I was getting some audio dropouts and pixelization on MNF in the first quarter; seems to have settled down now. Great game...I feel like I'm watching a Gator game from a few years ago...way to go Steve! The Skins are looking good.

On another subject -- I switched to WPTV-DT, 5.1 during a commercial and noticed that the HD picture was about 2" off to the right. From earlier posts, I guess they had the same problem earlier in the week. How annoying...where's Dave from WPTV-DT???? Now, the HD picture shifted to right...that's just bizarre! What's the story?

Hey, WPBF! Are you ready for some football?
Are you ready for some High Definition football?
Are you ready for Britney Spears in micro shorts?
Are you ready for the hundreds of people, who invited hundreds of other people, to watch the NFL kickoff?
The answer is NO!!! You suck! Please find the pencil-neck that decided to screw with the perfectly stable digital broadcasts that you had one week before football season, and have him or her forced to watch Max Headroom reruns until he or she progresses into COMPLETE insanity.

Do any of you Palm Beach County television broadcasters realize how bad you look to your viewers? Viewers that have invested thousands of dollars in equipment, hours and hours of time spent building and tweaking systems. For what? A crappy DIGITAL picture – that’s what. If you don’t want High Definition television to succeed so that you can use the bandwidth for something more profitable then you are right on track. Better yet, just go ahead and sell your spectrum to the cellular phone companies. My cellular phone’s ring tone has better sound quality than I heard tonight anyway.

For everyone here in Palm Beach County that just has Over-The-Air HD capabilities I urge you to get DirecTV or Dish Network and experience real high definition. ESPN-HD is awesome as well as Discovery-HD, HDNet, HBO, and Showtime.

Watched MNF on WPLG-DT 9 with "rabbit ears" indoor antenna.
Hughes E-86 STB. Great reception here in central county.
Britney in hot pants... Yeah, baby!

I don't get WPBF at all. Their UHF signals, both analog and digital, are completely blocked by a building north of me.

I had the same problem (HD200), also had slight pixelization the same time.
Other than that, picture quality was great.

The digital signal from WPBFDT (25-1) during MNF was not very good last night - lots of pixelization and dropouts. In fact compared to last weeks MNF it was down right poor. The signal seemed to stabilize somewhat during the 2nd and 3rd quarters, but like the 1st quarter was again pretty bad late in the 4th quarter. I periodically checked the other WPB digital channels during the game, and I didn't detect the same kind of problems.

The state of OTA HD from the WPB stations in general is discouraging. WPTVDT (5-1) is still having audio and video problems - the last week the picture has been skewed to the right. My guess is that HD is not a priority for most WPB stations because there's still not enough viewers with HD equipment. But if potential viewers really see the current state of WPB OTA HD, It's going to be a very long time before HD is a viable option in our area.

The only reliable way to get HD right now is via satellite carriers like DirecTV. And they're taking advantage of customers by charging extra fees for HD content channels such as ESPNHD that currently don't carry that much HD content.

I'm hoping this current situation improves before long, but I'm not holding my breath.

I hardly get 25-1 because of my distance, but 10-1 exhibits the same problems, wonder if it is the main sat reception for ABC ?
It was very frustrating to watch the NFL game with picture stops

Wouldn't it be great if someone were to copy our forum posts (expressing our frustration) and fax it to all the WPB-DT tv stations (or at least to WPBF and WPTV). Maybe then they would realize how important it is to improve and stabilize their digital/HD broadcasts. Hmm.....

We read it almost every day.

BTW, check out CBS's U. S. Open Tennis coverage in HD at 11:00 a. m. today.

Standby...we're looking at the wrong transponder.

Okay...there you go!

(They changed the transponder from the original info they sent us and we caught it too late. :rolleyes: )

I've sent a number of emails to WPTVDT and they have at times responded with corrective actions. But days or weeks later the same type of problems recur. I've never found an HD OTA contact at WPBFDT. WPECDT does monitor this board and Dave provides at lot of useful information. I'm pretty sure WPTVDT has also seen posts on this board. Yet the state of the WPB HD OTA signals is still not a good incentive for the average consumer to buy an HDTV set - at least not for watching HD OTA broadcasts. I'm afraid until DirecTV and the cable companies begin offering local HD service, the situation is not going to substantially improve. That could be sometime from now because I understand there are bandwidth issues with both.

Trying to watch US Open tennis on WPECDT today. Apparently the automatic switching gear is not working properly because sometimes after commercial the picture comes back 16:9 and sometimes 4:3. Another example of the frustration I feel as a early adopter of HDTV.

Well, I have calmed down somewhat since the NFL kickoff / WPBF fiasco. I did send my rant to sboyer@hearst.com which is WPBF’s “General comments and questions” contact listed on their Web site. Needless to say I have not received any feedback from them. I was pretty harsh so I don’t really expect a reply. I have resigned myself to the fact that our local broadcasters have complied with the FCC’s demands that they have a digital signal out there by a certain date. It may not be a GOOD digital signal but apparently good enough for the Federal Government. When 2006/2007 rolls around then they should have the bugs worked out. After all, this was a mandate for them, the over-the-air (OTA) broadcasters, not the cable or DBS companies. Cable and DBS companies CAN charge extra money for HD channels because they were not forced to provide it like the OTA companies were. OTA companies make most of their money from advertising revenue. Cable and DBS companies make most of their money from fees. It makes sense that OTA companies will “drag their feet” when it comes to complying with something that only leaches away profit rather than earn more of it. On the other side of this picture DirecTV is seeing large increases in subscriptions to their HD offerings. They continue to add more HD content because they see demand for it and it’s profitable for them. NFL Sunday Ticket each week now shows one game in HD (CBS 1080i) and two games in Fox Widescreen. Sure, you have to pay for it, but you can count on it working and being a good quality picture (well, except for when there is a local downpour that blocks your dish from receiving the signal, but if you have your dish aligned properly then this happens rarely). It still doesn’t explain why Palm Beach County broadcasters have more problems though. Does anyone out there, Ham radio operators perhaps, know where the big antenna masts can be purchased?

David - what happened to the CBS HD transmission on the US Open Tennis broadcast? During the Agassi match the picture occasionally came back as a 4:3 after a commercial break. Now during the Roddick match only a 4:3 picture is being displayed.

Shame on ABC for not broadcasting the Florida/Miami football game in HD!

With all the hype and all the people watching this great rivalry, ABC made a big mistake by not shooting the game with HD cameras. I agree with ElectricPickle about some of our local tv stations (and their lack of commitment to broadcasting excellent, high-quality HD programming), but it has to start on a national level, and ABC has really disappointed some college football fans with this one. This could have been another great opportunity for ABC to promote their HD programming; their sports coverage in HD shouldn't be limited to just NFL games on MNF. Shame on ABC!

I could take a guess, and it is an investment issue.
ABC only wants to invest minimal dollars.
So, their few HD cameras were probably at the Sunday site.
I do notice if they broadcast a sat HD game, then sun is in SD.
and vica versa.

WPEC-DT 12-1 1300 hours Started with the wrong football game but fixed it within a few minutes.

WPTV-DT 5-1 1600 hours no sound on the car race.

I have a 100% signal on WPEC and yet still seem to get audio/video stutters...they are very short but there nonetheless. Anyone else have this prob with the US Open coverage?

Yes I'm also getting occasional pixelization and drop outs. Perhaps it's due to the weather. It's somewhat distracting, but I guess it's one of the draw backs of OTA broadcasts. Still I wish there was something the broadcasters could do to elimate it.

Originally posted by lwhitefl
Trying to watch US Open tennis on WPECDT today. Apparently the automatic switching gear is not working properly because sometimes after commercial the picture comes back 16:9 and sometimes 4:3. Another example of the frustration I feel as a early adopter of HDTV.

CBS was using shots from some SD cameras along with HD cameras.

I also am having pixelation and dropouts on WPEC even though I have 100% signal strength.

Just checked with Engineering...nothing has changed on our end.

I always experience pixelation on WPEC-DT with my Mitsubishi SR-HD5 receiver (Hughes E-86/Toshiba DST-3000 clone) but not on my Zenith or RCA DTC100 receivers.

Originally posted by bsgoren
Shame on ABC for not broadcasting the Florida/Miami football game in HD!

With all the hype and all the people watching this great rivalry, ABC made a big mistake by not shooting the game with HD cameras. I agree with ElectricPickle about some of our local tv stations (and their lack of commitment to broadcasting excellent, high-quality HD programming), but it has to start on a national level, and ABC has really disappointed some college football fans with this one. This could have been another great opportunity for ABC to promote their HD programming; their sports coverage in HD shouldn't be limited to just NFL games on MNF. Shame on ABC!

According to information posted in the Programming Forum, ABC and ESPN share three HD trucks: one for the ESPN Saturday night college game, one for the ESPN Sunday night NFL game and the third for ABC's Monday night NFL game. They apparently cannot travel and set up to do more than one game per truck.

Further, ABC does not have an HD sponsorship deal for Saturday, that having been assigned to ESPN. You will have to look to Disney for the rationale for that.

As it turned out, one of the trucks reportedly had technical problems, requiring the Saturday night ESPN Oklahoma-Alabama game to be done in SD.

In any case, the Hurricanes-Gator (or are they now the Crocodiles?) game was still exciting; especially in the second half after the 'Canes had given them enough points to put them right where they wanted them. It was possibly also partly due to Berlin finally realizing that the guys in the white Gator shirts were no longer his team.

The Hurricane-Gator game was indeed a "barn burner" of a NCAA football game. The UM, UF, & FSU rivalry has delivered a lot of sports thrills over the years - it's a shame UM & UF won't play each other again for awhile (unless it's a bowl game). It's also a shame the game couldn't have been telecast in HD - that would have added realism to an exciting game! Hopefully the next few years will bring a big expansion of sports programming in HD. ABC's MNF is a shining example of the added dimension HD can bring to a sporting event.

Not to be insensitive to budgetary constraints, but I think ABC and ESPN could spend more $$ to get a few more HD cameras and trucks and the staff to use them!!! It's 2004 and HD is in the forefront (or so the networks want you to think); the 2006 deadline for HD programming is coming up fast...you would think that they might have more than just 3 HD trucks. You get what you pay for.

WPTVDT has no sound on their channel tonight in the 7pm time slot. I haven't checked since last Friday, but their HD picture has been skewed to the right for the last week. WPTVDT seems to be working hard to take last place in the HD competent sweepstakes. I would really be upset if NBC was broadcasting a lot of sports content.

Originally posted by bsgoren
Not to be insensitive to budgetary constraints, but I think ABC and ESPN could spend more $$ to get a few more HD cameras and trucks and the staff to use them!!! It's 2004 and HD is in the forefront (or so the networks want you to think); the 2006 deadline for HD programming is coming up fast...you would think that they might have more than just 3 HD trucks. You get what you pay for.

I would love more content as well (hurry and catch up FOX!!!) but ABC/ESPN have at least one more truck than CBS. CBS is only doing one NFL game per week and it's in 1080i. And remember, the deadline is for DIGITAL broadcasting, not necessarily HD content. We can still dream though...

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL!!!! Most of ABC's HD telecast of MNF looks great tonight - though the replays appear to be in SD and I'm not getting any Dolby Digital sound. I'll settle for a good game tonight with a great picture - Go Bucs!!!

BTW, I'm viewing the game tonight using a "Ideal-Lume" 6500K video backlight from http://www.cinemaquestinc.com - looks great.

I agree. Monday Night Football looks good tonight. Nice recovery WPBF!

WPTV is, and has been, in DT last place! No one there to kick the equipment on nights and weekends I guess.

Go Bucs!!!

MNF on WPBF-DT - Great video, audio synch needs work.

