Brilliant come back, and the MOST information we have gotten to date.

You were the one who made the original comment that FOX was cheap. That is the furtherest from the truth. Everything I said, I have said before in this thread. I just pulled it all together in one post. If you look back, I even posted construction pictures. I haven't hidden anything. If I can talk about it without giving out "state secrets", I have. Obviously there are things I can't talk about, and I don't. I like my job too.

I can't comment on other station owners. I don't work for them. All I know is what I have seen and been a part of with FOX since they bought us in 1996. To take my comments beyond that would be foolish, unless I qualify them.

As far as the warrantee, the tube manufacturer has a 2 year warrantee. This was just a bad run of tubes since just about all of the other UHF digital transmitters on the market use the same tube and they aren't blowing up.

Greg,

I may be mistaken, but I believe you have to subscribe to digital cable (including all of the crappy digital non-HD channels), then pay the $7.95 per month fee for the HD pack which includes the INHD channels along with ESPN-HD and a few others.

IU am brand new to OTA HD. I have an indoor antenna (I know I know).
I can get CBS, NBC and WB to work right, but with ABC 45, I get picture with a pretty good strength indication on my TV, but I haven't been able to get any sound. The cable ABC channel 7 has sound, and I can get HD picture, but no sound only on this station. My purpose in my 2nd TV was to have one with an OTA tuner (my main 2002 Toshiba does not) so I could get ABC 45 for the basketball coverage. Anyone else having the same problem, or is it me? :(

Rich Tisovec
Anyone else having trouble with ABC 45 HD audio? We had to upgrade a computer here that caused a lot of PID problems along with the program guide information loss. We are working with manufacturers to resolve the issues. I have had loss of video and audio, virtual ch.# information incorrect but I have not noticed just a loss of audio.
Zane

For TWC:

Cable
05/25 - 06/24/06 Basic Service $9.18
05/25 - 06/24/06 Standard Service $40.77
05/25 - 06/24/06 Digital Access $2.00
05/25 - 06/24/06 DVR Service $4.95
05/25 - 06/24/06 DVR Converter $3.70
05/25 - 06/24/06 DVR Remote $0.30

Fees And Taxes
05/25 - 06/24/06 FCC Fee $0.06
05/25 - 06/24/06 PEG Fee $0.16
05/25/06 Franchise Fee $3.26
05/25/06 NC SALES TAX $0.28
05/25/06 NC SALES TAX $1.14
05/25/06 NC SALES TAX $0.20
Total New Charges (including taxes) $66.00

Anyone else having trouble with ABC 45 HD audio? We had to upgrade a computer here that caused a lot of PID problems along with the program guide information loss. We are working with manufacturers to resolve the issues. I have had loss of video and audio, virtual ch.# information incorrect but I have not noticed just a loss of audio.
Zane


I watched LOST the other night with no issues, and today audio seemed fine.

it looks like I have missed a lot in the last few days.

Has anyone had any luck with TWC about ESPN2HD? The world cup starts in a few days and the first game by the US is on ESPN2.

Anyone else having trouble with ABC 45 HD audio? We had to upgrade a computer here that caused a lot of PID problems along with the program guide information loss. We are working with manufacturers to resolve the issues. I have had loss of video and audio, virtual ch.# information incorrect but I have not noticed just a loss of audio.
ZaneThe audio is fine but the video is misaligned. The picture is too low. The top of the picture doesn't go all the way to the top of the screen and the bottom is cut off.

For TWC:

Cable
05/25 - 06/24/06 Basic Service $9.18
05/25 - 06/24/06 Standard Service $40.77
05/25 - 06/24/06 Digital Access $2.00
05/25 - 06/24/06 DVR Service $4.95
05/25 - 06/24/06 DVR Converter $3.70
05/25 - 06/24/06 DVR Remote $0.30

Fees And Taxes
05/25 - 06/24/06 FCC Fee $0.06
05/25 - 06/24/06 PEG Fee $0.16
05/25/06 Franchise Fee $3.26
05/25/06 NC SALES TAX $0.28
05/25/06 NC SALES TAX $1.14
05/25/06 NC SALES TAX $0.20
Total New Charges (including taxes) $66.00

WOW! DirecTV is cheaper for the same apples to apples services!

Also, 48-1 picture is also messed up. It looks like the 4:3 picture has been squished down to a 16:9 format. However, both 45-1 and 48-1 are frame correctly when showing HD. The format problems are only occuring when showing SD content.

I still don't have any sound on ABC 45 again tonight over OTA. Still get the video fine, but no audio. I'm wondering if it's something with the new TV tha it's dropping the audio or has something to do with it being more info on the 720p that it needs a stronger signal to carry the audio, which doesn't really make sense to me. The nights in question are 5/31 and 6/1. All other OTA's coming in fine except NBC, but they're not on regular cable either, presumably due to the weather. Any suggestions about what I can do? I have also noted a 45-2 station with nothing but black on it, no audio or video. Is everyone else getting or not getting the same thing?

RIch Tisovec

All other OTA's coming in fine except NBC, but they're not on regular cable either, presumably due to the weather.

WXII took a lightning strike at the transmitter site in Stokes county, knocking us off the air for about an hour to cable, digital, and dish customers. Analog was fine.

Since I am the only one having problems with ABC 45 audio it seems, any suggestions on an outdoor antenna I can put near the side of the house or something I can put in the attic? I'd ideally like something relatively inconspicuous if outside since I can't mount it on the building but figure that outside may be better than inside. I'd like one that does VHF and doesn't need to be moved/rotated. Living in NW Greensboro.

Thanks,
Rich Tisovec

Alright, I'm confused. TWC has done something different with the signal in the past couple of weeks. My plasma TVs used to have no trouble stretching the image through S-video via my TiVo. But now the signal is "locked" where I can't stretch it and the TV is thinking it's a 4:3 signal.

Like on 540, the Office, right now. Via Component, it's in HD, looks great. But when I switch to the S-Video input through the TiVo, I've got horizontal gray bars on top and bottom. I have to use Zoom to stretch it vertically to get rid of the bars.

Before this change, that picture would have filled the screen with no stretching, it just would have been in 480i rather than 1080i.

I've tried changing the settings to "Passthrough", but that's not helping.

Any ideas?

Try using the "upconvert 1 & 2" options on picture sisze.

I am having trouble with audio on ESPN2 TWC32. I am only gettng sound out of the right channel. This is only happening on ESPN2, anyone else notice this or is it possibly a hardware issue on my end. I just wish TWC would add ESPN2-HD!

The new software for the Guidebuilder has "fixed" all our problems on both stations. Video ratio out of whack, missing audio, receiver lock and unlocks. Updates are great! Still working on the problems :mad:

Hi everyone, new to digital tv, just purchased a Sony Grand Wega E50A10, using indoor Phillips HD antenna. Getting just about all local digital broadcasts. but am also having trouble with 45.1 audio not coming in. Had it briefly this am, is this due to 45.2 being set-up by the station? Live near Sauratown mountain (1/2 mile as crow flies) and WXII was still off air this am, analog and digital. I know I need outside antenna for longer distance reception. Also does the rain and moister affect same as small dish reception? Thanks for any replies! :)

The new software for the Guidebuilder has "fixed" all our problems on both stations. Video ratio out of whack, missing audio, receiver lock and unlocks. Updates are great! Still working on the problems :mad:
Thanks for working on the problems. It appears that the video problem on 45.1 has been fixed. Very recently I might add. When I first got home around 4:30 I checked and the problem was still there on 45.1 When I checked on 45.1 just now it was back to normal. 48.1 is still squishing the 4:3 picture to 16:9.

Thanks for working on the problems. It appears that the video problem on 45.1 has been fixed. Very recently I might add. When I first got home around 4:30 I checked and the problem was still there on 45.1 When I checked on 45.1 just now it was back to normal. 48.1 is still squishing the 4:3 picture to 16:9.
I'm hoping we have the PID situation fixed now. Everyone should have both audio and video. The 48 picture ratio still is causing me fits.

Is WXII at full strength yet? It is the only local station that I can't receive via OTA in T'ville.

Is WXII at full strength yet? It is the only local station that I can't receive via OTA in T'ville.
Others can correct me if I'm wrong but I believe WXII is at full strength.

Also, 48.1 is back to normal. No more squishing of the picture. Thanks Zane.

Is WXII at full strength yet? It is the only local station that I can't receive via OTA in T'ville.

You shouldn't have any trouble with WXII. If you can get the analog feed, the digital
should obtainable as long as you have decent UHF reception. I would say from Thomasville,
point your antenna (if its directional) slightly NW. Can you get the PBS feeds?

C Snyder

Hello everyone. Sorry I haven't posted for awhile. Very busy. I have been reading some here though. lots of projects: Equipment has been speced for Dolby 5.1. Now waiting for approval to write the PO. This may take awhile, please be patient, and I am lobbying hard to make it happen. You might not believe how hard it is to make new Dolby equipment work with a four year old encoder. Also working on spec and pricing for new back up generator for DTV transmitter. $$$$ squared! Foxeng posted: "To say that our new transmitter site is nice is an understatement. Unlike the original building, which isn't much more than a cinder block building just big enough for the equipment and to keep the rain out, the new building is large and comfortable. It is the kind of building you would see in a much larger market with a large office, separate repair shop, each transmitter has its own large room and a break room with refrig, microwave and running water. xmitterengineer from channel 2 has been to the site and seen it. Maybe I should let him describe it." Yes I have seen and they have a most impressive facility. What else can I say. Ours was not quite antiquated enough to warrant expendature of that magnitude. Wish it had been though. Heres good wishes for my engineering brethren and collectively all of our viewers. Rickey.

Yes I have seen and they have a most impressive facility. What else can I say.

Thanks, but I have always liked yours. You have the room to situate that area pretty much how you want it, something I never was able to do in my old building. One of our early designs had our generator set out in an area just like yours and then the architects got a hold of it and well you see what we got.

Browsing the Raleigh thread, it looks like TWC made the HD-version of OLN available on QAM for the Hurricanes games for the Finals. Does anyone know if we are near as lucky in the Triad market? I haven't done a full rescan yet to see if I can pick anything up, but may have to try tonight. Would be nice to pick up Game 2 in HD!

Browsing the Raleigh thread, it looks like TWC made the HD-version of OLN available on QAM for the Hurricanes games for the Finals. Does anyone know if we are near as lucky in the Triad market? I haven't done a full rescan yet to see if I can pick anything up, but may have to try tonight. Would be nice to pick up Game 2 in HD!
Not sure about TWC, but for those of you on D*, they have the NHL playoff games from OLN in HD running ho channel 95.

Not sure about TWC, but for those of you on D*, they have the NHL playoff games from OLN in HD running ho channel 95.
That's has been great, I have been watching the Canes in HD on D* on channel 95. For TWC, I think they've had the games on InHD 1 or 2.

I wish TWC would go ahead and cut off analog cable (to add more HD) and offer 1 free SDTV cable box for each subscriber to ease the pain of analog cut-off.

Is there a good number (or email) to call to inquire about the status of ABC-HD or espicially ESPN2HD for the world cup?

The last I heard from Time Warner was that ABC and ESPN2 HD were expected later this year. Anybody hear anything else?

Doing some reasearch, it looks like this problem with Time Warner and Sinclair (ABC locals) has been going on for years. I came across several posts and articles going back a few years saying a compromise was coming soon.

I'm thinking about getting one of the ~$200 HDTV tuners and an antenna from Circuit City or Best Buy. That way I can watch the NBA finals in HD and not worry about football season. It won't be as convenient as cable, but better than nothing.

Anyone have suggestions on a receiver/antenna combo to pick up ABC in Kernersville? I wouldn't mind a small outdoor antenna for the few times I'm going to need ABC HD.

Is there a good number (or email) to call to inquire about the status of ABC-HD or espicially ESPN2HD for the world cup?

I'm convinced Sinclair will not allow ABC-HD on Time Warner until:

1) Hell freezes over. (possible with all the climate changes)
2) David Smith resigns. (less likely than above)
3) You invest several hundred dollars on off-air equipment. (your best bet)

ok.....so probally not to abc, but to have espn2hd would be nice......

I am just looking for a customer service number that isn't talking to an idiot

ok.....so probally not to abc, but to have espn2hd would be nice......

I am just looking for a customer service number that isn't talking to an idiot

Good luck !!!! ;) ;) ;)

Since TWC's latest "upgrade" has knocked out my Pace HD box I am getting a new HD DVR tomorrow. This will be my first DVR. Will I be able to set it to automatically record all the World Cup soccer games or will it have to be set for each game?

That's has been great, I have been watching the Canes in HD on D* on channel 95. For TWC, I think they've had the games on InHD 1 or 2.

TWC has hockey game on right now on 560 InHD...

anyone know why TWC wastes bandwitch on two showtimes and two HBOs? I've got D* too and the picture quality on HD stations is better on TWC. I was blown away how much better ESPN looked on TWC. Albeit, I get ESPN2 on D*.

anyone know why TWC wastes bandwitch on two showtimes and two HBOs? I've got D* too and the picture quality on HD stations is better on TWC. I was blown away how much better ESPN looked on TWC. Albeit, I get ESPN2 on D*.
For me that's the rub with TWC. I know I can get better picture quality on TWC than on D* but I must have ESPN2-HD and I also like Universal HD as well and right now I get ABC-HD OTA. If I drop D* to move to TWC to get the better PQ I would have to give up ESPN2-HD and UHD plus buy a seperate HD tuner box to continue to get ABC-HD via OTA. I don't want to do that.

Plus long term D* will be much better shape than TWC for bandwidth. Here's an article that talks about the trouble cable will be facing in the future in regards to bandwidth and how their competitors will have a lot more of it.

http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060606/BUSINESS/606060315/-1/archives

With both E* and D* rolling out HD locals the biggest HD advantage TWC has will be gone. With all the bandwidth D* will have after the new satellites go up I'd imagine the PQ advantage TWC has will disappear as well.

TWC will still have the advantage of lower upfront costs and no dish required. For a lot of people that will good enough to stick with cable.

The article you linked brings up some very good points, but it's obviously heavily biased towards satellite, and I'm not sure it gives an accurate picture of the situation. For starters, it doesn't mention exactly what you said in your post--that satellite HD quality has suffered greatly over the past couple of years. If you think that new birds are going to go up and they'll instantly fill up that bandwidth with higher bit rate HD, I fear you might be disappointed. There are no guarantees on that.

As a TWC customer, I'm VERY concerned about the switched digital stuff. I want to be able to use a cable card with a TiVo instead of their awful DVR.

But if they can improve their DVR to compete with TiVo, I won't care.

I'm not a fanboy of cable or anything else. I'll switch today if I can have the holy grail of pq + HD selection + great DVR. But nobody's pulled that off just yet.

The last I heard from Time Warner was that ABC and ESPN2 HD were expected later this year. Anybody hear anything else?

Doing some reasearch, it looks like this problem with Time Warner and Sinclair (ABC locals) has been going on for years. I came across several posts and articles going back a few years saying a compromise was coming soon.

I'm thinking about getting one of the ~$200 HDTV tuners and an antenna from Circuit City or Best Buy. That way I can watch the NBA finals in HD and not worry about football season. It won't be as convenient as cable, but better than nothing.

Anyone have suggestions on a receiver/antenna combo to pick up ABC in Kernersville? I wouldn't mind a small outdoor antenna for the few times I'm going to need ABC HD.

I'm just using an old amplified rabbit ear UHF/VHF indoor antenna and it picks up ABC-HD great.

I don't know about Kernersville, but a Zenith Silver Sensor indoor antenna works great from Northwest Greensboro.

The article you linked brings up some very good points, but it's obviously heavily biased towards satellite, and I'm not sure it gives an accurate picture of the situation. For starters, it doesn't mention exactly what you said in your post--that satellite HD quality has suffered greatly over the past couple of years. If you think that new birds are going to go up and they'll instantly fill up that bandwidth with higher bit rate HD, I fear you might be disappointed. There are no guarantees on that.

As a TWC customer, I'm VERY concerned about the switched digital stuff. I want to be able to use a cable card with a TiVo instead of their awful DVR.

But if they can improve their DVR to compete with TiVo, I won't care.

I'm not a fanboy of cable or anything else. I'll switch today if I can have the holy grail of pq + HD selection + great DVR. But nobody's pulled that off just yet.
You're right that the new satellites may not improve PQ but if it doesn't I will be very disappointed. The lack of bandwidth is why their PQ stinks. If they have all this bandwidth for 150 channels but don't use it to improve PQ that would be incredibly stupid. It's going to be years before there are 150 HD channels so when they only have what's out there right now there will be no excuse not to run them at full resolution.

I haven't seen any MPEG-4 HD locals from D* but at least some reports indicated that the PQ is a good as OTA but I'll wait until I can see for myself.

