra minute on the ABC channels threw it off. Who knows what happens if a show ends at 8:01 and a show is scheduled for recording at 8:00 (assuming the other tuner is in use). I'm pretty sure the Tivo is smart enough to use the other tuner at 8:01.
I thought maybe I should have a couple of the shows end a little early but the DVR only allows you to add minutes to a show, not stop recording earlier.
I have to constantly babysit the DVR to make sure it's actually going to record the shows I've told it to. For example, I programmed it to always record entire series of Lost, Alias, West Wing, etc. a week ago. I checked the scheduled recording list hours before their airing and none of the shows were scheduled. I had to go back to the guide, reprogram the shows again and made sure they showed up as red in the guide, and delete the previous entries in the series manager. A day after the shows were recorded, I checked the scheduled recordings again and guess what, none of the shows were scheduled even though they still appeared in the series manager. So I went back and deleted from/add to the series manager again. Who knows what will happen next week. This has even happened on other shows were I tell it to record all showings.
If you tell the DVR to record only new episodes of a show, it'll record every airing of the new episode even if it has already been recorded (ie. multiple airings in the same night). The Tivo knows what has already been recorded for up to a month since the last airing.
If you fast forward through commercials, hitting play does not back it up properly like on the Tivo. It actually overshoots it more.
You cannot remove channels.
Occasionally, the picture will pixelate and the audio will stutter. It'll keep doing it until you change channels and then change back.
The only advantage the DCT6412 has over a Tivo is the cost. Other than that, it's just a step above a VCR. If I could get local HD broadcasts on DirecTV, I'd bite the bullet and get an HD Tivo.
FWIW, I'm on Cox.
Posted by: chinhster at Jan 6, 2005 5:55:15 PM
I should mention that I do have dual tuner support on Cox. I can hit the swap button on the remote and switch between the two tuners and rewind through the buffer on each one.
Posted by: chinhster at Jan 6, 2005 5:59:46 PM
Charles Culp:When there is a Firmware upgrade it is automatic through the cable connection..........
Posted by: Samuel at Jan 6, 2005 6:51:12 PM
chinhster:I dont know waht guide system you have since your on COX,however "HANDS Down" the DCT6412 is better than even the HDTivo I ahve friends that have it and arent that impressed for the price.................................1k remember
Posted by: Samuel at Jan 6, 2005 6:55:54 PM
FYI, With Firewire you can record and view directly on Macintosh. Related Links:
Articles and Discussion::
http://macteens.com/more.php?id=410_0_1_0_C
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20040426151111599&query=Record+and+playback+high+definition+TV+signals
Software links:
http://developer.apple.com/samplecode/simpleAVC/simpleAVC.html
ftp://rollernet.us/users/sethm/VirtualDVHS.zip
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/
Posted by: Chance at Jan 8, 2005 10:51:47 AM
Just got new samsung hlp4663, new samsumg dvd-h841 (hd dvd player) and comcast dual tuner dvr box (6412).
Many questions:
1. setup:
split cable from wall. one to cable box, one to ant 1. this allows me to use pip. also allows me to get better analog pic since one out of box is crappy. does the splitter degrade my picture? When will comcast in denver switch over to all digital? will this solve my analog pic woes?
2. when will all channels be hd? will voom have an advantage on number of hd channels at that point (stupid question?)
3. my hd dvd requires i use dvi for hd pictures. Since i have only one dvi input in tv, i use component out of cable box. does component give as good a pic as dvi. i could use a converter from dvi on cable box to computer input on tv. will this result in a better pic than components or am i making things unneccesarily complicated?
4. are movies in hd? in other words is film in hd?
5. should i set up my cable box to give 740 or 1080 to my tv? (1080 seems to be only one that works so again a stupid quest?)
6.what do people feel gives the best hd picture? tube, dlp, lcd, plasma? etc. i steered away from plasma as altitude concerns in denver and also short life expectancy. did i make the right choice with dlp? i want a 45 inch picture.
7. are monster cables worth it?
SO MANY QUESTIONGS, SO FEW ANSWERS. JUST TRYING TO GET SMARTER.
Tia
Tom
Posted by: Tom at Jan 9, 2005 8:37:06 AM
ps
if dlp is a good choice, did i get a good dlp?
Posted by: Tom at Jan 9, 2005 8:38:45 AM
Tom:
1:This is the proper method of hooking up PIP,and improving analog channels.This will not degrade your signal,or picture quality over thos short of runs of cabl.Dont have any clue when Denver or any of the rest of us will be all digital..Sorry
2:It is not likely that all channels will be HDTV because theyre only required to be SDTV which is stil better than analog.Voom is under some serious financial and growth obstacle's.
3:DVI especially on a DLP is going to look ALOT better than component,I would try the converter.
4:Yes Movies on Film can be in true HDTV format there is a process in which they transfer it,I have no clue of the specifics but could be reasearched on Aj.com asking " How does film get transfered into HDTV format?"
5:1080i
6:Tube,DLP,are considered to have the bes P.Q. Wise decision on the plasma move with all factors.
7:Higher quality cables are worth the money and they offer superior shielding,which in video cables eliminates that interference between components and distortions in your picture such as color bleed,blooming,ignition...etc Audio end of things a Fiber Optic is a Fiber Optic cause light can only move at one speed .RCA connector interlinks of higher quality and attention to detail is a whole different science High end cables use time corrective winding's which balance the Highs ,Mids,Lows by using different guages of copper windings thicker strands for lows (bass)slightly thinner ones for mids (midrange frequencys) and highs (tweeter notes) use thin windings because if you but theses frequencys on a oscilloscope it is found that they move better over strands and windings as mentioned above...hope this was helpful....you have my email for further questions.Keep us posted.........
Posted by: Samuel at Jan 9, 2005 10:55:41 AM
PS:Tom you did choose a great DLP
Posted by: Samuel at Jan 9, 2005 11:05:30 AM
Hello:
Has anyone hacked the Comcast DCT6412's hard drive? I want to to place larger drive in unit - is it possible? Also, can I use the ethernet port to video stream to a router and another DCT 6412?
Thanks for any assistance.
Richard
rleekgb@comcast.net
Posted by: Richard at Jan 9, 2005 4:04:37 PM
Hello:
Is it possible to use the ethernet port to video stream to a router and another DCT 6412?
Thanks for any assistance.
Richard
rleekgb@comcast.net
Posted by: Richard at Jan 9, 2005 4:05:54 PM
To Charles:
In regards to your question concerning the network scheduling of a show ending at 8:01 etc. I read an article recently in the paper stating that some whiz kid at one network got the idea of ending programs one minute later than scheduled. The reason being that RTV, TIVO, and other DVR's could not handle conflicts. Continuing, the article stated that other networks copied the practice, becasue they want individuals to watch TV on their terms.
I have two RTV's and a Comcast DCT6412. The RTV's are networked and video streaming is possible through-out the house. Just add one minute to another DVR in your home.
Good luck.
Richard
Posted by: Richard at Jan 9, 2005 4:23:17 PM
Richard:The ethernet port as of now is an inactive DOCSIS cable modem.So not likely to stream any video over it.
Posted by: Samuel at Jan 9, 2005 5:03:20 PM
Can you use the firewire 6pin ports with osx or a windows machine to transfer data off the hard drive? Has anyone hooked up a firewire drive directly to it? Also what speed are the drives inside th 6412? I am gonna to do some test tonight.
Also earlier in the thread I read about HD to Film or Film to HD. Obviously Film is a much higher resolution than HD. When a motion picture is shot on film and has been finished [film out, work print, picture print] the finished film is sent back to a production house that uses a Telecine to basically scan the film onto D5 HD machines or directly to hard drives. The Picture is then distributed to the appropriate sources for encoding/transcoding. The HD we see via comcast is actually a form of MPEG-2. Notice the frequent crushing of black, makes it seem more contrasty than it really is. These movies run at a data rate of around 19 to 25 [may be more. give or take] mbps [bits not bytes]. Uncompressed HD will literally blow your socks off.
