Hey everyone,

Did anybody catch Crossing Jordan? I caught the tail end of it because they
didn't advertise it. I did a search with my Mits 65909 tonight and locked in
perfectly!!!


Recorded the news and I'm now recording Jay!!!

does anybody have a date for KCCI? Titantv.com says Nov 1. for WOI.

Enjoying HD in DES MOINES!!!

I know KCCI filed for an extension so they may as well be on the air Nov. 1. I am going to have to purchase another 8vsb module for my dish 6000 so I can watch the eye candy.

Hey there,

Excellent! Crossing Jordan came in quite well here too. During these intitial testing stages, their timing has been near perfect on switching on the HD feed. Beginning tomorrow, WHO-DT will be broadcasting on a regular schedule during primetime. And, by the way, they are DD5.1 capable!

Regarding CBS, I spoke with a friendly and courteous individual working in operations at KCCI last week. They said they were initially shooting for May 1st, but they've been waiting for some equipment and the winds to calm. The current estimate is mid-July-- not bad at all! I just checked their page and they recently updated it with the info (second paragraph):

http://www.theiowachannel.com/kcci/569498/detail.html

Can't wait for CBS in HD!

FOX17 signed on just moments ago. Currently, there is just a test pattern and some program audio. The audio was in mono, then out of left channel. I am hoping for stereo as they don't even transmit MTS currently.

Looks like a work in progress, but it is great to see another station on the air in DSM!

-Loren

Wow xenon221 you are on top of things!!! Thanks for the link for kcci also!!! Just did a search for fox and just picked up 17.01. I don't think fox does any 1080i though.

Hey Bill, do you have a dish HD 6000? If you do, do you get showtime and is it just upconverted stuff, not 1080i.

just a fyi WHO has a link on their website and they will e-mail you any hd new shows that they will broadcast.

It says nothing about the kentucky derby that is supposed to be in HD this saturday, but according to HD.net they and NBC dtv affiliates will be broadcasting that event in HD.

dieing for CBS!!!

-mark

hey xenon221,

13.01 had drop outs ( for me) for the first 45 minutes they started at 7:00. Now it is perfect (maybe they turned up the power)? Did you have the same situation?

Also channel 13.01 looks like it is 480p and 17.01 must be upconverted 480i, because I sure can see a difference, how about yourself?

mark

Mark,

Hello there. No problems here with dropouts last night, though I wasn't on WHO during their entire first hour. I have experienced some occasional dropouts during the Tonight Show. The signal usually hovers around 85, but I found that if there even a slight variation in antenna placement, the signal drops to extremely low levels (10-20) periodically.

Thanks for the info about the WHO-DT mail list, and I just signed up for that. While I was on the site, I saw a new mention about the Kentucky Derby this weekend. Apparently, it will be aired from 5-6:30pm Saturday!

I agree with you completely about KDSM and I too can see a big difference in quality. They are indeed transmitting a 480i signal on 17.1 and so far I'm disappointed with their digital broadcast. I guess it's still early though; we'll have to see if they begin transmitting the FOX 480p widescreen programming.

By the way, I've noticed a problem with interlacing on KDSM (the fields seem to be reversed, causing either excessive jitter or combing artifacts). Have you experienced any of this?

-Loren

xenon,

Yes, I saw the same situation with fox and gave up on them, they aren't even broadcasting here at 10pm. I did e-mail them and asked what they would show in 1080i, and they haven't e-mailed me back. It was kind of a joke e-mail (Fox only wants to do 480p).

What are you using to get your signal? It's not in your profile.

Are we the only 2 in des moines watching live HD?

Got to go, recording another episode of Jay!!!!

Mark

The Des Moines NBC affiliate did show the Olympics. I was at a customer's location in Ames and we were picking it up. They had the transmitter off until 20 minutes before the start of the Olympics programming, and turned it off right after. I understand the PBS affiliate's transmitter works, but they only have it on for new PBS HD programs.

Chris,

Yes, WHO did the olympics and they were great! PBS seems to broadcast only around state fair time (around August) and have about 3 programs in HD. They would broadcast them more but need more funding.

mark

Heh!! All these Iowa folks getting HD!!!
Wonder when the Iowa City area (and near by areas)
will see any???....

Originally posted by tammes
Heh!! All these Iowa folks getting HD!!!
Wonder when the Iowa City area (and near by areas)
will see any???....

KWWL (Channel 7 analog, Channel 55 dig) went live on May 1. They broadcast from 5 to 11:30 on Monday-Friday. Course, being an NBC affiliate, the only thing in HD they have is Leno and Crossing Jordan and a few odds and ends here. But at least they're up and running. Check titantv.com to see when others are scheduled to go live. Also, there is a station in the Quad cities that is live now...you may be able to pick that up. I live halfway between CR and IC (Shueyville!!). Haven't yet put up an antenna, so don't know how the reception on either of these will be.

mike

Mark,

I am giving up on KDSM too. So far, no Fox Widescreen. They seem to be broadcasting just to meet the minimum requirements. I called the station to ask for some details with no luck. I hope they reply to your message, that's funny. They probably just let out a long sigh when they read that one. :)

I'm using a HiPix DTV-200 to receive the signal. No Hi-Def monitor as of yet, but I am planning on investing in one in a few months, particularly when KCCI, IPTV begin broadcasting.

Yep, that's an interesting thought; I think we are probably the only two watching, and especially recording HD! But hey, somebody's gotta be on the bleeding edge.

-Loren

Actually mark me as number three watching HD in central Iowa. mtmdesmoines, when I was getting Showtime, about half the stuff I would see would be in HD and the other half would be an upconvert of their regular channel.
I got my new 8vsb module in yesterday, but I will have to wait until Friday before I can install it in my system as I am in the process of moving right now.
I really hope KDSM gets their act together and at least shows their digital widescreen presentations, but I guess that might be hoping for too much? Has anyone heard anything on KPWB? I thought that KDSM and KPWB share the same tower.

I hate moving :(

Bill

Loren,

No response from Fox.

Bill,

Great, then when you get OTA signals you can deal with this: Jay Leno tonight 1st 15 minutes top half of screen frozen pizels, bottom half frozen Jays la building intro. Called WHO 282-1313 and they switched it to sd 4:3 called again got HD for 15 minutes then same situation as the original called again, they said it was the server from NBC but I was able to get another 10 or so minutes of HD.

If you read above I have been recording this on my Mits HD vcr and it is quite entertaining to see the goof ups.

WHO is doing a great job, I wonder if they had theese kind of problems back in 1954 when color 1ST came out?

If any of you want to see the hd recordings, e-mail me and we can get together.

My Mits 65909 will be calibrated by Dave Levy (www.abbeyroad hometheater.com) the 28th of this month, if you want to see the finished product,contact me.

Bill, does kdsm, (wb?) have anything broadcast in HD?

Good luck with the move!!!

Mark

mtmdesmoines,
I believe that KDSM (17) is central Iowa's Fox station and KPWB (23) is the WB station. I really can't wait to get this thing installed and check out how WHO is handling this. I think it is a shame that KDSM isn't showing their "High Resolution Digital Widescreen" presentations like they should. I am sure they will eventually, but why not now?

Bill

Hey guys,

I saw the same thing yesterday on WHO. It was cool to hear the band play for a couple minutes during the "commercial break" though (no complaints here). Between the glitches, I've noticed something interesting this week during Leno. When they were playing back the package, I could still see the studio camera panning/zooming along the top 5 or so pixels. Just a guess, but it appears they are routing the SD material through by way of a (mis-aligned) overlay in the switcher.

I think we've seen a wider variety of problems in the last 24 hours than they ever saw with B/W. I am sure it's a digital nightmare at the stations handling the MPEG-2 and PSIP. If there is an interruption in the data stream, it appears there is not yet enough error checking and correction to compensate for the errors. Then say hello to macroblocks.

Another sign-on: I was talking with a friend in the Mason City, IA and he said KIMT (the CBS affiliate) is now broadcasting digital. Not confirmed, but I believe they are sending the 1080i prime-time programming. Below is a site that seems fairly up to date on the current and upcoming stations. Digital stations are in light blue and digital live stations are light green:

http://100kwatts.tmi.net/tv/IA.html

-Loren

Bill,

Just looked at KDSM through Loren's link, they are owned by Sinclair (the evil company that wanted to adopt COFDM over 8vsb).

We should feel lucky they went to DT!!!

Lets see what happens tonight.

Mark

Xenon221:
he said KIMT (the CBS affiliate) is now broadcasting digital. Not confirmed, but I believe they are sending the 1080i prime-time programming.
I have gotten a weak signal from KIMT-DT in Mason City since they are only a STA. It has not been strong enough to get a picture in from them. CBS normally gets their CBS affiliates their HD equipment quickly.

hey guys,

The last 2 days WHO has not been on the ball with Jay. Last night it was in SD until I called them, tonight sound no picture, I called they took care of it after about 15 minutes!!!

Does anybody else (around the country) have this problem, Having to remind your tv station to turn on its signal?

Mark

>Having to remind your tv station to turn on its signal?

No way! I'm surprised that you even know who to call. In Minneapolis we have CBS, PBS, and Fox running just fine through TWC.

I haven't had HDTV for long but it is interesting to note that DD5.1 seems to be at a much lower level for broadcast than it is for DVD's. I rarely watch anything but HBO & Showtime HD but the other day I listened to my first commercial in DD5.1 and it was so cool. I might even enjoy watching commercials until the novelty wears off! :)

Hey there,

Same experience here. I also noticed the sound was very garbled last night until they restored the picture. Thanks Mark; I am glad you've been keeping them in line!

Crossing Jordan was in SD last week, although I think that might have been an NBC problem. This week it was in a flux, flipping back and forth to SD several times.

By the way Mark, were you the one that had them switch over to Ashley Judd during the election coverage? I don't know whether you saw that one, but they had the election deal on analog 13 and Tonight Show, w/o the local ads on digital 19.1. They were doing well after that one in my book-- that is until these past few nights.

Glad to hear you are having good luck with your affiliates mlomker; that's the way it should be. It really is unfortunate when they mess things up. I read a post around here a while ago that talked about a CBS affiliate that would sometimes throw the 'HD switch' a half an hour or so into a show. I've also heard some others talking about lip sync problems (let's hope we don't start having those, yikes!)

-Loren

hey Loren,

No, I didn't know about that incident. The number is 282-1313, I don't want them to hear just my voice, when they have a problem! If you call mention the fact that you spoke with 2 or 3 of your friend and they are having the same problem that night, (lets make it look like there are a lot of people in DSM watching HD)!

Also if you wanted to e-mail WHO, they don't keep anyone there after 11:00 central, so if there is a mess up with their server, were out of luck during the last half Hour of Jay.

Did you notice they didn't e-mail a reminder that the Belmont was in HD? But they did e-mail that Pres. Bush was in town, I care about HD more than politics!!!

Mark

Just wanted to check in! Count me as another HDTV viewer in Des Moines. Thanks for the phone number. I usually don't watch Leno, but
maybe tonight. Love that HDTV!

Randy

Dish 6000 w/ 8VSB

Mark,

Hey there. That sounds like a great plan to me! The next time I see any more of these problems, I'll definitely dial them up. Thanks for the number and info. It will be especially important for them to have bug-free, properly timed broadcasts as the rest of the area also begins receiving.

I've noticed a couple of times the musical segments have been in SD and now I understand why. I agree with you about the e-mail; unless Bush is going to be in HD, I don't want to hear about it! :)

And hello to Randy; welcome aboard. I think you'll like Leno. He has some good shows that are visually interesting and really make use of/demonstrate the clarity of HD.

-Loren

Randy,

Yes, welcome aboard and enjoy HD jay, I now only tape Jay when he has top actors on and when he has animals on the show.

Well about 2 weeks away from KCCI going HD, can't wait!!!

Hey if anybody has a HD recorder you can go to www.hd.net and order movies from them for $29.95!!! I am not affiliated with hd.net or mark cuban, but would like to meet Him!!!

Sorry if I broke a forum rule.

Mark

mtm,

Glad to hear you're receiving HD in Desmoines. Here I sit, not more than 130 miles from you in Omaha, Nebraskas' largest city, and not a single station is on line broadcasting HD. Ironically, from researching the locals progress over the last several years it now appears that the station who provides the least HD content (NBC) will be the first on line. Our local NBC-HD affiliate has alluded that broadcasts will begin by 1 August. ABC and CBS have stated they won't be ready until late 2002.

I guess we now know which state is more technologically behind the curve. Cudos to you, wish I were in your shoes.

John

Hi Guys,
NBC (KWWL) is the only game in town in Waterloo too.

Looks like CBS (KGAN) is only about a month away :)

Hi all, just wanted to check in as another happy HD Des Moines (Knoxville) receiver. Not too fond of Jay, but I will take all we can get at this point.

I will have to quit sleeping as soon as Discovery HD goes on the DirecTV.

Does anyone have a good target on line date for KCCI (Channel 8)?

Enjoy.

Justin

SAT HD 100
Sanyo PLV60HT

I emailed KGAN about www.titantv.com's go live date and here is the reply I got:
Pat, we never had July 15 as a date. Construction on our equipment is not
anywhere near complete. Looks like November or December.

