I receive CBS (13-1) at about 70% signal strength. The picture is almost always perfect. The audio consistently drops-outs. The signal strength never varies from 70% even during the audio drop-outs.

I noticed that CBS is advertising the Ok St. - Memphis NCAA game as HD, but we are seeing it SD. Does anyone now what KOLD is doing?

There is a lot of discussion about this in another Forum (I don't remember which one). It is a national problem. CBS is "multifeeding" all these games. The HD is a separate feed from the regular digital. Somelocal stations are choosing to not to pick the HD feed so what you are seeing is not even the downconverter HD. It may also be an equipment issue. KOLD is not really making an effort to showcase their digital channel with so many technical problems and very low transmission power. I recommend everyone that has these issuers call the station and complain.

Will be interested to see how KOLD (13-1) works for you. I think most of us have had very disappointing performance from KOLD. The sound is almost always dropping out or not working at all. Lucky we have KVOA (4-1), they are the only channel that shows HD. PBS just shows the same national loop over and over again. ABC only shows Monday Night Football. FOX and UPN only show SD.

I spoke to Chuck Amy (chief engineer at KOLD). They are aware they still have problems. They are waiting to receive some test equipment they need to troubleshoot it, maybe a few weeks.

Noticed that KOLD gave it a go with the NCAA games in HD last night. I got the picture perfect and the sound only dropped out about every 2 or 3 minutes. I found it really interesting that during the late games KOLD NTSC showed one game (Duke vs. Illinois) and HD KOLD showed a different game (Nevada vs. G.T.).

Originally posted by Andrikos
Yep, you're right:
KOLD is just garbage, I guess since everybody is having this problem
I shouldn't worry about it... In what way is KOLD "just garbage"? What has been your experience with KOLD? Not everyone is having the same problem. (Many appear to have no problems at all.) If you are having problems, what is the make and model of your STB? [Never mind. I see from a previous message that it's a Samsung SIR-T351.]

John,

Does anybody get KOLD 13 without the audio drop-outs? I have called KOLD and they admit they have a problem and are working on it. I would be very surprised if it works for anyone. My view is at least they admit the problem and are working on it. At least KOLD tries, UPN, FOX and ABC (except for MNF) do not even bother trying HD.

I would also be curious if anyone gets KOLD OTA without the sound blips. I also seem to be getting a similar problem on KMSB FOX 11-1. Does anyone get Fox OTA without sound problems?

Originally posted by smsprague
John,

Does anybody get KOLD 13 without the audio drop-outs? I have called KOLD and they admit they have a problem and are working on it. I would be very surprised if it works for anyone. My view is at least they admit the problem and are working on it. At least KOLD tries, UPN, FOX and ABC (except for MNF) do not even bother trying HD. I couldn't say. There have been some conflicting reports, and certainly the folks at KOLD seem to believe there are differing symptoms depending on the make and model of STB. My own experience (when I've been able to maintain a signal good enough to notice) is that audio-only droputs are few and far between. They do not seem to be as periodic (e.g., every 48 seconds) that has been commonly reported here. My problem with KOLD is that they are uniquely unreceivable. I couldn't get anything except a series of still images with CBS Sunday Morning today, for example--although that's unusually bad and may have something to do with the antenna being battered by the gusty wind we had here this morning. I'm not criticizing KOLD nor do I harbor any illusions about how seriously they view whatever their problems are. I'm merely curious to know what Andrikos really meant when he says "KOLD is just garbage". That sounds like more than the occasional audio glitch to me.

My drop-outs are not periodic either on KOLD. In general I get good signal strength. Every now and then, even with good strength the picture tiles. For example they are showing the Kansas vs. G.T. NCAA game and the pictured and sound continually break up (my signal strength is 70%).

I also have sound issues on KMSB FOX-11. I have called them and they know they have an issue, but they did not seem very interesting in fixing the issue. According to the tech, they do not have any plans in the near future to show anything in HD.

I have a dish 811 for OTA digital & KOLD's problems change from day to day. I've had my antenna up for just over a month now and in the beginning KOLD had a regular 48 second drop of audio with a minor video gitch at the same time. This was the norm for 2-3 weeks, but every once in a while the station would become unwatchable, The picture & sound cutting out every second or so. The next day, back to the 48 second thing. Most recently the periodic glitch seems to be about 1min 20sec some days, but The HD basketball game they broadcast the other night was about 2 min. Today the channel is unwatchable again. My signal strength on the meter never drops below 87%, even when the picture & sound are dropping out. I would be curious if anyone really is having no problems. The audio drops out pretty regular on KMSB though some nights it seems perfect. Same with UPN. The only stations that seem to have consistent good performance are NBC, PBS & ABC.

Chris

Chris,

I have a Samsung SIR-T165 and have pretty much the same issues as you do on all the channels. I am hoping KOLD gets their act together before the Masters. I am unable to get a signal on WB (44), does anyone have any luck with this station?

Mark

I'm also having problems with KOLD. The morning basketball game was unwatchable because the picture kept breaking up every couple of seconds. The afternoon game was OK picture wise, but the sound kept breaking up. I have the Dish 811. Also is any one else having picture problems with PBS HD? I can get a lock and the picture comes in good, but after about 10 seconds the picture starts to breakup and never stabilizes. I didn't have this problem when I first got the receiver about two months ago.

I have the problem you describe with PBS on channel 28 (27-1 & 27-2) sometimes, PBS on channel 30 (6-1 thru 6-5) always works.

Originally posted by franco begbie
Also is any one else having picture problems with PBS HD? I can get a lock and the picture comes in good, but after about 10 seconds the picture starts to breakup and never stabilizes. I didn't have this problem when I first got the receiver about two months ago. Which station are you talking about, KUAT-DT (6/30) on Mt. Bigelow, north of Tucson, or KUAS-DT (27/28) on Tumamoc Hill, west of Tucson? Depending on where you live, the direction your antenna is pointing will affect greatly the robustness of the signal you're receiving.

I decided to purchase another receiver, Samsung SIR-T151, came today. I figured this would be the ultimate test. I hooked it up so both my 811 and T151 were both connected to my TV (it has multiple inputs). I used a splitter for the antenna. So this was a perfect side by side test.

Tried the T151 first. KOLD----perfect, KMSB----perfect. I figured THATS IT, the problem is my lousy 811. Then I tried the 811, KOLD, KMSB perfect!.....ARRGGGHHH!

The only difference from before is it is cloudy today and I have the splitter. I took the splitter out and the 811 is still perfect.

I phoned KOLD and KMSB to see if they had made any changes. No.

So now it is 30 minutes later AND KMSB is breaking up on both receivers. KOLD is still good.

One definite difference between the two receivers, with the T151 I can get UPN and KUAT (6-1) with the 811 I can not at all.

So, I am going to change my hobby to bowling.

I will repeat these tests over the next few days and see if I can get any good information.

BTW, while playing with this my 811 hung up twice. So whats new.

Noticed a couple of things last night while watching TV, both good.

KOLD 13-1 seems to have the sound issue fixed. Anyone else notice this?

KUAS 27-2 is now always on and I am getting better signal strength, does anyone now why KUAS changed? 27-2 used to go off at 8:00 PM. Noticed the same thing with 6-1 and 6-2.

Originally posted by smsprague
Noticed a couple of things last night while watching TV, both good.

KOLD 13-1 seems to have the sound issue fixed. Anyone else notice this?

KUAS 27-2 is now always on and I am getting better signal strength, does anyone now why KUAS changed? 27-2 used to go off at 8:00 PM. Noticed the same thing with 6-1 and 6-2. I remain somewhat skeptical about any ongoing issue that is specific to audio. I do think that there's probably a general encoding or transmission problem that continues unresolved. That said, it may be coincidental or an example of what a change in the weather will do, but I was able to watch the Georgia Tech/OK State game yesterday on KOLD-DT virtually glitch-free--with one notable exception. Lip-sync was off by a mile. In a basketball game, this doesn't matter a whole lot. The sound of the ball hitting the floor during a dribble isn't heard until the ball is back in the player's hands, but otherwise, big deal. It did add a comic element to the commercials, however. Whether it was the clouds or the newly fallen snow on Lemmon, I couldn't say, but the great reception vanished by this morning. I couldn't get a stable picture for more than 30 seconds at a time. It's worse than ever!

I can't comment on the programming changes by KUAT since I haven't looked at either of their transmitters in the last couple of days. If they have stopped switching configurations, it would be good news for a lot of folks with STB's like the DISH 6000 that would come unglued when switched to a program stream that was no longer there. Fortunately, the newer LG LST-3100A seems to takes such discrepancies between PSIP data and actual channel configuration in stride.

Watched the Masters on CBS (13-1) this weekend and I am finally glad I spent the time and money to get OTA HD. I had no issue with the picture and the sound never dropped out. Hard to tell if the sound matched the lips because you did not see much of a person talking. Did anybody else find the broadcast glitch free?

Everything is working and I think I understand the problems.

My new Samsung SIR-t151 receives all our local stations. KOLD and KMSB are now good. I don't know if the stations fixed anything. I have found a permanent spot to mount my antenna. The Masters broadcast was spectacular.

My 811 is still a much poorer performer. Side by side testing with the T151 shows the 811 is inferior. It is much more sensitive to location and orientation and with it I cannot get UPN at all. The 811 still has dropouts on KOLD and KMSB.

The levels as measured by the T151 are still rather low, even though everything locks. I think this shows that all my reception is via multipath (not a surprise) and the T151 has better circuitry to do this than the 811.

For fun, I have called Dish to complain about the 811. I would actually like to cancel all my Dish stuff but I have 9 months left on my contract. I am arguing that the 811 just doesn't work for OTA. Dish is saying the contract only talks about satellite. I am considering cancelling anyway. They can get my $240 cancellation charge and I would have to take them to small claims court. I have not decided yet. With the successful working of the T151, I could get Comcast cable back and have as much HD as with Dish. It would also cost less thanks to the discount on Comcast Internet and the $25/month discount for 16 months for dumping Dish. Tempting.

jgleigh
Member

Comcast HD is out
They currently have the following channels:

173 ESPND
174 INHD 1
175 INHD 2
177 HBO-HD
179 SHO-HD
195 MAX-HD
196 Starz-HD

Locals:
183 Fox
185 UPN
190 PBS HDTV

Above from another thread but it belongs here. And they look good too.

Originally posted by oldguyjh
jgleigh
Member

Comcast HD is out
They currently have the following channels:

173 ESPND
174 INHD 1
175 INHD 2
177 HBO-HD
179 SHO-HD
195 MAX-HD
196 Starz-HD

Locals:
183 Fox
185 UPN
190 PBS HDTV

Above from another thread but it belongs here. And they look good too.
I'm curious. When you say they look good, have you actually seen HD programs shown on these channels or are you speaking of the DTV channel reception in general? What size screen were you watching them on? We know FOX and UPN don't have HD programs, but can you receive true HD programming on at least HBO and SHO?

Also, if you or anyone else knows - what types of outputs are provided by their HD receiver box? Is it only Component out or do they offer DVI or VGA? Thanks!

There is some true HD on HBO and Showtime. And lots of true HD on PBS, INHD1, and INHD2. It all looks really good.

I have a 47" Panasonic.

The box has component and DVI, but no VGA.

Now I'm looking at the Samsung TS360 for my HDTV thru DirectTV and OTA. I think the Silver Sensor still looks to be a solid antenna for me. Anyone using this HDTV receiver?

Is there any time frame for when KGUN is going to start broadcasting shows in HD? I know they do live events like monday night football, but how about their shows. Also are they going to be doing the NBA finals and playoffs in HD?

I recently learned from KOLD engineering that they reconfigured their PSIP data tables about two weeks ago, based on encoder manufacturer recommendations. Their signal should now be compatible with most of the STB's in circulation. Even more interesting to me was that they suffered a lightning strike around the time of the Master's Golf Tournament (perhaps just afterwards) that's forced them to drop to about half power. That's still the case today, although replacements for the proprietary fuses that blew should become available this week.

That explains a lot for me. Around the same time, I obtained a Field Strength Meter to aid in antenna alignment. After making some very small adjustments which should have optimized my reception, KOLD suddenly became totally unreceivable. Now I know why! At the same time, the meter helped me discover that I'm seeing a reflection of WTVW-TV, channel 33 in Pheonix, off of the Catalinas. In fact, it peaks at or about the same azimuth as the stations, including KOLD on adjacent channel 32, that are located on Mt. Bigelow. This may help explain some of my KOLD reception issues.

I was also able to confirm that they have been having audio/video synchronization problems, at least on live network feeds. They're aware of the problem and are working with CBS to remedy it.

Anyway, if any of you have recently started having problems with KOLD-DT that you didn't have before, have patience. It may be the result of this temporary power reduction.

Thanks for explaining all that. I noticed that the power dropped too and wondered why. Didn't seem to affect my receiving the station as it was still registering at 57%. The lipsync issue, however, prevents me from watching until they fix that. Good to hear they acknowledge it.

Does anyone know why the golf this weekend on KOLD was not in HD ? It was in HD on the CBS national feeds. Of course all we missed was watching rain, but this is not the first time this has happened. I sent an email to Chuck Amy but he has not replied.

Originally posted by babakanoosh
Does anyone know why the golf this weekend on KOLD was not in HD ? It was in HD on the CBS national feeds. Of course all we missed was watching rain, but this is not the first time this has happened. I sent an email to Chuck Amy but he has not replied. Or why the primetime shows on KVOA were broadcast in SD last night. There are a lot of opportunities for things to go wrong. In the case of DTV operations, and HD in particular, there's no depth at any of the stations. If a player's injured, there's no one on the bench to replace him, if you know what I mean. That will change in time, but right now all the revenue is on the analog side and that gets the attention.