Posted by: Ben at Jan 10, 2005 2:59:46 PM
Ben:just a few posts up there is a post with links to very detailed information on how to extract the content using MAC OS X Panther 10.3 Iam on 10.2 so it wouldnt work for me......Keep us posted..............
Posted by: Samuel at Jan 10, 2005 5:19:31 PM
I just got the Denver-area Comcast DVR with the 6412. The first unit turned out to have a glitch where going through menu functions would cause a reset. The CSR suggested I might have let the unit overheat, but I was doing anything but. Same-day weekend service from Comcast led to the unit being replaced, and I've been busy recording and using the service ever since. Aside from the Really Annoying Message LED on the unit (same as with previous cable boxes), I really don't have any criticisms.
Now, if only the remote I have had the keys that the 30-sec FF hack above uses ...
Posted by: *** Dave at Jan 10, 2005 7:27:46 PM
Has anyone gotten the 30 second skip to work on Comcast 6412 in Bay Area?
Has anyone managed to extract programs? To a Mac?
Posted by: pb at Jan 10, 2005 11:37:31 PM
pb:There are links to detailed instructions on extracting the programs to a Mac just a few posts up....
Posted by: Samuel at Jan 11, 2005 5:53:07 AM
The 30 second skip feature works in Sacramento.
Posted by: Corey at Jan 11, 2005 1:35:06 PM
I have connected my HDTV using the IEEE 1394 output from the 6412. It works great and the closed captions are available using this connection.
I have a choice between the 1394 and DVI connections. Are there advantages of one over the other?
Posted by: Paul at Jan 11, 2005 3:17:02 PM
has anybody exported via the IEEE 1394 port to a windows box?
Posted by: bill at Jan 11, 2005 10:11:30 PM
I am trying to find the best situation for connecting a new HDTV to my Comcast (West Los Angeles) cable.
1/2 of the folks at Comcast I have talked to say that the DVI and Firewire (IEEE-1394) connections on the back of the DCT-6412 (HDTV/DVR/Dual Tuner) work and can be used. The other 1/2 say ONLY the composite connections work.
Because I have a TIVO and don't see HDTV recording being a big issue for me, I am also looking at the DCT-5100 (HDTV ONLY). The DCT-5100 has DVI, but not Firewire.
Here's the question.
Is DVI with a separate audio connection going to perform as well (better?) than Firewire when connecting the cable box to my HDTV (Pioneer PDP-4345 media receiver which has HDMI and iLink, where iLink is believed to be compatible, with the proper 4 to 6 cable, to Firewire).
Thanks!
Posted by: Art at Jan 12, 2005 7:16:59 AM
Art:DVI is going to look better..
Posted by: Samuel at Jan 12, 2005 7:35:05 AM
Thanks Samuel.
DVI better than Firewire.
Do you have any experience with the cable card?
It took the same 50/50 polling of Comcast to get back to the point where cable card has HD capability (many said it didn't). I have consistently been told that cable card has no "two way" capability and this means no interactive program guide and no "from the remote" pay per view. Fine.
1. How is the HD display from a cable card? Better than DVI?
2. Does putting the cable card in to a two tuner TV/media receiver give you true PIP?
Thanks!
Posted by: Art at Jan 12, 2005 8:33:25 PM
Art: I have not had any experience with Cable Cards.But here is a link to an informative article/review:
http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/specsformats/CableCARDprimer.php
Posted by: Samuel at Jan 13, 2005 8:17:19 PM
SAMUEL, thank you for the link. As my previous link states, WestLA/Hollywood Comcast doesn't know how to sell a cable card (says it doesn't support HD) when they probably mean it doesn't support two way. This isn’t a global dig on Comcast, it just doesn’t seem like they share all of the information. When I got to a supervisor (which the front line folks were very nice and pleasant to pass me over to; had to leave a message, but the call was returned in 1 hour and he left his direct number for my callback, which he took willingly), he had the right information and was very knowledgeable.
To share my experience:
1. Pioneer PDP-4345 (uses a separate media receiver that ships with the panel)
2. Motorola DCT-6200 (from Comcast, Digital/HD/Non-DVR – WestLA/Comcast cannot install the DCT-6412 Ditigal/HD/Non-DVR, it is on serious back order, but not as bad as cable card) connected HDMI to DVI on the media receiver with separate L/R audio connections. Also split the L/R audio to an available separate input on the stereo so the panel doesn’t need to be on when listening to music on the cable; will need to do same for simple music CD play back.
3. Motorola DCT-2224 (from Comcast, Digital/Non-HD/Non/DVR) connected via composite cable and L/R audio to Tivo and same to media receiver. The second set-top box with TIVO is cool so it can do its thing without interrupting what we are listening to or watching of of the other box and you can get PIP working this way. Already owned a TIVO (and subscription) and recording HD doesn’t have a big draw for me.
4. Panasonic CD/DVD player connected via component cable and L/R audio to media receiver.
5. SONY VHS VCR connected via Channel 3 cable connection (there is a fourth media connection available on the PDP-4345, but it is on the front of the media receiver and I didn’t want to see the cables for the very infrequent use the VCR gets).
6. Media receiver to panel with Pioneer supplied DVI and control cable (very convenient)
7. Media receiver to stereo with composite video (don’t really use) and L/R audio for CD playing and improved audio for what is displayed on panel (although Pioneer PDP-4345 comes with very nice sounding speakers)
The WestLA/Hollywood Comcast contract installer was very competent and efficient. He didn’t ask and he didn’t realize until I tried them it that I had premium channels that needed to be downloaded. Easy to resolve, but don’t forget to mention it, it will take 20 to 30 minutes for the download. Also, since I am a former Media One/ATT customer, my Digital Silver package is NOT the same as what Comcast offers and INHD and INHD2 are not available to me. I will call the business office to see what is up here.
Moving from a 27” tube to a 43” plasma has been an interesting experience. Especially for someone who doesn’t live in front of the TV. It has been well worth it. This log/bulletin board has a lot of great tips. Thanks to sponsor and posters!
Posted by: Art at Jan 16, 2005 7:15:27 PM
I live in whats labeled as the "Greater Texas" area of my Cox cable provider. They started offering DVR service after T-Giving, waited about two weeks to here friends response, good review. On Jan. 10 went to get my box I was told that they where out do to high demand, waited till today, and finally got a reciever.
Ive tested it for about three hours, I gotta say I look forward to using this service. Offers only HD and Component cable and USB, Firewire, Optical, ethernet.
Remote is easy to manage, setup to record shows, worked perfect. Have to try transfer to PC, as well as 30 second trick on remote, because I dont have that option.
Overall a good product for the price, $10 for service, $5 for box.
Posted by: Seth D at Jan 17, 2005 11:11:33 PM
Is there anyway to move the saved shows from the DVR to my computer?
Posted by: david at Jan 20, 2005 2:25:26 PM
I'm in Burlingame and I got the 30 second skip to work. Comcast customer service walked me through the procedure and it worked. Dumb small button for it, bad label, but yes it works.
Anyone have any luck daisy chaining the DVR to a Tivo or a DVDR so you can have multiple recording/burning options? I'm assuming that under the lame metal plate Comcast added to the back of the DVR is coax out. Would that work to let me attach a DVD-R or add a Tivo so it might record other digital cable programs (or maybe I just set the Tivo to split coax to at least have it for analog). I have a 160 HD Tivo, the 120 Motorola is too small.
Not sure how to attach a DVD-R. Also, there's not Save to VCR function on the Motorola. Anyone know how to hit play and have the little progress bar for a show not come up? I like Tivo's splash page for the show you're about to record.
Bummed that Comcast thinks you don't want to record stuff. I get so many shows I need to burn them off to watch later.
