I also find it difficult to understand how some on this forum can so readily dismiss WPTVDT's HDTV OTA broadcast ineptness. This entire viewing area was equally affected by the two hurricanes. And I'm sure the other WPB stations had many hurricane related problems. The audio sync problems at WPTVDT started long before those two hurricanes hit this area.

This forum will only be effective if those of us that truly care about HDTV OTA broadcasts continue to critique local broadcasters. I only hope the local print media begins to monitor what's been going on with the so called roll-out of local HDTV. WPTVDT should stop advertising it's ability to broadcast HDTV until it can actually provide a stable HD OTA video and audio signal - not an analog signal digitally broadcast. I'd be willing to bet that's not what the FCC had in mind, nor what I bargained for when I purchased my HD equipment. I'm also reasonably certain potential HDTV consumers would be very turned off by WPTVDT's HDTV broadcasts to-date.

Sorry to jump in and interrupt this conversation. I just moved to Lake Worth (Hyperlxuo and Haverhill). I want to run out and get an antenna today, can anyone recommend either an internal or attic antenna that will not need any adjustments after installed?

Antennaweb says small multi-directional, at most I am 10 miles from a transmittor.

Tried finding a Silver Sensor but no stores are carrying them. I was going to run to Radioshack and pick up their 80" attic antenna or get the channelmaster from Lowes (can this be attic mounted??).

Any quick advice much appreciated.

Originally posted by alougher
Sorry to jump in and interrupt this conversation. I just moved to Lake Worth (Hyperlxuo and Haverhill). I want to run out and get an antenna today, can anyone recommend either an internal or attic antenna that will not need any adjustments after installed?

Antennaweb says small multi-directional, at most I am 10 miles from a transmittor.

Tried finding a Silver Sensor but no stores are carrying them. I was going to run to Radioshack and pick up their 80" attic antenna or get the channelmaster from Lowes (can this be attic mounted??).

Any quick advice much appreciated.

I have the RS 80" attic mounted antenna with an amplifier and it works fine for the Palm Beach County stations. From my location in Royal Palm Beach I have it fixed pointing North to pick up WPBF 25-1 (ABC) and every thing else I can get on the back side of the antenna. In Lake Worth you may be able to point South and get the Miami ABC station. Try it first without an amplifier. If you have problems getting a particular station then invest in a good amplifier.

Great job WPEC-DT 12-1 (CBS) with the Colts - Broncos football game today. Flawless HD and Dolby Digital too. Can it be any better?

I have to agree with you there. I purchased a CM antenna from Lowes, fixed it up and for the first time ever saw the game in glorious HD with absolutely no flaws. PERFECK!

Originally posted by alougher
I have to agree with you there. I purchased a CM antenna from Lowes, fixed it up and for the first time ever saw the game in glorious HD with absolutely no flaws. PERFECK!
Good job. Welcome to TV the way it should be. Now the "tweaking" for other channels begins :D

I use a Winegard Sensar bi-directional on my roof to pickup WPB and Miami stations without having to rotate. However, in Lake Worth, you may not be able to pickup Miami stations (nor care). Just finished watching the surprising Green Bay loss. On Miami 7-1, I must add. Their audio seems better than that of 29-1, plus 29-1 just blacked out in me on occasion.

lwhite - I readily dismiss it because it's JUST TV. That's it - it's free entertainment, period. Lordy, where's the perspective ? There are people out there with no homes to live in and we are getting excited that WPTV can't sync audio and video ? Of course I realize this is very much the wrong forum for that opinion, and also that the broadcasters do need this feedback, I will grant you that.

Originally posted by JeffBowser
lwhite - I readily dismiss it because it's JUST TV. That's it - it's free entertainment, period. Lordy, where's the perspective ? There are people out there with no homes to live in and we are getting excited that WPTV can't sync audio and video ? Of course I realize this is very much the wrong forum for that opinion, and also that the broadcasters do need this feedback, I will grant you that.

I don't agree it's just free entertainment! The equipment required certainly isn't free, and the commercial advertising substantially increases the cost of most goods and services we buy. But from your response you wouldn't protest buying items such as a defective pair of snow skis, seats to a sporting event with an impaired view, or an unreliable sports car. I agree HDTV isn't a life altering event, but I doubt many people like being short changed.

Thank you WFLX-DT Fox 29-1 for the Wide-screen presentation of 24. Other than Eric Roby's annoying news briefs it was flawless. 24 has to be one of the best dramas on TV and is shot & directed making the most of the 16 x 9 aspect ratio. It really does have an impact on the overall feel of the series. I can't wait for tomorrows installment.

It must be nice to be able to watch 24 in HD. Us Adelphia users miss out on all Fox and CBS shows.:(

I had almost gone with Adelphia had my wife not brought me home the Samsung 451 receiver (great looking design and picture - grey bars suck btw - who's stupid idea was that?). I couldn't believe how easy it was to hook up. I literally threw the antenna into the attic in a general northerly direction, hooked it up to an existing coaxal cable and hey presto! Now I have all these free HD channels and thr thought of many more to come.

I'm hooked! :)

Originally posted by JeffBowser
lwhite - I readily dismiss it because it's JUST TV. That's it - it's free entertainment, period. Lordy, where's the perspective ?
True, but one of the reasons that both picture and audio quality of standard analog TV isn't anywhere near as good as it should be is that people have been willing to put up with poor compliance of technical standards.

Broadcasters are using public radio spectrum. As both owners of the broadcast spectrum and consumers of broadcast products we have the right and perhaps the responsibility to make constructive criticism. Public acceptance of substandard HDTV now can result in hundreds of channels filled with infomercials and high definition broadcasts that aren't very high.

Originally posted by alougher
great looking design and picture - grey bars suck btw - who's stupid idea was that?


Are you commenting on the bars being grey verse black or are you commenting on bars in general?

If you are commenting on the color of the bars, I prefer black over grey and I know my HD TiVo and Sony HD200 have a setting to control the color of the bars. I would be surprised is your unit didn't have a similar setting.

If you are commenting on the need for bars. That is the result of not all content being in HD and not all contenting being the same aspect ratio. You will have bars if you are watching a standard definition program such as local news on the digital channel or if you are watching a show not produced in HD such "The Simple Life". We are probably 20 to 40 years away from all content being in HD. Right now about 70% of "new" scripted programing on ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC is HD which is a great first start.

Originally posted by Joel Graffman
True, but one of the reasons that both picture and audio quality of standard analog TV isn't anywhere near as good as it should be is that people have been willing to put up with poor compliance of technical standards.

Broadcasters are using public radio spectrum. As both owners of the broadcast spectrum and consumers of broadcast products we have the right and perhaps the responsibility to make constructive criticism. Public acceptance of substandard HDTV now can result in hundreds of channels filled with infomercials and high definition broadcasts that aren't very high.

I completely agree with you. If people saw what NTSC should look like they would demand more from ATSC.

Originally posted by ANSEK
Are you commenting on the bars being grey verse black or are you commenting on bars in general?

If you are commenting on the color of the bars, I prefer black over grey and I know my HD TiVo and Sony HD200 have a setting to control the color of the bars. I would be surprised is your unit didn't have a similar setting.

If you are commenting on the need for bars. That is the result of not all content being in HD and not all contenting being the same aspect ratio. You will have bars if you are watching a standard definition program such as local news on the digital channel or if you are watching a show not produced in HD such "The Simple Life". We are probably 20 to 40 years away from all content being in HD. Right now about 70% of "new" scripted programing on ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC is HD which is a great first start.

Yeah, the Samsung doesn't let you change the color, it's grey or no bars at all. Bad bad design!

The gray bars are there to prevent burn in from being as bad. As I understand, and I will be corrected here if I am wrong, black bars result in worse screen burn-in effects than do gray. Personally, I find the gray too distracting, and I either use black, or just stretch the picture.

I'll let the subject of free (or not free) TV and it's relative place in our lives die. While my opinion has not changed, I should not be riling this forum up with that stuff, sorry.

As far as having Adelphia and not getting Fox and Cbs, that is the reason they will be here to pickup their box on Tuesday. I opted for network HD (all 4 channels) instead of NBC (WPTV) and ABC plus the premiums. The thought of not having 24 in HD was bad, the thought of watching the Superbowl in SD after seeing MNF and ESPN in HD.... but then again, it's just tv :)

Once you see football in HD, there's no going back. I don't know what it is, but there's a much bigger difference in football as far as SD vs HD than there is in anything else, in my opinion. I recall years ago watching the 'fins on cable, and just marveling at how BADLY Comcast, and then Adelphia, made that picture look.

I'll be watching the superbowl this year in HD AND on a 106" FPJ. What an experience that will be!

Any D* subscribers contemplating buying a new STB should read MPEG4 Press Release (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=492134).

I'm going to pickup an Adelphia HDTV converter box tomorrow. Since I already have bulk cable via my POA, the incremental cost is only $12.95/mo + tax to receive the same HD content D*TV offers except Discovery HD. Of course Adelphia is still not carrying the local WPB FOX and CBS HD affilates which means I'll have to continue to use my current STB for awhile. The Adelphia rep told me Adelphia plans to carry the two missing local WPB HD channels withing the next two months - we'll see!

Is anyone else having trouble with the digital audio on Adelphia ABC (ch. 701)? My Fox and CBS OTA digital audio is working ok and so are my other Adelphia digital stations.

You're lucky that you have a POA to pick up the basic tab. $12.95 is a pretty good deal to pick up adelphia. You'll get to check out INHD and INHD2 (baseball in spring :) ) Since you have the adelphia deal, ever thing of trying out voom?

I'd like to do a voom adelphia combo, but Adelphia wont let me order just the HD for 12.95 :(

Gator, could you try to describe the audio "trouble" better? Other than ABC having the worst audio encoding methods IMHO (heck they dont even send out the right stream) I don't have any glitches.

Originally posted by lwhitefl
I'm going to pickup an Adelphia HDTV converter box tomorrow. Since I already have bulk cable via my POA, the incremental cost is only $12.95/mo + tax to receive the same HD content D*TV offers except Discovery HD. Of course Adelphia is still not carrying the local WPB FOX and CBS HD affilates which means I'll have to continue to use my current STB for awhile. The Adelphia rep told me Adelphia plans to carry the two missing local WPB HD channels withing the next two months - we'll see!

Adelphia just started carrying Discovery HD on channel 766. It is great to have.

Originally posted by lwhitefl
I'm going to pickup an Adelphia HDTV converter box tomorrow. Since I already have bulk cable via my POA, the incremental cost is only $12.95/mo + tax to receive the same HD content D*TV offers except Discovery HD. Of course Adelphia is still not carrying the local WPB FOX and CBS HD affilates which means I'll have to continue to use my current STB for awhile. The Adelphia rep told me Adelphia plans to carry the two missing local WPB HD channels withing the next two months - we'll see! Len, let me know when you get your new Adelphia STB working. I'd like to see it.

Joel

I'm new to all this, but I'll try to tell you what's going on. I have a Yamaha RXV750 AVR and a Mitsu. wd52725 TV. I have a coax digital audio cable coming out of the TV to a coax/optical converter, then an optical line running from that to the receiver. The weird thing is that it was only happening with Lost and Alias, none of the other channels had trouble receiving a digital signal.

I don't have my rear speakers up yet. Right now I only have my center channel, my R & L mains, and sub. The 2 mains were putting the dialog out, but it sounded almost like an echo or something. Hard to understand. There was no audio from the center, and the sub was working great. When I switched to my OTA antenna to receive the Fox and CBS signals, my digital audio worked great. When I switched the receiver to analog, ABC worked fine (just didn't sound as good as what the digital would).

