Well out of range down here.

well its out of range with the Silver Sensor thats for sure.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8476938&&#post8476938

this guy is from lockport and he says he's having no problem with City-HD. Maybe some of you should pick up one of those recievers...ha ha

i think he just has a yagi on a rotor thats fairly high up, thats all you need.

Is there anyone here using a TiVo S3 and getting 4.1 to come in?

As of this morning WIVB is back up on 4-1 for Media Center (and perhaps other) receivers. They fixed the TSID mismatch.

Is there anyone here using a TiVo S3 and getting 4.1 to come in?

Try again, a rescan might be required. They literally just updated something less than an hour ago that might resolve your issue.

Sounds promising... I'll check tonight when I get home. Thanks!

I took a look at the transport streams that I'm receiveing for these channels and noted one irregularity related to the audio stream that might be important for you. It looks like WGRZ doesn't flag the language for the AC3 stream in their PSIP information. If your receiver is looking for the audio stream where language=Eng then it could be failing.

I'm just learning about this stuff, and looking at the ATSC PSIP standards document I can't determine if the language flag is required (although their example settings all use the language flag). It is however interesting to note that all of the other stations in the area seem to have the language flag set to "eng".

You might want to call up the station and ask to speak to engineering about OTA HDTV reception issues. They'll want to know what receiver you are using and what issues you're seeing. Then you can mention to them that someone else in the area did a quick analysis of the stream and noted the following:

Within the PSIP tables, the VCT and TVCT sections seem to be configured differently than other stations in the area. The service locator descriptor has the following entry for the audio stream:
Stream Type 0x81 (AC-3 Audio) ESPID = 0x0034 Language =

Whereas other channels in the area all have something defined for language, such as WNED's information:
Stream Type 0x81 (AC-3 Audio) ESPID = 0x0024 Language = eng

Like I said, this may or may not be related to your issue but it is interesting for troubleshooting purposes to note the difference.

??? :( sounds too technical. hehe. but i'll see what i can do. thanks a lot.

:-) It is pretty technical, probably best to just read it to the engineer or email it to him.

Pete

pnear; What tuner card are you using and what program for the data??
Do you know of any way (without a decicated broadcast test monitor) using just an external tuner that information could be available without using a computer and a PCI HD tuner?

What's the deal with 4.1? I just got a TiVo S3 and am unable to tune pick up anything on the HD 4.1 station... the signal meter in the S3 shows I'm getting ~80 percent signal which should be plenty... I can pick it up fine on 23.1 and watched the unit that way, but the TiVo guide doesn't show the correct data on 23.1 and I don't want to submit a request to change it if it's only temporarily there anyway. Anyway I can get 4.1 to come in on my S3?

Ooh! I'm jealous of your S3. Where did you get it? (if you got it locally) I went and took a look at Best Buy the other day.

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=317542

FYI: I put thru a change to Zap2It.com about 2 weeks ago to correct a few things in their local HD listings. One of which was their screwup on 23. I'll send them another email. Can't hurt if you do too. Maybe you should try lineup@tivo.com and I'll try feedback@zap2it.com again.

I got mine from Best Buy on Wednesday morning (8-20)... What lineup changes are you requesting specifically, nothing has jumped out at me besides the 23.1 thing which I doubt we really want change since it sounds like its just tempoary.

BTW, 4.1 works fine for me now as of yesterday... must have been something in the PSIP that they fixed.

On a related question, I'm currently using my S3 without any Cable Cards (Time Warner couldn't get the two they initially brought out to work and now they are out of them). All I have is a Silver Sensor (going through it's own amp). I don't use the 'rabbit ears' part of the SS since they didn't seem to help my signal. Anyway, I get breakups and/or blocking every once in a while on most channels... Signal strength varies from the 60's to the 80's as reported by the TiVo. Being in lancaster, it seems about half my channels are coming from the NW (Grand Island) and about half from the SE... If I were to install a larger attic-mounted antenna, how do I position for both sets of transmitters? Do people use two antennas and merge the signals somehow, or do you just pick a single direction that hopefully gets both? A rotator isn't really an option for me since the TiVo is going to be doing all the channel changing automatically.

You probably bought the one I touched :)

I'll PM you my msg to Zap2It. It's mostly minor stuff with 23 and 4 but I still would like the data to be 100% correct. Just 'cause.

FYI: I don't know how "temporary" 23.1 broadcasting CBS content is. AFAIK it's been like that forever and we're still waiting for them to get a piece of hardware (encoder). It's been YEARS so far so they don't seem in any hurry to switch and broadcast UPN/CW content on 23.1 instead of 23.3.

I also just use a Silver Sensor. What do you mean 'going thru it's own amp'? I run my Silver Sensor coax directly into my TV. I also get breakups/blocking every once in awhile. But I'm pretty solid. (my TV doesn't have a signal meter so I don't know numbers) I'm hesitant to get the S3 because it wouldn't do me any good if I lost the signal too often.

Maybe an amp would help me increase my signal to closer to 100% reliable? What type of amp do you use?

PM comin' your way...

The silver sensor that I have came with a small ~1"x3" signal amplifier that has a power cord and an 'on/off' switch... I don't think all SS versions came with this. Supposedly the tuners in the tivo are extrememly good so I'm thinking about removing the amp for now and seeing how it works with the SS only.

Hm, my Silver Sensor didn't have that. And come to think of it, mine doesn't have any rabbit ears like you mention either.

Do you maybe have a Terk, Silver Sensor look-alike?

Or this Philips version?
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?sku=A0494849&cs=19&c=us&l=en

Mine is this one:
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/silver.jpg

This is what I have:

Link (http://www.audiovox.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&productId=14370&langId=-1)

Ah. I think that's the same as the Terk. Looks similar.

I bought 4 different antennas. 2 from Radio Shack, the Terk Silver Sensor and finally the Zenith Silver Sensor. The Zenith was BY FAR the best. I can't explain it.

It may be worth a $20-$30 online purchase (I never could find it locally) to see if it improves your reception.

It is a Terk. Same basic design, Monster cable price.

Mine is this one:
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/silver.jpg That's the Silver Sensor!

Anyone have issue with WGRZ (ch33/2.1) Friday night??

Yeah, NBC kept "disappearing" for me. But I've never had excellent reception for them, so I just put it down to atmospheric conditions.

I find that NBC is the hardest - the signal must be weak - also if its a windy day, those leaves can play havoc with reception.

This is a issue neither of my two tuners could reconize it. 38 & 39 were ok, but 33 wasn't. Direct entry using 2.1 and 33.1 came up blank. A rescan on one truner didn't find it either.

I find that NBC is the hardest - the signal must be weak - also if its a windy day, those leaves can play havoc with reception.

Must be why I was having trouble with CBS today. Good thing I'm not a football fan!

I think the reason you guys all have trouble with your signals is because of your indoor antennas. When your setup requires the signal to power itself to your antenna, instead of your antenna taking a weak signal and making it strong, your going to have trouble.

i'm over here in Niagara, and with my preamped 4228, every single Buffalo signal remains at 100% day and night, rain, and sun. The only exception is FOX which somtimes moves to the low 90's, and of course the 0.65kW WNYO transmitter. There new signal however, is always 100%

if you do have alot of problems with these stations, don't say they are 'weak' the Buffalo stations all transmit and extremely high power, you just might need a bit better antenna system.

the weak signals.....are the Toronto digitals. your complaining about NBC being weak at 480kW. The toronto digitals, 1.2kW 2.81kW, 2.5kW

I think the reason you guys all have trouble with your signals is because of your indoor antennas. When your setup requires the signal to power itself to your antenna, instead of your antenna taking a weak signal and making it strong, your going to have trouble.

What do you mean when you say When your setup requires the signal to power itself to your antenna? I use a combination of an indoor antenna and a roof mounted CM 4228 into a a/b switch. Whether i'm using the outdoor or indoor antenna I have issues w/ bad weather, especially the wind! I have two trees in my yard- they just happen to be directly in front of and behind my house in the direct line of sight of my antennas -south and north respectively. I think anyone would have the issues i do w/ reception unless the outdoor antenna was mounted on a 50' tower to get over the trees and that aint happening at my house. It's great that you have flawless reception at your location- It just doesn't happen everywhere.

I don't know much about antennas only that if I could have an outdoor one, I'd have more luck. But I am still constantly amazed that this little $20 indoor antenna can deliver these CRYSTAL CLEAR digital broadcasts to my TV every night :)

Last night while watching Studio 60 on WGRZ I had a few minor breakups (less than 1 sec each) at the exact same time I heard the wind getting particularly nasty outside. Luckily, the signal never went away.

What do you mean when you say When your setup requires the signal to power itself to your antenna? I use a combination of an indoor antenna and a roof mounted CM 4228 into a a/b switch. Whether i'm using the outdoor or indoor antenna I have issues w/ bad weather, especially the wind! I have two trees in my yard- they just happen to be directly in front of and behind my house in the direct line of sight of my antennas -south and north respectively. I think anyone would have the issues i do w/ reception unless the outdoor antenna was mounted on a 50' tower to get over the trees and that aint happening at my house. It's great that you have flawless reception at your location- It just doesn't happen everywhere.

jimdoo if you have a CM4228 aimed at the respective transmitter and you are IN the Buffalo area ie within 20-30 miles of the transmitter, then you should be recieving the signal at 100% no matter what. period. something must not be configured properly.

When i added my preamp to my old 60's yagi antenna, I could get CBC (which only transmits at 40kW) at 100% no matter what, straight through an entire forest. My antenna was literally 5 feet before the treeline began and trees were all at least 30 feet taller than the antenna. And that was with a yagi. Toronto is 40 miles from where I live.

look at this picture of my old antenna setup
http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/5827/antennamapzl1.jpg
see all those trees in the direction of Toronto.

when you spend money on an elite antenna like the CM4228, you should expect 100%'s on all your locals no matter what trees are in the way, and no matter what weather outside. Especially when they are at powers of 500kW or more. your only supposed to have breakups and dropouts with the CM4228 on very weak/far away stations.

This is a issue neither of my two tuners could reconize it. 38 & 39 were ok, but 33 wasn't. Direct entry using 2.1 and 33.1 came up blank. A rescan on one truner didn't find it either. Found the issue. My bad; adjacent traps for 32 n& 34. :(

You said: something must not be configured properly

So what do you suggest? I've already spen @ $150 and that's alot to me, I have been told that HDTV reception is dependent on line of sight? Is this not true? Please help me to understand - Does trees in the line of sight of an antenna affect signal and/or pq for hdtv reception on windy days? I've seen this happen w/ an indoor and outdoor antennas? What you're stating contradicts what I've learned in the past about HDTV reception.

I sent a message to WKBW (7-1) asking when they would begin to broadcast Wheel of Fortune in HD over 15 days ago and still no reply.