WPTV-DT 5-1 Happy Family, SD, very poor lip sync, picture not centered. It's OK though because it's not a very good show.

After MNF WPTVDT's HD broadcast of The Tonight Show was skewed to the right together lip sync problems. It's been this way for some time now, sometimes even their SD picture has lip sync problems or no sound at all. Since WPTVDT seldom posts to this forum explaining the status of their efforts, what else are we to assume other than evidently they don't care whether they have a viable digital broadcast right now.

WPTV's lack of urgency for DT:

Pay attention to who advertises during local broadcasts like their news and send feedback to them.

I agree with Len. I am soooo frustrated with WPTV-DT in regards to their continuous skewed-right picture and lip sync problems.

Yo, WPTV-Dave...what's the story???? I hope you guys can get these problems fixed once and for all before the new season shows begin, or you may have a lot more local WPB viewers amplifying their signals to pull in the Miami NBC-DT station. Come on...enough is enough. You and your engineers have had plenty of time to get these wrinkles ironed out. We still have faith, but our patience is running out.

Can some one tell me about this?? Which game is bing shown in HD every week? Am I missing some thing. I though CBS will start showcasting NFL Games in HD from the Playoffs.

Also, Does any one know if local ABC affiliates will telecast the Dolphins-Bills game and if so will they pass on HD signal?




I would love more content as well (hurry and catch up FOX!!!) but ABC/ESPN have at least one more truck than CBS. CBS is only doing one NFL game per week and it's in 1080i. And remember, the deadline is for DIGITAL broadcasting, not necessarily HD content. We can still dream though...

Just checked with Titan TV and found out that Fox is also showing one game per week in HD. The Bucs Falcons game on 21st is being shown in HD by WFLX whereas WSVN is doing it in their 480i.

This is just GREAT !!!

If you go to DirecTV's NFL Sunday Ticket schedule they list the games that are in HD and Fox WS for specific dates. You can figure that if it lists HD then it's on CBS, ABC, or ESPN. All Monday Night Football games on ABC are HD.

http://www.directvsports.com/Schedules/Packages/NFLSundayTicket/ (http://)

I was pleasantly surprised to find that WPECDT carried Sunday's HD NFL Patriots vs. Eagles game. Given CBS made that game available to DirecTV Sunday Ticket, I was afraid they might show another non HD game.

Will ABC passon the ESPN HD Feed for the Bills game this weekend??

Venkat its doubtful otherwise there would be no point in actually having ESPN-HD. The only HD football ABC has is MNF.

My understanding is ESPN HD will broadcast the game as long as it is not blacked out locally.

Usually it is customary for ABC to carry on the ESPN feed for the local game so it might as well pass on the HD feed. We are talking about the only ESPN game that Miami is featured. It may serve as an enticement for people to go for the ESPN HD (if available locally).

According to titanTV the game will be shown by UPN in HD.

32 (32-1) WBFSDT UPN

NFL Football HD
Bills at Dolphins

I don't think UPN is broadcast HD feeds yet. TitanTV also lists other UPN shows that indicate HD, but I believe there currently being broadcast in SD.

Originally posted by lwhitefl
I don't think UPN is broadcast HD feeds yet. TitanTV also lists other UPN shows that indicate HD, but I believe there currently being broadcast in SD.

I don't know about UPN, but Miami affiliate WBFS-DT (33-1) has done some movies in HD on a local basis. In this case, the feed would come from ESPN, as will the SD feed.

Originally posted by Venkat
According to titanTV the game will be shown by UPN in HD.

32 (32-1) WBFSDT UPN

NFL Football HD
Bills at Dolphins
I believe this is incorrect. I read somewhere on the AVS programming board (not certain which thread, but it was recent) that ESPN will *not* be passing along the HD feed of the Sunday Night NFL game to stations that simulcast the games. The only way to get the HD feed is to sign up for ESPN HD. Sorry.

- geoff

"Planes, Trains and Automobiles" will air in HD on
Sunday the 21st on WBFS 33.1 at 3 PM and on
Suuday the 28th on WTVX 34.1 at 10 AM.

Ken

Originally posted by geoff2
I believe this is incorrect. I read somewhere on the AVS programming board (not certain which thread, but it was recent) that ESPN will *not* be passing along the HD feed of the Sunday Night NFL game to stations that simulcast the games. The only way to get the HD feed is to sign up for ESPN HD. Sorry.

- geoff

At least in our case that's true. I wish we could, but it will not be in HD.

Am I the only one that is finding 12-1 network show feeds very often have audio and video sync problems?

Tried to watch the show "Cupid" Wednesday night but the audio was out of sync. It seems to happen so frequently that I am coming to expect it rather than be surprised by it.

pogo

To the Gentlemen at WPTV-DT: Are you guys "boobs" or what? It's been about 1 month or so, and you still cannot fix the skewed-right HD picture. Are you waiting for new parts to arrive or are you just a bunch of boobs who keep scratching your heads, trying to figure out how to fix that problem?

I remember when Dave McRoy (having a better, first-hand understanding of a new DT station going live) asked all of us who monitor and post on this forum to "give you guys a break" while you iron out your problems at the beginning, but I believe that was in JUNE! I feel we've all given you and your engineers plenty of time to work things out. It's been 3 months and your broadcasts still have these kinds of problems. This is getting ridiculous, and it's unfortunate. NBC's new fall shows will begin soon; are you going to force us to endure more screwed up HD pictures while you guys simply fumble around, or should we all start watching the NBC-Miami DT station? It's up to you. Please, fix it already.

Pogo, watched Survivor on WPEC 12-1 tonight and everything was good. No sync problems at all.

Bsgoren, I'm with you. WPTV 5-1's HD picture is skewed off to the right and the audio sync seems to be seconds off (yes, seconds - not milliseconds). Fortunately for me there has been nothing I like to watch on NBC, but I'm sure that I will try some of the new shows. How about we start listing email addresses of their advertisers.

Not a bad idea, ElectricPickle. Do you or anyone else have the GM's e-mail address? I think everone on this forum should send a brief e-mail to the WPTV GM and to their advertisers saying we're all going to watch the Miami NBC station if they don't get their DT fixed. It should be a major embarassment to them and they should have fixed these probelms many weeks ago. It appears they just don't care and they'll be kicking themselves in the behinds for it.

Originally posted by bsgoren
Not a bad idea, ...e-mail to ... their advertisers

Wow, you guys are tough. Its free for goodness sakes, and the viewer pool is so small. Perhaps a nice email thanking them for their progress and support of the new technology with a question about the problems to the station will get some results. Going to advertisers about this seems really harsh. Might want to save that stick?

pogo

Originally posted by pogo
Wow, you guys are tough. Its free for goodness sakes, and the viewer pool is so small. Perhaps a nice email thanking them for their progress and support of the new technology with a question about the problems to the station will get some results. Going to advertisers about this seems really harsh. Might want to save that stick?

pogo

Yes. Perhaps we are being too harsh. But consider these facts:
It's "free" for us to receive if we buy thousands of dollars of equipment.
They are mandated by the Federal Government to broadcast with a digital signal and to get rid of analog by 2006.
No other Palm Beach County stations are having the constant problems that WPTV-DT are having - and not fixing.
No other South Florida stations have the problems that the Palm Beach County stations are having.
This is not, I repeat, not a new technology. It's been around for decades, but here in the USA we have been bogged down by "standards" and "copy protection rights".

I'm solidly with those of you that are severely criticizing WPTVDT. They've had months to transmit a viable digital picture and pass on the NBC HD programming. I've sent emails to WPTVDT staff and the owners, Scripps Broadcasting - all to no avail. It appears painfully obvious to me that WPTVDT staff considers the existing HD audience not significant and really isn't trying very hard to correct the problems and to communicate with this forum as WPECDT staff has done. If someone posts the advertisers customer service email address, I'll certainly take the time to complain. Although I'm not really optimistic that will have much effect either. Maybe complaints to the FCC would help.

No, I do not believe we are being too harsh; WPTV-DT has had plenty of time to iron out their wrinkles. This is just ridiculous. I'm not sure if Pogo is new to this forum and/or new to receiving DT/HD here in the WPB area, but ElectricPickle and lwhitefl are correct. NO other WPB DT station has had the kinds of problems for so long that WPTV-DT has had. The other WPB DT stations like WPEC-DT, (CBS), WPBF-DT (ABC), and even the pseudo-hd (480p) WFLX-DT (Fox) have all been broadcasring virtually trouble-free for many, many months, except for some typical issues like audio sync and occasional pixelization, etc. Any problems the other stations had, they've all addressed and fixed in a reasonable amount of time.

WPTV-DT's HD picture has been skewed right for several weeks...why can't they fix it already? Are they just morons and have no idea what they're doing or do they just not care? And, I believe that the WPB DT/HD audience is much larger than most think and it's getting larger each day as more and more people invest the $$ in the new tv's, HD receivers, and OTA antennas. All the networks proudly display and "talk-up" their HD broadcasts, and NBC is beginning their new fall season with many, many primetime shows in 1080i. How can we enjoy these new NBC shows if everything is 3" shifted to the right and the audio is out? Wake up WPTV!!!!! This is B.S.!

No kidding. Can you imagine trying to show off "HDTV" to someone by looking at a picture that is off center and the audio several seconds behind?

I paid all this money for a TV to show that?

Miami Hurricanes v. Boston College Saturday 7:45 PM

Dolphins v. Bills Sunday 8:30 PM

Both via ESPN-HD

Originally posted by bsgoren
not sure if Pogo is new to this forum and/or new to receiving DT/HD here in the WPB area

Guys, I'm not a complete newbie...check my profile-registered Oct '01, 104 posts, I also had a rough road, requiring VHF-Low plumbing to enable solid Miami reception from Boynton, before there was even one WPB station broadcasting.

I too get frustrated with WPTV problems, but I switch to the other NBC station 6-1 (Titan says it is 31-1) and see if they are also having problems, and occasionally, I have to watch cable because both are unwatchable.

We all are riding the crest of this new technology. Even now two years after I first saw HD in my home, the transition to digital TV and to HD is still only just beginning. We have paid ten times what the average viewer is willing to pay, and the broadcasters have paid hundreds of times more than we did to offer this to us. Enjoy your early viewing capability. Show off channel 2. Show off Leno in HD and great sound. Drink from the water that IS in the glass.

I just can't believe that you all want to hurt WPTV to get what you want. I can't say that I wasn't really dissapointed when WPTV first came on the air and didn't broadcast Leno in HD. That was the show for me that really signalled progress. For years we had seen the "Taped in HDTV" banner and had hints of the picture to come by the improvement visible on a standard TV just from using HD cameras. Last night I watched Leno in HD on 6 and enjoyed Dateline and 20/20 in standard digital quality. I am continually amazed at the improved colors and resolution of standard digital.

I'm easy to please, yes, but you guys seem out for blood. If you are looking for a cause - how about going after all the stations to start broadcasting the guide information, but I beg of you, ask them not hurt them.

pogo

When advertisers want their ads in High Def, then and only then will you see HD station improvements.

Follow the money!

Pogo, I don't want to hurt WPTV or any other local business. I just want to get their attention :D They are ignoring the digital television enthusiasts by not fixing their problems in a timely manner. If I didn't care about our local businesses I would be happy to watch just WTVJ-DT for NBC programming.