Thanks for your interest

Les
What a bummer...I was looking forward to watching CSI in HIDEF at the beginning of the new season :(

Pat,

Sorry to hear that about Cedar Rapids. Here in Des Moines KCCI will be up and running July 1st (according to www.titantv.com)!!!!!!!!

Jtuck2, same here, I would love Discovery in HD also!!! I thought people from knoxville just liked car racing (joke).

Mark

Yeah Mark, those races are big business. I personally have little interest. But don't rock the boat if you are riding in it I guess.

What are you seeing for signal strengths on WHO and KDSM? I see my meters max out on both, but I wonder if they are broadcasting at higher power than will be normal as they get more familiar with this format. Otherwise the Sony has some sort of issue, which would not be out of the realm of possibility.

As a side note, I sent an e-mail to DirecTV urging them to pick up Discovery HD. I would urge anyone locally who is interested to let them know that there is interest. I also expressed interest in local stations, but I assume we are a low priority market for them. Maybe if the merger goes through?

Enjoy the show...

Justin

Justin,

I have the Mits ws65909 with an integrated tuner (no signal meter), I have yet to put up my dish and add my dtc-100.

Good idea on the e-mail for Discovery. If Dish buys Directv, look for locals (non HD) on dish within a year. And more HD!!!

Mark

Mark,
I hope you are right about KCCI...
Titantv has KGAN listed as July 15, but after emaling KGAN directly...titantv is totally wrong :(

You might want to contact KCCI and get an answer directly from the source.

If my antenna wasn't in the attic, I might try to pick up KIMT (CBS) in Mason City.

Pat,

www.kcci.com has sometime in July on their website. I am more frustrated that dish now has HD discovery channel and directv doesn't.

If any of you have a current directv account, CALL DIRECTV, DON'T E-MAIL, I have read that this is more effective (takes 5 minutes)!!!

That is surprizing about titantv being wrong, THEY are based in Cedar Rapids!!!

Is anybody trying to add some sorta big antenna/rotar to try to pick up HD from other IA markets? I wonder if it is possible?

Mark

Mark

I called DirecTV too as you recommended regarding Discovery HD.

I have not tried any other antenna location or setup. I live very close to Lake Red Rock in very heavy timber. I had convinced myself that it will be nearly impossible to get any other signal out of the Des Moines market. I have some real doubts about WOI when they finally get that ball rolling. My current antenna is in the attic of my garage (an off the shelf standard RCA VHF/UHF/FM model, albeit sized a little larger than required) and my reception of our two available signals is great.

One oddity on my Sony tuner is that it will auto scan for digital signals. On two occasions, it has picked up something it thinks is digital. It displays at 98.00. When I try to tune it I get the dreaded "Searching for digital signal" so it may be some weird sideband, but I am obviously not an electronic genius, so I am not sure what it thinks it is seeing. Could this be an out of market signal that is too weak to be tuned?

Hey all centrall Iowans,
I am currently a little disappointed with the signal I get from WHO-DT and KDSM-DT. I live about 30-40 miles away from the transmitters and I cannot get a steady signal. Of course I believe it is my antenna and my location, I have the radio shack vbu190 and there are a lot of trees in my area. I did order a channel master 4228 and should have it tomorrow. If this doesn't work, I don't think anything else will.
Here are the stats for the channels I can get:
WHO-DT= 0-85
KDSM-DT= 0-70

For the most part WHO-DT is at least watchable when all of the conditions are right, KDSM-DT is bad, the signal fluctuates between 0 and 70 all of the time.

Well, I will report tomorrow and let you know how the 4228 does here.

Bill

Bill

I am little more than 30-40 miles away (between Knoxville and Pella on Lake Red Rock) and my signal is peaked (99) on both WHO and KDSM. I very nearly went ahead and bought the Terk T55 (I think that was the model, whatever Terk's HD antenna is from Best Buy) when I got the Sony HD receiver. I am glad I didn't, because at least for now it would appear to have been a waste. My antenna is the largest RCA standard model Home Depot sold. I got VERY, VERY lucky with positioning it. It is in the attic of my garage hung from bungee cords and couldn't be turned without major structural mods on the garage roof. :) I had this antenna in place before the HD bug hit me, or I probably would have a HD model too.

You might want to check if your current antenna's UHF array is actually hooked up and you aren't losing the signal through a splitter or Ohm converter where you transition from the antenna to cable. If you are receiving standard def UHF stations (non DT KDSM, Pax, WB) then this is a dead end, but if their signals are giving you poor reception too then it might save you hanging a new antenna. A lot of the cheaper splitters, Ohm converters, etc. will pass VHF great but end up losing the UHF side.

Just a suggestion, please don't take offense if I have suggested the obvious. Good luck.

Justin

Mark, you mentioned in an earlier post about recording Jay Leno. What equipment do you have for this? Also did you get it locally or internet or what? What price range are we talking about?

I have been scared to buy recording equip. until they figure out the whole copy protection mess. I really wish Tivo would put out a HD recorder and solve my recording problems. I rarely record anything long term, just long enough to watch it and then rerecord over it. My current Tivo won't even control my HD Sony receiver correctly enough to record standard def programming, so my wife gets to enjoy the Tivo on her TV.

Justin

Hi Justin,

It is funny, my reception for analog UHF stations are fine when the antenna is positionend correctly, and VHF doesn't have a problem. I hope that this antenna will get me locked in with the digital stations because at times it is like watching a pixelated slide show with a ton of dropouts :).

Bill

jtuck2,

I earned a Mits Hd-HSU2000u from Mits, I am a salesperson at a local electronics store. I have read somewhere on this website that someone out west is selling them for under $500. That's a great deal.

The downfall of the Mits is it wont play JVC's D-theater tapes that are just being released.

At first I was recording everything in HD, now I only record Jay if he has any wildlife on the show.

You might want to look into the JVC model.

Mark

Well, I got the Channel Master 4228 today and hooked it below my other antenna. I get a stable signal at around 90 with WHO-DT and at around 80 for KDSM-DT. Now if I can only find a better spot (ie no trees) for my 65 degree dish so I can enjoy some of the discovery HD!

Mark, which store do you work for?

Bill

Bill,

I work at American. I just got a reply back from my e-mail to kcci, the person I e-mailed didn't know the exact date. He just said sometime in July, so keep your eyes open.

Mark

Mark, do you guys not sell the JVC D-theater machines?

Also, what do you hear from a sales side about some sort of Firewire or other connection to enable copy protection? I am very nervous to invest more into a setup that the manufacturers aren't going to maintain backwards compatability for. I already have too much in the system now according to the wife, but I guess we have all heard that.

Also, does KDIN (PBS) ever turn their DT antenna on? I saw their demo at the State Fair, but I was under the impression that they weren't broadcasting yet. Titan TV's site shows them on the air on Channel 50.

Justin

Justin,

No, pbs only broadcasts their hd signal during the state fair, they say they don't have the funds to go full hd yet.

Thanks to Pat M's suggestion, I called KCCI and found out from their main engineer, steve houg, KCCI digital channel 31 may take up to sept 1st, before they start broadcasting. They have to do a modification to the tower in Alleman and their work is affected by the wind, TALL TOWERS!!!

So, pray for calm weather and he said we could see the signal start in July so no comfirmed date.

He did say they will carry all the HD that CBS dishes out in primetime, but they will not broadcast the HD daytime show, Young and the restless. Not that I care about soap operas, just an FYI.

Now I wonder where titantv.com gets their info?

As far as DVHS

American doesn't carry any JVC DVHS.

DVHS, IMHO will be dead in 5-7 years and we will have recordable DVD, hopefully sooner!!!

It is fun to record HD at first you want to record everything, I enjoy the HD coors comercials and I show them to friends. Then after about a couple of weeks I find, I am getting more picky, recording mainly wildlife on Jay or if he has some bigtime actor on.

My best advise is get a RCA DTC-100 and add rabbit ears and enjoy Jay!!!


Mark
:D

Mark,
Glad you got ahold of someone at KCCI.
Can't get much better info than straight from the main engineer :)

Has anyone noticed that KDSM's digital signal is weaker? I get about 48-49% signal strength now. Or it could be me...

Bill,

KDSM sucks!!!!!!!!!! They are upconverting their analog signal to 480i.

According to WHO, they have a temp tower.

PRAYING FOR RAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mark

Has anyone ever seen anything but 480i programming on KDSM? I have not.

I was actually amazed when I found their digital signal the first time, I assumed they would be among the PAX and WB late bloomers, considering the typical quality of their non FOX programming.

I have not checked signal strength lately, but will now that Bill noticed it.

I kind of wondered if KDSM and WHO wouldn't start turning the power down a little and see who complained. It would probably be worth an e-mail to let them know that we noticed.

Has anyone actually lost signal because of the decreased strength?

Justin

I'm with Mark, praying for rain.

Well, for awhile today when I tried to tune to digital 17, it would transfer me to analog 17. I prefer the digital 17 over analog 17 because it is a cleaner picture for me. All programming I have seen on digital 17 has been 480i but it is still better than the anaolg version I get.

It now looks like my dish 6000 can no longer see d17 but 16-01, and I get about 67% with it. The result: all picture and no sound.

Digital 13 has been fluctuating on me a bit now, it will jump from 86 to 75 and back every so often.

I really hope these station don't decrease their power, because if I am having this much trouble getting a decent signal from Des Moines, think of those people in Ottumwa and Oskaloosa are going to have even more trouble...

Bill,

Checked signal strengths this weekend.

WHO 97%, it previously had been peaked at 100.

KDSM 78%, it also had been peaked at 100.

I have not noticed any detrimental pq because of the lower signals, but rarely have KDSM on. It too is superior to my analog 17, but honestly there is nothing on FOX that I watch. Even my football is on the Sunday Ticket, so it is a worthless channel.

O.K.

Not to nag, but once again Jay went SD about 15 minutes into the show, I called and they turned the HD back on.

It was good to find out that someone was there at 11:06!!!

Please, if you guys are staying up late to watch Jay. Call and complain. 282-1313.

Thanks again everyone!!!

Mark

Hey Everyone,

I emailed titantv.com and told them what I knew, they said they would contact KCCI in a return e-mail.

As of today, titantv.com has KCCI listed to go up on July 19th!!!

Cool

Mark

Mark,

Can't wait for KCCI. Keep me informed if you hear anything more. Thanks for taking the tiger by the tail.

Justin

Darn theese holidays (joke),

Nobody is in at KCCI that can verify that date. I will try again Monday.

Have a fun and safe 4th of July!!!

Mark

I also can't wait for KCCI, then I can get rid of the CBS channel on my dish programming.

About KDSM, I get a picture now at about 67-70, but no sound. I have given up and I will just watch analog 17. (Simpsons, King of the Hill)

Bill,

Your signal is fine. I tried KDSM tonight and I have the same situation.

I called kDSM 287-1717 and left a message with their news crew on their machine. I never watch this channel, but I hope this helps you out.

All forthed out, so I decided to stay home and watch HD jay and found out we wont have any Dtv tonight, all engineers are off at WHO, funny!!!

Also, everyone if you would call KDSM, we need to keep the stations honest!!!

Thanks

Mark

Mark and Bill,

I called KDSM too, I have the same problem. Picture (spotty) with no sound. Has anyone seen a good signal since Bill noticed this problem?

Thanks,

Justin

Hello everyone,

I would like to start out by saying I am sorry for spreading false info on KCCI going to DTV on July 19th.

I spoke with Steve on monday and he said, "I'm the one turning on the signal and it probably wont be until Sept 1st".

The people that work on the tower have to work on it early in the morning (4:00-10:00), after that, it is too windy (anthing above 20mpr). We have to remember that this tower is 1800 feet tall!!!

So, sorry about the titantv thing, I will rely on Steve only!!!

On a side note, I am getting our 65" Mits callibrated this week by Dave Levy, and will let you know my thoughts!!!!!!!!

Have Fun!!!

Mark

Mark, too bad on the KCCI deal :(
At least you'll still be up and running before Cedar Rapids (KGAN) :confused:

Still no sound on KDSM. Anyone hear any excuses when they called? I was simply told they would pass it along to their engineering dept.

Also on a side note, Mark who is Dave Levy? Sorry for my ignorance, but the name doesn't even ring a bell. I assume he is local? Is he qualified to calibrate my Sanyo PLV60HT projector? I have attempted to set it up with Avia, and feel fairly comfortable with what I ended up with. I would kind of like to have a pro give me a look though. If the price was right of course. If you feel like it and I am not being to nosy, let me know what he charged. If you would rather do it in private, email is blackdogzoi@yahoo.com .

Thanks.

Justin

Justin,

Check out www.abbeyroadht.com Dave Levy is ISF certified and has the equipment to do a proper ISF calibration, here in Des Moines!!! I have also messed with Avia and Video Essentials, but I want a real calibration done!!!

He charges $275 for a rear projection calibration (that is the going price). I was a little nervous about using him since he has been doing this for about 2 years, but after I spoke with him about the Mits red push issue and realizing he knew what he was talking about and he could correct it. I am going with Dave (rather than waiting for a calibration tour). It looks like he is getting pretty popular, he is having his own Kansas City tour!!!

I will post my after thoughts on the calibration this week.

Mark

Hello Everyone,

I just got Calibrated by Dave!!! Man is he a perfectionist. If you want the short of it, if you watch Progressive DVD or HD and want a more natural picture get it done!!! If you want a longer story of what was done, don't worry I will try to post everything within the next few days. I am too tired right now (it took about 5 1/2 hours!!!) And besides Dave deserves his own post!!!