I also stuck the Matrix in my DVD and the digital audio worked fine with that.

I had a meltdown from Adelphia last night. All Digital channels 101+ were out at 9PM when I tried to watch West Wing in HD. I rebooted my HD DVR 8000 but I could not get any HD or digital channels. Did anyone else have this or is my box trashed? Also, Monday and Tuesday night their was awful pixelation and drop outs during ABC and NBC shows. They typically don't have these problems. Am I alone, is my neighborhood in Western Lake Worth having problems? Thanks for any feedback.
BTW, DiscoveryHD is amazing, as are HDNET and INHD. Any new news on CBS and/or Fox on Adelphia.
Also, should I bring in my 8000 and switch it out for an 8300? What's the difference. I think someone mentioned DVTI, what will that connection do for me.

ps: I was told Adelphia would be carrying CBS HD shortly, continue to write both the local channels and Adelphia. The emails are making a difference and will aid in getting this feeds up sooner.


Adelphia Email Link (http://www.adelphia.com/contact_us/response_reporting_form.cfm)


mailto:kbetts@wpecnews12.com WPEC HD EMAIL



WFLX Fox Phone Number: 561-845-2929

av8torfl,
Thanks for the contact info. It is appreciated.

I picked up a Explorer 8300 HDTV converter box from Adelphia today and hooked it up to my Mits HD RPTV. The documentation Adelphia gave me didn't match the equipment, but hookup was very similar to any STB.

Channels 761 (HDNet), 762 (HDNet Movies), 765 (ESPNHD), 766 (DSCHD) look just as good to me so far as the equivalent D*TV HD content.

Channel 701 (WPBFDT) is experiencing serious video and audio dropouts and pixelization, and according to Adelphia customer support Stuart is aware of and trying to address the problem. Channel 704 (WPTVDT) is broadcasting the analog signal currently being transmitted by the WPB station and I'm not convinced Adelphia is putting any pressure on them to correct the problem. Jensen Beach service center personnel where I picked up my converter box told me a contract has been signed with WPECDT and that should start transmitting on channel 705 in a "few days".

I'm not receiving channels 763 (INHD1), 764 (INHD2) which are supposed to be part of the HD package as well. Adelphia has scheduled a "service call" for 1/19/05! I'll probably try to exchange the HDTV converter box to see if that corrects the problem because I also lost other HD programming several times tonight and had to reboot the box.

The picture size setting also appears to be a problem. It can be set to either "normal" or "stretched" which I prefer for analog broadcasts, but the "stretched" mode seems to also stretch the HD channels as well which I don't like.

So far this looks like a work in progress and not quite ready for primetime. However I will continue to use the Adelphia equipment for the next month to see if the HD content improves.

I setup my 8300's to use 480i or 1080i and use the pass through option so it will change to 480i output for the analog/digital channels and 1080i for the HD.

It seems to work just fine except don't change channel to fast or it will crash. :o

If some of your channels are not coming in then the codes are probably not setup right on your account.

Oh yea: This broadcast brought to you in high definition by Brandsmart. Then it cuts to SD Jay Leno. It was worth a laugh. :p

Yup they had it during ER as well. The whole fam was laughing!

lwhitefl,
I had the same problem of having to reboot my 8000 box. It lost the ability to have any sound on HD. It seemed to start when changing channels too fast; but what was stranger was that if I just turned to NBC, 704, it would do it. So I just used the analog NBC (which was the same thing anyway ':D' ) I exchanged the box, which did nothing. Finally a tech came out and said it was a signal problem, which he would fix somewhere in our development. Apparently it fixed it, so your box could be fine.

Great news on the CBS on 705. I will be checking it regularly.

I just sent an email to adelphia through the link a couple posts earlier detailing that I had their HD service for a little over a month and discontinued because of the lack of CBS and FOX. I stated I would likely resubscribe if and when they offered those channels. It's good to "hear" they are adding CBS, but I'll wait until someone is watching it on Adelphia.

they also need to get the channels via fiber as well. Because what's the point of adelphia's locals if they are just using an antenna, it explains why they have pixelation problems... they need a direct link....

What the heck is going on with WPTV-DT these days???? :confused: Never mind the audio sync issue they've ALWAYS had on/off since day 1 and obviously can't and won't fix. NOW they have NO AUDIO at all (like tonight's Med. Investigations HD broadcast). Or, if they have audio, the broadcast is in SD (like ER and West Wing this past week). Man, after so long (what...almost 2 years??), they really still can't get a stable HD broadcast!!! That's just sad and pathetic. :(

On another note -- I haven't visited this thread in a while, and I am surpised to see so many people put so much trust in Adelphia (i.e. getting and I guess, now returning (b/c of bugs, problems, and lack of HD content so I hear), so many Adelphia's HD boxes and HD DVR's. Personally, I wouldn't go near one of their HD boxes or HD DVR's with a 10 ft. pole...at this point (in fear that I'd get so frustrated with it and/or Adelphia's service, that I'd rip it out and smash it to pieces!) :eek: :D

Not for me...no thanks. I just received my HD D*TIVO DVR (HR10-250) :D ; getting the 2nd line dropped in for the 2nd tuner and activating it on Wed.; then, when D*TV changes their equipment in a year or two (to their MPEG-4 system), I'll probably switch it out for their new HD DVR/Home Media Ctr. (all announced recently at the CES). I'm sorry, but I don't think I can trust Adelphia any time in the foreseeable future in regards to HD...so far, I see no reason to switch from D*TV!!! :)

Sweet, I'm pulling in WTVJ tonight!! Leno in HD for me, hopefully it can stay that way!

I currently have the Explorer 8000 through Adelphia. Is the 8300 that much better? Can I call them and just swap it out? Thanks in advance.

IF you can go and swap out the 8000 for the 8300. Its smaller, better looking and in my opinion has a slightly better PQ. Also the passthrough feature works allowing the box to allow the actual picture format to come through. No more stretching and un-stretching.

Peace.

The only reason I'm evaluating the Adelphia HDTV converter box is because of a lower price attributable to bulk cable compared with D*TV in my case. Although the PQ looks about the same, the D*TV menu options are much better IMO. Adelphia is broadcasting two of the local WPB HD stations, but as someone else on this forum pointed out it must be an antenna pickup as opposed to a fiber link because WPLGDT has serious transmission problems at times. I had to switch back to my E86 STB today to watch the NFL in HD via my OTA setup because the Adelphia converter box does not provide that facility.

I'll only stay with Adelphia if their local HD content widens to include all the WPB HD stations and the HD transmission becomes very stable. I wouldn't rule that out because IMO Adelphia has done a good job with it's PowerLink service in my area in the past couple of years. I also think Adelphia could have a positive influence on promoting HDTV in the greater WPB area because of the size of it's customer base. They should be able to exert some pressure on local WPB HD broadcasters to telecast stable HDTV. At least I hope so!

I watched both games yesterday, on CBS and FOX. Both unbelieveable! I did though think that FOX was much better quality over CBS, although it had a lot more "grain", the picture was more film-like. But again, just awesome!

Except for a short problem with the HD telecast near the beginning, which looked like a network problem, the WPECDT NFL AFC game in HD yesterday was very stable and a throughly enjoyable experience. Likewise the WFLXDT NFL NFC game was a wonderful viewing experience if not a great game.

Let's hope a repeat performance this afternoon... go Pats!

Who do we thank that NBC doesn't broadcast football games?

that would be zucker right :D

Originally posted by ElectricPickle
Who do we thank that NBC doesn't broadcast football games?

The Football Gods!!!

Is anyone else having trouble with ABC audio (adelphia channel 701)? This is a link to a thread I started in the speakers section asking about my center channel not working on ABC.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=5001415#post5001415

Thanks for the help!

Yes, they are not decoding their audio correctly. I've brought it up in this thread several times but it never got discussed. It's been this way since day 1. They fixed the PSIP, now they need to fix the audio. Those comments that guy found on hdtvoice are actually mine :)

Thanks for the help. It makes it hard to setup your speakers, receiver, etc. for the first time when the stations aren't decoding correctly. I'm just glad it's the station and not me.

Should be who do we thank NBC does not broadcast anything worth watching, although I was going to check out Medium last night but went to Boston Legal after seeing the picture. I guess they are working hard to meet the deadline. Does the sound have to work to be in compliance? I hope they finally get it right!

WPTVDT has apparently taken the position they'll be in compliance with the FCC regulations whenever they must! Considering the changing deadline, that could be years from now. The local WPB NBC HD affiliate is an embarrassment to the roll out of HDTV IMO.

Actually they already are in compliance. The only thing that we're missing is the bonus of HD. They are only required to broadcast a digital signal, which is what they're doing...

I can't imagine the FCC had in mind what WPTVDT is doing. Compared to the other WPB local affilate stations, WPTVDT is dead last and apt to remain that way for sometime to come.

Well sure HD is a selling point, but legally the FCC doesn't care as long as they're digital. Of course I want HD, I'm just clarifying that technically they aren't doing anything illegal wrong that we can get action on :(

Originally posted by bgall
Well sure HD is a selling point, but legally the FCC doesn't care as long as they're digital. Of course I want HD, I'm just clarifying that technically they aren't doing anything illegal wrong that we can get action on :(

Maybe they're not breaking any laws set forth by the FCC, but WPTV-DT sure is the embarrasment of WPB DT stations...I mean, even WFLX-DT broadcasts virtually perfect HD content 98% of the time. They've been fairly stable since day 1, whereas WPTV-DT has been very UNstable since day 1.

At WPTV-DT - if it's in HD, there's usually an audio problem; if their audio is ok, it may not be in HD. Come on guys...seriously...FIX IT!!!!! We think you've had plenty of time already. :mad: So, WPTV-DT...how do you guys feel about being beaten by Fox (and CBS and ABC) here ion WPB?

Sad and pathetic. :mad:

Funny thing I forgot with all this hub-bub that WPTV was HD tonight...

WPTV DT Update: We have continued working to solve our HD audio problem. We have fixed and stabilized the HD Video, with no dropouts or errors. We have an early lead with the audio problem, the factory can't free the proper tech until mid-Feb. WE ARE SITTING STILL until then...we identified a problem with one of the switcher channels, and have a 24 hour turnaround service ticket open to get our in house part fixed or ship in a replacement unit. We are also working on the required 2/1 rollout of a fuller PSIP. Then its onto 5.1 audio. We are working in this order to perfect our broadcast and quality. Dave

Aww, why I was just watching you guys pass out Leno and it was just fine...

Correction: Figures, sent before proofreading..., we will NOT be standing still....NOT be standing still, we are working on problem every day. Dave

We are testing at various times, we are tracking a problem with audio dropping out going to commercials or when coming back from a break...that is where we are looking to factory for support. Dave

OK, If taking breaks screws up the audio, then the only solution is to stop taking breaks!!!!!

heh :)

Granted I'm not working with the equipment, but watching the channel it looks like it's something simple, but i could be totally worng. The problem seems to be that the audio doesn't follow whenever switching is made between the HD feed and analog control.

EX:

When the analog control audio is left on local commercial sound comes through, but when the switch to HD is made the analog audio continues, which would explain the sync

But when the HD audio feed is left on there is no sound during local commercials because there is dead air on the HD feed, and then the switch to HD is made the audio is in sync because the audio we're hearing is the HD audio feed...

I thank Dave McKinley for the excellent update on WPTV-DT’s situation. I, for one, will stop with the criticism and offer help when I can. I see that they are working diligently to fix things and I think we should all cut them some slack.

I really do want them to be the first to broadcast local news in HD. I know that they have the studio cameras that are capable of it. Dave, will your NG agents in the field have HD cameras also?