In 1989 I watched high definition television at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC (Japanese). Ever since seeing that amazingly clear picture I have followed the progress of its development here in the USA. Three years ago I took the plunge and bought the HDTV and receiver, that surely makes me an “early adopter” – at least here in Florida, USA. You are correct; there were no OTA DT broadcasters at that time. That is why I watched DirecTV. I was very happy when the local broadcasters started broadcasting digital signals and I do realize that the technology is new to them. All of us, the viewers and the technicians, helped each other through the problems that usually occur with this kind of equipment. Since I was born and raised here in Palm Beach County, when the only TV station was WPTV Channel 5, I was surprised that they would be the last commercial broadcaster here to go digital. Then I should not be surprised they continue to ignore a segment of their viewers that want better picture quality. I think that we would be doing WPTV a favor by contacting their advertisers and letting them know that we will not be viewing their ads because WPTV can not produce a viable digital picture. The advertisers learn that we are here, and then the broadcasters will know we are serious about it. It’s a win – win situation.

I don’t expect local broadcasters to have the very best digital picture. For that you will have to pay a subscription either to DBS or Cable (no HD on cable in Palm Beach County yet). The best HD picture that I have seen so far has been on Discovery-HD. Football on ESPN-HD is outstanding too. I don’t mind paying and getting quality. WPTV’s advertisers are paying and not getting quality, as least as far as we are concerned. They should be made aware of it.

Again, I agree with ElectricPickle. We are not "out for blood." We are just simply trying to make WPTV understand that not only were they one of the last PBC stations to broadcast in digital/HD, but they've dropped the ball once again. I too expected WPTV to be the first WPB station to broadcast in HD due to their highly publicized new state-of-the-art facility; probably the best news and tv broadcasting facility in Palm Beach County. It's disappointing and frustrating because, it really does seem as if they could care less about fixing their problems.

Why should they have a very clear 1080i HD picture skewed 3" to the right? What good is that when they're premiering the new fall shows? Now, for some of you like Pogo and some others who have spent even more money and time to wire an antenna through your attic or outside, then you can easily switch to the Miami NBC station to watch a nice HD broadcast, and not even think twice about it. But, for those of you like me, who have spent thousands for the latest HD equipment, but rely on a $40 Zenith Silvor Sensor sitting on top of your entertainment ctr, you probably cannot pick up the Miami stations (I cannot from Lake Worth anyhow). So, although I have the HD package on satellite, I have to rely on the WPB-DT stations to offer high-quality, stable local digital/HD broadcasts to watch local HD programming.

Don't get me wrong, I have been extremely pleased overall with all of the local WPB digital/HD broadcasts from WPEC-DT, WPBF-DT, and WFLX-DT (although 480p), EXCEPT for WPTV-DT. They stand alone in this very competitive market as being the only bunch of boobs who cannot fix the same problems they've had for many weeks, and that is a fact. The folks at WPTV and their advertisers should be aware of this, and should act quickly to resolve it.

Not to belabor the point, but those of us to the north of WPB would find it difficult to pickup Miami digital stations even with an outdoor antenna.

I totally agree with ElectricPickle and bsgoren on this issue. They've sucinquently described the WPTVDT situation. I've sent an email to the FCC complaining about the extremely poor WPTVDT transmission. I pointed out that the WPB NBC affiliate is making it all but impossible to watch NBC HD programming.

I also think it's a worth while idea idea for as many of us as possible to send emails to the major WPTVDT advertisers. At the very least Dave McKinley should post to the forum explaining why WPTVDT has been unable to stabilize their HD transmission.

Absolutely, lwhitefl! Where is Dave McKinley, anyhow? We haven't heard from him in about 1 month or so. He should explain why they've been having such troubles (skewed right picture and audio issues), tell everyone what they're doing to remedy the situation, and what the ETA is for resolution.

I am fortunate enough to live in an area (about 2 mi. directly east of the antenna farm on 441/Lantana Rd.) where I can pick up all the WPB-DT stations with excellent signals with just an indoor Silver Sensor antenna (all come in at 'normal' to 'good' even WPBF-DT which broadcasts north of WPB). I can see WPTV-DT's antenna from my backyard, just the same as the ones from WPEC-DT and WFLX-DT.

Unfortnuately for them and for us, WPTV-DT stands out from the rest as being the worst in this market for digital/HD broadcasts. Just because I can get their signal in very strong doesn't mean what's showing is a good high-quality picture. However, it seems that the other WPB stations have worked very hard from their go-live dates to ensure that they provide high-quality, stable, and correctly centered HD broadcasts (not sure why the picture wouldn't be centered, and maybe the folks at WPTV-DT are still scratching their heads). Sometimes, we get pixelization and audio sync problems from any of the DT broadcasts, but at least the broadcasts are still very watchable and enjoyable. I cannot say the same for WPTV-DT's HD broadcasts in the past month or so.

Originally posted by wjbjr
Miami Hurricanes v. Boston College Saturday 7:45 PM

Dolphins v. Bills Sunday 8:30 PM

Both via ESPN-HD

I enjoyed both games very much. Six hours of High Definition football without dropouts, pixellation, audio sync errors, or formating problems. Pure Digital Television as it's supposed to be.

I was watching the noon news on WPTV-DT today and kept getting dropouts and audio sync errors. So are they ready for NBC premier week? Fear Factor is in standard definition and Las Vegas is SUPPOSED to be HD. Or watch ABC's Monday Night Football Raiders at Broncos.

IMO sporting events will be the foundation of HDTV's success - the wide angle view, 3D like picture, and DD sound almost rivals being at a live event without the cost or hassle. I did experience occasional pixelization problems with the OTA stations, but I also very much enjoyed the HD sporting events over this past weekend:

Georgia vs. LSU (CBS-HD)
Miami vs. Boston College (ESPN-HD)
Bucs vs. Falcons (FOX-ED)
Browns vs. 49er's (CBS-HD)
Dolphins vs. Bills (ESPN-HD)

And tonight's ABC MNF HD event - Raiders vs. Broncos

Whew! That's a lot of football....

How do you get ESPN HD? Adelphia doesn't seem to pass on HD

I subscribe to DirecTV and opted for their $11/mo HD package which consists of:

ESPN-HD
DSHD (Discovery Channel)
HDNet
HDNM (HDNet Movies)

Even though I consider the DirecTV HD package to be somewhat of a ripoff (we used to get HDNet as part of the base package), during the football season the ESPN-HD NFL games are making it worthwhile for me. Hopefully Discovery HD will begin airing more HD programs such as the ECO Challenge which is absolutely spectacular in HD!

Even though I get Adelphia Cable as part of my HOA fees, I find the analog picture quality on DirecTV superior. The only stations I watch on Adelphia anymore are the local WPB analog broadcasts.

Just sent an e-mail to Dave McKinley at WPTV-DT, but I doubt I'll get a reply. I told him how disappointed I was and concerned that I (along with all of us in the WPB area who watch HD/digital broadcasts) will not be able to watch the NBC's new fall premier shows this week to due their skewed-right picture (about 2") and audio sync problems (I noticed audio about a full 1-2 seconds before video last night).

I'm sure others have done the same, but I'm really annoyed that I cannot watch the NBC shows in HD; all the other network affiliates in WPB are ready! This is just pathetic that WPTV-DT cannot fix these ridiculous problems in time for the new season. Anyone interested in signing an online petition to send to WPTV?

BTW - The Fins/Bills game was great and looked awesome in ESPN-HD last night!!!

I'll be willing to participate in an online petition to WPTVDT. But given many of us have already sent emails to Dave McKinley, I doubt it will have much effect. I also have sent an email to WPTV Contact5 which I doubt will do any good either. WPTV most likely will continue to consider HD a low priority until they believe there's enough of an installed HD consumer base.

I can't believe it...

Just received a response from Dave McKinley at WPTV. Apparently, their HD/digital broadcasting was not a priority and they did have a bunch of boobs who had no idea what they were doing, but maybe now, they got our message, and we'll resolve their issues. We'll see...

Here's his reply to my e-mail below:

I hear your concerns loud and clear. I apologize for the apparent lack of effort on our part. I will not bother with excuses, but will make a committment to get the issues solved. We value the HD viewer, and in short order, everyone will be enjoying what you and a growing number of folks are enjoying, or attempting to enjoy via WPTV-DT.
WPTV-DT was last on the air, as we had to build a tower to support our new service. This came on the heels of a new studio facility. We have been inundated with projects, and short staffed. Many of these issues have kept us away from the DTV service longer than anticipated. We also were the victims of 2 integrators who did not perform what they had promised us with the installation of the HD equipment. I will be working tonight, and all week if needed to address these current open technical issues. Please bear with us a little longer. If you notice something better or worse, please feel free to forward your comments to me.
Dave

Dave McKinley
Director Of Engineering
WPTV Television
SBE Chapter 88 Chairman
dmmckinley@scripps.com


-----Original Message-----
Sent: Monday, September 22, 2003 2:51 PM
To: dmmckinley@scripps.com
Subject: WPTV-DT Ready for New Fall Season? Picture Still Skewed-Right & Audio Problems

Dear Dave,

Although you may be aware of your problems with your HD/Digital broadcasts, I am very unhappy with the status of WPTV-DT's HD/digital broadcasts due to the picture being skewed to the right about 2" and the audio out of sync (audio about 1-2 full seconds before video). As you know, tonight and all this week are NBC's premiers for the new fall season, and I along with many of us here in the WPB area (with HD/digital equipment) would like to enjoy these NBC shows via WPTV-DT, but are concerned we will not be able to due to the aforementioned problems which have not been resolved in several weeks.

I understand that many others have sent a-mails, left messages, and posted to the AVS Forum (Local Info & Reception - WPB) with no response from you and your WPTV-DT team. Many viewers have already have given up on your station and have been watching the HD/digital signals from the NBC station in Miami because your broadcasts are not watchable. For those of us like myself with a small, indoor antenna, we must rely on the local DTV stations in West Palm Beach to provide high-quality, stable HD/digital broadcasts. I am fortunate enough to live very close to your antenna off 441 just south of Lantana Rd., and although I get a strong signal, I cannot watch your programming because of the skewed-right picture and audio sync problems. All the other WPB affiliates broadcasting in HD/digital do not have these problems.

This is a shame, because I and many others had originally expected WPTV to be the first WPB station to broadcast in HD due to your highly publicized new state-of-the-art facility; probably the best news and tv broadcasting facility in Palm Beach County. Your organization was one of the last stations to go live with HD/digital broadcasts, and your quality has been most disappointing and frustrating. WPTV-DT is the only station in the WPB area to have these problems; we have asked many times for you to resolve these issues.

I have been extremely pleased overall with the local WPB digital/HD broadcasts from the other affiliate stations like WPEC-DT, WPBF-DT, and WFLX-DT (although 480p), EXCEPT for WPTV-DT. Again, this is extremely unfortunate for all of us. We ask once again that you and your team at WPTV-DT to please resolve these issues ASAP, before many, many more viewers here in WPB give up on your station and do whatever it takes to pull in the NBC HD/Digital station signal from Miami. Thank you.

Well, that is what we have been asking for, some form of acknowledgment of the problems and that an effort is being made to fix it.

Well I'm also pleasantly surprised you received a response - although still somewhat skeptical. But perhaps thanks to the tenacity of many members of this AVS Forum, WPTVDT may actually become a working HDTV station. We'll have to wait and see if they
1) actually correct the problems completely anytime soon
2) if any corrections continue to work over the long run (many of you may recall the original fix for the Hughes E86 type receivers needed to be implemented at least twice)

Time will tell; hopefully, it won't take too long since this week is fall premier week. Personally, I would like to watch The West Wing, ER, and some of the new NBC shows in HD. I too am glad that they've acknowledged their problems and at least in written form, they're committed to resolving them asap. A second e-mail from Dave McKinley said he's received approval from WPTV's new GM to hire a new engineer now and another one next year. Obviously, the poor guy needs help, and the guys they had before really were idiots and are no longer there. That put their DTV broadcasts to a non-priority for several weeks. I say we give Dave another chance, but I too am a bit cautiously optimistic. Like I said, there's more power in the many than in the few, and persistence usually pays off. We shall see...