I started receiving KOLD again yesterday, for no good reason as it turns out. I subsequently learned that they're not scheduled to make repairs necessary to go to full power until today. The DTV god is a fickle bugger...

I have not watch TV in about a week and turned on ER tonight on KVOA
(4-1) and it is in SD. Does anyone know what is going on? NBC from Mesa 12-1 was in HD.

Anyone with cox know when we get HD boxes?

Browsing the guide tonight, I found the following:

701-HBO HD
702-Disc HD
703-Sho HD
704-Starz HD
705-ESPN HD
706-InHD 1

looks like soon perhaps?

Just wondering if anyone has any good pointers for reception in the Mcgee la Cholla area. I have a 811 and have always been able to get 27-1&2 but would like to get the others(Bigelow). Let me know if you have any advice.
Do any of you know of a person that does antennae proffesionally? I own a Home Theatre company and would be interested in using someone as my guys are not proficient in that field. Antennas and antennae theory are not our strong-point but I am sure that someone out there has the necessary talents.

Originally posted by Richard Biocca
Just wondering if anyone has any good pointers for reception in the Mcgee la Cholla area. I have a 811 and have always been able to get 27-1&2 but would like to get the others(Bigelow). Let me know if you have any advice.There's a few of us in the northwest area who've battled the odds and have more or less succeeded in receiving all of the Mt. Bigelow stations. They include myself at Dove Mountain and Babakanoosh who is in the La Cholla/Tangerine Rd area. I get a diffracted signal off the ridge and do best aiming an antenna directly at Mt. Bigelow--or at least where it would be if Mt. Lemmon wasn't in the way. Babakanoosh seems to have good luck with what appear to be reflections. He has an 811 also, by the way, and I have a DISH 6000. Neither are particularly good OTA receivers. I've added a LG LST-3100A to my arsenal and I believe that Babakanoosh has had better luck with a Samsung receiver than with the 811.

I've plotted your position on a coverage map that I have and believe that you'll probably have an easier time of it than I have had, despite being about 2 miles closer to the mountains, because you're further south and have a more favorable angle. You'll need an outside antenna and very likely a preamp. I'm using a Channel Master 4221A 4-bay bow-tie array, but will be replacing because additional directivity may be needed. (I seem to be getting a strong reflection off the ridge from ch 33 in Pheonix which is interfering with KOLD-DT, channel 32.) That would probably be a good antenna for you to start with. For your information, the northernmost intersection of La Cholla and Magee (there actually being two intersections, of course) is 18 miles from the tower and antenna shared by KVOA, KOLD, KMSB and KTTU. Stations KUAT and KGUN are close by on separate neighboring towers. An antenna in the immediate vicinity of that intersection would be aimed at 75.7 degrees T (not magnetic) to receive those stations.

I would be surprised if you can get anything off Bigelow with the 811. It has very poor multipath rejection. As Old Fogey said, both he and I have had much better results with a separate OTA receiver. I have the Samsung T151, got it on Ebay for $150. My approach was to buy it on Ebay, try it, and if it didn't work sell it on Ebay. I love it. I can now drop my Dish Network locals.

I suspect that your location will be difficult unless you are extremely lucky with some reflections. I know that at Satellite City in the Foothills Mall and at 5star Electronics on Oracle they cannot get anything. Those locations have about the same angle as you.

You will have to experiment with antennas, antenna location, and angle. Pointing directly at the transmitter (without line of site) is not necessarily the best angle. I also found that preamps did not help at all. The signal level was higher but not the ability to lock. Preamps can make multipath issues much worse.

You need to somehow get another receiver to run the tests. Good luck.

I apologize for the delay in getting back to you both. Oh and thanks again for the advice. I would like to think that I would someday be able to get all of the locals but realize that it is far fetched. When looking from my house towards Bigelow I see nothing but Pusch Ridge. I have had a few different OTA Receivers and have not had much luck with any.(RCA DT100/Zenith....Sony HD-SAT520)
Since my knowledge of antennae theory is rather limited I appreciate your help. I will give some of your suggestions a shot. I am in the AV business and am at times burnt out on it by the time I get home so project such as this a slow going. If it were something as simple as a ISF Calibration or some Crestron Programming It would happen much faster.
How do you both test for signal strength?

Hello,

I am eagerly awaiting delivery of my new HD television set, and while the AVS site has been immensely with most every aspect of my purchase, I still have a question about local HD service in Tucson. I will have Directv's HD service, but I also want to put up an antenna to receive local HD signals. That being said, I do not have any idea of how substantial an antenna I will likely need. Given that I live near the crossroads of Tucson Blvd. and Prince, does anyone have a suggestion of what antenna may well serve me? Also, if the antenna must be placed on the roof of my house, does anyone have a local company to suggest for the work?

Thanks,

Todd

Originally posted by Qwijib0
Anyone with cox know when we get HD boxes?

Browsing the guide tonight, I found the following:

701-HBO HD
702-Disc HD
703-Sho HD
704-Starz HD
705-ESPN HD
706-InHD 1

looks like soon perhaps?

According to a Star News article last week, Cox is planning a launch in June. The article was authored by the former program director at KVOA. I wrote to him o correct a minor flaw in his research, and among other things, he said that as Cox is now in the mix, he expects negitiations in earnest for the remianing locals in HDTV on both Comcast and Cox. Hope he's right!

Originally posted by Richard Biocca
...When looking from my house towards Bigelow I see nothing but Pusch Ridge. I have had a few different OTA Receivers and have not had much luck with any.(RCA DT100/Zenith....Sony HD-SAT520)That's OK, absolute line-of-sight isn't required. The question is, what did you try for an antenna?
How do you both test for signal strength? Well, as a practical matter there's not much you can really do except aim the antenna where it should be, hope that you acquire sufficient signal for your receiver to lock on and use its signal indicator for final adjustments. For my part, that involved a lot of running in and out of the house, up and down a ladder, and loosening and tightening bolts. More recently, my former employer was good enough to loan me a field strength meter that's been enormously helpful. Unfortunately, carrier level for a DTV signal by itself doesn't always tell the full story and can even be misleading. What's really needed is a spectrum analyzer so that the signal's waveform can be observed while making antenna adjustments.

Originally posted by jts
Given that I live near the crossroads of Tucson Blvd. and Prince, does anyone have a suggestion of what antenna may well serve me? Also, if the antenna must be placed on the roof of my house, does anyone have a local company to suggest for the work?

Thanks,

Todd Why don't you first try something like the Silver Sensor indoors. If you have problems with that, then you can start worrying about an outside antenna project. The Silver Sensor (marketed by Zenith, Philips and others) should be available from Sears and possibly Circuit City. (Don't let anyone sell you the Terk look-alike!) It's also available online from a number of sources. If you want to go outside, a Winegard SharpShooter is a bit pricey at about $100, but it includes a mount and should be simple for the do-it-yourselfer to install. In the end, you save money and bother. Sorry, I don't know of a local antenna installer but I'm sure someone else will chime in.

Originally posted by oldguyjh
According to a Star News article last week, Cox is planning a launch in June. The article was authored by the former program director at KVOA. I wrote to him o correct a minor flaw in his research, and among other things, he said that as Cox is now in the mix, he expects negitiations in earnest for the remianing locals in HDTV on both Comcast and Cox. Hope he's right!

:cool:

It's about time... hopefully they launch the PVR service at the same time. I suppose the chance is about .0001% that we'll get the option of the 8000HD...

I noticed that when I watch KGUN (9-1) digital broadcasts they send a Dolby Digital signal but the center channel is not used. I thought I had a problem at first but my center channel works fine on DVD and other stations. Is KGUN doing something wrong?

Originally posted by jts
Hello,

I am eagerly awaiting delivery of my new HD television set, and while the AVS site has been immensely with most every aspect of my purchase, I still have a question about local HD service in Tucson. I will have Directv's HD service, but I also want to put up an antenna to receive local HD signals. That being said, I do not have any idea of how substantial an antenna I will likely need. Given that I live near the crossroads of Tucson Blvd. and Prince, does anyone have a suggestion of what antenna may well serve me? Also, if the antenna must be placed on the roof of my house, does anyone have a local company to suggest for the work?

Thanks,

Todd

I'm near campbell/glenn and while using an old UHF directional antenna (apt. complex's.. not mine) not even aimed at bigleow, I got pretty good signal on all the digital channels. I'd think almost anything you'd use would work.

Originally posted by smsprague
I noticed that when I watch KGUN (9-1) digital broadcasts they send a Dolby Digital signal but the center channel is not used. I thought I had a problem at first but my center channel works fine on DVD and other stations. Is KGUN doing something wrong?

Yeah I've noticed this as well, nothing coming out of the rear speakers either. Kinda like they left the lights on and nobody's home.

I haven't been able to get a signal from KOLD/13 the past two evenings. I get signal level of '0'.

But I'm getting excellent signal levels from 4, 6, 9, 11, and 18. Anyone else having problems with KOLD? Or is it just me?

Kirk

I watched Everybody Loves Raymond last night on KOLD in HD with no issue other than the usual lips not matching the sound. Maybe some day they will get it right.

KOLD AGAIN!
Here's a new one for KOLD. I watched the golf yesterday (Sat) and it was just about perfect. Today (Sun) the picture is broken up and I get no sound. The signal level looks same as usual. Now here is the good part...... all my other OTA channels work fine but when I switch to 13-1 (no sound) when I go back to any of the other channels there is no sound either. My receiver (Samsung SIR-T151) has apparently locked up! If I cycle the power, not on 13-1, it recovers. Anyone else ever see this?? Thank you KOLD. You have risen to new heights.

Originally posted by babakanoosh
KOLD AGAIN!...
Anyone else ever see this?? Yes, the other night as I flipped through the channels and happened to hit KOLD. My computer XP system locked up with the BSOD. I've posted this many times before. Caused by their PSIP table. They must be playing around with it again.

Anyone else see that KGUN is now broadcasting in HD? At least on Saturday night they were. The George Lopez show and what ever was on after that was in HD. Looks good. No lipsync issues that I could see. Or maybe I've just gotten used to to from watching KOLD.

Lots of changes in my house. I cancelled Dish, just couldn't live with the poor 811 OTA performance, cost of HD vs content, and the dearth of useless channels wasting bandwidth. I went back to Comcast. They have 2 HD locals and should be adding more. I have my Samsung OTA receiver that gets them all anyway. I also signed up for VOOM since it was free install and no contract. I really wanted to see how their OTA tuner worked. Well, it works great, I get everything. It is also very neatly integrated into their guide. Voom has some interesting stuff but I don't think it will justify the cost so chances are I will cancel Voom after a while. They are supposedly adding a lot of bandwidth later this year, but I suspect it will go to PPVHD and VOD. There just isn't that much HD content out there that is available nationally. I also think their SD channels are overly compressed but it is hard to compare because Comcast has so few digital channels. Compared to Comcast analog channels you can really see the difference. Comcast analog is really good on most channels. As they migrate them to digital this may change. Voom is also planning to change their MPEG encoder. This could be used to reduce compression or add channels.

Regarding KOLD, I spoke to Chuck Amy. They know they still have problems and there were also a few days last week when they were at low power. I don't think they know how to fix it. All the other stations in Tucson seem to be rolling along. It was good to see KGUN got their HD recorder finally. I hope KMSB installs their HD stuff before football season. We'll see.

These are interesting times, frustrating also, as the offerings don't live up to potential (yet). I am willing to spend some money and time fooling around with this so I would guess this is far from the end of my changing providers and equipment.

I wish more people in Tucson would post to this forum but I suspect they either don't know it exists or are not internet junkies.

Originally posted by babakanoosh
...I went back to Comcast. They have 2 HD locals and should be adding more... [/B]

I'm sure you're referring to the WB and UPN digital channels, but are there any HD content on these two?

I haven't seen any, but on the other hand I've not looked often.

Also, has anyone had a problem with KGUN's SD video through the Motorola HD box? Whenever the go to a graphics only scene, usually in commercial, the horizontal sync goes crazy on my Mits, severe line tearing, etc. It recovers instantly when the scene changes, and doesn't do this on any other channel. I think I must have a fluky box. Grateful for any suggestions.

Originally posted by babakanoosh
... I also signed up for VOOM since it was free install and no contract. I really wanted to see how their OTA tuner worked. Well, it works great, I get everything. It is also very neatly integrated into their guide. Voom has some interesting stuff but I don't think it will justify the cost so chances are I will cancel Voom after a while. They are supposedly adding a lot of bandwidth later this year, but I suspect it will go to PPVHD and VOD...

Interesting that you would mention Voom. I had been toying with the idea of blowing off DirecTv and going with Voom but realized that between Direct/OTA, c-band HD, and Bev, I get more HD programming than I can watch now. And getting the new HD-Tivo box doesn't appeal to me as the majority of my HD watching is either c-band or Bev. and I can't record those programs with the HD-Tivo.

Tony

Actually Comcast has 3 HD locals, FOX, UPN, and PBS. FOX and UPN don't have any HD content (yet). FOX, KMSB, will be installing their HD equipment soon. The whole FOX network is scheduled to have HD by 3rd quarter. I have read that some of the bigger stations are already on the air. PBS has HD all the time (but I think it may be off the air at some times of the day). UPN has nothing and I don't know the plans. Note UPN and FOX in Tucson are owned and operated by the same company, common location, common staff.