Any hints?
Posted by: Chris at Jan 20, 2005 3:44:20 PM
We got our Motorola HDTV 6412 DVR just before Thanksgiving 2004. It was offered by Comcast as a special to Microsoft employees in the Seattle area for $9.99 monthly service and free box lease. They also gave us $100 in VOD coupons for all of 2005.
Overall I've been impressed with it -- it runs MSTV 7.1 I believe. The guide is great and the dual tuner is the killer feature. The HD, while big, still isn't big enough for my tastes. I still have to make choices weekly as to what to keep and what to kill.
I'd like it if they'd program the USB interface to work so I can pop in my flash drives to view pics or play MP3s/WMAs (come on MS...WMA/WMV is YOUR own format!).
My only performance complaint is that while recording there is an occasional (once or twice every 30 mins) a short muting of sound (1-2 secs long)...sounds almost like a censor muting... but I can tell it's the DVR box. The pause isn't audible during playback however.
Other than that, no complaints.
Posted by: Mike Brophy at Jan 22, 2005 12:23:05 PM
I just got my new DCT6412 about 10 days ago. It works fine if both tuner are set to digital chanels. However, If I set one to an analog chanel and switch to the second tuner. I only get digital audio out when I am on a digital chanel. (in Phila most above 100 are digital). Has anyone else seen this? I see a similar problem when playing back recordings that were recorded when watching another chanel. In the last couple of days a new problem has been occurring. After having a station on for a while it freezes as if I had pushed the pause key. If I tune down 1 chanel and then back the problem goes away for a bit.
Posted by: Brian Mc in Phila PA at Jan 22, 2005 5:42:26 PM
San Francisco area... Just got my DCT6412. The 30-sec skip add-on works great. The box has had no problems this week except when it overheated (I had it in a very tight cabinent).
I used to have ReplayTV 5500 and luckily was able to send it back in time. For all the complaints of the Comcast user interface, its SO much better.
1) When you pause or info, it shows a status bar of the show, showing you how much has been taped and how much is left to go.
2) 1 touch recording
3) Easy to record seasons, handles conflicts well (and with dual tuners, if you have conflicts you are trying to watch 3 things so slow down TV boy!)
4) While in menus or TV listing, the show thats on is still viewable (smaller screen in corner).
5) View all upcoming times for a show is great for recording shows like Real World that are played 50 times a week, so you can record only the new ones and do it easily.
Well, thats some of the good stuff people haven't mentioned. The only problem I've seen so far is that theres a tiny lag between pausing/playing and on some channel changes. More so that Replay or regular Comcast. But no biggie.
At only $10 a month and no equipment costs, given all the features of ReplayTV (incl 30 sec skip), it is such a better deal.
6) Oh yeah, and the hardware is so much better. HDTV compatible, all the advanced ports are included... DVI, optical, svideo, component, USB 2.0, etc etc.
Posted by: Michael Hall at Jan 26, 2005 10:28:11 AM
Brian,
I had the same problem you had with no audio from the digital audio S/PDIF (either optical or coax) outputs when set to analog channels (2-99). You can see my responses at:
http://www.pvrblog.com/pvr/2003/12/comcast_set_to_.html
posted January 9 and 15 by "Richard" (that's me). It's apparently a known problem occurring on some boxes (not everyone around the country sees the problem). I'm waiting for it to get fixed before switching to this DVR.
Posted by: Richard at Jan 27, 2005 10:06:34 PM
> >>2. There are not 2 tunners in the MediaCom unit
> Then you aren't even comparing the same unit!!!
Yeah, he's right, I have the dual tuner and only one is enabled. Lame.
Posted by: Erik at Jan 31, 2005 6:24:20 PM
I had my 6412 dual tuner installed last week. I am using the DVI to HDMI video connection. It works fine, I am in the LA beach aread. The only problem I am having is the color reception I get sometimes switching between HD and non-HD programs, everything turns BLUE in color, like watching an extended AMX commercial with the "BLUE MEN". The only quick way to resolve this, unplug the 6412 power outlet, and the long way is to continue switching channels until the original colors re-appears.
Posted by: michael at Feb 2, 2005 2:59:04 PM
HIGH ENERGY COST OF THE DVR!
I received several (4 total for the family) Motorola 6412 Dual DVR's on the first week of January (1/03/05). I love the product but I almost fell backwards when I received my latest PG&E bill (I live in Northern California). I've lived in my house for seven years and my PG&E bills always run the same each year (increases in energy cost taken into consideration). My PG&E Jumpd almost $60.00! I am not thrilled with having to pay over $800.00 a year just to run the DVR's in my house! Does anyone have a breakdown of how much energy consumption (i.e., in watts) just one of these machines consumes in a monthly period? Any information would be much appreciated. Thank you.
Posted by: Mark Paul at Feb 3, 2005 9:29:03 AM
Hi, Mark Paul. I didn't see any info on the motorola website, but there is a contact page for product questions.
https://broadband.motorola.com/dvr/contact.asp
Posted by: Clarissa at Feb 3, 2005 4:16:10 PM
Can I run a playstation 2,and a dvd player to my motorola dual-tuner DVR? Can anyone help? Thanks
Posted by: Kim at Feb 8, 2005 6:05:15 PM
I saw posts referring to the 30-second jump on Comcast SF's DTV 6412 unit. How did you turn this on?
Posted by: Michael Dowling at Feb 9, 2005 4:20:32 PM
Kim:You cannot run either one of those device's to your DVR it has no functional inputs except the coax in and thas for cable modulated signals only........
Posted by: Samuel at Feb 11, 2005 9:19:15 PM
Michael:Sounds like a defective DVR with the colors turning blue especialy if you have to unplug to quick fix...Thats not normal.......
Posted by: Samuel at Feb 11, 2005 9:26:45 PM
Erik:if you have a dual tuner DVR that is odd that it isnt active.Have you tried the code for programing the "Swap" button?.............
Posted by: Samuel at Feb 11, 2005 9:30:19 PM
Question: I have the motorola 6412 DVR. I am using IEEE to connect the unit to my PC. However, I need the drivers. Where can I get these drivers?
Dave
davetest@aol.com
Posted by: Dave at Feb 13, 2005 10:14:46 PM
We are on our third DVR - this one is a Motorola DCT6412 - like the other two, this one simply will not record an entire analog show. It will record 18 minutes, 49 minutes, etc. - even if I'm watching and recording it. For HD channels, it records perfectly. The other night, while watching West Wing and taping it and Alias, the sound (voices, not the ambiant noises) kept going out on the HD NBC, so we lost the recording by having to switch back and forth to the analog channel. This thing freezes until you switch up or down - all the things mentioned above. We are using components to connect to a Sony Wega 50" LCD. Anyone have any suggestions?
Posted by: Patrick at Feb 14, 2005 6:55:12 PM
I just got a 6412 dual tuner with service from Bresnan in Montana. The box they installed lasted a whole 3 days before it crashed. Replaced today.
Here with Bresnan, I can only access ONE TUNER!! They say that this is a problem with Motorola and/or TV guide, but I don't see any comments here from the rest of you that your dual tuner doesn't work! Does anyone have a dual-tuner box with only a single tuner active???
And yes, the guide really sucks. So much space is used up by the advertising, that sometimes only "..." is shown for the program because there isn't enough space to insert the program name!! What crap is that???
So, overall, coming from a 144 hour-capacity dual-tuner DirecTivo box which worked flawlessly for over a year, to this thing-- I am not very happy. This 6412 box and the service is inferior in almost every way, except that I am paying $30 some less per month, which is the only reason I put up with it.