Dave,
Thank you for the update and the continued efforts on fixing the problems. We look forward to WPTV being as good on HD as your CBS and FOX bretheren.

Originally posted by WPTV DT DOE
Correction: Figures, sent before proofreading..., we will NOT be standing still....NOT be standing still, we are working on problem every day. Dave

Dave -

Thank you for your update. We know you guys are working on the issues at WPTV-DT. However, you must understand where we are coming from when we complain. The frustration level with your H/DTV broadcasts is very high, considering it has been a very long time that your H/DTV broadcasts have had the same issues (ever since you went live) -- audio sync, no audio, no HD, etc. :(

In addition, in comparison with the other WPB H/DTV stations, the quality and stability of your HD broadcasts have been less than par with the other WPB DT stations. Yes, all the other stations have had their share of problems, but all have repaired them in a fairly reasonable timeframe; they still continue to provide quality HD broadcasts and remain relatively stable. None of the other stations have had the same issues over and over for almost 2 years that WPTV-DT has had. :(

This is why we, as consumers and long-time, loyal WPTV viewers (personally, I have been a loyal WPTV - News Ch. 5 viewer for 18 years! :) ) tend to think you guys just don't care and are not working diligently to rectify the problems. As you mentioned "We have an early lead with the audio problem, the factory can't free the proper tech until mid-Feb" -- why has it taken so long (more than 1 year) for "the factory" to be notified of your audio issues? Why wasn't a "proper tech" sent out a year ago when you had the audio sync issues or black flashes or no HD then? Or, if the proper tech was sent out and the problems were only temporarily fixed, what broke again and why does it continue to break again and again? :confused:

I am not trying to berate you and your team, but you must know that WPTV-DT is the only station out of at least 5 local H/DTV stations that I do not feel comfortable enough to set my HD D*TIVO to record from...I am confident that the HD DVR will record a stable HD broadcast from all the other WPB DT stations at any given time. As I do watch several NBC shows each week, I am very worried that I will be very disappointed to watch unstable recorded programs from WPTV-DT - bad audio or no audio, no HD, etc. (that are supposed to be in HD with DD5.1 or at least DD2.0). We are all here to root for WPTV-DT but for a very long time, your broadcasts have mostly frustrated and disappointed the very people you're trying to impress! :(

Miami (Ft. Lauderdale) channel 6 is great. I actually moved my antenna to favor 6 over 5.

Thanks to channel 5 it was all in synch last night! HD, sound, everything what a beautiful thing it was.

I find myself watching 5 and 12 and if there are problems with either, I just switch to 6 and 4 and usually have no problems. Those Miami stations are just great the majority of the time but I like giving WPB stations the first try.

I used to give WPB the first crack, but now I am used to Miami and favor whoever is more stable at the moment.

My parents are in West Boca and are unable to get WPBF at all. The antenna installer has tried 4 different antennas without success. They are able to get everything else. Has anyone had any success in getting a waiver so as to be able to get ABC on Channel 86 from Directv? If so, can you please point me in the direction of who to contact?

Much appreciated.

I would suggest you try the Miami equivalent. I gave up on WPBF, as it required that I point my antenna too far north, causing me to lose all the Miami stations. Sorry, can't help you with the waiver, though. I got WPBF with a Sensar II antenna, for what that's worth, and I live in NE Boca

Originally posted by bsgoren
Partial quotes from bsgoren: The frustration level with your H/DTV broadcasts is very high, considering it has been a very long time that your H/DTV broadcasts have had the same issues (ever since you went live) -- audio sync, no audio, no HD, etc. :(

why has it taken so long (more than 1 year) for "the factory" to be notified of your audio issues? Why wasn't a "proper tech" sent out a year ago when you had the audio sync issues or black flashes or no HD then? Or, if the proper tech was sent out and the problems were only temporarily fixed, what broke again and why does it continue to break again and again? :confused:



Well said bsgoren - your assessment of WPTVDT is spot on! WPTV DT DOE has responded on this forum with similar comments many times in the past - without results. WPTVDT deserves no appreciation from this forum until they have demonstrated a stable HD transmission as other WPB stations.

WPTV DT Update: Today we solved a switcher problem, to correct the audio problem when going from HD to SD for commercials. I watched Law and Order, then Tonight Show. We had an automation glitch at the start of Leno, I called and it was corrected quickly. We are staying on top of getting it all stable. We will continue efforts tommorrow to stablize the switching problems and work on PSIP to provide the EPG. Factory reps were able to provide telephone tech support today to solve audio issue, but we will still be into Feb until final fixes are in place. It is a bit amazing how quickly some of you forget the 217 pages of posts in which you complain about the other local stations broadcasts, but now claim them to have been error free and stable...we (all stations) are all working to provide a quality service on DT. We value the early adopters of HD and digital broadcasting, and are working hard to provide the service level you expect and deserve. I will try to provide regular posts as to our activities to improve our HD/DT broadcasts.

Mr. McKinley, You are correct that members of this forum including me have been very critical of other WPB stations in the past for various HD transmission problems. But WPTVDT has been frustrating members on this forum the longest of any local WPB HDTV station. I'm hopeful your current posts to the forum are an indication WPTVDT is close to implementing stable HDTV. There is much good HD programming on NBC and WPTVDT also holds the promise of being the first to broadcast local news in HD.

Good post Mr. McKinley.

Can anyone recommend a firm to install an antenna in the South Palm/North Broward area.

Thanks!

I tried to find someone to install an antenna for me for nearly two years, finally did it myself. Good luck

Crap... My problem is my house has a roof with overhangs in all directions so I'm guess I'm going to have to pour some concrete. Ick.

I also have a roof like that (hip roof). I sunk a pole and braced it in the middle against the facia board. It's not bad.

Originally posted by WPTV DT DOE
WPTV DT Update: Today we solved a switcher problem, to correct the audio problem when going from HD to SD for commercials. I watched Law and Order, then Tonight Show. We had an automation glitch at the start of Leno, I called and it was corrected quickly. We are staying on top of getting it all stable. We will continue efforts tommorrow to stablize the switching problems and work on PSIP to provide the EPG. Factory reps were able to provide telephone tech support today to solve audio issue, but we will still be into Feb until final fixes are in place. It is a bit amazing how quickly some of you forget the 217 pages of posts in which you complain about the other local stations broadcasts, but now claim them to have been error free and stable...we (all stations) are all working to provide a quality service on DT. We value the early adopters of HD and digital broadcasting, and are working hard to provide the service level you expect and deserve. I will try to provide regular posts as to our activities to improve our HD/DT broadcasts.

Dave -

Thank you for this encouraging post. As lwhitefl and I (and many others) have said, it's not that we forget about the other WPB DT stations past issues, but they, unlike WPTV-DT have mainly resolved their H/DTV broadcast issues within a reasonable timeframe (as I mentioned). For the most part, all WPB DT stations except for one now provide stable H/DTV broadcasts. You and I have e-mailed each other in the past and it appeared that you and your team had always been working diligently to get a stable HDTV broadcast from WPTV-DT. However, when we see the same problems for such a long time (since your broadcasts went live), it says something different. :( Up to this point, WPTV-DT has just been one disappointment after another for a very long time...our trust in WPTV-DT will have to be earned.

Like lwhitefl mentioned, we are all very "hopeful your current posts to the forum are an indication WPTVDT is close to implementing stable HDTV. " There are many NBC shows I would like record and enjoy watching; I would be more than disappointed if I was unable to record and watch them as intended in HD. As you know, it's an Hi Def world now and us "early adopters" aren't the only ones you need to impress...thousands of people in the WPB area are getting HD now! Again, thank you for your efforts now to really nail this thing once and for all!!! :)

Ok, well...now it's official. It was my first time recording programming with our new HD D*TIVO...trying to impress my wife 'ya know :D ...telling her how great this thing is. We got home late from dinner last night; put our 2 1/2- year-old to sleep, and went downstairs to watch what we had recorded...

After trying to record "The Apprentice" and now, "ER" on WPTV-DT, my wife has requested (well, more like ordered :( ) me not to record anything from WPTV-DT until their issues are fully and truly resolved. For now, we will have to watch snowy, wavy, crappy analog cable WPTV (and no HD recording :( ) until these issues are fixed as we cannot pull in the Miami NBC DT station with our Zenith SS antenna.

Although I'm not sure whether or not the frequent pixelization dropouts are due to their equipment problems, the cold weather, or multi-path, but whatever the reason, the Apprentice was unwatchable this evening (even though my HD D*TIVO showed a decent 80+ signal)!!!! I am watching ER now (actually in HD), but it too has constant pixelization dropouts as well and is also unwatchable. It is my belief that it's a WPTV-DT problem since none of the other WPB DT broadcasts are having these pixelization dropouts like WPTV-DT is currently having this evening.

Sorry, Dave, I know you and your team at WPTV-DT are trying to resolve your DTV issues, but it's just not good enough at this point. Until you provide a stable H/DTV broadcast, we cannot bother...it's just too frustrating. :mad:

On a good note -- at least we can record and enjoy watching ALL other WPB HD/DTV broadcasts from our CBS, ABC, Fox, and PBS affiliates. :D

Yup, I get problems as well bsgoren. All the other stations come in fine. But often WPTV won't tune in at all and when I do get it it drops as well. Perhaps the PSIP fix will help this, but others have said the PSIP changes don't effect reception.

Sure wish I had a tuner and antennae aiming South. Unfortunately, since we have Adelphia, there aren't any options. I can't see paying several hundred dollars just to get Fox and Miami NBC. I guess I will just be patient. There aren't a lot of other options.

I must have football in HD this weekend, but alas I am an Adelphia customer so until they get their act together we are all SOL as you know. I'm in Port St. Lucie and about 50 miles from WXEL & WPEC.

I just got a Sony KDF-42WE655 LCD Rear projection set with a built-in ATSC tuner. What is the best HDTV antenna for my location? I'm looking to spend under $200 if possible.

Originally posted by daxonix
I must have football in HD this weekend, but alas I am an Adelphia customer so until they get their act together we are all SOL as you know. I'm in Port St. Lucie and about 50 miles from WXEL & WPEC.

I just got a Sony KDF-42WE655 LCD Rear projection set with a built-in ATSC tuner. What is the best HDTV antenna for my location? I'm looking to spend under $200 if possible. If you want to watch this weekend, I assume you'll be doing it yourself and you'll have to buy what is available locally. Any high gain UHF/VHF antenna on your roof from Radio Shack or Lowes should work.

I live in Palm City ( about 10 miles closer to WPB ) and with an antenna array in my attic get superb reception from all WPB digital stations. I use a Radio Shack UHF yagi coupled to a 5 element channel 13 yagi ( for WPEC ). Total cost about $60.00.

BTW, there is no such thing as an HDTV antenna.

bsgoren - I used to get those frequent dropouts and pixelation problems until I went with a full bore outdoor antenna mounted on the peak of my roof. Now I just get very occasional black-outs and the usual audio sync issues, etc.... (assuming WPTV is channel 5, I never remember any of those call letters or NBC vs CBS, etc....)

Originally posted by JeffBowser
bsgoren - I used to get those frequent dropouts and pixelation problems until I went with a full bore outdoor antenna mounted on the peak of my roof. Now I just get very occasional black-outs and the usual audio sync issues, etc.... (assuming WPTV is channel 5, I never remember any of those call letters or NBC vs CBS, etc....)