WPTVDT appears to have corrected the video skew problem. But the audio sync problem is still present.

I watched the first half hour of Las Vegas and I noticed that they were trying to fix the audio sync problem. If they really are not getting support from their equipment vendors then they have a tough road ahead of them. Do I remember correctly that they bought from a Canadian company?

WPTV DT video skew problem fixed last night. It was the NBC provided reciever. We are still working on the audio issue. We can get it to sync with the NET feed OR the Local upconverted feed, and at 1 point last night they were both working. We are working to finalize the audio deal so it works for both. We did notice that the other 2 local stations have WORSE lip sync issues than we do and have had so for some time. The audio will take a few more days as we work to streamline and intergrate the audio to work in a failsafe fashion. We will continue to stay on top of the issues as they come up.
Dave

Amen Dave! I'm glad you brought up the lip sync issues with the other WPB stations. I was starting to think I was the only one noticing this problem. No one here seems to mention lip sync. problems on these stations(besides your station of course). I thought we were just suppose be happy that the video was OK.

Dave WPTV DT DOE
Great to see you following up on the problems at WTPVDT. I'm looking forward to being able to watch stable HD NBC programming. Perhaps you guys can set the standard for great HD transmission in the WPB area.

Great job, Dave! Thanks for addressing the issues we discussed. I watched 'Frasier' tonight in HD on 5.1. No more "wide-right" picture ;-) The audio sync is definitely better; not perfect as you probably know, but better than before. I know you're working hard on correcting your HD broadcasting that so it's as best as possible...thanks for coming through for us.

Dave, thank you for getting things going again at WPTV-DT. I too enjoyed watching channel 5 tonight. Beautiful HD on Frasier.

Originally posted by Carlb7
Amen Dave! I'm glad you brought up the lip sync issues with the other WPB stations. I was starting to think I was the only one noticing this problem. No one here seems to mention lip sync. problems on these stations(besides your station of course). I thought we were just suppose be happy that the video was OK.

You are not the only one. I notice the audio sync problems on the other stations as well. I wonder why no one says anything about it?

We are currently making some changes to our audio configuration.

Your Dolby Digital decoders should now be allowing you to decode Dolby Surround on all of our upconverted programming rather than being locked into front left- and right-only.

Next up will be to have our encoder pass metadata from CBS on the CBS-HD feed.

Please let me know if everything seems right.

Thanks!

Thank you HiDefDave for the "heads-up".

All... building house in Lake Worth, and I'm looking at OTA antennas. Any advice?

I'm leaning towards a Terk TV55 stick antenna mounted in the eaves of the roof.

Originally posted by kirk_alexander
All... building house in Lake Worth, and I'm looking at OTA antennas. Any advice?

I'm leaning towards a Terk TV55 stick antenna mounted in the eaves of the roof.

I would say that the Terk TV-55 would be a step above an indoor antenna but if you are going through the trouble of running cable to the eave of the house then use a standard UHF/VHF antenna. If appearance is the problem then there are smaller ones that may fit in the attic.

Another Heads-Up:

We have an engineer from our DTV equipment vendor, Heartland Video here today and he is making some additional changes so you may experience periodic glitches today on the entire DTV signal (should be buttoned-down by late afternoon or evening, though.)

David McRoy (WPECDT) is a real asset to this forum. His direct and frequent communication of his station efforts to employ HDTV prevents the kind of frustration we've had regarding WPTVDT.

Thanks Dave - you're efforts are really appreciated.

Thanks for the "fan mail", Len!

Originally posted by David McRoy
Thanks for the "fan mail", Len!
It's so true. You keep this forum from becoming just a "gripe" session. We really just want to know what's going on and if we can help.

I have had e-mail with Dave McRoy, in fact, on the topic of Dolby decoding. I was pleasantly surprised at the attention I got from him and from Keith Betts at WPEC to my questions, and for directing me to this forum. Very helpful gentlemen that deserve mentioning, if for nothing else than to balance some of the very negative moaning and groaning I have seen on here.

Originally posted by JeffBowser
I have had e-mail with Dave McRoy, in fact, on the topic of Dolby decoding. I was pleasantly surprised at the attention I got from him and from Keith Betts at WPEC to my questions, and for directing me to this forum. Very helpful gentlemen that deserve mentioning, if for nothing else than to balance some of the very negative moaning and groaning I have seen on here.

Constructive criticism directed at problems that need attention in areas where solutions have been lacking should be encouraged on this forum.

Indeed, I agree. However, I spent sometime last night reading this forum, and others, and found quite a bit of, shall I say, lack of perspective, amongst a number of users, so much so that I felt compelled to call it out. Quite a way to start off my #1 post, I must admit, and I also admit some posts I was commenting on were over a year old.

kirk_alexander, buy a good, solid outdoor (ugly, if necessary) antenna. Your location is nearly optimal. I've got 2 friends in your vicinity who can pull in everything from Miami and WPB + some stuff from Ft. Myers.

So who needs 3 NBCs and 4 FOX networks, etc.? Having multiple access to networks means local pre-empts for "specials" would give you a backup to go for the programming you really want. I've had situations where the local edition of the "hurricane special" was shown in lieu of the programming I really wanted to see. Fortunately for me, my big antenna was able to give me the option of Miami or Orlando as an alternative. Sometimes local infomercials will be on instead of the more desirable programming. Switch to another affiliate and you may get the desired show.

Your location is even better than my own. I have the biggest Blake UHF (JBX-21 on a rotor with winegard preamp). I get a good number of channels beyond WPB. If the above argument doesn't get you going, there is a fair amount of independent (non-network) broadcasters to pull in from WPB, Miami, and Fort Myers.

Finally, some stations are better at passing their HD than others. Some seem to care more about doing a good job with HD than others. Multiple choices will give you greater chances at more HD/DTV and quality HD/DTV. Else, dependency on just one network affiliate might convert you into a grump (as some of us have experienced with DTV Channel 5 locally before we had the option of DTV Channel 6 from Miami).

When I was making the decision, I recognized that the antenna is something you(r house) will probably stick with for 10+ years. You might as well get the best you can find. Price is not much of an issue over life span, so it tends to come down to the "ugly" issue. However, section 207 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 should cover the HOA in almost all cases. If it's HOA control freaks that give you concern, you probably don't need to sweat it. On the other hand, if its the wife... (perhaps there could be a new forum dedicated to this issue?;))

Thanks HobeSoundDarryl... I appreciate your thorough response and explanation about having "backups" for networks. It's a lesson I get to learn on the sweat of others ;-)

Indeed the WAF (wife acceptance factor) will have a coefficient approaching 0 for a large multi-mast antenna (which I'd slap up in a nanosecond). In fact, I'd put up something that dirigibles could park at, one so high that I could pick up the locals in Bangor, Maine! But then again, if the wife ain't happy, no one's happy. So I'll find something that can be hidden and painted.

I tried a big ol' antenna in my attic - thing damn near was impossible to install. Then I discovered the heavy tile roof allowed for few stations to come through (I live in Boca Raton), so I ended up with a cheapy Terk42 on the sat dish. Even with that I get a good solid 9 digital channels, and about 24 analog stations. Not too bad.

I agree with HobeSoundDarryl about having redundancy, but if your new house will be somewhere in my area (Hagen Ranch Rd. & Hypoluxo Rd.), you'll be able to see most of the DTV antennas at the antenna farm on 441 just south of Lantana Rd. and pull in the WPB DTV broadcasts. I use a very cool-looking, simple and inexpensive Zenith Silver Sensor (bought at C.C. for $40) which sits on top of my entertainment center. I pull in all the local WPB OTA digital/HD channels with 'normal' to 'good' signal strength on my Sony HD-200 receiver. I even get WPBF-DT in the 'normal' range which broadcasts from north of WPB (Dave McRoy and some others on this board know exactly where from - Juno Beach, perhaps?). I do not, however, pull in any Miami DTV stations, so I think it depends on your priorities.

Anyone with a Hughes E86 receiver or one of its clones, the Mitsubishi SR-HD5 or the Toshiba DST3000 still experiencing ocassional pixelation on WPEC-DT? (I still do with a Mitsubishi.)

Yes I do experience occasional pixelation on WPECDT as well as the other WPB digital stations. I'll try to pay a little closer attention and attempt to quantify any differences between stations. I'm also going to start watching more closely for audio sync problems.

Len,

We have observed intermittent lip-sync problems on our upconverted programming and a tendency for audio to lag video a bit on our CBS-HD passthrough and we are addressing this. Do you guys see the same thing?

Dave,

I guess the storm that came through Stuart is affecting the reception tonight. I'm getting much more pixelization on WPECDT tonight than the other stations. I checked the signal strength on CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX and they're all at 100 except the signal strength on physical channel 13 (12-1) which is fluctuating about every 10 - 15 seconds as low as 42 - the other physical channels (28, 55, 16) are not doing that.

I'm using a medium size VHF/UHF antenna in my attic pointed at 180 degrees which I believe is suppose to be near optimal.

I usually watch the HD NCAA game on Saturday and the HD NFL game on Sunday on WPECDT. I have noticed occasional pixelization, but not enough to effect the flow of the game. I'll keep watching more closely to see if I'm consistently getting more pixelization on WPECDT than the other stations.

Watched CSI tonight - the HD picture quality was very good, if there's a lip sync problem it's very slight. NBC programming may have a slight lip sync problem. I'm watching the digital programs using the TV sound without my dolby digital decoder tonight. Perhaps that would give me different results - I'll try tomorrow night.

I was still getting some pixelization and a few audio dropouts during CSI, but nowhere near the level I was getting during the storm. I don't understand why the storm didn't affect all WPB digital stations equally.

I also watched CSI last night - some pixelation, and at one point, between 9:30 and 9:40 (approx), it dropped back to standard definition. Audio lag was not really noticeable so much, but was there to some varying degree. I was surprised it only came in 2.0, though, with no center channel sound.

We're noticing a strange situation here at the studio in Mangonia Park. Even when I'm getting "normal" reception at home in Lake Worth, here at the studio [I]all[/] of our digital receivers can be breaking-up badly. This can go on for hours and then clear-up.

We're about to take WPEC-DT off the air for a little while (the next time we see it breaking-up badly) and take a look at the Channel 13 spectrum with a spectrum analyzer and see what's there that might be causing interference.

Good luck with that. I can only imagine how frustrating it must be to chase the bugs out of a bleeding edge system like that.

I watched NBC's new show, Miss Match, this evening with my wife on WPTV-DT 5.1. Although the crystal clear HD picture was centered (no skewed right picture...yeah!) and looked great, my wife suggested we turn to regular old cable (blah!!!!) because of the really annoying audio sync problem...the audio came way before their lips moved.

Again, kudos to Dave and his crew for hearing and addressing our concerns, and I know they're working diligently on solving all their issues. I agree that the other WPB DTV stations occassionally have audio sync problems, but usually, it's not that noticeable; maybe off by a few milliseconds, but lately, WPTV-DTV's audio is heard literally 1-1.5 seconds before the video, and it just about makes the HD broadcast unwatchable. I came very close to switching the channel back to WPTV (cable), but asked my wife to endure the annoyance for a while because the 1080i picture was so good...not a bad show either, btw.

So, I know we all hope that it's corrected soon. Thanks.

I have had total loss of hearing in one ear and partial in the other ear since I was 6. Audio sync problems drive me insane, because either I turn closed captioning on, or I read lips to assist my hearing. I am with your wife on this one - when the audio is not synced, it makes it very distracting and I usually switch back to my DirecTV feed when this happens.

HiDefDave,

I'm getting frequent pizelization and drop outs trying to watch the NCAA game on WPECDT today. I just monitored the digital signal strength for physical channel 55 on my Hughes E86 for a couple of minutes and the meter stays at 100. Given it's not the siganl strength, I'm assuming something can be tweaked at the transmission source?