Have fun everyone!!!

Mark

Hey everybody,

It's been a while since I've stopped by so I was quite interested to read the latest DSM HDTV news from everyone. That is too bad about the KCCI delay. They really should reconsider and sign on sooner than that.

I was just in the Mason City area and the local CBS affiliate is indeed broadcasting at decent power (60-75). They were not broadcasting HD however, only an up-convert. I hope that when KCCI does sign on, they are HD capable esp. since they now have more setup time.

I have noticed the same audio problems with KDSM. Recently, while watching the station, the sound was restored and I noticed less noise and improved audio quality (though still in mono). The video also appeared to be slightly improved with better contrast and black level. It still had the interlaced/combing artifact though, but it was at least a step in the right direction nonetheless.

Another KDSM note: This morning the power was fluctuating wildly (from 5 up to 81 or so), but no program streams were being transmitted. All I was seeing here was green screen. Maybe they are working on the video issues or FOX Widescreen! We shall see. ---No sub-channels yet, but both the video and audio is back tonight.---

Sounds like you had a great experience with the calibration Mark; I'll definitely keep Dave in mind when I make the big purchase. Thanks as always for the good info.

-Loren

Anyone know when PBS is going to go live?

KDSM-DT Does look better and I have to crank up the sound to hear it, but I think they are heading in the right direction finally (excluding only doing 480p and not Hi-Def resolutions).

That 8 bow tie channelmaster antenna is awesome, rock stable signal from both digital stations.

Later all,
Bill

No idea about PBS, although it will be my most watched channel when it arrives.

Did you get your new antenna locally or over internet? Also, did you run a new cable or split into your existing?

Did you actually see signal improvement on KDSM because of the antenna or is it simply them working through their issues?

I will probably have to get a better DT antenna eventually, because I still haven't seen any improvements on KDSM. WHO is pretty stable though. Any info on your setup would be appreciated, because I suspect we are in a similar reception area, although on different compass points obviously.

Can't wait for fall.

Justin

Hi Justin,
I got the Channel Master 4228 over the internet at Warren Electronics (http://www.warrenelectronics.com/antennas/antenna_menu.htm) which are located near the Quad Cities. It only took them a day to deliver the antenna.

My antenna hookup involves the Radio Shack vbu-190 on top, and the Channel Master 4228 right below it pointing a slightly different dirrection. I am using a vhf/uhf combiner to combine the signals.

Before I received the 4228, my digital signals would fluctuate at more than 10 a time, where KDSM would be 40-70 and WHO-DT would be 65-80. When I added the 4228, the signals were close to rock stable, 69-71 for KDSM-DT, and 95-97 for WHO-DT.

I'll try to get a picture of my antenna stack, but I won't promise anything!

BTW, when I combine the signals for my antennas, it seems that I will only get UHF from the 4228 and not from the vbu-190, why is that?

Bill

Hey guys!!!!!

Nice to see the thread going!!!! Look for the PBS signal channel 50 around state fair time, they should be broadcasting from a temp antenna on the cities EAST side. Just a few weeks away!!!! Titan says full time by Aug 1st, IPTV.org says by 2003 and how did you like tonight beautiful CBS picture (joke) now under review with titan.

I believe the engineer at IPTV is Bill Hayes. This would also be my most watched channel (my 2 yr old loves clifford!!!!!).

Bill is the vbu-190 a vhf antenna? I tried a search on RS' website and came up with nothing. DTV is UHF only.

Thanks guys for keeping the thread going!!!!!!!

Mark

Hey Mark,

My bad, the Radio Shack antenna model number is VU-190 XR. It is the 160" antenna that has both VHF and UHF components. I am thinking that the 4228 is overriding the RS antenna's UHF signal as it is the stonger signal. Not that this is a bad thing except that the WB now sounds like someone crinkling tin foil all of the time. Believe it or not I actually found a RS Double Bow tie in Cedar Rapids for $9.99. I have it hooked inside and when I want to watch the WB, I just connect the DBT antenna to the main antenna line. All my other stations go to crap, but the WB comes in fine. This doesn't bother me too much as I only watch the WB occasionally.

Well, I might be at the Taste of Des Moines tomorrow, hope you all have a good weekend!

Bill

Me and the head engineer over at KWQC (NBC) have been emailing each other back and forth and he said the location antennaweb.org provides on there site is wrong. He told me the new tower is located in Orion, IL. Also he said they hope to be broadcasting as early as the end of August.

"We plan to be on the air with our digital transmitter by November 1st. We
will be transmitting from the new tower in Orion, IL. on channel 56 (UHF).
In the future when analog television transmissions must cease we will then
transmit the digital signal on channel 6 from our current tower site in
Bettendorf. This will probably be many years in the future.

Regards,
Doug Bierman
KWQC-TV6 Engineering
"

ps. I got the later email talking about the August date but have since delted it.

txbrandon,

Thats good to hear!!! I am thinking about going into the DXing thing and I could possibly pick up KWQC in HD, if I can put the right equipment together.

Thanks again

Mark

Hey everyone,

Last night, I was watching the KCCI 10pm news broadcast and they had a short segment on their HDTV construction. It showed the new antenna element being lifted by crane earlier in the day. As I recall, they mentioned it was ~75 feet tall and weighs in at over 1500 lbs. They also said they are looking forward to providing the new transmission later in the summer-- I know I am really looking forward to watching it!

I like what I'm seeing. We are definitely getting much closer to CBS in HD! :)

-Loren

Bill Sears,

The combiner is blocking UHF from the 190XR as it's designed to do.Otherwise,you will have mutipath-type problems,combining both UHF's.

Thanks for the update Xenon, I missed the 10pm news. This link to the story is on their site.

http://www.theiowachannel.com/news/1579754/detail.html

I can't wait !!!

BTW, as Mark suggested, I have Dave Levy coming over tomorrow eve. to calibrate my Sanyo LCD projector. I will post my thoughts on the outcome if anyone is interested.

Sounds like another wild weather night, enjoy.

Justin

jtuck2,

get envolved and enjoy Dave's calibration!!!!!!!! He does a fantastic Job!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Everyone,

Titantv.com is correct about IPTV going digital Aug 1st, Channel 50 (6:30pm start time). I just got off the phone with Karen from PBS. They will be broadcasting the IA state fair in Hd and other demos, during the fair.

They will be up Full time for at least 3 months after the fair. Then the money issue comes into effect and they may have to shut down.

She couldn't tell me if they will pass through the National HD feed but I left a message for Bill and will post when I find out.

If you want to call them 515-242-3100.

Getting the recorder ready!!!!!!

Mark

Mark has said such nice things, I thought I better jump in. As comfortable as I am doing any kind of CRT device, Justin gave me my first shot at an LCD projector. I have to report I'm not happy with the result.

I was able to center his controls and adjust black level, color and tint but I could not complete the grayscale calibration. I kept running out of room, especially in the red drive, to get all the way to D6500K. After 4 hours, I had to admit defeat and just remove some of the blue out of the high end to get his colors into a reasonable range. As is my policy, I did not charge Justin but he graciously offered to pay my travel expense.

I hope to be in touch with Sanyo reps at the CEDIA conference in September so I can try again with Justin's projector. I'll also be talking to other ISFers to see what I can find out.

Please get in touch with me directly if you have any questions. We may have to form an Iowa HD group one of these days to show off our setups.

Dave
www.AbbeyRoadHT.com

Originally posted by AbbeyRoad
We may have to form an Iowa HD group one of these days to show off our setups.

Dave, that would be cool if I could get more than 2 HD programs. I don't even watch Crossing Jordan or Leno :rolleyes:

You're right, Pat. Maybe it will have to be an HT group for now.

I would be up for a HT group if anyone feels like organizing it. The addition of digital PBS will up my viewing time considerably. Perhaps an encouraging e-mail from all of us will help with the HDTV decision on their part.

I am very pleased with what Dave managed to accomplish with my unit. I would highly recommend that anyone who has not had their picture calibrated do so. After further viewing after Dave left, my picture looks better than I thought it could. My black levels are better than I thought possible out of a LCD projector. He gave it his all, but either Sanyo's controls are wildly out of whack or there is a lack of adequate description in the service literature. Many of the controls that he was familiar with did not perform as expected. One adjustment was even inverted (up was down).

I was apprehensive about purchasing a front projector, but with my application it made the most sense. I knew that it would be the minority in our market. I feel lucky to have stumbled across Dave, who obviously has the patience to work on unfamiliar equipment. Hopefully Dave can get some guidance from Sanyo and we can complete the calibration at some later date.

In short, Dave's professional adjustments did more in a short time with my unit than I accomplished in a whole day with Avia. And he was not satisfied with what he accomplished.

Happy viewing,

Justin

Justin,

Sorry to here there are some technical issues with your setup, if anyone can find a solution, Dave can!!!

Even though the calibration didn't work out for you, you could post something nice for dave in my thread in the HD hardware forum.

Just a thought, he still might find a solution and it is good to know that he still made improvements beyond what you could do.

Have fun, it sounds like you have a great setup!!!

Mark

OK, where was PBS last night? After I looked at their site it looks more to me like the 11th. Anyone hear anything different?

Jtuck2,

I don't know, thats pretty bad when I hear it from one of Bill's assitants that it will be up and it isn't. Maybe they will wait till the 8th, 1st day of the fair.

Hey guys,

I'm wondering the same thing. IPTV was broadcasting this afternoon for a short time (about an hour or so) with a new demo loop on channel 50.2. There was footage of Iowa's capitol building, nature scenes, and clips from various PBS shows. My signal strength showed ~85, but I experienced frequent dropouts with interruptions in audio. It could be on my end, but they might also be having some technical problems that are causing the delay.

BTW: I am currently receiving a signal strength of 5 on channel 31! It could be some DXing, or possibly KCCI powering up the new transmitter? Let's hope for the latter!!

-Loren

Another HDTV update; IPTV-DT is back on the air as of 5:30pm this evening. A program called, "This Old Statehouse" is now showing on 50.2.

Looks great, but I am still experiencing a few dropouts. I'll be anxious to hear how others are receiving.

Have a good weekend,

-Loren

Loren,

I am not getting any signal as of 7:58 are they still running?

Mark

Hi Mark,

Nothing here either. Looks like their back down again. I don't know what the deal is. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

-Loren

IPTV is back up on 50.3. They were playing a sequence featuring scenes from Italy. Smart Travels came on at 6:30pm. Don't know how long this will last, but just wanted to let you guys know.

-Loren

Loren,

No signal on my integrated tuner or on the Dtc-100. Signal strength of Who-DT is 88 here in Grimes. I wonder where PBS is broadcasting from, and how much power they are using.

Smart Travels, that is interesting, I read somewhere that HDNET will let any station broadcast their material, if they wanted to in HD.

I wonder if they struck a deal with Mark Cuban.

Thanks for the post, please post again, if you see something.

I haven't installed an outdoor antenna yet and that could be my problem.

Thanks

Mark

Mark,

No problem. Sorry to hear you're not receiving the signal. WHO-DT is around 85-87 here (northwest side of DSM) and IPTV is 83-85. I am wondering if there is something wrong with the signal they are transmitting; it still breaks up quite often and occasionally freezes. I am not sure where they are broadcasting from.

One promising thing about this is that IPTV seems to be transmitting the PBS satellite feed. In addition to the travel show, there have been various 30 minute specials from affiliates around the country (including one from KY with Ashley Judd in it.) In between each show is a welcome to PBS digital sequence. This may still be streaming off of a previous recording, but there has been unique segments since around 6:30 this evening.

They don't seem to be sending any PSIP data yet. Like you, I am also using an indoor antenna: a RS bow-tie antenna on the second floor that is working well. I have it aimed north-northeast and tipped forward slightly. A couple of days ago, it was not positioned right and the signal on IPTV was 5 and other times I was just getting a green screen.

Keep doing the channel scans and try to enter 50.3 manually if possible. Good luck in trying to pull this in.

Talk to you later,

-Loren

Loren,

Amazing, the picture from IPTV!!! I am getting some audio drop outs thought. I switched antennas old metrostar 2000 to a terk tv50, still indoors, I haven't had time to install an outdoor antenna yet. On the DTC-100, IPTV is channel 80, I have a signal strength of 53 here, but a lot of Audio drop outs. Are you having the same problem?

Touring New Jersey-WOW!!!! If anybody is reading this thread and are thinking about HD, go to the fair and see this demo!!!

I think, I have to donate to IPTV if they can keep up this kinda material!!!

On a closing note IPTV channel 80 signal strength 53, WHO channel 13 SS 88 and disappointing no HD content channel 17 SS 40.

Kinda cool to think we have 3 DTV channels here in Des Moines!!!

And thanks again Loren, it looks like IPTV shuts off at 10.

Mark

Hey all, last night my signal was 92-97 all night on IPTV. I have a big RCA antenna in the attic of my garage. It was picking up signal, even when they were transmitting no picture or sound. The pq is exceptional, although like you I was picking up audio and video dropouts occasionally, even with the high signal strength. A lot of the video would have little motion artifacts or dropped pixels occasionally. I assume they are still working through broadcasting bugs.

