Now back to SD....on 8
AAAAUUGGH!

back to HD on TWC channel 510

Not in Greensboro. Still SD on 510. Go figure

Not in Greensboro. Still SD on 510. Go figure

Here in the AVL/GSP Market, WHNS-HD via Charter is showing the game in HD. Must not be a glitch on the network level.

Well, it was HD for a while in Greensboro. Back to SD OTA and on cable.

On the bright side, these 2 teams suck less vividly in SD. :)

Apparently the issue is linked to the solar flare activity.

Well, it was HD for a while in Greensboro. Back to SD OTA and on cable.

On the bright side, these 2 teams suck less vividly in SD. :)

Here's a possible explanation that might explain the Panthers Game going from HD to SD. Read the following thread which contains the discussion on other FOX NFL Games being affected by "sun outage" : http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=919426 .

The Miami-Houston Game on CBS (at least WSPA-HD) was in SD for a period of time, as well. It's now back in HD.

(Added after original posting: vertigo235 beat me to the punch on this one...)

Yes, it is sun outage issues. We go through this every year in the early part of October and late March. I had forgotten it was that time of year. In order to keep the signal on the air, we have to switch satellites and receivers and at this time, the HD signal is only available from the main receiver and when that receiver goes into sun outage for several minutes we either have no signal or we switch to SD for that duration. This is the way it will be until FOX provides us with a way to maintain the HD signal during sun outages.

Every sat user, including D* and E* has this problem. Never at the same time since the birds are located at different places in the sky, but all sats go through this for 2 weeks every spring and fall.

Interesting stuff. I remember one year a long time ago when sun spots played havoc with the telecast of the ACC tourney.

Hello,

I live in Winston, close to Baptist, and have a multidirectional antenna from RadioShack (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062075&cp=2032057.2032187.2032189.2032205&parentPage=family). I get ABC, Fox, CBS, TCT and 5 PBS channels. I am having trouble with NBC though. It is very choppy and sometimes won't come in at all or has horizontal artifacts all over it.
Anybody know what could be wrong?
Thanks.
Chris

are you pointing your antenna towards the WXII tower on Saurtown(sp?) mountain?

www.antennaweb.org

While watching baseball games I tend to channel surf quite a bit.
I notice that when I switch back to TBS-HD I get a frozen picture. Sometime it stays frozen for quite a bit although the sound picks right up.
Is this something I have to look forward to with all the new HD channels on cable?

I got a response from TWC today. It seemed pretty canned and didn't list any channels we didn't already know about. It does, however, say that they are bringing "over 20 new channels," so I guess they just aren't spilling the beans about what other ones they're planning.

Thank you for contacting Time Warner Cable. We plan to bring over 20 new high-definition channels to our customers by the end of October, 2007. These will include WMYV Channel 48, the local MyNetworkTV affiliate, on Channel 531, and cable channels A&E HD, MTV HD, History Channel HD, CNN HD, Lifetime Movies HD, Food Network HD, Golf Channel/Versus HD, and Universal HD. Our existing digital service customers will receive these new channels for no additional fees. To receive Universal HD, customers must subscribe to our HD Pack, which is just an extra $6.95 per month and includes 3 other high-definition movie channels. If you need further assistance, please reply via e-mail or contact our 24 hour Customer Service department at 1-800-334-7143.

We appreciate the opportunity to assist you. Your satisfaction is our priority, so please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any unanswered questions or concerns. If you reply to this e-mail, be sure to include the original correspondence so we may better assist you.

are you pointing your antenna towards the WXII tower on Saurtown(sp?) mountain?

www.antennaweb.org

I guess I didn't direct it anywhere since it was a multidirectional antenna. Maybe I'll play with the direction a little and see if it will improve.

Thanks.

I got a response from TWC today. It seemed pretty canned and didn't list any channels we didn't already know about. It does, however, say that they are bringing "over 20 new channels," so I guess they just aren't spilling the beans about what other ones they're planning.

Interesting. If we include TBS HD, we only know about 10 new HD channels. Are they really adding 10 more by the end of the month? I am somewhat dubious.

I guess I didn't direct it anywhere since it was a multidirectional antenna. Maybe I'll play with the direction a little and see if it will improve.

Thanks.

yeah, how is he going to point an omni-directional antenna? if ALL ELSE fails i'd pick up a small directional uhf antenna & couple it to the omni and point it at nbc. but i dont know anything about antenna's right now because im still waiting for my setup to arrive via ups...on the way i've got 2 yagi style uhf only antennas about 6'5" long and going to point them in 2 directions and that should be that for me. http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=HD-9022

Anyone else lose WXLV ABC HD last night? The wife and I were watching Pushing Daisies on TW Cable when the station cut out with 11 minutes left in the show. Unfortunately we were about 12 minutes behind live TV on the DVR so we couldn't just switch to SD; guess I'll try to watch the ending online. Does anyone know if this was a problem with Time Warner or with the station itself? It seemed like the signal was gone entirely since the recording stopped with 11 minutes left instead of recording 11 minutes of blank screen.

Help!!!! I have recently been put in charge of a head end!!! I'm wanting to measure the DB loss coming from an UHF antenna. what do i need???

Help!!!! I have recently been put in charge of a head end!!! I'm wanting to measure the DB loss coming from an UHF antenna. what do i need???

You will need the gain specs on the UHF antenna, type of feedline, length of the feedline, number and type connectors. There are charts that will tell you loss figures for the feedline type and length and connector type and you just add all of those losses up and hope that the loss isn't greater than the gain of the antenna!

Thanks foxeng!! One more! I have ordered a spectrum analyzer. Is there another piece of test equipment that i could use to see that all of the connections are good. Something that would give a reading like +20 db? I was wanting to read all of the coax cables before they hit the polyphaser and at the head end.

Is there another piece of test equipment that i could use to see that all of the connections are good. Something that would give a reading like +20 db? I was wanting to read all of the coax cables before they hit the polyphaser and at the head end.

It is called a network analyzer. You got $80,000 for one?

Got a quote from sunrise telecom this morning for one and it's 23,000. When your spending 50 million on FTTP and Head end equipment another 20-80 thousand isnt that much.

Per the article in the Oct 11 edition, "Time Warner Cable has installed it (Switched Digital Video) in six of its 23 markets, including Greensboro, NC, where the company is adding 10 HD channels this weekend to the 18 it now offers."


Matt

Waiting for the new TWC channels to go live

Per the article in the Oct 11 edition, "Time Warner Cable has installed it (Switched Digital Video) in six of its 23 markets, including Greensboro, NC, where the company is adding 10 HD channels this weekend to the 18 it now offers."

Does anybody know if this includes Burlington?

Does anybody know if this includes Burlington?

Yes. Any TWC area that is served by the Greensboro headend which includes Rockingham County, Alamance County, Guilford County, Forsyth County, Randolph County and Davidson County. I think I think I got them all.

I think I saw evidence that switched digital video was active once they added TBS-HD. I was flipping through the HD channels and had the blue "please wait" screen come up very briefly, less than a second, same as when the box is sending info for an on-demand program. I had never seen this before with the HD channels and assume that I causght a brief "hiccup" in the system.

Still waiting to see which 10 stations we are getting, since we know about 6 of them so far. Meanwhile Directtv keeps adding more every 2 weeks. TWC has quite a bit of catching up to do. I know a lot of people care about the pure number of channels, but there are a lot of channels that I don't watch on SD, and could care less to watch the HD variants. I don't think we'll get NFL network in time for the feature games next month.

SC at UNC not in HD on WXLV OTA and on cable. Hope they wake up soon and flip the switch.

SC at UNC not in HD on WXLV OTA and on cable. Hope they wake up soon and flip the switch.
This seems to happen quite often with Saturday afternoon college football games on WXLV. Very frustrating.

It would be nice if there was more than a voicemail at the number on WXLVs website. I still maintain that WXLV is the absolute worst HD provider in the Triad. Nobody there seems to know or care anything about ABC's HD schedule over there.

On the upside, Carolina-Red stomping a mudhole in the Heels in digital 4:3 is satisfying enough for me.

On the upside, Carolina-Red stomping a mudhole in the Heels in digital 4:3 is satisfying enough for me.

Did I stumble on to Pack Pride? I swear I'm at AVS forum.

We should leave State/Carolina trash talk for Inside Carolina/Pack Pride.

Did I stumble on to Pack Pride? I swear I'm at AVS forum.


As a lifetime season ticket holder to NC State football games, I can assure you there is very little "Pack Pride" to be found right now. :) :confused:

Did I stumble on to Pack Pride? I swear I'm at AVS forum.

We should leave State/Carolina trash talk for Inside Carolina/Pack Pride.
True. But this: "On the upside, Carolina-Red stomping a mudhole in the Heels in digital 4:3 is satisfying enough for me" didn't necessarily come from a Pack fan. It could have come from thousands of other sources. ;) He was talking about a game on "ABC", after all.

True. But this: "On the upside, Carolina-Red stomping a mudhole in the Heels in digital 4:3 is satisfying enough for me" didn't necessarily come from a Pack fan. It could have come from thousands of other sources. ;) He was talking about a game on "ABC", after all.
I've seen roland on Pack Pride. He's a Pack fan. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I have some friends who are State fans. By my member name I'm obviously a Tar Heel fan.

The game was supposed to be in HD, it wasn't, I made a comment on the game. I know it stings to come so close to a comeback and lose, but I was on topic. If you can't stand a side comment or two, get over it.

The game was supposed to be in HD, it wasn't, I made a comment on the game. I know it stings to come so close to a comeback and lose, but I was on topic. If you can't stand a side comment or two, get over it.

I'll get over it. It wasn't that big of deal really. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything.

They did eventually flip the switch for that game. I really wish WXLV would do a better job of that.

In other news, the nine new HD channels are up on TWC. (Well I can't speak for Universal HD since I no longer get the HD Tier, but the channel shows up on the guide.) My wife will be thrilled to have Food HD.

They did eventually flip the switch for that game. I really wish WXLV would do a better job of that.


What can I say?...The operator did not "flip the switch" until very late in the game. The NC State & Florida game last week according to our ABC booking sheet was not offered to us in HD.

What can I say?...The operator did not "flip the switch" until very late in the game. The NC State & Florida game last week according to our ABC booking sheet was not offered to us in HD.

Look, I have no idea who did or didn't know whether a game is on in HD. But, it's pretty sad when the TWC cable guide knows it's HD, and ABC boldly advertises it's on in HD, but the affiliate doesn't have a clue. And, it's not like this is an isolated incident. It was happening last year too. I remember last year there was a triple header one day all in HD, and we didn't get to see any of it in HD until late in the 2nd game. I didn't see any threads in the main forum with people complaining about their affiliate not having the games on in HD. They seem to get by even if ABC's booking sheet is wrong. It's not like I am calling for people to be fired or anything. I would just like to watch HD programming when ABC is providing it. If the viewers know it should be on in HD, then so should an employee of the station who is supposed to provide it.

I am sure there are plenty of us Wolfpackers and Tar Heels here. Let's save the chest-beating for Pack Pride and IC. (It's not like either of us has much to crow on during football this year anyway. ;))I was in Myrtle Beach over the weekend and caught the USC-UNC game on the Myrtle Beach ABC affiliate (not sure of station). We were at a restaurant that had a plasma at the bar showing the game.

I could not believe the picture clarity of the broadcast. I was not at home to compare to WXLV's broadcast on my DLP at home, but it looked a lot better than what I am used to seeing on ABC.

Usually, WFMY-CBS has the best/sharpest picture on my TV. It usually runs circles around anything on FOX, ABC or NBC. Usually the SEC game of the day on CBS-HD is about as pristine as I will get for any kind of football broadcast.

But the Myrtle Beach affiliate of ABC's broadcast was very comparable. The experience really opened my eyes about those who constantly argue on the national forums about which networks have the best picture. Assuming the WXLV signal I get at home was comparable to usual, I could see how those arguments never have a consensus. Because the two pictures didn't look like they came from the same national network at all. Just another indicator of how crucial the local network is in getting the signal to your television set.

they should leave it on HD mode all the time an dont have to worry about switching it because the stuff that is standard would still have the bars on the side and then when hd programming comes on *POOF* hd w/o missing a beat... but this makes too much sense to be something they could actually do

they should leave it on HD mode all the time an dont have to worry about switching it because the stuff that is standard would still have the bars on the side and then when hd programming comes on *POOF* hd w/o missing a beat... but this makes too much sense to be something they could actually do
I suspect it is more costly to do that.

I suspect it is more costly to do that.

Yes, but WFMY, WGHP, and even most of the time, WXII do not have this problem of not having ABC's HD programming available. At the very least, Zane, could you pass along the master control phone #? The main number is worthless after business hours (which is when 90% of HD programming is)

I am in Winston-Salem on TWC and I am suddenly seeing all kinds of compression errors and reception problems this evening. The new Versus HD is a mess, FOX is full of SDE, and NBC is all pixelated. Anyone else seeing this?