As far as the holy grail of pq + HD selection + great DVR, the Verizon FIOS probably comes the closest. I know they have lots of HD now and the PQ is supposed to be fantastic. What I don't know is how good their DVR is. Unfortunately we will probably never see it around here.

D*'s Tivo HD DVR is pretty good but I know that expecations for their new MPEG-4 HD-DVR are low, whenever it finally comes out.

The article you linked brings up some very good points, but it's obviously heavily biased towards satellite, and I'm not sure it gives an accurate picture of the situation. For starters, it doesn't mention exactly what you said in your post--that satellite HD quality has suffered greatly over the past couple of years. If you think that new birds are going to go up and they'll instantly fill up that bandwidth with higher bit rate HD, I fear you might be disappointed. There are no guarantees on that.

As a TWC customer, I'm VERY concerned about the switched digital stuff. I want to be able to use a cable card with a TiVo instead of their awful DVR.

But if they can improve their DVR to compete with TiVo, I won't care.

I'm not a fanboy of cable or anything else. I'll switch today if I can have the holy grail of pq + HD selection + great DVR. But nobody's pulled that off just yet.

Regarding CableCard. CableCard is a stop gap technology more a result of governmental meddling than good technology.

OCAP (OpenCable Operation Platform) will quickly make CableCard obsolete. Think of it as Bluetooth for TV.

Regarding CableCard. CableCard is a stop gap technology more a result of governmental meddling than good technology.

OCAP (OpenCable Operation Platform) will quickly make CableCard obsolete. Think of it as Bluetooth for TV.
I've never heard of OCAP. When you say "quickly", what do you mean? I'm sick of the SA8300 with SARA. I was stoked about the upcoming TiVo Series 3 until I heard about TWC going to switched digital.

I just want a good DVR and some good HD selection. And I'd really like it soon, as in the next 6 months.

I just want a good DVR and some good HD selection. And I'd really like it soon, as in the next 6 months.E* may be your best bet right now. For now they have more HD content than TWC or D* and they have an HD DVR that can record their newest content. Also the PQ is better than D*'s but I'm not sure if it is as good as TWC. However, D* is going to beat E* to the punch for having HD LiL in this area.

I've thought about switching to E* because right now they are better than D*, but by sometime next year D* will be better than E*, at least content wise. PQ may be another story. I just don't want to play the game of jumping from one provider to another everytime one leap frogs the other. I'm waiting to see what D* will be like once all of their plan has been executed, which will be sometime next year. If at that time D* isn't the best provider, I'll switch to someone else.

I've never heard of OCAP. When you say "quickly", what do you mean? I'm sick of the SA8300 with SARA. I was stoked about the upcoming TiVo Series 3 until I heard about TWC going to switched digital.

I just want a good DVR and some good HD selection. And I'd really like it soon, as in the next 6 months.

OCAP is an initaitive by CableLabs to "build-in" interoperability between devices and program providers. It eliminates proprietary technology and standardizes interfaces. It will eliminate the need for peripheral devices, including CableCards, as gateways for accessing any level of programming. It will even further blur the line between what is a TV and what is a computer.

"Soon" is over the next five years or so.

OCAP is an initaitive by CableLabs to "build-in" interoperability between devices and program providers. It eliminates proprietary technology and standardizes interfaces. It will eliminate the need for peripheral devices, including CableCards, as gateways for accessing any level of programming. It will even further blur the line between what is a TV and what is a computer.

"Soon" is over the next five years or so.So...
If I'm understanding the concept here...

My HDTV, or TiVo, or DVR will have a bluetooth like communications link available to communicate its need to tune to a specific channel to the TimeWarnerCable provided cable "interface" box (listening to the "bluetooth" like link) that will in turn communicate back to the TWC cable switch that routes the specific channel I desire back to me, and all will be "transparent" to me as a user.

I simply change channels on the TV (or TiVo) to whatever channel I desire and I magically get the programming expected because the "bluetooth" device told the cable company what I was tuning to.. the channel will be much higher bitrate (I can dream, can't I), with less jpeg artifacts and less macro-blocking because of their more effective use of the bandwidth :eek: , but costing more... (doubt they'll reduce the rates :( )

Oh yes, I also start getting massive junk mail from Lowes and Home-Depot because the cable company knows I watch the DIY channel, and more Junk mail from food-suppliers because I tuned to Emeril's cooking show. And ads for sports magazines because I tuned to the football game...

Yup... if they sell the viewing statistics (and details) of the viewers program habbits to outside companies ... then TWC will have another revenue stream, and still charge us more, but now our TiVo and DVR and HDTV can all transparently tune to all the channels we subscribe to. (assuming we buy all new equipment and they all are equipped with the "bluetooth" like device you described)

Joe L.

So...
If I'm understanding the concept here...

My HDTV, or TiVo, or DVR will have a bluetooth like communications link available to communicate its need to tune to a specific channel to the TimeWarnerCable provided cable "interface" box (listening to the "bluetooth" like link) that will in turn communicate back to the TWC cable switch that routes the specific channel I desire back to me, and all will be "transparent" to me as a user.

I simply change channels on the TV (or TiVo) to whatever channel I desire and I get the programming expected because the "bluetooth" device told the cable company what I was tuning to.. the channel will be much higher bitrate (I can dream, can't I), with less jpeg artifacts and less macro-blocking because of their more effective use of the bandwidth :( , but costing more... (doubt they'll reduce the rates :( )

Joe L.

Well, you are talking about both SDV (switched digital video) and OCAP, but essentially, yes.

"Time Warner Cable is committed to roll OCAP in six markets this year, said Joan Gillman, the MSO's vice president of interactive television and advance advertising.

Although Time Warner initially will take an incremental approach by porting existing apps to the OCAP platform, including the MSO's first "major" OCAP app - the Mystro Digital Navigator -- she said the company has high expectations that third parties will also develop apps for OCAP.

As OCAP boxes are introduced to the market and begin to reach scale, Time Warner plans to identify more features and apps that will help to differentiate cable from its competitors, she explained."

The long-dormant, potential energy of the OpenCable Application Platform has moved into action. This momentum will carry MSOs toward the goal of installation of OCAP in most headends by mid-2009.

By Mike Robuck, Associate Editor
Communications Technology
April 2006

Like an avalanche beginning to rumble down a mountain, the OpenCable Application Platform (OCAP) is poised to gain thunderous momentum this year.

"This is the year of OCAP for us," Time Warner Cable Chief Technology Officer Mike LaJoie says. "You're actually going to start seeing this stuff hit the market in a big way in our systems. We're working closely with consumer electronics companies, and hopefully they'll come at this in a big way, too."

OCAP, which was developed by cable operators and CableLabs, is a stack of software that resides between applications and the operating system within a consumer electronics device such as a set-top box or OCAP-compliant TV set.

Long a work in progress, OCAP falls within the broader OpenCable initiative, which CableLabs launched in 1997 to promote the deployment of interactive services over cable. OpenCable efforts have ranged beyond OCAP and its several extensions to encompass specifications that advance CableLabs' stated goals of defining next-generation digital consumer devices, encouraging supplier competition and creating a retail hardware platform. (For more on OpenCable specifications, see sidebar on page 30.)

The benefits of an OpenCable world include the ability to bring new products and services to customers in a user-friendly, two-way environment. If a customer buys an OCAP-enabled TV set in one cable market but moves to another, for instance, that device—and applications such as electronic program guides (EPGs)—should work automatically in the new cable market. That assumes, of course, a conditional access (CA) solution that enables these devices to move with their owners. Down the road, OCAP will also enable more advanced bidirectional devices and applications, such as allowing secure computers access to multi-channel video.

"What OCAP does is it creates a platform in which the imagination can kick in," says Wayne Davis, Charter Communications' EVP Engineering and CTO. "What kinds of applications may be down the road, but right how the biggest thing for us is to get the platform in with the end-to-end components related to that."

I just want a good DVR and some good HD selection. And I'd really like it soon, as in the next 6 months.

You might have to wait. TWC here is having major issues in the system. They are having pixilation of signals, freeze ups and such. You can see this not only on the digital channels, but the analogs as well. (Monday night the entire Greensboro hub froze for about 15 minutes on every channel on the system, local and "cable channels" The local stations are not happy about it.

You might have to wait. TWC here is having major issues in the system. They are having pixilation of signals, freeze ups and such. You can see this not only on the digital channels, but the analogs as well. (Monday night the entire Greensboro hub froze for about 15 minutes on every channel on the system, local and "cable channels" The local stations are not happy about it.

Maybe they got a bad batch of tubes. ;) ;) ;) ;)

Sorry, couldn't resist. :D

How many hours recording can the 8300 HD DVR hold?
Also, if I select "record all" for the World Cup will it record all the games on all channels or just on the one channel?
Thanks!

PS: I know there is a thread on this DVR but it's about 100 pages long and I couldnt find this info.

How many hours recording can the 8300 HD DVR hold?
Also, if I select "record all" for the World Cup will it record all the games on all channels or just on the one channel?
Thanks!

PS: I know there is a thread on this DVR but it's about 100 pages long and I couldnt find this info.

I've heard up to 90 hours of SD, or 20 hours of HD. In the diagnostic menu, one of the screens will tell you how much of the 160 gigs you've used, and how many you have left. In the Raleigh division, you access the diagnostic menu by tuning to channel 999. Don't know about the Triad.

I've heard up to 90 hours of SD, or 20 hours of HD. In the diagnostic menu, one of the screens will tell you how much of the 160 gigs you've used, and how many you have left. In the Raleigh division, you access the diagnostic menu by tuning to channel 999. Don't know about the Triad.If you have the correct SATA (newer style) cable you can plug an external disk SATA drive into the SATA connector on the back of the 8300 DVR and increase the storage available. There is a thread on AVS about adding the external disk as well.

Don't ask me how I know, but it works just fine and you can triple the available storage (or more). You do have to power up the external disk first and then power up the 8300. (bit of a pain there) so if you have a power glitch from a storm it might tell you the external drive is not accessible until you power cycle everything properly. :(

I have my 8300-DVR/HTPC/Reciever & Projector on a UPS so I don't have to deal with this issue too often as they never get powered down except when I want them to be. :D

I never used the "Record All" feature and have only ever recorded individual shows. Can't advise you how that feature works when an event spans multiple channels.

Joe L.

Dear Triad friends,

As you all know, I am not the most knowledgeable when it comes to working around the technical issues, so I'm going to put a question out to you that I cannot find the answer to.

My local swim and tennis club has the Pace HD box (per my recommendation a few years back - never upgraded and they don't need the DVR). Someone has gone in and screwed up the channel listings through the box to where you can only receive the religious channels (7 and 66) the locals (9, 10, 11) and the TV Guide Channel (42). You cannot punch in any other channel - the box just displays "???". I looked through my PDF Pace manual and couldn't figure out how in the world to undo what they have done to it. Does the club just need to call TWC to get it fixed? I really don't want to "volunteer" many hours to this project in figuring out what was done.

Is there an easy "out" here?

Thanks in advance!

Dear Triad friends,

As you all know, I am not the most knowledgeable when it comes to working around the technical issues, so I'm going to put a question out to you that I cannot find the answer to.

My local swim and tennis club has the Pace HD box (per my recommendation a few years back - never upgraded and they don't need the DVR). Someone has gone in and screwed up the channel listings through the box to where you can only receive the religious channels (7 and 66) the locals (9, 10, 11) and the TV Guide Channel (42). You cannot punch in any other channel - the box just displays "???". I looked through my PDF Pace manual and couldn't figure out how in the world to undo what they have done to it. Does the club just need to call TWC to get it fixed? I really don't want to "volunteer" many hours to this project in figuring out what was done.

Is there an easy "out" here?

Thanks in advance!I've never owned a "Pace" cable box, but if it is like the SA boxes if you unplug it (not just power off, but unplug from the wall) leave it unplugged for 30 seconds or so, and then plug it back in, it will re-initialize itself and be re-programmed by TWC to whatever feature set it should have.

Now, with that in mind, it could be that the swim-club is currently only subscribing to the basic channels and therefore, that is all TWC will let it tune to. Or, someone might have "blocked" all the other channels. (That would have been a lot of work, so it is less likely)

So... first try power cycling it, then call TWC.

Joe L.

I picked up a ProBrand 3150PLUS receiver and Terk HDTVi antenna from Circuit City so I can watch the NBA finals in high definition and not have to worry about football season.

According to antennaweb, I'm only 23 miles from the ABC transmitter (Kernersville, just north of I-40). I ended up putting the antenna (supposed to be indoor) on my front porch so I could point it towards the transmitter without the house blocking the signal. I couldn't get a signal anywhere else. Once I got a signal the reception and picture quality was fine.

This setup is pretty cumbersome... My stereo only has one optical audio input, so I have to switch it between the 8300HD set top box and the ProBrand tuner. (Incidentally, I wasn't getting good surround sound from ABC. The rear channels were dead despite getting Dolby Digital from the tuner.) I ended up doing the same with the HDMI input to my TV since I didn't have a spare set of component or DVI cables.

I'm only planning to use this for ABC sporting events until TWC and Sinclair work out a deal. Can anyone suggest a better antenna? I could make do with putting the antenna on my front porch a couple of times a week or mount something in the attic. This whole arrangement is really crappy. Thanks.

atoner......unfortunately, that's about the best you can do for a "temp" setup like that. I have the same situation in my theater room. I'm using the cable box 98.8% of the time and switch to my old DirecTV HD box for WXLV. It's a pain in the ass, I know, but since sports are the only thing I watch on ABC, it's minimal.

On the same note, all you TWC customers make sure to call TWC and ask for customer retention or a manager and thank them wholeheartedly for only making less than 1/4 of the World Cup matches available to their "valued" customers in HD. I plan to call every day of the tournament.

I picked up a ProBrand 3150PLUS receiver and Terk HDTVi antenna from Circuit City so I can watch the NBA finals in high definition and not have to worry about football season.

According to antennaweb, I'm only 23 miles from the ABC transmitter (Kernersville, just north of I-40). I ended up putting the antenna (supposed to be indoor) on my front porch so I could point it towards the transmitter without the house blocking the signal. I couldn't get a signal anywhere else. Once I got a signal the reception and picture quality was fine.

This setup is pretty cumbersome... My stereo only has one optical audio input, so I have to switch it between the 8300HD set top box and the ProBrand tuner. (Incidentally, I wasn't getting good surround sound from ABC. The rear channels were dead despite getting Dolby Digital from the tuner.) I ended up doing the same with the HDMI input to my TV since I didn't have a spare set of component or DVI cables.

I'm only planning to use this for ABC sporting events until TWC and Sinclair work out a deal. Can anyone suggest a better antenna? I could make do with putting the antenna on my front porch a couple of times a week or mount something in the attic. This whole arrangement is really crappy. Thanks.

foxeng,

THIS is why stations that aren't on cable will suffer.

foxeng,

THIS is why stations that aren't on cable will suffer.

Really? I think thinks this PROVES my point that people will do what it takes to watch TV, including putting up antennas. Cable doesn't off an OTA channel. Viewer wants to watch that OTA channel. Viewer puts up antenna. Viewer watches channel. Viewer fines (that in HD) it is a better picture quality than cable. (OOPPSS! Cable doesn't start to look as good a deal as before. The cable nightmare.)

Actually in this case, it is for specific programming which isn't unusual. It is also not unusual for people to watch only one or two shows on a channel no matter what the source. In a 500 channel universe, people don't stay on one channel for hours like in the old days of 3 channels.

Please be careful you don't turn into a "vurbano" on this trying to do a " I told you so" to me. In most cases I think I can prove you wrong as I did here.

Your side topic doesn't really need to be in the local thread. You will always side with cable and I will side with the truth. Let's agree to disagree.

I've never owned a "Pace" cable box, but if it is like the SA boxes if you unplug it (not just power off, but unplug from the wall) leave it unplugged for 30 seconds or so, and then plug it back in, it will re-initialize itself and be re-programmed by TWC to whatever feature set it should have.

Now, with that in mind, it could be that the swim-club is currently only subscribing to the basic channels and therefore, that is all TWC will let it tune to. Or, someone might have "blocked" all the other channels. (That would have been a lot of work, so it is less likely)

So... first try power cycling it, then call TWC.

Joe L.
Well, Duh on me!!! :o

Thank you!!!

I should have known to do that plug off power off then on thing - I do it all the time here. As for the subscribing, we subscribe to more than the basic cable. I'll stop by the club this AM (just left there from swim team time trials) to see if that'll take care of the problem.

Really? I think thinks this PROVES my point that people will do what it takes to watch TV, including putting up antennas. Cable doesn't off an OTA channel. Viewer wants to watch that OTA channel. Viewer puts up antenna. Viewer watches channel. Viewer fines (that in HD) it is a better picture quality than cable. (OOPPSS! Cable doesn't start to look as good a deal as before. The cable nightmare.)

