LG Universal player at CC

PolkWannabie

cheddar wrote:

Like I said, I like it simple. Get a 1.3 source and you can put all the money into a high quality 1.3 receiver or pre/pro. I'm on this forum 'cause the audio is important to me. And using the savings from the ps3 to put into a high quality audio component has a lot of other benefits for me. Not sure why that deserves a ...whatever...

But if all you want is the lip sync and don't mind wading through all the some have it some don't players, that works for you. It's all good.

It's not about what I want ... It's about this is all you are likely to get out of a 1.3 device for awhile. Eventually the source material will catch up by which time the hardware standard will have moved ahead again ... This is a very typical h/w - s/w tug of war ... The same thing has happened in the past with PC's i.e. between 16 and 32 bit and is sort of starting again with 32 and 64 bit.

As the FAQ from HDMI suggests ...

Consumers should not look for a particular version of HDMI, but rather for the functionality that they want the device to support (Deep Color™, specific audio formats, etc.). Alternatively, consumers can look for support for these features called out in the manufacturer’s product information.

Not all, but most of the advances with 1.3 are in the area of video ... not audio ... and personally I have no interest in running a video signal through my Pre/Pro ... There's no reason to except purely for simplicity of remote switching which is easily overcome with most decent programmable remotes.

BaggedLancer

PolkWannabie wrote:

Guru ? ... Hardly ... I'm only able to search and read ...

As far as whom to call and yell at ... You found the right place i.e. the box manufacturer ... Maybe you can get a straight answer farther up the chain, but my guess is you won't. I would guess as more people start using HDMI and they start getting more complaints they'll eventually provide a non Tivo unit that properly HDCP handshakes.

So even though that box isn't distributed to me directly from motorola you suggest calling them? I am sure they could give me an answer to why mine does what it does but there is no way they could give a solution.

"they'll eventually provide a non Tivo unit that properly HDCP handshakes"

Eventually doesn't cut it. What they are doing right now by providing the non-functional boxes they are is against FCC regulations and therefore is illegal. I need to get a permanent solution to this problem and it seems that comcast are the only ones that could do this(i.e. leave me the DVR box with no extra charge, update the old HD box, etc.)

So wouldn't it make sense just to continue up the comcast chain?

BaggedLancer

Porter wrote:

Yeah, the only function of phone support is to try to get rid of you. They don't have any vested interest in solving your problem.

If you meet someone in person at the local center, they're much more likely to put effort into helping you. You become a face and a name rather than a customer account number.

A face name and a face nuisance until the problem is dealt with.

Porter

BaggedLancer wrote:

So even though that box isn't distributed to me directly from motorola you suggest calling them? I am sure they could give me an answer to why mine does what it does but there is no way they could give a solution.

"they'll eventually provide a non Tivo unit that properly HDCP handshakes"

Eventually doesn't cut it. What they are doing right now by providing the non-functional boxes they are is against FCC regulations and therefore is illegal. I need to get a permanent solution to this problem and it seems that comcast are the only ones that could do this(i.e. leave me the DVR box with no extra charge, update the old HD box, etc.)

So wouldn't it make sense just to continue up the comcast chain?

Don't take the "this is illegal" approach with them... they'll completely lose interest in helping you.

Approach it as a customer who wants to continue service with them but can't, due to a software problem on their box. Tell them you want to work with them to reach a solution, and could they have their best tech take a look.

BaggedLancer

Porter wrote:

Don't take the "this is illegal" approach with them... they'll completely lose interest in helping you.

Approach it as a customer who wants to continue service with them but can't, due to a software problem on their box. Tell them you want to work with them to reach a solution, and could they have their best tech take a look.

Definately, the "this is illegal" approach is the last resort if all else fails. I'm gonna play the concerned customer role at first. Asking for their best tech won't do anything, since they are already acknowledging that the problem exists since "numerous" other people have the same problem according to them.

cheddar

PolkWannabie wrote:

As the FAQ from HDMI suggests ...

Consumers should not look for a particular version of HDMI, but rather for the functionality that they want the device to support (Deep Color™, specific audio formats, etc.). Alternatively, consumers can look for support for these features called out in the manufacturer’s product information.[/B]

Actually it sounds like it is all about the functionality that each individual consumer wants. I'm arguing an upgrade path that makes sense to me. You're arguing a global philosophy of the format. I'm not disagreeing with you. But I don't think I'm alone in thinking that I'd rather spend money on the audio component and have maximum flexibility in the choice of hd players. That's an upgrade path that makes sense. I'm not asserting anything else.