Thanks, Jeff. I appreciate your thoughts, but I have to say that these pixelization dropouts every 5 sec. or so with WPTV-DT is not my antenna problem since I live about 3-4 mi. due east of the WPTV-DT tower (and WPEC-DT, WFLX-DT, and the others at the antenna farm just S. of Lantana Rd. off 441). I can see all the towers if I walk out my front door. :)

I have a Zenith SS antenna (sitting on top of my built-in entertainment ctr.) and usually receive all the WPB DT broadcasts (including WPBF-DT which has their broadcast antenna up north sround Juno Bch.) with good to excellent signal strengths. This problem has got to be a WPTV-DT problem; it's not my antenna. My Zenith SS antenna has always done an excellent job of receiving all WPB H/DT broadcasts without me moving it around. In fact, for the past years or so, I have not touched it until the past couple of days when I've seen these recent problems with WPTV-DT. :confused: :mad:

Well, you certainly have a good point about proximity to the towers, but if it was exclusively a WPTV issue, wouldn't I also see such problems myself ? You perfectly described the problems I had when I tried a simple clip on dish antenna, and also, same problem when I had bad multi-path with my current antenna. Such proximity could exacerbate any multi-path issues.... At any rate, I'll pay closer attention to 5 this weekend myself instead of just switching to Miami at the first sign of trouble.

Originally posted by JeffBowser
Well, you certainly have a good point about proximity to the towers, but if it was exclusively a WPTV issue, wouldn't I also see such problems myself ? You perfectly described the problems I had when I tried a simple clip on dish antenna, and also, same problem when I had bad multi-path with my current antenna. Such proximity could exacerbate any multi-path issues.... At any rate, I'll pay closer attention to 5 this weekend myself instead of just switching to Miami at the first sign of trouble.

I understand what you're saying, but I spoke with my brother this morning who lives on the Boca/Delray line, and he saw the exact same pixelization dropouts on WPTV-DT at the same time I saw them. bgall saw them too and apparently, he lives in PBG.

No matter how I moved my antenna, I got the same pixelization dropouts from WPTV-DT (last night and this morning), even with a good signal. Also, as you know, when you move an antenna (especially a directional antenna like the SS) to improve the signal of one station, you may weaken the signal of another station; so I try to leave my SS antenna in one spot and direction which is good for all WPB stations. In it's current position, I get a decent signal (70-80+) from all WPB DT stations, but get constant pixelization dropouts from WPTV-DT only. This has got to be a WPTV-DT problem!!! :confused: :mad:

Let us know what you see as well this weekend. Thanks.

Alrighty then, I am convinced. I'll check it out at lunch, in fact.

Shoot. I forgot to change my HD-Tivo’s season pass of the Apprentice to the SD DirecTV feed. So from what I’m reading here it’s probably not watchable? :confused:

If you've been getting WPTV-DT then your fine I guess. It's just their frequency is causing problems for some viewers. I think I've read something grazy about Channel 55 interfering with Pine needles? And i have a ton of pine trees around my house, how about the others? Either way I have the same deal as bsgoren. I can get WPTV or loose all my other stations or I can get all the other stations and loose WPTV

Pine needles, eh ? Hateful trees. I grew up in S. Georgia, raked pine needles until my hand bled every dang year. I made sure my new yard had nothing but palms. 24 of them, in fact, 12 of them coconut. Now I pick up tons of nuts instead.

We have a manufacturer technician in-house today. He is establishing PSIP service, including the electronic program guide (EPG). I have no timetable as to when this will be ready, but if you should experience anything strange over the next day or so this might explain it.

Ok, thanks for the update. Some folks have said that this requires us to reset our STBs, but I'm not sure..

Originally posted by bgall
If you've been getting WPTV-DT then your fine I guess. It's just their frequency is causing problems for some viewers. I think I've read something grazy about Channel 55 interfering with Pine needles? And i have a ton of pine trees around my house, how about the others? Either way I have the same deal as bsgoren. I can get WPTV or loose all my other stations or I can get all the other stations and loose WPTV

Again, just to clarify...the pixelization dropout issue I've been seeing over the past few days with WPTV-DT is occuring with a very good signal (75-90) on my HD D*TIVO; in addtion, all the other WPB DT stations come in with similarly strong signals and clear, error-free H/DT broadcasts.

It's been so bad with WPTV-DT that my wife "strenuously objected" :eek: to having me record The Apprentice or ER from WPTV-DT until further notice. :( So, until WPTV-DT gets their issues fully and truly resolved, we cannot record anything from WPTV-DT and are stuck watching these NBC shows via crappy, analog cable (which ironically enough looked as good or better as any SD D*TV programming -- during last night's episodes anyhow :D ).

BTW - not sure about the pine needle thing :confused: ...certainly no pine trees around here...just a clear, straight line of sight shot to the WPTV-DT tower from here. :mad:

OK, I stand corrected. Channel 5 is, um, a serious challenge to watch. I get a 95-100% signal, and it just goes black for a bit, teases you, then blacks out for awhile. Bleh.

Originally posted by JeffBowser
OK, I stand corrected. Channel 5 is, um, a serious challenge to watch. I get a 95-100% signal, and it just goes black for a bit, teases you, then blacks out for awhile. Bleh.

I knew I wasn't crazy :D If anyone can get a stable, error-free broadcast from WPTV-DT, it would be me (being so close to their tower with my very directional Zenith Silver Sensor antenna picking up their strong signal). I know they're working on it (for almost 2 years now :mad: ), but WPTV-DT is, well...still just screwed up...period. :mad:

Originally posted by Joel Graffman
If you want to watch this weekend, I assume you'll be doing it yourself and you'll have to buy what is available locally. Any high gain UHF/VHF antenna on your roof from Radio Shack or Lowes should work.

I live in Palm City ( about 10 miles closer to WPB ) and with an antenna array in my attic get superb reception from all WPB digital stations. I use a Radio Shack UHF yagi coupled to a 5 element channel 13 yagi ( for WPEC ). Total cost about $60.00.

BTW, there is no such thing as an HDTV antenna.

Do you get FOX and CBS in HD on your setup? Also, I have a metal roof. Will that inhibit reception if I place the antenna(s) in my attic as opposed to upon the roof?

I can survive without reception this weekend, but I really want to get FOX in time for the Super Bowl. Are there better options for antennas if I choose to buy online?

Tried to watch last nights Tivo of The Apprentice – forget it. Channel 5 news tonight was pixelating like crazy. I’m guessing that they are at low power.

I’m surely not surprised that some of the stations waited until the deadline to get PSIP working.

Is anyone else with Adelphia having trouble with, or not getting, ESPN HD? Mine's been out or barely working for the past few days.

Originally posted by daxonix
Do you get FOX and CBS in HD on your setup? Also, I have a metal roof. Will that inhibit reception if I place the antenna(s) in my attic as opposed to upon the roof?

I can survive without reception this weekend, but I really want to get FOX in time for the Super Bowl. Are there better options for antennas if I choose to buy online? Yes I get FOX and CBS.

As I said, in your area you probably need an antenna on the roof. Since you have a metal roof, an attic antenna is out of the question.

I chose a combination of two antennas because they are both very small, and well suited for an attic array. This also would be a good combination for you on your roof. You might get CBS (12.1) with the UHF yagi only, but this antenna is not designed for the channel. If you need the additional gain of a single channel yagi it can be added later, but must be ordered. I got mine from Stark Electronics.

If you use a standard large UHF/VHF yagi type antenna, you should get good reception, but you end up with a larger antenna than necessary as these antennas are designed to accommodate lo band VHF ( channels 2-6).

Originally posted by gator33
Is anyone else with Adelphia having trouble with, or not getting, ESPN HD? Mine's been out or barely working for the past few days.
Adelphia ESPNHD has been working fine for me. Your problem may be related to the cable signal coming into the house. I was not getting INHD1 (763) and INHD2 (764). An Adelphia service tech found a small piece of insulation in the Adelphia cable coming into the house was causing the problem. Hard to believe something that insignificant could result in the loss of two channels.

Is anyone having break ups on WFLX-DT?

breakups, now it is stuck in sd after a replay. I'm going to see if i can find a phone number.

The only number goes to channel 12 news, but he said he would let the control room know... we'll see. Fox was doing sooo good.

SD here also with breakups.

7-1 is doing great, if you can get that.

Originally posted by JeffBowser
7-1 is doing great, if you can get that.

The problem is many of us in the WPB viewing area are too far away from Miami stations to pick them up and suffer the consequences accordingly. I looked at the WFLX web site but couldn't find a phone number. I did send an email, but if anyone can find a phone number and post it here, I'll gladly call to voice my dissatisfaction.

Must've lost the satellite signal if they had to switch to SD. So they know there's a problem.

As they song goes there's a change in the weather :(

To the credit of WFLXDT they did get the game back to HD - gratefully without missing any key moments of the game. FOX has certainly become the leading network in HDTV with sports and primetime programming IMO. Now if FOX could only get ABC's contract for golf maybe we could watch most of the golf season in HD! During the 2004 season WPECDT did a very commendable job with golf in HD.

Yes. WFLX has been a very solid station with the transition to HD. everything has been in HD. Great Dolby Digital sound. The splicer system really works to their advantage.

Has anyone had any conversation with Adelphia about carriage of the Super Bowl in HD?

Originally posted by abramsky
Has anyone had any conversation with Adelphia about carriage of the Super Bowl in HD?
Adelphia is currently only carrying WPB NBC and ABC digital stations. They told me recently when I picked up my HDTV converter box they had just signed a contract with the local WPB CBS digital station. But they had no information on the local WPB FOX digital station which I believe is going to telecast the Super Bowl in HD. So unless you can pick it up locally via OTA, I'd bet you're out of luck.

Thanks for the reply.

You know after spending a small fortune for an HD TV and more then $1,000 per year for cable, it burns my but to have to spend another $400+ and all the energy it will take (setting up the receiver, connecting it to the home theater, installing an antenna, holes in the walls, trips to CC, BB, RS, etc, etc, etc) just to watch one stink-in football game.

This turns retirement into just plain hard work.

I also have written and talked to Adelphia, but they have it setup so you can never communicate with anyone that actually has any ability to do anything to satisfy requests like "Don't you think it would be a good idea to carry the local channels on your cable system?" When you call the local stations its "Adelphia won't pay us to carry our signal. Why should we give it away?" Of course what I can't figure out is why in every major market the cable companies (yes, even Adelphia) carry all the digital channels (and I think WPB is a major market.)

OK, rant over!!!!!

You could've gotten HD from satellite for free (only E*) and not have to worry about Adelphia in the first place. Just hook up an antenna to the STB they provide and you're all set!

Abramsky,
Rather than spending $400, just get Voom and they will provide all the local channels along with a bunch of other HD channels. I haven't done it because I like HDNet and INHD and I don't think they carry them. But there free installation, sure is tempting. The way Adelphia has the HD priced when you already use their cable internet service, just doesn't justify Voom for me. Plus I am hopeful that CBS will be up shortly and then Fox should follow. Man, am I a dreamer.

No, voom has only 1-2 months of life left, so kinda a waste.

Get dish network, free HD equipment, and they're the ones buying the voom satellite ;) But the voom service will be dead...

Bgall,
Very interesting about Voom. Glad I didn't act on my impulses. Thanks for the info.

Doubtful voom will be dead within a few months. If anything one of the major companies will buy them and then incorporate the technology.

I have Voom and I am savoring every minute it stays on, it really is a great service for HD. They were too far ahead of the curve not having an analog tuner and such, but for HD and Sound they are very good. Now back to the local programming folks!

Originally posted by bgall
No, voom has only 1-2 months of life left, so kinda a waste.

Get dish network, free HD equipment, and they're the ones buying the voom satellite ;) But the voom service will be dead...

