Greensboro, NC - HDTV [Text View] - Page 28

jspENC

03-06-09, 08:49 AM

Hello, Thanks for the kind words. It seems like some of the Roanoke area posters want to keep their heads burried in the sand and act like nothing is wrong with the economy, and that the analog extension did nothing to hurt broadcasters in this country.

If this is truely and HDTV discussion area, then my rant which was a mix of digital tv issues along with a very strong political view of what I thought about the analog extension, and its economic effects on TV broadcasters. Again, thanks for making me feel welcomed here.

FWIW - I agree with what you said FOXTV. I can't understand why people want to keep mistakes such as this one from being mentioned. I've had posts taken down myself for speaking about it, and it's a shame. This is one of those things that there was NOTHING wrong with, and yet this admin. had to be different, and act like they were "saving lost souls". The evidence is out there that all that was done is waste time and money that should never have been. Right now if the 17th date had happened like it should have, we would be cruising right along on untroubled waters just like Wilmington did.

Crazywoody

03-06-09, 03:14 PM

FOX TV you are very welcome here. This thread was set up to discuss Triad HD issues. Sometimes it wanders off to interesting places. I enjoy our lively discussions. Just would like to hear more about HD TV the threads orginial purpose thats all. But any other info and opinions more than welcome.

popweaverhdtv

03-06-09, 04:22 PM

foxeng

03-06-09, 04:40 PM

He just moved to a better group! :D

FOX TV

03-06-09, 05:32 PM

Glad that you haven't given up on AVS, FOX TV! :)

I won't give up on this forum. I joined the Roanoke Va forum about 3 years ago, with the intent of helping people in this area with reception issues. The Roanoke Va. area is very mountainous, and reception of digital here is very problematic due to the mountains and multipath. I do realize that there are a lot of people who are actually new to off air reception and antennas with TV viewers being around 25 years or so into the cable TV era.

I have been building receive and transmit antennas in the Amatuer radio hobby for many years. I figured I could contribute some of my hands on antenna knowledge to UHF digital reception and actually contribute something useful to the viewers of ours and other digital TV stations.

I know this is not a political forum for the most part, but someties you cannot seperate the two issues of government regulations and its effects and be truthful about it. It also never helps to bury your head in the sand and ignore issues just because they make you uncomfortable. I criticized the current governmental regime, and the libs on the Roanoke forum took exception to that. I would have the same opinion if it had been to repubs doing the same rediculas analog extension too.

All the analog extension has acomplished is to make viewers think that the transition will never happen, and to expose how political influence, and the greed for power ALWAYS overrides the needs of the people and common sense.

If they really wanted to save jobs and ease the economic burden on broadcasters and not further confuse the public and save millions of kilowatts of power nationwide, then they should not have bowed down to political and financial pressure and just "Cut the Damn things off". I my be cencored here too, but that does not change the truth.

amos1001

03-06-09, 07:37 PM

hey guys,

we got my mom a vizio va19L for her bedroom, and i'm having a problem with it. i've searched and written vizio support, but nothing yet. i thought maybe some of you guys might have an idea.

we're using a very old cm-4221 on the roof for this tv, and she gets great reception. right now we don't have a rotor on it, but thinking about adding one.

the problem is this: i can find no way to either MANUALLY add a digital station, or to re-scan without deleting everything it found the first time.

some tv's have a "new scan," that doesn't delete the previous channels found, and others can add a station manually. but i can't find this feature on the vizio.

so if i try to manually go to 51 it doesn't see wfmy digital. but if i scan, it does receive it, map it to 2-1, and add it. what i want to do is add channels it missed in the scan, because with the antenna turned toward them it would have scanned them.

any ideas?

-amos

Bronco70

03-07-09, 03:39 AM

I won't give up on this forum. I joined the Roanoke Va forum about 3 years ago, with the intent of helping people in this area with reception issues. The Roanoke Va. area is very mountainous, and reception of digital here is very problematic due to the mountains and multipath. I do realize that there are a lot of people who are actually new to off air reception and antennas with TV viewers being around 25 years or so into the cable TV era.

I have been building receive and transmit antennas in the Amatuer radio hobby for many years. I figured I could contribute some of my hands on antenna knowledge to UHF digital reception and actually contribute something useful to the viewers of ours and other digital TV stations.

