Xfinity 4k - XG1v4 Cable Box Availability

[hbwone]

I find it easiest to give your remote a verbal command.  "Show me 4k"  And the available 4k content of the Olympics pops up. There's not much there yet.

[slydoggie]

---

wrote:

I have received my XG1v4 4K box and have performed some testing to compare the video quality I get from multiple display resolution settings. Following are my findings:

1. If I select one of the 4K settings, the XG1v4 outputs 4K to the TV at all times, regardless of the original content resolution. In other words, the cable box is upscaling everything to 4K regardless of the content... Even for regular 1080p station broadcasts. I know this because my projector has an information screen which shows the resolution of the input it is receiving.
2. If I select the 1080p or 1080i display setting, the video I receive is significantly better... Better contrast and better clarity. This is because I have the XG1v4 installed in my Home Theater and it is connected to a high-end 4K projector which does an amazing job of 4K upscaling of 1080p content to my 145" screen. In this case, it certainly does a far better job of 4K upscaling than the XG1v4 box does.
3. If I select one of the 4K settings, Netflix doesn't show the UHD content. Even the Netflix content which should be UHD (like House of Cards, Stranger Things, and etc) shows up as HD 5.1 rather than UHD. I also tried unplugging the power after selecting the 4K display option in order to reset the XG1v4 box. That didn't help.
4. If I select one of the 4K settings, I'm still not seeing any 4K Olympics options in the Olympics On Demand. I don't know if this content has shown up yet so it may not be there for anybody at this point. I also tried unplugging the power after selecting the 4K display option in order to reset the XG1v4 box. That didn't help.
5. As a side item, I was surprised by the fact that all of my DVR recordings showed up on the new unit. Before I replaced my previous DVR, I did the "SYNC" option in the settings. When I installed the new 4K box, all of my recordings are accessible. I assume that everything was synced in the cloud and that is what made this possible.

Based on these findings, until there is native 4K content, it appears that I am better off leaving the display setting at 1080p60 so that my projector can do the upscaling of the 1080p content. I was really hoping that it would output the original resolution for everything... 1080p for 1080p content and 4K for 4K content. This is a huge disappointment as I was looking forward to using this box for broadcast 4K.

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Now that I have viewed the Olympics in native 4K resolution, I have one more comment to add to my previous comments:

1. Although my projector is a high end Sony projector (VPL-VW1100ES), it was "pre HDR" so it doesn't support HDR. If my testing is any indication, it appears that the XG1v4 does a very bad job of supporting non-HDR 4K displays. In my case, the 4K Olympics Opening Ceremony is extremely washed out on my projector, which is typically very bright and crisp on 4K content. The same HD version of Opening Ceremony viewed with the 1080p60 setting then upscaled to 4K by my projector is much more crisp and has much better contrast.

The net here is that it appears that, if you don't have a HDR capable 4K TV or Projector, your results may not be what you are expecting. Hopefully others who have non-HDR setups can do their own testing and either confirm or dispute my findings. I hope that there might be future firmware updates to the unit which will do a better job of supporting SDR.

The good news is thatk, even though the 4K part isn't working that well for me, it seems to be a little snappier than the previous DVR so I certainly haven't taken a step backwards... Just not as much of a step forward as I was hoping for.

[Happy138]

I would like to get XG1v4 box to watch the Olympics in UHD and my local office does not have it.  Please help me.  Thanks.

[MNtundraRET]

hbwone:

I understand now that you are reading the signal from the 4K DVR box.

With my Samsung TV I would have expected the 4K box to show the channel resolution that was either "recorded" or passed through the box to the television. Example: a football game on FOX channel would be (720 x 480) / 60p, a football game on CBS or NBC would be (1920 x 1080) / 60i. Almost all of use would never watch a show down in the channel 100 range since they are only SD (4:3 screen) in only 480p. I don't have the 4K DVR or X1 series cable-box so I cannot test it.

But it is quite possible that the DVR blocks the original channel signal (i.e. ... (720 x 480) / 60i ) passing through since it actually recorded a short period and viewed on time delay. That might leave you seeing the signal you set the DVR up to record in.

