DCT-6412 Supply
Comcast's policy (if we can use that word) seems to be to treat each area, and even sub-area, as if they were different and mutually exclusive entities). In Baltimore city and Baltimore County (as well as Washington DC) there seems to be no shortage of DCT-6412s. I swapped out a poorly fuctioning one by simply unplugging, going to Comcasts local headquarters, giving them the bad one and being handed a good one. I brought it in personally to save on the wait of a service call. My buddy in DC is on his 3rd DCT-6412 (using the service call method) (which seems to work now). On the other hand 20 minutes away, in nearby Columbia, MD, Comcast forces the customers to use the Scientific Atlanta HD-DVR box.
There now is apparently a new (3rd generation I think) DCT-6412 which has HDMI instead of (or in addition to) DVI. I called wanting to swap for that one but they don't have that one here in Baltimore yet. Who knows, maybe the change in generation of DCT-6412 may be causing another shortage until the supplies catch up.
Wayne