For HT, the standards in audio advances leveled off for a while at digital optical, dolby, and dts. I know it isn't that simple if you look at other incremental advances, but for the macro ones, that's all you needed to get good HT sound from the 'new' dvd format.

1.3, dolby true hd, dts-hd master sound, and lpcm should be a new leveling off for the HT HD format. I know there will be lots of new incremental improvements at every CES. But having just those should take anyone a long way up the upgrade path.

PolkWannabie

BaggedLancer wrote:

Eventually doesn't cut it. What they are doing right now by providing the non-functional boxes they are is against FCC regulations and therefore is illegal. I need to get a permanent solution to this problem and it seems that comcast are the only ones that could do this(i.e. leave me the DVR box with no extra charge, update the old HD box, etc.)

So wouldn't it make sense just to continue up the comcast chain?

Illegal ? ... Maybe ... It's at least debatable as to whether a component connection fills the bill or not ... Good luck getting anywhere with that approach ... I hear what you are saying ... but you'll be pissing into the wind.

Comcast will eventually provide a non Tivo solution that works ... once the box manufacturer gives it to them ... You want to attempt to hurry that process along by beating them or the manufacturer up then go for it.

PolkWannabie

Cheddar,

No argument for most of what you posted ... but again as stated in the HDMI FAQ, 1.3 is not needed for True-HD, DTS-HD etc ...

Any who ... To each his own ...

BIZILL

forgot....does the lg player accept a digital cable feed?

cheddar

PolkWannabie wrote:

Comcast will eventually provide a non Tivo solution that works ... once the box manufacturer gives it to them ...

Lol...actually when Comcast decides to put up the coin to start ordering them and throwing out their old boxes...

You're being screwed by Comcast BL. Your answer lies in getting someone in CS to go the extra mile for you and give you that DVR box for nuthin' extra. Threatening to sue them will lead to quickly diminishing returns...

BaggedLancer

cheddar wrote:

Lol...actually when Comcast decides to put up the coin to start ordering them and throwing out their old boxes...

You're being screwed by Comcast BL. Your answer lies in getting someone in CS to go the extra mile for you and give you that DVR box for nuthin' extra. Threatening to sue them will lead to quickly diminishing returns...

I have no intention to threaten to sue them...I actually really like my comcast service.....when it works. Dealing with CS in comcast is like calling an electrician to come fix your plumbing.....those people have no freaking clue what they are talking about....ever.

I think management is going to be my only way to deal with this.

PhantomOG

was it you that was getting the DVR box for free? I could have sworn I just read a thread about someone getting a DVR box for free because of incompatabilities with the non-DVR cable box.

BaggedLancer

PhantomOG wrote:

was it you that was getting the DVR box for free? I could have sworn I just read a thread about someone getting a DVR box for free because of incompatabilities with the non-DVR cable box.

Yea i have it free for 2 months then I need to pay for it. My problem is in 2 months they probably will not have this situation resolved since they really can't identify the issues and no one is stepping to the plate or handing over the coin to fix the issue. Thus, I would rather talk with management now and get the "keep the DVR for free till the regular box is fixed" signed on the line by the manager so I don't need to worry 2 months down the road when they try and charge me for it.

BIZILL

...ah hell. this IS more interesting than that lg player. don't think it will sell much. maybe a handful of un-educated buyers.

PhantomOG

when the free 2 months is up, just call and threaten to cancel because its too expensive and you're switching to satellite.

I'm about to have to do that with Time Warner in a few days when my 12 month promo period is over. If you don't get a receptive person, just hang up and try again later.

cheddar

BIZILL wrote:

...ah hell. this IS more interesting than that lg player. don't think it will sell much. maybe a handful of un-educated buyers.

Well it certainly has more problems than accepting a digital cable feed. Don't know the answer to that one...what advantage do you get if your hd player can connect to cable?

BaggedLancer

PhantomOG wrote:

when the free 2 months is up, just call and threaten to cancel because its too expensive and you're switching to satellite.

I'm about to have to do that with Time Warner in a few days when my 12 month promo period is over. If you don't get a receptive person, just hang up and try again later.

Did that the first time around, they would rather lose the customer. I settled on the 2 months free, better than nothing.

My whole issue with this is all the people that comcast force to upgrade. Cable is at a premium in this town already, with comcast holding the monopoly and not allowing verizon to get in. There is no way they can get away with this.