All the others are in some state of negotiation. The local offices ar not particularly aware of the state of the negotiations because they are with Comcast corp and the networks directly . I have heard from some people at CBS that they are close.

A driving force will be that COX is going on line with HD now. That will put a lot more demand in Tucson.

I think it is safe to assume Cable will get more but it may be awhile.

As I stated previously I also have an HDTV stand alone receiver (Samsung SIR-T151) and I get all the local digital stations that way anyway so it really doesn't matter to me when cable gets them, it will just be more convenient.

Yesterday (Sat) the golf on KOLD was fine. Today it was all broken up and no sound. After the golf which was live, the video was solid but the sound was mostly missing. Exactly the same thing happened last weekend.

Did anyone in Tucson receive KOLD Ok for the golf today (Sunday). If yes, what kind of reciever do you have and approximately where in Tucson do you live. Thanks for the help.

Well, I just my HD set up running, and found this forum! Was shocked by Old Fogey's comment about the Terk look alike for the silver sensor, because thats what CC sold me today! I was looking for a reason and solution for KOLD's sound dropping in and out every 10 seconds, and at least I know its not my equipment. I get pretty good sound and picture on the other locals. My first question is this, then: Would I be better off taking the Terk back and going (where?) to get the Silver Sensor? Thanks

I guess I should add, I bought the Samsung HLN507W1 and the LG LST 3510A DVD/Tuner combo. TV has never looked so good! DVDs, too!

Hey, everyone in Tucson: I spoke with a rep at Cox tonight, and was told Cox will begin offering HD cable tomorrow! The DVR is not built into the STB yet, but should be avaiable "soon" whatever that means. I think I will have to wait, myself. Besides, I want to see if the local stations are included as well. This may resolve the antenna question.

Originally posted by babakanoosh
Yesterday (Sat) the golf on KOLD was fine. Today it was all broken up and no sound. After the golf which was live, the video was solid but the sound was mostly missing. Exactly the same thing happened last weekend.

Did anyone in Tucson receive KOLD Ok for the golf today (Sunday). If yes, what kind of reciever do you have and approximately where in Tucson do you live. Thanks for the help.

On saturday I was able to get the golf on KOLD with no problem but on sunday there was no signal. Also during the hockey last night on ABC the transmission briefly flipped from HD to SD and then back.

Originally posted by babakanoosh
...The local offices ar not particularly aware of the state of the negotiations because they are with Comcast corp and the networks directly ...

Just curious babakanoosh, Wouldn't the locals be negotiating with Comcast network management directly? Our locals are not O&O by the networks, so it doesn't seem that the nets can speak for the locals ownership (not always Tucson based), and I would expect that the owners would have to sign on for any agreement reached.

I don't know any details of who exactly is negotiating but it is going on with Comcast and Cox in Tucson. Remember, there is only one HD feed from the network so I assume they must be involved. The local operations of course wind up footing the bill.

I called Cox today since they just announced their HD package. However, they only have PBS, no other locals. The Phoenix COX has most of them (locals). This mess is repeated agonizingly all over the country. Everything marches towards digital and HD at a very slow pace limited by "negotiations" (money), not technology.

Originally posted by glenngreen
... Was shocked by Old Fogey's comment about the Terk look alike for the silver sensor, because thats what CC sold me today! ... My first question is this, then: Would I be better off taking the Terk back and going (where?) to get the Silver Sensor? Thanks I didn't remember making that remark, but searching back I see that I recommended the Silver Sensor while warning the individual not to let someone sell them the Terk knock-off. I probably shouldn't have added that admonition since I have no direct experience with the Terk. The Silver Sensor is well known (I have two myself). Others (in these forums) have tried the Terk that is obviously modelled after the Silver Sensor and have reported that it doesn't compare favorably. However I shouldn't have relied on second-hand information in making a recommendation (and I don't usually). If your only problem is KOLD, then swapping one indoor antenna for another may not help much. As Babakanoosh has indicated, it's difficult to find anyone (except KOLD themselves) that receives that station reliably. That said, the only other B&M outlet i can think of that might have the SS is Sears. It's readily available online under both Zenith and Philips brand names.

Regarding the negotiations between the Cable outfits and the content providers, the latter in Tucson are the station owners and not the networks. None of the local net affilates are locally owned, by the way. What's going on in Tucson is typical of similar negotiations that have taken place or are taking place all over the country in one form or another against the backdrop of other larger issues of contention between the commercial broadcast industry and multi-channel distributors.

Well, thats three Sundays in a row that there were problems on KOLD 13-1. This week I had no picture or sound but there was a normal signal level. On Monday all was OK again. You would think they could at least figure out what happens on Sundays. I have called and emailed engineering but they do not respond. Did anyone get good reception on Sunday?

If you reply (good or bad reception on Sunday) would you please mention what kind of receiver you have and what part of Tucson you are in.

I talked to them today and they have 2000 of them. You can upgrade just by stopping by to pick one up.

The cost is 4.95 more than the standard HD box. I was told it's basically identical in features except for the DVR capability. Component, DVI, S-Video out, and 5 audio connectors. It only allows 30 min realtime HD recording or 1 1/2 hrs for programmed recording. You get more hours for straight digital channels. So for those like me who don't even have a box, it costs $9.95 more a month on top of $42 expanded Basic (though works for limited basic too) and all you get is the same stuff you had, only if anything has an HD counterpart, you get it too. That means only KTTU, KMSB, KUAT right now.

I know KUAT has HD programming, but when I asked whether FOX or UPN had, he said yes. I asked again to see how they were getting a different HD feed than the rest of us were from Bigalow. He said it was from a different place, like many of their digital channels are. He said he was actually watching a 16:9 picture at that very moment on UPN and it was far sharper than the normal digital signal. This was on an HD TV behind him. Can anyone verify that?

Of course, the rest of the locals are not there yet anyway, so I'm not sure I have reason yet to upgrade, unless I hear that somehow cable has better HD than you can get OTA right now. Meaning, actual HD content plus no dropouts and lipsync problems - yeah right. :rolleyes: Hey, I'll be glad to hear otherwise.

They also off for the next 6 months, $10 a month for both HBO and Showtime HD, if you're into that. Then it goes back up to some rediculous amount on the 7th month.

Carey, I have an OTA tuner, and have never seen a HD 16x9 program on UPN. I wont say it never happened, but I doubt it. More likely he just had it stretched...

Cox is not carrying any local channels yet on their system, and I got this email today from a general manager at one of the stations: "The local cable systems refuse to compensate us for our digital signal. They want you to pay more for digital, but refuse to acknowledge the value of our digital investment. Many thanks for watching"

I omitted his name, cause I didn't get his permission to quote him. When I upgraded to HD at Cox last week, I was assured by 3 different people in the office that they had all the local channels. "anything they broadcast in HD will be passed through to you." As soon as I got home & realized the scam, I emailed them on it and never even got so much as an apology for the confusion... PBS, iNHD, and ESPN is all they offer... Since they buy every other channel they offer, I thinks its probably fair for them to pay for the local channels too. I bet if no one will subscribe to HD without locals it will help convince them to negotiate harder... _

Originally posted by Carey P


I know KUAT has HD programming, but when I asked whether FOX or UPN had, he said yes. I asked again to see how they were getting a different HD feed than the rest of us were from Bigalow. He said it was from a different place, like many of their digital channels are. He said he was actually watching a 16:9 picture at that very moment on UPN and it was far sharper than the normal digital signal. This was on an HD TV behind him. Can anyone verify that?

Of course, the rest of the locals are not there yet anyway, so I'm not sure I have reason yet to upgrade, unless I hear that somehow cable has better HD than you can get OTA right now. Meaning, actual HD content plus no dropouts and lipsync problems - yeah right. :rolleyes: Hey, I'll be glad to hear otherwise.

I don't believe either FOX or UPN have HD Content (but FOX has ED, 480p). Plus all SD local channels are ota analog signals and not digital at all. The cable broadcasters get there feeds from ota signals and then compress them to get more channels on less bandwith. Straight ota is uncompressed and higher quality than cable.

Originally posted by Carey P
I asked again to see how they were getting a different HD feed than the rest of us were from Bigalow. He said it was from a different place, like many of their digital channels are.

KUAT has 2 digital channels, one on tumamoc hill and one on bigelow. Tumamoc does multicasting of 4 PBS digital channels (Analog simulcast, PBS kids, PBS you and PBS X). Bigelow does HD @14mbit plus the analog simulcast.

However, KUAT won't have HD timeshifting for a while, master control just got upgraded to digital switching, and the servers just went in the racks a week ago. HD comes in via satellite and is spit back out realtime. Because of this, every station in the country is showing the same thing at the same time. Comcast doesn't need to get it from KUAT just yet, since we're not even throwing on our own bug at this point. They could be pulling it direct from the satellite... but it should still be the same. The response I just got from one of the engineers is "Comcast is f'd up"... :p

Has anyone here ever heard KOLD explain why they can't get their act together and broadcast a decent program in both audio and video? Tonight they were pretty good 'till 8:00 pm, then the echoing and out-of-sync started in again! I have asked via the "contact KOLD" email address, but never get any reply.

I'm using Samsung HLN567W, SIR-TS360 receiver, Silver Sensor, and DirecTV. I am getting outstanding OTA HD programming with no drop offs in sound or video. Heavy winds gives me a shaky signal but otherwise I am very pleased. I am using the DVI for my Samsung DVI-DVD Player. The DirecTV HD (limited) channels look perfect. I appreciate all of the info given out in this forum, it helped tremendously.

Just picked a Comcast 6200 box to try out [Boy that thing puts out heat even when turned off!] Verified that the signals on UPN, KTTU, KMSB and KUAT are all identical to the ones from the transmitting towers. No actual HD programs except for KUAT. I could see some slight compression going on compared to the OTA signal, which I would expect. The good news is, there are no audio glitches, which has been more of a reception problem for me. I guess.

The video signal from either the Component or DVI outputs can be set to either 720/60p or 1080i. 1080i seems to have the edge in sharpness and smoother pans. The picture actually looks a bit better in Component than DVI or HDMI on my HS20 projector, FWIW. The HBO, SHO, INHD1&2 all look stunning.

Just got the Cox HDTV box and of course they said sure all your locals are HD. Oh well at leat I was set up for the let down. Quick question Titan TV said we get INHD2 but i don't I am getting Discovery in HD so does this use that channel or do we just not get INHD2 on 722? Thanks for all the great info.

Interesting. Comcast gets INHD1 & 2 but no Discovery so maybe COX did swap one for the other.

I have Comcast now after firing Dish and Voom. I just called them to ask my monthly question about adding new HD channels. I got the usual answer "we are negotiating". So, I called Cox and it seems they have added ABC, CBS, NBC, and Discovery. I know that Comcast corporate has a contract with Discovery so it is available to all the operations.

Now I have called Comcast back and told them this, kind of complaining, how could the largest cable company be so far behind. With regard to the local network HD, they said the local stations wanted to be paid for their HD (imagine that) and that was the problem. I asked how come it wasn't a problem for Cox. I am supposed to get a call back from someone higher up to discuss this further. With regard to Discovery, they admitted there is a contract and it should be up in Tucson in 2 to 3 months.

I don't think Comcast has a bandwidth problem after rewiring for fiber optic. I wonder why they are so slow or not trying. My guess is that Comcast in Tucson is a very small operation (compared to Cox in Tucson) and have an extremely small number of HD customers.

It might help if a lot of Comcast HD customers would call regularly to complain. So far it looks like there are at least 3 on this forum. That may not count as a lot.

Any other info or ideas?

I'll most likely return my Comcast box after my trial ends and save the $5 a month until they get the other HD channels. Right now, I don't have any interest to watch the one's they do have. I get more OTA HD with my tuner card and it looks just as good or better. The only thing I'd rent the box for eventualy is to get all the locals I now get but with good audio and no dropouts (if that's going to be the case). That will be worth it.

I'll also have to give up HBO and SHO which I'm trying for free. They look good, but certainly not worth the eventual price they will charge. It's practically the same stuff every day and except for original stuff, I've seen most of it all before. Back to DVD's I guess.

just wondering if anyone knows of any stores in or around tucson that have these new sets. i am really interested in getting a peek at one of these for myself.

I have some friends with Cox in Tucson and they are quite surprised that they get the digital feeds for ABC, CBS and NBC.. What channels are they on. I have comcast and still only get the 3.. I have written to all three local affilitates but just get standard "we are working on it" answer..

Discovery HD came up today on newly mapped channel 181. A very nice addition!
Bill

There is a new ad on the Tucson Cox website for 10 HD channels the link is dead

Cox Phoenix lineup for HD (hope Tuscon is next with getting the locals):
705
CBS KPHO HD
708
PBS KAET 8 DT
712
NBC KPNX HD
715
ABC KNXV HD
720
ESPN HD
721
INHD
723
Discovery HD Theater
730
HBO HD
740
Showtime HD (West)
750
STARZ! HD

http://www.cox.com/tucson/digitalcable/HD/default.asp?

404 error

Anybody know the scoop? According to TitanTV and the NBC website, the digital channel should be showing the Olympic HD coverage tonight...and it should have started a half hour ago.

I've been looking forward to the Olympics in HD for a long time...hope we're not about to be disappointed.

I talked to the engineer this morning and he assured me they will broadcast the Olympics 24/7 in HD - "whatever the network feeds us." All I see is the local news. Same thing on KVOA 4-2. What gives? I'm calling the station!