I am in Winston-Salem on TWC and I am suddenly seeing all kinds of compression errors and reception problems this evening. The new Versus HD is a mess, FOX is full of SDE, and NBC is all pixelated. Anyone else seeing this?

I wasnt seeing any pixelation or anything during Chuck,Heroes, around that time. What i did notice was sometimes when I switched to another HD channel for a split second it would pause the entire picture while the sound still went thru, and then really quickly catch up. I wonder if this is the SDV working or because of the 10 channels they added today... but the picture quality on all the new channels today looked excellent over here.

they should leave it on HD mode all the time an dont have to worry about switching it because the stuff that is standard would still have the bars on the side and then when hd programming comes on *POOF* hd w/o missing a beat... but this makes too much sense to be something they could actually do

That would not work for us. We have the sd signal going into the HD imagestore during non-HD programming and is upconverted until the ABC sat receiver is switched into the imagestore. ABC generally has nothing up in HD all the time except occasionally the HD test loop.

Yay! We have the new HD channels on TWC. I watched a couple shows on HGTV and Food network that were great PQ. CSI Miami looked great in HD on A&E HD.

What programming is in HD on History Channel?

I really wish TWC could remap the HD channels to overwrite the SD channel numbers to make things easier.

I suspect it is more costly to do that.

It has nothing to do with cost anymore once a station goes HD, but how a network uses their HD feed. FOX simulcasts everything on the HD feed from the SD feed, HD or not so it is very easy for us to put the HD feed up anytime network goes to air and that is exactly what we do. We have the switcher set so anytime SD network goes on air, it also switches the HD splicer on air as well. We have no "switch to flip" since it is transparent to the operator. They push the NETWORK button on the switcher and electronics do everything else. I don't think the other networks do that, only lighting up the HD feed when there is some HD on it. Plus those stations that are automated have to have a human (usually a none operator person like from the Traffic Department) program into it to take the proper feed, something we who haven't automated do not have to worry about.

In some instances, it can be quite complex to put the HD feed on the air, depending on many things.

Here's a link to the SDV FAQ thread over in the TiVoCommunity forum where we've talked about SDV ad nauseum. I know it's about how SDV affects TiVo's, but it's essentially the same for you because cable cards are at the heart of the problem for both.
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=357703

And BTW, I'm 10000% positive that's the problem you're having. I have a TWC SA box downstairs and I get TBS-HD on that, but not on my cable card TiVo's, and I also have confirmation from our local TWC operations manager via email that all these new HD channels would be on SDV. So you won't be able to get any of the ones itsah2 just listed above either.

Just wanted to confirm that this is indeed correct. After two weeks of fruitless communications with TWC people who did not understand the issue, I finally got them to replace my cablecard with an STB, and now I get all the new HD channels. So yes, it is true, SDV channels will not work on cablecards, just as you suggested. What a shame that this appears to be a state secret to 99% of the people who work for TWC.

Just wanted to confirm that this is indeed correct...So yes, it is true, SDV channels will not work on cablecards, just as you suggested. What a shame that this appears to be a state secret to 99% of the people who work for TWC.
I agree. A simple email memo to all the CSR's and techs about which channels you can and can't get with the cablecards doesn't seem to difficult to save them hours of trouble. But then, when we all got our TiVo S3's last year, I read stories of TWC techs literally spending 5-6 hours trying to get them to work, and coming back multiple times. When all it would have taken was a simple memo on pairing the cards correctly.

I guess there are just so few people using the cablecards that they don't really put any effort into it.

UNC HD - PBS
WGHP HD - FOX
WFMY HD - CBS
WXLV HD - ABC
WMYV HD - MYTV
HGTV HD
A&E HD
WXII HD - NBC
WCWG HD - CW
HD Theater
TNT in HD
CNN HD
ESPN HD
ESPN2 HD
TBS in HD
MTV HD
Food Network HD
Lifetime Movie Network HD
History Channel HD
Golf Channel HD / Versus HD
HD Movies On Demand

:D
These are all the channels now in HD.

Here are the current HD channels, including the ones launched in the latest wave on Monday:

Current HD Channels
* = not a simulcast of the SD channel (if available), programming will vary.

Pre-existing MPEG2 Channels
ESPN HD (206/73)
ESPN2 HD (209/72)
(Discovery) HD Theater (76)
HDNet (79)
HDNet Movies (78)
TNT HD (245/75)
Universal HD (74)
CD USA (101)
HBO HD East (70/501/509)
Showtime HD (71/537/543)

MPEG4 RECENT ADDITIONS
Wave I Added 9/26
A&E HD (265)
Animal Planet HD (282)
Big Ten HD (220)
CNN HD (202)
Discovery HD (278)
History Channel HD (269)
TLC HD (280)
NFL Network HD (212)
Science Channel HD (284)
Smithsonian HD (267)
TBS HD (247)
Versus HD / Golf Channel HD (604)
Weather Channel HD (362)
The Movie Channel HD (544)
SHO Too HD (538)
Showtime HD West (540)
Starz Comedy HD (519)
Starz HD East (520)
Starz HD West (521)
Starz Edge HD (522)
Starz Kids and Family (518)
Wave II Added 10/3 & 10/4
Bravo (273)
MHD (332)
SCI FI (244)
USA Network (242)
Cinemax-E (512)
Cinemax-W (514)
HBO-W (504)
Wave III Added 10/10
CNBC (355)
Food HD* (231-1)
MGM (255)
National Geographic (276)
Wave IV Added on 10/15
Fox Business Network (359)
HGTV HD* (229-1)
FX HD (248)
Speed Network HD (607)
Fuel HD (612)
The Cartoon Network (296)

There is a lot of debate of whether or not these should count but D* has also added these 9 24/7 RSNs in MPEG4. The picture quality of the channels on MPEG4 is light years ahead of the old MPEG2 channels because they are given more bandwidth per channel.

Comcast SportsNet Chicago (640)
Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic (629)
FSN Detroit (636) added 10/15
FSN Prime Ticket (653) added 10/15
FSN Southwest (643) added 10/15
FSN West (652) added 10/15
New England Sports Network (623)
SportsNet New York (625)
YES (622)

D* also gives us 4 of the locals in HD. I expect at some point in time we will get the CW in HD as well but I doubt D* will ever give us PBS-HD since D* won't agree to carry all of the PBS sub channels.

I really wish TWC could remap the HD channels to overwrite the SD channel numbers to make things easier.

Yes, I completely agree. I guess the problem is that Food Network and HGTV HD aren't simulcasts of their respective SD channels, so you would miss out on some programming. However, I wish they would do this for the locals. It drives me crazy sometimes because it confused a lot of the people in my house. Also, shows will get recorded in SD even though they're available in HD in the 500's.

I don't really think this would be that hard for TWC to do anyway; it seems like they could just push an update to the set-top boxes if they couldn't do it at their end.

UNC HD - PBS
WGHP HD - FOX
WFMY HD - CBS
WXLV HD - ABC
WMYV HD - MYTV
HGTV HD
A&E HD
WXII HD - NBC
WCWG HD - CW
HD Theater
TNT in HD
CNN HD
ESPN HD
ESPN2 HD
TBS in HD
MTV HD
Food Network HD
Lifetime Movie Network HD
History Channel HD
Golf Channel HD / Versus HD
HD Movies On Demand

:D
These are all the channels now in HD.

I think this is a complete list

410-HBO HDTV East
411-HBO HDTV West
436-Showtime HDTV East
437-Showtime HDTV West
501-UNC HD (PBS)
510-WGHP HD (Fox)
520-WFMY HD (CBS)
530-WXLV HD (ABC)
531-WMYV HD (My48)
536-WCWG HD (CW)
540-WXII HD (NBC)
545-MHD (MTV)
550-Discovery HD Theatre
551-TNT HD
552-TBS HD
554-A&E HD
555-History Channel HD
556-ESPN2 HD
557-HGTV HD
558-Food Network HD
560-MOJO (previously INHD)*
561-Universal HD*
562-HDNet*
563-HDNet Movies*
564-ESPNHD
569-Golf Channel HD/Versus HD
575-CNN HD
581-Lifetime Movie Network HD
611-HD Movies On Demand

There is a lot of debate of whether or not these should count but D* has also added these 9 24/7 RSNs in MPEG4.

I intentionally left those out because most around here will not have access to them.

Does D* not offer "our" FSN in HD? (The channel that was Sports South.) That's the one HD channel I wish cable would add the most at this point.

Does D* not offer "our" FSN in HD? (The channel that was Sports South.) That's the one HD channel I wish cable would add the most at this point.

It is on the list to go HD, they just haven't lit up yet. FSN Pittsburgh and FSN Midwest was added just today so FSN South could go live at any moment, literally.

I live in Kernersville, NC and I have cable through Time Warner (Forsyth County). I went to Myrtle Beach for vacation and noticed that the Time Warner cable there has the "Start Over" feature. I don't have that feature on my DVR. Does Forsyth County/Winston-Salem have the "Start Over" function?

Davidson co. has it.

Davidson co. has it.

I live in Kernersville, NC and I have cable through Time Warner (Forsyth County). I went to Myrtle Beach for vacation and noticed that the Time Warner cable there has the "Start Over" feature. I don't have that feature on my DVR. Does Forsyth County/Winston-Salem have the "Start Over" function?

I live in Winston Salem, I dont have it, but Im pretty certain greensboro does.

I live in Winston Salem, I dont have it, but Im pretty certain greensboro does.


Yes, Greensboro has it. But once you use it, you can no-longer pause or fast-forward the program.

I live in Winston Salem, I dont have it, but Im pretty certain greensboro does.

Yes, Greensboro does have Sart Over, but only for certian digital, non-HD channels.

Yes, Greensboro does have Sart Over, but only for certian digital, non-HD channels.

They did add the option to Rewind in start over. You cannot fast forward though.

Is anyone seeing blue bands scroll from bottom to top on TWC HD stations? I changed the source to my DVD player and it went away. Never noticed it before until the new HD stations appeared. Maybe local to me only...just checking. Btw...on all of the channels I see it but it is less obvious on fast actions stuff (ESPN for example).

Yes, Greensboro does have Sart Over, but only for certian digital, non-HD channels.
I had the Start Over feature for a few days, but I believe it has gone away now. TWC has it advertised on their Piedmont Triad website under "Enhanced TV." I'd have to go look to see if I have it now, but I know its only available on certain channels, and only with certain shows on those channels. It's annoying that you can't fast forward, but it's still a good feature that shows a lot of potential.

I know Start Over is on Spike. When we watch CSI, there is the option of Start Over on each episode.

Foxeng...

Just to followup on the HD broadcast fot he Oct 7 "sunout" game. I know you were in TN but I wanted to just add how dissapointing that was for us. We used this game as an chance to show off our new HT and 106" screen etc. Had a large group over and had to deal with this unfortunate event. Do you guys take opportunties like this to update policies/procedure manuals etc? I sometimes get the idea their is a hamster running on wheel over there at time but I know this can't be true. Just trying to be contructive here...

Anyone else have problems with some of the new SDV HD channels on TWC? A few of mine were out, including TBS HD. On my DVR I got a "Channel not available" message. On my bedroom box it just brought up a gray screen. Looks like they haven't worked out all the kinks with SDV yet.

Foxeng...

Just to followup on the HD broadcast fot he Oct 7 "sunout" game. I know you were in TN but I wanted to just add how dissapointing that was for us. We used this game as an chance to show off our new HT and 106" screen etc. Had a large group over and had to deal with this unfortunate event. Do you guys take opportunties like this to update policies/procedure manuals etc? I sometimes get the idea their is a hamster running on wheel over there at time but I know this can't be true. Just trying to be contructive here...

Until FOX gives us an alternative HD feed, we have no alternative than to go to SD during the outage because if we don't, we have nothing on the air.

The procedure that we do is we start the game out on the backup receiver pointed at a different satellite than the main receiver, meaning SD on both channels because the outage occurs during the first network segment of the game that can last up to 35 or 40 minutes depending on the game. Once we go to the first local break, we then switch back to the main receiver which is on the main satellite and has now gone past the outage and we can then get back to feeding HD on channel 35. Also please remember we have no control over the network receivers on which games we get. That is controlled via satellite to the receivers. There are no controls on the front that allow us to make changes like that so if network has screwed the programming for the the feed, we have to call them and tell them and then wait for them to make the change. Because of the way the system works, network can make changes at anytime, but they will only take when the network receiver is not on the air. Again, we have no control over that. The only control we have is which receiver goes on our air and that is it.

I know it can be frustrating, but our hands are tied on this and it only happens once a year for football.