By the way; everyone should realize the best signal you will ever see is the original broadcast. A recorded program can be degraded some by the quality of the equipment recording it. The same said with futher possible degrading at replay time.

[slydoggie]

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wrote:

hbwone:

I understand now that you are reading the signal from the 4K DVR box.

With my Samsung TV I would have expected the 4K box to show the channel resolution that was either "recorded" or passed through the box to the television. Example: a football game on FOX channel would be (720 x 480) / 60p, a football game on CBS or NBC would be (1920 x 1080) / 60i. Almost all of use would never watch a show down in the channel 100 range since they are only SD (4:3 screen) in only 480p. I don't have the 4K DVR or X1 series cable-box so I cannot test it.

But it is quite possible that the DVR blocks the original channel signal (i.e. ... (720 x 480) / 60i ) passing through since it actually recorded a short period and viewed on time delay. That might leave you seeing the signal you set the DVR up to record in.

By the way; everyone should realize the best signal you will ever see is the original broadcast. A recorded program can be degraded some by the quality of the equipment recording it. The same said with futher possible degrading at replay time.

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As I previously reported, in my case, the XG1v4 is passing all signals at the resolution you set up in the display resolution choices. If I choose 4K for that resolution, then the signal being sent to my Projector is a 4K signal regardless of what the resolution of the original content was. The original video quality is "upscaled" to 4K so the quality of what you see will vary greatly depending on the original resolution of the content.

[cldlhd]

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wrote:

Has anybody seen any Olympics 4K content On Demand yet? I have my Xg1v4 set with a 4K display setting but I'm not yet seeting any 4K Olympics On Demand listings. I'm also not seeing any UHD options in Netflix either, although I get Netflix 4K on both my Sony X800 4K Bluray as well as my Roku 4. Both of them show a UHD section which doesn't show up on the XG1v4 box.

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When I said "show me 4k" into the voice search I got 4k Olympics and my LG OLED had the "HDR" popup come up in the corner which shows it's receiving an HDR signal.

[cldlhd]

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wrote:

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wrote:

I have received my XG1v4 4K box and have performed some testing to compare the video quality I get from multiple display resolution settings. Following are my findings:

1. If I select one of the 4K settings, the XG1v4 outputs 4K to the TV at all times, regardless of the original content resolution. In other words, the cable box is upscaling everything to 4K regardless of the content... Even for regular 1080p station broadcasts. I know this because my projector has an information screen which shows the resolution of the input it is receiving.
2. If I select the 1080p or 1080i display setting, the video I receive is significantly better... Better contrast and better clarity. This is because I have the XG1v4 installed in my Home Theater and it is connected to a high-end 4K projector which does an amazing job of 4K upscaling of 1080p content to my 145" screen. In this case, it certainly does a far better job of 4K upscaling than the XG1v4 box does.
3. If I select one of the 4K settings, Netflix doesn't show the UHD content. Even the Netflix content which should be UHD (like House of Cards, Stranger Things, and etc) shows up as HD 5.1 rather than UHD. I also tried unplugging the power after selecting the 4K display option in order to reset the XG1v4 box. That didn't help.
4. If I select one of the 4K settings, I'm still not seeing any 4K Olympics options in the Olympics On Demand. I don't know if this content has shown up yet so it may not be there for anybody at this point. I also tried unplugging the power after selecting the 4K display option in order to reset the XG1v4 box. That didn't help.
5. As a side item, I was surprised by the fact that all of my DVR recordings showed up on the new unit. Before I replaced my previous DVR, I did the "SYNC" option in the settings. When I installed the new 4K box, all of my recordings are accessible. I assume that everything was synced in the cloud and that is what made this possible.

Based on these findings, until there is native 4K content, it appears that I am better off leaving the display setting at 1080p60 so that my projector can do the upscaling of the 1080p content. I was really hoping that it would output the original resolution for everything... 1080p for 1080p content and 4K for 4K content. This is a huge disappointment as I was looking forward to using this box for broadcast 4K.