Anybody have any info?

canada_habs2004; How did they get that tower up in those trees? :D

You said: something must not be configured properly

So what do you suggest? I've already spen @ $150 and that's alot to me, I have been told that HDTV reception is dependent on line of sight? Is this not true? Please help me to understand - Does trees in the line of sight of an antenna affect signal and/or pq for hdtv reception on windy days? I've seen this happen w/ an indoor and outdoor antennas? What you're stating contradicts what I've learned in the past about HDTV reception.

jimdoo yes you have spent 150$ and thats why I don't think you should have to worry about dropouts on any of the high powered stations. When you put money like that into an antenna system, it better be reliable. Its when you just have an inexpensive indoor antenna that you might not find the channels coming in strong all the time.

first of all, with HDTV we don't need to bring picture quality as a factor. Since you either 'get it or your don't' we only need to discuss signal strength (which as long as it is high = perfect PQ)

you are very correct in the fact that trees do affect signal strength. For example the picture i showed above was my old antenna setup. I now have my CM4228 out by the road with no trees between it and Toronto, so I can now receieve the low powered stations much better ie CITYHD, SUNTV,

however, the CM4228 is still VERY good at picking up signals through trees, note the 8 bowties are meant to collect the 'scattered' signal. From my experience a strong or close HDTV digital signal will transmit through trees with no problem.

In your situation, you are dealing with a very strong (im guessing your talking about ABC, NBC, CBS) and very close signal (i'm assuming your within reasonable distance of the transmitters, under 40miles) In this case, you should be worrying more about OVERLOAD with a CM4228 than dropouts. The CM4228 is meant to pull in far away stations or stations through lots of obstructions ie trees, buildings.

NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, UPN all send out very high powered signals with the intention of reaching the majority of Buffalo viewers, who have old rusted antennas on their roof or bunny ears in their living rooms. When you buy a high performance CM4228, wind and rain should not be a problem.

are you splitting your signal, describe the connections, starting with the screws on the CM4228, all the way to your tuner. Are you using RG6 cable with good connections?

Are you sure the CM4228 is aimed directly at the transmitter of the station you are trying to recieve? How long is your cable run? If you have too much cable, the signal will die by the time it gets to your tuner.

it is also possible that your antenna just happens to be in a complete deadspot, and moving it to the other side of your house will completely change your reception.

During the Smith show yesterday on channel 4.1, I didn't get any sound for 20 minutes. Is this common for 4.1 channel? If so, I'll revert back to 23.1, which never happened.

I sent a message to WKBW (7-1) asking when they would begin to broadcast Wheel of Fortune in HD over 15 days ago and still no reply.

Anybody have any info?

I read a little about this a few weeks ago. For this type of syndicated programming, the affiliate receives the show a few days before airtime and stores it for broadcast later.

These HD shows are much larger and most local affiliates just don't literally have the space to store them.

It's gonna be awhile before anything other than network broadcasts are in HD. At least in markets our size.

I've read that the NYC market is showing Jeopardy in HD but that's the only market I have heard of showing either Wheel or Jeopardy in HD.

are you splitting your signal, describe the connections, starting with the screws on the CM4228, all the way to your tuner. Are you using RG6 cable with good connections?

Are you sure the CM4228 is aimed directly at the transmitter of the station you are trying to recieve? How long is your cable run? If you have too much cable, the signal will die by the time it gets to your tuner.

it is also possible that your antenna just happens to be in a complete deadspot, and moving it to the other side of your house will completely change your reception.

I use the CM 4228 on the roof in conjunction w/ the RS Bowtie on my front window sill facing south. I get decent reception w/ few drop outs on the CM 4228 facing north to get CBC off the CN tower. However w/ severe wind blowing the leaves on the trees and branches my reception deteriorates alot. For the most part i'm impressed with the reception I get for CBC especially w/ the tree right in front of the antenna. I get a watchable picture even with low signal- >40%. I can get most of the Buffalo stations also from the CM on the roof from the backside of the antenna. I guess maybe I should have had the installer aim the antenna south -seeing as how I get many more stations out of Buffalo. I would still be subject to some dropouts even with the CM 4228 pointing south due to the tree correct?

However w/ severe wind blowing the leaves on the trees and branches my reception deteriorates alot. For the most part i'm impressed with the reception I get for CBC especially w/ the tree right in front of the antenna. You will get to love winter and hate spring when the leaves fall and then return. ;)

I read a little about this a few weeks ago. For this type of syndicated programming, the affiliate receives the show a few days before airtime and stores it for broadcast later.

These HD shows are much larger and most local affiliates just don't literally have the space to store them.

It's gonna be awhile before anything other than network broadcasts are in HD. At least in markets our size.

I've read that the NYC market is showing Jeopardy in HD but that's the only market I have heard of showing either Wheel or Jeopardy in HD.

come one, CFTO HD in Toronto, which broadcasts on digital 40 is showing Jeopardy in HD.

that station is actually completely in reach of Buffalo with a good antenna.

"good antenna" in a 'good' location. It's not that reachable. CBC is though.

I use the CM 4228 on the roof in conjunction w/ the RS Bowtie on my front window sill facing south. I get decent reception w/ few drop outs on the CM 4228 facing north to get CBC off the CN tower. However w/ severe wind blowing the leaves on the trees and branches my reception deteriorates alot. For the most part i'm impressed with the reception I get for CBC especially w/ the tree right in front of the antenna. I get a watchable picture even with low signal- >40%. I can get most of the Buffalo stations also from the CM on the roof from the backside of the antenna. I guess maybe I should have had the installer aim the antenna south -seeing as how I get many more stations out of Buffalo. I would still be subject to some dropouts even with the CM 4228 pointing south due to the tree correct?

ok thats what it is. Ya your not going to get a strong signal from CBC, its far away, not that high powered, and going through trees. The fact u get a decent signal from Toronto shows your CM4228's power. If you turned it around and aimed it at the Buffalo stations, you would get 100%'s on all stations. The trees and wind don't matter.

so if you do have trouble with your indoor antenna, your CM4228 will get you rock solid reception from Buffalo no matter what. maybe you'd want to invest in a rotor, so you can get turn it to get CBC when necessary, but also get all the Buffalo channels without having to worry about breakups do to weather.


edit: ya jimdoo should try for CFTO HD when the leaves fall off. I think if you preamped your CM4228 you'd get it for sure.

come one, CFTO HD in Toronto, which broadcasts on digital 40 is showing Jeopardy in HD.

that station is actually completely in reach of Buffalo with a good antenna.

Well, that's cool.

Here's where I read it:

http://www.tvpredictions.com/gamehd091106.htm
"The shows will be available to local stations via syndication. However, because syndicated shows are transmitted in blocks several days in advance, the local stations do not have the capacity to store (or record) the entire high-def feed."

"good antenna" in a 'good' location. It's not that reachable. CBC is though.

Most of the Buffalo area is within 50miles of the CN Tower. Also factor in the height of the CN Towers transmitters, and that the 18kW CFTO isn't 'that' low powered, i think most should have a shot at it if they really want to.

When there are Torontonians pulling in WNYO at 0.65kW, I think Buffalo should be much better with a 18kW transmitter.

Does anybody know if TW dropped the HDNET test patterns that were on Tuesday mornings? I just got my cable cards installed in my TiVo S3 and would like to record some test patterns to adjust the levels for it. I noticed in the guide that it had the 10 minute test pattern "show" yesterday, but it's not in the guide for next week. Is it not on every single week?

I sent a message to WKBW (7-1) asking when they would begin to broadcast Wheel of Fortune in HD over 15 days ago and still no reply.
I just sent them an email through their site. Also asked when they'll broadcast in 5.1. Not expecting a reply though - they are terrible with replying. I've emailed 2 and 49 before and got fast replies, but have never gotten a reply from 7 about anything.

Nevermind about the HDNET test patterns... I looked on their website and their schedule still shows it for 6:50 next Tuesday morning... guess the TiVo guide just doesn't have that info yet... I'll just set a manual recording...

Most of the Buffalo area is within 50miles of the CN Tower. Also factor in the height of the CN Towers transmitters, and that the 18kW CFTO isn't 'that' low powered, i think most should have a shot at it if they really want to. When there are Torontonians pulling in WNYO at 0.65kW, I think Buffalo should be much better with a 18kW transmitter. It's not just distance, it's terrain.

I'm in a 'average' area reception wise. Not good, not bad. With a CM 4228 up 40' I only average a -35dbmV ( high -30, low probably -40) signal off of 40.1 which is borderline to the receivers I have tested. -38dbmV seens to be the 'cliff'. Unlike 20.1 where I receive it at a -15 dbmV level.

Through a conversation with the engineering dept. of WNYO ch. 34 (or 49 if you perfer) the approval for the link should be comming shortly and 34s' move will be complete. It was also indirectly mentioned the general source of the objection though it wasn't discussed further for 'legal reasons'.

Not being an attorney, I don't see why there would be a issue if what really happeded would be made public since I would assume that the objection to IC would be public record in Canada unless it was made 'under the table'.

coming shortly as in next few days? WNLO has been saying they will be getting their HD encoder shortly for the past year now.

HD Programs of channel 4 and 7 on my TV are 4:3 format not 16:9, is it normal? Thank you.

no anything thats in HD should be in 16:9.

are you talking about local stuff ie news, because news on WIVB and WKBW are 4:3 SD.

if its an HD drama ie CSI, then your TV is not set properly.

FYI: Checking out titantv.com is a good resource to see what shows are and are not in HD.

coming shortly as in next few days? WNLO has been saying they will be getting their HD encoder shortly for the past year now. Watch your call letters. This is channel 34 WNYO, not channel 32 WNLO I am talking about. The one that is trying to move from East Farmers Bumf**k to Gilligans Island. ;)

Anyone (other than Chris) that lives in Buffalo have issues with WKBW on 89-3 or HD Net on 89-1 remapped to 1-(something) or 2-(something) and HD Net Movies on 89-2 remapped to some other channel that is a duplicate of either WGRZ and WIVB (I believe they are on 76-something)?

Hope that made sense. The "something" refers to a sub channel number usually 1 or 2 depending to the tuners firmware.

Yea, rub it in that I still can't get QAM to work in my place :(

I actually tried this week again thinking "Maybe TW changed something and maybe the problem's not on my end afterall". Nope :( Still get 81 digital channels. All blank except for the music stations. IIRC all my channels were on the 70's. Nothing on the 80's. WGRZ and WIVB are on 76? Hmm? I get 73 and 75 I think. Whole lot of sub-channels each. Just nothing on 'em.

Oh well, until they carry FOX I wouldn't care anyway.

Watch your call letters. This is channel 34 WNYO, not channel 32 WNLO I am talking about. The one that is trying to move from East Farmers Bumf**k to Gilligans Island. ;)

oh actually i meant "WNLO said they be up in HD 'shortly' " and look how long its taking them

so therefore in WNYO says 34 will be up an running 'shortly' it might still be awhile, based on WNLO's definition of shortly

I knew what ya meant :)


From my brief email with WNYO's engineer it was pretty clear that ALL he is waiting for is the Canada legal issue to resolve itself and then he'll flip the magic switch and be broadcasting right away. (like by the next day)


WNLO seems to have no real desire to make it happen and their "we're waiting on hardware" seems more like an excuse than an actual reason.