Originally posted by lwhitefl
HiDefDave,

I'm getting frequent pizelization and drop outs trying to watch the NCAA game on WPECDT today. I just monitored the digital signal strength for physical channel 55 on my Hughes E86 for a couple of minutes and the meter stays at 100. Given it's not the siganl strength, I'm assuming something can be tweaked at the transmission source?

Sorry - make that physical channel 13......

Originally posted by lwhitefl
Sorry - make that physical channel 13......

Also I realize after watch the signal strength meter for longer periods, there is some occasional dropping of the signal strength to the low 80's and more infrequently even in to the low 40's. But the pixelization on the WPECDT NCAA broadcast is much more frequent than the signal strength fluctuations.

I watched the signal strength on physical channel 55 and I'm not getting any fluctuations in the signal strength. I believe I read on this forum that the transmitting for both physical channel 55 and 13 are originating from the same area.

I'm getting the same thing - more pixilation than usual. Also. I'm getting all the audio - crowd noise, ref's mike, etc - but no announcers!! Is this just me?

Originally posted by greenknight
I'm getting the same thing - more pixilation than usual. Also. I'm getting all the audio - crowd noise, ref's mike, etc - but no announcers!! Is this just me?

I'm experiencing the same audio problem as well. Perhaps both the video and audio problems are originating with the CBS feed.

The WPECDT picture just changed to a 4:3 SD display and the comentary audio returned. Still getting lots of pixelization however with the SD video.

Same here. What's up with the Purdue game? 25-1 is in widescreen mode but the picture isn't HD - even my wife agrees!!

No doubt the Purdue vs. ND games is NOT in HD. I believe WPBFDT started broadcasting SD video in the widescreen (16:9 stretched) format awhile ago. I actually prefer that mode because it doesn't threaten to burn vertical lines into my projection TV. The difference between HD and SD is really apparent though.

The HD picture just returned to WPECDT - again without the commentary audio. Even though I like Vern Lundquist (spelling ?), I could get used to watching a game without the constant interruption of audio commentary. Hope WPECDT solves the frequent pixelization problems soon though.

The Alabama/Arkansas game on 12.1 WPEC-DT was interesting without the announcers. I saw and heard (or not heard the same as everyone else). There was a lot of pixelization as well, but that may have been caused by the bad thunderstorns around. The audio issue was definitely a WPEC-DT audio problem because I checked the analog broadcast on WPEC and I could hear he announcers...very strange to hear the players crash into each other, the crowd noise, and the stadium announcer without the commentary from the broadcast announcers. It seemed rather boring ;-)

Originally posted by bsgoren
The Alabama/Arkansas game on 12.1 WPEC-DT was interesting without the announcers. I saw and heard (or not heard the same as everyone else). There was a lot of pixelization as well, but that may have been caused by the bad thunderstorms around. The audio issue was definitely a WPEC-DT audio problem because I checked the analog broadcast on WPEC and I could hear he announcers...very strange to hear the players crash into each other, the crowd noise, and the stadium announcer without the commentary from the broadcast announcers. It seemed rather boring ;-)

Really - I thought the lack of audio commentary made the game seem more like you were actually sitting in the stadium. Although I have to admit the commentary frequently does add expertise to the game. Anyway you look at it though - this was a very good game, almost as exciting as the FSU vs. Miami barn burners.

Didn't see the whole game, but I understand Arkansas beat Bama in double OT. Also, it was difficult for me to watch the game with no commentary because I was chasing after my 1 1/2 yr. old around the house at the same time...so you can see how I could have missed a few good plays with no 'play by play' commentary ;-)

WPECDT audio problems continue today during the CBS HD Patriots vs. Redskins game. The audio commentary feed occasional comes back during the HD feed, but is lost again when CBS cuts to SD feeds. Also continuing to get frequent pixelization even though digital signal strength consistently reading 100 with occasional drops to low 70's.

The audio and video of the Washington game from D* is beyond stunning. Makes having the NFL package worth it. Besides, I get to see all the Steelers games as well.

Originally posted by lwhitefl
WPECDT audio problems continue today during the CBS HD Patriots vs. Redskins game. The audio commentary feed occasional comes back during the HD feed, but is lost again when CBS cuts to SD feeds. Also continuing to get frequent pixelization even though digital signal strength consistently reading 100 with occasional drops to low 70's.


I am noticing the same thing. The one difference is my signal strength remains constant and very strong.

Re: missing dialog channel, I am seeing reports that this happened in other markets, as well. We're talking to CBS to track this problem down. When we find out what's going on, I'll let you folks know. Our policy is to take the SD feed when such a problem occurs with the HD feed. In the meantime, we are exploring ways of improving monitoring of audio for WPEC-DT in master control while simultaneously monitoring WPEC-TV audio so that such problems can be identified and addressed more quickly in the future.

Re: frequent pixelation, we are seeing this on all of our studio DTV receivers from time to time, too and are looking for possible sources of interference from other transmissions. I'll elaborate when and if we discover something definitive. (I've been seeing it on a Mitsubishi receiver here in Lake Worth for months and lately we are seeing even worse pixelation on all manner of consumer and professional receivers at the studio. Oddly, I get a "hit" on average about once per minute at home. At our Mangonia Park studio we can go hours with few or no hits then all hell can break loose where all the receivers go nuts for long periods at a stretch. We are suspecting interference from a source that's closer to Mangonia Park than it is to Lake Worth.)

What leads us to suspect RF interference?

1. Our stream looks good leaving our DTV racks at the studio

2. It looks good when received via microwave at our transmitter site at the West Lantana antenna farm

3. It looks good off of the on-air signal at the transmitter site

4. It looks bad everywhere else and it's worst in the north end of Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast, yet not so bad near and south of the transmitter

Please continue to inform us when you get good as well as bad reception. It might help us track down the problem.

Thanks for the update Dave. This is the kind of communication I wish we would get from the other digital stations. I'll keep posting my experiences with WPECDT - I don't miss many of the CBS HD sporting events. Hope you guys find the problem soon.

I second that...thank you, Dave for the update.

WPTVDT programming still experiencing significant audio sync problems. It seems to be worse during HD broadcasts, but it's still there during SD programs as well.

Dave - watching "Everybody Love Raymond" on WPECDT tonight I was getting pixelization about every 15 - 30 seconds.

WPTV DT Audio. We are fairly certain our SD Feed audio is right on. It looks perfect at the studio and the transmitter site. We are aware of the slight lip sync problems on the pass thru NBC feed. Attempts to fix last week were unsuccessful. It APPEARS that the audio is AHEAD of the video and it(the audio) needs to be delayed...which should have been a cinch, but the card would not do this last week, and we are attempting getting a loaner card in. Dave

Thanks for the update Dave WPTV DT DOE.

I'll look more closely at the WPTVDT SD feed again tonight. I thought I saw a slight audio sync problem last night, but perhaps I was wrong. However, the audio sync on the HD feed look more than slight from here - perhaps a full 1/2 - 1 sec delay between video and audio. That much variation makes it very difficult to view NBC HD programming.

Originally posted by WPTV DT DOE
WPTV DT Audio. We are fairly certain our SD Feed audio is right on. It looks perfect at the studio and the transmitter site. We are aware of the slight lip sync problems on the pass thru NBC feed. Attempts to fix last week were unsuccessful. It APPEARS that the audio is AHEAD of the video and it(the audio) needs to be delayed...which should have been a cinch, but the card would not do this last week, and we are attempting getting a loaner card in. Dave

Why can't we get NBC to fix it at their end? WTVJ exhibits the exact same symptom, so isn't it on the network end?

Thanks, WPTV-DT Dave for the status update. Hopefully, you guys can get it fixed on your end or have NBC fix it on their end. We really want to watch the HD broadcasts, but because of this audio sync problem, we keep switching to SD...my wife says she's "really annoyed," swipes the remote and hastily switches it to SD from WPTV-DT. Once she's got the remote in hand, it's over ;-( I'll try to keep control of the remote if you try to fix your audio sync problem ;-) Thanks.

Originally posted by WPTV DT DOE
WPTV DT Audio. We are fairly certain our SD Feed audio is right on. It looks perfect at the studio and the transmitter site. Dave

I switched over to WPTVDT around 9:55 tonight for a short period. The SD program definitely had severe audio sync problems equivalent to those I've observed on NBC HD programs.

Does anybody with an RCA DTC 100 get a reception for WPTV 55.

I did not get them when they first came on air then I received them for a month and now for the last month I can't get a signal. I know is not my antenna or system since other stations come in including NBC in FT Myers.

Dr Guava

ihad the exact experience..got 55 for a week a couple of months ago and now nothing. went out and got a zenith sat520 and got 5.1 with some pixilation. however the machine was bad.. could not get 16/9 on the screen and picture was slightly elongated vertically

I am thinking about buying a home North of West Palm Beach at the PGA Village near Port St Lucie, Does anyone know if I will be able to get the West Palm Stations up there?

Thanks
George

Hi, George,

I think you'll need a good outdoor antenna.

We have been unable to positively identify any source of RF interference that we had suspected might be a cause of pixelation and dropouts. Still scratching our heads on this. Just thought you'd like to know that we're about ready to rule that theory out and start looking at other things.

We continue to welcome any observations and reception reports, good or bad.

HiDefDave,

I maybe mistaken, but I believe I read somewhere the WPECDT antenna transmits digital signals from the same specific geographic area as WPTVDT.

In terms of my reception, WPECDT is having video pixelization problems that WPTVDT is not experiencing and WPTVDT is having audio sync problems that WPECDT is not experiencing. Would it be possible to share digital expertise between the stations to resolve each others problems?

Perhaps differences in equipment and/or management philosophy will not allow this type of cooperation, but if it were possible it might expedite dependable HDTV for all of us in the WPB area.

Len,

Yes, our stations' towers are indeed right next door to each other. But similarities pretty much end there. We're on channel 13, they're on 55. We use different brands of encoders, exciters, transmitters and antennas.

The framework that we are working under is the same one that the folks at WPTV work under, which is to consult the manufacturers and vendors of our respective equipment to try and resolve our problems.

The local Society of Broadcast Engineers chapter's monthly meetings provides a very useful venue for all of the radio and TV engineers who are members to meet, hear lectures from designers and manufacturers as well as compare notes on technical issues. (I'm neither an engineer nor an SBE member but have been invited to attend a number of lectures related to DTV.) They are a very dedicated bunch of guys who share the common philospohy that, even though ours is a competitive business, we all hate to see any radio or TV stations in our area having serious technical problems. So, yes, there is some "note compariing" that takes place locally in addition to consulting the equipment makers.

I certainly couldn't expect more than that Dave. It sounds like a very good working relationship between the technicians at the various stations.

WPTV DT. I watched at home tonight, after finally getting all my HD gear installed at home...what a concept! It looked like the SD feed audio was pretty much dead on, as we have seen at the studio, and the lag on the HD feed of West Wing, Law and Order and Leno all looked pretty good...although Leno did seem a tad worse than earlier in the night. I cross compared to Miami DT, and results were similar...could be an NBC issue, but I am not convinced. I will consult their techs to see if they are aware of any transmission issues. Its a bit of a symptom we have been chasing, we seem to get it right, then its off again without reason, so we redo and recheck. Frustrating! I am not sure of the reported problems with the boxes not picking us up for a month, I have fielded a few emails and phone calls on the issue. We may do a test next week of bypassing the voltage regulator again to see if that helps the troubled boxes out there. Stay tuned, let me know any results you are having as well. Dave

Originally posted by WPTV DT DOE
WPTV DT. I watched at home tonight, after finally getting all my HD gear installed at home...what a concept! It looked like the SD feed audio was pretty much dead on, as we have seen at the studio, and the lag on the HD feed of West Wing, Law and Order and Leno all looked pretty good...although Leno did seem a tad worse than earlier in the night. I cross compared to Miami DT, and results were similar...could be an NBC issue, but I am not convinced. I will consult their techs to see if they are aware of any transmission issues. Its a bit of a symptom we have been chasing, we seem to get it right, then its off again without reason, so we redo and recheck. Frustrating! I am not sure of the reported problems with the boxes not picking us up for a month, I have fielded a few emails and phone calls on the issue. We may do a test next week of bypassing the voltage regulator again to see if that helps the troubled boxes out there. Stay tuned, let me know any results you are having as well. Dave


Thanks for the update. I watched Law and Order last night and the audio lag was barely noticeable on the HD feed. It does seem to be better on some days than on others. You really had to look hard to notice it.