I would gather that they are transmitting somewhere closer to me than to Des Moines from the higher signal strengths. My WHO-DT is high 80's, but Fox is plain nasty, barely 60 most of the time, must be right at the detection threshold, because it drops in and out frequently. Luckily I have Sunday Ticket, so Fox has nothing for me.

Any word on WOI's conversion? Titan shows Nov 1, which I think is extremely optimistic. If their antenna is closer to Ames, I might be out of luck. They are typically my worst OTA standard station anyway. I would really love to see Monday Night Football clearly for a change.

Great to see a few of us are watching. I hope 3 interested viewers are worth the added expense for the stations. LOL. Mark, is American selling a lot of digital sets? I would be ashamed if we are truly the only interested parties in our market.

Keep me posted on developments.

Justin

Justin,

WOI doesn't have a CLUE!!! Just got off the phone with Cindy & Dennis, didn't get their last names, they have the transmittor they just don't know where to put it?!? But I don't think anybody watches this station other than for MNF.

IPTV is up and running again, my integrated tuner is getting a lot of drop outs, so I am not recording, but my DTC-100 is pulling it in beautifully. I need to put up a good antenna.

I know of others that pull OTA HD, but they don't frequent here.

Yes we sell a lot of HD sets, but not too many OTA receivers. People don't know what they are missing!!!

Have fun

Mark

Hey guys,

Did anybody see, IPTV at between 3:30 to say around 4:15?

The reason I ask is, I came in from doing yard work and heard no sound from my tv, I look and I see a HD image of IPTV's production center in Johnston!!!

And there were a couple guys goofing around, one guy talking on the phone, all in HD. I don't know if it was live though.

I e-mailed Bill but have yet to hear anything back. They will be taping and broadcasting this years fair in HD!!!

Mark

Mark,

Glad to see you are receiving. Didn't see them outside the studio the other day; that sounds like some compelling content, haha. Right now though, I am watching the State Fair Parade. I can't believe we now have local HD content available to us; this is great to see! Apparently, it was actually shown live yesterday evening.

I too have been very impressed by the quality of the shows from PBS. Some of the shots are just incredible! A few dropouts here and there, but not bad, not bad at all. Great work IPTV!

Enjoy, everyone!

-Loren

Loren,

Yes, I taped that last night along with a bunch of other stuff including Saving the Barns in IA!!!

Mark

IPTV will be on till the end of the month and then turn off for the Month of September But Be back In October and through the fall during prime time

I talked to one of the IPTV people at the State Fair yesterday and he said that the reason why there are audio and video problems is because their receiver is doing something weird. Basically he said that they have to get another on from PBS to replace this one. He also told me that they were going to be on until funding runs out (3 months), although the post above me would make more sense (probably what they are going to do).

Did anyone check out the LIVE HD footage they ran Wednesday night, like the Iowa State Fair Parade? He told me they have 2 Sony HD Cams that they can do this with.

One more thing, it sound like on or around 2006 they will switch back to VHF 11 for their digital broadcasts.

Sorry guys, I didn't get a name. He had grayish hair with a short grayish beard. Check IPTV out at the Varied Industries building.

Bill

We eastern Iowans (QC area) won't have HD PBS until May, 2003. :(

A copy of my reply back from Dennis P., WOI's engineer. Take what you will from it. I guess we could plaster them with requests (and ABC) for HD, but I doubt it will do any good. I am sure HD receivers are slated for stations with some degree of market share first. WOI has to be 3rd in market constantly.

Dennis P :

Hi Justin,
We hope to be up this fall with a city grade (Ames - Des Moines)
signal on channel 59. We will be transmitting a digital signal. We will not
be transmitting a high definition signal until ABC sends us a satellite
receiver that receives the digital broadcasts. Still, just having a digital
signal on the air with no noise from computers, doorbell transformers,
electronic dog runs and machine shops with arc welders will be a welcome
change. We will look like a signal coming down on the dish network.

Did anyone notice that The late late show with Craig Kilborne will be in HD on CBS next week and This weekend WHO will have and old Elvis Presly movie on In HD. Please O please KCCI turn on
Andrew

oOOkool,

No, I didn't see those ads. I've been watching to much IPTV in HD!!!

Thank You for being the 100th post, now get out and enjoy the fair!!!

KCCI will be HD on the 1st of Sept!!!

Mark

I tried to get PBS but no luck...too far away :(

I did get an E-mail from KWWL about the Elvis movie
KWWL will broadcast “Loving You “ starring ELVIS on Saturday, August 17, from 7:30-10 PM in HDTV.

Pat & oOOkool,

Nice to see that they are promoting HD in Eastern Iowa!!! I just got back from the fair and IPTV is doing a great job in promoting HD on their channel.

But I read my e-mail and the only thing I got from WHO (NBC), was a e-mail about a live chat about buying furniture?!?

I hope they will broadcast this show about Elvis, as I remember when he died when I was a kid, and would like to tape this program to show my mom (Big Elvis fan).

The fair was GREAT!!!

Mark

The ELVIS program was nice, I had to call once AGAIN to who to turn the HD back on at about 8:00. Gosh darnit, can't they watch what is going on?

Mark

Hello everyone,

WHO is down and when I called they didn't know when they would be back up and running. Man that was a BIG storm!!!

7 more days and we will have IPTV & KCCI!!!

Mark

Hello again,

WHO back up and I am receiving channel 31.01 Color bar pattern as of 8:30 tonight!!! Looks like KCCI will be up with real programming in 4 days!!!

Did everyone leave? Rumor is IPTV will start again Sept 1st.

Mark

Nah, we didn't leave :). I am just waiting for KCCI to get on air.

One thing concerns me about WOI... will they show the Super Bowl in Hi Def?

Bill

Bill,

One thing that concerns me about WOI, will they be in DTV by the end of the year? I know www.titantv.com says Nov 1st, but they seem like a 3rd world tv station!!! Way out of date compared to WHO & KCCI!!!

I would LOVE the Super Bowl in HD!!!

And based on past events, ABC will have the Super Bowl in HD, will WOI?

Mark

I think I posted this earlier, but this was my reply from WOI's engineer. The latest scuttlebutt is that ABC may not even broadcast the Super Bowl in HD, so it is a moot point whether WOI can broadcast it. I do agree with Mark, WOI is basically on par with Afghan TV though. I can't imagine WOI is high on ABC's list of stations to upgrade to HD.

Have a great weekend.

Justin.

Dennis P :

Hi Justin,
We hope to be up this fall with a city grade (Ames - Des Moines)
signal on channel 59. We will be transmitting a digital signal. We will not
be transmitting a high definition signal until ABC sends us a satellite
receiver that receives the digital broadcasts. Still, just having a digital
signal on the air with no noise from computers, doorbell transformers,
electronic dog runs and machine shops with arc welders will be a welcome
change. We will look like a signal coming down on the dish network.

GOOD NEWS EVEYONE GOT AN E-MAIL FROM KCCI TODAY:
Dear Andrew:

Your e-mail was very timely. Today, we received our official license from
the FCC to broadcast HDTV programming. And...starting Saturday, August 31,
we will be carrying the US Open Tennis tournament and all CBS primetime
programming available in high definition on KCCI-DT, channel 31. While
some network programming is not offered in the HDTV format (such as NFL
football, CBS News magazines and reality shows), most primetime
entertainment programming is available in HDTV. If you log on to
<www.cbs.com> and click on "TV Schedules" in the upper right hand corner,
you will find a program schedule which indicates which primetime shows are
being broadcast in high definition on a week-to-week basis.

Thank you for writing and for watching KCCI.

Sincerely,

Sue Knudson
KCCI Programming

Hey everyone,

Thanks for the latest info on KCCI, oookool!!! I spoke to the main engineer at WOI (Randal Shelton) and he said they will be up and running by the latest Nov 1st, trying for the date of Oct 15th.

Jtuck2, the superbowl will be in HD this year, it may be Panasonic or Zenith or maybee Mitsubishi that pays for it to happen, but it will happen!!! Just not maybe here in Des Moines.

Getting back to WOI and will they show 1080i from ABC, Randall didn't know, he said to call back in a week and actually acted like he didn't know what 1080i was. He was going to talk to another engineer.

But the great news is it will be STEREO :)

KCCI will be BIG!!!

Thanks guys

Mark

Hey everybody,

Interesting reads. I've been out of town for a week; it looks like there's been a lot of activity around here! Fortunately, I missed the big storm. I'm glad they got WHO back up and running.

It is great to see KCCI on the air! I've been watching a little of the US Open this afternoon and it looks great with a strong signal (86-88). They do have a logo in the corner, but it is not too distracting. The local upconverts are not good here (KDSM video "quality", stereo simulated mono audio). I am sure they will work out the initial bugs soon. The main thing is CBS in HD!! The District should be on tonight.

BTW - Is Kilborn still going to be in HD? It's tape delayed in DSM, so I hope that doesn't cause any problems.

Enjoy the broadcast!

-Loren

this is KCCI broadcasting scedule for the next week:
Saturday 8/31: 10am-5pm U.S. Open Tennis

7-10pm CBS Primetime

Sunday 9/01: 10am-5pm U.S. Open Tennis

6-10pm CBS Primetime*

Monday 9/02: 10am-5pm U.S. Open Tennis

7-10pm CBS Primetime

Tues-Thurs 9/3-9/5: 7-10pm CBS Primetime*

Friday 9/06: 10am-5pm U.S. Open Tennis

7-10pm CBS Primetime*

Saturday 9/07: 10am-4pm U.S. Open Tennis

4-7:30pm COLLEGE FB

7:30-10pm U.S. Open Tennis

Sunday 9/08: 3pm-6pm U.S. Open Tennis

6-10pm CBS Primetime*

*Not all primetime shows are in HDTV format.

I talked to a kcci Representative today, that said the tower was only at 300kwatts right now and it would be up to full power soon I got 97 strength today off a $40 indoor antenna today cant wait to see Young and the Restless in HD

the Killborn thing was just a mistake I belive Titan TV is somkin crack again

LOL oookool,

Killborn would be cool in HD, is Dave Letterman in HD?

We will find out monday, I hope. A lot of HD Sunday night, unlike WHO.

I haven't gotten anything from IPTV, maybe monday, have any of you?

Welcome back xenon 221!!!

Mark

Been out of town since Friday and just got back in time to catch the last ten minutes of CSI. WOW!! Love those city shots of Las Vegas.:D

Great to read all the Iowa HD posts! I am a newby treading water, trying to swim through all this HD jargon. I have a couple of questions I hope someone answer.

I have a Zenith 1080, Pioneer 520, DTV dish and RS bowtie.

How do you manually add a digital station with a -1 (50-1) as an example,
using the Zenith remote control?

The signal strength I receive from the dish:
Sat A: 95 Sat B: 65 Sat C: 95
This will vary, the signal is a little stronger at night.

Can I have someone try to adjust the dish so the Sat B gains signal strength at the expense of the other birds? HDNET and HBOHD will have pixelation and audio dropouts. SHOHD comes in strong.

Thanks in advance.
Bud
:confused:

Bud -

Remind me today when I come over and I can show you how to add the staions. We won't be able to do it until there's a signal.

There is a "-" key in the lower left corner of the number pad on the remote.

Dave

Thanks Dave.........looking forward to having your ISF calibration done.

Bud

This was the response to an e-mail I sent to ABC complaining we won't be able to see their new prime time HD lineup. It obviously got forwarded to WOI -----

We are targeting our "HD" launch prior to 10/31/02. The equipment is already here, but we have run into a technical problem with the tower. Keep your fingers crossed! We both would prefer a sooner rather than later launch.

Thanks for your inquiry.

Marshall Porter
SVP / General Manager WOI TV

Thanks Mark, it's good to be back. Haven't received a signal from IPTV yet, but maybe we'll see something Wednesday night for the PBS-HD programming. I'll be sure to post a quick message if I pick up anything.

Thanks for the WOI info Dave; it seems things might be looking up after all! That would be nice to see the Super Bowl and some of the Big Picture Shows in HD.

I must say, it is great to see both the CBS and NBC affiliates up and running. Just think, we will be able to do some actual HD channel surfing once the new Fall season begins!

-Loren

WOW!!!

Brillant Iowa barns in HD on IPTV, the detail is fantastic!!! Are you guys seeing this?

Sorry, just kidding, I have to rub it in for those of you that don't have HD recorders :)

I sure do miss IPTV in HD though!!!

Someone please post when IPTV is up!

Kiowahawk, enjoy the calibration, Dave does a GREAT job!!!

Dave, what is the technical problem with their tower, WOI has to save up to buy a ladder. :)

Seriously everyone we could be in a bigger market (Kansas City) and enjoying only 1 Digital channel instead of 3, so we should count our blessings!!!

Mark

More WOI info.

Check out this link from the FCC.

http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=100611317&formid=337&fac_num=8661

Take from it what you will. Look at Exhibit 1 at the end of the page. I think that saving up for a ladder might be the least of WOI's problems. This at least gives more info than any of us have received from WOI directly. I wonder if they really have clue what they are doing.

I'm getting a lot of pixelation on 31-1 during CSI tonight even though my signal strength is very good. Anyone else having the same problem?

Thanks for the link, Justin. I fired back a reply to Mr. Porter at WOI about his "technical problem."

Anyone know an easy way to file a rebuttal with the FCC to ask them to deny the extension request?