Well I broke down and did a self install of the new Slimline dish to pick up the new HD channels D* has turned on. I was surprised at how good the MPEG4 picture looks. Much better than the MPEG2 HD channels.

I got the dish from a dealer in High Point and set my own pole and aligned the dish. It wasn't too difficult, but if you have never done it before, it could be a daunting task because the new HD Ka band sats do not have as wide of bandwidth as the older Ku sats and what looked just great on the Ku birds, was no signal from the Ka. Once I got the hang of what was happening, even though I had read and seen the install video, it still took a little time but both 99 and 103 sats came right in with readings in the mid 90's and the Ku's in the upper 90's and several transponders hitting 100.

Guess next on the list is a HR20.

You couldn't get the new HD channels without buying a new dish? Does Direct TV give you a good trade-in deal or anything?

So I hear people say that the new MPEG4 channels looks better than the MPEG2 channels. Are the new channels the only MPEG4 channels? Or did they change all of the channels to be MPEG4, as long as you have proper equipment?

Well I broke down and did a self install of the new Slimline dish to pick up the new HD channels D* has turned on. I was surprised at how good the MPEG4 picture looks. Much better than the MPEG2 HD channels.

So the MPEG4 looks better than MPEG2 HD. How does OTA HD compare with MPEG4? thanks

You couldn't get the new HD channels without buying a new dish? Does Direct TV give you a good trade-in deal or anything?

That is correct. The single LNB round dishes only pick up the main sats on 101 that has the CONUS SD channels and our local SD channels. The MPEG2 HD is on the 110 sat and the 119 sat and those can be picked up with the 3 LNB square Phase III dishes that have been out about 9 years. All of the MPEG4 HD channels, local as well as CONUS are on the new 99 sat and 103 sat. The Phase III dishes will not pick them up so it takes the new Slimline dish to pick up all 5 sat locations.

D* will come out and install a new 5 LNB dish for free if you buy or already have the MPEG4 receivers, H20/H21 or the HD DVRs, HR20/HR21. Well I HAVE to be different! ;) I have this itch to DO things so I elected to just buy the Slimline dish (it was $99 locally or I could get it for $95 off the net including shipping - $45 for the dish and $50 for the shipping!) and install it myself, something D* REALLY discourages since most people really do not have a clue what they are doing and they would spend so much time dealing with problems that it is cheaper for them to just go out and provide and install the dish for free. But I have installed all of my dishes and my parents dishes over the past 10 years and of course I have aligned the BIG dishes at work so I do have a little practice at it!

So I hear people say that the new MPEG4 channels looks better than the MPEG2 channels. Are the new channels the only MPEG4 channels? Or did they change all of the channels to be MPEG4, as long as you have proper equipment?

All SD is still MPEG2 and the "original" HD channels are still MPEG2 but they will be changed over to MPEG4 "soon." I don't know how soon, soon is, but my guess is within the next year. All HD LIL channels and all of the new HD channels launched in the last 4 weeks are MPEG4 and yes, I can see a difference.

The only channel I have seen any macroblocking and that was only after closely looking for it, has been HGTV HD and I am not convinced that isn't a problem with HGTV since I haven't seen that on any other channel and believe me, I have been going over every channel with a fine tooth comb! Smithsonian Channel is the new Science Channel. It probably has the best PQ and I read over the weekend that it starts out in MPEG4 and that maybe why it looks soooo good. I am finding that overall on all of the channels, source material quality is the big thing. I have seen some great looking video on a channel, only to find the next show doesn't look as good. The old computer axiom, garbage in, garbage out. In HD you can REALLY tell it! I think part of the problem is that programs shot in 1080i video doesn't always have full 1920 resolution due to the cameras being used. For instance, I have read where the Sony HDCAM only does 1440 by 1080i, not 1920 by 1080i. A lot of production houses big and small use HDCAM for transfer for playback on air. That means the best resolution you will see will be 1440 by 1080i since that is what the source material is. So you have to be careful when you start comparing things because it is easy to not be comparing apples to apples.

You also have to remember that most of these simulcast channels are not full time HD so like broadcast or TNT HD, you will have some shows in HD and some not but like broadcast, that number will increase steadily fairly quickly now that they are broadcasting in HD. And even the shows in SD look MUCH better on the HD channel than its simulcast SD so it isn't a total waste.

How does OTA HD compare with MPEG4? thanks

REALLY, REALLY CLOSE! I THINK I saw a transcode error, but I am not sure! If I had some test gear I am sure I could see some difference, you can't help but not too when you are transcoding, but D* has really done a great job on the HD LIL channels here. I was watching the baseball game last night and on one scene with the green fence is where I think I saw the transcode error. Something about how the light and angle of the camera off the green wall caused some kind of cross between haring bone/macroblocking I had never seen, but that was the only time I saw it and it could have been with the uplink at the field because when I was watching OTA later, I saw some junk in the network video I didn't think should have been there, so the jury is hung on that one.

I would say PQ of 97 for both HD LIL and the new HD CONUS MPEG4 channels. (Sorry, I can't ever bring myself to give something a 100. 99.99999 is the best I could EVER do even if it deserves 100! :D ) I am not sorry I did it if that means anything to anyone.

Thanks for the info foxeng. I am not likely to switch to D* any time soon, (not until cable cuts off analog. When that happens - all bets are off) but I like the idea of owning my own hardware. I like the idea less if I have to worry about paying for upgrades. I am glad D* will at least upgrade your dish for free.

Something about how the light and angle of the camera off the green wall caused some kind of cross between haring bone/macroblocking I had never seen, but that was the only time I saw it and it could have been with the uplink at the field because when I was watching OTA later, I saw some junk in the network video I didn't think should have been there, so the jury is hung on that one.
I saw that too. It was like the shades of green got stuck for a second or 2. I didn't think to switch over to OTA and see if it was there too. I was a little too into the game (Sox fan). Its their shot on the pitcher from the camera behind home plate. I also think they changed the camera they were using for that shot after game 4. It was a super slo-mo camera that did some weird stuff making the color a bit washed and when watching live it looked like it was capturing at 15-20 fps. The slow motion looked good on it though, expecially when they showed Wakefield's nuckleball. After that game the color looked right, the slow motion was not the super slo-mo and that color issue started.

I only got the dish running on Saturday so I haven't had much time to get very in depth on the locals but that has been the only time I have seen that. I have been on a strange vacation schedule being off last week, working the week before and being off the week before that. I had today off too since I am working Tuesday through Thursday day shift and Friday and Saturday 2nd shift for a guy. So I am all screwed up!!

I only got the dish running on Saturday so I haven't had much time to get very in depth on the locals but that has been the only time I have seen that. I have been on a strange vacation schedule being off last week, working the week before and being off the week before that. I had today off too since I am working Tuesday through Thursday day shift and Friday and Saturday 2nd shift for a guy. So I am all screwed up!!
I got my dish setup last January. This is the first time I have seen anything like the weird green stuff you mentioned. When I first got setup with HD LiL I did some comparisons between it and OTA and really couldn't tell. I saw a couple of things when specifically looking for differences but, at least for me, I couldn't tell. Take a look at this post on dbstalk.com.

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=105356&highlight=transponder

It has some details about bandwidth, resolution, etc.

I have a question for Zane, or anybody that may know the answer.

My brother has a Vizio HDTV and has an issue while viewing WXLV-DT. We have tried watching OTA and via TWC with QAM (no digital cable package, just the QAM tuner in the TV.) He lives in Winston-Salem.

The issue we're experiencing is a stutter of the video. There's no pixellation, and the sound isn't affected, but the video will stop and then catch up, sort of like watching video on a marginal internet connection.

We thought it must be a signal issue, because his house is down in a hole, but when we found the exact same problem using TWC we figured we could dismiss the signal as the problem.

No other channel does this, either on OTA or QAM.

I don't get any of the stuttering at my house, using a Samsung OTA receiver and antenna.

Any idea what's causing this?

-amos

Was this during the race on Sunday and how long have you noticed it? I noticed a bit of video hesitation during the race. I made some increases last week to the video bit rate we are giving to the HD signal. It may have caused a problem, or it could have been our ABC HD receiver glitching up. I powercycled them yesterday after I saw the problem on Sunday.
Let me know if you continue to see the problem.
Thanks, Zane

WSET (ABC, Lynchburg) had a stuttering problem for about two months last winter while waiting for a replacement for a piece of equipment. It looked like it was 1 frame per second instead of 30. I believe that a station around Myrtle Beach also had this problem erlier in the year.

Was this during the race on Sunday and how long have you noticed it? I noticed a bit of video hesitation during the race. I made some increases last week to the video bit rate we are giving to the HD signal. It may have caused a problem, or it could have been our ABC HD receiver glitching up. I powercycled them yesterday after I saw the problem on Sunday.
Let me know if you continue to see the problem.
Thanks, Zane

Zane, thanks! It was during Desperate Housewives. We weren't watching the race, but it happens anytime there's anything HD on. It appears that it stops skipping when a local commercial is on (non HD, of course) but then continues when you're back on the network feed. He has noticed it for several weeks using his OTA antenna, but we assumed it was a signal problem because of where he lives. Then we recently (couple of weeks ago) hooked up to TWC via QAM, and the skipping was still there.

Since I'm not up there watching TV all the time, I'm not sure about this next part. I think it was skipping during a network non-HD commercial. So, it's possible that it's skipping anytime he's watching anything on ABC. If a non-HD commercial (from the network, not local) is aired during an HD program is that different from a non-HD program airing? Is the "switch" flipped in master control?

The most confusing thing about it is that I don't get the skipping on my set at home, and he only gets it on WXLV-DT.

The video bit-rate adjustments you made don't appear to have been the issue, because it's been going on for a while. I'll ask him to verify if it's still happening since your reboot on Monday.

This makes the feed pretty much unwatchable. If others were having this issue it seems like you'd have heard about it. But it happens on both OTA and TWC QAM. Is there any way it could be his TV?

thank you for helping!!

"Is there any way it could be his TV?"

Most likely no... Abc OTA and Abc TWC ride on two different frequencies, and if im not mistaken uses a different tuner. If it was the set then he would be having the issue on more than just abc. the way you described the problem sounds like a station error.. maybe you arent watching the channel at the same time, I'd have you buddy call you at the same time he sees these errors and you change the channel to abc and watch tv together :)

call you at the same time he sees these errors and you change the channel to abc and watch tv together :)

That's what's so confusing. Unless i'm misunderstanding him, ANYTIME there's an HD feed on ABC, he sees the skipping...OTA and TWC-QAM. This weekend was the first time I'd seen it, but only because it was the first time he's shown me. (I hadn't been at his house watching TV.)

Are any others out there seeing this skipping? I've NEVER seen it at my house with my OTA receiver. I do have a great signal.

-amos

btw, Zane: my brother lives about a mile from your Linville Rd studios, if that makes any difference.

Living close to the studio would not have any effect one way or the other. The transmitter is at Level Cross.
I borrowed a Vizio 26in LCD yesterday and watched it OTA last night compared to a Samsung LCD and a LG STB. Low and behold on taped network HD shows there was some video freezing every few seconds on the Vizio. The Samsung and the STB both were flawless. All the other DTV channels looked good and so did 9-1 ABC out of Charlotte. We do indeed seem to have a problem that shows up on Vizio sets. I will try and figure this out and fix the problem.

We do indeed seem to have a problem that shows up on Vizio sets.
We as in WXLV or ABC?

I believe it is with our WXLV encoder equipment.

Living close to the studio would not have any effect one way or the other. The transmitter is at Level Cross.
I borrowed a Vizio 26in LCD yesterday and watched it OTA last night compared to a Samsung LCD and a LG STB. Low and behold on taped network HD shows there was some video freezing every few seconds on the Vizio. The Samsung and the STB both were flawless. All the other DTV channels looked good and so did 9-1 ABC out of Charlotte. We do indeed seem to have a problem that shows up on Vizio sets. I will try and figure this out and fix the problem.


wow, Zane, so it's a problem that shows up on his tv, but not most other brands! thank you VERY much for researching it like you did... that's OVER AND ABOVE what anybody could have expected!

keep us posted! wow i helped find a problem!

Zane,

Thank you from all of us who own a Vizio brand HDTV. (I have the Vizio 32 inch version, but connected to TWC. OTA antenna is connected to second LG brand HDTV in den, so I never saw the stuttering)

Wonder if Vizio would even know what to suggest you look for?

Joe L.

I can confirm that I also see the same issue both OTA and via QAM with my vizio 47 inch LCD

Zane,

Wonder if Vizio would even know what to suggest you look for?

Joe L.