I still like D*TV; just got the HD D*TIVO DVR (replaced my Sony HD-200) for $850 - $250 D*TV Credit - $60 off HBO ($2/mo. for 6 months) - so my net investment is $540. Then, when D*TV changes over to their MPEG-4 system and offers their new HD DVR, the word is they will swap all those with HD D*TIVO's out for their new HD DVR's or the HD Home Media Ctr. for little or no cost. In the meantime, I get to record in Sat and OTA HD (up to 30 hrs. of HD/200 hrs. of SD) for the next year or two until they switch over to the new system and offer more HD channels...it all works for me, now and later. :D

I've heard that the Dish N HD DVR deal is about $500 or less as well, but supposedly it's not as good as the HD D*TIVO and very 'buggy.' Oh, and BTW - I wouldn't go near Adelphia's crap with a 10 ft. pole, but that's just imo...sorry! :D

The one thing I wanted to watch in HD all week, the Eagles/Falcons game, and it was dead for the 1st half!

At least 29-1 got it back on... I get no signal from 7-1 even though I live on the Palm Beach/Broward line.

FWIW I just ordered a new rooftop antenna. I'm going to mount it high on my porch roof so hopefully I'll get more stations.

7-1 is a VHF and along with 10-1 (miami abc) are the only vhf in the area. Most people just have uHF antennas and therefore don't pickup 7-1 (the station is also having some PSIP problems according to the miami thread). I bought a CM UHF/VHF to pickup the miami stations fom boynton and it will pick up 7-1 when it is working. Unfortunately I didn't have it in position to pickup 7-1 on Sunday for the Eagle's game so I watched it in SD instead of missing it to go up on the roof and turn the antenna.

As far as Adelphia and Voom. I had both, cancelled voom because I wanted to record HD. Got adelphia but couldn't get my cbs and fox. Now I'm using a HD Wonder with decent results (recorded 24 perfectly four weeks in a row). If adelphia would get those two other locals I would probably sell the wonder and get HD and powerlink from Adelphia. I'll wait and see, as it is I have a working system for the Superbowl (I'll have 7-1 ready incase 29-1 has any problems).

MVPinBoynton,

I'm curious what Adelphia charges for HD with powerlink.

I had the HD DVR with HD Package and was paying ~$40. That included the basic cable which I didn't want but had to take. If I got powerlink (been considering switching from Bell), what would they charge?

HD Fee + HD Box + DVR + Powerlink??

I think Power link is $55-$60. And if you have that you can subtract $10 off the cable bill. But I think you need classic cable for the discount, if you get lifeline there wont be a discount...

I have basic cable in my HOA and the following additional:

Ultimate Advantage Pack: $67.45
- ALL movie channel tiers (HBO, Sho, Max, Stz, TMC, etc..
- Their matching HD equivalents..
- Powerlink Cable Modem

HD Plus: $5
-INHD, INHD2, HDNET, HDNETMVS, ESPNHD

First 8300HD DVR: $7.95
Second 8300HD DVR: $9.95

Well I guess I must be the exception to the rule here because I am getting a great signal and now consistant picture/audio from WPTV 5-1. My wife Tivo'd Medium from 5-1 last nite and watched it tonight and did not see a single problem. Audio was in sync and no picture blackouts. Truthfully I do not watch much primetime tv but I haven't had much of a problem with WPTV other than the audio sync issue.

Yes last night and right now is fine on WPTV :)

Enjoy it while it lasts... :rolleyes:

Anyone else have a problem with WFLX-DT (29-1) durring American Idol? On my HD-200 the signal meter was in the "very good" range, but I got no picture whatsoever. The bannar at the bottom said "no signal," but the signal meter remained pegged in the "very good" area. I switched to 7-1, and it was fine, but the WFLX issue was something I had never seen before. WFLX has been excellent otherwise.
Any opinions on what may have caused this would be appreciated. Was it my set up, or did anyone else see this?

Originally posted by avmike
Enjoy it while it lasts... :rolleyes:

Well like I said before, other than the previously stated audio sync problem I wasn't having any of the other WPTV Problems when I did tune into the channel. I have 4 different HD boxes here and have tested regularly on 3 of them.

Originally posted by sfin54
Anyone else have a problem with WFLX-DT (29-1) durring American Idol? On my HD-200 the signal meter was in the "very good" range, but I got no picture whatsoever. I had the same problem last night.

Originally posted by Joel Graffman
I had the same problem last night.

Thanks, glad it wasn't just me. Strange though.

sfin54

Originally posted by lwhitefl
Adelphia is currently only carrying WPB NBC and ABC digital stations. They told me recently when I picked up my HDTV converter box they had just signed a contract with the local WPB CBS digital station.

WPEC owner Freedom Communications is in corporate negotiations with Comcast for carriage of Freedom's 8 DTV stations around the country, including WPEC-DT, but no agreement has been reach thus far.

Gee Dave, you sure know how to make a guy feel bad. I have been checking every day since it was mentioned that it was imminent to see if Adelphia has added CBS. :( I am sure it will eventually happen, but it is a shame that I can't get my most watched channel in HD.

I too, when picking up my 8300 HDDVR was told CBS will be in the lineup soon. Contine to write Adelphia and the local stations if you want more channels, Fox, UPN, etc.. They are listening, but need your feedback now, if you want the additional channels.

ps: I was also told that the 8300 DVR boxes will be getting a software update around the 26th to enable the HDMI output as well as other functions.

very happy so far with the boxes and Adelphia HD feeds...

Originally posted by David McRoy
WPEC owner Freedom Communications is in corporate negotiations with Comcast for carriage of Freedom's 8 DTV stations around the country, including WPEC-DT, but no agreement has been reach thus far.

Dave, What have you heard about Adelphia carrying WPEC-DT?

WPTV-DT is passing the HD feed tonight. The audio sync is perfect and the video quality is much better than WTVJ-DT out of Miami. It is amazing what HD looks like when you don't have a sub channel.

So we get 5-1 and lose 29-1 tonight, hasn't HD ever heard of a win win situation?

29 must be down because of problems. Remember they were flaking out during the sunday football game. They also had to fix their transmitter after the hurricane. This is real scarry considering they are carrying the superbowl. And there is no way I'll be able to get the VHF station in miami

The situation with cable systems in Palm Beach County is complicated because the Comcast system here is actually owned by Adelphia and Adelphia is up for sale. I haven't heard of any new negotiations betweeen Freedom and Adelphia. And I don't even know whether a successfully concluded agreement between Freedom and Comcast at the national level will necessarily apply to the Comcast system here since it's owned by Adelphia.

My advice is that you not hold your breath. Just wait for the news release.

So no one is getting 29-1 now? Its not just me?

I have a new antenna going up as soon as I get some time. Hopefully it will be able to get 7-1 out of Miami.

Originally posted by KDCane
So no one is getting 29-1 now? Its not just me?

I have a new antenna going up as soon as I get some time. Hopefully it will be able to get 7-1 out of Miami.

I was not getting 29-1 WFLX-DT last night.

It would sure be nice if broadcasters would have an "HDTV STATUS" page on their Web sites. That way we would at least know that it's not our equipment that is at fault. But then that would require them to actually put forth an effort to UPDATE the Web page when something breaks.

The local cable companies don't carry all of the DT broadcasts forcing you to purchase antennas and masts for your HD Receiver. The Super Bowl is comming up and the OTA stations that are responsible for broadcasting it are broken. DirecTV will not give you HD from another market if you live in an area that is covered by OTA DT.

It just gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling doesn't it?

Yeah... Really warm and fuzzy :eek: :(

Yeah... Too bad the government can't do something for the consumer instead of creating all these arcane rules and regs to screw us.

I've had Directv since the year after its inception and I was perfectly happy to receive my network channels from them out of NYC, until the governments rules and regs took that away.

It burns me to know I could receive all the major HD feeds off the satellite instead of screwing around trying different antennas, climbing on the roof, etc. I'm on my second antenna now.

Glad to hear you guys like Adelphia's service. I think I'll end up going with that once my DTV sub runs out. I think I'll send them an email and say I want all the locals in HD and encourage everybody to do so. It does make a difference.

29-1 (OTA) has been really good for me lately. Really no problems at all and have had a great reception from them. Watching 24 in HD has been a real treat.

5-1 (OTA) on the other hand has been sorta bad. I get a good signal all of the time, but 1/2 the time now the widescreen shows aren't in the full 16.9 screen. 1/2 the time it's in a picture frame like the commercials. It's really strange. Any ideas what their (or mine) problem is?

Yes. Before they were suspending HD transmissons while they were waiting for a fix on their equipment. Now they have resumed on an active fix status, with more help expect to arrive sometime in february.

This is sorta a bit off topic, but I have a speaker for my HTIB unit that needs to be fixed. It's a surround sound Onkyo LSV 950 and its the rear right speaker that's broken. I was hoping one of you guys could help recommend a good place to get the speaker fixed. Onkyo recommended one place but they require a $30 fee (to be counted on the repair) to even look at it, so I was hoping to find a good place that will look at it before I throw down any money. Any suggestions?

Try Lakes Electronics, 4400 Hillsboro Blvd in Deerfield Beach 954-427-8100. I have brough speakers there at least 3 or 4 times and they always do a good job at a reasonable prioce.
Tony

Does any Adelphia users currently have audio problems? I lost my audio in all my digital and HDTV channels. Analog is working fine tho (go figure).

EDIT: Nevermind, I reset my 8000HD and its working fine :)

I was wondering if anyone out their that has Adelphia and is using the SA8000HD is utilizing the HDMI connection? I was thinking about it to open up component connections for my wifes DVD/Karaoke player.

For those using it, do you recommend it and is the picture quality any better?

Thanks

I was told by the tech at the office in N Palm Beach that a software
updated was to be released this weekend to update the
8300 box for HDMI support.

So up until now it hasn't been working? I'd like to call the 1-800 number but I know the response will be HDM...what?

I wish there was a tech number with people that actually know about HD.

I've had HDMI active on my 8300HD since I got it (a few months ago). I'm with Adelphia, but in Martin County. I don't believe DVI was ever active on my 8000HD when I had it, though I never tried.

avmike:

Do you find the picture quality as good as or better than component? Any difference with sound as well?

Thanks

I just got home and Fox is live on Adelphia HD. Channel 703. I thought CBS was coming next. Coooooool

Allright! Just in time for 24 and the Superbowl!

Just noticed this as well.

Anyone have OnDemand working yet? I heard it was working for a few in West Palm area but I still get Not Authorized.

Yes Adelphia did say that CBS would be on in Q1 2005, Fox was a surprise, maybe UPN next? The software update should also have enabled the HDMI
port. If anyone tries this please let us know. Give the USB and or Firewire ports a shot too and see what happs.

clfnole:

HDMI doesn't seem to look any different than component on my Mits 65".

BTW I was equally surprised to find FOXHD on the lineup today!

Mike

Still need CBS, UPN, and PBS. But they are getting closer...

Perhaps they coould even add the WB from Miami since we don't have our own WB for HD pass through, that would be nice :)

Free VOD seems to work fine. Shorts, Music Vids, Cartoons
etc...


anyone try the USB or Firewire ports yet?

avmike:

Yeah nice to finally see the Super Bowl in HD. If they get me CBS and March Madness it will be really sweet. I am suprised we don't have Cinemax HD yet since I think its the same company as HBO.

Originally posted by bgall
Still need CBS, UPN, and PBS. But they are getting closer...

Perhaps they coould even add the WB from Miami since we don't have our own WB for HD pass through, that would be nice :)
So they got ABC, NBC, and Fox in HD then? How's Lost and Alias to watch in HD, have you tried to watch those shows? I'd love to see them in HD (I only get NBC and Fox OTA).

I hope they get all the locals and even the WB like you said, that would be sweet. I'd sign up for sure if they did that.