Dave, I noticed a lot of pixelation as well. Also had several audio dropouts. I noticed a few times when picture and sound seemed to freeze. I have not looked at signal strength, so my problems might be signal related.

I picked up a 10db VHF/UHF amplifier from Radio Shack yesterday, hooked it up. Results were amazing, KCCI-DT and WHO-DT both peaked at 100%, Fox was at low 90's. Also made my SD WOI watchable again. Got it just to be able to watch my Steelers choke on Monday Night Football. I honestly have never seen such a pathetic display in all of my life.

The amplifier worked great though, I would highly recommend it for anyone who is in the fringe like myself. Anyone heard anything about PBS's status lately?

jtuck,

I've been having the same problems with KCCI as well. Definitely a fluctuation of the signal. It seems especially bad tonight. FOX is also on average 10-15. Thanks for the amplifier info; I might pick one of those up as well. Sounds like an incredible improvement.

No word on PBS yet. But, that will be nice when they're back up.

-Loren

Jtuck2,

Do you mean WOI-ntsc? Because I have never picked up any SD WOI signals yet. If you are picking up WOI-sd, what is the channel number? I don't have a good antenna up yet and that may be why I can't find it.

Still haven't heard anything about IPTV myself.

Mark

Mark, I meant ntsc WOI. There has been no other type of transmission from WOI and I doubt if there will be for some time.

Look for the link I posted from the FCC website on 9-05. WOI applied for a construction permit extension from the FCC until MAY of next year. It has been GRANTED now. According to the info they filed with the FCC, they can't seem to come to an agreement with a tower owner to mount their digital antenna on.

I expected little from WOI and at least I wasn't disappointed. I seriously doubt that when they do get it running their power will be sufficient to get anything outside of Des Moines city limits. Maybe they would be a good addition to Kabul's DMA. They sure aren't doing anything but Monday Night Football for me.

Jtuck2,

Thanks for the verification!!! Yeah, I thought WOI wasn't doing anything, I just thought maybe they won the lottery and decided to start broadcasting in SD.

I could have then started lobbying MNF for HD :)

Thanks again Jtuck2.

Mark

Hey everyone,

Did you get the notice from WHO about the new HD shows coming? In-laws, Frasier, Hiden Hills, Ed and American Dreams and Boomtown will all be in HD starting Sept. 23rd.

This is the 1st time WHO has e-mailed me anything about HD and I signed up in May!!! KCCI is right on top of things though.

I hope everyone has had a good 11th. Always remember.

Mark

Hey Mark,

I got that e-mail and was pleasantly surprised. They finally got the mail list working right. Can't wait to see some of these new shows. I also received another message announcing Men In Black in HD on October 5th!

Thanks. Hope you had a good 11th too.

-Loren

Late Night with Conan O'brian will be in HD to in the fall so NBC can get to its 15 hr per week promise of HDTV programing can't wait


Andrew

Hi,

I just purchased the Toshiba 57h82 and plan on installing a DirectTV system to get both OTA and satellite HDTV in the next couple weeks. However, I noticed on the front page of the Business section in today's Register that MediaCom plans on providing HDTV content by Jan 1. Does anyone have any more info on this? I have MediaCom's digital package currently, however, after they upgraded to 70+ analog channels recently, the anolog channels are very snowy. My neighbors have the same problem. We've had two "technicians" come out but the best they could do was to suggest that we turn down the brightness on our TV's so we wouldn't notice the snow so much.

BTW, Will I become the ~6 person to get HDTV in the Des Moines area. :)

Thanks,

I've been visiting Des Moines for some time now. I have to say that I finally went to a Best Buy there during the initial US Open weekend. (this is actually Clive/West Des Moines where I have relatives) anyways, I heard that they only get CBS in HD in that area. I know Iowa is far hillier than IL, but how could Clive not recieve strong signals OTA from other stations? I can't recommend my relatives to get an HD RPTV if only CBS is available OTA. If anyone could confirm what the possibilites for reception are in that area, i'd much appreciate it.

There's no reception problem, especially in Clive/West Des Moines. The issue is slow networks/affiliates. Most transmitters are north of town and the terrain is flat.

NBC(WHO) came on line May 1. Good signal but the only HD programming from NBC is Jay Leno & Crossing Jordan. Several prime time shows this fall will be in HD.

FOX (KDSM) came on line May 1 but FOX doesn't do any HD.

CBS (KCCI) came on line September 1. Lots of great HD and more this fall. Had one Saturday all HD with US Open and college football.

ABC (WOI) probably will not be on line until next spring. Local affiliate with lame excuses that just got another extension on their construction deadline from the FCC.

PBS (IPBN) is ready to go but has no money to run the new transmitter. Broadcast gorgeous pictures during the State fair. Supposed to come on line permanently next May 1.

Nothing on cable yet. Mediacom says it will have some HD by Jan 1.

Thanks AbbeyRoad! Well, the digital situation seems to be much improved over what I thought in Iowa. Not as many channels as here in Chicagoland area but still pretty good. When I got my HD set 2 years ago we only had WGN, ABC, FOX, and NBC. The only HD I got was the Tonight Show as ABC didn't even broadcast HD then. That's plenty of good DTV to get. ABC will only make the situation far more appealing. I heard about the state fair (as I was there) and I'm sure that would've looked amazing. Anyways, thanks again for the information!

AbbeyRoad,

I live in Urbandale. Do you think a set of rabbit ears next to the TV will work, or will I have to install an antenna on the roof.

Thanks,

Rabbit ears won't do you any good because they're for VHF and all the digital channels are in the UHF range. Buy a cheap UHF loop antenna at Radio Shack first and put it next to the TV. It's best if it's amplified with a gain control. You may have to move it around to get the different channels.

mwalter, I live between Knoxville and Pella and get all Des Moines digital stations with acceptable signals. I have a large VHF/UHF standard aerial mounted in the attic of my garage. I added an amplifier recently that really perked my reception up, for standard and HD content. You will need an antenna anyway if you decide to go with DirecTV or DISH as they can offer no local channels in our area, standard or HD. As close as you are, I would think that Dave's simple bowtie antenna recommendation would work fine.

Can't speak for Mediacom's content, as I am rural and have no choice but a satellite. I have had Directv for several years and have been happy with them as a company. Sometimes their help is a little inept, but if you keep trying you can usually get help. Direct has one non premium HD channel, HDNet. 3 more HDnets are coming soon, but talk is they will cost a little bit per month. HD HBO and Showtime are also available, but you have to subscribe to those packages to get them. DISH has no HDnet, but they have HD Discovery, it too costs something marginal per month. I think they also offer HBO and Showtime.

Good luck sorting all of this out. It is definitely worth the trouble, especially once our locals start some heavy HD broadcasting with the new seaso

Good luck getting it all sorted out.

Justin

Thanks for the info guys.

BTW, I'm waiting for Best Buy to get in Triple LNB dish before I install DirectTV. I'm told it should be in soon. I was planning on getting the Hughes E86 receiver.

Any suggestions on alternate equipment or who I should get it from? The E86 has been out for awhile, any news on a newer model?

Thanks,

Thanks for the info guys.

BTW, I'm waiting for Best Buy to get in Triple LNB dish before I install DirectTV. I'm told it should be in soon. I was planning on getting the Hughes E86 receiver.

Any suggestions on alternate equipment or who I should get it from? The E86 has been out for awhile, any news on a newer model?

Thanks,

I have a Sony SATHD100. It is no longer manufactured, I hear they have a HD200 out or coming soon. No idea what additional features it has. My Sony decision was compatibility with my existing Sony gear, no other driving reason.

You might check around the boards here for the necessity of a DVI or Firewire connection on your new receiver. I think it has very little function now, but lack of it might affect forward compatibility. My Sony doesn't have it, and I am nervous.

Unless there is some reason (ie:BestBuy card) to use them, I would use the net to purchase equipment. No tax and it is usually ready to ship. My experience with the high school kids they have staffing our local BestBuys has not been to great. I could get more information about electronics from my laborador retriever. Ultimate and American usually have good advice, but you probably can find it cheaper on the web. Did I mention NO SALES TAX?

How about it Mark, can you help a brother out here? (mtmdesmoines is one of your great staffers at American.)

Good luck, and enjoy.

Let us know if you need anything else.

I think the Zenith box is much better than any of the Hughes boxes or the Sony. It integrates local channels with DirecTV in the program guide and has a great line doubler.

Unfortunately, your timing is bad. The Zenith DTV1080 has been discontinued (and has a few bugs) but it's replacement, the SAT520HD, hasn't hit the street yet. It should very soon.

mwalter,

We have had the triple lnb dish in for some time now. Stop in and I can show you the system.

It seems that only Hughes is making a Directv HD system now (from what I heard).

Mark

It looks like PBS will be back on Oct. 1st and for a week or so.
The Mediacom Info. is pretty interesting does anyone know the specifics of all of that like. like how much?, what channels?
Andrew

jtuck2
Member

Registered: Jun 2002
Location: Knoxville, IA
Posts: 59
Unless there is some reason (ie:BestBuy card) to use them, I would use the net to purchase equipment. No tax and it is usually ready to ship. My experience with the high school kids they have staffing our local BestBuys has not been to great.


jtuck2 I resent that I work at Best Buy and we are straight up with you and we do know what we are talking about
If you need something come talk to me
Andrew

oOOkool,

That is great news about IPTV, even though it will only be a week? What is the news on Mediacom?

oOOkool or Andrew, don't be offended, we have kids that work here (American) that don't have a clue.

By the way, I am wrong, Sony will be coming out with a HD directv system someday, already selling on the web just not released in the retail world :)

Did anybody notice that WHO shut off their dtv signal at about 10:15? I thought about calling but just switched to 31.1 KCCI to watch the news then watched the rest of MNF.

Mark

Sorry if I offended you oOOkool.

You must admit that several of your coworkers at times appear to be clueless. I am sure there are some exceptions, and unfortunately I can only be in there on weekends, when I am sure the most experienced sales staff wants to be off. That leaves the high school kids.

After several bad experiences shopping for a computer, an A/V receiver, a 400 disc changer, a DVD player, a HDTV receiver and cables I decided to give Best Buy one more shot.

The straw that broke the camel's back: I had a $5000 budget for a front projection unit. I walked into Best Buy. Found someone in the TV section, asked them if they sold front projectors. After a quizzical look and a consultation with another salesperson I was told that "We have projection TV's, is that what you mean?" Short explanation of what I was looking for got me no further.

My question is: How can someone selling top of the line, digital TV's not have clue what a front projection TV is? Even if you don't sell them. Everyone at Ultimate and American seemed to know, they had a Sharp unit set up. They were pretty pricey, but they were quality machines. But they could at least try to sell me something else while I was there. I didn't get stupid looks like I was trying to buy something that they had never heard of.

Feel free to pass this along to your superiors oOOkool. I wasn't trying to flame you, and probably I got two dim bulbs around the holiday season. I apologize to you personally, but my general feelings about the overall quality of Best Buy's staff remains.

If you are in retail, your sales force is the first and most important interface with your customers. There are a lot of people able to sell me electronics cheaply, and the quality of the people selling them tells me a lot about the company's commitment to excellence. I have found this to be lacking at Best Buy. I am sure that American and Ultimate have people they aren't too proud of either, but overall I have yet to find someone at either place who was totally incompetent.

Again I apologize to you personally. If I am in the market for something again, be assured I will look you up and give you a shot at my business.

Good deal jtuck2,
One thing you do have to realize about Best Buy is that we are not a Ultimate or a American that works on commission and we care about what you want or what will fit your needs and, if you come looking for something in particular that we don't carry we wont try talking you into something that you don't want. I think the biggest thing that we need to realize is that HDTV is not something high end anymore for goodness sakes you can go to Wall-Mart now and buy a HDTV. I'm sorry but Best Buy doesn't really cater to the high end just because we have to keep over 500 stores all selling the same stuff and when your an Ultimate or an American with 50 some stores you can cater to that.

An any case I do have a Question has anyone watched FOX 17 program that they say is wide-screen actually be in Wide-screen?
Andrew

Hey everyone,

I did a rescan this evening and 13.2 (WHO-DT2) showed up. It contains a 2MBps radar stream. The new shows on NBC did take a hit in PQ, though I don't know if the two are related, as NBC was having more than a few problems tonight. We'll have to see how Leno looks.

CBS's new series OTOH are looking good. Haven't seen anything in FOX 'wide-screen' yet; so far KDSM is just wasting a lot of electricity!

-Loren

oOOkool,

It is good to see that you are enthusiastic about your job!!! But please don't put down a salesperson just because they are commisioned, some of us do care!!!

Walmart doesn't carry HD sets, I shopped the Windsor Heights location last week:)

Xenon221,

Thank You!!! Very interesting here at 10:45 they are multicasting local radar (SD) on 13.02 and showing Jay on 13.01. Wow, I thought multicasting wouldn't allow HD and SD at the same time!!!

KDSM, are they still in bussiness? :)

Mark

Sorry everyone,

I should have read all my e-mail before posting the last time. According to Bill Hays (IPTV) main engineer.

Mark,

Our next schedule is to be on the air October 5 and 6. We're doing a presentation at the Valley West Mall both days. We'll be on from 6:00 am until 1:00 am both days.