Actually in this case, it is for specific programming which isn't unusual. It is also not unusual for people to watch only one or two shows on a channel no matter what the source. In a 500 channel universe, people don't stay on one channel for hours like in the old days of 3 channels.

Please be careful you don't turn into a "vurbano" on this trying to do a " I told you so" to me. In most cases I think I can prove you wrong as I did here.

Your side topic doesn't really need to be in the local thread. You will always side with cable and I will side with the truth. Let's agree to disagree.

I'll agree to disagree if you agree that there's some truth on both sides, that both cable and broadcast have mutually benefited from the relationship that has existed over the last 40 years and the oneupmanship of "They need me more than I need them" only harms the end user.

If people are willing to jump through hoops to add ABC-HD to their setup since it isn't on cable, how many people will drop cable all together and move to D* when ABC-HD is available on D* sometime this fall. Add in the fact that they will get ESPN2-HD as well I'd bet that TWC will lose a number of customers to D*.

I'll agree to disagree if you agree that there's some truth on both sides, that both cable and broadcast have mutually benefited from the relationship that has existed over the last 40 years and the oneupmanship of "They need me more than I need them" only harms the end user.

I have never denied that the relationship has been mutually benefical. But with multiple MSOs now available to the public, cable being the dominate "gatekeeper" is diminishing and with HD, people are rediscovering the "antenna." Every cable person I talk to off the record all tell me the same thing, cable had the advantage of clearer pictures (meaning no ghosting or noise in the picture) and now HD/ digital takes that advantage away from them. Add in cost of the service verses other providers and cable had no choice but to start offering "non TV services" just to keep subs. Cable for many years effectively kept the telcos out of the market, but with sat penetrating pretty good (sat IMHO will not over take cable, but will put a good dent in it) and the telcos, and now good OTA pictures (HD or digital) eating away at cable, cable can swing that bat they always have had, it just doesn't do the same amount of damage that it used to.

Now having said all that, I also admit you will have people who will never give up a non antenna choice for lots of reasons from "antennas are ugly" to "I can't pick up anything". But to say that OTA broadcasting, as some in the HD Programming threads claim from the highest mountains, will die is not factual. Now, will OTA of the future be like the past? OBSOLETELY NOT. It is changing before our eyes and many do not like that for lots of reasons again ranging from "broadcasters said A and now are doing B" to "I want all 19.3 mbps bandwidth for X,Y,Z." What will finally work out, I have not idea. The market will figure that one out. That is truth, not a point from the broadcasters side.

I predict that when D* starts HD LIL in a couple of months here, having ABC HD will drive some away from cable (Sinclair has said nationally they signed an agreement with D* for the HD signals). If the churn is high enough, TWC will cave into Sinclair. They will not have a choice and it will be because of lost revenue. It all boils down to it is all a business and everyone is trying to maximize profits, cable and broadcasters. Now that doesn't make it bad, it makes it free enterprise and market driven.

There are17 cablecos in this market. TWC having approximately 50% of the market and sat with approximately 20% (D* and E* combined). Currently only 2 other systems offer HD (LexCom is up and Charter in WIlksboro should be up anytime now) and from what I have been told by the cable people (I of course defer to Zane for any official status of his stations) I have talked to in those systems, WXLV-DT either is on or will be on shortly. The smaller area cable realize that they can't afford not to have ABC HD on their line ups.

I have never denied that the relationship has been mutually benefical. But with multiple MSOs now available to the public, cable being the dominate "gatekeeper" is diminishing and with HD, people are rediscovering the "antenna." Every cable person I talk to off the record all tell me the same thing, cable had the advantage of clearer pictures (meaning no ghosting or noise in the picture) and now HD/ digital takes that advantage away from them. Add in cost of the service verses other providers and cable had no choice but to start offering "non TV services" just to keep subs. Cable for many years effectively kept the telcos out of the market, but with sat penetrating pretty good (sat IMHO will not over take cable, but will put a good dent in it) and the telcos, and now good OTA pictures (HD or digital) eating away at cable, cable can swing that bat they always have had, it just doesn't do the same amount of damage that it used to.

Now having said all that, I also admit you will have people who will never give up a non antenna choice for lots of reasons from "antennas are ugly" to "I can't pick up anything". But to say that OTA broadcasting, as some in the HD Programming threads claim from the highest mountains, will die is not factual. Now, will OTA of the future be like the past? OBSOLETELY NOT. It is changing before our eyes and many do not like that for lots of reasons again ranging from "broadcasters said A and now are doing B" to "I want all 19.3 mbps bandwidth for X,Y,Z." What will finally work out, I have not idea. The market will figure that one out. That is truth, not a point from the broadcasters side.

I predict that when D* starts HD LIL in a couple of months here, having ABC HD will drive some away from cable (Sinclair has said nationally they signed an agreement with D* for the HD signals). If the churn is high enough, TWC will cave into Sinclair. They will not have a choice and it will be because of lost revenue. It all boils down to it is all a business and everyone is trying to maximize profits, cable and broadcasters. Now that doesn't make it bad, it makes it free enterprise and market driven.

There are17 cablecos in this market. TWC having approximately 50% of the market and sat with approximately 20% (D* and E* combined). Currently only 2 other systems offer HD (LexCom is up and Charter in WIlksboro should be up anytime now) and from what I have been told by the cable people (I of course defer to Zane for any official status of his stations) I have talked to in those systems, WXLV-DT either is on or will be on shortly. The smaller area cable realize that they can't afford not to have ABC HD on their line ups.

I am willing to bet that Time Warner would be happy to "unbundle" it's local broadcast signals, sell them as a "tier", then split that incremental revenue with the stations. THAT's exactly how the satellite model works.

Their franchising commitments and their must-carry requirements do not allow them to do so. Any costs added to their programmning costs either have to be eaten or rates have to rise.

It's not quite a level playing field. When it comes to dealing with cable, broadcasters want payment for all subscribers. It's really not apples and oranges at all.

When Sinclair cuts a deal with DirecTV, they know it's going to give Sinclair a certain advantage in dealing with a Time Warner. They will also cut "sweetheart" deals with the suburban mom & pop cable operators to make the big guy look like the bad guy.

The retransmission and must carry rules no longer work in the competative environment that exists. Clearly satellite operators are at an advantage. Until the rules are rewritten to level the playing field, I will continue to contend that cable operators are getting unfairly squeezed.

Let's face it, the broadcast bean counters have already extended the revunue out. 400,000 subscribers times 50 cents per sub per month times 12 months equals $1,200,000 of new found revenue. Trust me, they've already put the revenue in their budgets.

As per the antenna option, the earlier comments regarding switching HDMI cables, and Dolby Digital connects, the inability to record off-air channels with a cable DVR, and the simple flipping input modes WILL put the off-air only guy at a ratings disadvantage.

And as you well know, adding a single off-air signal can cost a household hundreds of additional dollars.

Few self respecting HDTV owners is going to be satified with 20% of the available programming in HD and that's what broadcasters offer right now. Most viewers will continue to look to cable and or satellite as their broadcast reception solution.

I debated on whether to comment on this or not. The reasonings you sight are so out there, but I did decide lunacy desired lunacy back.

I am willing to bet that Time Warner would be happy to "unbundle" it's local broadcast signals, sell them as a "tier", then split that incremental revenue with the stations. THAT's exactly how the satellite model works.

I can't speak for any broadcaster, but I would bet they would be willing to listen to what kind of dollars cable is talking about but cable doesn't want to share.

Their franchising commitments and their must-carry requirements do not allow them to do so. Any costs added to their programmning costs either have to be eaten or rates have to rise.

Aw, poor cable. They have to live in the real world. Sorry, Tired excuse to me.

It's not quite a level playing field. When it comes to dealing with cable, broadcasters want payment for all subscribers. It's really not apples and oranges at all.

This is life. No one said it would be fair. Even the broadcasters have to live with unfair issues such as an unfunded federal mandate that says you will broadcast in digital or go out of business. I have yet to hear an ultimatum like that stated to cable. Talk about apples and oranges.

When Sinclair cuts a deal with DirecTV, they know it's going to give Sinclair a certain advantage in dealing with a Time Warner. They will also cut "sweetheart" deals with the suburban mom & pop cable operators to make the big guy look like the bad guy.

Where is that old cable mantra now, MARKETPLACE, MARKETPLACE.

The retransmission and must carry rules no longer work in the competative environment that exists. Clearly satellite operators are at an advantage. Until the rules are rewritten to level the playing field, I will continue to contend that cable operators are getting unfairly squeezed.

With rising cable rates you will find it hard for many people to feel sorry for cable no matter how true that statement may be. The public has long memories when it comes to their pocketbooks and many have bad tastes in their mouths because of it. Cable is here because they got themselves into it.

Let's face it, the broadcast bean counters have already extended the revenue out. 400,000 subscribers times 50 cents per sub per month times 12 months equals $1,200,000 of new found revenue. Trust me, they've already put the revenue in their budgets.

Trust me, they HAVEN'T.

As per the antenna option, the earlier comments regarding switching HDMI cables, and Dolby Digital connects, the inability to record off-air channels with a cable DVR, and the simple flipping input modes WILL put the off-air only guy at a ratings disadvantage.

First off, cable boxes do not provide an ATSC tuner in them. They don't want people putting up antennas to watch channels they dont carry. DUH! There are ATSC DVRs available now with switching of different cables.

And as you well know, adding a single off-air signal can cost a household hundreds of additional dollars.

Yeah, but it is a one time charge, not a recurring monthly charge. Over the life of a TV, you can same THOUSANDS over cable.

Few self respecting HDTV owners is going to be satified with 20% of the available programming in HD and that's what broadcasters offer right now. Most viewers will continue to look to cable and or satellite as their broadcast reception solution.

That same argument was true in 1962 for color as well. It has been awhile since a TV show was regularly shot in B&W for broadcast. Sorry, that is a short term issue. Non starter.

When regulation is involved, demanding a level playing field is not whining, it's the name of the game. Cable operators have just as much right to fair play as anyone. This is not about a free marketplace, it's a about a regulated marketplace.

As far as dollars for retransmission go, the "net" retail value for the local into local SD packages on satellite is around six bucks a month. There is no surcharge for HD. If there are six stations splitting six dollars for both their SD and HD signals with the sat guy, who made significant capital investment to provide the package, and is certainly entitled to his share, the cable guy should be given parity by regulation.

There are three things you choose to ignore, that broadcasters are somewhat protected from competition, I've got to shop at your store to buy XYZ product; cable and satellite are forced to deal with the local broadcaster, who can hold them ransom and hurt their business, or show favoritism to a particular party; and that the cable guy has regulatory burdens his competition does not, but has to compete without prejudice.

So what's your take on the McCain bill.

P.S. I sincerely hope you realize that I respect your opinions, your industry, and your accomplishments, and that all this banter is in good fun.

I just wish we could get competition for cable from other cable providers. I will never even consider a sattelite until they offer a small indoor model that works. I also am put off by needing a receiver on every tv, but I am sure that requirement will eventually come from cable as well. I also hate the upfront equipment costs from sattelite.

Having said all that I pretty much hate Time Warner's tv service and wish I had a cable alternative. If we don't get ESPN2 this Fall (and I doubt we will) I will be enraged. ABC is pretty much a nonissue for me now. I watch none of their shows. They only did 2 weekends of HD college football during the regular season (and on the 2nd weekend our local didn't flip the switch until late in the 2nd game) and they lost all the big bowls to Fox.

Since I started this recent flare-up, I'll throw in my thoughts too:

Of the HDTV Time-Warner customers in Sinclair markets, I bet there are more than a few who don't even realize they're not getting HD or don't mind missing out on one channel. Of those who do realize, there's probably a small number who actually complain or come to a forum like this. I've only seen one local newspaper article on this topic in the last 6 months (Superbowl time). There's probably a really small number who go to the trouble to get an antenna and tuner.

Personally, after watching HD and know there's a way to get it, I'd find it annoying to watch a game in standard definition. I wouldn't enjoy watching the broadcast. I even found it annoying that the audio wasn't in 5.1.

I consider this a temporary measure until Sinclair and TWC reach an agreement or I finally make the move to sat. I really want ESPN-2 HD, ESPN U, Universal HD, and more regional sports channels. More importantly, I want a provider that doesn't take years to finally carry new channels. However, my wife doesn't like the dish, cost to switch, or lack of video on demand.

Regarding picture quality, I didn't notice much of a difference vs. cable. It could be the ABC feed - there's a forum with a lot of complaints about TNT and ESPN being better. I'd agree with that.

The big problem I see with OTA HD is the need for a direction UHF antenna. How much of the population can be served by an indoor, omnidirectional antenna?

When an agreement is reached between Sinclair and TWC, I plan to abandon the antenna and tuner. I'll sell them on E-Bay or save them for future cable emergencies. Hopefully I only end up watching 7 games on this thing. The only way my situation gets worse is if ABC starts broadcasting more programs I want to watch in HD - things I'd want to record on the DVR.

This is not about a free marketplace, it's a about a regulated marketplace.

Really? I say again, where is that cable mantra, MARKETPLACE, MARKETPLACE. As long as it favors cable, it is a free marketplace. When it doesn't favor cable it is regulated marketplace.

As far as dollars for retransmission go, the "net" retail value for the local into local SD packages on satellite is around six bucks a month. There is no surcharge for HD. If there are six stations splitting six dollars for both their SD and HD signals with the sat guy, who made significant capital investment to provide the package, and is certainly entitled to his share, the cable guy should be given parity by regulation.

That is a free market agreement with sat. No one says either party has to agree to those terms. Cable on the other hand says that a terrestrial signal is free and therefore they shouldn't have to pay for it for, period. Since cable has so much more to offer than just local stations, then cable shouldn't have a problem with turning off the local stations since the locals don't negotiate in "good faith" to hear cable talk. Truth is, cable can't afford to cut the locals, take must carry off the table. The people jumping to sat and antennas would be astounding.

There are three things you choose to ignore, that broadcasters are somewhat protected from competition, I've got to shop at your store to buy XYZ product; cable and satellite are forced to deal with the local broadcaster, who can hold them ransom and hurt their business, or show favoritism to a particular party; and that the cable guy has regulatory burdens his competition does not, but has to compete without prejudice.

HHHMMM. No law says a cableco can't offer other stations. The real issue is the people who OWN the content that is broadcast on the stations have a legal contract with a particular party to provide their content in a specified area. The government starts meddling with legal contracts and the SCOTUS will overturn any government intervention as unlawful.

So what's your take on the McCain bill.

Total politics. He wants the telco franchises and cable is putting up a good fight. He needs cable to at least on the surface go along with it and if he gives cable something they want in exchange for the support. If NAB had been smart when the cable must carry came up the first time and had played ball with the FCC and Congress, must carry would have gone through. NAB said no thanks and they are still smarting over it now.

P.S. I sincerely hope you realize that I respect your opinions, your industry, and your accomplishments, and that all this banter is in good fun.

I completely understand. That is why I take the time to respond. I just don't think we need to have the same running debate over three or four threads and certainly not in the local thread if it doesn't really impact the local thread.

I understand cable is a business and they too are in it for the profit. I have several friends who work for TWC and they sometimes shake their heads over some of the things cable wants/does, just like I do with broadcasting.

"It isn't personal. It is just business."

I just wish we could get competition for cable from other cable providers. I will never even consider a sattelite until they offer a small indoor model that works. I also am put off by needing a receiver on every tv, but I am sure that requirement will eventually come from cable as well. I also hate the upfront equipment costs from sattelite.
I can understand you not wanting to have a dish on your house. A lot of people feel that way and will never have satellite. I don't know how satellite could offer an indoor model. However, the concern about upfront cost may not be a real concern. If you go to D*'s website you can get an SD-DVR or HD receiver (non DVR) for free. I will admit that the current HD-DVR Tivo is expensive ($400) which is why I don't have one yet. I'm waiting for the MPEG-4 HD DVR so when I do spend the big bucks I won't have to get another anytime soon.

As per the antenna option, the earlier comments regarding switching HDMI cables, and Dolby Digital connects, the inability to record off-air channels with a cable DVR, and the simple flipping input modes WILL put the off-air only guy at a ratings disadvantage.
Well, that OTA guy can drop cable and get satellite. With satellite HD receivers and HD DVRs they have a built in ATSC tuner that integrates your OTA channels with your satellite channels seemlessly into your program guide. There is no switching of cables or inputs on your tv and of course recording those with a DVR is no problem.

uncrules,

Have you noticed your 160's rebooting a lot lately? I have seen mine reboot about 4 times in the last 2 weeks and before that, I can't remember the last time I saw it reboot.