Posted by: Montana Scott at Feb 15, 2005 1:07:51 PM
Just got one from Cableone in Boise and it works great except for one tuner is disabled or something. Plus, the recording times don't agree. Cableone says 25 hrs of standard and 15 of HD. Motorola website says, 90 MINUTES, 25 hrs or 100 hrs of standard (depending on the page of the manual) and 12-15 for HD. Maybe they should proofread before printing. So far tech support for Cableone has been the Homer response (=drooling). They sell but apparently don't understand what they are selling.
P.S. My first HD and it is AWESOME (Samsung HL-P4663W). Like a kid!
Posted by: Justin at Feb 26, 2005 11:49:35 PM
Patrick,
If you have the model with ads I'm willing to bet you got a 6208. If you can't do dual tuner than thats definitely what you have. The 6412 is head and shoulders better than the 6208 and you need to get this replaces ASAP!
Sean
Posted by: Sean at Feb 27, 2005 7:38:41 PM
I have starpower in DC and just received a dual tuner motorola with the dual tuner remote. However, like the last couple posters, I cannot activate the second tuner. I have tried using the input and swap buttons, and even mapping an input onto an old comcast remote, but I get no results. Why is my second tuner inaccessible?
Posted by: tylaw at Feb 28, 2005 5:34:27 PM
disregard that last post...despite the fact that the instructions and the installer said that "Input" and "PIP" switch to the second tuner, it is actually a button called "SWAP" higher up on the remote that goes to the second tuner. Give that a shot you others with problems.
This new model is vastly to superior to the Motorola one-tuner boxes that I switched out. The season-pass option needs a lot of work and only works for network shows...but the old boxes didnt even have a season-pass.
Posted by: tylaw at Feb 28, 2005 5:42:19 PM
I have a new 6412, a week old,i tried the fire wire going to my phlips dvr985 and it worked for about 15 hours and has'nt worked since, what the hell is going on? I loved the pure digital copy function but the 5.1 will not go through the fire wire.If you select 480i output you can record a dvd quality picture when on an HD station.I called comcast (boston area)and they said they did not support IEEE1394, but why did it work in the first place and why did it stop working, I'm being teased and i'm pissed off about it!!!!!!!!! I made a call to motorola and they said they are not in control of this output, so i'm getting the run around. Can someone give me the link to the site which states the FCC's mandate that these ouputs be enabled so i can stick it up comcasts @#$%. Trying 2 B civilized. Any suggestions R welcome, Thanx people.
Posted by: Kurt B at Mar 4, 2005 2:15:04 PM
I have a 6412 in Phila (Comcast). The box has 2 problems which the service guy said were known problems which Comcast is eventually going to fix: 1) one of the tuners will not record HD without the sound going out and the picture scrambling, you must use the other and get the box to record HD trough the DVR on that tuner; 2) If the unit comes on to record a show and then I want to use the system, the word mute appears in the top center of the screen & cannot be removed and sound cannot be restored unless the unit is turned off, which stops the currently scheduled recording. Has anyone heard of this? To me it sounds like a bad unit, but they say itis a known problem.
Posted by: Marc - Phila at Mar 5, 2005 11:34:05 PM
Yes Marc, I have the exact same problem with my 6412 in Phila. I have done several tests to confirm - 1. Select a program to record 2. Turn unit off 3. Turn TV on while program is recording. Result - no sound on any channel including the one that is being recorded - just the word "MUTE" at the top center. The "MUTE" text is definately from the cable box and not the TV. Until Comcast can fix this, the workaround is obvious - leave the unit on all the times. However, I have other problems that lead me to believe this is a defective unit. I noticed on network HD channels the picture will have split second freeze-ups (complimented by small areas of pixellations) and audio "hiccups". Also, during playback of a recorded program, I will be in the middle of Fast-Forwarding and a message box pops up saying "delete recording" or "resume" When you choose resume it takes you back to the beginning of the show! Very frustrating when your 45 minutes into watching! So Marc, please keep me posted with your progress on getting the problem resolved. By the way, have you ever had your cable line looked at? Is it a short or long run with many splits? Do you have cable modem? Is there any RG-59 cable in your house as opposed to all RG-6? Just curious. I am trying to eliminate possible suspects. The customer service rep I spoke with did not mention whether or not my problems were known problems. If someone does tell me that, I will not accept it because I know several other people with this unit and they are not having these problems. Demand a replacement unit if they can't fix it. Good Luck and stay in touch.
Posted by: Drew at Mar 6, 2005 6:57:55 AM
Drew- I also sent Comcast a copy of the message above to see what their email response would be. I have just switch over from Dish Network and I believe all of my lines are RG-6, but I will double check that when I go home. As far as I know the line enters my house, goes to the roof (where the satellite switch was and gets split in 3 for each of my locations. I do not suspect it is the line. It appears to be the box. Let me know what you find out.
Posted by: Marc - Phila at Mar 6, 2005 4:24:01 PM
Likewise Marc - let me know how you get your problem resolved. I won't have an answer until next Saturday when they arrive.
Posted by: Drew at Mar 6, 2005 7:15:07 PM
I received this response from Comcast (which dealswith the Mute issue):
============
There are currently some issues with the new dual tuner DVRs we are aware of
these problems and are working to resolve them. There is currently a fix for
the "mute" issue. The fix is pasted below:
Scenario #1: No picture
No sound
Word "MUTE" at top of TV screen (in some cases)
On-Screen guide active
Procedure:
1. With either the DVR or silver digital remote, select the "Menu" button to
get the "Quick Access Menu".
2. Highlight and select the "DVR" icon on the screen (4th icon from the
left).
3. Push OK on the remote.
4. Highlight the icon "DVR recordings" on the screen and push OK on the
remote. Your list of stored programs will appear.
5. Highlight any recording and push OK on the remote.
6. Highlight the "Play" or "Resume" icon on the screen and push OK on the
remote (2nd icon from the left).
7. Once the stored program has started, then push Exit on the remote.
Scenario #2: Picture is present
No sound
Word "MUTE" at top of TV screen (in some cases)
On-Screen guide active
Procedure:
1. Change the Remote Volume setting to the DCT (Hold Setup Blinks 2x, Type
9-9-3, then press Cable).
2. Press the Mute button on the remote which should make the Mute turn off
on the DCT.
3. Then change to Volume setting Back (Setup Blinks 2x, Type 9-9-3, then
press TV).
============
Posted by: Marc - Phila at Mar 6, 2005 10:03:54 PM
A couple of other comments. I am waiting for Motorola's response. Also, the HD toner problem does not seem to occur when viewing HD only channels like INHD or INHD2. Viewing those channels with either tuner is rock solid & without any errors. It may have something to do with the transmission & reception of network HDs like CBS-HD etc.
Posted by: Marc - Phila at Mar 6, 2005 10:10:33 PM
Patrick in Montana - I've got the same box from Bresnan in Wyoming, and was told the exact same story. Only about 1/3 of the controller actually does anything, and I only have the single tuner active. Hopefully they'll get that fixed ASAP.
Posted by: Ken at Mar 7, 2005 7:22:19 AM
I have talked to the HD tech support and this box is still a computer, and what do U do if a computer starts acting up? U reboot it. The procedure 4 this is unplug the box, press and hold both the power and the menu buttons on the box then plug the power cord back in2 the 6412,after a few seconds simultaneously release both power and menu buttons. A few numbers will flash then U will see the word boot and can take up2 40 minutes 2 complete, this will erase the hard drive but will reset 2 default conditions, it's worth a try.
Posted by: Kurt B at Mar 7, 2005 2:10:54 PM
I have talked to the HD tech support and this box is still a computer, and what do U do if a computer starts acting up? U reboot it. The procedure 4 this is unplug the box, press and hold both the power and the menu buttons on the box then plug the power cord back into the 6412,after a few seconds simultaneously release both power and menu buttons. A few numbers will flash then U will see the word boot and can take up2 40 minutes 2 complete, this will erase the hard drive but will reset 2 default conditions, it's worth a try.