Figures...They close at 5:30pm!!

That's nice! They switched over an hour late into the program...

At least there's some promise for the rest of the week. I think they are still tweaking the signal. It didn't start off that great, but it's looking better now.

NBC is showing all HD coverage 24 hours delayed. Thats why all you see today is the opening ceremonies. What a waste. All that HD equipment over there and we get it a day late. Stupid.

THe golf on KOLD was supposed to be HD and of course it is not. I will call on Monday and ask what happened this time. All these stations in Tucson really take the weekend off. Good for them. Of course all the good sports is on the weekend. I think we are in for a disapointing performance by KOLD this fall during NFL football.

I tried to find out about FOX HD status for September. What I did learn is that "nobody's home' at KMSB. All the activity here is controlled out of the Phoenix Fox station including a direct feed of te HD down to Tucson. I talked to the chief engineer there and he seemed confident it will be ready.

I have learned to greatly lower my expectations for HD at least for a while. I'm glad I am paying the least for it on Comcast as opposed to the cost on Satellite. Apparently we have an extra frustration factor from the owners of the local networks in Tucson. Laid back is wonderful. Somewhere lost in the process is a desire to deliver product to customers.

Anyone else seeing the horrid amounts of macroblocking on KVOAs HD olympic coverage? I know water splashing can be a challenge, but what I'm seeing borders on low-bitrate DVD, with blocking after almost any medium motion. My STB can't display a bitrate, but I can't imagine it being much over 12-13, unless they have the worst encoder possible.

Yes, I see it on any fast motion or pans. I see it even recorded in the slow-mo playbacks which must say something - maybe in the source? It is most evident when panning across lettering on the wall or when the Olympic rings fly by in the foreground. It makes it difficult to watch gymnastics, that's for sure.

4-2 was a great pic for me via my Zenith 520 D* receiver. Drag is that I can't pull in WB or KGUN via OTA. KUAT is mediocre. KVOA, KMSB and KOLD all come in GREAT. PBS stuff comes in but just doesn't look real great and seldom registers as HD on 6-1, 6-2. Box problem or do I just need a better antenna? I'm at Golf Links/Kolb if that helps at all. Do I need to get a better LOS setup to cover A-Mountain?

Originally posted by TucsonTerror
4-2 was a great pic for me via my Zenith 520 D* receiver. Drag is that I can't pull in WB or KGUN via OTA. KUAT is mediocre. KVOA, KMSB and KOLD all come in GREAT. PBS stuff comes in but just doesn't look real great and seldom registers as HD on 6-1, 6-2. Box problem or do I just need a better antenna? I'm at Golf Links/Kolb if that helps at all. Do I need to get a better LOS setup to cover A-Mountain? We were referring to 4-1, the HD channel.

Do you use a rotor? Maybe you can catch a reflection near the LOS for KGUN/KUAT. WB is another direction altogether and so is KUAS. What station on A-mountain are you referring to?

FWIW, I'm on the west side in the Tucson Mountain foothills and am completely blocked by the Catalinas. Can't get analog reception at all (I must use cable). Yet I receive all Bigalow digital stations with only occasional breakups on KTTU (lately). Mostly all 60 to 85% signal strength by somehow catching reflections. Though I probably have some multipath problems which cause the occasional dropouts mentioned.

I live at the base of Mount Lemon and get all of the channels but have the have the drop out issue with KTTU (Channel 11). I don't think it is the reception, I think it is a bad broadcast. Does anybody get KTTU without the dropouts? This came up about 6 month ago and no one could get channel 11 correctly.

I never got channel 58 until recently, didn't care until the wife and kids started complaining that they wanted to watch Summerland. I bought a $1.50 bow tie antenna at Radio Shack and connected it into my current roof antenna (just attached it to the screws on the transformer) and positioned it so I know get 58.

Originally posted by Carey P
We were referring to 4-1, the HD channel.

Do you use a rotor? Maybe you can catch a reflection near the LOS for KGUN/KUAT. WB is another direction altogether and so is KUAS. What station on A-mountain are you referring to?

FWIW, I'm on the west side in the Tucson Mountain foothills and am completely blocked by the Catalinas. Can't get analog reception at all (I must use cable). Yet I receive all Bigalow digital stations with only occasional breakups on KTTU (lately). Mostly all 60 to 85% signal strength by somehow catching reflections. Though I probably have some multipath problems which cause the occasional dropouts mentioned.

I'll check out a better antenna and maybe drop the canopy on one of my massive mesquite trees in the front yard. If my neighbor would stop backflushing his pool and sending the water onto my property, the Behemoth would probably be the same size as the other two. :rolleyes:

I don't use a rotor. Where do I need to aim to pickup 9 in HD?

I have a really strong signal for FOX but still get dropouts, pops/clicks and scrambled images. I agree that it's most likely a transmission issue.

Anyhow, suggestions on an antenna? I have some POS TERK atop by D* oval right now. The channels that do come in are awesome, just wish I could get all of them. No restrictions on mast height or antenna size here.

Well, I believe the FOX digital transmission is run by the same people as KTTU, FWIW. They could have similar problems. However, they are all on the same tower as 13 and 4. So it's not a pointing issue.

I'm not sure if CH 9 is still side mounted to the same tower or they have their own, but I'm sure there is no difference in pointing there either, as long as you were some distance away.

If you don't care about stations anywhere but Bigalow, I doubt you really need a rotor, as long as you carefully point the antenna for max signal and make sure it doesn't get blown around. Of course, this would only be if you got a highly direction antenna mounted on the roof for best gain.

I use a 8-bay bowtie, which I found got me better gain than a Yagi-type UHF antenna. It is also not massive. I use a RS preamp, which probably is noisy, but the extra gain is really necessary for me. Both can set you back about $120 without the cable. You may get by with a simple UHF pointed in the right direction. I would check antennaweb.org.

I sent an e-mail to the KGUN tech to see if he has a suggestion. I don't mind spending the $$, just want to make sure I get the right details to base my decision on.

Thanks for the info on what's working for you.

i have a tv with tuner built in and live out by pima west in appartments. only station i can get is 27...is there any indoor antenna that will let me get other stations?

I assume you are talking about HDTV and your set has a built in ATSC tuner. Start by going to http://www.antennaweb.org. ENter your address/zip and see what it says. If it says you can get the digital stations you want (DT) you are in good shape. It will tell the direction of the station antennas. If it says you can, the best indoor antenna is the Zenith Silver Sensor, about $25. I don't think any local stores sell it anymore but you can easily get it on line. Buy that or some other one locally that you can return, and see what happens. Let us know.
BTW ch 27 is very close to you on Tumamoc Hill. Most of the others are on Mt Bigelow east of Mt Lemmon. I don't know if you have line of sight from your location. If you are not getting anything with some indoor antenna now, you may have a problem. There are areas in Tucson especially on the northwest side that are SOL. The next step would be to try an outdoor antenna and get some height on it. You could even try to rig up an experiment with you indoor antenna outside as high up as you can get it. Good luck.

Originally posted by bigbw
I have some friends with Cox in Tucson and they are quite surprised that they get the digital feeds for ABC, CBS and NBC.. What channels are they on. I have comcast and still only get the 3.. I have written to all three local affilitates but just get standard "we are working on it" answer..

They do? I don't see them...

Was anyone able to receive the NFL games Sunday on FOX DTV without them constantly breaking up? Both games where broadcast in SD, the Arizona game was not supposed to be HD, but the Dallas game was broadcast in HD nationally. I sent an e-mail to FOX to to see what is up.

FOX---what an operation. I checked into all this. I was wondering if anyone else in Tucson was aware of the problem. First of all both games seen here were put out in HD by the network. I know this because my son in Phoenix received them from KSAZ, FOX in Phx, in HD. So why did we see SD? Well it turns out that KMSB, owned by Belo, gets their signals on fiber optic cable from KTVK ch 3 in Phoenix! KTVK is not FOX in Phx but they are also owned by Belo. Anyway, I spoke to someone in Engineering and he said they have yet to install a decoder box which is now sitting in Tucson. He said someone needs to drive it up from Tucson then it will take one day to install and the signal must be shut offf to do it. I asked why it wasn't being done and he said probably because the Engineering Director is on vacation. I then called KMSB. It is hard to get someone on the phone in engineering and they don't return phone calls or email for that matter. He also knew the equipment had to go up to Phoenix and was waiting for someone in Phoenix to call and tell them to do it.

AAArg!!!! Both people said they would talk to the Director of engineering at KTVK today when he returns from vacation. I have all the names and phone numbers and will will relentlessly pursue this.

There is another dimension to this. I have Comcast which has FOXHD (or just digital SD so far). Comcast has also been advertising a lot "local stations in HD" (they have FOX, UPN, and PBS). So I called Comcast and the first person I talked to insisted that it was in HD, all I had to do was make the picture wider. Aaaarg! AArgh!. Several phone calls later I finally got someone on the phone who knew what HD was. I asked him if he would pursue this also with Fox and he said he would talk to the station manager about it. I plan to call Comcast later and if there is no progress, ask for a partial refund until it is fixed.

All this just reinforces what I have said earlier on this Forum. The local operations just have no sense of urgency at all about HD. It only costs them money to put it out and maintain it and they get no addditional income for carrying it. I can't believe there aren't many more football fans in Tucson calling FOX to complain.

I don't want to give out all the names of who I spoke to, but KTVK's phone number is 602 207-3333. They answer the phone. If more people called there it might help.

Good luck on your partial refund. Comcast is a big joke. The only local "HD" programming they have is PBS. A lot of hipe and false advertizing. At minimum I would be paying $10/month just for PBS! I returned the box and told them to call me when they get ALL the locals.

Yeah same deal with Cox all we get is PBS. One HD NFL game on ESPN HD and HD Highlights on espn Prime Time but I want SEC and the AFC games on CBS at least not to mention NFC on FOX so I emailed cox to gripe via the web email and got the we are working on it story as well. I know if I go get OTA then they will get set up next week ;)

If you want to complain about lack of local content via cox send them an email via the cox.net page and contact us they will be getting at least 1 a week from me.



quote:
Originally posted by bigbw
I have some friends with Cox in Tucson and they are quite surprised that they get the digital feeds for ABC, CBS and NBC.. What channels are they on. I have comcast and still only get the 3.. I have written to all three local affilitates but just get standard "we are working on it" answer..


They do? I don't see them...

Originally posted by babakanoosh
[B] Anyway, I spoke to someone in Engineering and he said they have yet to install a decoder box which is now sitting in Tucson. He said someone needs to drive it up from Tucson then it will take one day to install and the signal must be shut offf to do it. I asked why it wasn't being done and he said probably because the Engineering Director is on vacation.

The decoder box you refer to is "the splicer." That is the whole key to the HD system that FOX has in place at its affiliates. The splicer is being installed by a team made up of Thompson/Green Valley. They are going all over the country installing the splicer system. I would guess that what's KMSB is waiting for (the install team). You mentioned that it will only take one day to install which is correct. Thus, whenever the install team makes it to PHX (of course the splicer (decoder box) has to be there), then FOX-HD will be available via KMSB.

-Carter-

I know that KMSB Fox 11 is not broadcasting any HDTV yet, but has anybody had any luck getting their digital channel 11-1 (25) to come in without breaking up every couple of minutes? I get great signal strength but the picture and sound breaks up every couple of minutes.

Originally posted by smsprague
I know that KMSB Fox 11 is not broadcasting any HDTV yet, but has anybody had any luck getting their digital channel 11-1 (25) to come in without breaking up every couple of minutes? I get great signal strength but the picture and sound breaks up every couple of minutes. Nope! Same here. Even if they do get HD programming, I'd never watch it this way. :(

The Comcast KMSB Digital signal looks about the same as the OTA (bad) so it probably means the problem is at the source. The Comcast analog KMSB is OK.

Is anyone else going to call KTVK to try to get FOX HD here?

Originally posted by smsprague
I know that KMSB Fox 11 is not broadcasting any HDTV yet, but has anybody had any luck getting their digital channel 11-1 (25) to come in without breaking up every couple of minutes? I get great signal strength but the picture and sound breaks up every couple of minutes.

Exact same problem at Golf Links & Kolb. Great signal strength on my HD-SAT520, in fact it's better than on other channels that don't breakup, but I can't get a good picture or good audio on FOX. :mad:

I just want to confirm that I am also having trouble with KMSB FOX. My Fusion HDTV II tuner card is reporting constant 100% signal strength from my DB4 antenna but the video is "hitching" every few seconds. When I play back recorded streams from this channel with a different decoder I see artifacts where the freezes happened. I'll keep checking this channel every day to see if the situation improves.

KMSB HD when?

After much digging I got the story from the right people. They are scheduled to receive their equipment in mid October. There is another issue though, FOX broadcasts HD in 720p. KMSB and KTVK have chosen to transmit in 1080i. I don't know why but I suspect it is because KTVK and maybe all of Belo corp, want to use common equipment and standards since they provide all the networks arround the the country. Anyway, this apparently has to be negotiated with FOX and is ongoing right now. If everything goes well we should see FOX HD in 30-60 days.

UPDATE: KMSB seems to be coming in fine, now. I just watched it for 30 minutes without any freezes. Can anyone else confirm? I just hope it lasts.

lazyn00b

Same here. I caught about an hour without any video/audio dropouts.

Good stuff!

Same here the football game is not breaking up.