I know this is not a political forum for the most part, but someties you cannot seperate the two issues of government regulations and its effects and be truthful about it. It also never helps to bury your head in the sand and ignore issues just because they make you uncomfortable. I criticized the current governmental regime, and the libs on the Roanoke forum took exception to that. I would have the same opinion if it had been to repubs doing the same rediculas analog extension too.

All the analog extension has acomplished is to make viewers think that the transition will never happen, and to expose how political influence, and the greed for power ALWAYS overrides the needs of the people and common sense.

If they really wanted to save jobs and ease the economic burden on broadcasters and not further confuse the public and save millions of kilowatts of power nationwide, then they should not have bowed down to political and financial pressure and just "Cut the Damn things off". I my be cencored here too, but that does not change the truth.

Well said.

You point out something that most of us on this forum would understand and be able to deal with. Different terrain conditions in different markets results in a need for different solutions for OTA once the signal is digital.

Considering whatever percentage it might be in a given market relying solely on OTA are the folks ready?

Jonathan and Martha Kent to Clark as he visits after saving the world: "Son glad to see you, it's been a while". "Before you fly off we need a little help".

"We got one of those vouchers and bought the doohickie, followed the instructions and the old GE set just isn't working".

"Mom, Dad I have no time for this, a report just came in that Lex Luthor is on the loose". "I'll be back with a proper HDTV, call DirecTV to set up an install while I'm in transit"

Joe :)

Crazywoody

03-07-09, 09:52 PM

why? :d

why not

FOX TV

03-09-09, 11:37 AM

Well said.

You point out something that most of us on this forum would understand and be able to deal with. Different terrain conditions in different markets results in a need for different solutions for OTA once the signal is digital.

Considering whatever percentage it might be in a given market relying solely on OTA are the folks ready?

Jonathan and Martha Kent to Clark as he visits after saving the world: "Son glad to see you, it's been a while". "Before you fly off we need a little help".

"We got one of those vouchers and bought the doohickie, followed the instructions and the old GE set just isn't working".

"Mom, Dad I have no time for this, a report just came in that Lex Luthor is on the loose". "I'll be back with a proper HDTV, call DirecTV to set up an install while I'm in transit"

Joe :)

The percentages of folks who are not ready is very small to the point that all of this wasted money and power will not benefit anyone. Using Nielsons most recent numbers, and the results of our last 4 analog "Soft Tests" equates to possibly around 1000 or so people that view our station that are not ready for digital .

We now have 2 power hungry UHF transmitters on the air that LOVE to consume many Kilowatts of power an hour, just to program to those estimated 1000 or so people. Where is the logic in that?

J. L.

03-09-09, 12:26 PM

Nielsen only has market percentages in the 56 metered markets which the Triad is one. Eastern NC isn't one of them. Neither is Wilmington, but the Triangle, Charlotte and Asheville/Greenville/Spartanburg are.

I wonder just what percentage of viewers in Wilmington are STILL not ready for DTV. I'll bet 2% or more... I too wish the transition was in the past...

Joe L.

jspENC

03-09-09, 04:16 PM

J.L.

Many near Wilmington have reported watching channels out of Florence, Raleigh, or Greenville, both analog and digital. Some cannot get ALL Wilmington stations and will turn to out of markets for those.

Bronco70

03-09-09, 11:16 PM

The percentages of folks who are not ready is very small to the point that all of this wasted money and power will not benefit anyone. Using Nielsons most recent numbers, and the results of our last 4 analog "Soft Tests" equates to possibly around 1000 or so people that view our station that are not ready for digital .

We now have 2 power hungry UHF transmitters on the air that LOVE to consume many Kilowatts of power an hour, just to program to those estimated 1000 or so people. Where is the logic in that?

No logic. I guess my tongue was too firmly implanted in cheek.

Even Superman can't help here. Bailout fatigue? I better stop.

Joe

foxeng

03-10-09, 07:57 AM

The delayed Feb Sweeps started last Thursday so it will be interesting to see how much WXLV's and WMYV's ratings will be affected by their Feb 12th shutdown. My guess is not much.

FOX TV

03-10-09, 02:23 PM

The delayed Feb Sweeps started last Thursday so it will be interesting to see how much WXLV's and WMYV's ratings will be affected by their Feb 12th shutdown. My guess is not much.

