First, a disclaimer – I recently changed to Comcast Xfinity from DirecTV, and did not become bad Rob Lowe. In fact, I can record more shows at the same time, access many free on demand TV shows, and have blazing Internet speeds.

I’ve also noticed that cable companies have become easier to work with for commercial applications – primarily offering several ways to insert your in-house HD channels into the cable system.

Inserting In-House Programs

Though I’m not a fan of sites forced to use cable boxes throughout their facility, there are sites that have them. In the past year, cable companies have been more open allowing cable boxes to access a few in-house programs. Here’s how the process works:

Many cable providers keep one channel open for local insertion - this eliminates the need for installers to add filters and other gear. When a person enters a Guide number in the their cable box, that number is mapped to a specific physical channel and a specific program in that channel stream.

Local source insertion works the same way, with the integrator using specific QMOD settings to match Guide numbers set aside for this purpose. The settings would be provided by the cable company. In this example, set up the QMOD:

• Set the channel to 97
• In this example, the QMOD would automatically set programs A and B to 97.1 and 97.2 and Program IDs to 1 and 2.
• If a Source ID is required as well, go to the Advanced settings and set the Program A and Program B IDs accordingly, in this example, 1234 and 1235.

When a user enters Guide 1960, the cable box will switch to physical channel 97, and look for virtual channel 97.1, Program ID 1 and Source ID 1234.

The rules for local insertion specs can vary. Some providers may only require the virtual channel number, others may need only the Source ID.

Ask the cable company for the following information:

• Where will the RF input be for my channel (s)
• What should RF level be set to? If the insertion is made after the RF amplifier, you may need a QDA4-45 Cm
• What physical channels(s) should I use?
• What program IDs or virtual channel numbers do we use?
• If there seems to be other requirements no mentioned here, contact CR Support