Yea, rub it in that I still can't get QAM to work in my place You can be assured that wasn't my intention. I mad a offer and you turned it down..............
I'm almost convinced they (now TW) have filters (traps) to cut out blocks of channels since there doesn't seem to be any other explaination.

The latest with ch 34:
It appears to be a legitimate complaint that WNYOs' microwave link would interfer with a receiver on the CN tower 50 miles further away. :eek: :rolleyes:

You can be assured that wasn't my intention. I mad a offer and you turned it down..............


I probably should have used this ;) instead of this :(

Sorry!

I knew you meant nuthin by it, and neither did I!

The latest with ch 34:
It appears to be a legitimate complaint that WNYOs' microwave link would interfer with a receiver on the CN tower 50 miles further away. :eek: :rolleyes:

So this could extend the "Shortly" period?

"Please Stand By"............................

For those of you who pick up CA signals:

http://www.engadgethd.com/2006/09/29/canadians-getting-two-new-hd-shows/

Canadians love their HD just as much as us Americans do and we are happy to report to 'em that two of their best comedy's are making the switch to HD. The Mercer Report and Royal Canadian Air Farce are premiering next week on CBC and both of the premiers are going to be in wonderful high-def. We're sure that most Canadians know what these shows are about and we're also sure that most Americans don't, well, care to know what they are about. The Mercer Report debuts on Tuesday, Oct. 3 at 8pm and the Royal Canadian Air Farce premieres a few days later on Friday, Oct 6 at 8pm both on CBC. Don't forget that you have to be able to receive the high-def signal in order to watch the new high-def flavors of these shows, eh.

Since digital 32 is licensed as WNLO-dt should not not the first channel on it be WNLO and not WIVB.I know they do not have to be sending programming in HD but channel 32 is not licensed as WIVB.23.1 should be WNLO-sd and 23-3 WIVB-hd.Could this be a way to encourage getting CW programming in HD by complainning to FCC?

Anyone else having more problems than normal with NBC OTA? Haven't been able to get it all day long. Had some break ups in L&O from last night when I watched it today. ER was fine from Thursday night. All others coming in fine. Normally I get NBC fine. Why exactly is NBC so hard to get reliably?

Since digital 32 is licensed as WNLO-dt should not not the first channel on it be WNLO and not WIVB.I know they do not have to be sending programming in HD but channel 32 is not licensed as WIVB.23.1 should be WNLO-sd and 23-3 WIVB-hd.Could this be a way to encourage getting CW programming in HD by complainning to FCC?

Actually, the way you describe (WIVB on 23.3) is how Zap2It.com has it listed... but technically the site's "wrong" then.

I've been trying to get them to correct it. I'm sure as soon as they do, the channels will change to the way you describe! :p

"Anyone (other than Chris) that lives in Buffalo have issues with WKBW on 89-3 or HD Net on 89-1 remapped to 1-(something) or 2-(something) and HD Net Movies on 89-2 remapped to some other channel that is a duplicate of either WGRZ and WIVB (I believe they are on 76-something)?"

Videobruce & CWoody222 ...

I have Time Warner in Cheektowaga. Using A Mitsubishi 52725 with dual tuners.

As of tonite this is what I'm picking up:

88-1 WGRZ HD
88-2 WIVB HD
89-3 WKBW HD
1-1 HDNET
1-2 HDMovie
1-3 WNED HD

I know that awhile ago both HDNet & HD Movie were 89-1 & 89-2. Now there remapped as subchannels of channel one. I know this is causing problems for my MYHD MDP-130 HD Tuner card on my computer.

are you all enjoying the Lord of the Rings The Two Towers in HD on CBC HD OTA?
sometimes it pays to have a major Canadian city nearby.

i've had no problems with NBC.

Whitestar2; Thanks for the input. The old International system is different (in some cases) than the old Courier Cable system where I am. Though WKBW and WNED (remapped) is in the same place (surprisely). I thought 76- & 76-2 were WGRZ & WIVB. At least whe I had my Mits last year I believe they were. It appears both systems are using the same digital channel setup. It's just analog that is different.

I have to older version of the MyHD card w/o the QAM tuner, what are the actual channel numbers for all the in the clear channels (with mapping turned off)? Do you have WTBS on 111-4?

Anyone with a JVC xxFN97 1080 set that has cable in Buffalo could report on a 'in the clear' channel lineup? Samsung can't get it right with duplicate channel numbers.

I get the analog channels from Toronto for CBC, CFTO, and CHCH clearly but cannot recieve the HD signals. I have an 80" boom antenna in the attic, high quality quad shielded coax, rotor, and signal amplifier. All other locals (PBS, FOX, CBS, ABC, NBC, etc) are clear as day. Any thoughts?

Two weeks ago, I was able to pull in CBC-HD on 20.3 and 5.1... Now I get no signal.

i believe CBC HD is currently at 'half mast' or something due to maintenance on the CN Tower. Within about 3 weeks, they should go back to regular transmission, so try 5.1 when that happens.

go billz; Can't you move antenna outdoors??
I just checked CBC 20.1 & CFTO 40.1 and both are normal where I am. -15 dbmV & -35 dbmV respectively

videobruce - any news on the WNYO move? This whole thing is getting old by now!

"Please Stand By......"


He told me almost everything is settled with the link.

OK, is there something wrong with Kidnapped OTA from WRGZ 2.1? Two weeks ago the premiere came in fine the entire hour. Last weeks episode lost about 4 minutes and the rest was pretty much unwatchable do to breakups. Last nights episode lost 8 minutes so I just deleted it off my HR10-250 HD Tivo without even trying to watch it. All other NBC shows have been coming in fine (L&O, L&O: SVU, ER, The Office, Studio 60). So what gives with Kidnapped? Is there something going on every Wed night from 10-11 that causes major interference? If 2 transmits from the same place as 4 & 7, then how come 2's signal is no where near as reliable as 4 & 7's?

Could be D*. How is it direct OTA?

Sorry guys, I was watching The Nine on OTA last night instead of Kidnapped or I'd report.

So far all my HD primetime shows have been rock solid via OTA so I'm happy.

PS Kidnapped has just been canceled so you don't have to worry about the problem next week ;)

Could be D*. How is it direct OTA?
I'm recording it via OTA and not from Directv as the Buffalo HD locals are not available from Directv yet.

Kidnapped has just been canceled so you don't have to worry about the problem next week.
Where did you hear this? My wife won't be happy, but must admit I'm not surprised.

I heard it in my "Death Pool" (which show will be canceled first) email that I get from BrilliantButCancelled.com. I just got the email this morning.

Oops, looks like reports of Kidnapped's death were grossly exaggerated. Here's the latest email I just got:

"Although multiple sources have announced that production will be shut down after the completion of the initial 13 episode order, NBC has not officially cancelled Kidnapped.

Until further news, we have placed the show on life support. "

Sorry, back on topic now...

cnn.com is now reporting Kidnapped will end production after its 13th episodes, so I guess you were right! No big loss.

I would like to put it on the roof, but have trouble getting up there (because of the pitch of the roof).

Is it possible to lose signal if metal objects are too close to the antenna elements? I think the roof nails are not only acting like a faraday cage and attenuating the signal, but the proximity of the antenna elements to the nails (less than 6") is "grouinding" the RF signal. I think I should try and keep antenna elements away from roofing nails and vent pipes in the attic. What about replacing the VHF/UHF antenna with a smaller UHF only antenna? Do you think I would better results? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated?

Is it possible to lose signal if metal objects are too close to the antenna elements?Yes. What about replacing the VHF/UHF antenna with a smaller UHF only antenna? Two years from now there won't be much of a reason to have a VHF antenna except for some Canadian stations that don't have to switch and the Rochester market which will revert back to VHF (AFAIK).

If you don't want to bother with a larger UHF antenna or a rotor there is this;

http://www.wade-antenna.com/Wade/UHF.htm
the SL-4BT

videobruce,

Do you know - when WNLO finally starts broadcasting HD will they begin showing it on 23.1 or 23.3?

Currently Zap2It.com shows 23.1 as WNLO and 23.3 as WIVB which is backwards. I'd like to have them correct it but don't want to bother if it's just going to be correct shortly when the HD encoder arrives.

Sorry, no idea.

I just confirmed with my contact in engineering:
- WNLO-HD will be on 23-1
- WNLO will be broadcasting in HD before November 1

I replaced my VHF/UHF antenna with a UHF only antenna to keep the elements away from the roof deck and pipes (in the attic). Now the local signals do not break-up regardless of antenna rotator positon, which is nice. But I still can't pull-in CBLT-HD and CTV-HD.

I will wait and try again in a couple of weeks per canada_habs2004 information that the the transmissions are running at half-mast. I was hoping to watch some Hockey Night in Canada in HD.

For those who have a QAM receiver, you now can get Toon Disney on channel 80-1.
Of course you have to be a Time Warner cable subscriber. :)

I will wait and try again in a couple of weeks per canada_habs2004 information that the the transmissions are running at half-mast. I was hoping to watch some Hockey Night in Canada in HD.

I don't think they are at half power. I'm in Niagara and my antenna is facing South Buffalo (WGRZ) and CBLT-HD (20) is at 80 % and always has been.

I just confirmed with my contact in engineering:
- WNLO-HD will be on 23-1
- WNLO will be broadcasting in HD before November 1

Cool. Thanks for the info. I'll kep things simple and let things remain "wrong" for the next few weeks.

For those (Bruce?) following my quest to figure out why I can't get QAM here, here's an update.

I got my 3rd QAM device yesterday, a TiVo HD Series 3. The result? Same old :( Confirmed (again) the problem's here somehow.

In case it's helpfu to anyone, here's what I get when I scan:

73-128 - 149 71% strength
76-1 - 17 give er take a few 73%
77-1 - 13 73%
78-1 - 43 give er take a few at 65%

Nothing on any of them. Oh well. I couldn't record them with TiVo well anyway (without a CableCARD).

In other news My TV doesn't have a signal meter so I never knew my strength. Now I do. First, my TiVo ATSC tuner seems much stronger. I was getting breakups yesterday afternoon (even lost FOX for at least 5 full minutes) but the TiVo seems rock solid.

Here's what I get in downtown with my indoor Silver Sensor:

2-1 64%
4-1 82%
7-1 85%
29-1 78%
43-1 75%

With numbers like that I shouldn't worry about missing recordings, should I?


One last note... I noticed that TiVo was reporting some shows in HD in it's guide that I didn't think were. The View, Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune on WKBW. So I recorded The View. Guess what? It's in HD! I know it's just The View but I was suprised.

I'm gonna check out the gameshows in about 30 minutes...