For those with OTA, turned on WUPN-DT this morning and their second channel (48-2) is active with "The Tube" music videos.

uncrules,

Have you noticed your 160's rebooting a lot lately? I have seen mine reboot about 4 times in the last 2 weeks and before that, I can't remember the last time I saw it reboot.
My downstairs one rebooted one time last week but that's it. Every once in a while I reboot them myself because I noticed that they slow down a little bit. Changing channels and various programming guide functions become slow. The reboot puts things back to normal.

Oh, I forgot to post this. This was on the Triad HD email reflector the other day from Don Moore the engineer for WTWB:

Our Harris DTV transmitter is scheduled to arrive the week of July
11th. Installation begins two weeks later. Our ERI Antenna should
arrive mid August.

The installation of our antenna is pending the installation of KDMI-DT
in Des Moines, where Pappas Telecasting recently purchased a digital
license to accompany our WB analog only station (KPWB). Yes, not all
television stations were "given" a matching DTV channel.

Now for the "exciting" news, we will be 100% High Definition in studio.
Milking my analog tape machines to their maximum life has placed us in
the front of the line for an all digital facility. We are finalizing
the details - mostly where to down-convert for cable and satellite
feeds. We just received our first of 2 High Definition Editing Systems
and our first HD Camera for Commercial and Promotions is on order.

As a CW Affiliate, most of our network programming will be in HD. Our
syndicated programming (5-8P, 10P-12M) should be available in HD in 2007.

Don

My downstairs one rebooted one time last week but that's it. Every once in a while I reboot them myself because I noticed that they slow down a little bit. Changing channels and various programming guide functions become slow. The reboot puts things back to normal.
I have an RCA-210 and it has rebooted a few times in the last couple of weeks. It has not done that before.

Why won't TWC get the NFL channel around here?

For those with OTA, turned on WUPN-DT this morning and their second channel (48-2) is active with "The Tube" music videos.

It seemed to be locked up this morning ... yesterday the picture looked pretty grainy - I wonder how this can actually be profitable?

Oh well - thanks for the heads up!

-Jim

P.S.
Good luck with getting the tube problems ironed out - I'm looking forward to getting your signal!

It seemed to be locked up this morning ... yesterday the picture looked pretty grainy - I wonder how this can actually be profitable?

Oh well - thanks for the heads up!

-Jim

P.S.
Good luck with getting the tube problems ironed out - I'm looking forward to getting your signal!

The Tube does not actually offically debut until June 15. We have it on right now testing the signal. It will experience temporary losses of signal until it becomes permanent on the 15'th. We are still awaiting some equipment to bring our ID in and out. We are getting a dedicated dish installed to receive it this week.

hey fox eng are you guys having problems with hd, because after the storms went through randleman on Sunday I can not pick up 8-1 I was just wondering. And I saw the 27-5 channel appear on Sunday also

thanks

hey fox eng are you guys having problems with hd, because after the storms went through randleman on Sunday I can not pick up 8-1 I was just wondering. And I saw the 27-5 channel appear on Sunday also

thanks

No problems after the storm. I am still receiving us at my house in north Greensboro with no problems.

The 27-5 is an issue with the splicer and today FOX made some adjustments and tommorrow they are to upload a new version that will stop it from creating 27-5.

well dang i can not get it at all, everything else is fine, might to check if the wind moved the antenna, don't take much to lose it

WXLV's production of the Finals is a joke. The sound sounds like there are 10 people in the stands and the cheering is a loud hissing noise. No dolby digital. The picture quality is definitely the poorest of the networks.

If they are going to be such tightwads about making TWC pay as a carrier, they could at least offer a quality product. I assume the production is in dolby digital, and just WXLV can't handle with their equipment, so it passes along in 2.0? I remember this was an issue during the college bowl season too.

I'm off Kivett Dr in High Point, close to Jamestown. I just moved to the area. I'm in a 3rd floor apartment, so I can't put an outdoor antenna up. I'm totally amazed at the reception I'm getting using a Channel Master 4221 on a tripod in my sunroom. I'm using a Electroline 2100 amp (15db).

Facing out the window (North) I get:

18 7.1, 7.2 (7-Two), 7.3 WDBJ Roanoke
30 10.1, 10.2 WSLS Roanoke
31 12.1, 12.2 WXII Winston Salem
14 16.1, 16.2, 16.3 WGPX Burlington
32 26.1, 26.2, 26.3, 26.4, 26.5 WUNL Winston Salem
17 27.1 WFXR Roanoke, 27.2 WBVA Roanoke

Turning the antenna facing southeast (toward the Level Cross towers, but through my apartment building) I get:

51 2.1, 2.1 WFMY Greensboro
35 8.1 WGHP High Point (and mapping to 27.5 "East" as FoxENG wrote about)
31 12.1, 12.2 WXII Winston Salem (either direction)
29 45.1, 45.2 WXLV Winston Salem
33 48.1 WUPN 45.2 The Tube Greensboro
and sometimes, mostly at night 59 4.1 etc WUNC Chapel Hill

Signals are totally usable most of the time, but some pixelation and drops usually daytime. At night I've had no problems mostly.

I've been able to map to 3.x WBTV Charlotte and 9.x WSOC Charlotte, but I almost never get any signal, and never good enough to watch.

I'm watching Letterman on 7.1 WDBJ Roanoke now. I was getting a bit of pixelation earlier, but it seems to be better now. Most nights it's perfect.

-amos

WXLV's production of the Finals is a joke. The sound sounds like there are 10 people in the stands and the cheering is a loud hissing noise. No dolby digital. The picture quality is definitely the poorest of the networks.

If they are going to be such tightwads about making TWC pay as a carrier, they could at least offer a quality product. I assume the production is in dolby digital, and just WXLV can't handle with their equipment, so it passes along in 2.0? I remember this was an issue during the college bowl season too.

The game was produced by ABC in stereo. No dolby was available to pass.
I boosted the bit rate some this morning so hopefully the video will be more acceptable to you for the next HD event.

Thanks Zane. I realized after I made the post from the national programming thread that ABC was producing in 2.0, so there was nothing WXLV could do. Sorry about that. I guess I shouldn't be so quick to judge and show my own ignorance.

Thanks, and I'll defintely tune in for Game 4.

This isn't really Greensboro-specific, but while we're on the topic of the NBA finals...

Why doesn't ABC zoom in closer from the midcourt camera? I think I could get a much better shot of the players if they'd just zoom in on the damn court. When they're showing half-court action, I get a lot of the crowd above and below the court. I could understand if they needed to zoom out to catch the who half-court for standard definition, but it seems like they could preserve enough horizontal field of view for standard definition even with more zoom.

I don't think ABC is the only one to zoom out like this, but I don't remember it being quite so bad with TNT and ESPN.

The 2 channel stereo is really disappointing. I'm tempted to turn on some ProLogic II just so my ears don't get bored.

...

The 2 channel stereo is really disappointing. I'm tempted to turn on some ProLogic II just so my ears don't get bored. What a baby. I know that we all want to get max use out of all of this equipment we've overpaid for, but gimme a break.

The radio in my car is significantly better than most home HiFi's in the days of my youth. Don't worry. Be happy.

Hey.

I have a channel master outdoor antenna, channel master 9521 rotator, and a channel master 747 preamp.

I got up this morning, and noticed that the rotator is no longer working; there doesn't seem to be any power or anything on the controller - I don't see anything on the display when I use the remote or the buttons on the display itself.

Remembering back, I remember a loud, close by lightning strike a few days ago, and I'm not sure I've used the antenna since then.

I can't check whether the preamp and antenna itself is working okay, since I can't turn the antenna.

The controller itself (along with preamp) were plugged into a good surge protector.

Any suggestions on how I could go about isolating the problem?

Oh, and by the way - ugh!! :(

Thanks in advance for any help!

Check and see if you how well you see analog signals. If they are bad, then either you have lost the pre-amp or the power supply that feeds it. Easily checked with a volt meter you can buy from RS for about $20. You can check to see if you are putting voltage up the coax. Your rotor problem sounds either a power supply, or the controller head itself. You can check the voltage off of that supply with the same meter as above.

My guess sight unseen would be the power supply particularlly if the pre-amp isn't working. Anyway, those would be the first places I would look.

Ghana vs. Czech Rep....

1st half- HD
2nd half- crap

I left a message, and hope that someone will notice by the US game at 3, but this is WXLV we're talking about here. No other station in the Triad has had such constant, consistantly untimely problems. Get it together, guys!

When using a voltage detector, the top of the rotor power supply shows voltage. The power cable itself (goes to the rotor controller box), however, does not show power.

Sounds like a problem with the rotor power supply, right? Are these power supplies common (can I find a replacement to try easily)?

THanks!

Check and see if you how well you see analog signals. If they are bad, then either you have lost the pre-amp or the power supply that feeds it. Easily checked with a volt meter you can buy from RS for about $20. You can check to see if you are putting voltage up the coax. Your rotor problem sounds either a power supply, or the controller head itself. You can check the voltage off of that supply with the same meter as above.

My guess sight unseen would be the power supply particularlly if the pre-amp isn't working. Anyway, those would be the first places I would look.

When using a voltage detector, the top of the rotor power supply shows voltage. The power cable itself (goes to the rotor controller box), however, does not show power.

Sounds like a problem with the rotor power supply, right? Are these power supplies common (can I find a replacement to try easily)?

THanks!

I am not following you here. Do you mean that the 18v AC voltage that goes to the controller that sits in the house has voltage and the 3 wire controller box cable going to the rotor doesn't?? (In other words, there is no lights on the controller box?) If this is so, then your power supply is OK and you controller box is bad.

I am not following you here. Do you mean that the 18v AC voltage that goes to the controller that sits in the house has voltage and the 3 wire controller box cable going to the rotor doesn't?? (In other words, there is no lights on the controller box?) If this is so, then your power supply is OK and you controller box is bad.

I'm biting my tongue. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Your friendly cable guy. :D

I'm biting my tongue. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Your friendly cable guy. :D

The cost of the whole rotor is cheaper than one month of cable. You can't argue with that.

The cost of the whole rotor is cheaper than one month of cable. You can't argue with that.

Six to eight programming choices (apples). 75 to 150 linear channels alone (oranges). ;) ;) ;)

Rotors are fine for hobbyists (I have one) and cheapskates, but not for wives. There is no way most consumers want to screw around with swinging an antenna around everytime they change channels.

foxeng,

I'm trying to figure out who's more stubborn here. You, me, or my father. ;)

Rotors are fine for hobbyists (I have one) and cheapskates, but not for wives. There is no way most consumers want to screw around with swinging an antenna around everytime they change channels.

Actually, it was my wife that decided she wanted to get rid of sat and go back to OTA - granted since you are a cable guy maybe you'd claim she would have wanted to stick to cable ...

The fact is that with an OTA DVR and Netflix, the OTA DTV/HDTV broadcasts are all we really want/need ... hard as it is for some to recognize, I'd have a tough time watching much more than I currently have available.

Hi all,

I just got a Zenith Silver Sensor indoor antenna and can recieve all the local networks in HD accept for Fox. I've tried different orientations and even tried putting it outside, but I can only get the analog fox channel. Reading back through the posts I saw that fox wasn't full power yet.

Foxeng, would this have something to do with it? Or am I missing something obvious? Thanks for any help you all can provide.

Time Warner Cable Has added Starz-HD & Cinemax-HD in Austin & San Antonio, ask them about your area receiving these channels.

http://www.timewarnercable.com/sanantonio/programming/updates.html

Without question, I am not the only person in this area fed up with TWC, and finally I decided to drop them. Yesterday I had E* installed and I watched the finals in HD via ota. Glorious HD on ABC at last. And today - world cup soccer on ESPN2, in HD - see Time Warner, it does exist.

I was worried about receiving Fox, but tonight I recscanned and got not only all the Triad channels, but also NBC, CBS, and Fox from Charlotte. I was taken aback by that. My antenna is huge - RS 120" yagi, but still - Charlotte is a long way away. One humorous thing - WGHP comes in at 60%, but the Charlotte Fox is about 65%. The low power thing really affects reception. Hopefullly, for the sake of those without huge antennas, full power is near.

Hi all,

I just got a Zenith Silver Sensor indoor antenna and can recieve all the local networks in HD accept for Fox. I've tried different orientations and even tried putting it outside, but I can only get the analog fox channel. Reading back through the posts I saw that fox wasn't full power yet.

Foxeng, would this have something to do with it? Or am I missing something obvious? Thanks for any help you all can provide.

You didn't say where you are located, but I live off of Battleground at Westridge and I have been able to receive our digital since day one. It does take an outside antenna to pick us up but we are now waiting on the FCC to give us the final go and it literally can be anyday. As soon as we get it, we are powering up.

Six to eight programming choices (apples). 75 to 150 linear channels alone (oranges). ;) ;) ;)

Rotors are fine for hobbyists (I have one) and cheapskates, but not for wives. There is no way most consumers want to screw around with swinging an antenna around everytime they change channels.

foxeng,

I'm trying to figure out who's more stubborn here. You, me, or my father. ;)


I don't see too many people on the Triad list are "hobbiest." They are viewers, not DXers. Admit it, cable isn't the panacea that you advocate. Many on here do not like TWC and they have a legit reason to not trust them or want to go with them. I personally don't care who they go with. I don't pay their bills and they don't pay mine, but if I see something that is know isn't right, I am going to speak up. That is my position on it.

we are now waiting on the FCC to give us the final go and it literally can be anyday. As soon as we get it, we are powering up.Great news....

Guess your membership to the "UHF Transmitter Tube of the Week" club has expired. :D
(and that is a club we do not want you to ever join again)

Joe L.

You didn't say where you are located, but I live off of Battleground at Westridge and I have been able to receive our digital since day one. It does take an outside antenna to pick us up but we are now waiting on the FCC to give us the final go and it literally can be anyday. As soon as we get it, we are powering up.


Thanks for the info. I live near where Old Oak Ridge meets Pleasant Ridge. I can recieve WGHP analog just fine. I guess I'll wait for the power up and see what happens then. Again, thank you for all the insight you provide on the forum.

OTA question, Outside antenna and rotor, Getting channels from as far away as Raleigh, Charlotte and Virginia, but can't find WTWB 20 digital feed. Am I missing something? I'm one mile from Sauratown mountain.

WXII comes in with out antenna, LOL

Oh and congrats Caorlina Hurricanes!

Oh and congrats Caorlina Hurricanes!


WOO WOO!

I'm not sure if the WB is digital yet here, it was mentioned a couple posts back that they wouldn't be digital until 2007.

I just got a Channelmaster amplifier 7777 and can get 2-1 WFMY and 45-1 from here in Charlotte.

As of this am, WTWB 20 was off air in the analog. After searching the subject of the station, my information was that they were broadcasting digital on channel 19. Maybe I found another mis-information on the internet, imagine that!

Where can I get a Hurricanes Stanley cup champs ballcap? :D

OTA question, Outside antenna and rotor, Getting channels from as far away as Raleigh, Charlotte and Virginia, but can't find WTWB 20 digital feed. Am I missing something? I'm one mile from Sauratown mountain.

WXII comes in with out antenna, LOL


WTWB-DT is located on the same tower that has WUPN-DT, WLXI-DT and WXLV-DT at Level Cross, south of Greensboro. They are on the air, but at extremely low power and people literally 5 miles away can't pick them up. It wasn't always like that. When they first came on, you could pick them up in Greensboro and Winston, but about 2 years ago, something happened and it has never been repaired. They have never been in HD so it was not a major loss.

Don Moore, the engineer at WTWB has said their full power transmitter is due in second week of July and they hope to be full power by September or October and will be full HD in 2007.

Ok, I'm from Raleigh but am staying with a friend in G-boro for a couple of days, so I'm not going to back-read trying to find this out but...

..Does TWC in G-boro really not come with a local ABC-HD???? Also, on his box, theres no option to watch SD in stretch but to switch to normal for HD or am I missing something?

Ok, I'm from Raleigh but am staying with a friend in G-boro for a couple of days, so I'm not going to back-read trying to find this out but...

..Does TWC in G-boro really not come with a local ABC-HD???? Also, on his box, theres no option to watch SD in stretch but to switch to normal for HD or am I missing something?Correct... ABC-HD does not currently exist on Greensboro's TWC and is unlikely (as far as we know) in the near future.

If you are using the TWC SA 8300 HD cable box, the "#" key (near lower right corner of remote) will cycle between the various "stretch" and "zoom" modes. You might try that key on your remote and see if it does it for you on your box. (I thinnk it might be the same key on the non-dvr model)

Joe L.

I've just recently moved to Greensboro and I've installed an OTA HD system. I'm using a lacrosse-A with a samsung SIR-T451. I've been able to relatively easily position the antenna on my roof so that I can get all of the local UHF digital channels except WTWB, WGHP and WUNL.
I can get WUNC from Chapel Hill at 70%, so not being able to get WUNL is quite a surprise, especially since WXII comes in at 90% with no drop outs, fading or any other issues that I can see.
Is there a reason why I can't get WUNL?
I am located off owls roost and the house is surrounded by high trees.