Hello FOXENG, I have a burning question I need answered. Is your DMA up on either of the satellite services in HD? We keep getting promises about HD from both of the satellite services, but not a lot of action. I am getting tired of denying waivers for HD for viewers who, based on the TVFOOL predictions, have plenty of signal strength at their location. Do you get lots of waiver requests from viewers who could get your signal if they would just put up a proper antenna?

I makes me wonder why we spend $millions$ on towers, antennas, and transmitters just so viewers can get their signal via an alternate method. I use TV FOOL exclusively over antenna web, as the antenna web data is not very accurate. We have an ajacent market ranked somewhere around 120, and they are up on Direc TV in hd. This market ranks 67th, and we have been trying to get a timeline for this market to be uplinked in HD, with no results.

bigcementpond

03-10-09, 03:49 PM

Is your DMA up on either of the satellite services in HD? DirecTV carries the Greensboro market in HD, and I'm pretty sure Dish does also, but I could be wrong.

I also have a question for foxeng... I've noticed the bug at the bottom of the screen during network programming is too low in the frame. About half of the callsign "WGHP-DT" is being cut off on the corner bug. The hourly identification in the center of the screen is also a bit low. I've also noticed this on someone else's setup, both are on DirecTV. Pretty sure the TV is set to 1:1 mode. I guess the question is, is there a reason its that way or should I check something in my setup? Thanks!

foxeng

03-10-09, 10:48 PM

Hello FOXENG, I have a burning question I need answered. Is your DMA up on either of the satellite services in HD? We keep getting promises about HD from both of the satellite services, but not a lot of action. I am getting tired of denying waivers for HD for viewers who, based on the TVFOOL predictions, have plenty of signal strength at their location. Do you get lots of waiver requests from viewers who could get your signal if they would just put up a proper antenna?

I makes me wonder why we spend $millions$ on towers, antennas, and transmitters just so viewers can get their signal via an alternate method. I use TV FOOL exclusively over antenna web, as the antenna web data is not very accurate. We have an ajacent market ranked somewhere around 120, and they are up on Direc TV in hd. This market ranks 67th, and we have been trying to get a timeline for this market to be uplinked in HD, with no results.

We went up up on D* in Nov of 2006 and E* about a year later. Both services pull their HD OTA and the HD collection point is at WFMY's studio location off of US29 north. The SD collection point is also OTA and is at a Time-Warner fiber location in west Greensboro (Galimore Dairy Rd.)

We used too, but being a FOX O & O in those days, FOX allowed the HD signal for waiver since we only had a 4.2 kW ERP level. When the HD LIL started, FOX killed the waivers but it took them almost 2 years to do it. My WNYW HD waiver ended about 3 months before we were sold last year but when we came up in HD with LIL in NOv 2006, new waivers were denied and waiver requests dropped to nothing.

foxeng

03-10-09, 11:00 PM

I also have a question for foxeng... I've noticed the bug at the bottom of the screen during network programming is too low in the frame. About half of the callsign "WGHP-DT" is being cut off on the corner bug. The hourly identification in the center of the screen is also a bit low. I've also noticed this on someone else's setup, both are on DirecTV. Pretty sure the TV is set to 1:1 mode. I guess the question is, is there a reason its that way or should I check something in my setup? Thanks!

The reason is that is where FOX put it. FOX does not provide HD to the stations like the other networks. They provide a device called a "splicer" that acts as a very fancy down stream switch. It "splices" out our local data bits and replaces it with the network receiver directly. The lower right hand bug and the legal ID bug in the bottom center reside in the splicer and FOX doesn't allow us to have access to it. All we can do is turn them on and off. Nothing else. To change them, we have to ftp the graphic to FOX in LA and they in turn load it via satellite to the splicer so they place it where they want. We have asked and asked and asked them to please move it, but they refuse saying that they are located within the specs of 16:9 safe title area and that is all they have to do.

I am having an issue with a PCR error off the splicer now that is effecting certain cable headend receivers and when the splicer is bypassed the problem goes away and I am having a heck of a time getting them to listen. I may have broken through today though. They have made a change, but it didn't fix it. I checked TSReader tonight during net and local and the PCR error is still there. Back to complaining tomorrow I guess. Several of our sister stations are having similar problems and it took them a while to get FOX's attention.

Puppycat

03-13-09, 05:31 AM

I have several TVs with QAM tuners connected directly to the TWC feed to my home. Most of the time this is fine and the signal is uninterrupted for both the digital and analog feeds.