Thanks for the update Dave WPTV DT DOE. I also watched parts of "West Wing" and "Law & Order" last night. I agree the audio sync was much less noticable than I've previously observed, especially on the SD feeds. Most of the time during the HD broadcasts the audio sync was barely noticable, but there were times I thought it was much more obvious.

Thanks, WPTV Dave. I too watched West Wing last night, and I was very please with the audio sync (and video). It appears to be very close if not precise. Thank you for your hard work. BTW - it's great that you too have your digital/HD system up and running at home; now on your off days, you can see all the local WPB-DT broadcasts for yourself...and see and hear exactly what we see and hear. Enjoy!

The Jay Leno Show on WPTVDT still has some significant audio sync problems - I'd estimate at least a 1 second delay from the video.

Most of the CBS Alabama vs. Georgia NCAAF game was shown in the 4:3 format today. There were periods where the 16:9 format was shown and during those periods there were a few times when the commentary audio was present - most of the time it wasn't. I hope WPECDT and CBS gets this situation corrected soon - hopefully the fact that the commentary audio was present at least sometime during the brief 16:9 format telecast is a sign they're beginning to zero in on the problem. During the 16:9 display when the commentary audio is missing, you can still here the crowd noise and officials voices. This problem doesn't appear to happen during CBS film telecasts.

Most depressing - the Dolphins vs. Giants NFL game being broadcast by CBS in HD today is being transmitted in SD by WPECDT. Probably because the audio commentary problems are continuing now for the second weekend in a row.

WFLXDT is also telecasting a FOX ED NFL game between the Seahawks vs. Falcons in SD today. Both games started out in widescreen and a few minutes into the game went to the 4:3 format.

So far the only reliable station I've been able to watch sports in HD on is ESPN-HD and ABC MNF.

Very frustrating not being able to receive dependable HD broadcasts after spending so much money on equipment.

I'm getting a great HD picture through DirecTV on channel 70. Sorry to hear about the local problems.

Shortly before the end of the first half WPECDT started transmitting an HD picture with the correct audio. Hopefully this will continue for the rest of the game.

WFLXDT also began transmitting the widescreen which hopefully will also continue.

I know this is a new technology for the WPB stations, but if this inconsistency continues, I believe it's going to hurt HDTV sales in this area.

Last night I flicked over for a few moments to the Jay Leno show while I was watching the end of the ABC MNF game - wow! what a game!

The audio sync problems are still pretty significant on WPTVDT HD broadcasts - IMO much worse than any I've seen on the other WPB HD stations.

Originally posted by lwhitefl
Last night I flicked over for a few moments to the Jay Leno show while I was watching the end of the ABC MNF game - wow! what a game!

The audio sync problems are still pretty significant on WPTVDT HD broadcasts - IMO much worse than any I've seen on the other WPB HD stations.

I have not checked a HD feed on WPTV-DT in couple of days. The SD stuff was dead on yesterday during the Extra. WPBF-DT audio sync is off really bad. Considering they broadcast MNF it is a shock that more of us haven't made a stink over it.

Allow me to add a small stink......
Frankly I don't seem to watch as much TV as some here do, but audio sync problems are noticeable. Normally, however, I typically watch my standard satellite feed, unless something is being broadcast in high-def, I imagine that would be so with any number of people, reducing the complaints.

Originally posted by JeffBowser
Allow me to add a small stink......
Frankly I don't seem to watch as much TV as some here do, but audio sync problems are noticeable. Normally, however, I typically watch my standard satellite feed, unless something is being broadcast in high-def, I imagine that would be so with any number of people, reducing the complaints.

Jeff,

Please note the audio sync issue we are most concerned with are the HD sync issues.

So noted, but audio sync is audio sync, and I have seen it on SD broadcasts as well as HD broadcasts. I was just offering up two reasons why it might not be a bigger complaint that it is. I have never noted audio sync problems via satellite, only via OTA, be it SD or HD (but not analog)

I attempted to tune in WPEC-HD (on channel 12-1) this afternoon on my lunch break and in doing so, it puts my SIRS-160 HD receiver in a constant "downloading guide data" loop. The only way to break out is to disconnect the antenna-in cable. I had heard before this was a problem with some data in the HD signal that can be changed at the station - is this the case ?

Thanks
Jeff

WPEC 12-1 was unwatchable last night. Hardley an signal at all on my 520.
The engineers at WPTV forgot to flip the switch, at least for Frasier.
Lip sync problems on football games is hardly a big deal since you see so little of the announcers.

What is this switch that the station needs to flip ?
With all the high tech items, why is it not automatic ?
If it receives a HD feed, send it out ?

Jeff: I am having the same problem here. Really annoying. I have to unplug the antenna and dont scan through channel 12 to keep my box form entering the loop from hell.
What the heck is going on? Did WPEC do something? Did directv mess with it?
Now What??

I'm receiving the OTA WPECDT signal as normal. I subscribe to DirecTV so I don't think that's causing your problem. I'm using a Hughes E86 HD receiver so this must be something unique to the HD receiver you guys are using.

I think WPEC is broadcasting a bug or virus. I disconnected the sat and when i tune to 12-1 or 12-2, the unit continues to reboot, startup, shutdown, reboot, startup, shutdown, .... i get a second or two of a picture on the screen before it shuts down. whe the sat is pluged in, it goes to the insallation program and starts downloading guide data, shuts down, reboots, and does it all over again. The only way to stop it is to remove the ota antenna and change the channel, and avoid tuning to 12-1,12-2.
wierd

I noticed it last night for the first time. Is WPEC broadcasting a new flag?
Did a cold start, did a factory defalt reset, there are no new firmware upgrades since may,
Anyone else having this problem?

From the hardware forum, I understand this is somewhat unique to the TS160, possibly other receivers. The solution in these cases has been something at the station. I'll dig up more info later.

I found this post on the hardware forum:
"Call the station and tell them to reboot their PSIP generator. This is usually the cause of reboots."

Is anyone from WPEC listening? You there Dave?

I am also having the problem with the TS160 rebooting when I tune 12-1 or 12-2. As others have stated disconnecting the ota antenna is the only way to break the cycle.

I called the station and reported it.

Wow more than one HD person out in the sticks out here.

dragonbait did take the proper action though and called. As much as the stations do or do not monitor this thread the best results will be by calling.

WPTV DT UPDATE. NBC did not feed Leno on Tuesday night, they also had problems on Monday, so we had to stick up the SD feed. Tonight we had a locked up frame sync card, which was corrected around 910p...at least we are trying to get to repairs faster. NBC is also sending out to ALL NBC stations a new, improved HD IRD for the pass thru programming. This should help out the on going lip sync issue. I have monitored WTVJ when we have problems, and they seem to follow most times. On Monday night NBC was having problems feeding Leno, our folks were quick to switch up the SD feed, WTVJ put up a refeed of Fear Factor, with no audio...so we beat the "big boys" on that issue. We are continuing to monitor problems, and respond faster. Tonight, WSVN HD also had major lip sync problem with Game 2 of the NLCS game, not sure if anyone caught that as well. West Wing audio in HD tonight seemed dead on. Stay tuned! Dave

WPTV DT UPDATE. NBC did not feed Leno on Tuesday night, they also had problems on Monday, so we had to stick up the SD feed. Tonight we had a locked up frame sync card, which was corrected around 910p...at least we are trying to get to repairs faster. NBC is also sending out to ALL NBC stations a new, improved HD IRD for the pass thru programming. This should help out the on going lip sync issue. I have monitored WTVJ when we have problems, and they seem to follow most times. On Monday night NBC was having problems feeding Leno, our folks were quick to switch up the SD feed, WTVJ put up a refeed of Fear Factor, with no audio...so we beat the "big boys" on that issue. We are continuing to monitor problems, and respond faster. Tonight, WSVN HD also had major lip sync problem with Game 2 of the NLCS game, not sure if anyone caught that as well. West Wing audio in HD tonight seemed dead on. Stay tuned! Dave

According to Titan-TV, WXEL is scheduled to start HDTV broadcasts on 1 November. Does anyone know if they are on track for this?

Originally posted by dragonbait
problem with the TS160 rebooting when I tune 12-1 or 12-2. ... disconnecting the ota antenna is the only way to break the cycle.


Thanks for posting this. My Samsung SIR-T150 died in the middle of "Bachelor" on 12-1 last night. I drained the remote batteries trying to change channels. I thought my receiver fried. Wife was not impressed with digital TV last night...

pogo

The issue with reboots when tuning to channel 12-1 or 12-2 with my SIR-TS160 is still occurring this evening. I called the station again and was able to talk to someone in engineering. They have been getting several calls about this and it sounds like they are working very hard to solve the issue.

He said a change was made to the PSIP data on Tuesday and that likely is what is causing the problem. They are in contact with the vendor to figure out what is happening.

He also mentioned that some Zenith receivers they have there at the station had a problem as well when the PSIP was changed. They fixed the Zeniths by deleting the channel and then rescanning to get it back. After that the Zeniths worked fine. Maybe that will work with the Samsungs.

I was going to try this on my Samsung, but the woman is watching TV right now and doesn't want to watch on the little TV while I mess with the Samsung on the big screen. Guess I'll have to wait until her show is over. *sigh*

Oh, and I forgot the most annoying thing.

When the SIR-TS160 reboots it takes forever to do anything. First it reboots and then it sits there downloading guide data from the D* satellite. After all this you can then change the channel and reconnect the antenna. You can imagine just how happy the women was sitting there watching the progress bar while it downloaded the guide data again after rebooting because I tuned to 12-1 last night so we could watch King of Queens. She was very unimpressed with all this.

In regards to WXEL DT, I think they are under construction, but not sure if they will meet the Nov 1 date. I suggest you call their CE Mike Maville for latest.
Dave

NBC Miami vs NBC West Palm. Checked lip sync issue at home tonight. Found that NBC Miami had EXACT lag in video as we did. This points to the NBC provided HD IRD boxes. NBC is sending new boxes to every NBC station shortly...so hopefully problem will be fixed on the NBC's soon, and perhaps we can get back some of the disgruntled that left our viewing for Miami...as we work harder to resolve the issues. Just figured everyone would appreciate the update.
Dave

WPTV DT 2nd Channel. IF WPTV DT lights up a SD channel, what would everyone like to see as a programming source? We are looking at budgets for next year, and this is an option we may consider. Just looking for some input from the viewers. Traffic cams, newsroom cam, radar, tower cams, news updates, promos, all or one specific? Any other ideas? Feel free to post or to email me direct!
Dave

Weather radar with no interruptions.

Originally posted by WPTV DT DOE
WPTV DT 2nd Channel. IF WPTV DT lights up a SD channel, what would everyone like to see as a programming source? We are looking at budgets for next year, and this is an option we may consider. Just looking for some input from the viewers. Traffic cams, newsroom cam, radar, tower cams, news updates, promos, all or one specific? Any other ideas? Feel free to post or to email me direct!
Dave

RADAR!

