OnDemand uses a live tuner?

[jfalkingham]

Ok, I'm new to this site, but a long time (other dbs board) user and DIRECTV customer.

I recently moved to Comcast on one heck of a promotion:

$44.95 a month (includes HD, HD-DVR, & HBO) for 1 year
$54.95 a month (includes HD, HD-DVR, & HBO) for 1 year (2nd year).

I added in TiVo for $2.95 a month.

I suspended my DIRECTV service (for now) and kept my equipment, in case I want to go back and not live with a new commitment.

I was using Comcasts OnDemand watching a movie. It got interrupted because it had to record a program (2 were scheduled to be recorded). I said ok, I thought it was just a warning, but nope, my movie stopped and the recording started.

Seems a bit out of whack. DIRECTV (although not as much content) treats their ondemand as a 3rd tuner, which is a big plus.

Is this something unique to Comcast or to any cable carrier, based on how their ondemand is pushed out?

 

[RocketFoot]

Being that OnDemand comes through on channel 199, i probably does treat it as a regular tuner. I haven't had that happen to me yet, but it is good to know!

 

[digiblur]

Of course it has to use the tuner.... it's just feeding your box on a digital TV channel the program you selected. DirecTV was downloading over the ethernet port which did not require the use of a tuner.

 

[jfalkingham]

That box is also a cable modem, with its own leased IP from Comcast. They could provide ondemand via another method so you don't lose a tuner. Its sloppy and to implement it taking a 'live' tuner. They should probably advertise this limitation a bit more than they do, or adjust the firmware to utilize the on-board cable modem.