However, on the local digital channels, there is occasional audio reverberation that disrupts the audio. When it occurs it usually last from a few seconds to no more than a minute, after which the audio goes silent for a second and then returns normally.

It seems to happen during peak usage, so I suspect it is either a signal quality issue or perhaps something to do with bi-directional signals that are disrupting the audio stream. It seems to be most prevelant on the Fox and NBC stations, but that's an unscientific observation.

Any ideas on what may be causing such a problem? I've had the TWC techs out numerous times and noone seems to be able to explain the problem or offer a solution.

fairtomiddlin

03-13-09, 04:05 PM

Donniewb420

03-13-09, 07:07 PM

Upcoming new HD channels from TWC:

April 2, 2009: The following channels are added:

Travel Channel HD: Channel 582
FX HD: Channel 583
Outdoor Channel HD: Channel 585
AMC HD: Channel 586

http://www.timewarnercable.com/Carolinas/support/policies/channelchange.html

beat me to it. good news none the less :)

roland6465

03-13-09, 07:37 PM

Well, well, well. 2 more channels I want that DirecTV won't give me, plus ESPNUHD a couple of months ago.

Almost, but not quite enough to make me forget that I hate TWC.

foxeng

03-14-09, 08:06 AM

Just thought I would pass this along. We just received a nice surprise this week. Our first non network HD receiver! We don't have any way yet to put it on the air or to record anything in HD yet, but we have the receiver! One step at a time I guess. We were watching QVC HD on it downconverted to SD. Interesting. That was the only thing we could find that was in HD and transmitted without being encrypted.

Trip in VA

03-14-09, 10:17 AM

pwrmetal

03-14-09, 10:41 AM

AggieCEO

03-14-09, 10:58 AM

foxeng

03-14-09, 01:03 PM

But you could try the PBS national feed, that's on AMC21 if you have a dish that way. Or is it an MPEG-4 receiver?

- Trip

It is an MPEG2 receiver. If we had it New Years Day, we could have watched the Rose Bowl from KTLA in HD!

MagicMixR

03-16-09, 01:53 PM

Donniewb420

03-16-09, 07:20 PM

FOX TV

03-19-09, 09:32 AM

AggieCEO

03-19-09, 01:26 PM

Hello FOXENG,

I have a few questions for you. Does your station use pathfire for ingest, and are you having lip sync issues with their content? Some of the shows that come out of it have lip sync issues. We have 3 shows that come in via pathfire and they are always out of sync. I have called pathfire about this issue, and they have not come up with any answers as of now. Have you ever experienced sync issues with pathfire?

I was going to ask him a question about sync issues as well.

I only notice it on the QAM Fox 8 channel though. The audio will be off a split second, I have noticed it a FEW time on the HD channel via the Cable box as well but more so on the QAM channel. Is that something on your end or TWC?? I kinda figured it was TWC but I figured I'd ask you as well. Lord knows TWC does some stupid stuff. like on the TNT HD channel they will play another 2 commercials AFTER a movie has started back from the commercial break, which plays OVER the movie. Which I know is only on TNTHD and not TNT SD channel because I will flip to the SD channel to check it and its still playing the movie

foxeng

03-19-09, 02:52 PM

I was going to ask him a question about sync issues as well.

I only notice it on the QAM Fox 8 channel though. The audio will be off a split second, I have noticed it a FEW time on the HD channel via the Cable box as well but more so on the QAM channel. Is that something on your end or TWC?? I kinda figured it was TWC but I figured I'd ask you as well. Lord knows TWC does some stupid stuff. like on the TNT HD channel they will play another 2 commercials AFTER a movie has started back from the commercial break, which plays OVER the movie. Which I know is only on TNTHD and not TNT SD channel because I will flip to the SD channel to check it and its still playing the movie

TWC does do some strange stuff. They take one signal then split 3 ways. One is downconverted to analog RF, one is to re-encode to SD for non HD boxes and then a third is regroomed for the HD boxes to fit in their pipe so yes, if you look on three different sets, one on analog 10, one on cable box 10 and one on 510, you could see three different things, all from the same signal. I will give them a call and see what they are doing to the cable 10 signal.