I called Vizio tech support to see if they have had this complaint before. They said yes they even see it in the Tech support center it's caused by the antenna not being properly oriented toward the broadcast tower. He suggested I play a DVD to insure it's not the TV.:rolleyes:

He suggested I play a DVD to insure it's not the TV.:rolleyes:

Could be why the experts see Visio as 3rd tier?

I called Vizio tech support to see if they have had this complaint before. They said yes they even see it in the Tech support center it's caused by the antenna not being properly oriented toward the broadcast tower. He suggested I play a DVD to insure it's not the TV.:rolleyes:Ouch...
Clearly you got one of the better first tier support people. :eek:

Joe L.

If its an issue with the antenna, then why does the frame rate still act strange over QAM? ABC is the only channel which does this on my TV. I would not be surprised if it is an issue with the tv, considering the price

I have a question for Zane, or anybody that may know the answer.

My brother has a Vizio HDTV and has an issue while viewing WXLV-DT. We have tried watching OTA and via TWC with QAM (no digital cable package, just the QAM tuner in the TV.) He lives in Winston-Salem.

The issue we're experiencing is a stutter of the video. There's no pixellation, and the sound isn't affected, but the video will stop and then catch up, sort of like watching video on a marginal internet connection.

We thought it must be a signal issue, because his house is down in a hole, but when we found the exact same problem using TWC we figured we could dismiss the signal as the problem.

No other channel does this, either on OTA or QAM.

I don't get any of the stuttering at my house, using a Samsung OTA receiver and antenna.

Any idea what's causing this?

-amos
I have exactly the same problem on a 32" ViewSonic TV. Only on ABC HD drama shows. Live sports are OK but drama is unwatchable. This TV is used for OTA only. This is not new and I have reported this in the past. However, I did notice a few short studders on my Sony SXRD last night while watching ABC from TWC but thought it was due to recording another hd channel at the same time.

I worked on the problem today and made some changes. I hope it's fixed.

I searched for this, but found no answer. Pardon me if it's been asked before.

Do TW SA8300's in Greensboro have HDMI enabled for video and audio?

Thanks in advance.

I searched for this, but found no answer. Pardon me if it's been asked before.

Do TW SA8300's in Greensboro have HDMI enabled for video and audio?


Mine is. I have never used the HDMI for audio, so can't comment on the quality. Definitely works for video. I believe a co-worker uses the HDMI for video/audio through his tv.

Zane,

Did a quick check tonight and it looks like you fixed the problem on my ViewSonic.

Thanks!

I searched for this, but found no answer. Pardon me if it's been asked before.

Do TW SA8300's in Greensboro have HDMI enabled for video and audio?

Thanks in advance.

Yes it works with my Samsung HDTV. When you do use HDMI though, the optical out is only DD2.0 since the TV says it can only take stereo audio via HDMI.

Zane,

Did a quick check tonight and it looks like you fixed the problem on my ViewSonic.

Thanks!

That's good news, my Vizio did not freeze or stutter during Boston Legal last night either.

Yes it works with my Samsung HDTV. When you do use HDMI though, the optical out is only DD2.0 since the TV says it can only take stereo audio via HDMI.
Telemike,

You are using the internal speakers in your TV? I'm seeking to verify that the limitation is on the part of your TV, rather than the SA8300.

Thanks.

My 8300HD feeds DD 5.1 to my receiver via HDMI. However mys system is Comcast (nee Adelphia) so it mat have different software than TW units.

Telemike,

You are using the internal speakers in your TV? I'm seeking to verify that the limitation is on the part of your TV, rather than the SA8300.

Thanks.


Yes, using the internal TV speakers HDMI is stereo only and the optical is stereo as well.

I can set the 8300 to DD5.1 on optical, then the HDMI doesn't send any audio to the TV.

nm

I worked on the problem today and made some changes. I hope it's fixed.

Zane, I'll check with my brother. It's probably fixed on his, too. :)

By the way, as was mentioned by another poster it didn't stutter on live programs, like football or races. I didn't realize this, or I would have mentioned it at the start. Thanks for all the work you did on this!

By the way, what was the adjustment you made? haha it's probably too technical for me to understand, but I was just wondering..

By the way, what was the adjustment you made? haha it's probably too technical for me to understand, but I was just wondering..

The actual change took very little technical skill. It was un-checking a default in the encoder software. The actual problem has to do with live programmings frame rate of 30 frames vs film frame rate at 24 frames and how it was handled by the encoder. I actually got the tip to try changing it from another station in Ohio with a similar problem (that caused digital breakup) for a specific model of STB from about 4 years ago. The encoder manufacturer tech support has not called me back yet.
Thanks for the reply.

live programmings frame rate of 30 frames vs film frame rate at 24 frames

ahhh.. 24p. so i guess that means the vizio can't display 24p. i only understand the basics, but this wiki was helpful:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/24p

Actually it has more to do with how the encoder handles 24 frames verses 30 frames, hence the term "3/2 pull down".

does anyone know what pbs station has the 24/7 hd feed. 26 just has it on during primetime. just dumped cable but miss having that channel. thanks

does anyone know what pbs station has the 24/7 hd feed. 26 just has it on during primetime. just dumped cable but miss having that channel. thanks

UNC doesn't provide the HD feed 24/7 OTA only via cable. If you can pick up WBRA-DT 3 out of Roanoke, I think they run the HD feed 24/7.

Roanoke PBS Digital carries HD 24 hours/day, as well as a simulcast of the analog SD channel and a second SD channel.

zane,

as we expected, my brother's reception is great now. sorry it took so long to get that verified, but all is fixed just as we thought.

thanks very much for working on it!

-amos

Great! I'm glad it's fixed.

xmitterengineer,

I watched NCIS from last night this evening. Just wanted to say that the wrapper (if that's what its called) that you used for the election information looked really nice; I'm talking about the HD feed of course. The graphics were very clean and easy to read and the colors were not distrating from the show. Also nice job at keeping the 16:9 aspect in the video frame for NCIS and using the entire 16:9 screen and not panel barring it. I saw earlier this year you were able to do announcement scrolls at the bottom and keep the show in its full frame, but had not seen you do it with the wrapper. Nice job, it looked great.

xmitterengineer,

I watched NCIS from last night this evening. Just wanted to say that the wrapper (if that's what its called) that you used for the election information looked really nice; I'm talking about the HD feed of course. The graphics were very clean and easy to read and the colors were not distrating from the show. Also nice job at keeping the 16:9 aspect in the video frame for NCIS and using the entire 16:9 screen and not panel barring it. I saw earlier this year you were able to do announcement scrolls at the bottom and keep the show in its full frame, but had not seen you do it with the wrapper. Nice job, it looked great.
I saw this too. Nice job by WFMY.

Well said. The HD wrapper on NCIS looked great on a big screen. Lots of information presented while still preserving the watchability of the program. Good job WFMY!

Well said. The HD wrapper on NCIS looked great on a big screen. Lots of information presented while still preserving the watchability of the program. Good job WFMY!


Thanks all! :):)

Many folks put a lot of effort in to make this work.

Rickey.

Wish we had a way to break our HD out so we could do something like that!

Wish we had a way to break our HD out so we could do something like that!

Yeah, it would be. It seems we're always watching FOX primetime when there's weather or an amber alert. Speaking of video, foxeng......

Have you gotten anywhere on the 5 second or so delay in audio when you go from network to local cutins on D*? It's kind of annoying to miss the beginning of what's coming up on the news.

Have you gotten anywhere on the 5 second or so delay in audio when you go from network to local cutins on D*? It's kind of annoying to miss the beginning of what's coming up on the news.

I did call D*'s station tech number and opened a ticket on it and the tech admitted that they are having this same problem in other markets and they are working on it.

Is anyone else getting one or two delays/pixelations on the CW-HD (happens during Reaper & Smallville every week)? I use a TW HD-DVR and was wanting to make sure our DVR isn't going bad.

Is anyone else getting one or two delays/pixelations on the CW-HD (happens during Reaper & Smallville every week)? I use a TW HD-DVR and was wanting to make sure our DVR isn't going bad.
When are those shows on? I can check OTA.

When are those shows on? I can check OTA.

Reaper is Tuesday's at 9 and Smallville is on Thursdays at 8.

Hey guys, I'm in Summerfield. I quit using OTA, but I still have a channel master antenna and amp up in the attic, barely used. If anyone is interested in them send me a PM for a great deal. (sorry for posting this here, but I knew y'all would be the only ones interested and wouldn't see it in the marketplace)

DIRECTV launched 23 more HD Channels today: (including FOX Sports South HD ch 631-1)

Full Time National Channels:

299: Nickelodeon (NIK1HD)
325: Spike HD
327: Country Music Television (CMTHD)
331: MTV HD
335: VH1 HD

Games Only Regional Sports Networks:

620-1: Comcast Sports Net New England HD
630-1: FSN South HD
631-1: SportsSouth HD
632-1: Sun Sports HD
634-1: FSN Florida HD
637-1: FSN Ohio HD
638-1: FSN Cincinnati HD
641-1: FSN North HD
644-1: Altitude HD
645-1: FSN Rocky Mountain HD
649-1: FSN Arizona HD
651-1: FSN Northwest HD
654-1: FSN Bay Area HD

...plus five more HD pay-per-view channels!

Reaper is Tuesday's at 9 and Smallville is on Thursdays at 8.
I checked out Reaper last night. I hadn't seen the show before. It kinda reminded me of Quantum Leap. Anyway, the HD on CW looked very good. I did get 3 bouts of pixelation for about 2-3 seconds each. One of those times I got a searching for signal, but the others I did not. You said you were watching via TWC? Does anyone know how TWC gets their feed for channel 20? I can't say that it was a signal issue each time since it only popped up the searching for signal one of those times, but the pixelation was the same each time. Did you experience the same last night?

DIRECTV launched 23 more HD Channels today: (including FOX Sports South HD ch 631-1)


Ok, NOW I am truly jealous of you lucky DTV bastards! :) Of course they would wait till the end of CFB season to do this, the punks.

I checked out Reaper last night. I hadn't seen the show before. It kinda reminded me of Quantum Leap. Anyway, the HD on CW looked very good. I did get 3 bouts of pixelation for about 2-3 seconds each. One of those times I got a searching for signal, but the others I did not. You said you were watching via TWC? Does anyone know how TWC gets their feed for channel 20? I can't say that it was a signal issue each time since it only popped up the searching for signal one of those times, but the pixelation was the same each time. Did you experience the same last night?

I was trying to revive a dying computer monitor last night with no luck, so I let the DVR get Reaper. I'll probably watch it tonight or Thursday night and let you know if I see any.

I also don't have a clue as to how TW gets their feed from the CW. Is this something I should e-mail the CW about?

I had four glitches during Reaper and three during Smallville (one during a commercial break) this week. However, I had none during Heroes and three ABC-HD shows, so I'm ruling out my DVR as the problem.

I have already e-mailed them about the problem and will let everyone know of any response I receive.

I've got a friend who is moving to Dobson, NC 27017 zip code.
Antenna web says that he will only be able to pick up WXII digital.
Are there any other digital stations in the triad area that he should be able to receive with a good outdoor antenna?
Thanks for any help or advice.

I've got a friend who is moving to Dobson, NC 27017 zip code.
Antenna web says that he will only be able to pick up WXII digital.
Are there any other digital stations in the triad area that he should be able to receive with a good outdoor antenna?
Thanks for any help or advice.

I am aware of some WFMY viewers in his area. I believe that reception of other stations will be possible as well.

Rickey

WFMY is having some problems tonight. Lost audio on the start of Cold Case and Shark is not in HD.

Shark out of Roanoke via Comcast was also SD.

WFMY is having some problems tonight. ...Shark is not in HD.

It was not just WFMY but many stations nationwide it seems.

Rickey can confirm this, but I suspect it had to do something with the game running late and the way CBS has the HD bandwidth allocated and since any late running game causes CBS to slip the start times back and if all of the HD bandwidth is used up, then all you have is the SD feed.

I've got a friend who is moving to Dobson, NC 27017 zip code.
Antenna web says that he will only be able to pick up WXII digital.
Are there any other digital stations in the triad area that he should be able to receive with a good outdoor antenna?
Thanks for any help or advice.

With a good antenna and a preamp, all three major networks should be possible IMO depending
on where the house will be located. Electronic Service Center (http://www.escelkin.com/) of Elkin carries some AntennaCraft
antennas and they might be of further assistance since they are in the general area.

anyone notice during rain/t-storms that they lose the HD channels more often than the SD channels on D* ?

anyone notice during rain/t-storms that they lose the HD channels more often than the SD channels on D* ?

The HD channels use a different frequency range and the beamwidth of the signal isn't as wide as the older SD frequencies. If the antenna isn't exactly tuned in, you may experience more HD drop out than SD.