Posted by: Kurt B at Mar 7, 2005 2:11:54 PM
The Mute function that is turned on by the 6412 when it powers itself on to record is not a bug. It is supposed to work that way because some receivers will automatically detect an incoming audio signal and turn on. If your recording at 3:00 in the morning and your audio comes on blasting your in for a rude awakening. You can reprogram a different button on your remote to function as the mute button for cable box. Follow this procedure.
press the cable button.
press and hold the setup button until you see two blinks
enter 994
press the setup button again (don't need to hold it just press it once)
enter 141 (or 00141 this depends on the remote, mine is the same as the one for the SD boxes so it only uses 3 digits but apparently some use 5 digits)
press the button you want to map the 6412 mute button to (I use FAV).
This link provides all code for the remote. Goog luck.
http://www.hifi-remote.com/cgi-bin2/ueic.cgi?cbl_0476
Posted by: Oman321 at Mar 10, 2005 9:09:22 AM
If any of you have any questions about, or problems with, your Comcast 6412, the following link to the dvrchatter forum's FAQ is a must read.
Comcast's Motorola DCT-6412 DVR - FAQ and Useful Links:
http://www.dvrchatter.com/viewforum.php?id=4
Posted by: TonyB at Mar 11, 2005 12:18:42 PM
any ideas on how to properly utilize the 1394 interface for output to pc? where are the correct drivers to download for a winxp machine
Posted by: leonard hamilton at Mar 12, 2005 12:12:47 PM
Comcast techs has told me they are going to make all channels on the lineup 100% digital.If they actualy do this soon it will clear up the lower channels that we all seem to have problems with the clarity of!! The tech projected this to be complete by summers end '05 .The techs are the only ones in my experience that seem to be somewhat accurate.So maybe there is hope...........
Posted by: Samuel at Mar 12, 2005 2:14:41 PM
Hello all,
I am running a 6412 from COX in Nebraska and have been so for about 6 months now. For the most part I love the box, but for same reasons already mentioned on this board, I love my Tivo more. I will continue running them side by side until my Tivo dies, then and only then will I consider buying another Tivo if they have pulled their head out of their ass and have a dual tuner box on the market.
But anyways, onto the reason for my post.
Has any gotten their Cox 6412 Dual Tuner DVR to program thier remote for 30 Sec skip?
Also, does anyone find themselves being forced to point the remote directly at the cable box in order for it to work? I love my Tivo remote, I can point it at the back wall and it will work 99% of the time.
Thanks
Dash
Posted by: Dash at Mar 13, 2005 10:27:15 PM
There is a way to record two programs on different channels at the same time, heres how. First set the program for the first recording then, press SWAP, (remember this is the only way to do it) now your on the second tuner, then manually program the second recording for the same time different channel. I did it saturday, i recorded STARGATE SG1 ch825, and at the same time 5:00pm i also recorded ANDROMEDA ch12, they both are listed in saved programs as xxxxx 5:00, yes it does work if you remember to use the SWAP key.
Posted by: Kurt B at Mar 15, 2005 5:21:25 PM
If you want to see what an SD picture looks like, set your component output to 480i then plug your composite (yellow wire) in to the back of your $300 tv and select 802,804,807,825 or my favorite the nature ch 839 and watch dvd quality on your cheap tv. How cule is that.I watched it and the colors are sooooo vibrant. Just goes to show you that us poor people can still have a good picture, best buy sells a HD ready tv 27" crt with progressive component input at 1080i for $400 even us poor people can afford HD!!
Posted by: Kurt B at Mar 15, 2005 5:47:05 PM
I am thinking about purchasing a Pioneer Elite 810HD monitor. From what I understand, the PIP function will not work in any monitor-only HDTV for multiple live channels (like two football games), only for viewing a live channel and another source like a DVD. To use PIP for 2 live channels, I think I need an HDTV with a built-in tuner - but I don't want to spend the extra money.
I will be configuring the monitor to a dual tuner Comcast (Jacksonville) DVR. So, assuming I am right above, will the dual tuners in the DVR fix the problem and allow true pip for live cable channels?
Posted by: John S at Mar 17, 2005 5:08:55 PM
To anwswer your question (jacksonville) no it won't because it has 2 tuners but only one output at a time. You need 2 boxes to do what you wan't. The 2 tuners allows you to record 1 and watch and or record the second, with only 1 output. Sorry for the bad news but now you know.
Posted by: Kurt Bl at Mar 18, 2005 1:30:58 PM
*when is the new program guide coming to the scientific atlantic box bc i called comcast(i live in marlton,NJ) and they said that the new program guide is already out for the motorola box but they dont no when it is coming out for the hd8000 box.
Posted by: anthony at Mar 19, 2005 8:37:24 PM
when is the DVI going to work for the SA hd8000 dvr box?
Posted by: anthony at Mar 19, 2005 8:42:07 PM
If any1 cares i found an online manual that explains all the setup and user info at motorola.com, then search 4 dct6412 and U will be able 2 view or download a manual, good explanations 4 common problems, this manual has stuff even comcast support does not know.
Posted by: kurt b at Mar 22, 2005 7:52:08 PM
If anyone cares i found an online manual that explains all the setup and user info at motorola.com, then search for dct6412 and you will be able to view or download a manual, good explanations for common problems, this manual has stuff even comcast support does not know.
Posted by: kurt b at Mar 22, 2005 7:53:18 PM
I recently switched from Dish Network to a local cable provider (not Comcast) to take advantage of the new Motorola DCT6412. I love the unit but was given a Universal Electronics Universal Remote Control, which I am having trouble with. I generally sit about 15 ft. directly in front of the cable box. With Dish Network, I had absolutely no trouble using the remote. With the new Motorola, I find myself having to move the remote back and forth/ up and down to get it to work. I noticed that Motorola sells its own Universal Remote, which I am considering buying. Does anyone have any comments regarding how well the Motorola universal remote works?
Thanks!
Posted by: dclayton at Apr 22, 2005 9:09:39 AM
http://www.hdtvdevices.com
Posted by: http://www.hdtvdevices.com at Apr 26, 2005 9:53:30 AM
Just got off the phone with Bresnan in MT. The tech said that Bresnan is negotiating with Motorola to turn on the second tuner. She also said that they were still in the testing phase EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE SHIPPING THE UNITS OUT! I suppose that's why they offered the units at 40% off for one year.
Posted by: Bill, Montana at Apr 28, 2005 10:18:36 PM
Just got off the phone with Bresnan in MT. The tech said that Bresnan is negotiating with Motorola to turn on the second tuner. She also said that they were still in the testing phase EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE SHIPPING THE UNITS OUT! I suppose that's why they offered the units at 40% off for one year.
Posted by: Bi/ at Apr 28, 2005 10:20:03 PM
I have had the Comcast Motorola DVR for approximately 2-3 months now and have had nothing but trouble with it. When it's working, I love it; however, I have problems with it locking up and not recording. I cannot be home all the time to babysit the dang thing. If I was home all the time, I wouldn't need the DVR. Any suggestions on who to contact for help other than Comcast? They do not apparently know much about it either.
Indiana
Posted by: KW at May 1, 2005 8:20:47 PM
Is the 6412 remote "learning" capable ?? I cannot find a code to get it to run the volume on my B & K Ref. 50. Our we spoiled, or what !
Posted by: tom at May 7, 2005 10:09:00 AM
I have had the Comcast (Chicago) 6412 for 6 weeks. I have not experienced many of the problems listed above, but have the following comments:
1. "First Run Only" for series does NOT work well, just as indicated above. It will pick up all episodes of a "First Run", requiring you to scan daily for shows you have already viewed (and necessary because of the small storage available).