Originally posted by av8torfl
Yes Adelphia did say that CBS would be on in Q1 2005,

No agreement has been reached thusfar.

Originally posted by David McRoy
No agreement has been reached thusfar.

I would sure think that with 3 of the 4 major networks now on Adelphia that it would make CBS more anxious to deal with Adelphia and get on a level footing in the South FL HD market. Other than CSI, I rarely watch any primetime SD shows.

Originally posted by David McRoy
No agreement has been reached thusfar.

WPECDT and Adelphia should be able to come to an agreement if the other WPB HD stations have negotiated contracts. As an increasing number of consumers buy HDTV's, I certainly think WPECDT would want to take advantage of the very large Adelphia customer base.

I honestly think that the upcoming superbowl had alot to do with WFLX and Adelphia coming together. They may have heard from a couple of people that not having the superbowl on Adelphia could affect subscriptions. I didn't think it would happen, I'm happily suprised even though not a subscriber right now (I have my htpc ready for the superbowl). Soon as they get cbs I'll sign back up and ebay this ATI wonder.

I'm sure it's been asked, but i'll ask again anyway. What's the least cost Adelphia package to get the HD channels too? I have a classic cable package fed to me via a HOA deal (no choices). What would I have to pay to get the HD channels?

Anyone compared Adelphia's versions of local HD channels to over-the-air? And differences visible?

If you have classic cable covered by your HOA. Then you can add an HD receiver for $7.95 and that will get you ABC, NBC, and FOX. If you want to get the other HD Channels: INHD, HDNet, Discovery, ESPN then it's another $5.

So 12.95 would be your price.

Adelphia told me I had to get the digital basic package as well in order to get the HD stations. That would be an additional $17 or so. So, you're really looking at about $30 a month.

No you don't. The only basic thing you need to add stuff on is lifeline cable, which is just the locals for $14. After you have that you can just rent a hd stb and addf their HD teir for $5

That's very odd. I've asked them about 4 times if I need the digital basic to get my HD channels (because it sounded stupid that I needed them) and they have said yes every time. Sounds like a scam or something.

hmm well maybe they lied to me then. Cause I asked them If I could rent a hd stb and just get the hd teir and he siad no, you must have lifeline cable and then you can get an hd box and hd teir

hey guys,

i live in ft lauderdale and get all the west palm locals except for 5.1. i get signals in the 70's-low 80's for all the other west palm locals but nothing for 5.1.

does anyone know if 5.1 operates at a lower power or u guys have any solutions for my problem?

yep i know i can get all of my locals in miami, but i'm a geek and i want every channel i can possibly get LOL

greg

Until recently, I received WFLX-DT quite well, with a signal in the 70s. I also had a solid signal from WXEL-DT at its beginning.

Now, the WFLX signal is about 50 and unwatchable. WXEL is about 30 and showing "no signal" on all of the sub-channels. I have checked them both day and night.

I don't think it is an antenna problem, as the signals are the same on two HD receivers -- each fed by a different outdoor antenna.

The antennae are fixed and are aimed at the Miami transmitters. They are aimed to the north and are apparently in line with the WPB stations. The Miami signals have not changed and are still equally good (90s) on both receivers.

Have those stations reduced their signals? If not, what else would explain this phenomenon?

Thank you for your help.

I think you'll want to stick with the miami stations anyways since that's what you get...

Originally posted by bgall
I think you'll want to stick with the miami stations anyways since that's what you get...

I do stick with the Miami stations; but liked to have those WPB stations in reserve in case of preemption, malfunction, etc.

And I ~did~ get them.

I live in Margate and I realize I am much further north that you. However, I get 5.1, 29.1 and 42.1 with no problem at all. In fact, I have an antenna pointed north and an antenna pointed south, and I can get an acceptable signal from all three of those stations off the backside of my south pointing antenna. When using my north pointing antenna, I get a perfect full signal from each of them. The only WPB station I have a problem with is WPBF channel 25.1, but they are much further north. Are you sure that nothing has changed in you antenna setup?
Tony

For those of you considering VOOM, the following article states Echo is buying the satellite and will use it to expand their current offerings:

http://www.hometheatermag.com/news/012405voom/

You Miami guys - forget WPB. I live in the WPB market and have gone to extraordinary lengths to make sure I get the Miami channels. Channel 5, in particular is very trying, althought I do not think their signal is weak, just the HDTV signal is not so stable.

I agree, I am in West Palm and I get most of the Miami stations...>Channel 5.1 is the by far the weakest of all of the WPB ones I get. I find myself almost always switching over to channel 4.1 all the time. The PQ just seems better on that one also.....

Their $1 deal is still in effect and they are still installing. If you ever wanted to put that antenna you already have (or are ready to buy) up outside the house (for maximum signal strength), they will do it for you for ONE BUCK. You'll also get Voom for however long it lasts- which will give you 39 HD channels (and that do look spectacular).

If you live close to the towers (15-20 miles) the Voom-provided antenna (free) will probably be good enough for you. If you live further away, ask and they may give you an upgraded antenna (free). But either way, the installer will do the hard work of mounting the pole for you and doing all the grounding work. You can always go up there any time in the future and swap their antenna for your own. On the other hand, if you already have an antenna (or buy the one you really want before they arrive), they will install your antenna in lieu of the Voom-provided one.

You can influence where they put the dish (pole) mounting too, and the installer will generally comply. So, if you can find a spot that will let you rotate the dish to hit D* or E* after Voom folds, you'll have the easiest time of setting yourself up with one or the other. The installer will even run the cables for you.

So, bottom line: if you ever wanted to maximize your over-the-air reception with a good outside antenna but needed professional installation, it is unlikely you'll ever get a better deal than $1. That you get a (presumably) short-term bonus of 39 national HD channels for however long they keep coming is now just a great bonus.

I paid about $250 to get my antenna professional installed. And that was on top of the $160 I paid for the antenna itself. I went through all of the trouble of mounting & grounding the dish pole myself. Had I been able to get it all done for a buck...

I'm one of those "crazy" people who switched from D* to Voom because I got sick of waiting for D* to deliver more HD channel options. I'll stick with Voom until they turn off the signals. Going back to D*, E* or Adelphia seems like a significant downgrade (IMO) once you get used to having so much HD channel choice. 2007 is a long, L O N G way away.

Originally posted by HobeSoundDarryl
Their $1 deal is still in effect and they are still installing. You'll also get Voom for however long it lasts- which will give you 39 HD channels (and that do look spectacular). ...I'm one of those "crazy" people who switched from D* to Voom because I got sick of waiting for D* to deliver more HD channel options. I'll stick with Voom until they turn off the signals. Going back to D*, E* or Adelphia seems like a significant downgrade (IMO) once you get used to having so much HD channel choice. 2007 is a long, L O N G way away.

And, I'm sure you watch all those 39 HD channels from VOOM too. I know I would really be glued to my tv watching 'Groundhog Day,' 'Godzilla Meets King Kong' and other old movies like that upconverted to HD. :rolleyes: Sorry, but I just never bought into their whole VOOM 39 HD channels bit...who really wants to watch all those old movies and crappy shows on their "specialty" channels. I mean, really, are you that interested in "Euroleague Basketball?" :D :rolleyes:

I guess not too many other consumers bought into it either, which is why they're going under. D*TV doesn't have the most HD content...yet. But, at least, they have some HD material (plus, I get the local OTA HD broadcasts as well of course); Although I wish they had more HD channels (like Starz-HD, USA-HD, etc.), D*TV still has what I want to watch and will be adding more of what I want to watch in HD; it's not just a bunch of crap (much of it upconverted to HD) broadcast on 21 "specialty" HD channels. I really don't need all that HD "fluff." :)

Voom is a joke and that's why they failed and will soon be dead. Now back to local WPB talk :)

Last night the best HD picture of the debates was on HD news a Voom exclusive. They also have an excellent HD music channel called Rave. I know they had a flawed plan but those of us who got it have a pretty good thing 'til the end. Now back to the locals can 5-1 ever get the signal fixed. They have got to be at least somewhat ashamed.

Originally posted by dolphan
Last night the best HD picture of the debates was on HD news a Voom exclusive. They also have an excellent HD music channel called Rave. I know they had a flawed plan but those of us who got it have a pretty good thing 'til the end. Now back to the locals can 5-1 ever get the signal fixed. They have got to be at least somewhat ashamed.

WPTVDT's reception appeared to be fine via the Adelphia HD converter box last night.

All the networks looked about the same on my set except HD news which really stood out. I tried to watch Leno last night and that is when the picture trouble happened. The Heat game against Cleveland is in HD on TNTHD at 8(Voom).

I can't get 5-1 right now.

Also I get 12-1 but there's no picture. I wonder if it's the PSIP changes, I guess I'll try a re-scan

I am having the same problem. 5-1 is breaking up and 12-1 won't come in at all. It is only on my Voom receiver my Directv receiver is fine. I've tried rescanning to no avail.

WPTV-DT this evening (watched on my D*TV HD DVR - HR10-250)...

For a minute or so, the screen just froze during 'The Apprentice.' It was corrected though and seemed fine for the rest of the program.

Except for a couple "typical" black flashes, WPTV-DT's broadcast of 'E.R' looked great and the audio was even in sync...it's all hard to believe, but I'm sure their problems and instability are far from over.

I didn't see the usual pixelization drop-outs during this evening's H/DTV broadcasts on WPTV-DT. It's a start anyhow...

Yeah, for whatever reason the multipath is the worst on WPTV for me. All the other stations in the same area come in just fine, I don't know if it's the frequency or what. But prior to tonight it came in right away now I have signal but it wont lock, so some kinda multipath...

WPTV DT 5-1. I think we have done a pretty good job staying on top of our HD pass thru the past 2 weeks. We have continued to stay on top of the operators to make sure signal going out is clean. I switched on ER tonight, WPTV clean. Then went to 6-1, they had SD up. I am interested in how many folks are seeing the PSIP info at home.

Maybe it's only my TV, but I was watching Joey tonight on Adelphia channel 704 and shortly after every commercial the picture flipped from 16:9 to 4:3.

Strangely, Will and Grace also started out in 16:9 which is interesting because, I thought Will and Grace was not broadcast in 16:9. I rolled the show back on my DVR and sure enough, the left and right side of the picture just disappeared when the video switched to 4:3. Anybody know what's going on here?

The picture and audio on ER seemed OK, so the night wasn't a complete bust.

Originally posted by abramsky
Maybe it's only my TV, but I was watching Joey tonight on Adelphia channel 704 and shortly after every commercial the picture flipped from 16:9 to 4:3.

Strangely, Will and Grace also started out in 16:9 which is interesting because, I thought Will and Grace was not broadcast in 16:9. I rolled the show back on my DVR and sure enough, the left and right side of the picture just disappeared when the video switched to 4:3. Anybody know what's going on here?

The picture and audio on ER seemed OK, so the night wasn't a complete bust.

NBC was having issues and vacillating between HD to SD during Will and Grace. This was and NBC issue and not a WPTV or WTVJ issue. I checked both channels and the problem was consistent.

WPEC-DT is definitely on the air although I'm getting nothing at home since at least 6 last night. I'll try to find out what's going on today.

Originally posted by WPTV DT DOE
WPTV DT 5-1. I think we have done a pretty good job staying on top of our HD pass thru the past 2 weeks. We have continued to stay on top of the operators to make sure signal going out is clean. I switched on ER tonight, WPTV clean. Then went to 6-1, they had SD up. I am interested in how many folks are seeing the PSIP info at home.