Bill

Gosh, I wish I knew how to clip a message from my e-mail. I HATE computers!!! :)

It looks like temporary viewings of IPTV until they get more money.

Mark

Wall -Mart has a 43" phillips HDTV Monitor is crazy i know but the have it

andrew

Hey everyone,

We really need to get on WOI to start broadcasting!!! Check out www.twice.com and read about it (Superbowl + other great stuff)!!!

andrew,

I walked past that set and didn't even pay attention to it. They had it shut off (Great Marketing). :)

Mark

What is working for antennas for people in the Clive area? (West of the Interstate, approaching Waukee). I am wondering if I will be able to get by with a good interior antenna?

Has anyone herd about WB yet in Des Moines are they planing anything?

I see that Titan Tv says the are waiting for a permit but does that mean they are ready to go and waiting to turn on or what?

I want my Smallville in HD!!!

That was some interesting news Mark about ESPN HD that would be awesome 100 games in HD over one year talk about making the jump. Now your talking about stuff that people really want to watch!!!!

Andrew

Welcome Jeffcarp,

I am using an outdoor terk tv50 indoors, as I have been reroofing and painting my home. At the store, I have been sucessfull in using a channel master 4030 amplified antenna.

oOOkool,

I haven't heard about WB. Are they doing any HD anywhere? Sorry, I don't watch that station.

Yes, ESPN HD will be cool, but the article doesn't say how it will be received, hopefully Directv will pick it up. I agree, that will be a BIG time event!!!

Have fun everyone!!!

Mark

It looks like WB is on and running in Iowa City i think channel 39 you can check out this web site for that info http://100kwatts.tmi.net/tv/IA.html
Andrew

I just stumbled onto this thread while searching on antennas. I'm very happy to see so much conversation in Des Moines. Keep it up.

If any one has any advice, I'd be glad to hear it. Looking for the right OTA HD antenna for the south side of Des Moines (near airport).

Thanks

welcome chucko,

Antenna advice, well if you want to try to DX (pull in stations from CR or QC you may want to try the televeves (sp), recommended by many on this website, made in England. You would also need to erect a small tower and rotator.

oOOKool,

Does WB do anything in HD, based on the info you gave us WB is DTV only, I appologize if I came to the wrong conclusion.

Everyone,

If you read in todays www.dmregister.com under the metro section it says that Johnston based IPTV will get 1.8 million to get 7 stations under operation (DTV). Why cant they get their own station up now? Fulltime?

Just a thought.

Mark

Originally posted by chucko
If any one has any advice, I'd be glad to hear it. Looking for the right OTA HD antenna for the south side of Des Moines (near airport).

Thanks

A good indoor UHF antenna would probably work fine. Over here on the east side, I'm using a little Silver Sensor (http://www.antiference.co.uk/sensor/?KeohiHDTV) antenna placed by a north-facing window and get great reception.

On another subject, has anyone heard anything from KDSM about if/when they will be able to carry Fox's widescreen 480p programming?

tons of info on DTV on this web site this is were I found info on WB HDTV shows Smallville and a few others www.hdtvgalaxy.com/news.html
The site also has a HD program guide for all HD programs.

Andrew

oOOkool,

Thank you for the great info on this website!!! I will look foward to meeting you sometime when I come into BB. :) Thanks Andrew!!!

Chucko,

Cyclone is right, you don't need a big antenna to pick up local HD or DTV feeds. I just expressed my dream antenna!!!

Cyclone,

I haven't heard much about Fox widescreen presentations, sorry.

Did anybody catch MI2 in HD tonight on KCCI? It looked pretty awesome!!!

Mark

Hey everyone,

Did you catch tonights CSI in HD? It was an awesome broadcast and great story!!!

Now I know I'm being picky but, do they have to switch to SD when they have a public announcement (storm watch). Did anyone else notice? Does other stations do this?

Mark

Well, I'm finally "up and running" with HDTV" !!!

BB received their first shipments of triple LNB dishes yesterday, so I went ahead and purchased the Hughes E86 receiver with the new dish.

Installation was fairly easy. I wanted to at least try out the OTA channels tonight. The manual states that the receiver should default to component output, but that did not appear to be the case. Flying blindly I was able to toggle it back to component output.

Using a simply loop antenna, the scan option on the receiver found 13-1, 13-2, 17-1, 31-1 along with several analog stations I was not familiar with.

I am in Urbandale with the receiver in the basement. It is a walk out basement however.

Results ...

13-1 had solid 100% signal strength.

31-1 was very poor. The signal strength continuously oscillated from 100% to 0%. Drop outs occurred every few minutes. I'll probably install a roof antenna when the dish gets installed.

17-1 Didn't check this channel, what's the point? If I want 480p, I'll just watch DVD's. Sports with the 16:9 screen will be nice though.

Few questions/observations...

KCCI-DT logo was slightly cut off at the bottom. Any suggestions? I have a Toshiba 57H82. At first the CBS logo was missing as well, until I realized the E86 defaults to 4:3 mode. Oops.

The E86 recognized 13-1 as WHO and 17-1 as KDSM, but 31-1 only showed up as "Local Channel".

Menu's/Guide on E86 are much faster than MediaCom's digital receiver. MediaCom's is almost to point of being unusable.


I can't remember which one was louder, but the volume on the two channels seemed to quite different at times.

Those are my first impressions. I was only able to watch a little of CSI and Jay Leno.

I'll keep you posted on my adventures.

My Zenith box initially listed KCCI as 31-1 but now remaps it to 8-1, labels it as KCC!-DT and downloads the program guide. It also remapped WHO-DT to 13-1 and it's picking up 13-2 but I haven't seen anything there yet.

The CBS logo is very close to the edge but if it's being cut off your overscan is too high on the Toshiba and the geometry needs to be corrected to see the whole picture.

AbbeyRoad,

Is the geometry something I can fix/change? I'm at work right now, so I don't have access to my TV.

Is your Zenith box a OTA/Satellite combo? When you say the program guide is downloaded, what is the source? Is program info coming from the satellite or OTA?

FYI, I get the WHO weather map on 13-2.

Thanks,

mwalter,

I am in Knoxville, so my signals aren't as high as yours. My Sony hasn't labeled any of the digital channels yet, nor has it picked up any meaningful program guide. It is still labeling 31.1 just like yours though.

I have noticed 17.1 has something wrong with the audio. It is there, but at a lot lower level than everyone else. I agree with the pointless nature of the channel anyway.

13.2 has been multicasting a feed of WHO's radar when the digital transmitter is running. Noticed this the last several times I had the TV on, so it isn't just related to weather events

Hope you get 31.1 running soon, they are heads and shoulders above everyone else in town. Watch CSI, even if you don't like the show. The picture quality is stunning.

Dave, when did your Zenith start picking up program guide data? My Sony hasn't picked up any real guide data yet. Most times it will pick up one event and call it that all day. ie: Sunday night 13.1 was 27th? Annual Emmy Awards all night. It is still screwy on channel labels too.

Does anyone have any details about the Des Moines Register blurb a couple weeks ago that said that Mediacom would be providing HDTV in January 2003? I was planning on putting up an antenna and buying a triple LNB DirecTV dish and receiver, but this tidbit has me second guessing whether that is a smart purchase.

Hi Everyone,

Nice to see so much info on this thread about DM high definition. I'm located in Fort Dodge, about 65 miles line-of-sight from DM.

Will I be able to receive any OTA channels with an attic or rooftop antenna or is this pushing it? Any antenna/preamp recommendations would be helpful. Also, what is everyone's feeling about which set-top box is the best for OTA (I probably won't go Dish or Direct unless I have no alternative.)

I just bought a Pioneer 4330HD plasma and am looking forward to HD programming (especially CBS) along with progressive DVD's FINALLY:)

Can anyone tell me where physically the new HD towers are located in DM? Are they northeast of Ankeny area or was I seeing something else while driving down I-35?

Thanks for all your help and suggestions,
Mike

Mark,

I also notice the switch during HD programming. This bothers me quite a bit. In fact, I wrote the chief engineer a letter about it last week! Maybe we should give them a call too.

I recall entire evenings where programming has been covered by the blinking map. If this happens, say, tonight (which it might), that would mean essentially no HD programming.

I suggested an alternative in my letter. They could simply put a small message by the KCCI logo saying, "Weather statement, tune to analog 8 for details." Since they already have a CG to put the logo there, this should definitely be possible.

I am guessing the HD feed switches to SD upconvert automatically when they do local ad insertion. But, I feel it would be worth their effort to make the HD selection independent. Otherwise, the entire purpose of HDTV (watching HD) would be defeated.

btw - welcome to the new dsm area viewers!

-Loren

Update: There were absolutely no interruptions in HD programming this evening. Thank you KCCI, keep up the great work!

mikkel,

Hello there. Welcome to the forums. You might be able to pick up some signals from Des Moines, but as I understand it, you are right on the edge of the receivable area. WHO-DT (19) is most likely to work for you. In the city, I have had problems receiving KCCI (31), though they are not yet at full power.

I say just give it a try though. On some rare occasions, I've been able to receive signals from Minneapolis (over 200+ miles away). AFAIK, the towers are just north of DSM in Aleman; so those are probably the ones you spotted.

I don't have any information on the STBs. Presently, I am using a HiPix PCI card in my computer to receive signals OTA. This is for use with HDTVs (including 1024x768p), records to hard disk; so it is a good solution if you have a spare computer you can add to your HT. Sorry I can't be of more help there.

I recently added a 10dB UHF amplifier from Radio Shack. Thanks jtuck2 for the info there. I believe they also sell an amp the boosts up to 30dB. This helped a lot with receiving KCCI. Might help if you are right on the edge of reception too. Good luck in your equipment search and in receiving the HD. Enjoy your new plasma!

Talk to you later,

-Loren

Xenon,

I was unable to pull in KCCI tonight. Due to the storms, I guess. The station would come in for about 2 seconds then pixelate. WHO came in perfect!!! I have to get my antenna installed outside, I just have to finish the roof first.

I would agree with your suggestion, although they could tell us to flip to 13.02 and stay in the digital world :)

Mike,

The towers are in alleman. This website has some of the BEST antenna ideas. Look in the Hardware section or this section for advice. I have read great things about the televeves, and may give them a shot.

Jeff,

I remember reading an article saying something like that, I don't recall where. I did a search on dmregister.com and came up with nothing, sorry.

everyone,

Whoever has a tv guide in their HD stb, please tell us what info it gives and what you like or dislike about it. I have an integrated tv, that as far as I know doesn't have a guide feature.

Welcome all newcomers!!! This is GREAT to see our little group get BIGGER!!! Please pass this website address to others. The more people we get to read and post, the more we can all learn.

Mark

Hey Everyone,

Be sure to tune in today and Sunday to 50.1 (IPTV). Great Material!!!

Mark

Hey Everyone,

According to "Pat" at WOI (ABC), he said they should be up and running by Nov 1st. He said this with a slight chuckle.

He also said their antenna was not up on the tower.

Mark

Mark,
What did you think of IPTV broadcast, It got a bit repetitive but around 8pm with the Nature shows that rocked.

Andrew

Andrew,

Sorry for the late response. Mediacom internet went down :(

Yes, I loved the broadcasts, I even taped the episode of the bears in the wild (not the title), very educational and beautiful picture!!!

I just wish we could have IPTV full time in HD!!! I would prefer their HD content over the other 3 stations any day of the week. Now when WOI gets going and we get the Superbowl in HD, that's a different story :)

Mark

Greetings,

I have been reading this forum and especially this thread related to Des Moines for a couple of months now. I registered yesterday.

Is it me or is it Mediacomm. Ever since they started their upgrade to Digital in West Des Moines area, I have seen a degradation of their "basic" cable service.

Though not a fan of the Cable, I am using Mediacomm to get high speed internet access.

I recently bought a Sony 34KBR800 HD ready TV and all I can see is too much grains. On some of the channels I can see "snow" effect. I am yet to pick up a Set top box to receive the "HD" broadcast. I am waiting for all the new models to be out so that I can shop around for a better price.

Nevertheless I am appalled at the quality of reception from the cable source. I do have rabbit ears and I can get a better quality with that. In fact I used that for a football game a couple of weeks ago over cable. It is a shame on Mediacomm for providing such a service. Or is it a ploy to force users to upgrade to "digital" service ?

Any thoughts on what might be the reason ?

Did anyone check out the IPTV show on Valley west mall on 5th and 6th this past week. I saw them on 5th at the mall. They connected a HDTV and received the programs from their station. They also had an analog TV to show the difference between HD and SD.

rsg.

Rsg,
The plan for Mediacom is to get the analog channels 2-99 looking like poo so that they can tell people to switch to digital cable. The plan is get rid of the analog bandwidth to free up room for the digital. If everyone went to digital cable we would have allot better signal on all of the channels and so HD's too.

I missed the IPTV thing at Valley West Mall but I watched most of the programing. I had to work all weekend, Did the guys at the mall talk about going to best buy to check it out too?

Andrew

o00kool,

No the guys from IPTV that I spoke with did not mention anything about BB. Infact on Saturday last (Oct 6th ?) they connected the Set top box only around 3 pm whereas they had the reception on the widescreen TV since the morning. Apparently they are running low on STB's I believe.

I thought that it was a good idea to use the display in the mall to generate public awareness. I did see some folks gather around there and be surprised about the picture quality.

rsg.