Jepardy and Wheel of Fortune aren't in HD on WBKW yet. They don't have the technology to record the HD feed, and the reply it later. CFTO HD 40 from Toronto does show Jeopardy in HD at the same time however.

I don't think they are at half power. I'm in Niagara and my antenna is facing South Buffalo (WGRZ) and CBLT-HD (20) is at 80 % and always has been.

dsspredator, halfmast and half-power are very different. CBC-HD is supposely still at half-mast, but they are still transmitting at full power.

half-mast is weird, im not sure exactly how it works, but in MOST cases, it makes no difference. I believe that reception differs in areas VERY VERY close to the CN Tower, and far away, (ie Buffalo) other than that, its the same.

Go billz, yes wait a few more weeks, CFTO won't be changing, but CBC should be back to regular transmission soon. Once all the leaves fall, you may notice a very big improvement in your reception.

Jepardy and Wheel of Fortune aren't in HD on WBKW yet. They don't have the technology to record the HD feed, and the reply it later. CFTO HD 40 from Toronto does show Jeopardy in HD at the same time however.

Guess that means The View is a network transmission like GMA or primetime stuff? That's news to me but that must be the case.

I just confirmed with my contact in engineering:
- WNLO-HD will be on 23-1
- WNLO will be broadcasting in HD before November 1

great news! thanks for the update pnear. It sounds like because this is a set date, they will actually come through with it.

Jepardy and Wheel of Fortune aren't in HD on WBKW yet. They don't have the technology to record the HD feed, and the reply it later. CFTO HD 40 from Toronto does show Jeopardy in HD at the same time however.

So how are the late night shows like Letterman and Lenno done- aren't these shows taped in the afternoon? They are avail in HD at their normally aired times?

Letterman and Leno are not syndicated. They are 'beamed' from the network to the local station live at their air-time. So the station doesn't have to store anything. Just like morning shows like Today and GMA and prime-time shows. (and one CBS soap-opera... can't think of the one and only soap that's in HD)

I thought (incorrectly I guess) that The View was syndicated. Guess it's not.

ya i think an easy way to tell is by the networks that show these programs.

The View is an ABC program. You aren't going to see it on a local NBC affiliate or anything. Shows like Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, Ellen Degenerous, can be picked up by any local affiliate, regardless of what network.

I was able to tune in CBC @ 67% signal strength yesterday. The dB level was 19-21.

Does anyone know at what signal strength or dB level that OTA transmissions start to drop-out?

^^ different for every tuner. ie my tuner can usually display a stable picture as long as the signal remains over 25% (can depend on the channel too)

but i know of many who get nothing if the signal is 50% or lower.



thats a pretty decent result for an antenna in an attic, you must be in a really good location/elevation. Whats the path between your antenna and CN Tower direction like? are you going through trees, buildings, or anything.

For those who have a QAM receiver, you now can get Toon Disney on channel 80-1.
Of course you have to be a Time Warner cable subscriber. :) ..........and they took away HD Net and HD Net Movies. :mad:

Give us $20 and we will give you a wooden nickel.

"The Power of Us"

canada_habs2004,

The line of sight is not direct. I know there are nearby power lines, tall trees, etc. I would consider my location a lower elevation. Yesterday was probably a fluke. I'll be happy if am able to receive the signal consistently. Unfortunately, I think atmospheric conditions are going to play a large role in reliability. The true test will be Saturday night, 7PM.

Is anyone in the buffalo area able to get CTV-HD with an indoor/attic antenna?

Is anyone in the buffalo area able to get CTV-HD with an indoor/attic antenna?

If anyone is able to do this please share - I currently can not get it w/ my roof mounted CM4228 !

videobruce gets CFTO-HD doesn't he. It's certainly possible with the right setup. People in Port Colbourne, ON can get CTV, which is about the same distance from Toronto as most of Buffalo.

basically, you have to get your antenna out of the way of trees. The signals are there, it's just they don't have the power to travel through trees, and still remain strong enough for your tuner to decode. The leaves falling off will help. but then you get 5 months and they come back again.

Other than that, you can just use a really good antenna with a really good preamp. But ya get your antenna on a tower, over the trees so the CN Tower signals don't have to go through anything.

i'm saying this not just because of CFTO, but because in the long-term, there will be several other Toronto Digitals coming up in the next few years, OMNI1, OMNI2, GLOBAL, TVO, and CH Hamilton. I wouldn't be surprised if CITY-dt increases power by the analog shutdown as well.

Directv announced that the Buffalo HD locals will be available by the end of the year. Not sure exactly which ones, but hopefully at least ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX.

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=127160&p=irol-newsArticle_print&ID=914114&highlight=

Huge coup for them if they get FOX.

OMNI 2 now Broadcasting ATSC HD Signal!!!

everybody do a scan for 44-1. OMNI2 is now broadcasting an HD signal from the First Canadian Place Building in Toronto.

this signal is reported to be stronger than CFTO and very reachable in Buffalo. They are broadcasting at 15kW

...Although the slightly more useful station would be OMNI1, 64-1 (which will probably be up soon).

Huge coup for them if they get FOX.
I sent emails to 2, 4, 7 and 29 to see if they will be included. Nothing to report yet.

This is old but seems to be a good omen for WUTV-HD on DirecTV

http://www.sbgi.net/press/release_2005411_106.shtml

(not that I care, I get it OTA but I still like to see more options... and maybe it will mean TW will cough up some cash)

The only way I could see getting 40.1 with any indoor antenna is if you live in the outer suburbs and/or well north of the city NT, Wheatfield, Lockport and of course Niagara Falls for example.

As far as 44.1, not a chance with 43.1 next door and especially at that power level!

..........and they took away HD Net and HD Net Movies. :mad:



Question on TWC in Amherst....I noticed that WNED HD has moved, no sign of HDNET, etc.

Is anything official posted anyplace?

PS: Shoulda said that I'm using an SA8300HD box......

88-1 WGRZ
88-2 WIVB
89-1 WNED
89-3 WKBW

I believe they'll be here for you.

They're under no obligation whatsoever to offer anything but the local digital signals as unencrypted. So if HDNet disappeared, consider yourself lucky for getting it in the first place ;)

PS They're also (unfortunately) under no obligation to not move around the QAM channels, support them, or give you notice. These are the games they like to play :(

What do you need in order to get qam channels? Is it a minimum of digital cable?
I have basic lifeline cable thru TW- can I get these?

Here's how QAM works. QAM is the frequency cable companies use to broadcast digital cable. With digital cable, some channels are unencrypted. The vast majority are encrypted. Most people use a cable box to decrypt these channels and get digital cable.

However, TVs with QAM tuners can get the few unencrypted digital channels a cable company may provide.

TVs with a QAM tuner AND a CableCARD slot can get and decode all the encrypted digital channels without a cable box.


Cable companies are prohibited by law to encrypt local broadcast channels' digital channels if the cable company carries it.

So, by default, as long as a cable company carries the local digital networks, they're required to allow them to be picked up with a QAM tuner and that's it.


However - as seen here - they can move 'em around, make it hard, and offer no support. But if you know what you're doing, you can tune them in and watch them.


EDIT: All you need is a package that gets the local analog channels (such as lifeline cable) to be able to get the QAM ones. So basically, every cable subscriber should.

As far as 44.1, not a chance with 43.1 next door and especially at that power level!

videobruce, I am getting OMNI2 44-1 stronger than CFTO-HD.

isn't CFTO 40 the same situation, with 39.1 next door?

jimdoo (from buffalo) reported on another forum that he was picking up 44-1 for a while (with his CM4228 aimed at Toronto) he doesn't get CFTO.

if you get 40 from Buffalo u might easily be able to get 44

Cable companies are prohibited by law to encrypt local broadcast channels' digital channels if the cable company carries it. I'm not sure that is true. As ,long as the analog are there, according to another forum member (who gave a sarcastic response), he claims they don't have to have those channels 'in the clear'.
isn't CFTO 40 the same situation, with 39.1 next door? No, it's 180 degrees in the opposite direction. ;) It's the same with 43 and you. 43 is 180 degrees in the opposite direction also. Front to back ratio is sometimes more important than just gain.

philherz; What package(s) are you getting??

philherz; What package(s) are you getting??

I get the top TWC package bundled with Internet & DVR. (Platinum??)

Used to get these HD channels- WGR, WIVB, WKBW, PBS, ESPN (2), INHD (2), DISCHD, HBO, CINEMAX, STARZ, SHOW, HDNET (2), & NFL.

Now, the final 2 (actually 3) are gone..........

When did you loose HD Net and HD Net Movies?? I visited their site and they still show though I know it could be weeks (or more) before they would update any changes).

Can't believe they 'pulled' those services since there were only 11 HD offerings (not including the 4 locals).
They gave many another reason to go with satellites' smear. :rolleyes:

"The Power of US".......................

When did you loose HD Net and HD Net Movies?? I visited their site and they still show though I know it could be weeks (or more) before they would update any changes).

Can't believe they 'pulled' those services since there were only 11 HD offerings (not including the 4 locals).
They gave many another reason to go with satellites' smear. :rolleyes:

"The Power of US".......................

I noticed about 4 or 5 days ago that PBSHD and HDNET Movie were missing....I've learned not to think anything is official until it continues for a while. (Like internet outages, email problems, etc.)

Yesterday I paid more attention and determined that PBSHD had moved to the slot of plain HDNET and that the old PBSHD and HDNET Movie channels were still blank, although the on-line program guide/description still think they're there!!!

?????????????

Then I would say they did a NFL and pulled them from what (little) they offer!
Just in time for the U2 concert on Sunday. :mad:


TWC=Greed!

I'm not sure that is true. As ,long as the analog are there, according to another forum member (who gave a sarcastic response), he claims they don't have to have those channels 'in the clear'.


If the analogs are there, they don't have to show the digitals. But if they do, they can't force you to rent a box or anything to receive them. 'Cause they're locals.

The only way they can do that is to not encrypt them.

Watch. The QAM locals may move around, but they won't go away.

So how do I get em?

Plug my cable feed for TW into my digital antenna input on my tv?

Only if your TV has a QAM tuner. Many do, but not all do.

Does your TV have 1 or 2 coax inputs? If there's one for antenna and one for cable, use cable.

When you run a channel scan on your TV do you have the option to scan antenna channels OR digital cable channel or both?


EDIT: What's the make/model of your TV if you're not sure if it has a QAM tuner.

Anyone else having trouble w/ locals due to snow? Ch 2 is most difficult for me today. THis is my first snowfall w/ my antenna. Is this normal :(

Anyone else having trouble w/ locals due to snow? Ch 2 is most difficult for me today. THis is my first snowfall w/ my antenna. Is this normal :(
2 is normal for me today but I'm losing sound periodically on 23.

Well, my cable's out so I'm stuck only with my antenna. Ch 2 and 29 are completely unobtainable. Ch 7 and 4 I can get if I change my antenna orientation, but I can't get both at once.