---

Now that I have viewed the Olympics in native 4K resolution, I have one more comment to add to my previous comments:

1. Although my projector is a high end Sony projector (VPL-VW1100ES), it was "pre HDR" so it doesn't support HDR. If my testing is any indication, it appears that the XG1v4 does a very bad job of supporting non-HDR 4K displays. In my case, the 4K Olympics Opening Ceremony is extremely washed out on my projector, which is typically very bright and crisp on 4K content. The same HD version of Opening Ceremony viewed with the 1080p60 setting then upscaled to 4K by my projector is much more crisp and has much better contrast.

The net here is that it appears that, if you don't have a HDR capable 4K TV or Projector, your results may not be what you are expecting. Hopefully others who have non-HDR setups can do their own testing and either confirm or dispute my findings. I hope that there might be future firmware updates to the unit which will do a better job of supporting SDR.

The good news is thatk, even though the 4K part isn't working that well for me, it seems to be a little snappier than the previous DVR so I certainly haven't taken a step backwards... Just not as much of a step forward as I was hoping for.

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I was wondering about this with my LG 4k OLED. I have the xg1v4 set to 4k output but was thinking about setting it to 1080p or 1080i and seeing if the tv does a better job upscaling.

[ECroce0657]

Posting so I can PM @ComcastElla

[Durangok]

Same thing happened to me.  I called Comcast and they told me they have the new box at a location about 25 minutes distant.  I drove there and they do not have them and have not recently.  It will come by mail, but I wasted 2 hours and a gallon of gas due to incorrect information provided by the call center.

[RJG1]

I'm an x1 customer and they charged me $20/no for the box😞

[hbwone]

I've noticed some of the Olympic 4k programming looks washed out and too bright on my Samsung 4k TV.  Other Olympic programs look decent but not as good as they should be.  Netflix and Youtube look awesome in 4k so it has to be the way Comcast renders the Olympic programming for on-demand viewing. 

[CCElla]

@RJG1 - We don't apply these charges manually, the billing system applies them automatically. When you get a new box, you technically have 2 boxes on the account until you return the old box. As soon as you return the box, the system will prorate the charge. 

[Grizzly1010]

I also spoke to an Xfinity rep on the phone and was told I could get a 4K x1 box at my local store. I just went to the xfinity store and was told I would have to call to order the 4K box and pay for installation which is ridiculous. Can someone help me get a 4K x1 box?

[Andrew9]

I need one of these

[Waltmos]

Need to post to request swap of HD DVR for ArrisXG1 4K unit

[Waltmos]

What is a PM how do I get a 4K unit

[Rustyben]

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wrote:
What is a PM how do I get a 4K unit

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select page one at the top or bottom of this thread and follow the answer to the first post. 

[tinkspank]

Hi Zach,
I’d love to get a xg1v4 but I can’t seem to PM any of the Xfinity employees posting here...
Thanks!
Ahhh, you need to post before given the chance to send a pm... got it!

[RobertWy]

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wrote:

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wrote:

hbwone:

I understand now that you are reading the signal from the 4K DVR box.

With my Samsung TV I would have expected the 4K box to show the channel resolution that was either "recorded" or passed through the box to the television. Example: a football game on FOX channel would be (720 x 480) / 60p, a football game on CBS or NBC would be (1920 x 1080) / 60i. Almost all of use would never watch a show down in the channel 100 range since they are only SD (4:3 screen) in only 480p. I don't have the 4K DVR or X1 series cable-box so I cannot test it.

But it is quite possible that the DVR blocks the original channel signal (i.e. ... (720 x 480) / 60i ) passing through since it actually recorded a short period and viewed on time delay. That might leave you seeing the signal you set the DVR up to record in.

By the way; everyone should realize the best signal you will ever see is the original broadcast. A recorded program can be degraded some by the quality of the equipment recording it. The same said with futher possible degrading at replay time.

---

As I previously reported, in my case, the XG1v4 is passing all signals at the resolution you set up in the display resolution choices. If I choose 4K for that resolution, then the signal being sent to my Projector is a 4K signal regardless of what the resolution of the original content was. The original video quality is "upscaled" to 4K so the quality of what you see will vary greatly depending on the original resolution of the content.

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On Demand is definitely not recorded in 4k.

[KK_in_CT]

Some of the Olympics on demand is.  It's in 4K HDR and in Atmos as well.  It's definitely quite limited but there is some there.  It does look great, however they are sporting events so not ideal candidates to watch on demand 24 hours after they have occurred and you have to scroll down past their results to get to them in the Xfinity area of the menu screens in some cases (past the medal counts, etc)...

