Simpleton HD channel question...

[susandennis]

I'm a newbie to HD and cornfused. Comcast. Seattle. TiVoHD.

Channel 104 is 4 with HD. (and ditto down the line 107 and 7, etc.)

So the programming is the same but on my TiVo HD, the picture should look better on 104? Or should it look the same?

Do I need both in my channel line up or can I just block out one? If they are the same does it matter which one I block?

[bkdtv]

As you've found, the SD and HD channels are on separate numbers. You only get high-definition picture with surround sound on the HD channel (i.e. 104 and 107).

Season passes only record from the channels you create them on. If you want to record House in high-definition, you need to create your season pass for House on the FOX HD channel (i.e. 100-something).

Keep in mind that recordings from HD channels consume 4-6x as much space as recordings from SD channels. Some people record their favorite programs from the HD channel, and the programs they don't really care about from the SD channel, as a means to conserve space. That said, you certainly can remove the SD versions of your channels from the guide under Settings -> Channels -> Channel List.

I removed the SD versions of all channels from my lineup, but then, I also expanded my TivoHD with a 1TB hard drive (157 HD hours), so space isn't really a concern.

[susandennis]

Ok, cool. I'm not concerned with space, just understanding and organization.

So how do I know which channels are HD? Some are obvious, like the 100's. But, others, not so much.

For instance. I watch baseball on channel 30. I have two TiVos hooked to the same TV. One is Series 2, one is HD.

I tune to 30 on both and flip back and forth. It looks different. The HD version looks better. Is that my imagination?

[bkdtv]

Originally Posted by susandennis

So how do I know which channels are HD? Some are obvious, like the 100's. But, others, not so much.

The HD channels almost always include either HD or DT in the channel name or callsign. The SD version of CNN would be "CNN" while the HD version would be "CNNHD." The HD channel numbers are almost always >100; with my provider, the HD channels start at 500.

Originally Posted by susandennis

For instance. I watch baseball on channel 30. I have two TiVos hooked to the same TV. One is Series 2, one is HD.

The Series2 only has an analog tuner. It is not possible to save analog signals to a hard drive, so the Series2 must convert the analog signal into digital (on the fly) for storage -- that results in some quality loss.

Most cable companys now offer digital SD versions of their analog channels. These are the channels you get with the cable company box; these are also the channels you get on a TivoHD with a CableCard installed. Because these channels are digital already, the TiVo can save them directly to the hard drive, as is, preserving quality.

Originally Posted by susandennis

I tune to 30 on both and flip back and forth. It looks different. The HD version looks better. Is that my imagination?

There are analog SD channels, digital SD channels, and digital HD channels. On your Series2, channels <100 are probably analog SD. On your TivoHD, channels <100 are probably digital SD. Again, the actual HD versions are usually >100 and will have HD or DT specified in the channel name.

Note the local networks (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, etc) only offer select programs in HD during the morning and afternoon -- the rest is SD upconverted to HD resolution. The bulk of their HD programming is shown during primetime hours (8-11pm). Cable channels like Discovery HD, FOODHD, TNTHD, and HBOHD do HD around the clock.

If you are using a HDTV, make sure your TivoHD is set to actually output HD. To do that, open Settings -> Video -> Video Output Format and set output to either fixed 720p or fixed 1080i.

[susandennis]

Whew. That's a lot of stuff for a simpleton.

I do get that the channels listed as HD are, actually, HD . It's the ones that aren't listed that way that are confusing.

I think you might be saying that if the channel offers HD, then my HD TiVo will see them in high definition while my Series 2 will not (obviously). So channel 30 spits out the good bits to the HD TiVo and the ordinary ones to the Series 2 all on the same channel number.

I did get the very last part. Thank you! I checked and my HD is set for fixed 1080i.

I think I'll quit worrying about it now...

[gslater]

Nice explanation there, bkdtv. I've been sorting out what I need to know to understand the transition from my current Series 2 DT on regular analog Comcast to Comcast's HD service with a TiVoHD. Your post captured a whole bunch of what I was explaining to my wife the other night. If only I had waited, I could have just shown her your post!