Well, I take that back. Suddenly ALL my channels are back and at good strength. Weird.

picking up omni 2 at 44.3 , omni 1 testing at 64.2

Hey ALL
If any of you are running standard combo antennas in the buffalo metro area after the last few days ,Better have a look at em!!! Most of the standard vhf/hhf combos didnt come thru so well. Oh and a great test for those overpriced yagis from antennas direct........lol Most are bent over like spaghetti after its been cooked!~~~~ Anyhow most of the 4+8 bays got thru great as well as the winegard yagis we've installed. However we;ve seen alot of sagging elements out there. SO that being said, If ya need a reinstall call us. We're allready about a week deep in antenna work not to mention sat systems that are out. I have a truckload of new antennas comming this week and can serve you if your in Niagara-Erie-Genesse- Orleans-Wyoming- Chatuqua counties. We can also do insurance quotes on systems. If were out please leave a message as we will have 3 crews on the road next few weeks.

RIch Wertman
R.W. Antenna Service INC
Lockport,N.Y. 14094
716-434-9216
E-mail: rwantsat@verizon.net :)

Can anyone get 29-1, WUTV?

I was last night but then later on they just started showing a test pattern (I'm not kidding!). It was completely black at one point too even though I was getting a 80% or more signal from them. I thought they may have turned off their programming or something.

This morning it's still black AND it's making my TiVo reboot for some reason.

I remembered scanning through and had a completely black screen on 29.1 last night. But it seems to work fine now.

Yea, went back on at Noon. From 11:30-Noon they were showing a test pattern thing again. 29-2 was correctly showing their SD content, though.

Weird. They're obviously having some issues.

picking up omni 2 at 44.3 , omni 1 testing at 64.2

44+ 64 are almost full scale here in s/e corner town of lockport. omni1 and omni 2 or 47+69 toronto, stronger here than ctv. they look to be on full time as its a copy of the analog trans. in hd. they are remapping on my zenith 520 to 1-1 on both channels?????? psip must not be set yet??? im running a 7 ' parabolic on 80' tower with preamp and a winegard 9032 at 25 ' on house w/preamp- both receive the channels
Rich Lockport :)

^^ Rich do you get City-Hd consistently too?
______

what is up with the Buffalo locals and their stupid Closings updates. if your going to waste screen space showing closings, at least make sure you have to technology to add these listings in HD so that the remaining picture is unaffected.

ridiculous, all three networks do it, and eliminate their HD beause of it. :confused:

Yea, went back on at Noon. From 11:30-Noon they were showing a test pattern thing again. 29-2 was correctly showing their SD content, though.

Weird. They're obviously having some issues.

On 14-1 WUTV had the FOX feed only. Nothing else. I watched FOX News Sunday at 9 AM and it repeated again at 10 AM.

what is up with the Buffalo locals and their stupid Closings updates :confused:

Dude its called a "State of emergency".

We are warm and dry, they are not.

I agree. It's stupid that all 3 networks have resorted to only showing their SD broadcast on their digital signal just to show us the same exact closings that they've been showing us all weekend.

They show the Monday school closings well past the morning. I mean - the kids are already home! They KNOW!

And is it really necessary to tell me that Aunt Lilly's Dance Studio is closed or St. Bartholomew's Bingo Extravaganza will be rescheduled?! And to tell me every 90 seconds!

When something IMPORTANT happens, break in to tell us. But I do not need to view a full list of closings again and again and again on a rotating basis during an entire hour program.

I hope by Prime Time today they're back to showing HD content (with or without "important" information in the ticker) on their digital channels.

On 14-1 WUTV had the FOX feed only. Nothing else. I watched FOX News Sunday at 9 AM and it repeated again at 10 AM.

Now that I think about it, you're right. They only had the FOX feed, no local shows. Weird.

Once I figured out what was going on I just turned 29-2 back on so I could navigate to it while flipping around.

on a positive note i was able to watch sunday night football on 2.1 using my tv-5 without a single dropout

2-1 was giving me problems Sunday night. I stopped trying to get a perfect signal on all five locals until power is fully restored 'cause I still think they're having some issues (even if it's as simple as personnel not being at the office)

This morning 2-1 seemed to be back. Although I'm still only getting 60ish signal strength which is the worst of all my locals by at least 10 points.

what is up with the Buffalo locals and their stupid Closings updates. if your going to waste screen space showing closings, at least make sure you have to technology to add these listings in HD so that the remaining picture is unaffected. ridiculous, all three networks do it, and eliminate their HD beause of it. Two points; first, it's the local station, not the network and 2nd, they don't have the equipment to 'break' into the network feed and retain the 'HD' signal. It has to get converted to SD so they can process and insert what they need/want to.

All they do is pass the 720/1080 signal from the satellite downlink directly to the transmitter.

Luckily the stations seem to have regained their sanity as they (WGRZ at least) showed the network HD feed during primetime on Monday night.

Two points; first, it's the local station, not the network and 2nd, they don't have the equipment to 'break' into the network feed and retain the 'HD' signal. It has to get converted to SD so they can process and insert what they need/want to.

All they do is pass the 720/1080 signal from the satellite downlink directly to the transmitter.

how is it that WUTV can put [FOX29] is a big black box on top of all FOX HD programming then?

or past times on wgrz, i see the Channel 2 logo appear on the screen for a few seconds during an HD broadcast (the picture was never affected.

i think basically, the local networks CAN add stuff to the HD picture from the networks, but they CAN"T resize the main HD image to fit in closings.

i think the Buffalo affiliates need to realize i'd rather them cut off a little bit of the HD picture to put text over top, then to output 4:3 SD and then scale down the video so nothing is mising from the picture.

Well, I guess WKBW can't show the same restraint that WGRZ showed last night since WGRZ actually showed Heroes and Studio 60 in HD but WKBW showed Dancing with the Stars and Boston Legal in a crappy, cramped SD feed complete with "Closing" info.

Here's the email I just sent to WKBW's GM. I urge all of you all to do the same. It's Tuesday. It's ridiculous that this stuff is STILL being presented 24/7. Letter to WKBW follows...

"OK - ENOUGH ALREADY!

It's Tuesday evening at 10pm and you're STILL interrupting local programming - and worse even, cramming HD 16:9 Boston Legal into a tiny 4:3 box on your digital station - just to show me the same friggin' list of closings that you and the radio and the newsppaer and WGRZ and WIVB have been showing me for the past 48+ hours at least.

I get it - schools are closed. Dance Classes and Cub Scout meetings are cancelled. Church services are postponed.

I get it.

Would it be terribly too much to ask that you refrain from the end-of-the-world mentality for Prime Time programming so I can enjoy your shows (that make you money from advertising) in their intended, uninterrupted 16:9 720p format instead of the travesty you're presenting tonight?

Seriously - the storm is over. Please move on. News belongs at 5am... and 6am... and 7am... oh, and I guess at 5pm... and 6pm... and 11pm too. Do you need to have 10pm too?!

PLEASE do not do the same thing tomorrow with Lost at 9pm!!!"

cwoody, ya all the local closings and 4:3 shows are annoying in Buffalo. Fortantely CTV-HD airs pretty much all the same popular US primetime shows in 16:9 HD, so its a great alternative to the Buffalo stations.

Alas not everything has a nice Canadian HD alternate... for instance Boston Legal is carried by CH in Canada, and they don't do HD. So, I decided to *not* watch the crummy SD version of that last night and instead taped the Seattle ABC HD feed from Rogers (sometimes cable is good for something...)

Stupid WKBW! First half of Lost was is glorious HD and then when they came back from the 9:30ish commercial, it went to SD 4:3 stuffed inside the closings box. Frack!

Yep! And then they kept it like that all thru The Nine!

Jericho on CBS and 30 Rock on NBC were full-HD for their whole duration.

The GM of WKBW will be getting another email this morning (not that he replied to the last one).

Again, I urge anyone else who feels the same way to also voice your opinion:

http://www.wkbw.com/contactus.aspx

where the hell is the HD on the Mets/Cardinal game?

this is game 7 of a championship series, and WUTV doesn't remember to enable HD. Ridiculous.

I tried calling WUTV but at that time of day all I could do was leave a message. Anyone have a number that will get through to someone in the evenings in case this happens again? There's only 1 listed in the phone book. At least the Mets lost.

Any update on WNLO being HD on 23.1?

Not only do I want that channel in HD but I'd really like the guide data to be correct (showing WIVB on 23.3) because on days like today 23 comes in much better than 4 and I'd like to have a more reliable source for CBS.

WNLO - I don't know but 4-1 has the CW logo on it's programming right now??

^^ not really following what your saying...

everything looks normal to me.

I called the news hotline to tell them they had the CW feed on WIVB's subchannel. Shortly after that, CBS appeared then disappeared again then came back. Apparently they didn't even know they had the wrong network feed! At least we know now they could do CW in HD if they wanted to because they were doing it tonight, albeit unintentionally.

^^ ohhh, so the CW was being shown on an upconverted HD channel (not the regular SD subchannel)

thats great news, and means they HAVE the HD encoder for both CBS and CW now, and its just a matter of time before they are both operating.

I was trying to watch Cold Case on 4.1 and it kept switching back and forth between Cold Case in SD and a CW show in HD. Ruined Cold Case. Way to go WIVB!

So I guess we have some good news even if that means WIVB doesn't fully know what they're doing! :)

My signal strength on ch4 was awful last night so I couldn't watch it if I wanted. Not much better this morning :(

I'm a little confused and would like some clarification.

What I think I know to be true today:

- WB49 no longer exists
- WNLO 23 is now CW
- CW (at least some programming) is currently shown on 4.3 substation in SD

Here's my situation: My wife watches Gilmore Girls and I have it setup as a season pass to record on my HR10 DirecTIVO via OTA. I can't get 23.1 well enough, but I know that GG is on 4.3 each week currently, which is where I have it setup to record. I need to make sure GG continues to record.

Question 1: Will GG continue to be on 4.3, or is that only temporary?
Question 2: Is 4.3 capable of displaying HD content? If so, will GG potentially at some point be in HD on 4.3?

Thanks for your help.

Currently the station doesn't have the hardware (a HD encoder) to broadcast CW programming in HD. So they do the 'next best' thing and broadcast it in SD on their digital station, 4.3 and 23.3.

We've heard (and now seen evidence) that this HD encoder is now in place so it seem likely that CW programming will start to be shown in HD fairly soon.

We can assume (but not guarantee until they actually do it) that their lineups will soon take the form of:

4.1 WIVB CBS HD
4.2 Weather Radar
4.3 WNLO CW HD (currently it's SD)

23.1 WNLO CW HD (currently it's WIVB CBS HD)
23.2 Weather Radar
23.3 WIVB CBS HD (currently it's WNLO CW SD)

I'm not sure where the HR10 gets it's local station guide data from. I know that Zap2It.com (which is what TiVo uses) currently is not correct in it's listings. I'm waiting until WNLO starts broadcasting in HD on whatever the final station ends up being before I contact TiVo and Zap2It to get the error corrected. (because there's no sense in doing it now and then re-doing it in a week or so if it's really that soon)


I seem to get 23 better than 4 myself so I want them to make the change because right now I can't use my TiVo to record 23 CBS shows because it thinks 23.1 shows CW (which it doesn't now but probably will soon) and doesn't even know 23.3 is a channel at all.

