Comcast XFINITY TV → Comcast Philadephia from Late 80s to Early-mid 90s

Does anyone know what channels were on Comcast Cablevision for Northeast Philadelphia between 1987-1997

Known Clues So Far:
Nick and Disney were part of the Initial Lineup on Channels 33 and 34 respectively
Cartoon Network joined in 1994 on Channel 83

Wow they had at least 83 channels back in 1994? We were stuck with 61 until 1998-1999. Only about 50 miles west of Philadelphia.

Cartoon Network was one of the 5 Channels added in 1994

Remember MTV on channel 13

And VH1 on 14.

That was Before AMC was on 14

I remember those service plans like cable guard. And no they didn’t mean the brand of house boxes either.

What was "cable guard?"

My memory fails me.

Like insurance. Think DirecTV protection plan. Something goes wrong the truck roll is free.

Wow. Who would have believed Comcast ever LOWERED rates and fees!

IIRC HBO was on 26 and MAX, TMC and SHO were in the late 40s+50

local sports channel and diseny need to be add on channels again!

THE HD TECHNOLOGY FEE NEEDS TYO DSAPPEAR ALONG WITH SD DUPLICATES OF ANY HD CHANNEL.

LET GRANNY UPGRADE!

KYW on 3
WPVI on 6
WCAU on 10
WHYY on 12

The VHF Stations in the City that loves you back are still on their VHF Channel Positions with the UHF Stations on different positions

I don't get why there are any SD feeds anymore, just let it down convert it at the device if you still have a SD box

I think many of the earlier (non-HD) DTAs can't decode HD streams.

Also, I'm figuring that when Comcast gradually begins eliminating Video QAM carriers and moving more and more HD channels to IP, they will just leave a few Video QAMs with the SD versions on them. Any TV service subscribers with legacy boxes that still want HD will then be told that they'll have to upgrade to a newer IP-capable or streamer box.

With the amount of compression that Comcast currently uses, I think they can fit 15 to 20 SD channels on a video 256QAM carrier now, so only a few QAMs would need to be left to continue to provide just those (non-IP) SD channels to remaining legacy DTAs and DTAs.

The antennaman found a ATSC 1.0 channel offering numerous 4k and 1080p streams in one 19.2 mbps feed.

»youtu.be/_t_GN8qPf8g

The compression Comcast uses is terrible. Could you imagine double in a 38.8 mbps channel?

The old SD-only DTAs could do only QAM MPEG2 4x3 480i signals.

The iGuide boxes could do QAM MPEG2, both SD and HD, but not IP channels nor MPEG4.

TiVo boxes with CableCARDs can handle QAM, both SD and HD; depending on the model, they may be MPEG2 only or both MPEG2 and MPEG4. None of them can handle IP channels because Comcast has chosen to neither disclose the code to receive IP-only channels nor have written a routine for TiVo that could handle it.

X1 coax-connected boxes (and X1 boxes that operate as satellite boxes to select X1 boxes) can handle QAM (SD & HD) and IP channels.

X1 boxes that use WiFi but do not run as satellite boxes as well as the Stream Portal (via the Xfinity website) and the Stream App on various streaming boxes (such as the Roku).

A number of the newer channels are already IP-only, and some of the existing channels are becoming IP-only. Also, fairly recently the VoD channels became IP-only. This means a number of channels and VoD can be received only by X1 boxes and streaming apps and the streaming portal.

I read somewhere that Comcast is starting to send channels from the regional centers as IP-only, and the head-ends need QAM they have to do the conversions.

Until most of the users of SD-only DTAs, the iGuide boxes, and CableCARD users (such as TiVo) are moved over to X1 or the Stream App, I am sure Xfinity will keep selected QAM channels around for a while. I also suspect the primary subchannels of the local channels will be around the longest because using QAM for channels that are watched live by multiple households is more efficient than using a bunch of separate IP streams ... unless Xfinity is set up to use multicast IP for those channels.

But I suspect most of the premium channels, most of the cable networks, and the diginets will be phased out of QAM and be available only by IP-only to make room for more Internet bandwidth as well as cut back on double-maintenance (support and broadcasting both IP and QAM through the cable).

Before all the digital they used traps around here.

Eventually they took all the traps off and you could sometimes fine them by poles. After the system was rebuilt, all the premiums were moved to ch65-83 ish and analog scrambled. Once the return path was cleaned up they offered modems by Com 21, Scientific Atlanta Webstar, RCA, Terayon - companies that were absorbed into other companies or just don’t exist or make modems anymore. Eventually the Motorola DCT-2000 was released and only those analog scrambled channels were digital simulcast. It was the mid to late 2000’s when a full digital simulcast of all analog channels created a big stir here. A lot of anticipation posts about that, about blue iGuide upgrades (the tan one was horrible), etc.

1mbps internet to now 2gbps. The industries changed so much. I remember asking why don’t they do higher order QAM modulation. I was told that’s impossible and NO WAY. Well they do it now in OFDM (4k QAM for example).

People were asking why doesn’t any other cable provider expand and build into our area and give us options. We were all told that would NEVER happen. It’s too expensive to build a system. I wish I could have used a Time Machine and send those naysayers pictures of what’s going on today. Comcast has and continues to expand, and in some parts we have two HFC cable operators, a FTTH isp, 5G wireless, Starlink, etc. Wow times have changed.

Can Anyone find out what was on the comcast lineup before 1998?

i do remember that until they moved MTV to Channel 68

Does Anyone Know any channel lineups from Comcast Philadelphia pre 1998

I also Accept Wade Cablevision, Suburban Cable, Adelphia, Garden State Cable and Greater Philadelphia Cablevision/Greater Media Cable