Just gotta vent on Comcast quality

alsie731

SatelliteGuys Family
Original poster
May 29, 2004
62
0
Peabody, MA
Ya I'm a former Voomer that went to Comcast and was happy in the begining but boy am I dissapointed in the overall quality of picture and the fluctuating sound difference going to different channels. I have to increase volume real high watching HD but then when I go back to a lower channel the volume is deafening. Picture crop in HD I don't like. Why when I use my VOOM box to get a local HD channel the quality is really almost breath taking but when going Comcast HD what a poor quality in comparison and why a size difference. Talked to a Comcast repair guy (met in a store) and he says they are getting complaints but nothing is being done about it. Now I'm in the Peabody MA area and wonder if it's only my area or is it all over?
 
None of the quality problems that you speak of in the Cleveland (west of) area. All is good here. I was amazed at how much better the SD picture quality was compared to Voom's. I can actually watch some non-HD movies whereas I absolutely could not do so on V*. It's obviously just a problem with your local company. I can feel your pain though.
 
Comcast vs VOOM PQ

FAYRICH said:
None of the quality problems that you speak of in the Cleveland (west of) area. All is good here. I was amazed at how much better the SD picture quality was compared to Voom's. I can actually watch some non-HD movies whereas I absolutely could not do so on V*. It's obviously just a problem with your local company. I can feel your pain though.

I am sort of in the middle on the Voom vs Comcast PQ. I think that Voom HD PQ was slightly better than Comcast (with the exception of TNTHD which I think is better on Comcast). I think Voom SD vs Comcast digital SD stations are about equal. When it comes to local stations, I agree with most other former Voomers (who have kept their Voom boxes and off air antennas), the picture quality is night and day better than what Comcast delivers for locals (and Comcast is still missing one of the HD locals here in Maryland.....to be rectified in Sept.). Oh well at least Voom lives on in the locals! I have not had huge volume differences between SD and HD stations on Comcast in Baltimore. Another knock against Comcast is the PQ of those analog stations they are unwatchably nasty on big screen TVs but not too bad on smaller TVs. Sad to have to go to a different room to a different TV (52" to 26") to watch CNN or any station that only has an analog version.
All in all (due to Dish buyback promotion and until FIOS gets to B'more), I am fairly happy with Comcast but when the post promotion prices hit.....I'm gone.
Wayne
 
Thanks for some feedback

Volume thing is not only me in Peabody but a buddy in a couple of towns away has the same problem also. I wasn't crazy about VOOM's programing but everything was digital whereas Comcasts is not. I don't use the "On Demand" because I go with my DVD player and rent from the mail with Blockbuster. I love watching my Red Sox on NESN but will not watch it in Comcasts HD because picture is really too dark and they broadcast it with the actual viewing area small. (top & bottom black lines too big). I love it when Sat or Sundays Fox or my Ch 38 broadcasts it in HD and I use my VOOM box to get these locals and it's totally awesome compared to Comcasts broadcast. A fairy tale for me would be the Sox to have Fox do all the broadcasting and drop down to Basic cable or even DTV to get their programming in order and not being charged for extraboxes and running lines fom one box to another. I had gone from cable to DTV (6 years) then to VOOM for 2 years then back to Comcast. DTV just doesn't care and I don't think Comcast does either. I'm glad some have good pic quality in some areas but I sure don't. Comcasts locals in HD stink as compared to my outside antenna and VOOM box. Thanks guys for your input.
 
Guess we're just lucky in the West of Cleveland area. I find all of the HD to be of excellent quality, be it the HD locals or the HD cable channels. Again I say that the digital SD movie channels , particularly, are head and shoulders above what Vooms quality was. I found them to be totally unwatchable. I am using 2 V* boxes on the HD sets that do not have the digital cable, and I find the Comcast HD locals to be every bit as good as the direct OTA signal on these boxes.