Currently the station doesn't have the hardware (a HD encoder) to broadcast CW programming in HD. So they do the 'next best' thing and broadcast it in SD on their digital station, 4.3 and 23.3.

We've heard (and now seen evidence) that this HD encoder is now in place so it seem likely that CW programming will start to be shown in HD fairly soon.

We can assume (but not guarantee until they actually do it) that their lineups will soon take the form of:

4.1 WIVB CBS HD
4.2 Weather Radar
4.3 WNLO CW HD (currently it's SD)

23.1 WNLO CW HD (currently it's WIVB CBS HD)
23.2 Weather Radar
23.3 WIVB CBS HD (currently it's WNLO CW SD)

I'm not sure where the HR10 gets it's local station guide data from. I know that Zap2It.com (which is what TiVo uses) currently is not correct in it's listings. I'm waiting until WNLO starts broadcasting in HD on whatever the final station ends up being before I contact TiVo and Zap2It to get the error corrected. (because there's no sense in doing it now and then re-doing it in a week or so if it's really that soon)


I seem to get 23 better than 4 myself so I want them to make the change because right now I can't use my TiVo to record 23 CBS shows because it thinks 23.1 shows CW (which it doesn't now but probably will soon) and doesn't even know 23.3 is a channel at all.

If what you say turns out to be correct, I'll be happy because that will mean that Gilmore Girls will continue to be on 4.3, and even better, will be in HD.

My HR10 gets the info from DirecTV and the guide data is correct, which is why I'm able to successfully setup a season pass for GG on 4.3. I'm pretty sure the guide data is correct for 23.1 as well, but I'll double-check. I seem to recall puzzling over the fact that 23.1 guide data didn't match 4.3. But based on your explanation of how things currently are, that would make sense and mean that my guide data is in fact accurate. Correct?

Yes, if your 23.1 doesn't match 4.3 now, then your guide data would seem to be correct because currently 23.1 is CBS and 4.3 is CW.

But if and when they move CW to 23.1 and move CBS to 23.3 then your guide data will be wrong... until the changes are pushed thru to DirecTV.


PS We all assume that 23.1 will be the home of CW (instead of 23.3) based on that is what the company said they're going to broadcast in their license petition or whatever. If they claimed 23 is going to WNLO they have to show that content on their MAIN channel.
(I guess technically they're breaking the law now ;) )

cwoody222;
Do you have an attic, roof or crawl space you can get access to that your landlord would allow a small UHF antenna to be mounted?
Wade has this single bay bow-tie 'figure 8' antenna (SL-4BT) which is ideal for this area;

http://www.wade-antenna.com/Wade/UHF.htm

Ok, I made a call and got the big picture (I think).

Colden will be CBS ch 38 (4.1 if you prefer)
Grand Island will be CW ch 32 (23.1)
Unless he misunderstood my questions, there shouldn't be duplication of CBS, but can't guarantee this.

IF nothing goes wrong, ch 32 should be in HD in about a week or so.

(Notice the emphasis)

Ok, I made a call and got the big picture (I think).

Colden will be CBS ch 38 (4.1 if you prefer)
Grand Island will be CW ch 32 (23.1)
Unless he misunderstood my questions, there shouldn't be duplication of CBS, but can't guarantee this.

IF nothing goes wrong, ch 32 should be in HD in about a week or so.

(Notice the emphasis)

Is it a given that CW will be broadcast on 4.3 as well though?

If you mean 38.3, that wasn't my impression.

If you mean 38.3, that wasn't my impression.

Then what would you guess would be broadcast on that substation?

Doesn't mean it has to be used. The less sub channels, the better the PQ on what is left.

Doesn't mean it has to be used. The less sub channels, the better the PQ on what is left.

Hahaha. We all know WIVB is going to put something on their sub channels, even if it's just a live webcam of the corporate lobby. :rolleyes:

Wow, that's too bad then. Better to have more sources.

WIVB's PQ is pretty good now with 3 substations but I assume that having the CW stuff in HD would take away much more bandwidth than it's using now.

If CW ceases to be broadcast on 4.3, then I'll have two choices with the slight hope for a third...

1) Aim a second antenna to pickup 23.1 and combine it with my other antenna feed with a frequency filter. (probably not gonna happen just to get GG in HD for my wife, who doesn't care that much about HD)
OR
2) Switch the SP to record from the SD version of CW 23 coming from the satellite.
OR POSSIBLY
3) Hope that CW 23 is one of the MPEG4 HD locals delivered by DirecTV (doubtful), scheduled for launch in Buffalo market by end of this year. (I'm having D*'s HR20 MPEG4 HD-DVR installed this week since the HR10 DTivo can't decode MPEG4).

I guess we'll just have to wait a week or so to find for sure what, if anything, will be on 4.3 and 23.3.

3) Hope that CW 23 is one of the MPEG4 HD locals delivered by DirecTV (doubtful), scheduled for launch in Buffalo market by end of this year. (I'm having D*'s HR20 MPEG4 HD-DVR installed this week since the HR10 DTivo can't decode MPEG4).
I contacted most of the local stations to confirm D* carrying them in HD as they announced and all replied back that it was news to them, so I wouldn't hold my breath on D* meeting their announced timeframe.

I contacted most of the local stations to confirm D* carrying them in HD as they announced and all replied back that it was news to them, so I wouldn't hold my breath on D* meeting their announced timeframe.

They've still got 2 months. Since all they're doing is taking the OTA feed and sending it via SAT, it shouldn't take a long time to implement, should it? I'm sure I'm oversimplifying the process somewhat, but it doesn't seem like it's complicated to duplicate the process since they've already launched quite a few markets. I'm actually not in a huge hurry since the HR20 has quite a few bugs to be worked out and won't be my primary DVR for quite some time, but it's nice to have options.

It's not a technical feat, it's the legal feat of arranging deals with each of the stations.

If the local stations didn't even know yet, it means they haven't even been approached which means the ball isn't rolling yet.

cwoody222;
Do you have an attic, roof or crawl space you can get access to that your landlord would allow a small UHF antenna to be mounted?
Wade has this single bay bow-tie 'figure 8' antenna (SL-4BT) which is ideal for this area;

http://www.wade-antenna.com/Wade/UHF.htm

Attic or crawl space - no. I'm on the 2nd of 3 floors so it would probably be a pain.

Roof may be an option as would perhaps a small awning directly outside one of my windows.

But I'm just not willing to go thru the hassle ;) I'm too lazy.

I was quite pleased that my TiVo tuned the channels so much better than my TV. So far, in only 2 weeks, only the really bad storm days and last night had problems. I'm going to see how it gets during the winter.

The first time I miss a major show (say, Lost, for example) and it's too late to switch to the analog cable... then I'll get un-lazy ;)

Is that the same as CM4221 without the reflector?

[QUOTE=videobruce]cwoody222;
Do you have an attic, roof or crawl space you can get access to that your landlord would allow a small UHF antenna to be mounted?
Wade has this single bay bow-tie 'figure 8' antenna (SL-4BT) which is ideal for this area;

warit; Similar design. Basic principal. But I'm just not willing to go thru the hassle I'm too lazy. Not too lazy to write e-mails that go unanswered............. :o
What hassle, buy antenna, buy cable, buy some type of mount (short mast, pole or square stock of wood), mount antenna on roof, drop cable over side, run into or through window frame, attach fittings, aim antenna. Done. ;)

Ok, I made a call and got the big picture (I think).

Colden will be CBS ch 38 (4.1 if you prefer)
Grand Island will be CW ch 32 (23.1)
Unless he misunderstood my questions, there shouldn't be duplication of CBS, but can't guarantee this.

IF nothing goes wrong, ch 32 should be in HD in about a week or so.

(Notice the emphasis)

I don't see why they wouldn't leave it as is w/ the addition of CW -HD on 23-1 and 23-3 CBS. This gives them a backup for CBS and CW programming in the event of power outages or other technical issues??

WNLO- HD

When the CW does go HD will 23-2 (Radar) still be there? I say save the bandwidth and PQ- Just leave the radar on 4-2.

I think (just a guess) that the issue is that having 2 HD broadcasts will eat up too much of their bandwidth and cause PQ to suffer too much.

Having an SD or weather radar sub-channel probably doesn't spend enough bandwidth to make much of a difference.

I meant for 4-3 to be WNLO -SD and 23-3 to be WIVB -SD

Oh - I guess they could do that.

They probably don't see a need to digitally broadcast an SD signal if they're already broadcasting the HD signal elsewhere.

Just like I don't understand WUTV's purpose of broadcasting SD on 29-2.

But would I mind if they did - nah. Why not.

I'd just like to clear this up....

you CANNOT have two HD channels on one channel, its only 6 frequencies, not enought to carry two HD channels.

CBS (in HD) and CW (in HD) will only be broadcast once each, that is for certain.

whether they also broadcast duplicate SD channels, similar to what WUTV does, we don't know.

I think its safe to assume however, that the final layout of these channels will be:

39.1 (4.1) - CBS HD
39.2 (4.2) - Radar

32.1 (23.1) - CW HD
32.2 (23.2) - Radar


I will be very surprised if WIVB chooses to do anything other than that.

I don't care whether it's 4-2 or 23-2 but only one Radar sub-channel is necessary!
Save the bandwidth for one or the other's HD channel and preserve PQ.

I don't think that the radar takes up nearly enough bandwidth to make any difference.

I would assume that the radar channel compresses extremely well due to very little movement... so it shouldn't steal too much at all from the HD feed.

Anyone else in Buffalo lose all digital stations about 5min ago?

^^ :) unfortanately, when all channels go at once, thats a for sure sign it's just you. another way to tell is that if the channels are showing bleeps of a signal, that just means your reception is weak at the time.

it seems to me that the weather conditions right now would be very hard on reception, especially for those with little antennas.

fortanately, my antenna system has the power to keep all my signal strong even on the worst of nights over here in Niagara, so i haven't had any trouble.

edit: it seems once again, WUTV has been inconsistent with keeping the HD on for their broadcast of the World Series.

It started out in HD for the first part of the game, and it's now in the 5th inning and the game is in SD. St Loius could win it all THIS game, and still, WUTV doesn't have their act together. :confused:
they should have practised and perfected keeping the HD on all night for a game like this.