FOX TV, as far as Pathfire, I will check into it. Which shows do you see it on and I will see if we air the same ones.

pwrmetal

03-19-09, 03:18 PM

Anyone watching the tourney on WFMY over the air? On cable they have added the 3rd and 4th sub channel for airing 2 additional games (as usual). On my over the air TV I am only getting one additional sub channel which is different from previous years. Is this what everyone else is seeing?

FOX TV

03-19-09, 04:17 PM

TWC does do some strange stuff. They take one signal then split 3 ways. One is downconverted to analog RF, one is to re-encode to SD for non HD boxes and then a third is regroomed for the HD boxes to fit in their pipe so yes, if you look on three different sets, one on analog 10, one on cable box 10 and one on 510, you could see three different things, all from the same signal. I will give them a call and see what they are doing to the cable 10 signal.

FOX TV, as far as Pathfire, I will check into it. Which shows do you see it on and I will see if we air the same ones.

We are having problems with two and a half men, and peoples court, and occasionally a problem with Star Trek. The Star Trek issue is different than the other two, as it has freeze frame video, but the audio goes on uninterrupted, and when the video recovers, the audio is still in sync.

The first two are warner bros. shows, and I think Star Trek is a CBS show, but all of them come out of the pathfire boxes. We have one pathfire computer that is well over 5 years old, and I suspect that this is the one causing problems.

The pathfire boxes are not routed, and do not go through any frame sync's They are tied directly to the input channels of our air servers, so I don't think it is an in house timing issue. I have had a trouble ticket in to pathfire for over a week, and so far, no response. All shows received via a direct sat feed are good with no sync issues.

uncrules

03-19-09, 04:19 PM

Zane

03-19-09, 04:52 PM

We have one pathfire computer that is well over 5 years old, and I suspect that this is the one causing problems.

The pathfire boxes are not routed, and do not go through any frame sync's They are tied directly to the input channels of our air servers, so I don't think it is an in house timing issue. I have had a trouble ticket in to pathfire for over a week, and so far, no response. All shows received via a direct sat feed are good with no sync issues.

When I was at WXLV there were lip sync issues with some pathfire shows. There was more than one show but I specificly remember "Mad About You" having LS issues directly from the pathfire server. While I was there Pathfire never was able to fully resolve the issue although it was intermittant.

foxeng

03-19-09, 07:09 PM

We are having problems with two and a half men, and peoples court, and occasionally a problem with Star Trek. The Star Trek issue is different than the other two, as it has freeze frame video, but the audio goes on uninterrupted, and when the video recovers, the audio is still in sync.

We don't air those shows so I can't help directly, but I will see what I find out.

foxeng

03-19-09, 07:55 PM

Just noticed that WCWG has added a second channel. It is an SD version of the HD but no CW bug. Not sure what is going on.

Bronco70

03-20-09, 02:15 AM

PamW

03-20-09, 06:22 AM

They make us look staid and reserved. Can't believe the mods put up with it.

Joe

Staid and reserved??? Say it ain't so!:D

foxeng

03-20-09, 08:52 AM

Staid and reserved??? Say it ain't so!:D

Oh yeah. I participate a little over there trying to help out the engineer for the FOX stations there (there are two stations that simulcast since neither one covers the whole market, like WXLV/WMYV [WNRW/WGGT] during the time when WXLV switched from FOX to ABC). He has a real mess on his hands and trying to keep the ABC station on the air there as well. His company owns both stations. There are a couple of "retired Yankee's" over there who think they own the thread and the locals will retaliate. It gets nasty at times there. Glad we don't have those problems on this thread.

jspENC who occasionally posts here, that is his home thread. He can tell you stuff that will curl your hair! :D

MR12

03-23-09, 11:46 AM

Interesting. WXII is killing their weather subchannel and replacing it with This TV.

http://www.wxii12.com/entertainment/18992436/detail.html

jspENC

03-23-09, 12:18 PM

I just wandered over into the Greenville, NC thread.

Thought I was in an alternative universe. Hey, not being discerning. At quick glance Green....., Green..... looks the same.

They make us look staid and reserved. Can't believe the mods put up with it.

Joe

You're certainly welcome to post on that thread if you wish. Good luck cooling down the whiners. We have a FOX affiliate here in ENC that has been more than notorious for constant transmission issues, among other things. Seriously, I have never seen any other station as bad as this one's been since it came on the air back around 1990. About a year ago, it obtained new owners, and we were hoping that the good would soon out wash the bad, but even with all the work that has been done to her so far, they still are having problems on a daily basis almost. There are people posting over there that claim they don't watch the station, but are always quick to point out any little glitch... I think they enjoy complaining...