Originally Posted by wiloliwad

"I've got a friend who is moving to Dobson, NC 27017 zip code.
Antenna web says that he will only be able to pick up WXII digital.
Are there any other digital stations in the triad area that he should be able to receive with a good outdoor antenna?
Thanks for any help or advice. "



With a good antenna and a preamp, all three major networks should be possible IMO depending
on where the house will be located. Electronic Service Center (http://www.escelkin.com/) of Elkin carries some AntennaCraft
antennas and they might be of further assistance since they are in the general area.

My general advice is to try the outdoor antenna without a preamp first.
I have dealt with many situations where a preamp resulted in overloading the receiver's front end with poorer reception being the result.

Just last week a WFMY viewer who called with OTA reception issues was surprised to find that he recieved more stations with reliability after removing his preamp. This type of problem is more common than most folks realize IMHO.


Rickey

I wonder what happened to WXII's HD feed of the parade. When the parade started it was in HD. I normally don't what parades so I didn't stay on the channel but when I turned it on at the end of the parade it was no longer in HD.

The dog show that comes on after the parade is suppose to be in HD but it isn't either.

I watch local channels in HD more than anything else but it so frustrating at times because they sometimes forget to "flip the switch" and we miss out. I really appreciate the fact that Fox 8 is on an automatic switch so we don't ever miss out on Fox 8.

We've been watching it on the tiny kitchen TV, so we have not noticed...
Time to turkey - T minus 2 hours!

BTW, Happy Thanksgiving ya'll!

From all of us at FOX8 WGHP, Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy the Packers - Lions game in HD on FOX!

Packers are enjoying today. 34-12 with 11:00 to go.

Changed the lamp in my pj today after 2300 hours. Wow, what an improvement. WGHP HD looks awesome.

Happy Thanksgiving..

Joe

WXII hasn't gotten any better from earlier today. The Incredibles is supposed to be in HD but it isn't on WXII.

Has anyone heard if WXII is having HD problems? I haven't heard a word from over there. But as usual, if something major breaks and you need parts, it will happen over a long holiday weekend. It never fails.

Well, at least WXII is broadcasting The Incredibles in HD tonight.

Well, at least WXII is broadcasting The Incredibles in HD tonight.

DAMN! I am at work tonight too!

I'm trying to re-establish TWC cable internet after moving back to the area. The web site shows a minimum 2 week wait for installation, and the wait for help on the phone is ridiculous. Does anyone know if there is a quicker way to get installation, e.g. flag down a service van, stop by the local office, etc.? They just need to give me the damn modem and possibly re-connect the cable at the road, if they even disconnected it 6 months ago. Thanks.

First time poster, long time reader!

So I recorded The Incredibles on NBC last week with my Time Warner HD DVR. When I tuned to 540 during the broadcast, it wasn't HD. Also, the Family Man was on the next night and it also wasn't in HD. I didn't get to try tuning OTA so maybe that was correct, but Time Warner's signal wasn't (at least for me here in Guilford County). Does anybody know what was going on?

WXII had problems Thursday night with more than a few of their shows not being hd that should've been. However, WXII did have the incredibles in HD on Saturday night.

AHHH! I missed it.

Thanks for the input UNC.

I'm trying to re-establish TWC cable internet after moving back to the area. The web site shows a minimum 2 week wait for installation, and the wait for help on the phone is ridiculous. Does anyone know if there is a quicker way to get installation, e.g. flag down a service van, stop by the local office, etc.? They just need to give me the damn modem and possibly re-connect the cable at the road, if they even disconnected it 6 months ago. Thanks.

You should go to the local office and sign up, especially if you've had service before. The TWC office on Regional road is hardly ever busy. They should give you a modem and send you on your way. They'll have to schedule someone to come out and turn it on at the street but that takes two seconds, and they'll do that ASAP because then they can start billing you. :)

It looks like they're adding HD Showcase On Demand today (ch. 612) which finally means Mad Men in HD. Didn't see it this morning when I checked, anyone else notice if it came up yet?

From the website:

Effective November 27, 2007, the following On Demand channels will be added:
• Election ’08 On Demand on channel 1103
• HD Showcase On Demand on channel 612
• Movies On Demand Drama on channel 609

It looks like they're adding HD Showcase On Demand today (ch. 612) which finally means Mad Men in HD. Didn't see it this morning when I checked, anyone else notice if it came up yet?

From the website:

Effective November 27, 2007, the following On Demand channels will be added:
• Election ’08 On Demand on channel 1103
• HD Showcase On Demand on channel 612
• Movies On Demand Drama on channel 609
612 is up and running here. Lots of short, free HD clips.

Joe L.

Never heard of HD Showcase On Demand. I have a box downstairs, but gotta wait for the TiVo dongle next year to watch on my big screen in the theater.

Hey guys. I've got some questions about setting up an OTA antenna to pick up some HD channels. I have a 37" Polaroid LCD television with NTSC/ATSC tuners (I'm not real sure what that means). I have Direct TV's HD package, but would like to pick up some additional channels OTA. My zip code is 28670 and I am about 34 miles from the TV towers in Winston-Salem. I am looking for an effective INDOOR antenna. What kind of hardware are we talking about here? Suggestions?

Hey guys. I've got some questions about setting up an OTA antenna to pick up some HD channels. I have a 37" Polaroid LCD television with NTSC/ATSC tuners (I'm not real sure what that means). I have Direct TV's HD package, but would like to pick up some additional channels OTA. My zip code is 28670 and I am about 34 miles from the TV towers in Winston-Salem. I am looking for an effective INDOOR antenna. What kind of hardware are we talking about here? Suggestions?

First, welcome to the forum and to HD TV!

NTSC refers to analog and ATSC refers to OTA digital. QAM refers to digital cable.

Your Zip Code looks to be Ronda in Wilkes County. With an indoor antenna, you won't get much from there. You will more than likely get NBC (WXII) and PBS (UNC) from Sauratown Mt and not much else. Everyone else are on towers in a north south line from Greensboro to Asheboro. From Ronda you will need an outside antenna I am afraid.

You should go to the local office and sign up, especially if you've had service before. The TWC office on Regional road is hardly ever busy. They should give you a modem and send you on your way. They'll have to schedule someone to come out and turn it on at the street but that takes two seconds, and they'll do that ASAP because then they can start billing you. :)

Thanks for the suggestion. It looks like their web site just starts at +2 weeks for lead time. When I finally got through on the phone, I was able to get an appointment the next day.

Regarding the "two seconds" comment, this was my assumption too - they would only have to screw in a cable and give me the modem. However, the installers (yes, there were two installers for a cable modem reconnect) felt the need to trace back to my distribution box, cut off the connector and crimp on a new one, discuss needing some slack in the cable to get more on the other end (presumably for a new connector there, forgetting the cable is burried for at least 100'), and fool around up at the street for a good 5 minutes. All of this, and someone forgot to enable to turbo charge 8 Mbps / 512 kbps requiring another call.

Originally Posted by wiloliwad

My general advice is to try the outdoor antenna without a preamp first.
I have dealt with many situations where a preamp resulted in overloading the receiver's front end with poorer reception being the result.

Just last week a WFMY viewer who called with OTA reception issues was surprised to find that he recieved more stations with reliability after removing his preamp. This type of problem is more common than most folks realize IMHO.


Rickey

I'm in Kernersville, about 25 miles from each of the local antenna clusters, and have NBC/PBS and FOX/ABC/CBS 180 degrees apart from each other. I want to put an antenna outside or possibly in the attic out of the way. I'm considering a multidirectional antenna with a pre-amp mounted on my dish mast. The dish is about 5 feet off the ground on the side of my house, so there would be a reasonable view of NBC/PBS but the house would block FOX/ABC/CBS.

I'm currently using a "silver sensor" style inside, directly connected to my Dish ViP 622 receiver. Despite the directional design and being pointed at NBC/PBS, it receives FOX/ABC/CBS just fine. When I go outside I would have a couple dB more cable loss (maybe 30 feet), may loose some strength with the multidirectional design, but should gain strength with the reduced path loss.

Any suggestion on this setup, antenna style, attic vs mast, preamp at this distance, chance of getting Charlotte/Roanoke/Raleigh, etc.?

Can anyone suggest a local shop selling antennas and offering advice? My Dish installer was very unthusiastic about anything to do with OTA. The Dish web site suggests the following as a local retailler:
ADVANCED ELECTRONICS INC
806 HWY 66
KERNERSVILLE, NC 27284
(336) 667-2090

Thanks,
Adam

Check out Dow Electronics on Phoenix Rd off of Bus 85/Holden in Greensboro.

I was going to say the same thing. Just remember Dow is only M-F open until 5. Wouldn't want you to drive out there to find that out.

I rewired the cable coming form the main splitter to the cable box. The box is an Explorer 3250HD and now certain channels do not show at all or are very choppy. The splitter is one from TW that they used when they installed the cable modem and it worked before so I know its not the splitter. Why would some channels work while others dont even though everything is digital? I realize I must have done something since the only thing that changed is the wire and will troubleshoot but first I would like to know why its doing it in the first place.

Did you use the old style F connectors or the new compression F connectors?

They were just some screw on connectors made of brass I think. Is there a difference? I used these same connectors for the cable modem and it works great.

Update

I got into the service menu and the tuner frequencies power are around like -14dB/mV. From this information can I find out anything? Im using RG-6 cable and the supplied splitter they used for the cable modem.

They were just some screw on connectors made of brass I think. Is there a difference? I used these same connectors for the cable modem and it works great.

Absolutely. You ALWAYS want to use a crimp and not a screw. Too much loss. They have compression connectors now that give the best performance and they are not too much more than the old crimp on. Both sat and cable now installs the compression. I bought a bag of 100 compression for about $20. The tool was about $50 but the performance difference is worth it. Also be sure you use RG-6 and not RG-59. With digital cable or OTA, you need the best you can afford. It does make a difference in performance.

Has anyone been having intermittent reception problems with TWC? My Digital box will just cut to black, my other TVs will show complete static, for any length of time between about 2-15 minutes. They're completely random, but this didn't happen until a day or two ago.

Haven't tried calling TWC Support yet, just wondering if anyone else was seeing this.

@atoner

If downtown W-S is more convenient, then check out Electronic Distributing on Brookstown Ave. They are also only open M-F 8-5.

Hi everybody, how's things?

I have TWC's HD service and generally get v. good quality pictures. I was disappointed during yesterday's ACC championship game VT vs BC, seems like the picture came and went. (meaning good quality to pixeled and back). I'm pretty certain it wasn't a TWC issue, or my TV issue. In fact it seemed like it could have been a specific camera. Anybody else see this? opinions?

Yeah I saw that too during the ACC championship. One of the sideline cameras appeared to have pixellation issues.

@atoner

If downtown W-S is more convenient, then check out Electronic Distributing on Brookstown Ave. They are also only open M-F 8-5.

Thanks. I couldn't find the store on HWY 66. I ended up buying this antenna at Lowe's, and it actually works pretty well:
http://www.p4c.philips.com/files/u/us2-mant940/us2-mant940_pss_aen.pdf

I'm getting mid-70's for signal strength as reported by the Dish ViP622 receiver for the major locals.

I also picked up the larger omni-directional antenna from Radio Shack, which I intend to try also.

Very infrequently, the recever will report "off air signal lost" for about 1-2 seconds. I can't pinpoint if the signal strength is going to 0 during this time, but I don't think it is a reception problem. I had the same problem in San Diego with similar signal strength.

Has anyone had any experience with the local Mastec Direct TV installers? They are scheduled to come to my house Saturday to install a slimline and an upgrade to an HR-20 Hi-Def reciever. I have read of some horrror stories from other forums about Mastec installers in other sections of the country. Just wondering if anyone had used them locally and if they were reliable about showing up on time and doing good work. Previously, I installed all the wiring and dishes for my satellite setup myself, but since this is a freebie, and the slimline is more complicated to hit all the sats, I am going to trust them to do it.

My install was done by someone else, though I can't remember the name. Mastec would have stood out since I too have heard the bad stories about them. Just double-check everything before they leave. You have to sign off on their work. Don't let them quickly click through the setup screens. Get them to verify signal strengths, etc.

I had mine done in January and although I told the guy that installing the dish where he did would give me problems when the trees had leaves he insured that there wouldn't be a problem. I had to move my dish in May.

I have a clear line of sight- my dish is currently installed on a pole in my yard and I know that the new slimline takes a bigger diameter pole to mount. Guess I'm going to have to call them to determine how they will handle that-new larger pole, or a slieve over the existing pole.

Hi,
I have Directv, and I'm having problems receiving some HD stations. I'm wondering if the high winds today moved my dish. Reception is fine on the SD receiver. Is anyone else having reception problems?

Nevermind. It finally occurred to me to try a reset of the HR20-700, and all is well now.
Thanks.