2. I have not found it necessary to use the "SWAP" buttom at all to activate the dual tuner, (although that missing button was how I came to know that the technician had left us with the wrong remote control the first time the 6412 was delivered.) I could not get the dual tuner to work from the guide, but I think that may have been because I pushed the "OK" button to select my two shows for the same time slot. (When I set things up that way, the first show would stop recording when the second show was scheduled to start, and would change to the other channel.) When I started pushing the "REC" button from the guide to set uo recordings, it worked just fine. (I think "SWAP" would be necessary to watch a show on another channel while something else is being recorded, but we record EVERYTHING before viewing.)
3. Closed Captioning ONLY shows up on a very few channels. These are all HD channels. However, we do NOT get Closed Captioning on ALL of the HD channels. (Especially annoying because one of these non-closed captioning channels is 188-NBC, which has several programs we watch. I should also note that we have a Panasonic DISPLAY, which does NOT have its own tuner for decoding the Closed Captioning. We are totally reliant on the 6412 for this function. My husband is hard of hearing, so this was the KEY reason we upgraded to the 6412 HD service, when we bought the display. After a service call in person (clueless technician, who was grateful for the instruction I gave him), and approx. 6 calls to Comcast (including today), I am told that I will have a response (solution?) to this problem by May 27. (In the meantime I am insisting Comcast not charge us the extra $10 for the HD 6412 service.))
4. We are also running our beloved TIVO in this setup. I had just upgraded to 320MB when I discovered the Closed Captioning problem with the Panasonic display. We have it connected to the 6412 via the S-video cable. The TIVO will change the channel on the 6412 when TIVO is scheduled to record anything, regardless of the fact that the 6412 has two tuners. (That messed up quite a few recordings until we figured out what was going on.) I removed all of our prime time HD programming from the TIVO recordings, because I do really prefer to watch HD programming now. TIVO (and all that immense recording space) is relegated to cooking shows, etc. Not the best decision I ever made.
5. And for the record, the TIVO interface is still the best, despite some nice features in the Comcast menu. Not to mention that their future programming is way more complete than Comcast's. I do not understand why that should be. (In fact, today, the Comcast schedule is only showing programming for TODAY, for many channels! That is really poor, compared to what we were used to with TIVO for the past 4 years.)
Posted by: msg at May 18, 2005 4:38:10 PM
I have the motorola dual tuner model and I am desperate for help. The cable is coming into the Coaxial IN of the cable box. The RCA Video/Audio out are coming out of the cable box into the RCA VIdeo/Audio In of the TV. (ex. Video 1). The VCR has the Coaxial out of the VCR going into the Coaxial in of the TV. Here the problem ,I want to still record on the VCR also but these connections won't let me that the comcast guy did. There is RCA audio out from the TV but not a RCA Video out to put these into the RCA IN of the VCR. How to I connect this up to be able to record Cable onto the VCR? Also how do you get into the cable box's diagnostic setup area?
Thanks for any help
Posted by: Nimh at Jun 9, 2005 6:20:58 PM
I've had FOUR different 6412's in the last month - the first 23 were junk, the 1st rebooted itself regularly, at least once a day, the second one would not record HD and the third had 3% of the drive filled with a virus that delete d everything recorded everything I recorded and deleted a program, so I could not manage anything.
Don't talk to me about the 2nd DVR we had in the bedroom . . that one needed to be hard rebooted every 3 days til they replaced that one twice as well. So we are now on our 9th and 10th units since May 13 . . .
lowest bidder indeed
Posted by: Joe at Jun 19, 2005 12:39:30 PM
Nimh:Just get a 2way splitter before the Coax in on the DVR Box run one to the VCR Coax input the second tp the DVR box. This will allow you to record off cable directly.However you wont be able to record off the DVR box onto VHS without adding a RF Modulator or looping your audio/video feeds out of the DVR to the inputs on your vcr out of the vcr to your TV then you would have to make sure that your vcr is on and set to the proper input which can be confusing to operate............Sam26in@aol.com e-mail or IM if you have any further questions
Posted by: Samuel at Jun 29, 2005 2:58:48 AM
I've had this DVR for about 8 months and I love it, so much that I got a second one for my own room, I only seem to have one problem with it....We always have this blank space at the very bottom of my DVR recordings...and when you click on it, the info will always be the info of the last thing you watched, but when you try to delete it, the invisible space stays & deletes the other program....i have not been able to get rid of these things at all...and the date on them is Dec.1989...
Posted by: Anthony at Jun 29, 2005 12:17:34 PM
Anthony:My DVR has this same problem I will call Comcast and post the result.
Posted by: Samuel at Jul 9, 2005 4:01:49 PM
I am at my last straw with Comcast. They forwarded my last 2 payments to another address because they said the last 2 digits of my account number were wrong on my check. Now they tell me that I am past due even though my $225 of payments went to someone else.
I would like to prevent their ability to turn off my 6412 remotely until they credit me my $225.
Does anyone have any information that will lead me to preventing them from turning off my 6412 DVR remotely? Any ideas would be helpful.
Maybe there is a way to block the shut off signal or possibly a way to filter it from getting to the box. I can still watch cable even without the box but I love my 6412 DVR and want to continue using it until they figure out how to credit my account for the amount I payed Comcast.
Posted by: comcastrated at Jul 15, 2005 9:50:23 PM
I have the motorola dual tuner model, just curious has anyone added more memory to the unit? The 30hoursSTD and 15hoursHD is not enough. thanks
Posted by: joe at Jul 25, 2005 10:16:18 AM
I just got my Motorola 6412 after switching from Dish Network to Cox Cable in Baton Rouge, LA. I have been using a pvr 721 for 3 years with no complaints. Lack of locals and HD recording and "no deals on their pvr 942" forced the switch. I have only one serious bug I need help with. When I set the output for audio to dolby digital it outputs fine until any button is pushed on the remote and then pcm is reengaged as the output. Any help would be appreciated.
Posted by: Chad at Jul 30, 2005 5:35:06 PM
tom
Posted by: tom at May 7, 2005 10:09 AM
"I should also note that we have a Panasonic DISPLAY, which does NOT have its own tuner for decoding the Closed Captioning. We are totally reliant on the 6412 for this function. My husband is hard of hearing,"
I'm in EXACTLY the same situation. Just got the 6412. Did you get a resolution to CC issue?
Posted by: Bill at Jul 31, 2005 7:22:24 PM
Is there a way to get a widescreen non letterbox (no black bars on top and bottom) signal out of the composite or svideo out?
I have tried setting to 16x9 and 480i in the
user settings but did not work. It seems
it will always send a 4x3 signal out of the svideo and composite outputs.
What I am trying to do has worked on all the DVD players I have had in the past by setting to 16x9 and intelace output.
Any ideas? Anyone able to do this?
Thanks
Pete
Posted by: Pete at Aug 2, 2005 12:08:13 PM
I have had my Comcast DVR (Pittsburgh, PA) for about two months now, switching from Dish TV with DVR. First off, I lost DishTV service exactly once in 4 years, I have lost cable service 6 times already. So that argument is totally without merit.
I hate the fact that the guide is only good for 24 hours or so. I can't look forward a week like I could with Dish TV or even with my Media PC. Makes it impossible to record a program when you see it advertised earlier in the week.
I also have problems loosing audio. No the mute error, which I also suffer, but just no audio at all. The technician told me to play a DVR program, then the audio will work again, then go back to live TV. Nice to have a workaround, but still inconvenient. They told me they were shipping replacment units soon.
I also notice that the unit starts recording live TV when I am watching something pre-recorded. I always have to stop it before changing channels.
Bottom line, it works pretty well but is full of little bugs.
Posted by: Dave at Aug 8, 2005 10:54:53 AM
I love the dual tuners, but most of the time I'm not actually using the feature. Yet the other tuner is out there recording, wasting electricity and adding disk noise. Is there any way I can keep the tuner I'm not watching from recording when I don't need it to? I tried changing it to the on demand menu (which it doesn't record), but then it won't swap back to the other tuner. Are there any other channels (or screens) that it doesn't record? Or is there some way to actually tell it to just not record on one tuner? Thanks!