Yea, as foxeng said, there have been some real ugly times, such as Super bowl two years ago.:eek:

jspENC

03-23-09, 12:22 PM

Interesting. WXII is killing their weather subchannel and replacing it with This TV.

http://www.wxii12.com/entertainment/18992436/detail.html

I think you will enjoy it. I do. I receive This on WSFX down here.

Bronco70

03-23-09, 01:33 PM

Glad I don't live in the Greenville market. Cool down whiners? Life is too short to bother with that.

Joe

vstone

03-24-09, 05:25 AM

Interesting. WXII is killing their weather subchannel and replacing it with This TV.

http://www.wxii12.com/entertainment/18992436/detail.htmlNot too surprising, now that NBC-Universal owns the Weather Channel.

evernight

03-24-09, 03:04 PM

Hello All-

I read ( lurk ) this Forum quiet a bit and have learned a TON!

Now I have a question as I need some help-- I recently purchased a Sony Bravia KDL-52W4100 and am very happy with it.

However - I cannot get the TV Guide On Screen to work. I have extended cable with Time Warner in High Point-- I DONT have a converter box -- straight from wall to the TV. I have followed the TVGOS support instructions and still no go....

Any suggestions? Any one have this family of TV and got the TVGOS to work?? Is it Time Warner??

Thanks All!
It's probably NOT your TV. My TVGOS has been offline for a week-and-a-half. There's a thread just for TVGOS (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=510125&page=75) and it seems the digital transition is not working in quite a few (dare I say most?) areas.

Interestingly, though rabbitears.info lists WFMY as our TVGOS digital provider, I've had some listings come through Fox 8 OTA. It's not a full batch and I'm not sure it's happened twice, but my Sony DVR lists OTA 8 as its host channel, the clock updated properly after I switched in the antenna (which is half the battle), and I've had some listings appear for VH1C and WGN.

So, um...foxeng, et al, any chance you'll be carrying the full TVGOS on analog until TV Guide/Time Warner works the bugs out? :D

While I'm at it, here's a technical question that I'd like answered and that may even be relevant once there actually are digital TVGOS signals going out:

I have my own HD tuners, one in my WEGA and one in my DVR. I'm on Basic Cable with TWC, which in theory is just the local networks, plus a seemingly random selection of extras. The full selection of HD locals comes through beautifully, but it doesn't tune in on the same channels TWC says it should. For instance, I'm getting WFMY HD on 113.1 and Fox 8 HD on 113.3. I don't get the 500 tier channels at all. Any idea why this happens? It doesn't bother me or anything, just curious.

foxeng

03-24-09, 04:28 PM

So, um...foxeng, et al, any chance you'll be carrying the full TVGOS on analog until TV Guide/Time Warner works the bugs out? :D

All we do is provide the OTA signal for TV Guide. There is a phone modem connected to the VB inserter and who or where the dial in comes from we have no idea.

While I'm at it, here's a technical question that I'd like answered and that may even be relevant once there actually are digital TVGOS signals going out:

I have my own HD tuners, one in my WEGA and one in my DVR. I'm on Basic Cable with TWC, which in theory is just the local networks, plus a seemingly random selection of extras. The full selection of HD locals comes through beautifully, but it doesn't tune in on the same channels TWC says it should. For instance, I'm getting WFMY HD on 113.1 and Fox 8 HD on 113.3. I don't get the 500 tier channels at all. Any idea why this happens? It doesn't bother me or anything, just curious.

The reason is that cable remaps the actual channel numbers to whatever they want. The actual channel number for us is channel 113 stream 3 or 113-3. It is the same technology used to map 8-1 for our channel 35 digital signal. The TV doesn't understand TWC speak so it displays what the actual channel and stream is. Remember, cable only goes to channel 128. How do you get 999 channels out of 128? You multiplex them and remap them.

androgelrx

03-24-09, 11:11 PM

Does anyone know why the CBS HD feed is so bad for the NCAA tournament? It's almost unwatchable. Compare it to ESPNHD or NBA on TNTHD is night and day. I hope they improve soon.