With regards to some of the other comments above, my guess is that if you set your box to 1080, it will not pass the 4K signal, but I have not tried this yet with the Olympics on demand offerings or Netflix.  I would prefer if there were a "Native" video setting so that our TV's could do the upscaling however that doesn't seem to be an option with Xfinity like it is with DirecTV?

[CraigInStockton]

The problem is that you are existing customer,,,

Apparently, xFinity spent 7.7 billion dollars to cover the Winter Olympics and are using this to promote their 4K broadcasts.  Sounds good right?  Looked into it and was able to determine that my X1 box needed to be swapped out to watch the various 4K broadcasts.  So I tried to contact customer service--  via online chat.  After 2 attempts, gave up and had them call me back--  autobot did immediately but lost me on transfer.  Tried again, got connected with customer service representative.  She listened to my needs and was able to confirm that my local store did have the 4K X1 boxes (in fact there were 40 of them).  I asked if she could reserve one of them for me and she said she was able to do so.  I drove over to the store (with my X1 box, power cord and remote) and had to figure out their protocol-- had to sign in and wait for a representative.  About 45 minutes later, spoke with a young man who was interested in what type of 4K TV I had.

I explained that I had reserved a 4K X1 box in an earlier call to the 800 support center.  He went in a door to a back room for about 5 minutes and came back telling me that their store did not have any 4K boxes.  He knew nothing about my reserved box.

I was livid--  then I realized that this is typical for existing customers.

As I was driving home, contacted the 800 number again, told her my story and was able to order a box through the mail.  Explained my story, and expressed that I would like an explanation of how this misservice could have happened...   We'll see,

[chgopd]

Posting for PM rights.

[4fclubmf]

I have confirmed what slydoggie talked about when viewing Olympic 4k content on pre-hdr tv.  I have a 2015 vizio p-series and the video appears washout.  My 4k Roku does the same thing when i play a 4k hdr video through my HDMI 2.0 port.  I read carefully the requirements for 4k viewing of Olympics and it does say 4k hdr tv.  My Samsung 4k blue ray player does convert the 4k hdr video to 4k sdr perfectly when viewing 4k video files with hdr

[GTOGreg]

Posting to see if I get PM rights to request a 4K X1 box...

[Rustyben]

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wrote:

I have confirmed what slydoggie talked about when viewing Olympic 4k content on pre-hdr tv.  I have a 2015 vizio p-series and the video appears washout.  My 4k Roku does the same thing when i play a 4k hdr video through my HDMI 2.0 port.  I read carefully the requirements for 4k viewing of Olympics and it does say 4k hdr tv.  My Samsung 4k blue ray player does convert the 4k hdr video to 4k sdr perfectly when viewing 4k video files with hdr

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4k needs HDMI HDCP 2.2  maybe?

[4fclubmf]

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wrote:

I have confirmed what slydoggie talked about when viewing Olympic 4k content on pre-hdr tv.  I have a 2015 vizio p-series and the video appears washout.  My 4k Roku does the same thing when i play a 4k hdr video through my HDMI 2.0 port.  I read carefully the requirements for 4k viewing of Olympics and it does say 4k hdr tv.  My Samsung 4k blue ray player does convert the 4k hdr video to 4k sdr perfectly when viewing 4k video files with hdr

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Also I did confirm i can play 4k netflix shows thru the xg1v4 box with no problems.  If i change it to one of my none hdmi 2.0 ports then I will only get HD for that show.

[CCAndrew]

Also I did confirm i can play 4k netflix shows thru the xg1v4 box with no problems. If i change it to one of my none hdmi 2.0 ports then I will only get HD for that show.
___________
That is true

[hbwone]

RobertWy wrote:

"On Demand is definitely not recorded in 4k."

My upgraded Samsung TV supports HDMI 2.0, HDCP 2.2, and the VP9 and HEVC codecs.  When viewing the Olympics in 4k from Comcast, some of the earlier recorded content remains over exposed or washed out and other content looks fine.  Today's recorded figure skating looks awesome.