Howdy folks. Moving from Grand Rapids MI to Phoenix and was looking the "official" Phoenix HD thread....none found. Is it true that Grand Rapids and Tucson have threads such as this yet Phoenix has nothing or have I completely missed it?

Thanks.

Originally posted by Wolffpack
Howdy folks. Moving from Grand Rapids MI to Phoenix and was looking the "official" Phoenix HD thread....none found. Is it true that Grand Rapids and Tucson have threads such as this yet Phoenix has nothing or have I completely missed it?

Thanks. The Phoenix folk have their own forum sponsored by a local PC periperal manufacturer. You'll find them at <http://www.pc-dtv.com/Support.htm>. Of course, there's nothing to keep someone as obviously enlightened as you from starting an "official" Phoenix HD thread right here on the AVS Forums.

John,

Thanks for the info. I do support this site and have "lurked" in many other threads other than Grand Rapids.

Ken

Just noticed that I am no longer getting a signal from Channel 58-1 (44 Digital) the WB. I was getting it last week. Is anybody getting a signal? Does anyone know if the channel is not broadcasting?

Originally posted by smsprague
Just noticed that I am no longer getting a signal from Channel 58-1 (44 Digital) the WB. I was getting it last week. Is anybody getting a signal? Does anyone know if the channel is not broadcasting? Looks good here (at 10 a.m.). Also, for the person who says that he always gets break-up on the Fox station, I don't see this. On the other hand, they never have any programmming that compells me to watch for very long (except, of course, when in the interests of science).

Hello everyone...

Just got the Sanyo HT30744 with built-in OTA tuner. I have a Phillips powered antenna.

I live near Sabino Canyon and Cloud.

I get a lot of stations very well, with very few dropouts. This includes KGUN, KMSB, KUAS, KOLD, etc....

I simply cannot seem to get a good lock on KVOA though.

I'm pretty sure KVOA is broadcasting from the same area as some of the other channels I get just fine.

Any one else have any problems with KVOA? Any suggestions?

Thanks!

John C.

If you get all the rest of the channels KVOA should come in fine. I get it fine on 4-1 and 4-2. I have a friend who lives at Sabino Canyon and Klob and they get KVOA along with all the other channels with an indoor Silver Sensor antenna.

Looks good here (at 10 a.m.). Also, for the person who says that he always gets break-up on the Fox station, I don't see this. On the other hand, they never have any programmming that compells me to watch for very long (except, of course, when in the interests of science).

John,

Thanks for the info. My antenna must have moved in the weekend storm. Got on the roof and adjusted it and I now get the WB (58-1, 44). I am no longer having issues with FOX (11-1, 25) either. I just hope the local FOX starts showing the NFL in HD.

On Wednesday, October 20th, 2004, Cox will be making some changes to the Cox Classic Cable and Cox Digital Cable lineup for the Tucson/Green Valley metro area, highlighted by the addition of Telefutura:


CHANNEL
NEW LOCATION

KTAZ-CA - Telefutura
NEW channel being added on channel 60

KUDF - TV Azteca
moves to channel 61 (from ch. 120)

Cinemax
moves to channel 58 (from ch. 62)

Showtime
moves to channel 59 (from ch. 61)

INSP
NEW channel being added on channel 112 (replaces I-Life TV previously located on ch. 223)

Seems to me that KGUN must have made some change b/c I altered nothing and now it's the best signal and pic of the bunch. Only issues remaining for me are 58-1 (WB) and out of synch audio on 13-1.

BTW looks like we are getting INHD 2 on Cox HD on 10/20
722

Thanks Jason T and Az80sGuy
from:
http://pc-dtv.infopop.cc/eve/ubb.x?a=frm&s=692604811&f=2576095634

I've been thinking about getting into HDTV lately, but I had a lot of questions about the status of HDTV in Tucson. I just found this thread and in it a some answers (like the fact that Cox doesnt even have all the local channels in HD, what a joke).

Anyway I'm really only interested in network stations and of course primetime shows (LAX, Hawaii, Lost, etc) after, shall we say "obtaining" a few streams online and seeing them on my PC. Right now I dont really have a TV (its a long story), and i'm too broke/cheap to buy a real HDTV, so I was looking at the ATI HDTV wonder. I know lots of people have had trouble with it but i'm using an ATI video card and I had an All-In-Wonder once so I think I can handle it.

So my question is, would I get a usable signal with the silver sensor antenna that comes in the box or would I have to mess around with a different antenna thats gonna cost me half the price of the HDTV wonder card itself? I live about a block away from Winter Haven (Ft. Lowell and Country Club), in a mobile home, and my computer is like a foot away from a sliding glass door if that helps. At most i could be bothered to put the antenna right outside said sliding glass door, but if i'd have to buy another antenna or mount one on the roof etc. then I might just sit this round out and get a cheap regular ol' analog tv.

Its always a risk to assume you can receive HD (or just the digital) OTA signals, especially here in Tucson with the mountains. The best way is to know someone that lives near you that gets it, I don't. Go to www.antennaweb.org and see what they say. I believe your location is good. The siver sensor (watch out for clones) is the best indoor antenna. We are so close to the transmitters on Mt. Bigelow, that if you have line of sight to them an indoor antenna should be fine. By the way, you should be able to see the red lights on the towers at night, can you? Mt. Bigelow is just to the east of the peak of Mt. Lemmon.

Anyone still on this thread?

I tried the Silver Sensor indoor antenna several weeks ago when I was setting up my new Sony XBR-910 HDTV/DirecTivo 10-250 combo. I can see the local sub-channels on the program guide, but I wasn't able to get a picture on any channel so I returned the antenna. I'm living at the Bald Eagle/ Linda Vista area( far NorthWest). Can anyone recommend a good antenna installer? Or maybe I should try the Silver Sensor again?

I haven't had a chance to see much HD programming, but yesterday I watched some HD football on Comcast cable. My TV is a 36" XBR800, which has 4:3 dimensions (not widescreen). My question is, why do I have black bars on all four sides of the picture?

I can see the mountains and the lights clearly from the street (kleindale) but I live in a community of mobile estates (aka a trailer park) so from where I actually am I cant see the mountains at all. Attached is what antenna web shows for my address. The front of my house faces right between the angles it shows for 42 and 28 which is totally the wrong direction. You said watch out for clones, well I wouldnt be suprised if the one that comes with the HDTV wonder is a clone of sorts, the product itself doesnt say it comes with a silver sensor, I just read in a review that the one included is like a silver sensor, and it does look the same, but I cant tell if its a clone of not.

CDRobot You may want to make sure your cable box is not set to fixed video output. The Cox boxes have a problem with reseting to fixed instead of pass through. Cox boxes are the SciATL 3250 HD BTW.

I live at Ft Lowell/Campbell and the Silver Sensor works great except for CBS which constantly has lip sync issues. Good luck!

Originally posted by hulaman
I live at Ft Lowell/Campbell and the Silver Sensor works great except for CBS which constantly has lip sync issues. Good luck!

Awesome, thanks. Luckily all the shows i'm into are on NBC and ABC.

It ain't him.

Originally posted by tucson_bill
It ain't him. Alright, I'll bite. What "ain't him"? I made an interesting discovery about the KOLD lip sync issue a few weeks ago. I have two receivers, a DISH 6000 and a much newer LG LST-3100A. Earlier this year, I wasn't able to receive KOLD with the 6000, which is actually our primary receiver. Whenever I wanted to watch something on KOLD, or just wanted to check on their progress, I'd have to switch over to the 3100A. For a variety of reasons, that hasn't been convenient, and besides (as noted here) they've been plagued with lip sync problems, so we just haven't been watching much CBS. Recently, however, I discovered that KOLD is now solid on the 6000. And it's consistently solid. At the same time, I noticed that I never have delayed audio on the 6000. I confirmed that they still have the problem (which they are very much aware of) by switching over to the LG box. When it occurs, switching back to the DISH receiver eliminates the problem. I believe doing a power-down, power-up while watching the LG box should restore lip sync. Switching off channel and returning should also "clear the buffers" so that lip sync is re-established. I haven't had the time to confirm this with experimentation yet, but it should be easy for anyone currently having lip sync problems with KOLD on their STB to see if either of these methods work for them. Bottom line, it is a station problem but different receivers (STB's) may be affected differently. The problem always occurs on breaks when the station switches between souces and there may be a simple work-around for those afflicted until they finally work out a permanent solution.

Questions for Babakanoosh: Do you still have that 811? Do you still use it? Do you have or did you have a lip sync problem with KOLD with the 811? If you're still receiving KOLD off-air (with any receiver), have you seen a sudden improvement in their signal over the last couple of months?

KOLD is always out of synch. Leave it on KOLD and power cycle, still there. Change channels up and down, still there. Power cycle on a different channel and switch to KOLD, still a problem. Every other channel comes in fine. I have the Zenith HD-SAT520 and can't get around this issue with KOLD. I can't get 58-1 either but don't really care.

Hello rameade3,
If you are on the far Northwest side, forget the small indoor antennas.
You are going to need an outdoor antenna with a preamp. I live near Linda Vista/Camino De Oste (Mountain View HS area). After much trial and error, I had success using the Channel Master 4228 and Rat shacks best pre amp. I get everything with signal strength in the low 90's. But I get nothing without the pre amp. Sorry can't help with a installer, I put mine up my self. If you are somewhat handy, you might want to try it. Its not as hard as it sounds. Good luck.

redHead

I live a bit beyond Camino De Oeste and a mile south of Camino del Cerro. I have the exact same antenna and ratshack preamp. Couldn't do without either. I still get occasional dropouts or breakups, though I get all channels at 58 to 90%.

No lipsync problems anymore with KOLD or anyone else. But I haven't watched much in the last couple of weeks due to the insane switching back and forth between upconverted SD and real HD on the programs I watch. Not sure what they're up to now.

Originally posted by Old Fogey
Alright, I'll bite. What "ain't him"? ... it is a station problem but different receivers (STB's) may be affected differently. The problem always occurs on breaks when the station switches between souces and there may be a simple work-around for those afflicted until they finally work out a permanent solution.


Sorry. Fair question John. The "him" is Hulaman. My response was to a post that has apparently been pulled suggesting that perhaps the audio sync problems were his and not the station's. A good reminder why you should quote when responding. Just trying to save a little bandwidth. I have an old Samsung terrestrial receiver and early on I used to experience complete audio loss during source changes. Cycling the power did recovery this error. Haven't tried it for the sync problem. Unfortunately the workaround is only available if I'm watching alone. The wife is prett quick with the disgruntled "What are you doing now?!!" We usually just end up watching the NTSC feed after that. I know that they'll solve the problems, but it's frustrating now. I'm getting too old for this "early adopter" business. Sorry for the confusiion, and thanks for "biting".

Sorry to sidetrack the discussion a bit, but does anyone know if KGUN is broadcasting network television shows in HDTV? Last night my girlfriend recorded "Desperate Housewives" from KGUN-DT (9-1) on the HDTivo only to find out that it was broadcast in SD. I am wondering if it is normal for KGUN to *not* broadcast HDTV network shows. Hopefully it is not, as I am really looking forward to watching "Lost" in HDTV.

This is exactly what I was talking about. They keep switching back and forth between SD and HDTV. They even did it this time throughout Boston Legal. They are also playing with the volume at dangerous levels during commercials. Someone needs to call them and see what's up. If they just would leave things alone when they have the HD signal up, it would be great, as it looks gorgeous!

I just hope they fix this before Alias comes back in January! :D

Kinda weird... I live out in West Avra Valley, waaaaay out there. I get everybody really well with a Winegard Square Shooter, mod SS-2000 (The Pre-amped version), and I'm on the other side of the Tucson's. I very rarely have any Sync problems with KOLD. A good part of it could be due to various receivers and their buffer capacity/refresh rates. I have mentioned this to KOLD before, and I know their main problem is they have no instruments or equipment to check things out, since their owners dropped the gear off, and said "Make it work!" with no test gear and no instructions and no money. The fact that they even have HD working at all is a minor miracle. So I will let them slide for a while yet.

Originally posted by adash66
CDRobot You may want to make sure your cable box is not set to fixed video output. The Cox boxes have a problem with reseting to fixed instead of pass through. Cox boxes are the SciATL 3250 HD BTW.

What do you mean by "fixed video output"? I cannot find any settings like this on my cable box.

The cox boxes have a settings button on the remote. Not sure about the Comcast ones but you may want to look for a Manual online for your model.


quote:
Originally posted by adash66
CDRobot You may want to make sure your cable box is not set to fixed video output. The Cox boxes have a problem with reseting to fixed instead of pass through. Cox boxes are the SciATL 3250 HD BTW.


What do you mean by "fixed video output"? I cannot find any settings like this on my cable box.

Seems KOLD and KGUN have stopped broadcasting most shows in HD. It has been steadily going down hilll for a while. KVOA is the only stable network remaining. If anyone knows what's going on, please post.

cdrobot here is some info you may find useful lifted from a comcast post in the pc-dtv forum:

Found some info on other forums about hitting the menu button when the box was off to get into the setup screens. I'll give it a try when I get home. But I'm not sure if that's going to fix my problem. I think UPN is coming thru from Comcast as 16:9 but with the black bars on the sides.

Actually, the stretch modes work on 480i even over component connections. When I switch to a non-HD channel on the cable box it flips back to 480i and I can change the aspect ratio.

Just found a little FAQ about the boxes too:

http://cjhengineering.com/DCTHDFAQ.htm

[This message was posted by Jeff Leigh on March 15, 2004 at 06:42 PM.]