Hi all,
I live in Grimes. Would i be able to receive the HDTV signal with an ordinary indoor antenna. I am using now to get 5,8,13,11,17, and 23. I get all of them perfectly fine. Thanks.

Might be able to Ron, only way to know for sure is to try. If your current antenna works well for UHF siganls now (17 and 23), I would guess you should be OK for digital. If it doesn't then you will need a booster and/or a new antenna. Neither one of those should break the bank.

Let us know how you fare, nice to have another viewer in central Iowa.

BTW gang, I e-mailed WOI again asking for an update. I asked specifically about the tower situation. I will keep you apprised of the answer.

Ron,

You will be fine. I live in Grimes also and receive a good signal with my outdoor antenna (Terk TV50 looks like a 2 by 4, 5ft long) indoors on top of my Mits 65" (I just finished roofing and will now look to put this in my attic).

You may have problems with the indoor antenna, when you walk in front of it on the north side, this happens with me (picture stops or pixelates), as I assume my body is creating a multipath problem.

This wont happen once I locate my antenna in the attic, hopefully. I also found that the higher I put the antenna indoors, the less of a problem I had with the signal breaking up.

Do you have a HD tv and/or HD receiver?

Nice to hear from a neighbor!!!

Thanks Jtuck2, let us know what's going on!!!

Mark

Wow!! Another one in Grimes! I thought i was the only one in Grimes that was up on the HDTV and Home Theater stuff. My G/F and I just bought a HDTV for our living room. It is a Samsung 30" Widescreen (model 3097). We didn't go any larger since i will have a projector in the basement HT room after I remodel it. We have not bought a receiver yet though. What are you guys using? Any recommendations? I guess the cheaper the better, but I know these don't come cheap. I went to Best Buy this week-end and didn't see any HDTV receivers there that weren't also DirecTv receivers. I can't wait to get one so i can also enjoy HDTV. I think my G/F is actually starting to get excited about this HDTV and Home Theater stuff. It was actually her idea to get the 30" widescreen HDTV, i am surprised she didn't take me to Wal-mart to get a cheapo-special. BTW, I get perfect reception from 17 and 23 on my current TV and antenna.

Text of my e-mail and the reply from WOI about their digital status. Take it for what it is worth. Have a great week.

Justin,

Thanks for your inquiry.

We are still negotiating with the local tower company to secure space. I
am optimistic that we should have that completed in the next couple of weeks.

I too have been hoping we are on air by Superbowl. We currently have the transmitter, antenna and transmission line. The biggest obstacle once we have a signed agreement, will be getting a tower crew in here to complete the work. As you might imagine, they are in high demand these days and with cold weather approaching, they will be less inclined to tackle this project.

Having said that, I still remain "perhaps overly optimistic" that we can provide you with a digital signal in time for Superbowl. Keep your
fingers crossed for mild weather.

Out of the gate, you'll be getting a digital signal, not HD.

Believe me, no one is more anxious than me to see the new pictures. More
on this as it develops.

Thanks again for contacting us.

Marshall Porter
SVP / General Manager WOI TV
Corporate Director of Sales
3903 Westown Parkway
West Des Moines, IA 50266
Telephone (515) 457-9645 Ext. 129
Fax (515) 457-1033

----- Original Message -----

Mr. Porter,

I am eagerly anticipating receiving your programming in digital
(especially HDTV). Can you provide any updates on the launch date of
your digital station?

I know that you were having trouble locating a tower for your digital
antenna and feedline. Has there been any progress with this?

Also are you equipped to broadcast network provided high definition
content? I am especially interested in watching any football content,
specifically your Super Bowl coverage in HD.

Thanks for any new info you can provide. There are several interested
parties waiting for you to "flip the switch".

Justin Tucker

Originally posted by jtuck2
Having said that, I still remain "perhaps overly optimistic" that we can provide you with a digital signal in time for Superbowl. Keep your
fingers crossed for mild weather.

Out of the gate, you'll be getting a digital signal, not HD.


Getting a digital signal for the Super Bowl is no big deal if it's not HD, IMO. Guess we'll have to wait another year for the first HD broadcast Super Bowl in central Iowa. CBS should have the broadcast again in 2004.

I just hope WOI will have their act together in time to show Monday Night Football in HD next fall.

I need some advice on whether the following would work.

I am renting a townhome from an individual and the landlord has put up a dish (may be he used Direct TV) on the roof. He also has the "Terk TV-42 Outdoor Amplified Clip-On TV " mounted on the dish.

Now my question is can I used the existing dish / outdoor TERK clip on antenna and connect it to my STB (SIRT151 from Samsung) for receiving OTA signals. This will prevent me from buying a antenna for receiving the HD OTA signals.

I do understand that the STB T151 is not meant to be used with Direct TV. I am not interested in Direct TV. All I want is HD OTA.

By the way does anyone know if the Radio Shack Double Bow Tie is available in the Des Moines area ?

Thanks

rsg

rsg,

You should be able to use the existing antenna. If it can pick up a good steady UHF signal then it should work.

It might be worth your time to move it around (aim point) a little to maximize your signal strength, if you aren't using the DirecTV dish for satellite signal it won't matter which way the dish is actually pointed. (The next renter might scratch his head figuring out it needs realigned though.) UHF is fairly directional, but you are close enough to the towers, your signal strength should be high enough to not worry about it.

One other consideration is that many installers run one cable and use a diplexer to combine satellite and antenna signals, you will need probably another diplexer at the receiver end to separate the antenna signal back out. I honestly have never run into the situation of wanting only the antenna signal, you might be OK without it as there will be no signal from the DirecTV LNBs anyway. Try it without it and if things act wonky, try the diplexer before purchasing a new antenna.

No idea about the RS double bow tie, my trusty RCA dinosaur picks up like I lived next to the tower. It ain't broke, so I ain't fixin' it.

Good luck, hope this wasn't complete gibberish.

Justin

Originally posted by rsg
I need some advice on whether the following would work.

I am renting a townhome from an individual and the landlord has put up a dish (may be he used Direct TV) on the roof. He also has the "Terk TV-42 Outdoor Amplified Clip-On TV " mounted on the dish.

The Terk antenna (any Terk antenna) is not a very good antenna at all. I think you'll find you can get better results with a normal "rabbit ears". Sadly, Radio Shack decided to drop the double bowtie from their line shortly after we all discovered it.

This is a little off topic, I apologize, but I just received word from and then confirmed with 2 commercial retailers of Dish Network equipment that Dish Network is close to carrying Des Moines local stations. It is not final yet, apparently not all of the retransmission agreements with the local stations are final, but the rumor is it could be announced within 30 days. One guy I talked to said that if they can't reach agreement with a local station for retransmission that Dish will just go on to the next town, but that is the only thing that would kill it. Let's hope our local station managers, if this is true, have our best interests in mind!

Jeffcarp,

If they (Dish) picks up our locals, it wouldn't be a HD signal. Sorry, not too excited by that.

rsg,

What Chris Williams said is true. Terk antennas aren't that good. I will be using my Terk tv50 here in Grimes until I get a good one. I got this one cheap.

For good antennas, look for Channel Master, Wineguard (from IA) or Televeves. Another decent antenna is the stealth antenna made by channel master and can be installed on the dish pole portion of the dish.

Best of Luck!!!

Mark

Hey everyone,

titantv.com says KDIN-DT is on channel 50, right now. I don't get the signal, does anyone?

Mark

Mark, nothing from PBS lately. They had one weekend a couple ago and then back off. I think they are having financing issues running both.

Is the WB(23) broadcasting in HDTV yet? If not, does anyone know when they expect to start?

Ron, nothing out of WB.

A good source for this type of info is www.titantv.com.

They say that WB is still awaiting an FCC permit, which the way things have been going means over a year from now. You might be surprised, but I doubt it. Out next channel due up is WOI (5) before year's end.

On a side not, I really hope everyone is watching CSI on KCCI-DT. The quality of this show (picture quality) makes the investment in equipment seem worthwhile. Just think, someday all TV will look this good.

I just joined today and live in the Des Moines area. I received this e-mail from IPTV yesterday and thought everyone might be interested.

Our Des Moines station broadcasts on UHF channel 50. As for when we will
have more programming in HD, that depends on the next budget. We are not
required to be operational until May 1, 2003 and we currently do not have
the budget to operate the additional DTV channel here. We have funds
requested in our next budget to allow us to operate this station and the 8
other DTV transmitter that we will be operating beginning next year. We are
currently acquiring and producing local content in HD and down converting it
for broadcast on our analog channels. Once we have a budget for operating
the DTV channels we will also air our content in HD as well as the HD
content from PBS and other program providers. Please let me know if you have
any more questions.

Welcome to the post, Jap50226,

Thank you for the info on IPTV!!!

Jtuck2 is completely right, CSI & CSI:Miami are GREAT shows!!!

I tried to get channel 59 tonight with no luck (WOI). Any updates? Last I heard was January.

Mark

Mark

I know this is out of context but I'm wondering what format of DVD do I want. I have 16:9 widescreen and would rather whatch movies that fill the screen instead of having the bars. I am confused about the correct format. Do I want Widescreen DVD's or what? I'm not sure about the anamorphic ratios and what they mean. Thanks for any help.

Jap50226,

If you have a widescreen tv (HD ready) then purchase a progressive DVD player (under $200) to see 480p on your current set. There aren't too many movies that are made to truely fit your screen (1.85 to 1 aspect ratio). Most widescreen movies now are released in 2.35 to 1, so you will have to zoom.

For more information go to www.widescreen.org an excellent reference website.

I hope this helps

Mark

Oops, double post
Mark

Hey everyone,

Channel 50.2 (IPTV) is up and running tonight!!! I don't know how long it will last though, I wish IPTV would have an e-mail system!

Just watched a special on the Loess Hills, Now Iowa Barns.

Strange my integrated tuner is not picking up 31.1 but my DTC-100 is receiving it with a strength of 82. No problem with WHO, though.

Mark

mtmdesmoines: Great catch!

I have a slight problem with 13.1 When there showing 4x3 info in the 16x9 feed.
I'm seeing digital data across the top 5 lines or so. Seems to go away when they transmit 16x9 material. Every once in awhile it goes away during 4x3 commercials.

I'm using a hipix card in my PC. -Joe-

Anybody have problems with reception last night (Thursday 11-7)? Both CBS and NBC were dropping in and out continuously. We finally had to switch back to the analog channels to watch CSI and ER.

Thanks,

mwalter,

No problem here in Grimes, last night or tonight. I watch Dtv through the 10:00 news WHO then Jay.

I see you have a Hughes e86 Directv/ota receiver. What kind of antenna are you using?

Mark

mwalter,

I noticed some troubles with CSI, but finally went away. When I first tried to tune KCCI-DT, I couldn't even pick them up. Never had any trouble with WHO though.

The clarity on the SEC Football games is amazing, the IPTV High Def. is amazing also. I was wondering why these are so much better than some of the high def. programming in general. Could it be the programming itself? Any news on channel 5, we need to put some pressure on so the Super Bowl will be in High Def.

Jap50226,

I would agree with you about IPTV!!! Please explain in greater detail what programming (channel & show) that you are seeing with poor or not as sharp picture performance.

When I first started watching HD, the only channel was WHO (nbc) and I thought that Crossing Jordan looked "Grainey" probably due to a film to HD transfer problem, I honestly don't know.

But after watching it tonight, I see NO problems whatsover. I am also enjoying Jay in full 1080i right now. I know some shows are "Dark" like CSI, but it still looks exceptional compared to regular old analog and certainly much more detailed than progresive DVD.

I haven't heard anything yet on WOI and I would agree with you. We need HD for the Super Bowl. I'm not sure who we can complain too, since they are owned by Citadel Communications and they don't have a website for their 3 TV stations.

So here is a couple contacts at WOI

WOI 515-457-1034, GM Marshall Porter ext:129 Chief Engineer Dennis Poffenberger ext:130

Mark

It is probably the programming, I really think that the SEC games on Saturday and IPTV are the best. The CBS shows during primetime are not as perfect as these are. That HDTV format sure spoils it for me. I can hardly watch regular t.v. now. I am also getting HBO High Def. with a round dish, it must be picking the other signal up from another satellite. I'm not complaining though.

Mike

Anyone in Des Moines with a JVC 30k? I'm traveling there tomorrow to tweek up a Sony G-90 (9" CRT front projector )I installed, and I'd like to check out D-Theater on it. It's a lovely installation of one of the handfull of devices that can actually show the full 1080P resolution. Let me know, thanks.

Chris,

I have the Mits HD-HSU2000. It wont play Dtheater tapes, but I have a lot of IPTV in HD you can demo :) . Does the G-90 have Firewire? Are you ISF certified? Just curious, I am already calibrated.

Mark

No, the G-90 is analog-only. It's Sony's 9" monster, the CRT Faroudja uses to demo upscaling to 1080P (Sony does offer an HD-SDI input module, but it's outragous). I have access to a Mitsubishi and Panasonic D-VHS deck, but the JVC is the only one that I know with an analog output.

I'm not ISF certified, because I don't have the cash for it. But I have aligned this with Colorfacts, and the gray scale tracks wonderfully. I've been doing CRTs since the days of Kloss Novabeams.