Living in South Florida a 24 hour live radar feed is very valuable. WPEC used to have this right when they first started their digital broadcast but for some reason they have chosen to remove the value of the sub channel and show 10 seconds of radar and then cycle through other garbage such as 5 day forecast and commercials. I want to a 24-7 live radar loop. I want to know when I tune to a subchannel I am going to see a radar loop and not have to go through the roulette WPEC has turned radar into. If you look there are several post that show WPEC dropped the ball big time when they stop the 24-7 loop and started rotating in the other garbage. Traffic cams are cool to but radar is where what I really want to see.

Live radar is great, I agree, although not as rabidly as ansek.

Dave - thanks for the lip sync update.

Jeff

Thanks for the WPTVDT audio sync update Dave.

Perhaps the various WPB digital stations providing sub-channels could coordinate telecasting different rather than dupicate content. Various public service information such as live radar, storm tracks, traffic incidents, police/fire alerts, and public events, could be periodically rotated between the stations.

ANSEK has it nailed.

Len has a very good point, but I suspect it would take a Federal mandate and a handful of Army rangers to get the program managers from various competing stations to cooperate to this extent. Ansek also has a great idea, but how does he think these stations pay for the costs of the broadcast ? One must live with a bit of advertising and other unpleasantness. Besides, I have watched that feed, it cycles often enough to be useful.

I second the live radar. The best tool for this area.

As far as a joint venture between stations. Fat chance. If every one wants radar they will all have radar with adds.


My prediction is that all sub channels will migrate to income generators.

Home Shopping or something even worse we have not thought of yet.

I expect the stations have considered this, but there is no reason why they cannot show live radar overlayed with some sort of ads. It didn't take web designers long to figure this out.

Deleting the channel and re-adding it last night did not fix the problem as it did for the Zenith receivers WPEC had at the station. When scanning to add new channels the receiver would just reboot when it got to channel 13.

This morning the problem appears to be fixed. I guess WPEC did something overnight to resolve the problem.

Although this morning I am not getting 12-2. Only 12-1. Are they broadcasting on 12-2 right now or is there still some problem with the PSIP and the Samsung receivers?

Originally posted by WPTV DT DOE
WPTV DT 2nd Channel. what would everyone like to see

Would it be possible to show the weather radar sweep without clearing the lightning strikes for 10 minutes, AND overlay the direction of cloud movement? It is very annoying to see a bright red cell a few miles west of my area but not know if the cloud is coming east or heading north/south right by me.

Would it be possible to sweep the national weather service audio feed around the five speakers in sync with the radar beam?

What about a rebroadcast of titantv.com (or just your guide info) for current->+3 hrs at the bottom of the screen under the radar image?

Could you run the news ticker that shows on tcpalm.com/tcp/wptv at the top or bottom of the screen, or better, a rolling vertical list of the headlines.

An HD demo loop when the primary channel is running SD would be nice, but a video and audio information portal would be better use of the bandwidth!

pogo

I was in Orlando not to long ago and really enjoyed the traffic cams they had on their local channels. Maybe show the traffic cameras during rush hour (AM & PM) and rotate radar in the mix and during the day when traffic cams are not needed, have just the radar with some of the news tickers, etc that were mentioned.

Originally posted by Joel Graffman
According to Titan-TV, WXEL is scheduled to start HDTV broadcasts on 1 November. Does anyone know if they are on track for this?

Titan TV now shows a live date of May 4, 2004.

Even though my digital signal strength meter is reading a steady 100, I'm getting excessive pixelization and dropouts on WFLXDT during the Bucs @ Redskins NFL game today.

At least you get HD. We are stuck watching the Dolphins in SD.

WFLXDT used to be much more stable so perhaps the current pixelization and dropouts are related to the problems WPECDT has been having for sometime. Hopefully both stations can isolate and correct the problem before the football season is over.

The WFLXDT FOX Bucs @ Redskins game is being broadcast in ED which admittedly is better than SD, but not HD. I'm switching back and forth to the Dolphins @ Jags game on WPECDT which CBS is broadcasting in SD unfortunately. Perhaps next year CBS will have more HD cameras in place to broadcast more HD games. Also hopefully FOX will do the same - I've read reports FOX is finally going to start broadcasting in HD next year.

Ditto with audio drop-outs on WFLX Sunday PM.

I'm pretty bumed out about the HD reception today. Not only was WFLXDT almost unwatchable during the Bucs game, but WPECDT is televising the Jets vs. Bills game in SD rather than the Denver game which CBS is carrying in HD today. It's probably due to NFL telecast restrictions since we're in the Dolphins market, but frustrating from an HD perspective. I guess the only way to watch all the NFL HD games is to pay D* a hefty price for the NFL ticket which so far I've refused to do. I try not to watch too much SD on my RPTV because I'm concerned about "burn-in". I can't change the aspect ratio on digital telecasts with my E86 - so I'll just have to watch the Marlins game on a pretty bad cable picture by comparison.

Burn in is a concern - I wish they'd broadcast gray bars, if they have to insist on broadcasting in a format that the TV or receiver can't automatically compensate for. Although, I imagine there would be an equal number of people complaining about how ugly gray bars are in that case....

WPTV-DT -2 ideas

I agree with the consensus about non-stop radar. However, I would love to see some of the other stuff mentioned. And ads aren't bad- as long as they don't interrupt that radar signal. So, why not borrow a page from ESPN-news/Bloomberg and split the screen into segments. In one spot show non-stop radar, to make this crowd happy. Around that block, slug in all kinds of other value-added materials. Save yourself a block for ads to financially justify the subchannel.

But please, if you do this, keep the HD channel maximized. It would be a shame if successes with subchannels lead to overcompression of HD signals. I'd rather look out my window to build my own weather forecast, than sacrifice HD clarity for 24/7 radar.

But please, if you do this, keep the HD channel maximized. It would be a shame if successes with subchannels lead to overcompression of HD signals.
I agree, don't sacrifice HD quality for anything.
How about working a deal with the Palm Beach Zoo and have a Zoo-cam. Perhaps you could point it to different animals from time to time.

How about a Beach-cam like WPEC's John Matthews uses for his weather report. I realize for privacy issues that it has to be a distant wide shot but it would be useful seeing the actual surf conditions.

This one is kind of out there, and it would be expensive, but you could perhaps get a business to sponsor it. Right off of the Breakers hotel is a nice little reef in shallow water. Reef-cam! Maybe the Breakers hotel could sponsor it and pay for the cost?

Airport-Cam at PBIA.

WPTV DT. You guys have great ideas, thanks for the input. I will print these up to take to our next Department Head meeting for discussion. Of course we can't tip our hat to the competition on which direction we may go... On a sidebar computer note, do all of you look at internet for radar at all? We are still waiting on the new NBC HD IRD to arrive, but lip sync has looked better lately, and the Vegas show looked better tonight, I think they may have solved some of the MPEG conversion problems that made it look like slo mo in the early shows. Thanks again for the input! Dave

Dave thank you for the feedback.

I use internet radar frequently, WPTV would be much improved if a time and date were part of the graphic. BrandX (Doppler 12000) has a much more useful display.

I use "Weather Bug" for Internet weather radar. WPEC's radar loop on 12-2 is bigger and more accurate than any Internet radar, in my opinion.

I suppose that any kind of "Cam" that is done on the Internet can also be done on a digital TV sub-channel. How about a college dorm cam? Just kidding....;)

Anyone get a lot of pixelation in last nights MNF game ? Just wondering if it was my weak antenna, or a bigger issue...

Thanks
jb

The picture I was receiving on last night's MNF was excellent - very little pixelization. At least it was until about 11:15pm when the game was no longer in much doubt and I went to bed. In the north WPB market area, WPB ABC has been the strongest digital station.

Ah, I was watching the Miami-Ft.Laud station, I cannot seem to get channel 25 digital, my scanner doesn't pick up anything there. (that is the WPB ABC right ?)

Yes - WPBFDT (25-1) is the WPB ABC affilate digital station. I believe their transmitter is located further north than the other WPB stations.

Dave McRoy -

What's going on at WPEC-DT? First 12.1 is broadcasting not in HD, but in SD when it should be in HD, then the signal goes out and I have 'no signal.' Then, I switch to 12.2 (which I thought was 24/7 weather) and it's broadcasting regular CBS programming in HD, then that too goes back to SD and then drops out and I have 'no signal.' Any picture that comes in (either HD or SD), there's a lot of pixelization too, when there never used to be. This has been happening for a few days now. This is all very frustrating. Please explain. Thanks.

Sorry for failing to get back to you folks on WPEC-DT issues having been in Europe for a few weeks.

Is our station still causing receivers to require receiver reboots?

WPEC-DT (12.1) looked ok last night (when I briefly switched to NCIS), but the past few days, what I had described in my last post had been occurring continuously during primetime HD programming. Please let us know when it's fixed. Thank you.

David,

WPEC-DT was causing my Samsung SIR-TS160 to reboot for a few days last week. It has not been causing a reboot since last Friday. However I am not getting 12-2 - just a black screen. I may need to delete the channel and try rescanning again.

DB

I am recieving WPEC's digital channel on 13.2 when 12.1 is down. And the radar is on 13.3 when 12.2 is down. It just switched back as I was typing this. And Im on the HD200.

Just a riminder that TVX 34 in West Palm Beach and UPN 33 in Miami will carry STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE and JAKE 2.0 in HD tonight.

Ken

Originally posted by Ken MacKinnon
Just a riminder that TVX 34 in West Palm Beach and UPN 33 in Miami will carry STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE and JAKE 2.0 in HD tonight.

Ken

Ken,

Where is your DT broadcast tower? From Lake Worth (Hypoluxo Rd. + Hagen Ranch Rd.), I get 34.1 in but at a 'normal' to 'bad' signal (HD-200 receiver) with dropouts and pixelization, whereas I get in all the other WPB DT stations just fine ('normal' to 'good' range) even WPBF-DT which broadcasts from far north of WPB. BTW- I use a Zenith Silver Sensor antenna and obviously live very close to WPEC-DT, WPTV-DT, and WFLX-DT digital/HD broadcast towers. Thanks.

Dave McKinley -

My wife and I started watching 'Ed' on WPTV-DT this evening, but we had to switch to analog due to about 2-3 sec. audio sync problem (this time, the audio is delayed 2-3 seconds)...very disappointing. I know you're waiting on some new equipment to arrive which will hopfully solve these issues, but the "natives are getting restless." ;-) Thanks.

Try UPN (34-1) - this is the first time I've actually seen an HD picture on that channel. Looking good.

Well I guess digital signal strength isn't everything. I'm getting a 72 - 79 constant signal with a high of 92 on UPN (34-1) tonight. But I haven't seen any pixelization, dropouts, or audio sync problems in the two HD programs I've watched so far. Fantastic! An independent station transmitting better HD than any of the other WPB OTA stations - at least so far in my area.

Ken,

Thanks for joining this thread. And an even bigger thanks for ENTERPRISE in HD. It looked Fannnnntastic! I'm hoping Smallville will also be in HD tomorrow night. Whatever it took for you to deliver, thanks so much.

Dave,

I'm continuing to get a lot of weirdness with 12-1, 12-2. Sometimes, its swiching to 13-3 & 13-4. Sometimes I've got 2 channels of HD (same program) and other times I've got the normal presentation. What's up? Until recently, 12-1 & 12-2 have been about the best in local HD. Now, even a stable signal seems to get regular break ups. You're not turning into a 5-1 clone are you?

The audio sync on WPTVDT (5-1) is absolutely horrible tonight. WPECDT (12-1) still has pixelization problems. I haven't seen any pixelization on WFLXDT (29-1) during the Marlins game being telecast in SD. I sure hope the WFLXDT World Series telecast is stable starting Saturday night.