Originally posted by adash66
cdrobot here is some info you may find useful lifted from a comcast post in the pc-dtv forum:

Thanks for the info. I checked my cable box settings and they are correct. I called Comcast and was told that the reason I have a black border on all four sides of the image is because "that's the way Fox is broadcasting it."

Originally posted by Carey P
Seems KOLD and KGUN have stopped broadcasting most shows in HD. It has been steadily going down hilll for a while.

If any one gets a chance, check and see if Lost is in HD tonight (wednesday) at 7pm on KGUN (ABC) and post to let me know, it could be the deciding factor for me to get HD or not. No use in having the hardware if theres nothing good being broadcast here. Thanks

That it is.... Scheduled, anyways.

I have recently been unable to view KAUT/KAUS channels 6-2 and 27-2, I receive 6-1 and 27-1 one fine. Does anyone get channels 6-2 or 27-2?

Originally posted by OPO9
If any one gets a chance, check and see if Lost is in HD tonight (wednesday) at 7pm on KGUN (ABC) and post to let me know, it could be the deciding factor for me to get HD or not. No use in having the hardware if theres nothing good being broadcast here. Thanks

Lost wasn't shown in HD on KGUN-DT last night. :(

Does anyone have an e-mail of aperson I can contact at KGUN that might be able to tell us when they will be able to show HD with some regularity?

Originally posted by ryan94z
Lost wasn't shown in HD on KGUN-DT last night. :(

Does anyone have an e-mail of aperson I can contact at KGUN that might be able to tell us when they will be able to show HD with some regularity? What about emailing that guy at KOLD? I forgot his name. They seem to be doing the same thing as KGUN, so it may be related. You can always call them and ask for one of the engineers.

Originally posted by smsprague
Does anyone get channels 6-2 or 27-2?
I receive 6.2, but it depends on the time of day.
During the day, KUAT broadcasts 6.2, 6.3, 6.4 & 6.5, all in SD.
In the evening, they broadcast 6.1 in HD

Originally posted by smsprague
I have recently been unable to view KAUT/KAUS channels 6-2 and 27-2, I receive 6-1 and 27-1 one fine. Does anyone get channels 6-2 or 27-2? Apparently, KUAT has suspended simulcasting their regular program schedule on their DTV channels when also broadcasting HD.

Originally posted by Carey P
What about emailing that guy at KOLD? I forgot his name. They seem to be doing the same thing as KGUN, so it may be related. You can always call them and ask for one of the engineers. They are not related. The operation of one has nothing to do with the other.

John,

I check this morning and still get no signal on 6-2 or 27-2. Do you get anything or has KAUT/KAUS suspended their local Digital simulcast?

Thanks,

Mark

Originally posted by smsprague
John,

I check this morning and still get no signal on 6-2 or 27-2. Do you get anything or has KAUT/KAUS suspended their local Digital simulcast?

Thanks,

Mark The SD channels are alive and well on 6-2+. KUAS (27-) is HD only now, so there is no 27-2. That's 6-2 yes (daytime only) and 27-2 no.

John

FOX in Tucson is still SD only. Most of the rest of the planet is getting FOX HD broadcasts now. I called the chief engineer (in Phoenix at ch 3) and he said Belo Corp is still negotiating with FOX. They have all the equipment. About a month ago I posted what the problem is....FOX network HD is in 720p but Belo is standardizing on 1080i. They have the equipment to convert but apparently it needs FOX approval. Their statement to me a month ago of about 30 days is now blown and indefinite (surprise!). As a football and baseball fan I am very disapppointed.

Calling KMSB in Tucson is useless. They have a skeleton operation. Everything is done at channel 3 in Phoenix.

I have Comcast and they have Fox HD (in SD of course) but they have no information (nor do they seem to care).

Maybe, anyone on this form that wants to try to help can call channel 3, KTVK, in Phoenix and complain. The Engineering Director is Jim Cole. His phone is 602-207-3369. Please post here if you get any info.

Hello all! What's working, and what isn't? Any high points, or things to look out for?

I'm curious if anyone in Tucson has tried pointing their antenna NNW towards Phoenix to try to pick up KSAZ-DT (FOX 10.1)?
I live in the far North Phoenix valley, and have no problems receiving some of the Tucson digital channels (KUAT 6.1-6.5, KTTU 18.1), others intermittently (KVOA 4.1-4.2, KMSB 1.1), and rarely (KOLD 13.1).

Originally posted by AnthemAZ.HDTV
I'm curious if anyone in Tucson has tried pointing their antenna NNW towards Phoenix to try to pick up KSAZ-DT (FOX 10.1)?
I live in the far North Phoenix valley, and have no problems receiving some of the Tucson digital channels (KUAT 6.1-6.5, KTTU 18.1), others intermittently (KVOA 4.1-4.2, KMSB 1.1), and rarely (KOLD 13.1).

Here in Avra Valley, I can pick up most of Phoenix, as well as nearly all of Tucson's digital stations, and yes, I can get 10.1 and 10.2. 15.1,2,and 3 are sketchy sometimes, but I can get them most of the time.

Originally posted by babakanoosh
If it says you can, the best indoor antenna is the Zenith Silver Sensor, about $25. I don't think any local stores sell it anymore but you can easily get it on line. Buy that or some other one locally that you can return, and see what happens. I saw this antenna at Sears.

Originally posted by AnthemAZ.HDTV
I live in the far North Phoenix valley, and have no problems receiving some of the Tucson digital channels (KUAT 6.1-6.5. . . .

Having an ERP of just over half a megawatt helps ;)

KOLD bad again???

Today (Sat) KOLD is dropping out about half of the time. I noticed the signal level seems low even when it is on. Is anyone else having problems?

Media reporter's column in the Sunday paper reported that KMSB's HD problems would be resolved "any day now".. FWIW..

So I'm new to this HD stuff. Working on putting up an antenna for my new Hitachi HD TV. Question #1: How do I know if a program is being broadcast in HD? #2: Why aren't the HD channels published in the Sunday supplement? #3 How do they expect us to know where to tune? #4 What is the minimum signal strength necessary to get HD? My initial efforts today were yielding around 30.

Appeciate any and all advice!

Originally posted by BigFoot48
So I'm new to this HD stuff. Working on putting up an antenna for my new Hitachi HD TV. I'll take a quick shot at this...
[B]Question #1: How do I know if a program is being broadcast in HD?Try http://www.titantv.com/ (http://www.titantv.com/ttv/grid/grid.aspx?contentType=digital_cable)
#2: Why aren't the HD channels published in the Sunday supplement?Don't know. Use above link and click on Digital link once set up.
#3 How do they expect us to know where to tune?Try http://antennaweb.org/ (http://antennaweb.org/aw/Welcome.aspx) and enter your address.
#4 What is the minimum signal strength necessary to get HD? My initial efforts today were yielding around 30.I'd guess at 40% being safe, but you can get drop outs even at 75%, depending on reflections or multipath problems. At 30 you might try a preamp. Good luck.

Found Best STB for HD OTA !!

My first STB was the Dish 811. It could hardly receive anything. Then I got a Samsung SIR-T151. It was much better. I could get all of the local HD stations most of the time although some of the signal levels were very low. I had to rotate my antenna depending upon whether coming from Bigelow or Tumamoc (not unreasonable). KOLD in particular was only about 20%. My best station KGUN was about 50%. I just posted yesterday that KOLD was dropping out. So I decided to try to do better.

I have read that the LG boxes are the best and LG has a new 5th generation chip. OLD FOGEY, who posts here, has the LG 3100A and is happy with it. I found out that LG has a replacement, the 4200A. I then read some discussion in this Forum about whether the 4200A has the 5th generation chip. I guess, surprisingly, it does not. I then read that the chip is in the USDTV receiver. USDTV is a startup (not in Tucson yet) that claims to have OTA cable. In any event, it has an OTA receiver that can be used without subscribing to USDTV. Walmart sells it for $200 (with a 90 day return policy). That was too tempting not to try. So I bought it and it works perfectly. Most of the stations are at 90% level. Even KOLD is at about 70%. I have absolutely no dropouts all day, and this is at a time when my Samsung couldn't pull it in. I don't even have to rotate my antenna. I even get the Spanish language stations, which I believe are from the Tucson Mountains, while my directional antenna is aimed in the opposite direction. Tomorrow I am going to see if I can get the Phoenix stations. Wow, this is great!!

So anyone out there with an OTA STB that is not getting everything, try the USDTV. You can always return it.

I'm using an LG LST3510A OTA tuner out in west Tucson, I'm just north of Tumamoc hill (1 Mile), Bigelow is 41 degrees from the house and 21.5 miles away, the Tucson Mtn towers for UPN(18.1) and Tel(42.1) are 271 degrees and 6.3 miles from the house. PBS, of course, has a great signal, without even redirecting the antenna, around 75 to 80 percent. The Bigelow towers give me a minimum of 66 percent(the antenna is directed towards these stations). The Tucson Mtn. towers also give me a signal of 66 percent. I'm using a regular antenna that I think I paid 25 dollars for 5 or 6 years ago. BTW, this unit is also a great upconverting DVD player. I'm running a DVI to HDMI conversion cable to the television. KOLD was weak yesterday(Saturday) but back to normal today. Hope this info helps.

Thanks to all for your comments. Got the Radio Shack anntenna up today in the wind and am getting 65-68 readings on 6-1 and 6-2. So TelleTubies are coming in just fine.

Still nothing on 4-1 or the other broadcast stations. When I key in 4-1 it pauses then 4 comes up. Does that mean they're not broadcasting at 4-1 at that time?

Still haven't seen any HD on our new HD set. So waiting for that magic broadcast.

Ah, high definition at last! The football game last night looked amazing! No NBC yet as the signal level is still in the 20's, even though the transmitters are all in the same place. Don't understand that. Hoping some minor antenna movement will raise NBC while not zapping PBS and ABC. No CBS yet either.

CBS seems to be better lately as far as showing an HD program all the way through in HD. ABC and NBC are playing that game of showing some of a show in HD and then switching over to upconverted SD (along with associated lipsync problems). Sometimes they don't broadcast any of it in HD. I wonder if anyone at the stations even knows what's going on, but I also wonder how their equipment does this automatically.

Has anyone in the Tucson area tried the Winguard MS2000 (WIN770)?
Results??
What antenna sems to work best here, any comments?
aztjc

I have just recently noticed that KUAT 6-2 is no longer on after 8:00 PM. If this is true how do you watch the local PBS shows on a digital channel after 8:00 PM.

RE PBS. I think the answer is you don't. PBS has this crazy schedule which they keep changing. Go to kuat.org and look at Programming/TV Listings. KUAS (27.1) is on 24 hours in HD if you can get it.

I haven't scanned in awhile. Doesn't 27.2 still show the SD schedule? I have used that before to record PBS.

Tony

As far as I can tell 27-2 is dead air all of the time.

I noticed that channel 9 has had no signal available since last night(the first time I noticed) Maybe they're upgrading their equipment so that they'll be able to broadcast programs in HD without the problems that they seem to have been dealing with? Let's hope!

Originally posted by TeeVeeGuy
I noticed that channel 9 has had no signal available since last night(the first time I noticed) Maybe they're upgrading their equipment so that they'll be able to broadcast programs in HD without the problems that they seem to have been dealing with? Let's hope! They are on the air today and I watched the golf tournament (SD) yesterday afternoon. If they're having difficulties with handling HD, it should be at the studio end and wouldn't have any bearing on the transmitter being on the air or not.

Originally posted by babakanoosh
KOLD bad again???

Today (Sat) KOLD is dropping out about half of the time. I noticed the signal level seems low even when it is on. Is anyone else having problems? Until then (your message was posted on 10/30), I had been enjoying unusually good KOLD-DT reception--even with my DISH 6000 receiver. Now it has reverted to what I was seeing earlier in the year. It turns out that they've had a failure in their transmitter exciter. This has had two consequences affecting reception, especially for those on the margins. Signal to noise has suffered and transmitter power has been reduced by 75%. Replacement for the affected module is on its way from the manufacturer and they "hope to have things back to normal around the end of the week".

Can anyone explain why PBS 6-1 with a signal strength of 65-70 has sound gaps and some pixelating? Tuesday night.

I always blamed this on a multipath problem or too noisy of a preamp, since I'm not in the line of sight. I get audio dropouts and pixelation every once in a while on stations that come in at 75 to 85%. This is why I plan to get a cable box as backup whenever they finally have all locals.

Originally posted by Carey P
I always blamed this on a multipath problem or too noisy of a preamp, since I'm not in the line of sight. I get audio dropouts and pixelation every once in a while on stations that come in at 75 to 85%. This is why I plan to get a cable box as backup whenever they finally have all locals.

Don't know about COX but if you have Comcast like I do, you will have to wait a very, very long time. They only have 2 local HD channels, FOX and UPN, and neither are showing the network HD feed in HD. They are both owned by Belo Corp. So effectively Comcast has none. In adition, comcast receives the digital locals the same way you do, with an antenna!!

I have posted in this Forum recently on receivers. What kind of receiver do you have and what part of Tucson do you live in? I live in OV. Have no line of sight, big multipath issues. Recently I bought the USDTV receiver ($200 at Walmart). It is flawless. Even KOLD last week at low power levels came in perfectly. If you are having problems you should try it. You can always return it within 90 days.

I use a MyHD card in my HTPC. I'm located W of Silverbell and S of Camino del Cerro in Tucson Mtn area.