Thanks - everything is fine now. Weird how all channels went at once? I'm just channel surfing and all of a sudden -no signal on every channel. I did a few scans and nothing still. I finally just turned the set off and back on and re-scanned. All is well.

jimdoo are hows your reception on a night like tonight?

are you getting CBC still of your CM4228, and how does your indoor pick up the Buffalo locals?

also, are the trees bare enough for you to attempt CFTO-40?

i can't believe the world series is about to be one, and WUTV is not showing it in HD!!

no wonder the Canadian Satellite companies feed of FOX Rochester instead.

edit: ha WUTV switches the HD back on 1 minute before the cards win the World Series. almost as if they turned the HD off before intentionally just to make people appreciate the HD more when it came back on.

jimdoo; What TV, what tuner, what STB etc.??

WUTV really forgot to turn the HD on for the ENTIRE game?! Laughable. I'm sorry, someone should be fired for something like that!!!

(and I'm not a sports fan in the slightest)

WUTV is usually pretty good... this week's last 15 mins of Prison Break was the first time I ever knew them to not be showing the HD feed. (with the exception of during the storm when they were doing other weird things)

Oh it's not the first time. Last season, during shows like 24, after going to commercial at like 9:30p it would never come back in HD. It used to happen quite often. Kinda of annoying!

jimdoo; What TV, what tuner, what STB etc.??

I have a Sanyo from Wal-Mart. It has happened before but not quite like that. The model is HT 32744. It has been a good tv so far. Just odd to me that suddenly I got no signal on all stations. Turning the set off for a min and back on seemed to have "re-set" it I think? Is it normal for atsc tuners to do this?

jimdoo are hows your reception on a night like tonight?

are you getting CBC still of your CM4228, and how does your indoor pick up the Buffalo locals?

also, are the trees bare enough for you to attempt CFTO-40?

I have been getting CBC regularly even with the trees. Yes hoping to get CTV when more leaves fall off - nothing yet though! I dont know why a while back I got Omni 1 for about an hour when they first started testing a few weeks back and nothing since. BTW - I get much more canadian stations via analog than digital. Like Global, CTV, Radio Canada, CH etc. Are the analog signals from TO much stronger?

ya the Toronto analogs are all high powered like American stations. I would think that come the analog shutdown, the Canadian networks will begin to up their power on the digitals.

I was hoping to find help as far as HDTV.. but I'm afraid most of your posts confuse me quite a bit. I'm looking at purchasing a 32" Westy with built-in tuner.. but I'm afraid I have no idea about picking up HDTV channels in this area. ATM I have TW analog cable through a bulk package with our apartment complex.. so getting HDTV would be costly through them (assuming they offer chanenls) as I would have to upgrade to a digital package from my $35 package now. Anyone here have any advice on what the best way for me to go about getting HDTV channels?

Well, you can get an indoor antenna and give it a try. Depending on your location (and how good the TV's tuner is) you may have good luck. I do.

Or you can make sure your TV has a QAM tuner. That will allow you to pick up unencrypted digital cable channels... which will include HD versions of WKBW, WIVB, WGRZ and WNED. (note: no WUTV) They'll be placed in not-so-friendly channels on your TV (like 88-1 or something) and may move from time to time but you'll be able to watch them.

any recommendations on indoor antennas? would those at best buy in the 40-60 dollar price range be good? Some reviews said that it did have a QAM tuner.. maybe I'll just buy it and play it by ear with QAM and antenna and hope for the best.

Zenith (or Philips) Silver Sensor. Widely regarded as the best - and cheap!

http://www.amazon.com/ZHDTV1-HDTV-UHF-Digital-Antenna-Silver/dp/B00006FXR9/sr=8-1/qid=1162232515/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-6066299-8542303?ie=UTF8&s=electronics

Do not buy the more-expensive Terk model that looks almost identical.

I've never seen the Silver Sensor locally, just online.

i hope when you say Westy with built in tuner, you mean HD or ATSC built in.

an NTSC tuner, which many TV's include as the only tuner, will do u no good.

i hope when you say Westy with built in tuner, you mean HD or ATSC built in.

an NTSC tuner, which many TV's include as the only tuner, will do u no good.

integrated hdtv tuner.

If it's this one, it does have a build in HD (ATSC - over the air, high def) tuner. But doesn't have a QAM / digital cable tuenr.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7680011&type=product&id=1134703181778

If you're only using analog cable I assume you're going to want to connect your cable via a coaxial input on the TV. Make sure the TV has TWO coax inputs... one for ATSC (your new antenna) and one for cable.

Many sets only have ONE meaning you'd be able to connect cable or HD from your antenna but not both at the same time.

If you get your cable from a cable box that you connect via red/yellow/white cables, then you'd be OK with just one coax input but it doesn't sound like that's the case.

If it's this one, it does have a build in HD (ATSC - over the air, high def) tuner. But doesn't have a QAM / digital cable tuenr.

If you're only using analog cable I assume you're going to want to connect your cable via a coaxial input on the TV. Make sure the TV has TWO coax inputs... one for ATSC (your new antenna) and one for cable.

Many sets only have ONE meaning you'd be able to connect cable or HD from your antenna but not both at the same time.

If you get your cable from a cable box that you connect via red/yellow/white cables, then you'd be OK with just one coax input but it doesn't sound like that's the case.


it is that one, but the westinghouse website, unlike bestbuy, lists Clear QAM as a tuner compatibility.. and sadly it does have just one coax cable connection. I guess I'm going to need to spend some time ascertaining if this will be possible to use or if I need to look at upgrading my cable.. tho I'm guessing for TW Digital I'm looking at a bit more than 35 bucks.

If it's got the clear QAM and assuming you don't have problems accessing the QAM channels (I do but I'm the only one I've ever found that has problems) and don't mind the channels being on funky numbers, you'll be OK.

As long as you don't mind not having FOX-HD since TW doesn't offer that.

If it's got the clear QAM and assuming you don't have problems accessing the QAM channels (I do but I'm the only one I've ever found that has problems) and don't mind the channels being on funky numbers, you'll be OK.

As long as you don't mind not having FOX-HD since TW doesn't offer that.

thats the thing, i can't figure out how to access them at all :)

For those (Bruce?) following my quest to figure out why I can't get QAM here, here's an update.

I got my 3rd QAM device yesterday, a TiVo HD Series 3. The result? Same old :( Confirmed (again) the problem's here somehow.

In case it's helpfu to anyone, here's what I get when I scan:

73-128 - 149 71% strength
76-1 - 17 give er take a few 73%
77-1 - 13 73%
78-1 - 43 give er take a few at 65%

Nothing on any of them. Oh well. I couldn't record them with TiVo well anyway (without a CableCARD).

In other news My TV doesn't have a signal meter so I never knew my strength. Now I do. First, my TiVo ATSC tuner seems much stronger. I was getting breakups yesterday afternoon (even lost FOX for at least 5 full minutes) but the TiVo seems rock solid.

Here's what I get in downtown with my indoor Silver Sensor:

2-1 64%
4-1 82%
7-1 85%
29-1 78%
43-1 75%

With numbers like that I shouldn't worry about missing recordings, should I?


One last note... I noticed that TiVo was reporting some shows in HD in it's guide that I didn't think were. The View, Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune on WKBW. So I recorded The View. Guess what? It's in HD! I know it's just The View but I was suprised.

I'm gonna check out the gameshows in about 30 minutes...

Today TW came by to hang the cable back on the side of the house (taken down in the storm). I noticed we got new coax too so I thought I'd try another scan.

I got more channels than usual. Still no picture though. New frequencies TiVo picked up tonight:

2 mysterious "0" channels
79-1 - 15, -101
82-1 - 14, -109

*So close* to the 88 and 89 that I need :(

My TV didn't pick up anything new other than the 0's.

It can't be a coincidence that today I got new coax since I check these frequently and they haven't changed in about a month.


I should also add sometimes I can pull in 400ish channels. MusicChoice supposedly although they don't come in for me.

Their microwave link from their studio to Grand Island digital transmitter approved today.

the music channels play on mine.. you aren't missing a lot :)

Oh - you already bought the set? Do you get the local HD channels?

yes, i have the set :) and nope.. i haven't figured out how to get OTA channels still.. i posted a question in the official thread but its not going far. i'm not sure what i'm doing wrong or if its simply not possible because i don't have digital cable to get it through QAM. i don't understand the process to be honest and just have a bit of research to do tomorrow.

You don't need digital cable. Getting the music channels is the same thing as the HD locals. Just do a scan. If you're seeing the music channels and not the others, you may have a problem.

What channels does the set find? (list all of them... and try all of them)

Have you tried any antenna yet? If you can't wait for a Silver Sensor to arrive from amazon or somewhere just go buy one of those Best Buy ones or try Radio Shack. Just save the receipts and return it when your Silver Sensor arrives; it'll be better :)

While I won't guarantee you'll get every channel right away, you should get SOMETHING to at least know you're doing it right.

Where are you located anyway?

On my sony 34xbr960 i have no trouble pulling in the hd feeds for nbc,cbs,abc and pbs. Nbc and cbs are duplicated on 88.1 and 88.2 and 1.1 and 1.2 respectively All the music choice channels come in fine as well 401-445. I still have the filter on at the pole that prevents me from watching HBO on channel 5. I only have the expanded analog service.

You don't need digital cable. Getting the music channels is the same thing as the HD locals. Just do a scan. If you're seeing the music channels and not the others, you may have a problem.

What channels does the set find? (list all of them... and try all of them)

Have you tried any antenna yet? If you can't wait for a Silver Sensor to arrive from amazon or somewhere just go buy one of those Best Buy ones or try Radio Shack. Just save the receipts and return it when your Silver Sensor arrives; it'll be better :)

While I won't guarantee you'll get every channel right away, you should get SOMETHING to at least know you're doing it right.

Where are you located anyway?

Yea.. started to think something about the music when scrolling through them and noticing they were 480p instead of 480i like the analog channels.

I wasn't sure how to try the other channels to see if I had HD channels.. I saw in this thread people referring to 4.1 etc.. and I definately don't have anything at that location. I'll cycle through the full list, I haven't made it that far as the digital channels scanned in 300+ channels that I don't get a picture for. :P

I'm in Cheektowaga on French.

On my sony 34xbr960 i have no trouble pulling in the hd feeds for nbc,cbs,abc and pbs. Nbc and cbs are duplicated on 88.1 and 88.2 and 1.1 and 1.2 respectively All the music choice channels come in fine as well 401-445. I still have the filter on at the pole that prevents me from watching HBO on channel 5. I only have the expanded analog service.

Wow, I do have them.. put in 88.1 and 88.2 up they come in 1080i. Its a 720p set, is it descaling it?

is there a list of what all I might find?

Congrats. Enjoy.

ARGH - still don't work for me :(

PS You should also find WKBW on 89-3 I believe.

I haven't been able to find anything other than 88.1 and 88.2.. which is nice for now, they look real nice.. we even watched the morning shows just because they were HD, heh. I guess I'm going to pick up an antenna at Best Buy, one of the Terk's prolly to test it, and order the Silver Sensor after I see if I pick up more. But for the moment 4.1 does not exist.. nor any of the others listed in this thread in the lower number channnels.