I've just recently moved to Greensboro and I've installed an OTA HD system. I'm using a lacrosse-A with a samsung SIR-T451. I've been able to relatively easily position the antenna on my roof so that I can get all of the local UHF digital channels except WTWB, WGHP and WUNL.
I can get WUNC from Chapel Hill at 70%, so not being able to get WUNL is quite a surprise, especially since WXII comes in at 90% with no drop outs, fading or any other issues that I can see.
Is there a reason why I can't get WUNL?
I am located off owls roost and the house is surrounded by high trees.

WUNL-DT is located on Sauratown Mt, the same location but different tower where WXII-DT is located.

Thanks for the info. I checked on the power level at the FCC and WXII-DT is 815kW and WUNL-DT is 198KW, so I quess that I have my answer.

I've just recently moved to Greensboro and I've installed an OTA HD system. I'm using a lacrosse-A with a samsung SIR-T451. I've been able to relatively easily position the antenna on my roof so that I can get all of the local UHF digital channels except WTWB, WGHP and WUNL.
I can get WUNC from Chapel Hill at 70%, so not being able to get WUNL is quite a surprise, especially since WXII comes in at 90% with no drop outs, fading or any other issues that I can see.
Is there a reason why I can't get WUNL?
I am located off owls roost and the house is surrounded by high trees.

Yesterday morning and this morning, WUNL-DT was off the air (the analog signal
was fine). It did come back on at some point. Have you tried it again? Being south
of Winston, I can usually get the Concord/Charlotte feed on ch 58 when need be.

C Snyder

So let me give a Time Warner Cable update via a LG 4200A Qam receiver/tuner. I pay $7.50 for broadcast cable which is technically 2-12 in the triad market. I think cable is a steal of a deal IMHO.

I get the following channels:
2-23,76,78,99 analog stations
82-1 WXII NBC HD
82-2 Weather Plus
82-3 WNC TV
82-4 UNC HD
82-5 UNC KD
87-11 Discovery HD
88-10 Sounds of the season (audio)
88-45 Party favorites (audio)
89-1 Showtime Pacific
94-8 HBO latino
100-210 TLC
102-131 Telemundo
102-515 Weather Channel
104-300 TNT HD
112-1 NBATV ads
113-10 PPV ads
115-4 ABC 45 in SD
115-516 Jewelry TV
116-1 CBS HD
116-2 CBS weather
116-3 Fox HD WGHP
116-6 UNC ED
116-7 UNC NC

PS I get 9-1 ABC in HD out of Charlotte via OTA and a Winegard 9500 series UHF antenna.

Thanks for the heads up info foxeng. BTW, I can get Fox 8 up here! :) WTWB-DT is located on the same tower that has WUPN-DT, WLXI-DT and WXLV-DT at Level Cross, south of Greensboro. They are on the air, but at extremely low power and people literally 5 miles away can't pick them up. It wasn't always like that. When they first came on, you could pick them up in Greensboro and Winston, but about 2 years ago, something happened and it has never been repaired. They have never been in HD so it was not a major loss.

Don Moore, the engineer at WTWB has said their full power transmitter is due in second week of July and they hope to be full power by September or October and will be full HD in 2007.

Today I entered the diagnostic screen on my DVR box and saw that the video signal strength was only -12db and in orange. I am assuming this is quite bad. Can I get TWC to come out and boost the signal?

Today I entered the diagnostic screen on my DVR box and saw that the video signal strength was only -12db and in orange. I am assuming this is quite bad. Can I get TWC to come out and boost the signal?

Sounds like you should, it probably wouldn't hurt to tell them you have some pixelation on your digital channels too. They may not come out if you tell them everything looks fine when they ask, even though it appears you have some signal issues. How do you get to the diagnostics screen on your DVR? I've only been to the HD setup screen.

How do you get to the diagnostics screen on your DVR? I've only been to the HD setup screen.

Hold down SELECT (on the unit) until the E-mail icon flashes, then hit INFO.

I see that WFMY will broadcast a 30-minute HD documentary on 7/3 at 8:00 pm about the battle for Guilford Courthouse. They are touting it as the 1st locally produced HD broadcast for Greensboro.

http://www.wfmynews2.com/promos/battle/default.aspx

We are looking forward to that one. My husband is a MAJOR history buff.

Thanks for the link. I will be sure to check it out.

C Snyder

July 1st is the deadline for bringing digital stations up to full power.

Perhaps "foxeng" could give us an update on WGHP and the situation in general.

July 1st is the deadline for bringing digital stations up to full power.

Perhaps "foxeng" could give us an update on WGHP and the situation in general.

It is all in the FCC's hands at this point. We are ready and waiting for the FCC to give us the final go to turn it on. They keep saying very soon. Until then, we just wait because we can't do anything about it.

I wonder if WXII will remember that today's US Womens Open is in HD. They didn't yesterday. I checked several times yesterday and it never was in HD. I'm watching it in HD right now on ESPN2-HD.

Zane, I know that timers are cool and all, but for at least the second time in the Woldc Cup yesterday, your HD switched off in the middle of overtime.

Again, let me say how thankful I am that Time Warner isn't paying for that ****** excuse for an HD mirror you guys are putting out. It isn't even usually worth its "free" price.

I just recieved a pace 550 box and the manual says to either hold down the # or hit display to enter the HD menu to change the resolution but if I do either it does nothing. Any suggestions?

Zane, I know that timers are cool and all, but for at least the second time in the Woldc Cup yesterday, your HD switched off in the middle of overtime.

Again, let me say how thankful I am that Time Warner isn't paying for that ****** excuse for an HD mirror you guys are putting out. It isn't even usually worth its "free" price.

Telling them how bad they are is not the way to get them to do something for you.

Zane, I know that timers are cool and all, but for at least the second time in the Woldc Cup yesterday, your HD switched off in the middle of overtime.

Again, let me say how thankful I am that Time Warner isn't paying for that ****** excuse for an HD mirror you guys are putting out. It isn't even usually worth its "free" price.
No "Timer" is involved. We use Miranda switching equipment and the HD switcher has been failing since Thursday night. It will switch to and from upconverted on its own. Also it will switch upconverted audio and ABC audio on its own, thereby audio is out of sync. It locks up and requires a reboot and sometimes will not come back without reseating boards. I know that all that sounds like excuses but its true. If we had a cool timer it would not make any difference. Switching is triggered by the program playlist.

Telling them how bad they are is not the way to get them to do something for you.

So letting them think everything is hunky dory is? Whether I get good or bad service, I tell people, and the only reason I have ever had to praise WXLV is when they FINALLY got their audio sync issue resolved after like 8 weeks. Guess what? It has been off again during World Cup.

So letting them think everything is hunky dory is? Whether I get good or bad service, I tell people, and the only reason I have ever had to praise WXLV is when they FINALLY got their audio sync issue resolved after like 8 weeks. Guess what? It has been off again during World Cup.

Certainly, you have a right to complain when something isn't right and we want to hear about it when that happens, but I also have the right to be treated with respect when you do as well, just like you demand respect when you contact us about that complaint.

I think many people forget that we who work in broadcasting are human as well and things do happen beyond our control, be it technically or politically. That being said, we also do not have to put up with putty mouth viewers either just as I bet you in your business wouldn't put up with potty mouth customers. I don't know how many viewers I have hung up on who have called to cuss me out (I happen to be the one answering the phone, it wasn't directed at me personally but the station) using language that would make a sailor blush and in general not wanting to really listen to what I had to say but just to call and cuss someone out to make them feel better.

Truth is, someone who calls or writes in a disrespectful way rarely gets any response. It is not what you say, but how you say it. It is true in any business, and broadcasting isn't any different in that respect.

Certainly, you have a right to complain when something isn't right and we want to hear about it when that happens, but I also have the right to be treated with respect when you do as well, just like you demand respect when you contact us about that complaint.

I think many people forget that we who work in broadcasting are human as well and things do happen beyond our control, be it technically or politically. That being said, we also do not have to put up with putty mouth viewers either just as I bet you in your business wouldn't put up with potty mouth customers. I don't know how many viewers I have hung up on who have called to cuss me out (I happen to be the one answering the phone, it wasn't directed at me personally but the station) using language that would make a sailor blush and in general not wanting to really listen to what I had to say but just to call and cuss someone out to make them feel better.

Truth is, someone who calls or writes in a disrespectful way rarely gets any response. It is not what you say, but how you say it. It is true in any business, and broadcasting isn't any different in that respect.

Sad commentary on our times that more often than not it's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease.

People are so used to dealing with companies and agencies that are indifferent, incompetent, and downright unethical, that their knee-jerk reaction is to jump out of the gate with a hostile attitude.

Therein lies the challenge and the opportunity. It's simple to diffuse a hostile attitude, you simply have to listen to the whining, communicate empathy, and make a commitment to do whatever is within your power to resolve the issue.

If you react with a defensive or equally hostile attitude, it only escalates the situation.

It's alway been a curiosity to me that a society that relishes smut and violence in their entertainment choices becomes so easily offended when someone uses the wrong words in casual conversation. A little hypocritical perhaps??? Just an observation.

Last time I heard, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

Last time I heard, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

It's a very nice thought, but sadly obsolete. I won't say that nobody gives a crap anymore, but they're getting harder and harder to find. You've got to be a "hot-head" to break through the first and second line of defense. We live in a progressively more and more confrontational society. Enough soap box. Happy Fourth of July. :rolleyes:

I just recieved a pace 550 box and the manual says to either hold down the # or hit display to enter the HD menu to change the resolution but if I do either it does nothing. Any suggestions?

I don't know if this is your problem but I had a Pace 550 up until about 2 weeks ago. That's when TWC downloaded a software "upgrade" to their boxes and it hosed my Pace box. Being unable to change the resolution was one of the problems my box had after the upgrade. I also lost my componant output.
Good luck.

For those others who are ever so happy with the lovely triad time warner cable.... I visited my girlfriend's parents in Wilmington and discovered that they (like Raleigh and who knows how may other NC TWC areas) are receiving Universal HD. One wonders why poor Greensboro cable subscribers can't get this channel especially when we DID get it for a month! Sigh, time for another angry yet cordial email to Time Warner Cable. :)

You've got to be a "hot-head" to break through the first and second line of defense.
Perhaps you do, but some of us are smarter than that.

We live in a progressively more and more confrontational society.
Sounds like you're leading that charge. I hope you enjoy talking to people who treat you the same way.

For those others who are ever so happy with the lovely triad time warner cable....
I don't know of anyone who's completely content with the service they're getting from their tv provider. I, like you, would love to have every available HD channel, AND I want a TiVo based DVR. But I guess we'll get what the market will bear. I do agree that we need to let them know what we'd like. But I imagine that angry emails get deleted quickly.

But I imagine that angry emails get deleted quickly.

I am sure you're right. "Angry" was a poor choice of words on my part. Perhaps "unsatisfied, but cordial" would have been better. I did send them an email yesterday. I'll let everyone know what they say if there is anything of interest.

pwrmetal,
Let us know if you find the email address of someone who seems to be listening. I think that's the key. If you're communicating with the wrong person, it all goes for nothing. I've found that emailing the CSRs is obviously worthless. Sometimes you can get the email address of someone fairly high up who actually cares what the customers are asking for. I'll be happy to write as well if we can find someone to listen.

I was also disappointed this weekend to see how few of the PPV movies were in widescreen. Only about 2 or 3 as far as I can remember. And the HD PPV is a joke.

I got the typical worthless response from TWC. Why no Universal HD? "We don't know" If YOU don't know. who does? ESPN2HD? "We don't know." Wonderful. Those 2 responses were the most informative things in the email, other than the advertisements for services I already have. As noted earlier, we need to get an email address from someone that matters to put these questions to, and not clueless CSRs.

It will be interesting to see what affect this will have on our tv viewing.

http://www.wral.com/apncnews/9480496/detail.html

The Senate gave initial, unanimous approval Thursday to new rules for cable television service that proponents argue would lead to a deregulated video programming market, and hopefully lower prices.

Under the measure, any company that wants to provide pay television phone lines or broadband Internet would apply to the Secretary of State's Office to offer service in a coverage area.

Current rules require video programming providers to enter into franchise agreements with local governments, but traditional phone companies such as BellSouth and Embarq say those deals take too long to complete.

This era of expanding technology makes it the right time to change the regulations, the Senate's chief proponent of the House bill said.

"Let's apply that market principle of competition," said Sen. Dan Clodfelter, D-Mecklenburg, during the debate before the 48-0 vote. "Let that market work for us."

The Senate debate wasn't as robust as last month's debate in the House. Then, several lawmakers unsuccessfully pushed amendments that would require companies to offer television in rural or isolated areas or provide additional consumer protections from poor service.

Several senators said they were pleased about a companion bill now in a Senate committee to provide more money for community public access channels.

The video programming bill, scheduled for a final Senate vote Friday, also would ensure municipalities at least two public access channels to air local or government programming, and money to help with operating costs. If approved, the measure would return to the House, which approved a slightly different version.

Hey, is there anyone out there receiving WGHP-DT? Also, could anyone tell me when WGHP-DT will go full power? I live about 47 miles away from the transmitter site (as the crow flies) in Moore County and can get WFMY-DT, WXLV-DT, and WUPN-DT quite well (WFMY-DT being best). Every day I scan for more DTV channels on my TV and WGHP-DT never comes up. I figure that if I can get the other two stations whose towers are in the same area, I should be able to receive WGHP-DT (perhaps a bit better than all three since the other three are a little farther away from me). Any info would be appreciated.

Hey, is there anyone out there receiving WGHP-DT? Also, could anyone tell me when WGHP-DT will go full power?

WGHP-DT is ready to power up as soon as the FCC gives us the final green light to turn on the full power transmitter. That should be any time now. Our reduced power signal doesn't make it to Moore County but is receivable in north Greensboro.

Foxeng, do you anticipate that WGHP-DT will be full power by the time the NFL season begins? I'm down in southeastern NC (Richmond County), and I hope to be able to pick up your OTA digital signal when you are at full power. I used to get WCCB-DT (channel 18) out of Charlotte fine, but now I can hardly get it at all.
Apparently, because there is another channel in Raleigh/Durham broadcasting at full power on the same channel (digital 27)! I can get your analog signal pretty well with my rooftop antenna and rotor. Hoping to hear some good news! :)

Foxeng, do you anticipate that WGHP-DT will be full power by the time the NFL season begins? I'm down in southeastern NC (Richmond County), and I hope to be able to pick up your OTA digital signal when you are at full power. I used to get WCCB-DT (channel 18) out of Charlotte fine, but now I can hardly get it at all.
Apparently, because there is another channel in Raleigh/Durham broadcasting at full power on the same channel (digital 27)! I can get your analog signal pretty well with my rooftop antenna and rotor. Hoping to hear some good news! :)

To be completely honest, I do not know. I hope so. Here is the situation.

We are ready (have been for a while now) to turn on the high power signal. We filed with the FCC over 15 months ago (before we even started construction) for a minor change to our authorization which normally takes 45 days to approve. For what ever reason, the FCC has not acted upon it and we have been actively pursing this for some time. We legally can not energize the antenna to even test it, until we have received authorization even though what we have asked to be changed is administrative and not anything to do with coverage area. But because of this delay, we have been able to fix some problems with the transmitter that had we put it on the air, would have caused major problems in reception. We feel we have gotten past the transmitter problems now and it has tested out. So as soon as the FCC sees fit to approve our minor modification, a short test of the antenna system (couple of hours) is all that will be required and we will start broadcasting at full power. Now, here is the catch (there always is, isn't there?). If the FCC doesn't approve it this month, it will more than likely be September before we could start looking for it to be approved again since the FCC takes the month of August off.

We are at the mercy of the FCC at this point.

Now you know as much as we do.

Glad to hear about WGHP OTA. Foxeng. Do you know if TWC compresses your signal? I've been a long time D* customer (still am), but the opportunity came to get TWC free for 2 months with 8300 HD DVR. I've noticed that OTA local HD stations look better than TWC's locals. I was reading about TWC doing rate shapping. HDnet seems to break apart worse than D*'s HDnet signal when lots of action is on the screen. I've been trying to get some firewire recordings off of this box, but it's just a mess. Way too many errors. I'm having them come out and install cable card this weekend. Hopefully that will work better for firewire. Anyone able to record to DVHS via TWC boxes?

We are at the mercy of the FCC at this point.

Now you know as much as we do.

Would it be helpful for viewers to contact our local congress critters to see if the FCC can expedite things? (Congress ought to be good for something ...)

Looking forward to getting your signal in the near future!

-Jim

Would it be helpful for viewers to contact our local congress critters to see if the FCC can expedite things? (Congress ought to be good for something ...)

Looking forward to getting your signal in the near future!

-Jim
I second that! Is there anything we can do to help expedite the process?