This leads me to believe it is the manner in which Comcast rendered the recordings to on-demand.  As others have mentioned, Netflix and Youtube look great in 4k-- it's only some of the Comcast recorded material that is not up to par.

[jgmccready]

I was able to call the 1-800-comcast and ordered on as follows - highlights below:

- rep confirmed my area/account could have 4k

- confirmed my info to send  the new 4k DVR  to me and would get it in 3 to 5 business days

- once received I could send my old X1 DVR back via UPS or go to my local comcast store where they could first transfer my recorded shows from my old DVR to the new one (we'll see how that works!)

- rep recommended that I get the 4k dvr shipped to me as to not to trust that the local store would have inventory (really!)

- charge for the UPS shipping was said to be $15 but then the rep said he did not see an invoice so maybe I will not get charged

- also asked for and will get shipped the latest internet gateway (cable modem) at no charge. We'll see if it works better than that last new model I got, which did not work right and had to be exchanged for the old model.

[hbwone]

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KK_in_CT wrote:

Some of the Olympics on demand is.  It's in 4K HDR and in Atmos as well.  It's definitely quite limited but there is some there.  It does look great, however they are sporting events so not ideal candidates to watch on demand 24 hours after they have occurred and you have to scroll down past their results to get to them in the Xfinity area of the menu screens in some cases (past the medal counts, etc)...

With regards to some of the other comments above, my guess is that if you set your box to 1080, it will not pass the 4K signal, but I have not tried this yet with the Olympics on demand offerings or Netflix.  I would prefer if there were a "Native" video setting so that our TV's could do the upscaling however that doesn't seem to be an option with Xfinity like it is with DirecTV?

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As you mention, I experimented and set my XG1v4 to 1080p and then tried viewing some of the 4k Olympic content.  The XG1v4 system said I had the incorrect resolution set and offered to reset it to the correct resolution.   

[slydoggie]

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wrote:

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wrote:

I have confirmed what slydoggie talked about when viewing Olympic 4k content on pre-hdr tv.  I have a 2015 vizio p-series and the video appears washout.  My 4k Roku does the same thing when i play a 4k hdr video through my HDMI 2.0 port.  I read carefully the requirements for 4k viewing of Olympics and it does say 4k hdr tv.  My Samsung 4k blue ray player does convert the 4k hdr video to 4k sdr perfectly when viewing 4k video files with hdr

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4k needs HDMI 2.2  maybe?

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Actually, you need HDCP 2.2 (not to be confused with HDMI) as that provides the 4K copyright encryption protection. I don't know if you need it for streaming but it is definitely a requirement for 4K Bluray players.

[CCElla]

Hello all,

Please note, I try to submit each request as soon as possible. I don't ignore any private messages I receive, however, if you don't get a response from me within 1-2 days - I could be not in the office. If you would like to get a response immediately you can call 1-800-XFINITY and submit your request. 

My apologies for the inconvenience. 

Have a wonderful day 🙂 

[bjfigjam]

I have the new 4K DVR on order. When I get it, what can I do to insure NOT losing my existing recordings (which of course I will not be able to watch before the swap)?

[CCElla]

@bjfigjam - You should get most of your recordings on your new box via the streaming from the Cloud. 

[CCAndrew]

You will be able to access the last 60 hours of recordings, anything past that will be lost

[Rustyben]

adding... you can use the stream app and view recordings to see the recordings currently in the could. Same would apply using the web browser and the streaming TV website.

[Tsadar35]

Looking to upgrade to the 4K box to support new TV. However every time I stop by local store to upgrade they say there are none in stock and phone rep will not provide info on store inventory.

[Rustyben]

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wrote:
Looking to upgrade to the 4K box to support new TV. However every time I stop by local store to upgrade they say there are none in stock and phone rep will not provide info on store inventory.

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go to this post http://forums.xfinity.com/t5/Customer-Service/Xfinity-4k-XG1v4-Cable-Box-Availability/m-p/3041217/hi... that is in this same thread and follow the directions there.