The SlimeLine dish uses a 2 in EXACTLY OD pipe. There is no fudge factor on that. 2 3/8 in pole is too large and the 1 7/8 in used on older dishes are too small. They will sink a new pole for the SlimeLine.

Once again, CBS in the Triad won't let me watch the Victoria Secret fashon show. Now's the time I really like OTA antennas that receive signals from other markets!

I'm much more pissed at CBS for running Rudolph beyond 9pm and my DVR missing the final scene. (I like it when the misfit toys get delivered to children. I am not sure how the children who are stuck with the defective toys feel about it.)

Thank goodness WFMY can protect me from pr0n!

Question for Jason at Sinclair (or anybody else that might know)

The Raleigh MYTV affiliate has stopped passing HD network programming. Anybody know why??? It's been that way for quite a while now. Just curious.

The actual change took very little technical skill. It was un-checking a default in the encoder software. The actual problem has to do with live programmings frame rate of 30 frames vs film frame rate at 24 frames and how it was handled by the encoder. I actually got the tip to try changing it from another station in Ohio with a similar problem (that caused digital breakup) for a specific model of STB from about 4 years ago. The encoder manufacturer tech support has not called me back yet.
Thanks for the reply.

I used to have the exact same problem with my D* sony sat-hd100. No dish connected, strictly OTA ATSC. When WXLV would go HD, the picture would "lull" and "surge" in and out of sync with the audio. Sync would work during SD. I heard rumors that ABC / D* knew of this problem, and I generally regarded it as some sort of MPEG2 incompatibility bug.

Unfortunately, the sony STB died last year, so I am unable to verify that you fixed the problem (I suspect that it did) but I'll thank you for your efforts just the same.

BTW, has anyone noticed how "muddy" the MPEG2 compression has been on UPN OTA for the past few years? Since few months ago, it seems that they've greatly improved the quality.

My parents live in Jamestown, Have a 32" Sharp HDTV
(1 year old, don't have model # with me)
Looking at Antennae web, it Appears that only the following channels would be available to them OTA
WXLV-DT 45.1
WFMY-DT 2.1
WMYV-DT 48.1
I tried a set top antennae(RCA) without much success, when I was home over Thanksgiving.
I tried the QAM tuner and was able to receive only about 6 Digital channels and these were only available randomly-usually at night.
They have basic cable with Northstate. -

er oops, they have cable with TWC
is there an up to date list of the stations that should be available via QAM

Anyone in Jamestown able to shine some light on whether to expect better than this?

Thanks

Gee! Pretty quiet these days!

I thought I would pass along that I have started a DTV conversion blog on our web site, MyFOXWGHP.com for those looking for information on the digital transition. Most of the info there is at the "beginner's level" and I suspect everyone here knows more than I have posted so far, but if you know someone who wants a URL to be able to go to, then please feel free to pass it along. The URL is http://community.myfoxwghp.com/blogs/charlie_layno and our main digital transition FAQ is http://www.myfoxwghp.com/myfox/pages/InsideFox/Detail?contentId=4861236&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=5.1.1 for those interested.

My parents live in Jamestown, Have a 32" Sharp HDTV
(1 year old, don't have model # with me)
Looking at Antennae web, it Appears that only the following channels would be available to them OTA
WXLV-DT 45.1
WFMY-DT 2.1
WMYV-DT 48.1
I tried a set top antennae(RCA) without much success, when I was home over Thanksgiving.
I tried the QAM tuner and was able to receive only about 6 Digital channels and these were only available randomly-usually at night.
They have basic cable with Northstate. -

er oops, they have cable with TWC
is there an up to date list of the stations that should be available via QAM

Anyone in Jamestown able to shine some light on whether to expect better than this?

Thanks

Welcome wyndwalker!

First off, dump the rabbit ears. They are unreliable for consistent reception. An antenna in the attic is much much better than rabbit ears even though it isn't as good as an outside antenna. Many people around the Triad have had exceptional results for the local channels with attic mounted antennas.

All of the local stations are broadcasting at their full power levels so no one should be having reception problems. Please keep in mind that 98% of all of the stations have their digital transmitters located in two locations, Sauratown Mt north of Winston-Salem and south of Greensboro along US 220 from Level Cross to Randleman. The only one that isn't is WGPX whose transmitter is at Reidsville. Sauratown Mt - WXII-DT and WUNL-DT. US 220 South - WFMY-DT, WGHP-DT, WCWG-DT, WXLV-DT, WMYV-DT and WLXI-DT.

From Jamestown, anyone should be able to receiver all of the local stations with no problem. Jamestown is centrally located for the stations. OTA digital uses ATSC or also known as 8VSB. Cable uses QAM. The two formats are NOT compatable. I would suspect the reason the TWC QAM channels were "random" were due to marginal cable signal level. The open QAM channels are 24/7 channels. If the signal level isn't at a certain level, the channels will not be there. Sounds like a tech call to TWC may be in order to get the signal level up.

TWC offers the local digital channels to their basic subscribers at no additional charge. From time to time they will open and change around some of the digital tier channels, but you can't depend on them always being there.

Hope that helps.

Welcome wyndwalker!
Thanks, long time lurker

First off, dump the rabbit ears. They are unreliable for consistent reception. An antenna in the attic is much much better than rabbit ears even though it isn't as good as an outside antenna. Many people around the Triad have had exceptional results for the local channels with attic mounted antennas. was trying a quick fix, sorta guessed would need to go attic or external route

The two formats are NOT compatable. I would suspect the reason the TWC QAM channels were "random" were due to marginal cable signal level. The open QAM channels are 24/7 channels. If the signal level isn't at a certain level, the channels will not be there. Sounds like a tech call to TWC may be in order to get the signal level up. in deed it does, I suspect that since it's a much older home there may be wiring and lord knows how many splitters as well

TWC offers the local digital channels to their basic subscribers at no additional charge. From time to time they will open and change around some of the digital tier channels, but you can't depend on them always being there. this will require a STB though, correct?

Hope that helps.
A place to start,hate to see em have that nice HD set and not take advantage of it some.

THANKS

I'm in Raleigh, luving my Sharp LC-32D43U, with just basic cable

this will require a STB though, correct?

No. Not always. TWC can open a digital channel as easily as an OTA channel. The question is will they. They do have a paltry few digital channels open but they do eventually close them again and they never tell you when they will open or close them. When they close them you will need a STB then.

Only the local channels are always open. Here TWC offers the following OTA digital channels on QAM and you will have to scan them because TWC uses the actual channel number, not the published channel number, ex, WGHP is 113-3 but is published as 510.

WFMY 2-1
WFMY 2-2
WGHP 8-1
WXII 12-1
WXII 12-2
WCWG 20-1
WXLV 45-1
WMYV 48-1
UNC TV

Welcome wyndwalker!

I would suspect the reason the TWC QAM channels were "random" were due to marginal cable signal level.

I get on demand channels over qam sometimes... sometimes it's there sometimes it's not autorized. It's funny to watch someone fast foward thru stuff like quick commercial breaks.. very radom tho. the same channel freq could be cartoon network ondemand of fx or music

I'm watching golf on WXII and it starts out in HD but when they need to switch out of HD to show the weather scrawl, they forget to put the show back in HD. WXII has done this before. :mad:

Somebody must've read my post. Soon after I posted, the golf went back to HD. It was probably out of HD for close to a hour.

I just bought my first HDTV (Panasonic) and am trying to figure out all this HD and digital stuff. I've been doing some reading and searching (that's how I found this forum) but still have some basic questions. I currrenty have the basic package from TWC. The TV seems to be recieving both analog and digital channels. TWC tells me I have to upgrade to a digital package to receive HD tv - so what type of signal am I getting on the digital channels I am receiving? Also, there seems to be a lot of discussion about using antennas. Is this because you don't have cable available or just don't want to pay the outrageous price for a digital package, which is where I am. TWC keeps telling me I need to move away from my $10.00/month package to a $60.00+/month package! It appears to me that going to the TWC digital package is just going to give me more cable channels. Am I missing something?

Charlie,

If you have TWC basic cable you will get local channels in analog format (NTSC) and you will also get the digital signals from the local channels sent from TWC using QAM modulation. It seems likely that your new TV can tune QAM. These will include much network programming in HD. You may also be able to tune in some cable channels such as Discovery HD (but that may change at any time). You don't need to get digital service unless you want cable channels in HD or the other featuers offered by the digital service, such as the program guide or DVR. TWC will not tell you where to find the local channels in QAM so you will need to scan for them and program you set to skip many open but unused channels. Also, TWC can change the QAM channel assignment at any time and not tell you. However, they are required to keep the local digital channels in open QAM.

Welcome charliebapt!

The deal with TWC is they are required by law to provide the HD signals of local stations that they carry open to anyone who has the basic cable package. How they do that is not defined so they make it as difficult as they can and still be with in the law. TWC would rather you pay them for the $60 a month package you mentioned.

It is interesting to note that the local HD channels are not on the same QAM channels in Greensboro and Winston-Salem (even though on the $60 a month package they are in the 500's on the entire system) even though they are fed from the same head end and are offered on both systems. That is why you have to do a scan to find them. Again I think it is done to make it more difficult to force you into the $60 a month package. But there are people who are successfully watching the local HD channels without the $60 a month package. The draw back is you only get the local HD channels and any other cable HD channel from time to time they feel like throwing out as a bone to entice people to upgrade.

Antennas are discussed so much here because for years TWC didn't offer the local HD channels so if you wanted to watch a network program in HD, you had to have an antenna and people have stuck with them because not only does the local stations look better because TWC down converts the HD signals to fit within their bandwidth restraints so people say the antenna signal looks better than the TWC signal and depending on where they live in the Triad, they can pick up the Raleigh, or Roanoke or Charlotte digital stations and their additional subchannels that aren't available locally. There is added value with the antennas. Also, not all of the local cable companies in the area (there are over 16 in the Triad) offer HD channels so if you want to watch something in HD and you cable provider doesn't offer it, then you have no choice but to go with the antenna.

Currently, DirecTV offers the most HD for the money (over 60 channels available here in the Triad and more on the way by the end of the year and into first quarter next year) as well as the local HD channels. More than TWC or Dish. Dish doesn't offer the local HD channels and they have given no timetable when they might.

Hope that helps.

I pay $7.53 per month for "Basic Service" via Time Warner Cable. I receive all the major networks in HD plus a few more. I used a OTA antenna to watch CBS in Charlotte on Sunday, to catch the Colts game. So Cable and OTA are both useful.

This is a newbie question, but I really did search the group.

I'm in central Greensboro, using a Vizio VX37L TV, connected by coax to a 9-foot Channel Master antenna pointed roughly to Sophia. The antenna's in the attic. The house is on a hill.

I get all the usual HD channels (including WFMY, WUNC, WXII, WCWG, WXLV, WMYV, and WLXI) except WGHP. I believe WGHP should be on 35.

What's wrong here? Thanks in advance for your reply.

This is a newbie question, but I really did search the group.

I'm in central Greensboro, using a Vizio VX37L TV, connected by coax to a 9-foot Channel Master antenna pointed roughly to Sophia. The antenna's in the attic. The house is on a hill.

I get all the usual HD channels (including WFMY, WUNC, WXII, WCWG, WXLV, WMYV, and WLXI) except WGHP. I believe WGHP should be on 35.

What's wrong here? Thanks in advance for your reply.

You are correct. WGHP-DT is on channel 35 at 1 million watts. Our tower is located between Sophia and Randleman off of US 311. I live off of Battleground Ave close to Lowes and with an unamplified antenna on my roof, I get WGHP-DT with no problem and high signal levels. As a matter of fact, it really doesn't seem to matter where I point the antenna since I receive WGHP-DT in most any direction.

My first suggestion would be that "pointed roughly to Sophia" may not be good enough with an antenna in the attic. There could be things in the attic causing the signal to bounce and your set to not be able to pick up the signal correctly. How much cable do you have in line? Are you using an amplifier on your antenna? Do you have any splitters in line? How many splices do you have in the line? How close to the roof line do you have the antenna? What type of roof do you have? Anything else you can say would be helpful.

On a side note, I see where WGSR, the LPTV station in Reidsville has applied for channel 47 for their DTV channel with 15 kW on a tower at NC150 and US29 at Brown Summit. The only towers I know of in that part of the world is an OLD AT&T Long Lines microwave tower and the old WWMO-FM tower that one of the cell companies bought and loaded up with cell stuff. The height listed is about 500 ft and the pattern listed covers the eastern part of the Triad and lays a big signal over the TWC tower in Greensboro, something their channel 39 analog hardly covers Reidsville.

Of course there is no telling a) when the FCC might approve this, b) when it would come on the air c) whether or not there will be any HD on it. My guess would be no HD. I don't see how they can afford to build the transmitter site, much less upgrade to do any HD. They are pretty much a no budget station, best I can tell.