The drop outs are seldom, but annoying, though since OTA HD here is still not ready for prime time I'm not too worried about it yet. It sounds like a good receiver for the price, but I've already spent my money and I want to keep the TIVO capability. I think part of my problem is the crappy Ratshack preamp I went with instead of the CM7775.

If cable does use an antenna, I just hope it's in a better location than mine.

I hadn’t looked at the KOLD digital for a while, but last night the audio was so bad on the NTSC broadcast (at least OTA at my location) that I turned on the Samsung to see how they’re doing. I was pleased to note that the audio was in sync and seemed to stay that way, but after an hour or so I found that my original problem was back -- complete audio dropout for several minutes at a time commonly occur ring at commercial breaks. As described earlier cycling the power on the Samsung fixes the problem, but it’s still troubling phenomenon.

So my questions for the forum are:

If someone else is using a Samsung T151 are you experiencing this?

As my purchase of an integrated HDTV approaches (I hope) are any of you out there using the popular sets experiencing this?

This is something unique to KOLD’s broadcast, but it’s going to distress me to buy a TV I can’t use for KOLD.

I have a Samsung T165 and do not have the Audio drop outs on KOLD.

Originally posted by tucson_bill
... after an hour or so I found that my original problem was back -- complete audio dropout for several minutes at a time commonly occurring at commercial breaks. This is a feature, not a problem. With 5th generation chips expected in next year's tuners, the video during commercials will drop out as well.

And I'm sure everyone is enjoying 'Day of Destruction' in HD tonight? Good old KOLD at it again! Audio dropouts are the least of our worries.

I am unable to receive Channel 11 tonight. Anybody else having any luck with it today?

11-1 is working for us at 8:30

11.1 not working at 8:30 or 9:00. There is a strong signal (carrier) but apparently no program data. Maybe, just maybe, they are installing the HD stuff. I checked last week and they said in about 2 weeks. Or I suppose it could be weather related.

Thanks guys, I also get a strong signal but no program data. I hope they are back up for Football on Thursday.

Just returned from the Comcast main office in Tucson. They told me the problem with KOLD not being shown in HD on Comcast locally is still due to contract problems with KOLD.

Originally posted by tyarnes
Just returned from the Comcast main office in Tucson. They told me the problem with KOLD not being shown in HD on Comcast locally is still due to contract problems with KOLD. Are you saying Comcast now has the other networks in HD? Last I checked there were none :(

No Carey P, I never mentioned any other local networks being in HD on Comcast. I posted about KOLD because the article that was in the Arizona Daily Star over a month ago mentioned that KOLD "may" go HD on Comcast soon, and that got my hopes up. That's why I specifically asked them about KOLD. KOLD and FOX are the two networks I'm really looking forward to.

Originally posted by babakanoosh
11.1 not working at 8:30 or 9:00. There is a strong signal (carrier) but apparently no program data. Maybe, just maybe, they are installing the HD stuff. I checked last week and they said in about 2 weeks. Or I suppose it could be weather related.

Has anyone heard anything further on FOX HD? I can receive them on 11.1 on my OTA tuner and on Comcast channel 183 and both are coming through as 720p signal but they still are not broadcasting any true HD programs that I have seen.

I also heard from higher up people at Both Comcast and KOLD that they will be on Comcast in HD soon.

FOX KMSB HDTV ???
I have no signal on 11.1 OTA for the last two days. Is anyone getting 11.1 now (Thurs 1:00 PM)? Strangely, there is programming on Comcast 183, FOX DT. I can't tell the resolution, have to wait for an HD program.

I just turned on my Samsung t165 OTA and 11.1 is coming in (700 club) and the digital signal type it is receiving is 720p according to my equipment. I am in the Northwest area near Cortaro and Silverbell one of the worst reception areas.

OK. I had to rescan that frequency (25) and now I get it. By the way I called the chief engr at KTVK (provides KMSB). They are transmitting in 720p now but not high def yet. That could come in the next few days. It will be a manual switchover. Someone will have to be awake at KMSB at the right times to do it. Don't count on it. Some of the other stations have a problem doing this. Of course it only usually happens on the weekend when you want to watch sports.

You have got that one right. Every one needs to call or email the engineers at the stations when they forget to switch to HD broadcast.

I have emailed Chuck Amy at KOLD when they have slipped up and he emailed me back and thanked me for the heads up and apoligized for the slip up.

At last!!! Just tuned in Fox digital channel 183 on Comcast and OTA 25 (11.1) and it is finally a true HD broadcast of "Quintuplets" in 720p widescreen. They must have finally got their HD equipment installed.

KOLD DT 13.1 problems again? Today (noon) picture is very broken up. Signal level is varying all over the place. Just want to make sure it is not my receiver again. anyone else see this?

Yes, we saw it last night. Signal going from 19 to 59 and everywhere inbetween.

Yep, KOLD HD is worthless this weekend. I don't see that we have any improvement over where they were a year ago...maybe worse. What's their latest issues?

Someone who has a rapport with Chuck Amy, please email him to see what's going on. This is ridiculous already! The one game I wanted to watch today in HD is just a bunch of digital hash! Jumping from 0 to 30%. :mad: :mad:

As bad as KOLD is, Fox is glorious today! Not a single hiccup, and the DD 5.1 mix is equally good. The Vikings game today had an astoundingly realistic surround mix. They must be placing a stereo pair of mics someplace like the ceiling to get that indirect sound of the P.A. system. A lot of LFE in the surround tracks, too, with the music on the P.A..

Originally posted by Cam Man
As bad as KOLD is, Fox is glorious today! Not a single hiccup, and the DD 5.1 mix is equally good. The Vikings game today had an astoundingly realistic surround mix. They must be placing a stereo pair of mics someplace like the ceiling to get that indirect sound of the P.A. system. A lot of LFE in the surround tracks, too, with the music on the P.A..

I second that. The Vikings game 5.1 sound was excellent. I was able to get the game in 720p on both my OTA HD tuner and through Comcast channel 183. The video seems slightly better in the Packers game but the audio surround is not nearly as good.

Yes, FOX looks excellent and at 81%. Too bad they don't have Pittsburgh playing.

I will call or email Chuck Amy tomorrow if it is not fixed. I assume they had another equipment failure and may be waiting for parts. This is a regulaar occurance. If the digital transmision was important to them (it is not, they have it only because the FCC reuires it).you would think they would keep some spares. And don't try to call about problems on the weekend, no one is there.

I might not call the sound at the Vikings game better, just different due to the different venue. It definately has a fascinating sound to it. It is cool that the surround reproduction capabilities are getting such that we can actually tell the difference between an arena and a open stadium.

The Metrodome is one of the loudest venues in the NFL. I'm bummed I had watch both games in 480 since Cox still has no local HD broadcasts. Maybe in time for the playoffs or the superbowl at least.

Fox has been acting very strange for me lately, it has been droping out alot lately on my SIR-T150. Also does anyone know when the WB (58.1) is going to be HD?

Originally posted by Carey P
Someone who has a rapport with Chuck Amy, please email him to see what's going on. This is ridiculous already! ... Alas, we no longer have Chuck Amy to kick around anymore. He resigned from the station at the end of last month. Given reduced staffing and the lack of revenue attached to DTV operations, I wouldn't expect improvements any time soon.

I spoke to someone in engineering at KOLD (too bad Chuck Amy is gone). They know there is a problem because they can't receive their signal at the station. They may drive up the mountain tomorrow to check it out. They couldn't go up before this because of the snow. So I guess the store was just closed. What a way to run a business. Old Fogey is right, the DTV operations for all the stations have about a priority of zero. This is not true all over the country. Folks in Tucson that experience problems must call the stations immediately and often. And don't settle for a no-mind answer from someone in engineering. That is the only leverage that can be exerted. So, don't just post here, call and let them have it.

Sunkist, The engineer at WB told me HD in mid 2005. Fox has been good. The problem is probably your receiver sensitivity. I have posted about this before, search this forum. The T150 is 3 generations old. I sold my T151 on Ebay. The newer receivers are much better. I have suggested people try the USDTV sold at Walmart for $200. You can always return it if it isn't better.

Yea I thought it might be my T150 but I got it for practically nothing so I may stick with it for the time being. Works pretty good but it drops stations often it seems.

Alas, we no longer have Chuck Amy to kick around anymore

Losing Chuck Amy, as well as Ralf Turk at 4 and Roy Mitchell at 11/18 just illustrates the growing frustration with the new Corporate landscape. What used to be local issues are now being dictated from Corporate headquarters thousands of miles away. They have no idea what's best for the community, only what works well for the Shareholders. All the experienced Engineers, who really knew how to fix anything are being frustrated by not being able to do much of anything without the Corporate Overlords approval. They put in requests for Capital Expenditures, that are consistently disapproved, while the News Departments get whatever they ask for, whatever the price. It makes it almost impossible to get upgrades for what you have, let alone NEW equipment. You have to keep equipment 20 to 30 years old going because new gear wont get approved. But if a news department asks for a Weather System upgrade that costs a hundred and twenty thousand dollars, Whammo! They get it. It's a matter of Return On Investment. Most corporations don't see HDTV as a profitable venture. There's no quick ROI. It is really quite sad to see the end of an era.

Is anyone currently receiving a digital signal from KWBA (WB 58-1)? If so, is it HD? I recently set up an antenna and I can't pick up their signal. I'm curious if the problem is with me or KWBA.

thanks

Originally posted by P-L-Baker
[B]Losing Chuck Amy, as well as Ralf Turk at 4 and Roy Mitchell at 11/18 just illustrates the growing frustration with the new Corporate landscape. /B]

I talked to someone who runs in the same circle as these guys and he told me that Ralph retired, Roy was let go & Chuck is leaving to do bigger and better things. We should also be seeing CBS KOLD HD channel on Comcast real soon. Now if ABC and NBC would just get with the program.

Originally posted by JPeterman
Is anyone currently receiving a digital signal from KWBA (WB 58-1)? If so, is it HD? I recently set up an antenna and I can't pick up their signal. I'm curious if the problem is with me or KWBA.

thanks

Just two posts above yours is the answer, because I asked a similar Q, in 2005 it will be HD hopefully. It is sometimes hard for me to get 58 as well, I have to set my antenna to a different angle to recieve the station compared to other broadcasts. I have noticed that PBSHD (27.1) does not show a signal now and where as before 6.1 showed HD after 8pm now it is 6.2 Does anyone have information about this?

You need to know the direction for all the stations, they are not all on Mt Bigelow. Go to www.antennaweb.org, plug in your address and zip, it will tell the the angle from your location (0 is north). The stations labelled DT are the digital ones (HD if available). The repeater locations do not transmit digital signals.
Go to the KUAT website for info on what is transmitting when. They are always changing it. Very confusing. KUAT (6) and KUAS (27) are not in the same direction.

I receive both but stations but no data is being transmitted on 27.1 it seems, I just get good signal strength. Actually I just looked at their website like you said and they HD channel is off-air right now, weird.

We're going to purchase a HDTV soon and I have been researching which service I should connect to. I have Comcast now with digital box. How about Voom or Dish Network? I can see the towers on Mt. Bigelow blinking at night since I live near Sabino Canyon. I have an unobstructed view to the south but not the southeast.

What kind of HD reception could I expect from Comcast if I stay with it? Will channels 13, 4, and 9 come on soon? I'm only 11 miles from the transmitter and can put a small antennae on the roof of my condo.

What would you all suggest?

Glad to find this forum!

I am watching the Vikings- Packer game in HD on Comcast 183 as I write this. Channel 13 CBS will be on Comcast soon but 4 and 9 have no plans to have their HD channels any time soon. All the network channels are on Bigelow. The only channels to the South are Telemundo and WB 58. If you can see the towers on Bigelow you should get everything with just a good indoor antenna like the Zenith silver sensor.

Make sure your new HDTV has a built in ATSC tuner. If you can see the towers you can most likely use an indoor antenna, most people find the Zenith silver sensor the best.

I have Comcast now. I have had both Dish and Voom. Both have issues. IMO cable is best unless you think you will find the few additional HD channels on the others useful. If you are considering satellite you might check out Directv. They are adding the most capacity but have yet to declare how they will use it. With digital cable in one room, the other rooms get basic cable free and you get the discount on high speed internet. Personally, I wish Comcast would add PPV HD movies.

Yes, comcast doesn't have NBC or ABC (CBS very soon, all is approved they are getting the equipment), but it really doesn't matter if you can get them OTA. VOOM and Dish of course have no HD locals, their boxes have OTA ATSC receivers built in ( and bad ones at that).

Just to let those know, that already didn't...

VOOM will very likely be shut down around the middle of the Spring of '05. Their sales have been really bad and all their shareholders are demanding that it be shut down before April. Most likely Cablevision (The Owners) will shut it down before then.

The good news from that, is that the exclusivity agreement many of the program providers had will be broken, so they will be able to sell to DirecTv and EchoStar (Dish Network). Maybe more HD content available soon.

I'm considering getting a Sony KDF59WE655 and hooking it up to Comcast HD using the CableCard slot. Has anyone done this? Does this give you better PQ than going through Comcast's HD Cable box? I will have to get most of the local channels over an antennae. Advandages?? Disadvandages?? Thanks for any input.

Does anyone else have a problem with no sound on 6-1 using antenna? Picture comes in fine, just no volume. I thought it was a problem with a sound setting on my new Hitachi, but changing all those doesn't help.

All other Tucson digital channels come in fine.