[andyat1217]

Just received my 4K STB (DVR, receiver).Hooked very easily and some channels are looking better,and some HD channels actually look worse.For some reason quite a few Channels on Comcast looked washed out,very poor picture quality.A matter of fact even our local channels on Cable looked washed out.Its an easy compare as I can use my indoor antenae to receive my locals and will switch over to OTA for quite a big picture difference.My tv is a Vizio 4k and now receiver is suppossed to upconvert to 4K but not all channels in HD will upconvert enough to make a difference.Even Netflix on Comcast with the 4K box still look terrible,thankfully I use Netflix through the smartapp on my TV and get a legitimate 4K picture(when available).I just want to say if you want a smaller STB the new 4k box  is smaller(but no clock).But not relly worth rushing into getting as you really wont notice a big diiference.And yes I went in 4K device settings and change format to 4K which says best available.Until Comcast quits downgrading signal ,its not worth getting as of now..

[daracne]

Posting to PM.

[WolcottSteve]

Hi All,

I'm a bit confused and hope somebody can help. I'm going to be closing on a new home next Thursday and wanted to have my self-installation kit ready so I can get TV and internet right away. I placed the order online but since there's not currently anybody at my new address to receive it, I spoke with a rep about sending it to my current address instead. He told me he could do so, but not if I wanted the 4K box (which I do). I was told I would need to go to my local store and pick it up instead, and he cancelled the shipment.

From reading here, it sounds like not only can the boxes be shipped, but that it's more likely I'll be able to get one that way than if I go to the store. I'd really like to avoid making multiple trips to the store since it's a bit of a drive, and would prefer to start with the 4K box rather than having to switch it out in the future.

Does anybody have any advice? If I could just get a 4K box sent to my current address that would be ideal. Then I can just bring it over to the new place and install it. Thanks!

[Pski2]

Hi, Can I get a Xfinity 4k - XG1v4 Cable Box shipped to me? Apparently there are none availability in the Denver, CO area Thx

[CCElla]

Hi, @WolcottSteve - Do you currently have active services with us at your current address? If yes - I can ship you a 4K DVR box to your current address. I just need to get your full name, address, and a phone number associated with your account in a private message. Thank you!

[Travis2018]

How to get box mailed to me?

[Pski2]

Hi,

Who do I need to contact at Comcast to get a Xfinity 4k - XG1v4 Cable Box shipped to me. Apprently there are none availability in Denver, CO.

Thx

[pjdusza]

I got one this week by chatting online with a Comcast rep. Took two days to arrive.

[CCElla]

@Pski2 - I posted instructions a couple of times in this post. You can send me your full name, address, and a phone number associated with your account in a private message and I will be happy to assist. 

[cldlhd]

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@andyat1217 wrote:

Just received my 4K STB (DVR, receiver).Hooked very easily and some channels are looking better,and some HD channels actually look worse.For some reason quite a few Channels on Comcast looked washed out,very poor picture quality.A matter of fact even our local channels on Cable looked washed out.Its an easy compare as I can use my indoor antenae to receive my locals and will switch over to OTA for quite a big picture difference.My tv is a Vizio 4k and now receiver is suppossed to upconvert to 4K but not all channels in HD will upconvert enough to make a difference.Even Netflix on Comcast with the 4K box still look terrible,thankfully I use Netflix through the smartapp on my TV and get a legitimate 4K picture(when available).I just want to say if you want a smaller STB the new 4k box  is smaller(but no clock).But not relly worth rushing into getting as you really wont notice a big diiference.And yes I went in 4K device settings and change format to 4K which says best available.Until Comcast quits downgrading signal ,its not worth getting as of now..

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I have and LG OLED 4k and the antenna in the attic also gives a better picture than the xg1v4. Even the wife notices...

[yamato72]

My X1 Gen4 box arrived yesterday and I got it hooked up. I tested 4K display via the Netflix app on X1 and confirmed that it looked OK. I then went searching for 4K Olympics content. I found “Welcome to Pyeongchang” and... nothing else. Started an online chat with an Xfinity rep about the issue, wasted a full hour before he escalated to another agent. That agent understood a little better what I was looking for “Where is the Olympic 4K content?” but another hour with that rep got me nowhere. I still cannot find any replays of anything in 4K. Is there a Comcast employee who can tell me why I have no content?

[CCAndrew]

If you use the Voice Command “4K” it will take you right to the page of available assets.