You won't get 4.1, 2,1, 7.1, etc.

88.1 = 2.1
88.2 = 4.1

Without a cable box or a CableCARD your TV doesn't know what channel that station actually is that your cable company is sending you on freqency 88. It's a crap shoot what number you actually find the stations on. And they may move without warning. Cable companies have to give you the channels by law, they don't have to make it easy ;)

If you get an antenna, THAT's when you'll see things on the channels you're familiar with like 2.1, 4.1 and 7.1. (it'll be identical to what you're seeing now on 88.1 except it'll be traveling thru the air to your antenna instead of coming thru your cable) Some people (me included) say the picture quality is better with antenna because the cable company compresses the image.

FYI: Even that 2.1, 4.1 etc aren't the real numbers. The digital station for WGRZ, for example, is actually 33.1. But stations send data (called PSIP data) that tells your TV or receiver what more-familiar channel to 'map' their digital channel to.

ahhh... thanks a lot for the help btw, i suppose i'll flip through them all one more time, but i think i might just have those two. i would think that somewhere hidden i should have atleast 2 more (cw and nbc) 89.1 and 89.2 show no signal, so perhaps thats where they should be.

i'll pick up an antenna temporarily from best buy today and see what that does.. altho your suggestion that they would give the hd box for a minimal price is interesting, do you know how much more that was here?

I have three QAM tuners (two TV's and one DVR) and they all ID the (in the clear) cable digital channels differently (except TBS).

Yesterday morning (or last night) CFTO seem to loose their PSID data. The displayed number of the channel changed from 9.1 to 40-4 on one of my tuners. Because of the issues I have with GI, I lost the ability to receive it all together on the other tuners, so I don't know how it would show there.
Anyone else notice this?

I have three QAM tuners (two TV's and one DVR) and they all ID the (in the clear) cable digital channels differently (except TBS).

Yesterday morning (or last night) CFTO seem to loose their PSID data. The displayed number of the channel changed from 9.1 to 40-4 on one of my tuners. Because of the issues I have with GI, I lost the ability to receive it all together on the other tuners, so I don't know how it would show there.
Anyone else notice this?

ID? You mean the channel they are on or the ID field? Most of my don't get info.

Are you using QAM on TW Cable? Any chance you can relay the channels you pull in? I heard 89. had one.. but I'm getting no channel there. I've gone through and still seem to just have 88.1 and 88.2, disappointing.

The ID field. This is OTA. TW only gives your the 4 network locals. Sorry you thought I meant cable.

Bruce - since you get your QAM on 3 different sets of channels, can you post all 3 different ones you get?

We know 88/89 is one.

What are the other 2 sets of numbers?

Bruce - since you get your QAM on 3 different sets of channels, can you post all 3 different ones you get?

We know 88/89 is one.

What are the other 2 sets of numbers?

Well, tonight my music stations ARE coming in (all of them) and my two new 0 channels are getting a picture.

One is "CNBC World"
The other is "TV One" which is showing the sitcom "Martin" from the 90's

HUH?!?!

Well, tonight my music stations ARE coming in (all of them) and my two new 0 channels are getting a picture.

One is "CNBC World"
The other is "TV One" which is showing the sitcom "Martin" from the 90's

HUH?!?!

You are using the Silver Sensor antenna that you suggested?

I picked up a Terk powered antenna at Best Buy to test to see what all I would be getting.. I'm not sure how to scan cable and antenna at the same time with my television though. I'm working on hooking up the antenna and cable to my replay TV to run to the television since it only has one Coax input.. I was able to watch The Unit last nite in HD on the TV.. next up is finding a long VGA or DVI cord that I can run from my computer to the television to see how my downloaded programs turn out.

I'm running a Series3 TiVo so I have cable AND an antenna. Those two 0 channels are coming from TW QAM cable (as are the music channels).

But yes, I'm running the Silver Sensor antenna.

The ReplayTV won't pick up any HD or digital stations with the antenna. It doesn't have an ATSC tuner. All you'll get is snowy, grainy analog local stations. Same exact things you already get via basic cable.

Sadly, you're not going to be able to timeshift your HD with the ReplayTV.

I'd recommend:

Split your cable line. Run one into the ReplayTV as you probably always did.
Run the other into the TV's cable input in order to get QAM.
Run a coax from the antenna into the TV's antenna input in order to get OTA HD locals.

Connect your Replay to your TV using either composite or component cables, not coax.


Note: your TV may not allow you to scan BOTH antenna and cable :( I think the Sanyo set I had while ago did have two coax inputs but once you scanned one, it would replace the other. Even my current set takes a LONG time to scan cable (close to a half hour) so it's not feasible to just scan when I want to watch something on the other input.

I only have one coax input on the TV.. so.. hm.. I was actually trying to pass the standard cable through the ReplayTV by hooking the wall cable into the Replay and running RCAs from it to the TV.. then hook the antenna to the television via the coax cable.

Hm.. this is kind of a let down that I can't use the antenna and the cable simultaneously..

OH! In that case, you're doing everything correctly :)

Well this is all very frustrating.. it sounds like the only true solution is to get a HD box from TW if I don't want to have to rescan everytime I want to watch HD shows.

With cable, you should get all the QAM channels meaning all the locals (except FOX).

With an antenna you should get all the locals.

If you use one OR the other you won't need to rescan ever.

Unless you want HD cable stations you have to pay for (HD Net, for example), you shouldn't need a box.

Yea.. I'm going to rescan cable and see if I can find anymore through QAM.. but last time I had only 88.1 and 88.2.

Why don't they have FOX? And do I have to pay something to get ESPN HD?

WUTV is a Sinclair station. Around the country, Sinclair is fighting with Adelphia/Time-Warner to get the cable company to pay for the HD feed. Which sort of makes sense since the cable companies are making money off of that feed because they charge subscribers for HD cable.

They're in a standoff. TW won't pay so Sinclair won't give the rights to carry their HD stations.


I believe just recently TW made it so the only un(ie: free)encrypted digital channels are: TBS (non-HD), and the locals - 2, 4, 7, 17. So yes, you have to pay for ESPN-HD. (cause TW has to pay for it)

I just went through 80-100 (which with all the points took a long ass time..) and only found 88.1 and 88.2 in 1080i.. I can't find any other HD local broadcasts.. heh.

WKBW (ABC) shows in 720p. (at least OTA they do, although I know that TW HD boxes only output upconverted 1080i, not sue what the cable signal is like outside of a box)

If you're only using 1080i as what you're searching for, you may miss it.


But it sounds like you're doing the right thing - Channel Up'ing thru all the channels so you would see it. Although it's really weird that you get two and not more.

Yea... I was just noting anything over channel 80 that came in, and if it was in anything but 480i.

Buffalonians, you are all lucky enough to see your Sabres at home in HD vs. Toronto this Saturday. You can all watch it free via OTA on CBC-HD 20-1.

enjoy it, it's not often you get CBC bringing their HD equipment to your arena, and then broadcasting the game free over the air as well to you.

23-1 is now HD The CW. I'm not getting anything on -2 or -3.

4-x all are as they were (even CW in SD on 4-3).

Buffalonians, you are all lucky enough to see your Sabres at home in HD vs. Toronto this Saturday. You can all watch it free via OTA on CBC-HD 20-1.

enjoy it, it's not often you get CBC bringing their HD equipment to your arena, and then broadcasting the game free over the air as well to you.

Rather watch it in SD and have RJ call it properly when we rake the leafs up and put them at the curb with the rest of the storm debris ;)

23-1 is now HD The CW. I'm not getting anything on -2 or -3.

4-x all are as they were (even CW in SD on 4-3).

It shows HD, but Smallville is being broadcast in SD!

It shows HD, but Smallville is being broadcast in SD!


Nevermind.....I think they found the button

Well it's nice to have another HD channel. I'd hope they put CBS SD back on 23-3 though. At least I have a backup. I always lose locking on 4-1 on bad weather days. :)

Anybody have an update on 34 (49)? When will they start broadcasting from the new station?

Anybody have an update on 34 (49)? When will they start broadcasting from the new station?

"any time" "shortly" 'within a few days" "very soon"

Nevermind.....I think they found the button

WGRZ forgot to turn on HD until around 8:45. I emailed them at 8:30.

WUTV forgot to turn on HD after one of the commercial breaks during The OC but turned it on about 15 minutes later.

Sheesh... how hard is it?!?!

We have 5 major HD stations here. And last night 3 screwed up in some way. Nice.

Nevermind.....I think they found the button

I was recording Grey's Anatomy and The OC so I couldn't flip over.

Once they went HD how did Smallville look?

The only show I watch on that channel is Everybody Hates Chris so I'll be recording that hopefully in HD this Monday.

We have 5 major HD stations here. And last night 3 screwed up in some way. Nice.

That is why I pay for Satellite, I need HD from another city.

Hi, just joined the list. I have not read the entire thread, but I did start at pg 66! I was just wondering if anyone here is located in Springville area, and if so, are you able to pick up anything from Canada, HD or SD with a high powered ota? Toronto is about 86 miles away, so its quite the distance, but I was wondering if my higher elevation might be of assistance (1500ft)?

Sharon

doesn't the rich_antenna guy who posts on here once in a while pick up all the Toronto digitals from Lockport? He has a 60' tower though i believe.

actually now that i look at the map ha ha i can see why, he's only 40miles away.

basically, your going to need a really decent and high antenna system, and still CBC will likely be the only Canadian network you'll get. Maybe CH-HD when it goes up too. But i do believe Canadian networks will up their digital power in about 5 years.

doesn't the rich_antenna guy who posts on here once in a while pick up all the Toronto digitals from Lockport? He has a 60' tower though i believe.

actually now that i look at the map ha ha i can see why, he's only 40miles away.

basically, your going to need a really decent and high antenna system, and still CBC will likely be the only Canadian network you'll get. Maybe CH-HD when it goes up too. But i do believe Canadian networks will up their digital power in about 5 years.

Only 5 years?? I think I'll just turn my antenna south and be done with it! I would much rather just get a strong reliable signal on all the Buff locals and watch CBC and CTV anlaog via cable than have my antenna pointing south and gain only CBC- HD.
And yeah the Sabres game does look good on CBC tonight!

And yeah the Sabres game does look good on CBC tonight!

ironically, the Sabres game is NOT in HD this week, just upconverted widescreen. It looks really bad compared to true HD.

CBC made a last minute change and is covering the CFL playoffs in HD instead.

I didn't even catch that it wasn't in HD- Would I be able to tell that from the psip info when displayed like - 1920X1080 or 1280x720?

well technically it was in 1920x1080 video, because CBC, like most networks, upconverts all it's programming to 1920X1080, including 4:3 video.

the best way to tell is to go right up close to your TV and look at the crowd. With SD, the crowd is mostly just a few different colours of blurs that make up the hint of a face.

with HD, you can actually see each person individually.

Everybody Hates Chris on the new CW digital station... not in HD.

*sigh*