BIZILL

cheddar wrote:

Well it certainly has more problems than accepting a digital cable feed. Don't know the answer to that one...what advantage do you get if your hd player can connect to cable?

just making note of the thread jacking that has taken place. but it's all good. i dig the direction the thread has taken...:)

cheddar

BIZILL wrote:

just making note of the thread jacking that has taken place. but it's all good. i dig the direction the thread has taken...:)

Yeah, I noticed, but I really wasn't interested in the LG player anyways, just trying to flag that those who wanted it could get it over the internet at big box stores now. Didn't think the thread would last more than that...;)

PhantomOG

BaggedLancer wrote:

Did that the first time around, they would rather lose the customer. I settled on the 2 months free, better than nothing.

Never dealt with Comcast so they may be different than TW. What time did you call? Supposedly, if you call late at night or on the weekends, the local offices are closed and phone calls get routed to national call centers, which may or may not effect your chances of getting a pricing deal.

I got about $30 a month off my bill for 12 months. It took two calls though, the first person called my bluff and started the cancellation process so I hung up. Second person went into customer retention mode and made the concession.

cheddar

BaggedLancer wrote:

Did that the first time around, they would rather lose the customer. I settled on the 2 months free, better than nothing.

My whole issue with this is all the people that comcast force to upgrade. Cable is at a premium in this town already, with comcast holding the monopoly and not allowing verizon to get in. There is no way they can get away with this.

BL,

Sometimes you're in the Alamo surrounded by Comcast. You can fight, they can write stories about you, but you're still staring a cannonball in the face at the end.

You either need numbers of complaints, a class-action lawsuit, or a very understanding manager. My guess is you've only got a so-so chance with the last one. Good luck. You're gonna need it...

BaggedLancer

BIZILL wrote:

just making note of the thread jacking that has taken place. but it's all good. i dig the direction the thread has taken...:)

Sorry I contributed 99.9% to why the thread was hijacked.

This HDMI thing has been driving me insane for the last couple of weeks. Comcast has been making suggestions to me like "every time you want to watch tv just go behind your tv, unplug your xbox and plug in component cables that we know work" and my response is the same every time: "You really didn't suggest something as insane as that everytime I want to watch tv did you?"

I am just trying to gather a list of my options and gathering numerous complaints, class action lawsuit are just not options. I am going to have to find one unlucky manager to feed my case to and take it from there. If he doesn't work, go one step higher, and so on.......:mad:

PolkWannabie

I need to ask a potentially stupid question here ... While waiting for the cable provider to get their act together with the equipemnt they provide ... does it for some reason not make sense to just use component cables ?

BaggedLancer

PolkWannabie wrote:

I need to ask a potentially stupid question here ... While waiting for the cable provider to get their act together with the equipemnt they provide ... does it for some reason not make sense to just use component cables ?

Yes and no.

My TV is mounted on the wall. The TV has two component slots, one is taken by the DVD player and the other is taken by the Xbox 360. If either of those took HDMI I would use that, however they don't. Not to mention now that I can see the PQ difference between the two, HDMI is clearly better in my opinion. I bought my tv for the PQ and there is no reason why I should have to sacrifice to an analog signal when I can use a digital signal.

If you were paying $153.60 a month for Comcast service would you settle on having to switch cables EVERY time you wanted to watch tv, a dvd, or play xbox? I think not.

cheddar

BaggedLancer wrote:

I am just trying to gather a list of my options and gathering numerous complaints, class action lawsuit are just not options. I am going to have to find one unlucky manager to feed my case to and take it from there. If he doesn't work, go one step higher, and so on.......:mad:

BL,

Sometimes even two threads worth of suggestions just isn't going to give you an answer other than your only option is to escalate it up the chain of command at comcast and hope for the best. Your problem is with them. The box is at fault. And there is nothing any other company can do to change out that box. Comcast and their customer service is your only option.

In the time it's taken you to post in yet another thread, you could have gotten the local address of the comcast provider in your area and be in their office taking care of business. So soldier up and kick some **** at comcast! Politely but firmly, of course. .

BaggedLancer

cheddar wrote:

BL,

Sometimes even two threads worth of suggestions just isn't going to give you an answer other than your only option is to escalate it up the chain of command at comcast and hope for the best. Your problem is with them. The box is at fault. And there is nothing any other company can do to change out that box. Comcast and their customer service is your only option.