Posted by: clayton at Aug 9, 2005 6:11:17 AM
In case anyone had the same question, it doesn't appear to buffer the music channels. The disk noise certainly goes down when I change to it. This is probably a good place to set both tuners to when you aren't watching if you already leave it on.
Posted by: clayton at Aug 9, 2005 10:58:27 AM
in response to the blank recording at the bottom of your DVR recordings dated DEC. 31, 1989... This is a mysterious virus that Motorola is supposabley "working on". It is harmless and uses no disk space, until you try to delete it. In my experiences, as a cable technician, after you attempt to delete, wierd things happen to your DVR functions. The only way to get rid of it is to Master Reset your DVR.
To do this: Power off your box and,within 2 seconds press "select". Then, on your cable remote, press "cable", "replay" once, "my dvr" 3X, and "live tv" once.
Your time display should show "CLR". press any key and your hard drive and all programmed recordings will be completely erased. the box will be as good as new.
If after you perform the reset, you obtaing the "1989" recording again, leave it alone and it will leave on its own... but do no harm.
Posted by: comcast2456 at Aug 11, 2005 6:23:41 PM
In response to the "closed caption issue"
Closed Captions are not currently supported by Motorola Dvr's. And unfortunately, there is no RF output to connect to your TV's tuner to use the TV's closed caption capabilities.
You might try connecting your DVR to a Vcr using RCA cables, and connect your VCR to your TV with Coaxial cable. This way, you'll be using your TV's tuner to recieve the cable signal, and therefore, can use the CC.
Please note, you will have to have your VCR on at all times to watch your DVR. Also, your VCR's channel will have to be on the corresponding VCR input (i.e. Line 1, Line 2, L1, L2, etc.).
Posted by: comcast2456 at Aug 11, 2005 6:31:40 PM
To access DIAGNOSTICS on Motorola Hd and HD/DVR boxes:
Power off box and, within 2 seconds, press select
Note: on DVR's you can see the temperature your box is running by selecting option d13 and scrolling down to page 2. you will see the temp in the bottom left corner of your screen.
To access the USER SETTINGS on Motorola HD and HD/DVR boxes:
Power off the box and press Menu
I've Found the best settings are YPP out 1080i, and 4:3 override 480i and TV type... set according to your TV type
Posted by: comcast2456 at Aug 11, 2005 6:37:31 PM
Its funny to read some of the questions asked a year ago...being a tech I just stumbled on this page.. although I am one of the techs that is in the know with these boxes.. any questions? ;)
Posted by: 9520tech500 at Sep 1, 2005 6:13:07 PM
I have a dct6412 and the closed captions are scrambled on HBO and other digital channles. I do not have a high definition tv. The CC work on all other channels. Please help!! I have tried turning off the box and adjusting the cc settings on the menue screen. This does not help. Thanks
Posted by: Mike at Sep 6, 2005 7:14:31 PM
Having same problem as 9520tech500, where closed caption is working all basic cable channels, but not on any premium ones. Comcast says they never heard of this and refered me to Toshiba customer support. Toshiba says it is due to the signal from the box. Please adivse.
Posted by: Hubie at Sep 7, 2005 12:00:58 PM
TAKE NOTE: Everyone who is having problems with either that the Dual Tuner doesn't work or that the channels keep freezing up.....I have struggled for 6 months with one of these units...calling Adelphia every week trying to make sense of their customer service people (who have no idea...they kept telling me it was because the service wasn't available in my area ! ). I was about to switch to satellite.
Then Hurricane Katrina fried the box for me....and the replacement which looks EXACTLY the same....works perfectly.
Posted by: FloridaAdelphiaUser at Sep 8, 2005 7:51:23 AM
I have no clue what some of you are talking about when you say there is a "virus" on the DVR boxes. You are clueless. There are "bugs" and problems with the software, but no "virus".
Posted by: Bob at Sep 17, 2005 10:57:11 AM
another ressource:
http://www.hdtvdevices.com
Posted by: mike at Sep 22, 2005 4:59:41 AM
Ilive in Lexington, Ky. My cable company is Insight!! I have had the 6412 for 1 week! No bugs at all!!! Just learning how to program!! Mine came with no manual. Whats up with the status bar, if I watch a program that starts at 1:00, it displays a time clock on the hour in half hour increments!! And if I hit the record button it records back to when I tuned into that channel! I also have a remote that is a Insight brand that my company says is made by motorola!! Where can I get a remote made for my 6412!!!
Posted by: Josh at Sep 22, 2005 9:07:05 AM
Does anyone out there have Insight cable????? I need some support with my 6412!!!!!
Posted by: Josh at Sep 22, 2005 9:20:36 AM
6412 manual & other useful info available at
http://broadband.motorola.com/consumers/products/dct6412/
Right side lower list go to "data sheets & wkhite paers", click on download user guide and downloac tv guide
Posted by: tom at Sep 25, 2005 9:05:26 AM
Many of you have asked for the solution to the problem of multiple series recording. So does anyone have an answer to the dvr recording all episodes of series even if FIRST RUN ONLY is selected? Try doing that with Daily Show and it records about 42 shows a week! This problem occurs with all series that air new shows more than once. Very frustrating.
Posted by: Monica at Sep 30, 2005 6:48:39 PM
Having problems with my DVR recording without audio. The fast forward function also does not seem to work when this happens. No mute on the screen, just record without audio. Anyone else experiencing the same problem?
Posted by: Dave at Oct 2, 2005 9:48:56 PM
I was wondering if anyone here has the new motorola 6412 III. It has an RF output, no DVI connection, but it has HDMI. Has anyone used the HDMI connection? If so, does it work well?
Posted by: comcast2456 at Oct 5, 2005 6:36:43 AM
I just got the 6412 III. The HDMI works great. I think it has a larger HD. Has a fan on the bottom. Have only had it a few hours now. I certainly hope it has less bugs then previous models
Posted by: Fred at Oct 8, 2005 2:59:39 PM
I just got the new Motorola DVR from Comcast in Seattle. THe new remote is nice, but it only has two codes for my Sony TV, 0000 and 0111. Neither of these allow the PIP function on the comcast/motorla remote to operate the PIP on my Sony TV.
Anyone know if there are any other codes for SOny? It is a 1997 Sony TV, so it is a little older..
Posted by: Tony at Oct 12, 2005 4:48:58 PM
although for some odd reason it wont bring up the pip it will control the fuctions once you split your screens you can move the arrows<>for screen with volume,or press input at the bottom of the remote the switch your source inputs,it also uses the upward downward to adjust the size of the screens,most universal remotes leave something out unless you decide to go purchase top of the line replacement that will utilize all your electronic functions
Posted by: Brian at Oct 12, 2005 8:42:26 PM
I have the same problem with the MUTE function that is mentioned a couple of times in this blog -- when box turns on to record and I'm not there, when I turn the tv on I get no sound. Problem is, I'm on RCN (previously Starpower) digital cable in the Wash. DC area and I apparently have a different remote. My silver remote doesn't have a "setup" button on it. So the instructions to "press and hold the setup button until you see two blinks" don't work for me. I've only had the box a couple of days and it's already been a big issue. Maybe I just need to leave my box on all the time? Or is there a work around for those with the RCN cable remote?
Also, I have the 6412 Phase III box and I can't find a manual online that matches it. Even on Motorola's website there isn't a full manual that matches it that I found. I'm sure they're all similar, but mine has the HDMI instead of DVI and I assume there are some other minor differences that may affect how I do things.
Posted by: DaveT at Oct 21, 2005 6:06:33 AM
Just found out how to deal with the mute function with the RCN remote (a Synergy V remote). Apparently it's in the manual that the RCN guy didn't leave for me. If anyone wants to know, it's simply:
- Press and hold CBL, then press and hold OK until CBL lights up.
- Press VOL + (the upper part of the VOL button).