Foxeng,

I have about a 50' run of RG-59, one splitter (to supply FM), no inline amp (yet). I'll tighten up the direction, then try an amp, take the splitter off, and see what happens.

The antenna is laying on rafters: I know the attic is not an optimal antenna site, but it's all I can do for the moment.

Thanks for the feedback.

WGSR is definetely low budget. I wouldn't expect them to even be LoDef, much less HiDef. They are operated with Newschannel 18, a Henry County cable station. When it snows, they run video feed from their truck with snowplow clearing their driveway. The video disappears about half way down the driveway.

Thanks. I couldn't find the store on HWY 66. I ended up buying this antenna at Lowe's, and it actually works pretty well:
http://www.p4c.philips.com/files/u/us2-mant940/us2-mant940_pss_aen.pdf

I'm getting mid-70's for signal strength as reported by the Dish ViP622 receiver for the major locals.

I also picked up the larger omni-directional antenna from Radio Shack, which I intend to try also.

Very infrequently, the recever will report "off air signal lost" for about 1-2 seconds. I can't pinpoint if the signal strength is going to 0 during this time, but I don't think it is a reception problem. I had the same problem in San Diego with similar signal strength.

It turns out that signal strength in the 70's as reported by the Dish ViP 622 receiver isn't sufficienct for reliable reception. If the strength dips below about 60 the picture goes away.

So I returned the Philips antenna. I also tried the omnidirectional Radio Shack antenna, which was no better, and returned it. I then went back to the Terk silver sensor but mounted it outside this time, facing Sauratown Mountain.
http://www.audiovox.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&productId=14122&langId=-1
I'm getting signal strength in the low 80's now for NBC, PBS, ABC, CBS, and FOX and a stable picture. This is despite using an indoor antenna strapped to my fence with a few zip ties, pointing the opposite direction of Level Cross.

Long term I will probably try a more respectable antenna in the attic or out by the Dish.

Has anyone else noticed that there's no program guide information for OTA PBS ch. 26 on Dish Network? The SD local ch. 2 has guide info, but all of the sub-carriers for ch. 26 OTA just show "Digital Service." This makes the channel almost unuseable now that I'm hooked on the DVR and program guide.

National Geographic HD just showed up on TWC Digital. I don't actually know when but I just noticed it about an hour ago. Weird because there wasn't any announcement on their website - it's not even listed under channel changes.

Edit: It's on TWC Digital Channel 553.

Awesome, NGEOHD Im glad we finally got this.

So odd that TWC does such a poor job of announcing this stuff. It's like they do a terrible job of marketing. We actually have quite a good number of major HD channels (and not just a bunch of west coast versions or local sports channels), but nobody would know.

So odd that TWC does such a poor job of announcing this stuff. It's like they do a terrible job of marketing. We actually have quite a good number of major HD channels (and not just a bunch of west coast versions or local sports channels), but nobody would know.

Yea its pretty bad when I rely on you guys to let me know when I have a new channel ;) Maybe they don't want to announce a new channel because its taken them so long to provide it! Ive yet to see an HD program on NatGEO, I assumed it was an all hd channel not just a simulcast of the original station.

Hey foxeng,

The NY Times reported that News Corp. is selling eight stations, including WGHP, to Oak Hill Capital Partners.

So, is this a good thing?

Merry Christmas All.

Joe

Hey foxeng,

The NY Times reported that News Corp. is selling eight stations, including WGHP, to Oak Hill Capital Partners.

So, is this a good thing?

Merry Christmas All.

Joe

We have been told nothing about a sale other than what was in the news back in June.

TWC is also suppossed to have Fox Sports Net HD running on MOJO ch 560.

Well according to their website they are...

http://www.timewarnercable.com/PiedmontTriad/programming/collegehoopshd.html

No sign of it during the Wake/Va Tech or NC State/Cincy.

I call to complain and they think I am crazy. I send them the link to the webpage and they still don't get it.

Same deal as the home Atlanta Braves games they were showing...somebody ALWAYS forgets and calling doesn't help.

Boooo!!!

I wish they'd just add Fox Sports Net HD to the lineup.

Merry Christmas from all of us at FOX8 WGHP! Heres hoping Santa brought all of your HD wishes!

Merry Christmas to you all!

I was just talking to a TWC rep that dropped off a new DVR box at my house in Davidson Co. who said they were eventually going to stop broadcasting the local channels over QAM. Is there any truth to this or was he confusing QAM with analog broadcasts? Also, does TWC not broadcast WGHP over QAM. I haven't been able to find it.

I think that federal law says locals can't be "encrypted." They will be sent by QAM, but what you want is "clear QAM." The issue at hand is whether the use of SDV _legally_ qualifies as encryption. Technically I would say it doesn't (but could be considered an endaround), but with most TV sets these days having a clear QAM tuner (though often unadvertised and sometimes not even discussed with any detail in the manual), the FCC may be forced to speak to this.

You have to understand that TWC locally sends 3 signals of the local stations. The first is a NTSC signal for the stations on channels 2-15 for those who use lifesaver cable with no STB. They also send those same NTSC signals via encrypted QAM to the digital STB's. The 3rd signal is the HD versions of the locals that are send unencrypted QAM.

There has been a debate on how TWC will handle the analog shutdown for lifesaver cable and non HD digital cable. Nothing has come out. Obviously after Feb 17, 2009, TWC will only have a 16:9 HD signal available to send to everyone, SD and HD. It could be that the installer was referring to the NTSC encrypted signal that is sent to the digital STB's. The FCC has stated that ALL cable is required to continue to provide a NTSC signal for local stations for 3 years after the transition.

Beyond that, it is anyone's guess outside of TWC what they will do. They haven't even told the stations yet and WE WANT to be in on that conversation.

Also, does TWC not broadcast WGHP over QAM. I haven't been able to find it.

If you are in the eastern side of TWC, WGHP-DT is on 113-3. I have no idea what it is on the western side of TWC, but it is different. We have a Samsung DTB-H260F OTA/QAM STB in our Maser Control that we have connected to TWC to be sure our signal is there.

Also make sure your tuner is set for HRC (I believe it is and if that does work, select IRC and/or SRC) cable channels.

I went back through the thread and found this TWC W-S list from April. Don't know how accurate it is:

82-1 WXII
82-2 WXII Weather Plus
82-4 UNC HD
108-45 WXLV
109-1 WFMY
109-2 WFMY WeatherNow
109-3 WGHP

Here is a GSO TWC list from the same time period:

93-45 WXLV
113-1 WFMY HD 113.1
113-2 WFMY WeatherNow
113-3 WGHP
113-6 UNC ED
113-17 UNC NC
116-3 WXII
116-4 WXII Weather Plus
116-13 UNC
116-14 UNC HD
116-15 UNC KIDS

You have to understand that TWC locally sends 3 signals of the local stations. The first is a NTSC signal for the stations on channels 2-15 for those who use lifesaver cable with no STB. They also send those same NTSC signals via encrypted QAM to the digital STB's. The 3rd signal is the HD versions of the locals that are send unencrypted QAM.

There has been a debate on how TWC will handle the analog shutdown for lifesaver cable and non HD digital cable. Nothing has come out. Obviously after Feb 17, 2009, TWC will only have a 16:9 HD signal available to send to everyone, SD and HD. It could be that the installer was referring to the NTSC encrypted signal that is sent to the digital STB's. The FCC has stated that ALL cable is required to continue to provide a NTSC signal for local stations for 3 years after the transition.

Beyond that, it is anyone's guess outside of TWC what they will do. They haven't even told the stations yet and WE WANT to be in on that conversation.

Ah! The Plot Thickens.

First, Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.

February 2009 will be upon us all and confusion will reign.

Will the FCC get their act together? As a 13 year DirecTv subscriber I have not thought about cable service for many years. My experience with cable was dismal from 1972 until D* in 1994.

What was interesting was the comment that cable has to support NTSC for 3 years after the analog closure in 2009.

Did not know about that. Free converter boxes to all in the nation that have cable W/O an HDTV or STB?

And I thought all the talk about D* going to all mpeg4 boxes might be true

Nah!!

2008 Should Get Interesting!!

Happy 2008,

Joe

Ah! The Plot Thickens.

Well... not really. It just seems like it. You have several Democratic Senators and Representatives trying to make political hay over this issue.

First, Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.

Thanks! Right back at you!

February 2009 will be upon us all and confusion will reign.

Well yes and no. Will there be confusion? Sure, but it will be because those confused haven't been paying attention. Which is typical for the public. Broadcasters are on a timeline of increasing awareness for the public. This started in earnest back in October with PSA messages that run daily in different time periods and will increase in number as the months go by and news stories on air and even the print media has gotten in on the act as well. All of the local stations are running these PSA's and have done news stories on the transition and they will continue. Also within 60 days of the transition, I believe it is, stations will start to run crawls during programming about the transition, another requirement. There is a plan in place and it is being worked. But for some in Congress, anything you do is never enough. I think they just like to hear the sound of their own voice drone on.

Truth is if you are on cable or satellite which about 85% of all viewers are, Feb 17, 2009 will be just another day except the AR of the picture changes!

Will the FCC get their act together?

As I have outlined, their act is "already together." Just got to let it unfold. The transition is too far out for people to really care right now. Case in point, we have a major national election coming up in 10 months. One that will outline the direction our country will move in into the next decade with serious problems looming and to most Americans, it is too early at this point to really worry about it, much less of a technological change 2 months after that.

Now while it is true that we here on AVSForum live, eat, sleep and drink this stuff, most of our friends could care less. As long as their TV works on Feb 18, 2009, they don't care and don't care how it happens. Human nature. For those who don't care, and who don't heed the warnings and who are not on cable or sat, then yeah, Wednesday, Feb 18, 2009 will be a bad day. One thing I have learned over the years is you can't save people from themselves or You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. This is one of those cases where that is so true.

Remember the only legal requirement cable has in all this to provide an NTSC signal, either via STB or headend conversion for 3 years post transition. So it is in cables best interest to be sure they continue to provide an NTSC signal for the 80% of their subscribers who do not have an HD TV. How they do that is left up to them.

Remember, there are more HD TV's in homes that are NOT connected to a HD programming source, than are. Something cable (and sat) is trying to change with all of their HD programming commercials you are seeing almost non stop these days. They know people are buying HD sets. They see the CEA sales numbers. But they are not upgrading their service to HD because they are not seeing the service upgrade numbers follow the set sales numbers. Independent surveys are also showing that people think that because they have digital service, they also have HD service,which of course we know isn't the same.

As a 13 year DirecTv subscriber I have not thought about cable service for many years. My experience with cable was dismal from 1972 until D* in 1994.

Sat has come out and said they will convert at the headend for their subs. Their issue is to be sure they have all of the headend gear in place by Feb 17, 2009. The have a headend installer manpower issue (not just anyone can do that kind of work) at this point since they do not offer HD LIL in all of their SD LIL markets yet.

What was interesting was the comment that cable has to support NTSC for 3 years after the analog closure in 2009.

Did not know about that. Free converter boxes to all in the nation that have cable W/O an HDTV or STB?

Cable fought that one very hard. They always want to do those kinds of things but not be told they have too. Go figure. Typical cable.

And I thought all the talk about D* going to all mpeg4 boxes might be true

Nah!!

Actually that is true, they want to, but the problem is D* has over 15 million MPEG2 only SD boxes in the field right now. How do you change those out without ticking the subs off amd/or not driving the company into bankruptcy changing out the boxes. That's the trick. You see what problems they are having just changing out 1 million MPEG2 only HD boxes.

I would guess that within 5 to 7 years, D* will be all MEPG4 or pretty close.

These are interesting times we are living in.

Now while it is true that we here on AVSForum live, eat, sleep and drink this stuff, most of our friends could care less. As long as their TV works on Feb 18, 2009, they don't care and don't care how it happens. Human nature. For those who don't care, and who don't heed the warnings and who are not on cable or sat, then yeah, Wednesday, Feb 18, 2009 will be a bad day.


Yep,
For me, Feb. 18, 2009 is the day I turn 50:eek::(:confused:

Hey Pam! Sure has been a long time since I saw you on here! Glad to see you are still around!

I am still here! I went back to teaching fulltime, so I don't spend as much time as I'd like to here, but I check in from time to time and try to keep up!

(let's see... how many times can I use the word "time" in my reply and it still make sense?)

Time Warner question: I just upgraded to digital to get the Hi Def channels-is the audio supposed to be Dolby Digital on at least some of the channels?

Edit: Just called TW and a knowledgeable, friendly cs had me change a setting and VOILA!

Time Warner question: I just upgraded to digital to get the Hi Def channels-is the audio supposed to be Dolby Digital on at least some of the channels?

I get 5.1 surround on the programs that have it, which is most of the "HD" programming.