Would it be helpful for viewers to contact our local congress critters to see if the FCC can expedite things? (Congress ought to be good for something ...)

Looking forward to getting your signal in the near future!

-Jim

Thanks for the offer everyone, but we have had our people working on it pretty hard for a while now (they need something to justify their salaries too!! Wouldn't wont any laywers to go around hungry would we?! ;) ) They feel like they can get it done.

Glad to hear about WGHP OTA. Foxeng. Do you know if TWC compresses your signal? I've been a long time D* customer (still am), but the opportunity came to get TWC free for 2 months with 8300 HD DVR. I've noticed that OTA local HD stations look better than TWC's locals. I was reading about TWC doing rate shapping. HDnet seems to break apart worse than D*'s HDnet signal when lots of action is on the screen. I've been trying to get some firewire recordings off of this box, but it's just a mess. Way too many errors. I'm having them come out and install cable card this weekend. Hopefully that will work better for firewire. Anyone able to record to DVHS via TWC boxes?

I was told in the beginning that a small amount of grooming would happen but it wasn't suppose to be too much. I guess things change and they might have had to do more. I haven't see our signal on TWC so I don't know what it looks like.

herrfish1,
In response to your question regarding the channel that WCCB-DT is on (which foxeng couldn't help you out with), you're right about the full-power broadcast of WRDC-DT (UPN 28) out of Raleigh being the reason that you're having no luck receiving WCCB-DT. I live halfway between Rockingham and Raleigh (right off of US 1) and I've been able to pull in WCCB-DT in times past (perhaps much better than WRDC-DT when it was still low power), and what astounded me is that the distance from my house to WCCB-DT's tower in East Charlotte is 2 times larger than that of WRDC-DT's tower southeast of Raleigh! What kind of reception do you get where you live in Richmond County? I can pull in everything from Raleigh/Durham, some Greensboro stations (WFMY-DT, WXLV-DT, and WUPN-DT), and I can pull in WBTV-DT and WSOC-DT (and sometimes WJZY-DT, WMYT-DT, and WUNG-DT) from Charlotte on a semi-regular basis. Do you have any luck pulling in Florence/Myrtle Beach and perhaps Columbia (at times)? I can receive WPDE-DT very well, but for some reason I very (I mean VERY) seldom pull in WBTW-DT. As far as astounding goes, get a load of this--I've pulled in WLOS-DT from Asheville (over 200 miles away and a very strong signal as well) quite a few times more than I ever have WBTW-DT from Florence/Myrtle Beach. I also receive WIS-DT on occasion from Columbia, and for the first time I picked up WLTX-DT from Columbia as well as NBC and CBS from Augusta, GA yesterday morning. I also picked up a strong signal from WLOS-DT in Asheville as well, and the weather was just fine. Pretty cool, huh?

herrfish1,
In response to your question regarding the channel that WCCB-DT is on (which foxeng couldn't help you out with), you're right about the full-power broadcast of WRDC-DT (UPN 28) out of Raleigh being the reason that you're having no luck receiving WCCB-DT. I live halfway between Rockingham and Raleigh (right off of US 1) and I've been able to pull in WCCB-DT in times past (perhaps much better than WRDC-DT when it was still low power), and what astounded me is that the distance from my house to WCCB-DT's tower in East Charlotte is 2 times larger than that of WRDC-DT's tower southeast of Raleigh! What kind of reception do you get where you live in Richmond County? I can pull in everything from Raleigh/Durham, some Greensboro stations (WFMY-DT, WXLV-DT, and WUPN-DT), and I can pull in WBTV-DT and WSOC-DT (and sometimes WJZY-DT, WMYT-DT, and WUNG-DT) from Charlotte on a semi-regular basis. Do you have any luck pulling in Florence/Myrtle Beach and perhaps Columbia (at times)? I can receive WPDE-DT very well, but for some reason I very (I mean VERY) seldom pull in WBTW-DT. As far as astounding goes, get a load of this--I've pulled in WLOS-DT from Asheville (over 200 miles away and a very strong signal as well) quite a few times more than I ever have WBTW-DT from Florence/Myrtle Beach. I also receive WIS-DT on occasion from Columbia, and for the first time I picked up WLTX-DT from Columbia as well as NBC and CBS from Augusta, GA yesterday morning. I also picked up a strong signal from WLOS-DT in Asheville as well, and the weather was just fine. Pretty cool, huh?

Very cool. Tell us about your setup.

We just built a new house near Guilford College and bought an HDTV (our first experience with HD) when we moved in. Although we have traditionally had Dish Network, we started at the new house with TW cable since Dish Network does not yet have HD locals. I'm not a huge fan of TW and would rather do Dish, so I wondered if someone could answer a few basic HD newcomer questions.

What kind of antenna setup do we need to receive OTA HD locals from where we are? What would the approximate cost be? Could anyone recommend any good installers? Has anyone heard any news about when Dish might have HD locals for Greensboro?

Thanks for your help.

First, welcome rbason!!

Second, Dish has not announced when they will offer HD LIL. DirecTV has said that they will have HD LIL 3rd quarter and the rumor mill is saying in September.

Third, the Channel Master 4228 antenna with a medium gain pre-amp, about 15 db gain with RG-6 coax on a rotor on your roof should get all of the locals as well as the Roanoke stations and depending where around Gulford College, the Raleigh stations. I live off of Battleground at Westridge and get the locals, Roanoke and Raleigh stations with that same setup on my one story roof. I have DirecTV and can't wait to get the HD LIL channels when they become available.

You can buy the 4228 at Dow Electronics in the office park at Holden and Bus 85 for about $50.

HDNet on TWC question....

I haven't been able to watch much on HDNet lately, but damn has the PQ degraded over the past month! It used to be the absolute best looking station we had, and now the macroblocking made the NASCAR minor league race last night unwatchable.

What and when did this happen?

HDNet on TWC question....

I haven't been able to watch much on HDNet lately, but damn has the PQ degraded over the past month! It used to be the absolute best looking station we had, and now the macroblocking made the NASCAR minor league race last night unwatchable.

What and when did this happen?


I just got TWC and still have D*. D*'s HDnet looks better than TWC's. They must be doing some signal shaping and over compressing it. It must be something the Triad TWC is doing, because Raleigh folks told me that their HDnet still looks great.
Anyone have any luck with Cable Card and TWC? I'm trying to get it setup on my Toshiba Plasma (bedroom TV) and it's been a nightmare so far. Worked for about an hour, most of the time says acquiring channels.
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7/16 I finally got the cablecard to work. I tuned the TV to 649 instead of it's default of channel 3 (figured I'd let it tune to a digital station instead of an analog station and see if I had better luck). WXII breakups, The HBO HD's show not enough signal and I get no picture, PBS break ups. Discovery, INHDs, HDnet, ESPN and TNT come in perfectly. I'll call Toshiba Tomorrow for a firmware update.
Anyone having issues with the stations I'm having issues with on QAM tuners. My 8300 still works perfectly (well except for firewire issues)
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7/17 Not sure if anyone cares, but this Morning I could get HBOE, but not HDnet with my CableCard setup. Man,.. talk about buggy.

Hey, I'm new to this forum, and also new to HDTV. I'm looking to purchase a Hitachi 51F59 when i move into my new place (beginning of August). I live in Greensboro, and am moving to Lindley park, right by UNCG. What is my best option for HD programming? From reading over this thread I'm getting the feeling that TWC's HD is sub par, which is not a suprise because my current TWC SD is sub par. What is everyone's opinion on what Antenna to get on top of their service. What all do I need to buy to get the best possible signal? Is it really true that you can pick up Roanoke HD signals? I am a die hard Washington Redskins fan, and I believe Roanoke TV stations broadcast skins games, so I would be willing to spend to get this. I would however like to find something that is not so permanent, that I would be able to install and move as easy as possible.. Basically pretend I know nothing about HD, not hard to do, and fill me in.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Hey, I'm new to this forum, and also new to HDTV. I'm looking to purchase a Hitachi 51F59 when i move into my new place (beginning of August). I live in Greensboro, and am moving to Lindley park, right by UNCG. What is my best option for HD programming? From reading over this thread I'm getting the feeling that TWC's HD is sub par, which is not a suprise because my current TWC SD is sub par. What is everyone's opinion on what Antenna to get on top of their service. What all do I need to buy to get the best possible signal? Is it really true that you can pick up Roanoke HD signals? I am a die hard Washington Redskins fan, and I believe Roanoke TV stations broadcast skins games, so I would be willing to spend to get this. I would however like to find something that is not so permanent, that I would be able to install and move as easy as possible.. Basically pretend I know nothing about HD, not hard to do, and fill me in.

Any help would be greatly appreciated


Welcome Rudy165.

I live up Battleground and use an antenna for all of my local digital viewing with DirecTV as my "national" provider. With a Channel Master 4228 (you can buy it at Dow Electronics at the office park at Holden and Bus 85) on my roof with a rotor and a medium gain pre-amp (in the 15 db gain range) I receive not only the local stations, but the Roanoke CBS, NBC and FOX (the ABC doesn't operate at the same power levels as the other stations) and the Raleigh ABC, CBS, NBC, WB, UPN and spanish station. If you want the Roanoke stations from Lindley Park, you will need an outside antenna.

Hope that helps.

Yeah, I figured that I would need an outside one, but do you think I would be able to install it myself? What would be required for the installation? What rotor/ pre-amp do you use/reccomend?

Hey guys. I'm new to HDTV and will soon be moving to the Mebane area in eastern Alamance County. I will be using E* for national coverage and would like to be able to get my locals in HD. I'll be living in a first floor apartment with a patio facing toward the Greensboro area. AntennaWeb places my distances to WFMY, WGHP, and WXLV at 33-35 miles (with WXII at 62 miles!!) all roughly in the same direction. I also about 50 miles from the Raleigh area stations, but my patio will not be facing that way and I don't believe I'd be able to pick up a signal facing "through" my apartment building. Being in an apartment, I'm obviously limited as to how high I could place an outdoor antenna.

I know there are indoor antennas out there, but I'm skeptical that any of those would be able to pull in those stations in HD due to the distances (35-50 miles). Is there anything I can try or equipment I can take a look at, or am I really just stuck until the dish carries locals in HD? You guys know more about this than I and I was hoping somebody might be able to tell me what I can expect before I get up there to Mebane.

I appreciate any comments. I've learned a lot reading around this thread.

Thanks!

Yeah, I figured that I would need an outside one, but do you think I would be able to install it myself? What would be required for the installation? What rotor/ pre-amp do you use/reccomend?

I used the Channel Master rotor that has the remote control. It is about $60 and I saw them at Lowes and Dow sells them also. I use a Radio Shack preamp. I think it was about $39.

Hey guys. I'm new to HDTV and will soon be moving to the Mebane area in eastern Alamance County. I will be using E* for national coverage and would like to be able to get my locals in HD. I'll be living in a first floor apartment with a patio facing toward the Greensboro area. AntennaWeb places my distances to WFMY, WGHP, and WXLV at 33-35 miles (with WXII at 62 miles!!) all roughly in the same direction. I also about 50 miles from the Raleigh area stations, but my patio will not be facing that way and I don't believe I'd be able to pick up a signal facing "through" my apartment building. Being in an apartment, I'm obviously limited as to how high I could place an outdoor antenna.

I know there are indoor antennas out there, but I'm skeptical that any of those would be able to pull in those stations in HD due to the distances (35-50 miles). Is there anything I can try or equipment I can take a look at, or am I really just stuck until the dish carries locals in HD? You guys know more about this than I and I was hoping somebody might be able to tell me what I can expect before I get up there to Mebane.

I appreciate any comments. I've learned a lot reading around this thread.

Thanks!


Welcome to the area neslonrn!

I know of several people who live in apartments that will get like a Channel Master 4228 or 3021 antennas and plant them in a bucket and put them on their patio since these are just screen antennas and not long boom types and they work pretty good with a pre-amp.

There are two areas where the TV stations have congregated their antennas. One is south of Greensboro between Asheboro and Greensboro (CBS, FOX, ABC digital, UPN/MYTV, WB/CW) and the rest are on Sauratown Mt north of Winston-Salem (NBC, PBS, ABC analog). From Mebane, the Sauratown Mt stations from a ground floor might be pushing it but you won't know until you try it. PBS has another site at Carrboro that should be able to serve you in Mebane.

Let us know how it works out.

Hey guys. I'm new to HDTV and will soon be moving to the Mebane area in eastern Alamance County. I will be using E* for national coverage and would like to be able to get my locals in HD. I'll be living in a first floor apartment with a patio facing toward the Greensboro area. AntennaWeb places my distances to WFMY, WGHP, and WXLV at 33-35 miles (with WXII at 62 miles!!) all roughly in the same direction. I also about 50 miles from the Raleigh area stations, but my patio will not be facing that way and I don't believe I'd be able to pick up a signal facing "through" my apartment building. Being in an apartment, I'm obviously limited as to how high I could place an outdoor antenna.

I know there are indoor antennas out there, but I'm skeptical that any of those would be able to pull in those stations in HD due to the distances (35-50 miles). Is there anything I can try or equipment I can take a look at, or am I really just stuck until the dish carries locals in HD? You guys know more about this than I and I was hoping somebody might be able to tell me what I can expect before I get up there to Mebane.

I appreciate any comments. I've learned a lot reading around this thread.

Thanks!


I live in Mebane, I've got external antennas, but if I remember you can get some of the Greensboro stations with an internal antennae. It's been a while since I tried. Radio Shack has an external UHF only antennae that's like $23. I've got one pointed towards the Greensboro stations the other towards the Raleigh stations. I pick up all of the stations wonderfully.

So right now on our cable our HBO-E, HBO-W, CBS, FOX, and NBC (all HD channels) are out. Nothing comes in just black. Many of the HD channels that are coming in (and some simply digital ones) are artifacting and pixellated like crazy. I checked the diagnostic screen and our signal is now in the orange at between -17 - -20dbmV. I called cable and they are sending someone tomorrow to boost our signal. The lovely part is, it's during an *8* hour window. No they couldn't narrow the time down from 8 hours. Wonderful. I hate TWC. Please Comcast, Cox, SOME other cable company, I am BEGGING you to please come to the triad and compete with these losers.

/rant off

Why don't you just call D* or E*?

To quote myself from a while back:

I just wish we could get competition for cable from other cable providers. I will never even consider a sattelite until they offer a small indoor model that works. I also am put off by needing a receiver on every tv, but I am sure that requirement will eventually come from cable as well. I also hate the upfront equipment costs from sattelite.

Believe me, when my living situation becomes more permanent, I will reevaluate if TWC is still as bad as it is now.

Well, the cable guy came and thankfully we seemed to have a pretty good one today who was nice and made several changes to help improve the signal. Basically, he said that the main issue was they had wired the splitters in the outside box incorrectly. Now our signals on HD channels are in the -7 - -10 range mostly. He indicated that anything -15 or better should be ok (for any wondering). (If you want to check these signals hold down SELECT (on the box) until the EMAIL icon lights up, then hit INFO. It's the "RF" signal. Hit EXIT to return to TV viewing.) So hopefully, our channels won't go out anymore. I seem to remember us having issues earlier when the signal was around -13, so we'll see.

I asked him if he knew anything about them moving the "headend" (which Foxeng had told us about some months ago) and if they had finished with that, and he didn't know (or claimed to not know). Foxeng, have you heard if they finished with that?

Now if TWC would get ESPN2-HD my hatred would really abate! :)

I REALLY want ESPN2-HD for football season. But I'm also really wanting National Geographic HD. They actually have some great programming that I'd love to see in HD.

I REALLY want ESPN2-HD for football season.

Why? I thought MNF was on ESPN?

Why? I thought MNF was on ESPN?
He may be referring to college football.

Also 45 started out showing The British Open in ABC's 16X9 upconvert. However, for some reason it dropped out of that mode and it has been that way for a while.

He may be referring to college football.

Also 45 started out showing The British Open in ABC's 16X9 upconvert. However, for some reason it dropped out of that mode and it has been that way for a while.

doh, i forgot.

I REALLY want ESPN2-HD for football season.

Well, this certainly isn't going to happen in the 2006 season. Given that TWC announced the deal for Universal HD late last year and we still don't have it here, if TWC doesn't announce an ESPN2HD deal in the next few months, I seriously doubt we'll even have ESPN2HD for the 2007 football season. Depressing. Maybe Triad TWC would work a little faster to get ESPN2HD once a deal is struck (if TWC can be bothered to even try)....

Well, this certainly isn't going to happen in the 2006 season. Given that TWC announced the deal for Universal HD late last year and we still don't have it here, if TWC doesn't announce an ESPN2HD deal in the next few months, I seriously doubt we'll even have ESPN2HD for the 2007 football season. Depressing. Maybe Triad TWC would work a little faster to get ESPN2HD once a deal is struck (if TWC can be bothered to even try)....
I'm not sure about that. The original ESPN-HD deal was hammered out and we got it very quickly after that, so I don't think it would necessarily have to be over a year. But it certainly could.

