Comcast X1 plus Robo Calls (July 2017)

Technology Tips – Published July 2017 in the Guide and Digest

By Don Trauger – Kennett

 

  1. Watching Channel 20 with a Comcast Xfinity X1 Box

  2. Block Annoying Robo Calls

 

Viewing Channel 20 with a Xfinity X1 TV set top box remains a problem based on resident input coming in to Channel 20. The following information was printed in the June 2016 issue of the Guide & Digest and has been updated where necessary.

 

Many of you have contacted Channel 20 saying you can’t receive our channel after having Comcast install their newest model, the Xfinity X1 box. Although we are not in position to solve TV problems (that’s best left to Comcast), the fact that our own channel was not viewable got our attention. The difficulty lies in the set up of the X1 box. The problem is that when you input “20” on the remote and press OK you end up watching HSN in HD mode. The following are instructions to change a setting in the X1 box to allow you to view Channel 20.

 

  1. Press the Xfinity button on the remote and using the right arrow button, navigate to the “Gear” button at the far right. Press OK.
  2. Using the down arrow button, go to Preferences and press OK.
  3. Go to General and press OK.
  4. Press the down arrow to go to Auto Tune to HD and press OK to turn it off.
  5. Press Exit to end.

 

Now you should be able to input “20” on the remote and receive our channel. But hold on – there are other ways to get 20. If you have the voice activated type remote just say “channel 20”. It will take you there instantly. There’s a third way – just enter “18” into the remote then use the channel up button to go to “19”. Press again for Channel 20.

 

The second part of this article only applies to those of you that have Comcast telephone service along with your Comcast Internet and TV service, usually called the Triple Play. Sorry Verizon customers, you are out of luck until June of 2018.

 

Go to https://www.nomorobo.com/. This free service will interact with your incoming phone calls and determine if they are robo calls. If they are, they will be blocked from ringing your phone more than once. If you hear only one ring you’ll know that it was a robo call and Nomorobo is doing its job. Once at the Nomorobo site click the “Get Started Now” button to create your free account. In Step 1, under “Choose your landline carrier”, choose Comcast XFINITY. In Step 2 enter your email address. When you press Next, you will receive further instructions via an email sent to you. In the email message click “Click Here to Setup Nomorobo”. Login into your account to complete the setup. You will also need to get into your Comcast Voice preferences to add the Nomorobo phone number to divert any robo calls. If you encounter any problems you can click Questions on the main Nomorobo screen, then click Nomorobo Setup and choose Comcast. I’ve been using this service for almost 2 years and it blocks virtually all robo calls without interfering with normal calls.

 

 

The PC Club meetings are open to all regardless of computer experience. If you have questions that need to be answered, be sure to attend on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 7 PM upstairs in the Community Center.