Comments on: Pushing Buttons: Comcast’s “Key Queuing”

By: cameron

cameron — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 20:17:51 +0000

Wow… can’t believe this problem is still going on. Key queueing used to be an intermittent issue that I just accepted. Never had it last more than a few minutes here and there. Now, for the last 2 days, the box has been continually key-queueing, and just lagged to all hell. The only button that responds properly is the volume control. It required a hard reboot to fix (power down and unplug, not just power down). This is really unacceptable. I wish they would fix things.

By: lylehm

lylehm — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 03:16:13 +0000

Wow. Pushing two years since I poseted here.
Looks like that key queuing issue still exists.
Not long after my post, I picked up a refurbished Tivo Series 3 with lifetime service. Sure, it was expensive. But, my Comcast bill dropped so much that my ROI is only about two years.
Kudos to Comcast for providing the cable cards with no monthly cost.
I am truly amazed at how terrible the Comcast supplied DVR is when compared to the Tivo.

By: ArJuna

ArJuna — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:30:53 +0000

I’ve had the Comcast key queuing problem for years. As of now SEPT 2009 it is still a major problem. The excuse that the processor is too busy to respond to the key presses is BS because I have seen the problem happen when I am simply watching a show in real time and had no other recording or anything going on in the background.
I just saw a Verizon tech on my street and he said they are in the process of running FIOS to my neighborhood. I am so ready to switch.

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 00:20:46 +0000

We live in a former Adelphia area. Have had the same DVR for years, no problems, until Comcast came in. This key queuing problem just started appearing on one of the DVR boxes after a Comcast firmware update. When Verizon quits astroturfing and starts installing FIOS to the masses, I’ll probably switch in a heartbeat. The prices have nearly doubled since Comcast took over, and the quality has nose dived.

By: John

John — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 04:06:10 +0000

It is now December 2008 and I still get key queuing issues. A pain in the freaking ass. I once paid for a movie on OnDemand that I didn’t want to watch because of it. Thankfully I watched it anyway and kind of enjoyed it.

By: In Defense of Cable « NewTeeVee

In Defense of Cable « NewTeeVee — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:47:59 +0000

[...] wrong. Cable is far from perfect. I’ve had to deal with Comcast’s really dumb DVR and key queuing issues, and the company has announced it’s raising its rates again in November (at which point [...]

By: lylehm

lylehm — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:28:45 +0000

Frederick, MD – Comcast DCH6416 sw-74.53, fw18.34:
July 2008 and the key queuing problem still exists along with recording problems (hiccups and time synch only on recorded material, not live).
This has been going on for years and continues to get worse. My guess is that Comcast executives don’t watch TV, or they have FIOS. No exec worth his salt would let this go on for so long.
I have one friend that abandoned Comcast CATV and now uses his PC to stream the shows from the web to his TV. It won’t be long before I follow suit, or use the new TV/Movie service coming soon to my PS3.
If they eliminated that annoying ad banner at the bottom of the guide (which I use to collect names of companies I will never buy from) I may give them an extra month before I jump ship.

By: Stupid Comcast DVR Spoils Lost « NewTeeVee

Stupid Comcast DVR Spoils Lost « NewTeeVee — Fri, 30 May 2008 16:16:46 +0000

[...] issue with your set top boxes, two separate plot points from the show were ruined. It’s the same problem we’ve written about before, and it’s getting [...]

By: Why I Can’t Break Up With Cable « NewTeeVee

Why I Can’t Break Up With Cable « NewTeeVee — Tue, 27 May 2008 10:04:21 +0000

[...] of cable. It’s all right there at literally the touch of a button. It always works (well, almost always), I have a DVR built-in and On-Demand movies to rent. All the channels I want are available, [...]

By: gonavy

gonavy — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 14:38:38 +0000

Prior to Comcast (Chicago), I have Wide Open West (WOW) in Detroit Metro area – Same box, but much faster response and far superior in service. Been thinking about switching to Direct TV

By: crashBlog : Comcast DVR Problems

crashBlog : Comcast DVR Problems — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 16:37:05 +0000

[...] enough to make me spit nails. Oh sure, we run into the same problems as everyone else — key queueing, recorded shows chopped into two or three parts, unbelievable delays when the box reboots, and [...]

By: John B.

John B. — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 20:17:49 +0000

I have had my Motorola 6412 for over 4 years. During ~2 of those years my cable provider was Adelphia. During that time the DVR worked fine and we never had any key queuing problems with the box. Once Comcast took over and actually changed to the Comcast lineup (I miss HDNet and HDNet Moveis) the DVR exhibited this behavior and other “bugs” that we never had before. Same box, different company, new problems. Clearly there was no hardware problem. If only I could get FiOS in my area :-(

By: James Whitney

James Whitney — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 07:13:30 +0000

I’ve had Comcast for about 6 months now, and have had this problem way too many times. The only reason I even got Comcast was because I moved into an apartment that faced north, otherwise I would have kept my Dish HD DVR. I had no problems with my Dish hardware, not to mention the the Hard Drive was bigger and I could store more stuff.

To me, this just has to be a software problem, and makes me wonder if the got any tips from Microsoft in making unresponsive bloated software.

If it weren’t for the On-Demand content for my kids, i would have dropped Comcast a long time ago. I’m looking forward to moving into a place that I can get my satellite back.

By: James Cates

James Cates — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 21:38:02 +0000

Before we moved to PA and got Comcast, we lived in SE Virginia and had cable service from Cox. We had the same Motorola 6412 DVR in VA, but Cox’s software at the time was FAR superior – it was by Star something or other. Each episode and run of a show had a code like a TV Guide code; every showing was unique and the box just worked fine. The software was much more responsive, as well.

For about 6 months, before we got Comcast at our home in PA, we had Dish and their HD DVR. I have to say that we miss it terribly. That was the best box and software we’ve ever used.

By: Michael Durwin

Michael Durwin — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 14:24:23 +0000

I’ve noticed the same issue one venings when I’m watching live TV or when I’m watching DVR’d stuff. I’ve had stalled OnDemand movies or glitches in video and audio. I’ve turned on my TV to find that, of the three pages of stuff I had recorded and was saving to watch, all but one have been deleted. I’m thinking of just hooking up an AppleTV to my TV and getting NetFlix and Hulu running.

By: chopchic

chopchic — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 20:55:05 +0000

Here it is, March 1, and still no fix for the key queuing problem!!!!!