In the time it's taken you to post in yet another thread, you could have gotten the local address of the comcast provider in your area and be in their office taking care of business. So soldier up and kick some **** at comcast! Politely but firmly, of course. .

I already have all that information ready to go Cheddar . I am here at work now so there is nothing to do but just gather more info from the forum. Convincing my boss to let me leave early to yell at Comcast isn't going to fly.

And in this "second" thread I learned about stuff that wasn't posted in my first thread....like about HDMI and backwards compatibility. I was going based off what numerous "techs" were telling me, assuming it was the truth and never really looked online to question it. Now I know to question about HDCP handshaking and such.....something I wasn't aware to do from my "first" thread.

Therefore, this "second" thread, although similiar has provided an extensive amount of information that I hadn't known before making me that much more confident for my argument that is going to come later with comcast

cheddar

BaggedLancer wrote:

I already have all that information ready to go Cheddar . I am here at work now so there is nothing to do but just gather more info from the forum. Convincing my boss to let me leave early to yell at Comcast isn't going to fly.

And in this "second" thread I learned about stuff that wasn't posted in my first thread....like about HDMI and backwards compatibility. I was going based off what numerous "techs" were telling me, assuming it was the truth and never really looked online to question it. Now I know to question about HDCP handshaking and such.....something I wasn't aware to do from my "first" thread.

Therefore, this "second" thread, although similiar has provided an extensive amount of information that I hadn't known before making me that much more confident for my argument that is going to come later with comcast

BL,

I think you're still missing the point. If you start talking about tech issues and hdcp, the eyes of the guy you're talking to will likely glaze over and you'll start to lose goodwill fast. Your problem is not technical. Therefore, these technical discussions are very limited in helping you.

Your problem is 100% convincing customer service that you are a reasonable customer who wants to work with them and that they need to go the extra mile to help you by letting you keep the dvr until the problem is solved. You get stuff like that much more from a smile and a firm handshake then by convincing them that you know what the technical problem is with their box. They know there's a problem. You don't need to sort out all the technical details.

As before, your only option is to find a reasonable manager and take care of business. Some people might still want to talk about the LG player, so you should probably start another thread if you want to talk about this more...

PolkWannabie

For digital video my STB ( Not through Comcast ) only offers DVI out which sort of works when it feels like it ... it is slightly better than componet and you're right, I have no intention of switching cables every time I want to change what I view. I also have no intention of getting all fired up and wasting all sorts of personal time at the cable provider's establishment insisting that they make something else available. They'll eventually get it squared away. In the mean time I'd rather just watch and listen to what I have.

PhantomOG

ok last hijack related post.

BL,
After paying $150+ a month for cable, the $5 a month DVR fee being such an issue leads me to believe this is more about principle than $$$. Complaining to them about the outdated technology will accomplish nothing because 1) they are probably too ignorant to even understand and 2) even if they do understand, getting upgraded non-DVR boxes will happen if and when Comcast (at the corporate level) chooses to do so, regardless of how many complaints they get, all with the local employees (and managers) helpless to deal with the issue.

That's my only reason for just combatting this from a simple pricing issue. I've never dealt with Comcast so maybe this is impossible with them.

Anywhoo... good luck. Stick it to the man.

BaggedLancer

cheddar wrote:

As before, your only option is to find a reasonable manager and take care of business. Some people might still want to talk about the LG player, so you should probably start another thread if you want to talk about this more...

Agreed and will do. This is my last post in this thread about this topic, ALTHOUGH.....there already two threads about the LG player....Mcloki started the first one and wingnut started the 2nd one....so this really isn't too much of a hijack.

PhantomOG wrote:

ok last hijack related post.

BL,
After paying $150+ a month for cable, the $5 a month DVR fee being such an issue leads me to believe this is more about principle than $$$. Complaining to them about the outdated technology will accomplish nothing because 1) they are probably too ignorant to even understand and 2) even if they do understand, getting upgraded non-DVR boxes will happen if and when Comcast (at the corporate level) chooses to do so, regardless of how many complaints they get, all with the local employees (and managers) helpless to deal with the issue.

That's my only reason for just combatting this from a simple pricing issue. I've never dealt with Comcast so maybe this is impossible with them.

Anywhoo... good luck. Stick it to the man.

If it was only $5 this would be over. $5 is worth the extra PQ to me. However, DVR is an extra $12 and change in my area so thats why this is a pricing issue.