# Comcast on demand **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 26, 2014, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-on-demand/689305 "2014-05-26T19:55:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-on-demand/689305/1 "2014-05-26T19:55:34Z")
Comcast users: Does one need a DVR to use On Demand? We can’t make the darn thing work, and won’t have a DVR until Tuesday evening. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-on-demand/689305/2 "2014-05-26T20:01:40Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Comcast users: Does one need a DVR to use On Demand? > We can’t make the darn thing work, and won’t have a DVR until Tuesday evening. I don’t seem to need a DVR to use CC on demand. It’s pretty much the only way I watch first-run network shows nowadays, and there’s no DVR on the TV in my home office. Do you have the big box? ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-on-demand/689305/3 "2014-05-26T20:04:12Z")
No. What works for us is: Turn everything off. Then turn on your television. Then turn on your cable. Then hit the on demand button. Otherwise, it doesn’t work. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-on-demand/689305/4 "2014-05-26T20:52:12Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Do you have the big box? Since I’ve seen only one, I don’t know. It’s about 10" x 7" x 2". ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-on-demand/689305/5 "2014-05-26T20:54:03Z")
> [@susan](#): > > No. What works for us is: Turn everything off. Then turn on your television. Then turn on your cable. Then hit the on demand button. Otherwise, it doesn’t work. That didn’t work. I have options of “mark watched” and “series info”. I will corner the installer when he puts the DVR in tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-on-demand/689305/6 "2014-05-26T20:58:34Z")
You don’t need a DVR, but you do need a cable box or an adapter box from Comcast. If you have a unit that Comcast provided and that comes with its own remote that Comcast provided, that should be it. If you don’t have an ON DEMAND button on your remote (or it doesn’t work), try tuning the cable/adapter box to Channel 1. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-on-demand/689305/7 "2014-05-26T21:00:18Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Comcast users: Does one need a DVR to use On Demand? > We can’t make the darn thing work, and won’t have a DVR until Tuesday evening. No you shouldn’t need one. I have two older boxes on my upstairs TVs and use On Demand all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-on-demand/689305/8 "2014-05-26T21:00:21Z")
We don’t own a DVR and On Demand works fine for us. I wouldn’t begin to guess how to troubleshoot it since we just press the On Demand button on the remote and it works. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-on-demand/689305/9 "2014-05-27T13:39:41Z")
Does your subscription include it? Not all tiers have it. You also need a suitable box. The simpler DTAs won’t do. But, as mentioned, waaay back when, we did On-demand sans DVR. (And once we got our DVR we forgot about it.) Motorola DCT2000 which is quite old fashioned now. Comcast recently came out with On-demand for TiVo Premieres and later. Tried it out. Meh. Having to sit thru ads and titles to watch _Cosmos_? No fast forward at all? No thanks. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-on-demand/689305/10 "2014-05-27T13:58:57Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Does your subscription include it? Not all tiers have it. You also need a suitable box. The simpler DTAs won’t do. > > But, as mentioned, waaay back when, we did On-demand sans DVR. (And once we got our DVR we forgot about it.) Motorola DCT2000 which is quite old fashioned now. > > Comcast recently came out with On-demand for TiVo Premieres and later. Tried it out. Meh. Having to sit thru ads and titles to watch _Cosmos_? No fast forward at all? No thanks. That’s usually network specific - Fox always disables FF and keeps most of the ads in their shows. Lots of other networks don’t. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-on-demand/689305/11 "2014-05-28T01:40:35Z")
With Skald’s big box, we have a DVR and On Demand. Penny Dreadful. Kewl! Thanks, all.