Possibly you can see this theater on my next trip here. I plan to bring my HiPix and Panasonic HD-1000 and a bunch of tapes.

Chris,

Last I heard, 4 years ago, ISf certification costed around 1k. The equipment was 5k+ and that kept me away.

I have only messed with Avia and Video Essentials.

Best of luck with your trip here to DSM!!!

Mark

Hey Everyone,

I'm having trouble tonight getting WHO-DT for "Law & Order", it wouldn't lock in with my integrated set or my DTC-100. Anyone else had this problem?

I had to turn my tv to analog :( for my wife.

Mark

Hello Mark
I've been off AVS forum for about 6 mos enjoying movies,etc. Setup includes Kenwood Sov 5900 daisyed to another KS 5050 thru Lexicon-MC1 and Rock+ to G90...setup ( and periodically tweeked) by Chris Williams..couldn't be happier. Also Mitsu 500HD reciever. Chris was out from Chicago last week and we couldn't solved the problem of breakup on 13-1 and 31-1. Signal strength varied fron 72-86. Only thing we noticed was the Mitsubishi was running hot. After fan cooling pic was still breaking up. Chris was up on the roof at 10pm in rain checking antenna...that wasn't it unless antenna is TOO directional?! Is WHo & KCCI running "full" power on HD broadcasts? Is anyone else's HD receiver running hot? Nice to be back..
Alan

I contacted KCCI to see why their Sunday night shows weren't in HD. I got a nice reply back -

=================================

Due to the fact CBS creates several different "regional networks" on Sundays in order to show regionalized NFL Football games, our Sunday-evening CBS primetime programming is sometimes delayed because of game overrun past 6pm.

Although CBS is able to originate several Analog programming feeds to serve various regions, unfortunately at this time CBS is only capable of providing ONE national satellite feed of HDTV programming. As a result...when our primetime is delayed...it is neccesary for us to utilize the Analog feed for our region, and up-convert it to DTV format on Channel 31.

We hope that CBS expands its HDTV distribution capability in the near future to prevent such occurances. Until then, we thank you for your patience in these situations.

We appreciate your viewership of KCCI-DT.

Bob Day
KCCI Operations Manager

Is anybody in Des Moines using a Sony HD200? I have been contemplating buying one but from a review of the posts in the hardware forum there is a chronic reboot problem related to specific areas of the country. It has not been determined yet if it is an incorrect implementation on the part of Sony or on the part of certain broadcastor's bitstreams.
Just wondered if any of our bitstreams are tripping the sony off or if any of our station engineers can shed any light on what appears to be a rapidly growing problem for Sony.

No, I am running the HD100. No plans to upgrade at this time.

Davivers

I have the Zenith 520 (same thing as the Sony 200) and have no such problem. The unit is great, especially with OTA broadcasts. I have an old, cheap RatShack antenna on the roof & about 100' of old RG59 coax, and the receiption is perfect, especially the digital channels.


Chucko

I understand the zenith experiences the same problems so that is probably a pretty good test for our Des Moines OTA channels.

How long have you had your 520 and where did you buy it?

I received the 520 from J & R about 3 weeks ago for $698

hey Everyone,

Did anybody notice the grainyness of the Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin special tonight?

I wonder if this is caused by transferring film to HD?

Mark

davivers:

Stogdills has the 520 in stock for $699 I believe.

I'm having good luck in Grimes with the Sammy 151, but I'm probably going to go the MyHD card route..? Anyone else using it around DSM.

Phil

I'm a new one to DSM HDTV as of tonight. Too bad I can get anything OTA. Have the Hughes directv OTA receiver. Scanning locals will not show any local HDtv coming thru.
PS.. Does Mediacom transmit HD thru cable???

Randy,

Are you scanning for the channels after 7pm, that's when they are usually broadcasting. No HD through cable, you have to use an antenna, preferably an outdoor antenna. Point the antenna NE towards Alleman, north of Ankeny.

Best of Luck!!!

Mark

PhilM
Thanks for the lead, I will check that out right away.
I have looked seriously at Myhd since I already have an HTPC but figured it probably won't work once they start encrypting HD.

I couldn't get a signal from KCCI-DT tonight for CSI. Anyone know what's going on?

Dave,

Just tried the news on KCCI, nothing on my integrated or my dtc 100. They must not be up, they normally run the news in Dtv.

Also, no HD-IPTV tonight :) When are they suppossed to be up full time? Last I read was May 2003.

Mark

Originally posted by AbbeyRoad
I couldn't get a signal from KCCI-DT tonight for CSI. Anyone know what's going on?

I called them and they said they were having a problem with the transmitter. The person I talked to said they had two guys out at the tower but she didn't know when it would be back up. Maybe it froze up and they will have to keep it on all the time from now on. :)

Iowa Public Television will be testing its digital signal Saturday and Sunday, December 7th & 8th on channel 50 from normal sign on to normal sign off.

I am getting a lot of drop outs on 31.1 kcci tonight during "Robery Homicide Division". Is anyone else experiencing this problem?

I may have to replace my cheap antenna.

Dave,

Good to hear about IPTV!!! I look foward to it.

Mark

Just turned to 50.1 and boy does IPTV look like upconverted cr@p. I want my HD IPTV!!!

I know it is just a test (it says that on the bottom of the screen)but I sure miss the IPTV outdoor HD stuff!!!

OK, IPTV the sd stuff works, now put the HD on, PLEASE :)

Mark

I recently found this forum and to my suprise, a thread devoted to HD in Des Moines! I've had a Pioneer Elite 710 for almost 2 1/2 years now and want to finally get HD reception. I have a couple questions about this.

1.) I have a DirectTV dish now that looks like will need to be replaced with the triple LNB oval. Do I need to run new coax with this or can I use the RG6 wiring in place now.

2.) I mounted the dish I have now with fairly minimal trouble. Is the oval dish much harder or tricker to get properly aligned?

3.) My dish is on the south side of the house and I need to put the OTA antenna as close to the north side as I can to minimize the obstruction of the house itself (I don't want to mount it on the roof). What type of antenna do you think would be appropriate for putting inside my attic considering my location, Norwalk, and the antennas, which I believe are all up by Alleman?

4.) Do you think the Zenith 520 HD receiver is one of the better units on the market right now? Any other recommendations?

It sounds like there's still a lot of growing pains with the stations to get consistent, quality service for HD broadcasts but I'm sure anxious to see what my Pioneer can do!

Thanks for any advice and help you can give.

Originally posted by clones83
I recently found this forum and to my suprise, a thread devoted to HD in Des Moines! I've had a Pioneer Elite 710 for almost 2 1/2 years now and want to finally get HD reception. I have a couple questions about this.

1.) I have a DirectTV dish now that looks like will need to be replaced with the triple LNB oval. Do I need to run new coax with this or can I use the RG6 wiring in place now.

2.) I mounted the dish I have now with fairly minimal trouble. Is the oval dish much harder or tricker to get properly aligned?

3.) My dish is on the south side of the house and I need to put the OTA antenna as close to the north side as I can to minimize the obstruction of the house itself (I don't want to mount it on the roof). What type of antenna do you think would be appropriate for putting inside my attic considering my location, Norwalk, and the antennas, which I believe are all up by Alleman?

4.) Do you think the Zenith 520 HD receiver is one of the better units on the market right now? Any other recommendations?

It sounds like there's still a lot of growing pains with the stations to get consistent, quality service for HD broadcasts but I'm sure anxious to see what my Pioneer can do!

Thanks for any advice and help you can give.


1) The current RG6 is fine

2) Yes, you have to align it to pickup 3 sats (elevation, azimuth, and tilt)

3) There are many opinions on this subject (search the forum). I use an old Ratshack antenna on the roof, and it couldn't work better (the 520 does a great job of pulling in OTA channels).

4) Yes, I wouldn't trade it for any other STB

Welcome Clones83!!!

1. Your current RG6 line is fine, no other is needed for HD. The sat C kit is connected at the dish.

2. No, not hard to allign at all. You just need someone inside to monitor the meter. This wasn't hard to do with my DTC-100. It may be different with the Zenith.

3. As you investigate this forum, you will always find that the BEST way to have an antenna installed is on the outside of your home. I live in Grimes and I am using a Terk TV50 (junk) in my attic and I do have problems with KCCI on occasion. I will be upgrading my antenna, probably next year. Do a search for "indoor antennas", this website has the best info that you can find on the net, just remember that you don't have the multipath problems that New York has with their reception. Please post what you decide to use and how effective it works.

4. I have read great things about this STB, I have read about problems with the Sony version, I don't know the model (200?) but I believe Zenith made it for Sony. I have the integrated Mits 65909 and a DTC100 and have had few problems.

Best of Luck!!!

Mark

Thanks for the information. I'll let you know what my results are with the antenna, etc.

Does our local FOX station ever broadcast a widescreen image ? Whenever I watch the NFL on 17-1, it's 4:3.

Chucko

I don't think so, but I have the Sunday Ticket on the dish, so I don't have local games on all that often. The Green Bay, 49's was widescreen on the dish, so if it wasn't on Fox 17, then they probably aren't widescreen capable.

Anyone hear anything about WOI lately? Hope they have their stuff together before the SuperBowl.

Justin

Hey Everyone,

I just got off the phone with "Dennis" the main engineer for WOI. BAD NEWS :(

They will not be up and running in January. Their equipment is still at the station. Dennis is waiting for Corporate to give them the OK to put up the antenna, etc.... It seems the reason WHBF in Rock Island is up and running, is they are a smaller station and they were easier to put up.

It seems that WOI's extension to carry them to May 2003 has been approved. I'm obviously depressed about this. NO SUPERBOWL here in DSM.

What can we do?

Mark

Originally posted by jtuck2
I don't think so, but I have the Sunday Ticket on the dish, so I don't have local games on all that often. The Green Bay, 49's was widescreen on the dish, so if it wasn't on Fox 17, then they probably aren't widescreen capable.


I sent KDSM an email a couple weeks ago and they replied that they can only broadcast 480i with their current equipment. They have asked their owners (Sinclair) for new equipment, but given Sinclair's reputation I don't have my hopes up.

Do you have Sunday Ticket on a BUD? Do they carry both feeds? DirecTV accidentally sent about half a quarter of the Packers-Bucs game a couple weeks back in widescreen. I much prefer the aspect ratio, but of course it did magnify the compression artifacts. If KDSM doesn't have their equipment by next fall I may have to investigate putting up a big dish. Maybe by next year we can even get some games in real hidef!

Originally posted by mtmdesmoines
Hey Everyone,

I just got off the phone with "Dennis" the main engineer for WOI. BAD NEWS :(

They will not be up and running in January. Their equipment is still at the station. Dennis is waiting for Corporate to give them the OK to put up the antenna, etc.... It seems the reason WHBF in Rock Island is up and running, is they are a smaller station and they were easier to put up.

It seems that WOI's extension to carry them to May 2003 has been approved. I'm obviously depressed about this. NO SUPERBOWL here in DSM.

What can we do?

Mark
WOI seems to be good at making excuses lately. They also are the only station that isn't part of Dish Network's new roll-out of Des Moines locals. Of course, they blame Dish for not negotiating in good faith. But it seems ironic that over 250 stations in over 60 DMA's in this country can reach agreements with both Dish and Directv and WOI can't. My only advice is to send an email to the station manager, Marshall Porter (mporter@woitv.com) and let them know how you feel as a viewer about their recent (lack of) progress. Throw in a good complaint about their Dish issue for us Dish subscribers!

Not exactly Des Moines but here in Sioux City we have NBC and ABC up on the air. Looks like the Superbowl in HDTV at my house. I had a few problems getting the digital signal. I have an antenna on the roof with a rotor. I had to install a 13dB amplifier before I was able to get the digital signal. I live right across the border in South Dakota and am only about 15 miles away from the transmitter but I still needed to boost the signal. They are not broadcasting at full power. Also the ABC signal is not coming from the main tower. KCAU is broadcasting their digital signal from a tower downtown. The antenna has to be pointed at the transmitting tower to receive the broaadcast. I am glad I have the rotor. I would love to hear from others in the Sioux City area and their experiences with HDTV.

Based on the information in this thread I went ahead and set up my HD. I live in Norwalk and ended up getting a Hughes E86 to go with my Pioneer 710 RPTV. Aiming the new oval dish turned out to be suprisingly easy. I put a Radio Shack 90 mile VHF/UHF antenna in my attic, diplexed it with the satellite coax, and it works great. After a learning curve setting up my locals through the Hughes, I was getting KCCI, WHO & FOX digital, all at 100% signal strength. I didn't see IPTV digital but I hear they are sporadic. Looks great but looking forward to having Dave Levy come out to do some tweaking.

Look forward to more discussion and news on the local HD scene!

Whats up with Kcci turning on now at 5:00pm for there news? what do we have to do to get them to turn on for my Young And The Restless!!!

can we get Kcci to carry the Hd Hoops game on Saturday no mater what game the region picks out for us. how hard can it be KCCI-DT caries the hd game!!

andrew

bbdotsd
how is it going I'm from the siouxland area and I'm loving hd. sure wish kmeg would go digital soon

Good to know someone else in Siouxland is watching HD. According to Titan TV KMEG will not go HD until November 2003. Titan has been pretty accurate up to now. I am looking forward to the Superbowl in HD. I also get HD HBO and HDNet. What kind of equipment do you have?
Bill