WPTV-DT's H/DTV broadcasts were ok last night (except for a couple of "black flashes"), but unwatchable this morning (SD) with the usual issues. :( Major, frequent pixelization dropouts and audio sync problem. :mad:

What ever happened to the technician that's supposed to finally clean things up and get a stable H/DTV broadcast at WPTV-DT by mid-Feb as you said? What's the status of that? Thanks.

It's February 4th, doesn't seem mid in the month to me ;)

Thanks for checking on the picture WPEC Dave :) For me I had a strong signal 85% but it was a blank screen.

bgall - I get killer multi-path with channel 5 as well. I think it is simply because their signal is so strong in my area. I have a very, very narrow range in which I can point my bi-directional antenna to get 3 things at once - Miami HD channels, WPB HD channels (minus 25), AND no multi-path on 5. It is a matter of as little as 3 degrees by compass. Channel 25 is too far east (or north?) I have to point my antenna more NE to get that, and then I lose all Miami stations.

Yeah, the overdrive is probably what it is. I move it a little and I can get WPTV, but loose all the others.

Originally posted by bgall
It's February 4th, doesn't seem mid in the month to me ;)

Thanks for checking on the picture WPEC Dave :) For me I had a strong signal 85% but it was a blank screen.

...not what I was getting at. I was just looking for an update from WPTV-DT DOE on whether or not they were still planning for 100% stability and an end to their problems in a week or so - "mid month" (if that qualified 'technician' was actually coming to fix things over there). Unfortunately, given WPTV-DT's past history since they went live on 4/17/03, almost 2 years ago!!), I am very skeptical about WPTV-DT actually getting it done right, that's all.

Although last night was better, WPTV-DT today has all pixelization dropouts today. It's completely unwatchable. :(

I am able to get all the channels from the WPB antenna's as well as 4.1, 6.1, and WAMI and a few others but I have a question. If I add another antenna up there pointed toward Miami, will I have a problem losing any of the stations I currently get?

Things are getting weirder and weirder. Since the storms, 12-1 has been a hit-or miss affair (Stuart area).

I'm usually getting 60's - 70's signal strength on 12-1, but 80% of the time have no picture or audio. All other DT stations are more or less OK

Tried to find a place to bench test the rcvr (Hughes E86), but looks like it is now an orphan...Hughes 800-number refers me to DirecTv, and they do not have any repairs available. Bummer!

Any ideas?

Something's wrong with WPBF-DT now. The re-mapping to (25-1) is now gone and they are showing a 14x9 stretched analog picture, not passing HD...

The only one I'm having problems with is 5-1. The signal goes from 80 to 99 like a pulse. I guess I will have to move my antenna a little. I wonder what changed to cause the trouble. I have been complaining about 5-1 and this was probably the trouble the whole time.

Originally posted by dolphan
The only one I'm having problems with is 5-1. The signal goes from 80 to 99 like a pulse. I guess I will have to move my antenna a little. I wonder what changed to cause the trouble. I have been complaining about 5-1 and this was probably the trouble the whole time.

I highly doubt it's your antenna; WPTV-DT has been completely unwatchable the entire day today...frequent pixelization dropouts and screen freezes. I live very close to the antenna farm, and all WPB DT stations come in just fine, except WPTV-DT. The signal for WPTV-DT jumps around from 65 - 90 on my D*TV HD DVR as well...it's crazy. It's their equipment and their personnel, not the placement of our antennas.

Notice how WPTV-DT DOE didn't reply to my question about his statement from a couple weeks ago about them probably getting things resolved (and getting a stable H/DTV broadcast) sometime in Feb.? Gee, I'm shocked. :rolleyes: :mad:

WPTV is fine right now...

Originally posted by bgall
WPTV is fine right now...

Wait a minute or two... :D

All kidding aside, I tried to watch the news (both News Ch. 5 and NBC Nightly News w/ Brian Williams) this evening (as well as other things during the day today) and couldn't watch anything on WPTV-DT due to continuous pixelization dropouts. It was completely unwatchable and I had to switch to cable.

I haven't had any signal from WPEC-DT for a couple of days. Nothing on the signal meter. David, you said you were going to check this out. Any news? I hope it's not me. I've got 5 and 29 at about 95%. TIA

It's not on their end. I'm getting WPEC just fine.

WPBF is still messed up with the 14x9 stretching their analog signal, no HD shows, and no PSIP info

If you are having problems with 12-1. Try unplugging your receiver a little while and then let it reboot. It worked for me yesterday.

bsgoren & bgall, why the hostility? My pitch was primarily about getting an outside antenna mounted by professionals for a buck. It also gets satt pole placement, which can be influenced so that the person can easily swap dishes to get D* or E* when that time comes. $1.

All these people who are alwayson here asking about getting the local channels- or commenting about problems getting the local channels- who have their antenna mounted in the attic or who are working with rabbit ears or similar: this would be a way to maximize local HD signals with a professionally-installed/grounded OUTDOOR antenna for $1. Even if you chuck the Voom service the very next day, they don't come and undo all of the wiring and take out the poles, etc.

If I didn't already have my antenna mounted outside, this would be a steal whether i loved or hated the Voom service. Feelings toward Voom itself is almost irrelevant to this opportunity. ONE BUCK!

HobeSoundDarryl,

Bingo, and if we get lucky and one of the other providers decides to take us as subscribers and add some Voom programming it is a real win. Channel 5-1 seams to be getting better for me, still some breakup but much less.

Originally posted by HobeSoundDarryl
bsgoren & bgall, why the hostility? My pitch was primarily about getting an outside antenna mounted by professionals for a buck. It also gets satt pole placement, which can be influenced so that the person can easily swap dishes to get D* or E* when that time comes. $1.

All these people who are alwayson here asking about getting the local channels- or commenting about problems getting the local channels- who have their antenna mounted in the attic or who are working with rabbit ears or similar: this would be a way to maximize local HD signals with a professionally-installed/grounded OUTDOOR antenna for $1. Even if you chuck the Voom service the very next day, they don't come and undo all of the wiring and take out the poles, etc.

If I didn't already have my antenna mounted outside, this would be a steal whether i loved or hated the Voom service. Feelings toward Voom itself is almost irrelevant to this opportunity. ONE BUCK!

I understand your point; my "hostility" is just frustration with WPTV-DT mainly. Since I live so close to the antenna farm (within a few miles; I see the towers when I look west from my driveway), I get all WPB HD/DT broadcast signals between 70-95 with just my Zenith Silver Sensor antenna sitting on top of our built-in wall unit. So, for me and my situation, there's no need for a larger, outdoor antenna unless I wanted to receive the Miami stations (which would be great, but I know my wife wouldn't be too pleased about a huge, ugly antenna mounted in our backyard or attached to our roof :D ). For those who cannot receive a decent signal (above 65 or so) from the WPB HD/DT stations, then I suppose the VOOM $1 installation deal could be an alternative to get a large outdoor OTA antenna regardless of which Sat service you subscribe to (unless there's a subscription commitment which wouldn't be so prudent for obvious reasons).

You can't argue, however, that it's been almost 2 whole years since WPTV-DT went live and they still have the same problems to this day. All we ever get from them is ..."we're working on resolving the issues." They really can't get a solid, stable HD/DT broadcast in almost 2 years??? :rolleyes: There are only 4 reasons for this: 1.) equipment, 2.) incompetent personnel, 3.) apathy, or 4.) a combination of any or all of these reasons. You have to admit, when HDTV is promoted so much by the networks these days, including NBC, it is quite sad and pathetic that WPTV-DT cannot get their act together in such a long time. :mad:

Is anyone having any sort of audio problems with Fox 29 today? I keep having the audio hiccups everone few seconds. Have moved the antenna around to no avail. Hopefully it goes away before the game.

bsgoren, relative to WPTV I am totally with you. It is inexcusable that they can't get it right. It's always "an upgrade/repair/service visit is happening soon" and that time comes & goes. Perhaps someday they will decide that it is kind of stupid to pay the electric bill to broadcast the digital channel and not pay what must be a much smaller amount to make the fixes in the system (and finally get it right).

They pride themselves on their digital studio, but they can't seem to get the digital signal right. Other stations have gone digital since them and has been delivering a stable signal for months. Is it not possible to borrow some technical help from any of the other stations to work out the bugs? Did they not get some kind of warranty with the equipment? What exactly is the problem and why can't it get fixed?

Originally posted by HobeSoundDarryl
bsgoren, relative to WPTV I am totally with you. It is inexcusable that they can't get it right. It's always "an upgrade/repair/service visit is happening soon" and that time comes & goes. Perhaps someday they will decide that it is kind of stupid to pay the electric bill to broadcast the digital channel and not pay what must be a much smaller amount to make the fixes in the system (and finally get it right).

They pride themselves on their digital studio, but they can't seem to get the digital signal right. Other stations have gone digital since them and has been delivering a stable signal for months. Is it not possible to borrow some technical help from any of the other stations to work out the bugs? Did they not get some kind of warranty with the equipment? What exactly is the problem and why can't it get fixed?

Yes, I onced posted a message on this thread asking if Dave McRoy and his team at WPEC-DT could possibly help the guys at WPTV-DT to get a stable HD/DTV broadcast? :D Obviously, this didn't go over so well. :) But, the truth is that all the other WPB HD/DT stations are in fact broadcasting relatively stable, high quality HD/DT broadcasts. When there's an issue at any of the other WPB DT stations, they always get if fixed in a timely manner. Almost two years gone by and still WPTV-DT is still "trying to resolve their problems." Even WFLX-DT provides a relatively stable, quality HD broadcast...how often can we say that Fox is better than NBC? At least, in this case, our Fox affiliate is head-and-shoulders above our NBC affiliate...which in my book (since I have always been a loyal NBC fan), is just sad. :(

That's why I'm skeptical, frustrated, and annoyed with them. Under normal circumstances, if this kind of shoddy work were done at any other job, the people would be fired and replaced by competent technicians and engineers who would make sure the job gets done right asap! :mad:

Anyway...time to watch the Superbowl in HD and in DD 5.1!!!! :D ...on WFLX-DT. At least I feel confident that I can enjoy the game in HD, since it's on our WPB Fox affiliate. :) I would be so mad if NBC were broadcasting the game; thank God WPTV-DT has nothing to do with the game this evening! Can you even imagine inviting your closest friends and family over for a Superbowl party...to watch the game in Hi-Def on your amazing big screen HDTV, only to be yelled at and food thown in your face; and be forced to switch to snowy analog cable becauase WPTV-DT's HD broadcast is unwatcable due to frequent pixelization dropouts, strange "black flashes" and audio way out of sync!!!! Imagine the horror and embarrassment of that!! :o :eek: No thanks.

Update on the WFLX-DT's Superbowl HD coverage... just about at halftime now:

Kudos to Fox and WFLX-DT...as far as I can tell, WFLX-DT has been absolutely flawless!!!! :) Perfect HD video and accurate DD 5.1 audio...now, this is the way to watch the Superbowl!!! :D

I completely agree. Small audio complaint with the pregame audio but others in programming thread noted the same thing. Keep up the good work WFLX.

Yep, WFLX did an awesome job, and has been awesome ever since they went HD. The spilcer system is really a great tool and works to their advantage. Balanced audio between local commercials and national. It was awesome!

Originally posted by bsgoren
Update on the WFLX-DT's Superbowl HD coverage... just about at halftime now:

Kudos to Fox and WFLX-DT...as far as I can tell, WFLX-DT has been absolutely flawless!!!! :) Perfect HD video and accurate DD 5.1 audio...now, this is the way to watch the Superbowl!!! :D
I completely agree, that was absolutely great! Loved every minute of it. Couldn't believe the difference when I flipped back and forth between regular (dtv) TV. With the 5.1 audio, it just makes it seem like your almost there also. :)

WFLX's HD coverage has been great for me since the MLB playoff's of last year. 24 is awesome to watch in HD. Keep up the great work WFLX!