TWC comment: Just got my most recent bill and looked at the channel info flyer inside. It had most of the new HD channels listed, but under
"HD Pack" the only channel listed was Universal. And there was no mention of HDNet or Mojo. I dropped the HD pack a while back, did they drop the HDNet channels?

Does anyone know when the WXLV, WFMY, WXII AND WGHP will begin local broadcasts in HD? Surely this would need to happen before the cutoff next year.

Does anyone know when the WXLV, WFMY, WXII AND WGHP will begin local broadcasts in HD? Surely this would need to happen before the cutoff next year.

There is no requirement for any station to broadcast HD anything. Nationally, most stations are looking at their markets for signs of when they might want to go HD.

Does anyone know when the WXLV, WFMY, WXII AND WGHP will begin local broadcasts in HD? Surely this would need to happen before the cutoff next year.Not sure I understand your question.

Are you asking when local news will be in HD? or local commercials?, or programming in general?

The only requirement is for the stations to convert to digital and eventually, in 2009, relinquish their analog frequencies.

Now, digital does not automatically mean HD. There are many SD digital formats.

As crazy as it might seem, since the "digital" standard was designed by committee, any "digital" TV must be able to receive any of the 18 possible "standard" formats, some of which are SD, some are ED, and 6 are HD.

Check out the table on this page:
http://www.timefordvd.com/tutorial/DigitalTVTutorial.shtml

Joe L.

Not sure I understand your question.

The OP means when we will start doing local programming in HD.

In our case none of our non network programming is available in HD so we can't show what we don't have. WFMY does show Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy in HD, but other than the off network run of Two and Half Men, nothing else besides network is available in HD. WFMY did produce a HD special on Guilford Battlefield a year ago, but that is pretty much it.

Sorry, I guess I was not clear enough with my last post. My question is: When will the local channels, WFMY, WXII and WGHP convert their news studios and begin broadcasting local news in HD?

Sorry, I guess I was not clear enough with my last post. My question is: When will the local channels, WFMY, WXII and WGHP convert their news studios and begin broadcasting local news in HD?

I guess they would have to buy the HD equipment first. I have not heard of any local station going HD; just digital.

Interesting lack of answers, given the size of the market. Roanoke already has one channel doing local news in HD, with a second very close. Of course this may also have to do with corporate politics.

Interesting lack of answers, given the size of the market.

Because of the size of this market, no one tells what they are planning and when. This is by design.

(let's see... how many times can I use the word "time" in my reply and it still make sense?)It is not time for you to time the time between the times you use the word 'time' in a sentence when trying to form a timely response, especially now that your time is limited, as you went back to work full time.:D

On the other hand, I think that it is time for Time-Warner cable to add a few more HD stations to its lineup in the Greensboro area. Where is Cinemax HD? or The-Movie-Channel HD?

It is not time for you to time the time between the times you use the word 'time' in a sentence when trying to form a timely response, especially now that your time is limited, as you went back to work full time.:D

On the other hand, I think that it is time for Time-Warner cable to add a few more HD stations to its lineup in the Greensboro area. Where is Cinemax HD? or The-Movie-Channel HD?

Ok, you definitely have too much ti - :eek:

JL, I think we both need to give it some ti - uh, rest!:p
Have a great evening! BTW, I agree on the cable thing!

From all of us at FOX8 WGHP, Happy New Year and may 2008 bring you much HD enjoyment!

question for foxeng:

When analog transmiisions go away, I assume that it is unlikely that broadcast stations will provide a 4:3 analog signals for the cable companies to use until Feb, 2012. Therefore, I assume that cable companies will use a letterboxed version of the HD broadcast. When station programming includes old SD content (some of which might be available in HD quality, but most of which has not been converted to widescreen (like HDNET did with Hogans Heroes)), will the SD content appears as both paneled and letterboxed? (similar to widescreen SD TCM viewed on a widescreen TV set without using the zoom)?

Will folks tuning in to watch Andy of Mayberry on their 4:3 SDTV get only 60% of their screen filled? All America want to know (or at least I do).

Edit: This would correspond to ota digital converters connected to SDTV sets.

Hello from an AVS newbie. Sorry if this has been covered (I couldn't find it...) but I just had 2 CableCards installed in my new TiVo HD. Everything works great EXCEPT that I can't receive the newly added HD channels from TWC (MTVHD, TBSHD, AETVHD, etc). The older ones (local stations, ESPNHD, MOJO, etc) come in just fine. Of course I didn't discover this until the tech left and when I called TWC support they told me those channels weren't available to CableCard customers because they "didn't have a signal that could be sent to CableCards??" Are those channels really not available to me with CableCard?

Thanks

Todd

Hello from an AVS newbie. Sorry if this has been covered (I couldn't find it...) but I just had 2 CableCards installed in my new TiVo HD. Everything works great EXCEPT that I can't receive the newly added HD channels from TWC (MTVHD, TBSHD, AETVHD, etc). The older ones (local stations, ESPNHD, MOJO, etc) come in just fine. Of course I didn't discover this until the tech left and when I called TWC support they told me those channels weren't available to CableCard customers because they "didn't have a signal that could be sent to CableCards??" Are those channels really not available to me with CableCard?

Thanks

ToddIt sounds like those new channels are all using Switched Digital Video, that is, they are not transmitted to the subscribers on your node unless somebody tunes to them. At that time they are allocated a spare channel (if one is available) and away you go.

It sounds like the cable-cards they installed in your Tivo are not equipped to transmit a signal to TWC when you change channels, therefore, the SDV channels are not available and not accessible to you.

Unfortunately, I don't think any Tivo can deal with SDV at this time... but I'm sure Tivo is working on it. Obviously, it requires compatible hardware and software for the system being used by the cable company AND the cable companies are not real anxious to lose the rental income of their set-top-box, so I don't expect a solution to show up really soon.

question for foxeng:

When analog transmiisions go away, I assume that it is unlikely that broadcast stations will provide a 4:3 analog signals for the cable companies to use until Feb, 2012. Therefore, I assume that cable companies will use a letterboxed version of the HD broadcast. When station programming includes old SD content (some of which might be available in HD quality, but most of which has not been converted to widescreen (like HDNET did with Hogans Heroes)), will the SD content appears as both paneled and letterboxed? (similar to widescreen SD TCM viewed on a widescreen TV set without using the zoom)?

Will folks tuning in to watch Andy of Mayberry on their 4:3 SDTV get only 60% of their screen filled? All America want to know (or at least I do).

Edit: This would correspond to ota digital converters connected to SDTV sets.

We are not looking past Feb 17, 2009 at this point in time because there is so much to be done just for that day. My guess would be that most stations will only provide a 16:9 feed and then let people use either the cable STB or the OTA STB to either zoom a 4:3 in letterbox to fill the screen or just watch the show with bars on top and bottom. It is something that needs to be addressed industry wide, but so far no one has.

Will the cheapo OTA digital converter boxes expected to debue (sp?) in March have a zoom function? Only the Gods know.

I still think most people with rabbit ears who watch analog, are going to be shocked at their indoor reception when they try to use them with digital, and they don't receive a signal. UHF indoor antennas on the first floor of a home in most cases are crap. How well the sensitivity of these boxes are to multi path is another thing too.

Will the cheapo OTA digital converter boxes expected to debue (sp?) in March have a zoom function? Only the Gods know.

Actually everyone I have seen the specs for says they will zoom.

I still think most people with rabbit ears who watch analog, are going to be shocked at their indoor reception when they try to use them with digital, and they don't receive a signal. UHF indoor antennas on the first floor of a home in most cases are crap. How well the sensitivity of these boxes are to multi path is another thing too.

Actually indoor antennas around here do OK. Not great, but depending on where you are, it is acceptable. It is something I HIGHLY discourage, but remember, in ENC, you have stations trying to cover 100 miles average. Here, we are only covering 30 miles average. It does make a difference.

I live near Westover Church on Tower RD. With an internal antenna on 1st floor I can only recieve signals from the SE Randleman towers, I cannot get signal from the Pilot Mtn towers. I use OTA for backup when TWC goes out.

I live near Westover Church on Tower RD. With an internal antenna on 1st floor I can only recieve signals from the SE Randleman towers, I cannot get signal from the Pilot Mtn towers. I use OTA for backup when TWC goes out.

Actually WXII and WUNL are on Sauratown Mt, next mountain to the east of Pilot Mt. From there to your place is close to 60 air miles. A good haul for UHF and an indoor antenna. From the towers south of Greensboro, you are only talking about 25 air miles.

60! I was thinking they were 40 or so....

So those towers are about 65 from the heart of G'boro.....

60! I was thinking they were 40 or so....

So those towers are about 65 from the heart of G'boro.....

Sauratowm Mt, yeah. It is a LONG haul. That is why channel 12 and channel 45 has a hard time with coverage in the eastern part of the market from there and why channel 45 tried for the longest to move the analog to Level Cross and why they put their digital at Level Cross. To cover the main population centers of the Triad, Sauratown isn't the best place to be, TV or radio.

I have tried for weeks to pick up Clear QAM in Thomasville; No luck.

Please tell me what you are using for software and hardware.

I have Happauge HVR-1600
Win TV 6
Win XP system
Triad Digital Cable Package
Sony 40" Bravia 1080P

CarolinaGuy

I live in Wilkes county. I have knobs, mountains, hills, forests on hills, and every other dip and height you can think of. I went to antennaweb.org to check how many digital signals that I would be able to pick up where I live. I came up with two, both UNCTV sites. Analog, I can easily get Greensboro, Winston, High Point, Charlotte, and quite a few in SC. Of course there is no access to cable in my community.
My question is simple, other than getting directv, or dish, will my neighbors and I lose all of our locals stations, even if we did get converter boxes?(Plus is there much of a point of getting a converter box, when you will only be able to see one station?)

I live in Wilkes county. I have knobs, mountains, hills, forests on hills, and every other dip and height you can think of. I went to antennaweb.org to check how many digital signals that I would be able to pick up where I live. I came up with two, both UNCTV sites. Analog, I can easily get Greensboro, Winston, High Point, Charlotte, and quite a few in SC. Of course there is no access to cable in my community.
My question is simple, other than getting directv, or dish, will my neighbors and I lose all of our locals stations, even if we did get converter boxes?(Plus is there much of a point of getting a converter box, when you will only be able to see one station?)

If you get the analogs, you should be able to get the digital counterparts as well. antennaweb.org is a good site, but it isn't fool proof. From Wilkes County, WXII and WUNL on Sauratown Mt is a straight shot there. Depending on where you live, the other digital stations from the Triad should be available to you. What isn't, you should be able to pick up either the Charlotte or Roanoke counter part. I have talked to people in that area who do pick up Triad digital signals successfully. You will need an outside antenna though. An indoor antenna isn't going to cut it.

I agree with what foxeng said.

I would add that Uhf (digital) reception is very dependant on elevation and terrain at that distance; VHF (digital) will be affected but less.

Example of an "excellent" reception location at your distance... 4000 Ft. mountaintop and nothing higher between you and the transmitter site.
Example of a "poor" reception location at your distance... bottom of a valley with 4000 Ft. mountains directly between you and the transmitter site.
Obviously most N.C. mountainous locations will fall somewhere between these extremes, and reception ability will likewise follow. I have found that Google Earth and its terrain function are useful in finding where the potential obstructions are.
If you can receive analog 48 and/or 20 fairly clearly this would be a good indicator that the digital TV broadcasts from the Randleman/Level Cross area will be available at your location.
Successful reception of analog 45 on Sauratown Mountain should indicate likely good reception of the digital TV broadcasts from that location.
It might be useful to borrow an off air digital receiver for testing.
Just a thought... at least one local retailer has a small TV (SDTV) set complete with internal digital tuner for under $100.00.
And please don't give up on first try if it doesn't work. Sometimes a little finesse is required to obtain success. I have personally seen the addition of an additional 5 Ft. antenna height make a large improvement in reception.
Small details like being sure that the antenna cable connectors are installed correctly and weather proofed make a huge difference in system performance. I have followed up where “professional” installers were burned by this.
Finally if given the choice between a larger antenna, a preamp, or 10 of more Ft. of antenna height; I will choose height almost every time.
Additional height is generally inexpensive (within reason) and almost always gives improvement.

Good Luck.

Rickey

Hey guys,

Lately I'm unable to get WUNL-DT with my OTA setup. I used to get it fine, and I still get all the other locals, including WXII-DT and all the Level Cross stations.

Receiver says I'm getting a decent (75-80%) signal, but I get no lock on it, and no re-mapping to 26.1, etc.

Using a Samsung SIR-T351 and Channel Master 4221, with an EDA 2100 15db amp... inside, next to a third floor window. (can't put it on the roof)

Anybody getting WUNL-DT OTA lately?

Thanks!
-amos