Ken,

I would also like to give a big thank you for the work you guys did to get us Enterprise in HD.

db

Just when things were looking up, our WPB DT stations went south. From what I've seen lately, it seems as if only WPBF-DT is broadcasting a decent, stable, HD picture. Hello WPTV-DT, WPEC-DT...is there anyone out there?

...not trying to be rude; it's just that I thought everything had settled down, and was looking forward to finally enjoying OTA HD just about every night (from more than 1 WPB DT station) and now we can't. For a while, my WAF on all the very expensive HD equipment (tv, satellite/OTA receiver, antenna, etc.) was fairly high and now, she just gives the local WPB HD broadcasts about 30 seconds and if the audio is off or if there's a lot of pixelization or dropouts, off it goes and we're back to a crappy cable station. Thanks a lot, guys ;-(

Well, guys, here's what's going on with us:

The disruption a few days back was caused when we replaced our SD channel encoder with a new one that was supposed to allow us to fix some coding errors that are affecting the whole signal. Unfortunately, the new SD encoder didn't work correctly so we sent it back to be debugged and have temporarily put the old SD encoder back online. When we get the new one back from the manufacturer we'll attempt some coding fixes that we hope will put an end to the dropouts on both the SD and HD channels.

We have purchased a Samsung receiver so that as we continue to work on the signal we can make sure it's not causing problems for Samsungs. We now have K-TECH, Zenith and Samsung receivers (plus some professional receivers) in house and I have RCA, Zenith and Mitsubishi (Hughes clone) receivers at home. Our goal, of course, is to get the signal to work correctly with every receiver on the market.

We believe that we have resolved lip-sync issues on upconverted programming. If you see errors, please let me know.

Our audio on upconverted programming seems to have gone back to locking Dolby Digital decoders into front left- and right-channels only and I've notified our engineers about it so they can correct it.

For the past week WPEC-DTV has had pixelization and drop-outs that have sent my Dish 6000 into re-boot numerous times nightly.

Is there any other Dish users experiencing the same?

Dave,

As always thanks for the participation on this thread. And thanks for the update. I'm completely sorry about the "clone of 5-1" dig; I take it back and then some. You have always been the best at keeping us informed and giving us great local CBS-DT. I wish all of the others were as committed to HD as you and yours. Keep up the good work, and I'll look forward to improvements to come.

I second that...Thanks, Dave for the update and the efforts from you and your engineers.

Hi guys, I stopped by WPB Sears to give the new VOOM dish a good workout. In the course of chatting with the salesperson, he said, "rumor has it that Adelphia will finally be showing HD next month". I find that so hard to believe it isn't even funny. And of course, you know how expert the knowledge of a Sears electronics rep is on these things (I'm the one who had to tell him that yesterday was the official launch of VOOM).

But still, it seemed to come from nowhere. Anyone heard anything that makes you believe there could be something to this? I just assumed Adelphia would join the HD party a few days before Never. I don't think it would really matter to my setup, but it might matter to others.

Thanks to WFLX for turning off their digital transmitter before the end of the Red Sox Yankee final play-off game.

There was a Palm Beach Post article last Spring about HDTV that said that Adelphia/Comcast in Palm Beach County would begin some HD service this Fall. I haven't heard anymore about it.

For some reason I got a bit more curious about the Adelphia rumor, so I looked around the web. There is a hint of it here...

http://www.hdtvpub.com/reception/cable/cableco.cfm/cableco_18/

Just FYI for anyone interested. There appears to be an actual rollout underway in southern California.

The only thing I've read recently regarding Adelphia is their rates going up starting in November.

My monitor indicates WPB Fox is broadcasting at 1080i. Is this an up converted signal from 480i or 480p ? I also get the Miami Fox station and it indicates a 480i broadcast. Are these numbers correct ?

Thanks

Doug

I wouldn't count on Adelphia offering HD boxes and content anytime soon, based on their financial position, restructuring, and the fact that they're just now getting ready to "upgrade" the system in our neighborhood (heard that from an Adelphia subcontractor who was out here doing some work yesterday). I know they also recently upgraded the system in the nearby Lake Charleston community, but no news on offering HD anytime soon. Maybe the increased rates will help speed them along...yeah, right. I'll stick with HD on satellite and OTA for now.

Still getting significant pixelizatoin on WPECDT today during the Gators @ Arkansas NCAAF HD broadcast. My E86 digital signal strength shows a consistent 100 reading and the skies are pretty clear. I'm hoping WPECDT is able to correct this problem soon - any further update on this issue from HiDefDave would be appreciated.

Ditto here, 5.3 miles from the tower.

Just realized that in addition to the significant pixelization, WPECDT also has serious audio sync problems on the NCAAF broadcast.

Adelphia cable is launching HD in South Florida November 16th. I've heard around 12 channels.?

Originally posted by Doug888
My monitor indicates WPB Fox is broadcasting at 1080i. Is this an up converted signal from 480i or 480p ? I also get the Miami Fox station and it indicates a 480i broadcast. Are these numbers correct ?

Thanks

Doug

WFLX up-converts the signal to 1080i but the source is 480P for Fox Widescreen Programing. I do find up-converting smooths some of the lines but it is still garbage. WSVN in Miami really does not give a crap about DTV so they send out the worst signal know to man.

Although the WFLXDT ED picture (480p) does look better than SD and is presented in widescreen, it's not nearly as good as HD. FOX is purportedly going to start transmitting true HD starting sometime next year.

Watching the Miami/Patriots game today on WPEC and noticed a pattern to the pixelation/dropouts. Got out my stopwatch and sure enough the pixelation cycles every 77 seconds. Anyone else see this?

greenlif, confirm. How do you know Adelphia is launching HD in South Florida on Nov 16? Even though this doesn't matter that much to me, it could be a very good thing for HD in South Florida if true.

Originally posted by Carlb7
Watching the Miami/Patriots game today on WPEC and noticed a pattern to the pixelation/dropouts. Got out my stopwatch and sure enough the pixelation cycles every 77 seconds. Anyone else see this?

I see it. I timed it several times to be every 76 seconds.

There are other minor breakups in the signal, but the major breakup in the signal is approximately every 77 seconds like you said.

This may sound funny, but an Adelphia cable guy was passing out fliers announcing their HD release. So I simply called Adelphia to confirm. They had limited information as of Saturday the 18th and said to call back in November for a complete list of channels and pricing.

Originally posted by greenlif
This may sound funny, but an Adelphia cable guy was passing out fliers announcing their HD release. So I simply called Adelphia to confirm. They had limited information as of Saturday the 18th and said to call back in November for a complete list of channels and pricing.
And I can sell you the Flagler bridge...real cheap...in November especially. :D

WPTV DT on Adelphia HD
Looks like this IS going to happen. They have contacted us about signal info, and are wiring their Headends to offer the pass thru. I need to follow up to get more info, but at least that is what we have heard... Dave
PS Still waiting on the NBC HD upgraded RX Still.

Originally posted by bsgoren
Ken,

Where is your DT broadcast tower? From Lake Worth (Hypoluxo Rd. + Hagen Ranch Rd.), I get 34.1 in but at a 'normal' to 'bad' signal (HD-200 receiver) with dropouts and pixelization, whereas I get in all the other WPB DT stations just fine ('normal' to 'good' range) even WPBF-DT which broadcasts from far north of WPB. BTW- I use a Zenith Silver Sensor antenna and obviously live very close to WPEC-DT, WPTV-DT, and WFLX-DT digital/HD broadcast towers. Thanks.

bsgoren,

The WTVX tower is located about three miles south of the intersection of I95 and Martin Hwy, in the same general area as the WPBF tower. This puts it approximately 40 miles north-northwest of your location. Receiving stations from 40 miles away using an indoor antenna is difficult at best. Even though the signal strength from both stations is comparable there are too many variables involved with reception using an indoor antenna to say why one is received OK and the other is not. The difference in transmitting frequency is one significant factor. Possibly relocating your antenna would help but I would guess that you have already tried that.

Is there any chance that you could install an outdoor antenna?

Ken

I'm very skeptical that Adelphia will pickup the WPB digital stations anytime soon given their financial condition and the band width necessary to carry a digital signal. I also doubt most of Adelphia's customer base would pay an additional premium to watch the existing digital signals out of WPB considering the pixelization and audio sync problems.

I guess we can assume that it will not be one of the standard OTA formats that we can use the same receiver like the Hughes E86 ?

Not sure what Adelphia/Comcast will use for STBs but some cable systems around the country are using STBs that can tune the cable QAM signals and OTA ATSC/8VSB signals. That would be a useful feature for when the cable system is down. :rolleyes:

Our signal looks good on all of the relatively new receivers we are using here at the studio but I just gave our engineers a report on what's been happening lately with my three older generation receivers at home and it's not good (as many of you are aware.)

1. Pixelation, freezing and audio dropout every 77 seconds on all three of my receivers simultaneously (Mitsubishi, RCA and Zenith.)

2. No channel remapping on the Zenith and only the HD channel available on the RCA as channel "13-3."

3. Dolby Digital audio decoder "locked" to the front left and right channels on the HD channel (no ability to decode Dolby Surround Pro-Logic.)

I don't yet know whether all of this will be addressed before or after we bet our new SD encoder back.

they finally answered my email by phoning. A very nice woman told me they are about ready to roll it out, pricing unknown at present. She said they expect to have the boxes available before December--but this is Adelphia so dont hold your breath. This is, however the first I've heard of even potential availablity here. I have no idea, nor could she say what channels will be available.

Originally posted by SwampGas
they finally answered my email by phoning. A very nice woman told me they are about ready to roll it out, pricing unknown at present. She said they expect to have the boxes available before December--but this is Adelphia so dont hold your breath. This is, however the first I've heard of even potential availablity here. I have no idea, nor could she say what channels will be available.
Thanks for the report SwampGas. When I had Adelphia Power-Link (one-way) they told me that they would upgrade to two-way "next year" - for 5 years. I was so very glad to finally get rid of them. Maybe they have changed since the bankruptcy though.

Thanks for the update David.
Originally posted by David McRoy
1. Pixelation, freezing and audio dropout every 77 seconds on all three of my receivers simultaneously (Mitsubishi, RCA and Zenith.)

2. No channel remapping on the Zenith and only the HD channel available on the RCA as channel "13-3."
I was wondering. How often is the PSIP data sent? Would it be every 75 seconds? Maybe there is something in the PSIP that the older receivers don't like in the data? And they are freezing while they figure out to do with what they think is an error? Might also explain why the channels are not mapping correctly on some receivers (In my case not getting channel 12-2 on the Samsung TS160).

3. Dolby Digital audio decoder "locked" to the front left and right channels on the HD channel (no ability to decode Dolby Surround Pro-Logic.)I don't know if this helps, but my decoder is showing the presence of Left, Center, Right, and LFE channels. However no sound is coming from the center channel. Before all this weirdness started the it was also detecting Left and Right Rear channels.

Thanks again,

db

I'm with DragonBait - same symptoms for me, same receiver.

Jeff

Yes, I think how all DD decoders will react to our signal until this gets fixed.

Originally posted by SwampGas
they finally answered my email by phoning. A very nice woman told me they are about ready to roll it out, pricing unknown at present. She said they expect to have the boxes available before December--but this is Adelphia so dont hold your breath. This is, however the first I've heard of even potential availablity here. I have no idea, nor could she say what channels will be available.

I really hope this woman's statements to you turn out to be true. Since I pick up exactly 0 stations over the air (Facing East in Downtown WPB), Adelphia holds my only chance at any HD service...

I must admit, after a year of fun with my Tosh DST3000, I'm now going through major withdrawal. At least I can tune in with you guys every once in a while and get a taste of what I'm missing.