I asked him if he knew anything about them moving the "headend" (which Foxeng had told us about some months ago) and if they had finished with that, and he didn't know (or claimed to not know). Foxeng, have you heard if they finished with that?


They are completed with it but they are having some major issues with it. The lip sync error on many analog channels are so bad they have had to go back to a non digital mode until they can get them fixed. I know all of the local stations were howling at TWC about it until they put us all back to analog.

Jacksonian, thanks for that info. I wasn't in the HD universe when the first ESPN-HD deal happened, but I was aware that Raleigh got it before the Triad did.

Foxeng, thanks for the update.

Just a quick update. Through a THIRD hand source so take it with a grain of salt, a rumor is going around that other stations are in the same situation we are in, waiting on minor modification changes before turning on their full power digitals and the FCC is about to release a LARGE number of these and they will be approved. No time frame when it will happen, but the rumor says soon since the FCC has other issues it needs to be dealing with if the 2009 analog shutdown date is to happen.

We shall see and wait along with everyone else.

MR12,
My setup is rather basic, for all I have a Radio Shack UHF yagi antenna with a Radio Shack antenna-mounted booster. The HD set that I'm watching on is a 30" Sanyo widescreen HDTV set (about $400 at Wal-Mart), the best deal around on an HDTV and much better resolution than that on a big-screen projection HDTV. The set has separate antenna jacks for Digital and Analog signals, although I use the Digital hookup about 98% of the time. So far (this summer), I have received the following stations:

WLOS-DT (Asheville) about 3 times
WNSC-DT (Rock Hill, SC) about 2 times
WJPM-DT (Florence, SC) about 3 times
WBTW-DT (Florence, SC) about 2 times
WECT-DT (Wilmington) probably 1-2 times
WWAY-DT (Wilmington) probably 1-2 times
WUNJ-DT (Wilmington) probably 1-2 times
WIS-DT (Columbia, SC) about 3 times
WRLK-DT (Columbia, SC) about 3 times
WLTX-DT (Columbia, SC) once
WACH-DT (Columbia, SC) once
WAGT-DT (Augusta, GA) once
WRDW-DT (Augusta, GA) once
WSLS-DT (Roanoke, VA) about 2 times
WDBJ-DT (Roanoke, VA) about 2 times
WUNL-DT (Winston Salem) about 2 times
WUNE-DT (Linville) about 2 times

Other than that, I have received about all stations from Charlotte except WCNC-DT on a fairly regular basis (WBTV-DT and WSOC-DT being the strongest of them all). I suspect that multipath is the cause of the problems that I have receiving WCNC-DT. However, stations that I receive about all the time are: Raleigh-Durham (WUNC-DT, WRAL-DT, WTVD-DT, WNCN-DT, WLFL-DT, WRDC-DT, WUVC-DT, and WRAZ-DT), Greensboro-High Point-Winston Salem (WFMY-DT, WXLV-DT, WMYV-DT) and Florence-Myrtle Beach (WUNU-DT, WPDE-DT). How about you? What do you receive where you're at?

Take Care,
Chris

I live in East Charlotte my setup is a standard TV with a ProBrand 3150Plus HDTV STB. I just got it this week after my Motorola died (don't get me started on that). The antenna is a Radio Shack U/V model with no amp fed with RG-6 coax. The antenna is up about 30 feet with rotor. It used to be 35 feet but now I can't get the telescopic mast to fully extend.

The only out of market station I have seen so far has been WXLV. Not sure why I don't see WFMY. They always put a good analog signal down here. I never see the WXLV analog signal here.

When the weather gets cooler i want to try a UHF only antenna.

MM

The only out of market station I have seen so far has been WXLV. Not sure why I don't see WFMY. They always put a good analog signal down here. I never see the WXLV analog signal here.

WFMY's digital channel is 51. It could be that WAXN's digital chanel 50 is causing first adjacent interference. WXLV's analog transmitter is located north of Winston-Salem on Sauratown Mt and their digital transmitter located south of Greensboro about 5 miles east from WFMY at Level Cross.

It's a good idea to buy a UHF Yagi antenna if you're strictly looking to get HDTV locals. I currently have a UHF Yagi with an antenna-mounted amplifier mounted on the roof of my house. I've been able to receive HD locals from as far away as Asheville, Charlotte, Roanoke, Richmond, Norfolk, Washington (NC), Wilmington (NC), Charleston (SC), Columbia (SC), and Augusta (GA) too. Analog reception is equally good (and sometimes even better) at night, which I can receive UHF locals from distant areas like Asheville (WHNS, WUNF, WYCW), Charlotte (WCCB, WCNC, WTVI, WJZY, WUNG), Wilmington (WSFX, WUNJ), Charleston (WTAT), and Florence-Myrtle Beach (WBTW, WPDE, WWMB, WHMC, WJPM, WFXB). Heck, I even received WOFL FOX 35 from Orlando, FL once with this setup!

Remember, after Feb 17, 2009, some of the stations will be going back to VHF for their digital channels so you need to have some kind of a VHF antenna in place for those stations.

What's happening with WXLV and TWC right now? 530 is showing the SD feed, haven't seen any HD. But I can't get my Pioneer to find 45.2 for the HD OTA signal. Anybody have a scoop?

I receive WXLV-DT at my house (about 48 miles away, as the crow flies, from the transmitter site in Randolph County) just about all the time and I can tell you that WXLV-DT has been broadcasting programming only on 45.1 for the better part of 2 months (SD only when HD isn't being broadcast). I remember that around 2-3 months ago WXLV-DT had a second digital subchannel that was identified as "WXLV-WX" (I assume it was supposed to be some kind of weather channel for WXLV) but nothing had ever came of it. Other than that, expect any and all digital programming on WXLV-DT to be on 45.1 (if broadcast in ABC HDTV). About all other ABC Channels in NC are like this, except for WWAY in Wilmington that has subchannels for HDTV, SDTV, and a 24/7 Weather Channel. I know that the last sentence may be useless information to you, but I know about this stuff for a fact because I receive a good deal of ABC affiliates in HD from around the State (WLOS, WSOC, WXLV, WTVD, WPDE, and occasionally WCTI and WWAY, but never WCIV from Charleston) from time to time.

Thanks for the info Chris. They used to have analog on 45, SD digital on 45.1, and HD on 45.2 if I remember correctly. Both NBC and CBS here in the Triad have subchannels for 24/7 weather.

So did WXLV agree to let TWC show their SD feed only?

I believe that TWC is taking the analog air feed for WXLV and putting that on ch 530. WXLV was providing a fiber feed to TWC of the SD signal on equipment installed there by TWC but there was continuing problems with closed captions garbling and disappearing which is unacceptable. TWC was not able to correct the problem so we requested the fiber not be used until CC's are corrected.
45-1 is the HD air channel, 45-2 has been deleted. WXLV WX was a software glitch. The psip builder was trying to display WXLV twice.

WFMY's digital channel is 51. It could be that WAXN's digital chanel 50 is causing first adjacent interference. WXLV's analog transmitter is located north of Winston-Salem on Sauratown Mt and their digital transmitter located south of Greensboro about 5 miles east from WFMY at Level Cross.

Interesting WXLV has separate sites, I didn't expect that. As for the adjacents, I wondered if that had something to do with it. So much for DX at my location unless I invest in a very directional antenna and go up higher.

Thanks!

Mike

Remember, after Feb 17, 2009, some of the stations will be going back to VHF for their digital channels so you need to have some kind of a VHF antenna in place for those stations.

Will that be just the high band VHF stations or will they also allow the low band VHF stations to go back? This could be a real mess. I was looking forward to just having a UHF antenna since it's smaller. But then WTVI had to mess that up!

Mike :(

I REALLY want ESPN2-HD for football season. But I'm also really wanting National Geographic HD. They actually have some great programming that I'd love to see in HD.

If you REALLY want ESPN2HD ... email Fred Dressler (VP of Programming for TWC) at fred.dressler@twcable.com and tell him so. Be prepared, though ... he will politely respond-- and, tell you that it's ABC/Disney's fault. According to him, and the countless TWC sychophants that inhabit these forums ... it's never TWC's fault.

Will that be just the high band VHF stations or will they also allow the low band VHF stations to go back? This could be a real mess. I was looking forward to just having a UHF antenna since it's smaller. But then WTVI had to mess that up!

Mike :(

I don't have my list in front of me but from memory no station in NC will be on low band. The only one that first asked to be, WSKY-4 in Manteo has come back and requested channel 9.

In NC:
8 - WGHP - High Point
8 - WFXI - Morehead City
9 - WSKY - Manteo
10 - WNCT - Greenville
11 - WTVI _ Charlotte
11 - WTVD - Durham
12 - WCTI - New Bern
13 - WLOS - Asheville

The only ones I remember in SC:
7 - WITV - Charleston
7 - WSPA = Spartanburg
8 - WOLO - Columbia
9 - WHMC - Conway
9 - WNTV - Greenville
13 - WBTW - Florence

In VA
3- WBRA - Roanoke
5 - WCYB - Bristol
11 - WVPT - Staunton
13 - WSET - Lynchburg

Interesting WXLV has separate sites, I didn't expect that. As for the adjacents, I wondered if that had something to do with it. So much for DX at my location unless I invest in a very directional antenna and go up higher.

Thanks!

Mike

It happens in lots of places. We have two statons here with split sites. WXLV and WLXI. Their analog is on a 500 ft tower north of Kernersville (channel 61) and their digital (channel 43) is at 1800 ft on the same tower that WXLV-DT is on.

In the Triad there really is only two major areas where all of the transmitters (analog and digital) are located.

http://www.triad-hdtv.org/graphics/triad-map.jpg

* Sauratown Mountain - North of King, NC - RED Pin
o WXII-TV - Channel 12
o WXII-DT - Channel 31
o WUNL-TV - Channel 26
o WUNL-DT - Channel 32
o WXLV-TV - Channel 45
* Level Cross - near Randleman, NC - BLUE Pin
o WFMY-TV - Channel 2
o WFMY-DT - Channel 51
o WTWB-TV - Channel 20
o WTWB-DT - Channel 19
o WMYV-TV - Channel 48
o WMYV-DT - Channel 33
o WXLV-DT - Channel 29
o WLXI-DT - Channel 43
* Sophia - near Randleman, NC - GREEN Pin
o WGHP-TV - Channel 8
o WGHP-DT - Channel 35
* Kernersville - GRAY Pin
o WLXI-TV - Channel 61
* Browns Summit - at the Guilford County Line - ORANGE Pin
o WGPX-TV - Channel 16
o WGPX-DT - Channel 14

I believe that TWC is taking the analog air feed for WXLV and putting that on ch 530. WXLV was providing a fiber feed to TWC of the SD signal on equipment installed there by TWC but there was continuing problems with closed captions garbling and disappearing which is unacceptable. TWC was not able to correct the problem so we requested the fiber not be used until CC's are corrected.
45-1 is the HD air channel, 45-2 has been deleted. WXLV WX was a software glitch. The psip builder was trying to display WXLV twice.

Thanks for the info, Zane. So do you know if there's been any progress between TWC and Sinclair since they weren't even rebroadcasting the analog feed for a couple of years. Does this mean we're getting any closer to WXLV HD on TWC?

Thanks for the info, Zane. So do you know if there's been any progress between TWC and Sinclair since they weren't even rebroadcasting the analog feed for a couple of years. Does this mean we're getting any closer to WXLV HD on TWC?

Unfortunately I have no information at this time. I do not believe any deal has been reached. I know both we and the TWC guys will be glad when that happens. I think when Directv adds the Greensboro market to the HD local delivery, more meaningful talks will take place.

Well I'd love to see them work this out. I need ABC HD for my college football viewing pleasure.

^ Are they doing more than 2 or 3 games this year? Most of their games are regional, I believe.

If I remember correctly, they had some of the biggest games last year like Miami vs. FSU, then they were big for the bowl games.

Thanks for the info on the transmitter sites. Now I understand why I could see some of the Triad stations but not some of the others.

Interesting about the split sites too.

Where I live in Charlotte analog WBTV comes in like an out of market signal, it's really bad and always has been. Using rabbit ears you can hardly see Channel 3. Even going from Spencer Mountain to Dallas with a 2000 foot stick didn't help. I hear from an engineer friend of mine that they have tried eveything to fix the awful signal problems. The good thing is their digital signal is much better!

If I remember correctly, they had some of the biggest games last year like Miami vs. FSU, then they were big for the bowl games.
Remember that the bowl championship has moved to Fox starting this year. So ABC will probably have very little college football in HD. Not having ESPN2-HD will hurt the TWC customers that are college football fans more than not having ABC. I think the only things ABC has now that are shown in HD are NBA and NASCAR. Except for the British Open ABC has lost all golf as well. But except for the pseudo HD broadcast of the British Open, ABC never showed golf in HD anyway.

^ Are they doing more than 2 or 3 games this year? Most of their games are regional, I believe.

Every week ABC is doing a nationally televised game on Saturday night. The word is, this will be in HD every week. It makes sense since in theory they have an HD truck/eq they were using on Monday nights last year that they obviously don't need anymore.

Well I'm glad ABC doesn't have the BCS this year. I've sent TWC my request for the deuce, that one is key. But I'd still like to have the ABC national game each week.

Every week ABC is doing a nationally televised game on Saturday night. The word is, this will be in HD every week. It makes sense since in theory they have an HD truck/eq they were using on Monday nights last year that they obviously don't need anymore.

On the ABC affiliate website it states that all college games will be in Standard Definition unless otherwise noted. I looked down the 3'rd quarter list and none of the scheduled games were otherwise noted. That can change, like the offering of the 16:9 upconverted of the British Open at the last minute.

On the ABC affiliate website it states that all college games will be in Standard Definition unless otherwise noted. I looked down the 3'rd quarter list and none of the scheduled games were otherwise noted. That can change, like the offering of the 16:9 upconverted of the British Open at the last minute.

"It's the first college football series in prime time on broadcast television and will also be available in high definition. The schedule does not include games on Oct. 21 and 28."

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2446647

"It's the first college football series in prime time on broadcast television and will also be available in high definition. The schedule does not include games on Oct. 21 and 28."

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2446647

OK, I will not dispute the article and conceed it is probably right. I checked the ABC affiliate site again and it still does not indicate HD for that game. ABC has been notorious for not passing on information correctly. I recently took a call from an angry viewer who said the ABC program schedule on the ABC public website indicated that Extreem Home Makeover was broadcast in HD. It actually was not but he was correct about the website saying it was.

If you REALLY want ESPN2HD ... email Fred Dressler (VP of Programming for TWC) at fred.dressler@twcable.com and tell him so. Be prepared, though ... he will politely respond-- and, tell you that it's ABC/Disney's fault. According to him, and the countless TWC sychophants that inhabit these forums ... it's never TWC's fault.

If you really want ESPN2HD, stop whining and switch to Dish Network or DirecTV. :mad: :mad: :mad:

Or email ESPN and tell them that six hours a week of HD programming isn't worth anywhere near their rate card.

Guys-

Just moved here from Indy. Who does CBS normally broadcast for AFC games? I want to know if I need to get a DirectTV football package to see my Colts!

Thanks.

Guys-

Just moved here from Indy. Who does CBS normally broadcast for AFC games? I want to know if I need to get a DirectTV football package to see my Colts!

Thanks.
Since our two local teams are NFC teams (Panthers and Redskins), CBS will usually show us it's main national game unless the Panthers and Redskins are playing an AFC team at home.

Hey, I just got my HDTV (Hitatchi 51 inch CRT RPTV) on monday, and it's awesome.

EDIT: nevermind I figured out my answer. This TV is awesome though.

Hey foxeng, can you let us know why House wasn't in HD last night? (at least on TWC) Not a huge deal or anything - just curious.

So You Think You Can Dance wasn't in HD either. I was watching OTA.

I have no idea unless network was having some kind of problem. I didn't watch last night so I didn't catch it. I just did a quick check on the splicer and it was working.

Has anyone else recently lost TNT-HD off of QAM reception? All other channels are fine, but I wonder if TWC has pulled TNT? I sure hope not!

I am about 10 miles south of Charlotte. So far this summer besides the Charlotte locals, I can regularly pick up (at night) 2-1 WFMY, 45-1 ABC GBORO, 4-1 WYFF, 7-1 WSPA, 13-1 WBTW CBS, and 21-1 FOX Greenville.

Was extremely pleased with TWC quality and reliabilty in NE Guilford Cty the past 2 years. Have 2 - 8300DVR and several direct analog TV connections. But the past couple of months I have seen a gradual degredation of some analog and practically all of the digital channels The last service call was 2 weeks ago and I got the usual yep........you have a problem. The Tech tells me he was going to put in a workorder for an amplifier and possibly new cable for the house drop from the road (this has already been done once - cable is the orange jacket RG 6). He also tells me that once TWC gets the system balanced, it should improve, whatever that means ????