_ Press and hold CBL. CBL should blink several times to indicate success.
You can then reprogram back to TV the same way if you want.
I haven't seen any posts on how to do anything else with this remote though, such as 30-sec skip. Also, the programming codes for other devices is pretty limited. It won't control my receiver. If anyone knows of or figures out how to program anything with this remote, that would be a much appreciated post.
Posted by: DaveT at Oct 21, 2005 6:31:15 AM
I have the Motorola 6412 III and the closed captions are scrambled on HBO and other digital channels. I do not have a high definition TV. The CC works on all other channels. The cable guy has swapped the box to no avail.
Posted by: Sam at Oct 23, 2005 10:58:51 AM
Thank you Clayton!!! I have been troubleshooting the 6412 for over a year now and that problem has been my bain, we had instructions on how to fix it but all those did was freeze up the box so it needed to be initialized! I had three of my own so I came home tonight and tried it, it worked famously! I can now feel confident that it will work for others too!!! Losing my series recordings is a pain, but now I can feel better troubleshooting now that I have instructions that actually work! Thanks again!
Posted by: Cablegirl at Oct 23, 2005 8:21:57 PM
Hi Brian, if you get the make and model # for your remote control, you can generally download the instructions, what your looking to do is called Volume Lock, and you want to lock the volume to your cable box, if you can't find instructions online, you may want to contact customer service, I am sure they get this inquiry all the time and could help you in no time.
Posted by: cablegirl at Oct 23, 2005 8:26:32 PM
I also am having problems with the Close Captioning on my 6412. Comcast says that they never heard of it. It only happens on those channels 100 or higher. The CC is jibberish on these higher channels, but fine for those under 100. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Posted by: Carl at Oct 26, 2005 9:41:39 AM
Using RCN in the Phila area and just had Motorola DCT6412 II upgraded to a version III. They did away with the DVI interface and replaced it with a HDMI plug which meant I had to get an adaptor cable. What I would realy like to know is if anybody has been able to get the Synergy V remote to do a 30 second skip. This remote is the worst I've ever had. It won't control any of my componets except for basic functions on my Hitachi 42HDF52
Posted by: lngtmr at Oct 28, 2005 6:27:45 AM
Just wanted to add my input. I have Comcast with HiDef and been looking at DVR's closely now for about 8 months. When Comcast came out with their's that recorded HiDef I was very interested.
I finally took the plunge this week and I must say I am quite pleased so far. Comcast gave me a new 6412 III right out of the box (still had the bubble wrap and the LED protector on it). I have hacked the remote to use the "HD Zoom" button for my 30 sec skip, love this feature BTW, and the "Help" button as my mute for the cable box.
I have my box set to YPP out 1080i and 4:3 out to 480i (tried 480p and the analog was so bad it was unwatchable). Tried the HDMI output and it works but only in 480p and that screws up the analog signal. HiDef signal did seem better though.
The guide and channel changing response time is exactly the same as the non-DVR box. I was reading above and noticed people complaining about lock ups. I had this problem all last winter and early spring on the non-DVR box. I think this was a problem with all of Comcast's box's that were HiDef compatable.
The only thing that will make this perfect would be for me to be able to plug in the Windows Laptop/External HD into the firewire port and save the files to it. Has anyone done this with success yet?
Posted by: Justin at Oct 28, 2005 10:32:35 AM
Follow-up to my Oct 28th post... I got so frustrated with the Synergy V remote that I purchased a Harmony 880. It works everything and even has a 30 second skip. RCN denies
that a 30 second can be done on their boxes so this just proves what junk that Synergy V remote is.
Posted by: lngtmr at Nov 4, 2005 2:00:15 PM
Not sure if anyone has posted this, but I purchased the Harmony remote 880 - I think. It's the most recent. Beauty is, it cures the "mute" issue as you can tell the device to always mute and un-mute the cable box, while at the same time, all volume controls are done with your receiver. When audio comes from your receiver, this "mute" issue is a real problem with the comcast remote. The harmony remote is the "killer app" except that some of the buttons are slim/small and not ergonomic. Small price to pay for flexibility, though.
Posted by: JJ at Dec 1, 2005 12:38:19 PM
I'm at a crossroads, thinking of switching fdrom DirecTV to Comcast. I live in the Fremont area and have three TVs, only one of which is actualy hooked up because the imbeciles who were supposed to hook me up couldn't figure out how to dual wire inside the walls. So our HD works with the DirecTV HD receiver (the big bucks one) except that sometimes the sound goes out. DirecTV still doesn't transmit Fox in HD, and it says it will soon have a new receiver that allows local channels to be transmitted via HD - but it won't go through the HD Tivo, so I can't record the shows. My only concern was whether I could do a 30 second skip, the one feature i really can't do without, and i understand that I can. My question is whether it is worth making the switch, and is the 6412 as good as TiVo? I looked at it and it kind of reminded me of the old Ultimate TV, which I had and loved until it died.
Posted by: Carol at Dec 14, 2005 6:16:12 PM
Could anybody tell me how I could test my unit and see if it works properly? Thanks for your time
Posted by: Darren at Dec 18, 2005 10:29:55 AM
I'vd had my dual tuner dvr box from Comcast for a couple of weeks now.
The FF and RR stopped working. I am not able to fast forward or rewind recorded shows and I can't rewind live TV anymore. It is infuriating to have this functionality screwed up once you get used to using it all the time.
Oddly, the Instant Replay button works, so I can kind of rewind.
Posted by: ma at Dec 27, 2005 5:50:37 PM
anyone know how to get a replacement remote for the motorola 6412 DVR without dealing with the customer service department at comcast. I would rather buy one then have to deal with the rotten service they provide.
Posted by: Marty at Jan 3, 2006 10:21:27 AM
I would just drive to the local Comcast office and pick one up in person.
---
If your DCT 6412 takes a crap like mine did, you can do a hard reset. It worked for me. Here is a link:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6492522&highlight=reset+comcast+6412#post6492522
Posted by: ma at Jan 8, 2006 5:29:23 AM
This is the worst piece of crap I have ever dealt with. With all the problems I had with DirecTV and TiVo, I was wiling to give this a big pass, but I've had to call Comcast on more than a dozen occasions because the set either resets, freezes, stops working, doesn't record or won't let me in. Comcast has replaced it at least once and it still screws up on the average of once a day. I have two of them, and I have audio problems with both of them on the high def channels. I may have only been able to get a few HD channels with DirecTV, but at least the TiVo WORKED. This thing is worthless. Motorola should be ashamed of itself for distributing someything with so many flaws. Since I've hads it (early January) I have come to personal speaking terms with Comcast's tech staff. To their credit, they have been very patient and helpful, but I'm still sick of having to talk to them almost daily.
Posted by: CarolfromFremont at Feb 3, 2006 9:42:37 PM
Hey, this might be a crazy question, but I just have to know. Does the comcast dvr box make that cool sound like tivo? Thanks a bunch.
Posted by: Tiffany at Feb 9, 2006 3:18:06 PM
My Motorola 6412 unit takes forever to download TV Guide listings (4-7 days). Does anybody know how to speed this up? My aparment complex looses power frequently which erases the guide until it can be downloaded again. Is it better to leave it on or off to download? I have tried both and it seems to work faster when it's on.
Posted by: cablegirl at Feb 11, 2006 10:31:04 AM
Hey, just got this receiver for my RCN cable in Chicago. I'm was previously using DirecTV/Tivo so I'm still getting used to this new interface. Simple question: how do I tell what DVR recordings are scheduled (season pass, etc)? Tivo had the "To-Do List" but I can't find anything like that on this receiver. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
Posted by: Sanjay at Feb 27, 2006 9:07:20 PM
Just had our installer set up the Motorola 6412 with our Panasonic HD monitor (no integral tuner).
Discovered the Closed Caption doesn't display like it di