UPDATE: Right after I posted this the screen on 6-1 went green, we switched around and when we came back to 6-1 the sound (and picture) was there! Yet another mystery in the world of high tech.

Both OTA 6.1, 27.1 and Comcast channel HD 190 are all without audio.

Does anybody know if all the Tucson DTV stations are at full power or if not which ones aren't and when they will be.

Thanks Tom

The information I have is the only ones at full power are PBS 28 (27.1), PBS 30 (6.1-5) and UPN 19 (18.1). The others plan on some day adding repeater antennas for the NW areas but from what I was told have no immediate plans to go to allowable max power from Mt. Bigelow towers.

Is anyone getting channel 9-1, 13-1, 6.1-5 today using OTA. I lost them last night and still getting nothing today.

At 8:30am we are getting all the 6's, except 6-1 which is night only, 11-1, 13-1, 4-1. Only thing off for us is 9-1.

We are near Snyder and Sabino Canyon and the Bigelow towers are behind a hill for us.

I live between Kolb and Sabino Canyon south of Snyder. We will pick up our HDTV tomorrow and plan to get local channels OTA. I bought a Silver Sensor indoor antennae to try first but can take it back if reception is not good. What type of antennae do you use? There is no hill between our condo and Bigelow but the house and tree across the street are in the way. Its been so long since I've used an antennae I'm not sure how sensitive they are. Our Sony TV has two antennae connections so one will be used for the Silver Sensor and the other one will be for Comcast HD cable that will be hooked up next week. Any advice on receiving the signals from Bigelow will be appreciated. Thanks!!

AzRich

Rich, I installed a roof antenna when we bought our new Hitachi with built-in HD tuner two months ago. I got the smallest roof antenna Radio Shack offers (can provide exact model if your interested). Since we don't have direct line of sight, I hooked it up then walked around the roof until the signal meter in the set showed the highest readings on all the channels.

It ended up being roughly pointed at where the antennas are, although I can't see them.

If a mountain is not in your way, I think you may have a very good chance of being able to use that Silver Sensor. Our signal strengths vary, but some as low as 40 still come in. Below that we get a "weak signal" message and nothing comes in. Limiting the length of cable helped. We are right at 100' as I recall.

We were very pleased and surprised with the digital signals for SD programs. They are significantly better than the analog, which are subject to ghosting at our location. The HD is also just outstanding, when we get it, and for the limited programs. I don't watch sports but the football games in HD are just remarkable!

We're on DirecTV and don't get any HD from them as of yet, as the supply is still so very limited. So we are relying on OTA for any special HD we might want to watch, such as on public TV.

Good luck and let us know how things turn out.

Patrick

RJRSW
Thanks for the information on the power levels. I live in Scottsdale and can receive all the Tucson stations if pointed in that direction but only KUAT and KTTU
when pointed so I can receive all the Phoenix stations. Hopefully I will be able to receive the rest when they up there power. I don't want to mess with a rotor unless I have to.

Happy New Year, other Tucsonians!

We brought home our new Sony 50" set this evening. We had to rent a truck because when we got to Sears to pick it up with the SUV the people at Sears said it is not good to lay a LCD tv on its side. Wish we had known that ahead of time. Anyway, out of the box with only a Silver Sensor indoor antannae and we are truly amazed. The digital broadcasts are impressive enough and then when a HD program came on KUAT 6.1 we were blown away! The colors, detail, and widescreen make this a whole new viewing experience!!!

We have brought in channels 4.1, 6.1, 11.1, 13.1, and a couple others. However when we try to tune in to 9.1 it says "No signal". (8:00 - 10:00 pm) Is this normal? Does this happen frequently or only occasionally? How long does it usually last?

BigFoot48, I'm hoping you could help me with these questions. I've also noticed that some of you seem to report that you are receiving a signal at 80% or 60%. How do you know the percent of the signal you are receiving? Do all televisions show this on some menu item? My regular display does not show this. Thanks for your help.

Rich

Rich, congratulations on that new set! We too were amazed at HD. We bought the highly regarded Zenith DVB318 DVD player to take advantage of HD, as it up-converts the DVDs to 1080i resolution. DVD movies look just outstanding! Some sets may also do this internally.

Haven't checked 9.1 lately but all the channels seem to have their "time out" occasionally, with 4.1 and the 6s being on most, if not all, of the time.

Our Hitachi channel setup menu includes a signal meter for digital channels only. I assume other people have a similar function. Don't know if the Sony has that so you just might need to look around in your setup menu.

I assume you have gone here http://www.titantv.com/TTV/Grid/Grid.aspx to see what is playing HD, as the local listing (Sunday) doesn't provide that info.

Good luck!

Oh, and that sucks that Sears didn't warn you about how big the boxed TV was going to be!

Pat

I can no longer get a good picture or sound on 13-1. I get good signal strength but a picture that is all out of focus, like a really bad analog signal. Is anyone else having this issue with 13-1. All other locals come in perfect.

Originally posted by AzRich
We have brought in channels 4.1, 6.1, 11.1, 13.1, and a couple others. However when we try to tune in to 9.1 it says "No signal". (8:00 - 10:00 pm) Is this normal? Does this happen frequently or only occasionally? How long does it usually last?

9.1 has the weakest signal of all the digital stations. They are running on low power but also have their antenna lower on the tower than others. I am in the Northwest area which is the worst reception area but I just tried and I am receiving 4.1, 4.2, 6.2-5, 9.1, 11.1, 13.1 and 18.1 as of 11:20am today.

I reran the channel setup this morning at about 8:50 and got a signal for 9.1. I don't know if this was a coincidence or not but the signal was not present last evening or earlier this morning. The signal was strong and the Rose Parade was great in HD. You could see every petal of every flower. However, I lost the signal when the mixer was being used in the kitchen a few feet away. Is that normal?

Also, I found the section on the menu that allows me to find out the signal strength. (Sony KDF-50WE655) Its under the menu, applications (at bottom) and then diagnostics. Most signals are between 88 - 92.

Enjoying the magic of HD!!!

Looks like people are getting 13-1. Since I have been receiving 13-1 for over a year something most have changed. My set top box is a Samsung T165, does anyone with a T165 currently receive channel 13-1?

I have been borrowing a Samsung T151 from a co-worker for about a month now. I lost 13-1 the same time you did, and it has not yet come back for me.
Originally posted by smsprague
My set top box is a Samsung T165, does anyone with a T165 currently receive channel 13-1?

Re: problems with Samsung on KOLD, a few possibilities.
I used to havea T151. KOLD was the most difficult to receive. At times they have cut power levels. The 165 and 151 are old technology. I have posted here before that a lot of problems have been resolved with newer receivers.
Samsung has a firmware upgrade to these boxes because of a change in signal encoding mandatory by 2/5/05. If you don't upgrade the boxes will stop working completely by that date. It may be that KOLD has done it early. This link used to have a description http://www.hdtvoice.com/voice/showthread.php?t=12946
otherwise search for it on the Samsung site. I got it a few months ago (before I sold my T151). They send you, free, a CD and a cable.

My T165 does have the upgrade installed. Maybe I will give channel 13 a call on Monday to see if they have any info.

Interesting thing about 13-1. I'm experiencing an opposite effect.

The power seems to be so low now (about 32 to 36% at best) that I should be having breakups and dropouts all over the place. However, I watched the Pittsburgh game today with only very few short breakups and no audio dropouts. I seem to be able to lock on the signal better than I have in the past, for whatever reason.

I have a dish 811 that I use for OTA & since this weekend channel 13.1 has gone away for me as well. I have been watching 13.1 since Feb of last year with a signal strength in the low 80's. Now it is in the high 50's, low 60's which must be below the threshold of my tuner's ability to show a picture. Bummer! All other stations remain as they have been for the last year (as far as signal strength) so I am assuming that it must be KOLD dropped power (?). Anyone have any insight or inside info about this (like is it temporary) or what can I do to get channel 13 back. My antenna is attic mount UHF.

I called channel 13 and they said they are having problems and hope to have it fixed by the weekend. They are not receiving a picture at the station either. Engineering was surprised anyone was getting a picture.

Excellent news! Thanks for the reply & info. I am glad the problem is not on my end. I am sure KOLD will get it all figured out sooner or later, hopefully sooner since they have some shows I like to watch!

Chris

This is the last time I will post about receivers...... Yes KOLD is at lower power. My receiver, a USDTV, is getting it fine at over 90% signal. I used to have a Dish 811. KOLD was always a problem. The 811 is by far the worst OTA receiver of all. I got involved with testing with Dish Engineering and if you have multipath issues, it is really bad. I have tested many receivers. The signals may vary, but IT IS THE RECEIVER (sorry for shouting). Its all about receiver design. Try this if you can. While KOLD is bad, go to Walmart and buy a USDTV for $200. Try it. You can return it within 90 days as long as you pack up everything nice. Walmart doesn't care if you used it.

BTW, on Satellite systems the DirecTV is a little better than Dish. Voom is really good. The newer LG's are really good. Most of the built in tuners on new HDTV's are good. The new generations of receiver design have solved the problem.

Interesting, Channel 13 claimed to have a issue with a card failure and not lower power. I still get 13-1 at 80%, but don't get a picture. The picture looks like a really bad analog signal. Theoretically you either get a digital picture or not. Maybe my STB Box is more sensitive to a bad PSIP table being sent.

Well... Hello everyone. I've been sticking my toe in every now and then, trying to see how everything has been going... so, I'll go ahead and say it. I am the Assistant Chief Engineer at KOLD. We are currently having problems with our Digital Transmitter. We've had quite a few problems lately, as I am training a new person to run it. Our former Chief, Chuck Amy has left for better things, so now it's my baby. I hope to send one of my Engineers to school for the Transmitter , but that wont be available until this summer. So... it's kind of a learning process for us all.

I do apologize for our Digital Stream lately, as the power supplies in the Transmitter keep shutting down intermittently and that screws up our output considerably. The power levels stay roughly the same, but the Signal to Noise Ratios get really whacked when the power amps shut down. Most receivers will not lock when the SNR is bad. Compounding our problem, is the weather, and construction on the mountain. This tends to limit our ability to go up and work on the sucker. It makes it an all day trip, waiting for pilot cars, and scheduling the SnowCat to get to the site.

Regardless of what anyone else thinks, I DO CARE ABOUT HDTV AND THE STREAM KOLD PRODUCES. I like HD, I like it a lot. I get really pissed when I can't watch my own station, or if there are problems. I do work to fix them. Our former Chief was often bogged down in tons of paperwork and other problem that admittedly left little room for the Digital Transmitter, but I intend to remedy that situation. I will work to get our Stream very high on the priority lists. I will work to get our people trained appropriately. I want KOLD to be the best in all things, the best in HD. I'm working harder on getting 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio into the studio since now all three CSI's, as well as most of our NFL games are fed in 5.1. It aint cheap though. It's going to cost us about $10,000 to get the gear to do it, and money is VERY tight everywhere. Just let it be known, I am trying, and we do care about HD in Tucson.

So, I will be monitoring this and other forums. I look forward to hearing from you. But please don't abuse this invitation. I don't have access to a variety of receivers, or TV's so I don't know what's best. I can't recommend much of anything, since I could get into trouble. I will listen, I will try to do what I can, and I do care about ALL HDTV in Tucson, not just ours, since it reflects all of Tucson's stations.

My Email at the station is: pbaker@kold.com you can reach me there as well, but remember, please don't write just to bitch and moan, just a simple comment, or criticism will work better than a raving rant. We are working in the public interest, and we really mean that.

Okay... off the Soap Box.. take care all!

Originally posted by BigFoot48
We too were amazed at HD. We bought the highly regarded Zenith DVB318 DVD player to take advantage of HD, as it up-converts the DVDs to 1080i resolution. DVD movies look just outstanding! Some sets may also do this internally.

Pat

Our 3 year old Toshiba progressive scan DVD does a fair job with our Sony HDTV but the picture is a pit grainy. We have connected it to the TV with component video cables and have an optical audio cable.

I've been checking out some DVD's that works with our Sony LCD. I've read some good things about your Zenith DVB318. Is there any chance it won't work with a Sony Wega? Does it have a HDMI output slot? Did you buy yours locally or over the internet? Does the picture look as good as HD?

Thanks for your help. Comcast comes Thursday with the HD cable box and DVR. Hope it works well.

Rich

I'm having no problem getting 13-1 via the tuner in my Hitachi.

On another subject, is Titan the only source of HD programming info for the Tucson area? They're not 100% accurate, as tonight they showed Nova was going to be on 6-1 at 8PM, when it was Nature with Nova on 6. Nova came on at 9PM in glorious HD. Is Titan all we got?

West Avra Wiz,
Wow, glad you could join us! This makes things really sound hopeful!

I'm very happy to hear you care about the signal as much as we do. Sorry to hear about the budget and training hurdles, but I certainly wish you best of luck with that.

I dealt with Chuck mainly back during last year's Superbowl. It was touch and go for a while but he pulled it off with only a couple of dropouts and my party was a success. Since then, things have been wildly unpredictable with 13-1, as you know.

It's strange that I received the signal fine during the Pittsburgh game at 32-36% and then last night I could hardly get a lock for CSI Miami. I think it was at 26 to 30%. I actually switched to The Medium on 4-1 because it was in HD and looked so good. Now I may be following that show instead, all because HD looks so much better than analog to me (especially on a 9ft screen).

Anyway, hope you have great success and I would only ask what chances you might think there are for Superbowl this year to go without a hitch. It looks like it's on CBS again. I need to know before I send out invites. :D Thanks!