A week goes by and I hear nothing so I call TWC-CS. I am told that they have an order in for an amp but the warehouse is out of stock. Also they could not provide an ETA. So...... I go to RS and pick up a 10dba amp to place on the input side of one of the 8300 units. Signals levels based on the 8300 status screen and what the TWC rep told me:

5 dba signal loss from pole to interface box on the house....approx 225'

Before the RS amp at the 8300 Tuner 1 -19/-20 dbmv
FDC -13/-15 dbmv

After the RS amp addition Tuner 1 -9/-11 dbmv
FDC -3/-5 dbmv

Note that this reading was taken from a direct "home run" circuit to the interface box. There is a 3 way splitter in the box - one goes to the above box, one goes to the rest of the house and one to the cable modem. No issues with RR - it is flawless.

Cannot get any of the 500s nor the 400 HD except for TMCW-HD
The rest of the 400s.... about 1/3 of them are pixilated.
Analog - most can get but again ch 40-60 are severely pixilated with screen lockups.

I am going to give E* a go and return all the set top boxes to TWC. I will keep basic TWC for access to 4-5 TVs and feed 4 rooms with E* for HD.

This is a real shame as, for the past 2 years, I thought TWC had an excellent HD product but I don't see them getting an handle on whatever is going on for a long time.

Yes I am starting to wonder about TWC too. It seems I have now lost NBC as well as UNC-HD from my QAM recption. I have been playing around with my cable hookups the last couple of days, but I am not sure how that could affect it. I can't get TNT or NBC either one on my tuner. Is anyone else having problems or is it related to my specific situation? Thanks.

Was extremely pleased with TWC quality and reliabilty in NE Guilford Cty the past 2 years. Have 2 - 8300DVR and several direct analog TV connections. But the past couple of months I have seen a gradual degredation of some analog and practically all of the digital channels The last service call was 2 weeks ago and I got the usual yep........you have a problem. The Tech tells me he was going to put in a workorder for an amplifier and possibly new cable for the house drop from the road (this has already been done once - cable is the orange jacket RG 6). He also tells me that once TWC gets the system balanced, it should improve, whatever that means ????

A week goes by and I hear nothing so I call TWC-CS. I am told that they have an order in for an amp but the warehouse is out of stock. Also they could not provide an ETA. So...... I go to RS and pick up a 10dba amp to place on the input side of one of the 8300 units. Signals levels based on the 8300 status screen and what the TWC rep told me:

5 dba signal loss from pole to interface box on the house....approx 225'

Before the RS amp at the 8300 Tuner 1 -19/-20 dbmv
FDC -13/-15 dbmv

After the RS amp addition Tuner 1 -9/-11 dbmv
FDC -3/-5 dbmv

Note that this reading was taken from a direct "home run" circuit to the interface box. There is a 3 way splitter in the box - one goes to the above box, one goes to the rest of the house and one to the cable modem. No issues with RR - it is flawless.

Cannot get any of the 500s nor the 400 HD except for TMCW-HD
The rest of the 400s.... about 1/3 of them are pixilated.
Analog - most can get but again ch 40-60 are severely pixilated with screen lockups.

I am going to give E* a go and return all the set top boxes to TWC. I will keep basic TWC for access to 4-5 TVs and feed 4 rooms with E* for HD.

This is a real shame as, for the past 2 years, I thought TWC had an excellent HD product but I don't see them getting an handle on whatever is going on for a long time.

If your drop has been damaged and is allowing "ingress", amplification is not going to solve your problem. With the levels you indicate it sounds like the problem could be in their distribution system. A technician with a spectrum analizer could tell a lot more about the source of your problem than one with a field strength meter.

Tell the Time Warner customer service reps that if they expect you to take half a day of work to wait for a tech, you want one that's is qualified to resolve the problem, or you would expect your bill to be credited until it is. Worked for me.

If the tech starts to give you "the dance", ask him to contact his supervisor on his two-way so that you can speak with him/her directly. GET NAMES, not just of who you have dealt with, but who they report to. email your complaints so that you have documentation.

One more recommendation. Avoid products and advise from Radio Shack. Both are unreliable. :D :D :D

TWC very quickly offered to credit the bill without my even coming out and asking which leads me to believe they have some major issues.

Also, I agree about Radio Shack but this was a quick way for me to satisfy my curiosity with regard to the technician and his amplifier recommendation. If I thought that adding amplifiers would be the final solution, I would be looking elsewhere for the final product.

To me, in this case. adding amplifications seems to be like putting a band aid over a major problem.

One more recommendation. Avoid products and advise from Radio Shack. Both are unreliable. :D :D :D

Most Radio Shack parts are manufactured by the same companies that the cablecos buy from. From you statement, people shouldn't expect any better results from cablecos than they can from Radio Shack then.

The splitters from TWC I have are powered by the return path and do not have separate power supplies. I didn't see anything like that available from RS. Everything I researched on the internet is in the 4-10 dba range. although I did see some that could be cranked up to 30+ also with something called trimming. I am a power electrical engineer and although I can apply ohms law to most practical circuit analysis, some of that high powered stuff for low level signals makes me think that things can get just as bad with too much signal.

I don't want to continue harping on TWC and make this a bash thread as I have made the decision to convert to E*.

Just a little boggled and my engineer nature makes me want to find some cause and effect.

Most Radio Shack parts are manufactured by the same companies that the cablecos buy from. From you statement, people shouldn't expect any better results from cablecos than they can from Radio Shack then.

Just because a "Kenmore" appliance may be manufactured by Whirlpool doesn't mean it's manufactured to the same specifications that the product branded as Whirlpool is.

"Made By" means nothing.

We now know what month D* will add Greensboro HD LiL.

http://directv.com/DTVAPP/packProg/channelChart2.jsp?assetId=1100086

Watch local sports, events and your favorite shows in high-definition with your DIRECTV® HD Receiver, an HD television set and an off-air antenna.* DIRECTV currently offers HD local channels in select markets,† but constantly adds new areas. Here's a list of upcoming market launches:

August
Grand Rapids, Memphis, Portland OR, San Antonio

September
Austin, Cincinnati, Las Vegas, Providence, Reno

October
Green Bay, Greensboro, Madison, Portland ME

We now know what month D* will add Greensboro HD LiL.

http://directv.com/DTVAPP/packProg/channelChart2.jsp?assetId=1100086
I'm glad they finally put up the dates and markets. I just hope they get their new DVR figured out by October. As much as I would love to get my HD locals through them, I'm sad to say I have completely changed my TV watching habbits since having my TiVo. Maybe we'll all get a great Columbus Day present of BOTH! :D

And maybe the slim-line dishes too!

I'm glad they finally put up the dates and markets. I just hope they get their new DVR figured out by October. As much as I would love to get my HD locals through them, I'm sad to say I have completely changed my TV watching habbits since having my TiVo. Maybe we'll all get a great Columbus Day present of BOTH! :D

And maybe the slim-line dishes too!
D* is doing a limited roll out of their new MPEG-4 DVR this month in LA. It will become more widespread in September. Hopefully that will mean it will be available in this area by October. I know I won't get HD LiL from D* until the new DVR is available in this area.

I'm watching my locals OTA so I don't need D* to give them to me. I don't even have a DVR but I do want to get one. I want to wait and upgrade everything at once. Get an HR20 for the living room, an H20 for the bedroom, an R15 for the den and a new dish (hopefully slimline).

Any word on whether or not WFMY will be carrying Wheel and Jeopardy in HD?

I know I won't get HD LiL from D* until the new DVR is available in this area.
I'm right there with you. I have a HR10-250 and am using an antenna to get my locals OTA like you. When October rolls around I'll be able to get all of them again; I have a tree problem during the summer months. No sense in upgrading twice.

Here's the first review of the HR20.

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=61862

Discussion of the review.

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=61865

Guys,

I have been waiting almos one year for this. I purchased a front PJ last year and only watch DVDs on it. I did not want to invest in all of the antenna and receiver equipment just for the local channels and did not want to order the current HD package from D* without a DVR.

If the DVR is not out in October when they roll out the local HD here in GSO, I might be putting off my migration even longer. I realllllly hope they roll out the DVR in mass before October.

Also, I really hope the software is better than what they use in their current regular DVR cause it's crap.

I complained for like 2 hours before they would agree to send me a refurbed Tivo unit which is leaps and bounds better than native D* software.

well that's my 2 cents.

I debated on whether to tell you guys are let you find out on your own, but I decided you guys have been real good about this so I will tell you.

As of 11:35 am this morning, WGHP-DT is at full power of 1 million watts. We the got the authorization this morning from the FCC and true to our word, it wasn't more than 15 minutes later, we had the full power antenna on the air at full power. I ran a quick test on the back up antenna and then one on the full power antenna and said, that is good enough!!

Those with antennas, enjoy the Panthers game tonight on FOX!!

Congratulations Foxeng!

WTG, foxeng! We all know how hard you have worked all these years to get this thing going.

Very good!!!!!!

When everyone gets home from work today, please be so kind and post some signal reports. We are very curious to see how much of the analog coverage we do cover digitally.

Hooray!! Just in time for the Panthers game tonight.

Foxeng,

I'm getting about 90% signal strength. I'm using a Channelmaster 4228 with a Phillips booter (from Wally World) and a HD Tivo from D*. Thanks again for getting it powered up so quickly! :D

I'm in High Point, about 1/2 mile from SW Guilford High School.

Charlie,

Very nice signal here at my house in North-West Guilford county. Congratulations.

Signal strength is a bit less than some of the other stations but over mid-strength on the signal strength "meter." I have not tried to position the antenna for max signal. (I had originally positioned the mast for best signal on ABC for the Superbowl earlier this year)

The equipment is... an old vhf/uhf TV antenna that was on the house when we purchased it 14 years ago, up about 25 feet on an "armstrong" rotatable mast, about 100 feet of rg59, several couplings and adaptors, (don't cringe, but I'm using a UHF barrel feedthrough to get into the basement that I originally used for 2M.) no preamp, feeding an LG-LST-3510A HDTV Rcvr/DVD player combo.

Prior to your move to high power, your station's digital signal was not able to be detected by my present equipment.

Again, great news, and thanks.

Joe L.

Great news Foxeng. I know all of the OTA folks will be thrilled.

I hope everyone doesn't get tired of my "problem posts", but this is the only resource I know of because TWC is clueless. I think I finally got all of my signal and pixellation issues fixed (it was due to low signal which I solved by rearranging my splitters).

I receive my HD programming via an internal QAM tuner on my RCA TV, but for the last two weeks it appears TWC has been encrypting TNT-HD on 104-300. All of the other channels are fine including Discovery HD, but TNT shows a message that the channel has been encrypted by the provider.

Going by TWC's programming lineup on the website, TNT-HD is still in the "free" package and not in the HD tier. I called them and the CSR says that sometimes that channel may not be available to signal strength issues. But of course she has no clue, as all of the other channels are fine and signal strength is NOT an issue. And yet she won't let me speak to anyone else.

I am frustrated because it seems no one at TWC has a clue about QAM reception (they asked me 5 times if I had a digital STB), and yet we can't get the channel. Can anyone else confirm if this problem is ocurring elsewhere, and if so what can be done?

I am supposed to have a lot of company over for the Bristol NASCAR race Saturday night, and I'd love to show it in HD on TNT! Thanks for any help!

Foxeng, Congrats! I know it's been a long hard struggle. I'm looking forward to watching the Panthers in high def OTA! Any word on subchannel plans?

Peaked at 86 on both tuners in Stokesdale. Using of course, my wonderful little indoor silver sensor sitting high atop my Samsung DLP!


I am going to guess my neighbors in Summerfield will be right around those numbers using the same equipment!


Looks pretty good to me

Foxeng, Congrats! I know it's been a long hard struggle. I'm looking forward to watching the Panthers in high def OTA! Any word on subchannel plans?

Nothing I am aware of but as you know, things can be in the works and those of us in engineering are the last to know. Not knowing when we could turn things on has been problematic to plan for anything at best. All I can say is stay tuned!!

Well at my girlfriend's with my cheapie indoor antenna, I can't get much beyond ABC (which is all I really need) and PAX (ugh). After doing a slight adjustment to the antenna's location I was able to get UPN (why I could get ABC and not it is a mystery) and Fox! I was getting in the high 80's signal wise, slightly below ABC. That's the first time I have been able to get Fox with my low budget set up.

Congrats! I am happy the FCC finally gave you the ok. I guess there haven't been too many nipples on TV for them to agonize over.

My girlfriend's HDTV is subpar, so I won't be able to compare OTA vs TWC picture quality on FOX until next year when I am back at my house. (At least not as well as I will be able to at home on my sweet sweet CRT!)

EDIT: Oh my location is basically a mile away from Best Buy at this house.

Hooray!! Just in time for the Panthers game tonight.

Believe me, it wasn't planned this way, but we are VERY glad it worked out the way it did. We have not been looking forward to having to tell people they wouldn't be able to watch football in HD! The emails and phone calls over the last few weeks had told us that.

For the last week or so, we have been working in the old transmitter building changing it from a main site to a reliable backup site for analog and digital. My boss got a call on his cell phone and about the same time I got a call from one of the corporate VP's of engineering (who I am sure is reading this tread for signal reports) to ask me if I had seen my email yet. Of course, the computer was in the other building so we hadn't heard yet. I jumped in my truck, ran over to the other building, checked the email, printed the authorization to post and then went into the DTV transmitter room and hit the button that put the transmitter to the antennas and away we went. It was a very satisfying feeling and our work in the old building was much happier knowing we could turn off the low power transmitter and work around it without worrying about taking us off the air.

Sad part is the transmitter could have gone on the air in February like we thought and for the last 6 months, it has been running in test mode on the dummy antenna. Of course we have had some major tube issues right up to two weeks ago, but we think we are past all that and that help make today a very uneventful day as far as the technical issues to put the transmitter on the air.

Here are a couple of pictures I have been waiting to share. I took these this afternoon. They are the digital transmitter and it's control panel on the air at full power. Enjoy!

http://www.w4cl.net/fox/ControlPanel.jpg
http://www.w4cl.net/fox/P8240062.JPG


Here is a picture of the low power transmitter that I took several years ago. The lower half below the monitor was moved to the studio when we started passing FOX HD. The actual transmitter is just the grey top part of the rack. The blue rack to the right was the old channel 8 analog transmitter that we retired in April of 2005 with the new transmitter that is on the air now from the new building. Enjoy!!

http://www.triad-hdtv.org/graphics/wghp-dtv.jpg

RF Ch-35, right Charles?

^ That's right, FOX18

foxeng.....my Samsung's tuner is getting between 66-75% near the intersection of Peter's Creek and Clemmonsville Rd. on the Southside of Winston. Signal is locked & loaded.

foxeng, congrats, i'm at lake brandt road at the lake and always got 2 at 98% nad saw 8 at 4%. getting 8 tonight at 95%....way to go and it will be wort all the work you have done and patience you have showed.....

RF Ch-35, right Charles?

Yep.

At my own house it has gone from a 25 to full scale 100.

Currently you're to the side of my square shooter.. I'll have to turn it your way on Saturday.
I've gotten the Ch8 transmitter here before fairly regularly.

Great news foxeng! I am located up north Church St. near lake jeanette. Previously I was getting about 0-5% on my signal strenght meter. I have a D* HR10-250 receiver, ChannelMaster 4228 antenna and antenna mount amp from RS. I'm now pulling in 85-90% and the Panther's game looks awesome! As a comparison to the other channels near your tower WXLV, WUPN and WFMY are all at 90-95%. I did experience random dropouts, but that is probably me. Its happened a couple of times since 6 but didn't last very long. Other than those couple of times its staying at 85-90 for me.

Congrats on all the hard work!

Great news foxeng! I am located up north Church St. near lake jeanette. Previously I was getting about 0-5% on my signal strenght meter. I have a D* HR10-250 receiver, ChannelMaster 4228 antenna and antenna mount amp from RS. I'm now pulling in 85-90% and the Panther's game looks awesome! As a comparison to the other channels near your tower WXLV, WUPN and WFMY are all at 90-95%. I did experience random dropouts, but that is probably me. Its happened a couple of times since 6 but didn't last very long. Other than those couple of times its staying at 85-90 for me.

Congrats on all the hard work!

WFMY, WXLV and WUPN's antennas are all about 800 feet higher than our antenna so I would not expect the signals to be exact.

WFMY, WXLV and WUPN's antennas are all about 800 feet higher than our antenna so I would not expect the signals to be exact.
That's a pretty big difference, I had no idea. Your signal is doing really well comparatively to the other towers. How tall was your old digital tower compared to the new one?