I'm with you guys. If anyone has a contact email address to the Fox engineers, we should send all of our individual praise to them. They can show their boss that there are HD people out here. Etc. Post the address, and let's let them know.

I agree WFLXDT did a wonderful job with the Super Bowl in HD. I watched it via the Adelphia HD converter box and the video and DD5.1 was just about flawless. It's great to be able to watch any HD programming, but especially a major event like the Super Bowl. WFLXDT is to be commended for being a local leader in HDTV.

While I doubt that it is an engineer, I found this address on the FOX29 website and just sent a big compliment to them about the Superbowl.

rsanluis@wflx.com

Those that care to throw some cheer their way, this may be a good one to use. Think about it. I wonder how often they get an email praising the quality of a picture. If they got 3 or 4 it would probably get some notice. 9 or 10 might get some real attention. Etc.

If you dug the show, send them some praise.

Has anyone been able to receive WXEL-DT (PBS) or WPTV-DT (NBC) today? This weeked I installed a roof top Channel Master 4228 antenna (just in time to watch the Super Bowl in HD), but these stations aren't being received by my Hughes HR10-250. The receiver reports no signal for channel 27 (WXEL-DT) but I get 60 - 70 % for channel 55 WPTV-DT. So it's as if WXEL-DT is completely offline while WPTV-DT is broadcasting but my receiver displays the "searching for signal..." message when I tune to 5.1.

I live in Wellington right on Lake Worth Road, so both towers are visible from my house. My antenna is pointed just west of North in order to pickup WPBF-DT (ABC) and still get WPEC-DT (CBS) and the other WPB channels of the back of my antenna. Since WPEC-DT (CBS) and WPTV-DT (NBC) are transmitting from the same tower and WPEC-DT is VHF, one would think that I should be getting WPTV-DT with no problem. WPEC-DT shows 60 - 70%. Same goes for WXEL-DT (PBS) - it is transmitting from the same tower as WFLX-DT (FOX). Since WFLX-DT is showing a signal strength of 80 - 90 % and the picture is rock solid, I have to believe that WXEL-DT is offline.

BTW - The Super Bowl was as close to perfection as could be - simply suberb picture and sound. Kudos to the staff of WFLX-DT!

Originally posted by siloreed
Has anyone been able to receive WXEL-DT (PBS) or WPTV-DT (NBC) today? I watched part of the evening news on 5.1 on Monday with no problems. Apparently WXELDT has been off the air for several days, I don't have any signal either.

WXEL goes off at midnight and comes back at 6 am, this has been their routine for a while now.

Has anyone heard if Adelphia has made any progress in their negotiation with carrying WPEC-DT?

sent a love note to fox29 :)

come on Adelphia and sign cbs so I can dump this ATI card.

I sent a note too. I also thanked them for getting on Adelphia just in time also.

I too sent a nice note to WFLX-DT. Also American Idol is in HD and DD now if you are a fan of that show.

WPTV DT update: Waiting on final travel plans for tech to be here in the next week, mid-February as promised. For all the signal complaints, we have been fairly stable on air the past month. I had an interesting email from a tech in Wellington the other day...same issue of "pixelization, dropouts and black flashes". He also had readings in the 90's for signal strength. He padded down the signal from his antenna, it helped, but caused lock out on Miami stations, then he installed a "A/B" switch to a small in the house antenna and padded it down, WPTV DT issues all went away. Now he hits the switch to get us in clean from the indoor and others in Lake Worth antenna farm, then hits again to get in distant stations. Seems like a lot of you are suffering from multipath issues with our signal being so strong and hard to discern with all the trouble we had. Our audio lip sync issue is solved, and has been for at least a month. I suggest using some of these "tricks" to see if your situation improves. It is also important to point out that we are at mercy of NBC in NY on the feeds, we had hits(HD to SD) during Will and Grace, but decided to stay with it as they promised they were working to fix it during the broadcast

Thanks for the update Dave. Since you feel confident the audio sync issue is solved, I will switch my TiVo Season Passes from WTVJ to WPTV. WTVJ's signal is over compressed due to the substation. They are way worse than WPEC when it comes to bandwidth allocated to the substation.

For about the past week, I've been unable to get WXEL, which I used to get perfectly. I've been tweaking antennas lately, so I thought that might be the issue, but no matter what I do, I can't tune them in. I've heard conflicting reports on this board as to their on air status lately. Does anyone know the story here?

Originally posted by HobeSoundDarryl
While I doubt that it is an engineer, I found this address on the FOX29 website and just sent a big compliment to them about the Superbowl.

rsanluis@wflx.com

Those that care to throw some cheer their way, this may be a good one to use. Think about it. I wonder how often they get an email praising the quality of a picture. If they got 3 or 4 it would probably get some notice. 9 or 10 might get some real attention. Etc.

If you dug the show, send them some praise.

Thanks for the email address. I also sent them an email thanking them for such a wonderful Super Bowl viewing experience.

My Superbowl praise got the below response from the program director at Fox29. While it looks like it may be a form letter, I still think it would be good if more than a few of us send them some praise...

Thank you for your e-mail. We are always pleased to hear from our
viewers and appreciate you taking the time to send us your comments.
Thank you, again,

Barbara Billens
Program Director
WFLX Fox 29
561/ 282-4156
bbillens@wflx.com
www.wflx.com

I'm pretty confident WXEL is down and has been for a while. Is anyone getting WXEL right now?

Originally posted by WPTV DT DOE
WPTV DT update: Waiting on final travel plans for tech to be here in the next week, mid-February as promised. For all the signal complaints, we have been fairly stable on air the past month. I had an interesting email from a tech in Wellington the other day...same issue of "pixelization, dropouts and black flashes". He also had readings in the 90's for signal strength. He padded down the signal from his antenna, it helped, ... I suggest using some of these "tricks" to see if your situation improves.

Thanks for the update, Dave. But, I have to tell you that as far as I know, I've never had any multipath issues before with WPTV-DT or any other WPB DT broadcast, so I find it unlikely that a multipath problem would just come on suddenly and continue for a few weeks. I already tried moving my antenna around but got the same pixelization dropouts and occasional black flashes. My signal for WPTV-DT remains between 71-88 (and the signal does jump around while all the other WPB DT station signals are basically steady at 80, 90 or whatever). In the past 2 days or so, we're not getting as much pixelization dropouts, but we've been seeing strange flashes of "thin horizontal black lines" (almost like "static") only on WPTV-DT broadcasts. I noticed this over the past 2 days during The Today Show and News Channel 5 morning and evening news. Any idea what this may be?

I will continue to monitor the signal and what's going on, but I'm still hoping that all these problems will disappear after your Tech comes next week. Thanks. :)

Originally posted by bsgoren
Thanks for the update, Dave. But, I have to tell you that as far as I know, I've never had any multipath issues before with WPTV-DT or any other WPB DT broadcast, so I find it unlikely that a multipath problem would just come on suddenly and continue for a few weeks. I already tried moving my antenna around but got the same pixelization dropouts and occasional black flashes. My signal for WPTV-DT remains between 71-88 (and the signal does jump around while all the other WPB DT station signals are basically steady at 80, 90 or whatever). In the past 2 days or so, we're not getting as much pixelization dropouts, but we've been seeing strange flashes of "thin horizontal black lines" (almost like "static") only on WPTV-DT broadcasts. I noticed this over the past 2 days during The Today Show and News Channel 5 morning and evening news. Any idea what this may be?

I will continue to monitor the signal and what's going on, but I'm still hoping that all these problems will disappear after your Tech comes next week. Thanks. :)

Also don't forget the "crackeling" sound on the audio channels that occurs every few minutes.

FWIW, I get a solid 100 on WPTV-DT lately with no reception problems or lip sync error.

I get a solid 100 in NE Boca, but I have to, as I have mentioned before, be VERY careful where I point the antenna. Slight variations of as little as 3 degrees and 5 starts the periodic black-outs. I'm dying for next generation receiver technology that supposedly handles multi-path better.

Originally posted by HobeSoundDarryl
I'm pretty confident WXEL is down and has been for a while. Is anyone getting WXEL right now? I haven't had a signal for 4 or 5 days. FWIW, I sent WXEL an email requesting that they post digital outages on their website to inform people installing antennas for digital TV. I didn't get a response.
As a paying WXEL subscriber, it's a bit disappointing to see that a hi-tech communications organization can't communicate something as basic as their transmitter status.

I also contacted WXEL about the outage and got a reply...

We've had some equipment problems and are waiting on a part. It should be up and running soon.

While it doesn't offer any specific date, at least we know something is being done.

JeffBowser, are you joking about the "next generation receiver technology", as it is nuts that 5-1 has the problem and everyone else doesn't? Or are you really meaning 5-1s next generation of fixes to correct the problems in their DTV stream? If the former, I'm guessing you are joking- playing upon the early days (months/years) of 5-1 posting notes that their problems were clearly our boxes not having new enough versions of HD decoders built in.

I remember strings of messages about how those of us with older boxes needed to buy newer ones- even though every other local DTV signal came in just fine. At the time they launched, my box was also having problems and it was newest generation, state-of-the-art. And I noticed that pointing the antenna in very narrow ranges seemed to stablize the signal for some stretches of time (but not always).

Needless to say, the problem is at 5-1, has been at 5-1, and hopefully will not continue to be 5-1. They need to fix the problem once and for all (or perhaps chuck the whole system and go with one of the proven ones used by all of the other local stations). I simply must believe they have a warranty with the system they chose; it seems like they should be flexing their muscles with that warranty and getting it done, or getting the provider to take back the buggy technology and taking their business elsewhere.

If you were joking, you might want to add a smiley face to your message.

Originally posted by HobeSoundDarryl
JeffBowser, are you joking about the "next generation receiver technology", as it is nuts that 5-1 has the problem and everyone else doesn't? ...

Needless to say, the problem is at 5-1, has been at 5-1, and hopefully will not continue to be 5-1. They need to fix the problem once and for all (or perhaps chuck the whole system and go with one of the proven ones used by all of the other local stations). I simply must believe they have a warranty with the system they chose; it seems like they should be flexing their muscles with that warranty and getting it done, or getting the provider to take back the buggy technology and taking their business elsewhere.

If you were joking, you might want to add a smiley face to your message.

I think he may be talking about D*TV's new MPEG-4 system with new HD Sat/OTA receivers and HD DVR's (replacing our HD D*TIVO's) which will be phased in (and our current MPEG-2 receivers, Sat dish, and HD D*TIVO's phased out) within the next 2 years. Supposedly, the new system will handle multipath better. But, again, I agree with you that all of this is caused by WPTV-DT's equipment and probably not multipath. :mad: I would be willing to bet that the pixelization dropouts, black flashes, black static lines, and crackling sounds will end suddenly if that Tech actually fixes what's wrong at WPTV-DT; otherwise they will have to get an entirely new system as you've suggested!

Darryl. Relax.

I was not joking, either. Yes, 5-1 has been abysmal in their stability, but multi-path is also an issue, and not just with 5-1, at least where I have my antenna mounted. http://www.cs.rochester.edu/~balazer/dtv/#multipath

Originally posted by JeffBowser
Darryl. Relax.

I was not joking, either. Yes, 5-1 has been abysmal in their stability, but multi-path is also an issue, and not just with 5-1, at least where I have my antenna mounted. http://www.cs.rochester.edu/~balazer/dtv/#multipath

BTW - Great link, Jeff! Thanks. :)

Thanks - it's nice to, for once, provide something useful beyond my strident opinions :D