Bronco70

03-25-09, 12:46 AM

Does anyone know why the CBS HD feed is so bad for the NCAA tournament? It's almost unwatchable. Compare it to ESPNHD or NBA on TNTHD is night and day. I hope they improve soon.

Are you a cable subscriber? The WFMY feed from D* has been pretty good. I have noticed over many NCAA games that CBS tends to lose "focus", both literally and figuratively. Seems often at the halftime break when they go back to the main studio there is a pause before the image is as it should be.

I agree that ESPN does a splendid job with HD.

Could the difference between CBS and ESPN be a combination of the production chain/engineers/cameras used etc? And CBS still broadcasts in the 1080i format, ESPN is still 720p meaning motion issues with the 1080i format?

I'm sure foxeng can enlighten. :)

Here's a question for cable subs. Is it seamless to switch between the cable feed of locals and OTA with your equipment? Just curious. Have not had cable since 1995.

Joe

roland6465

03-25-09, 06:57 AM

It's definitely a CBS issue. I've noticed over the years watching OTA, TWC, and now DirecTV. The picture goes out of focus on every camera change, and the fields of red & black pixellate badly. At first I thought it was the multicast, but even the Final Four games do this. It's really annoying.

As much as I've panned Raycom over the years, their ACC sports HD production is miles ahead of CBS'

foxeng

03-25-09, 07:21 AM

I have no idea what CBS's issues are. Certainly the difference between i and p could be it, also it could be the way CBS is have to distribute the games. There are many scenarios.

pwrmetal

03-25-09, 10:52 AM

Does anyone know why the CBS HD feed is so bad for the NCAA tournament? It's almost unwatchable. Compare it to ESPNHD or NBA on TNTHD is night and day. I hope they improve soon.

I believe the extra sub channels WFMY adds for the tourney hurt the HD picture a lot.

uncrules

03-25-09, 09:37 PM

I believe the extra sub channels WFMY adds for the tourney hurt the HD picture a lot.

Bingo!!! This has happened every year since WFMY started adding extra sub channels for basketball games.

androgelrx

03-25-09, 11:22 PM

I do have cable. On my 92" HD projector, the HD feed looked almost as bad as regular feed. ESPNHD looks great every time. I supposed the signal is diluted with the additional non-hd feeds that they added. It's sad that in this day and age CBS still can't figure it out. I hope the feed is better for the final four and hopefully UNC is still in it.

roland6465

03-26-09, 07:19 AM

I hope the feed is better for the final four and hopefully UNC is still in it.

You're going to be disappointed...twice.

Donniewb420

03-26-09, 09:19 AM

You're going to be disappointed...twice.

hehe nice jab...

telemike

03-30-09, 08:28 AM

AggieCEO

03-30-09, 09:17 AM

You're going to be disappointed...twice.

looks like he was only disappointed once...lol

roland6465

03-30-09, 11:59 AM

looks like he was only disappointed once...lol

Yeah, I really hoped OU would have given them a better game yesterday. OTOH, the CBS production still sucked, and I got to watch the back 9 of Tiger's comeback/O'Hair's meltdown.

evernight

03-30-09, 01:01 PM

All we do is provide the OTA signal for TV Guide. There is a phone modem connected to the VB inserter and who or where the dial in comes from we have no idea.
Now that IS interesting. I wish I had paid attention to what my host was before this, so I'd know if something had gone wrong with what TVGOS is sending you or if I was simply using a different host.

It sounds like this is a long-standing arrangement. Is that correct?

And thanks for the info on channel mapping, etc.

foxeng

03-30-09, 02:01 PM

It sounds like this is a long-standing arrangement. Is that correct?

We have been doing it at least since the mid 90's and maybe earlier than that.

BeachComber

03-31-09, 08:16 PM

My nephew in Greensboro has been really into NASA and Space Overall. In fact, he is one of the 30 semi-finalist for naming the next Mars Rover after his essay was submitted to JPL. He really wants to watch the NASA channel and watching on the computer just isn't the same thing.

My brother takes after my parents and only has basic analog TWC. Since he can get the OTA HD channels on clear QAM, he does not intend to pay for digital service or anything beyond what he gets on the analog channels or clear QAMs (not that I know if NASA is even on TWC in the digital tiers). He even dropped the speed on RoadRunner to the bare minimum to cut the bill more (what does that tell you).

Regardless, Dish has always had the NASA channel in the clear on 119 West. I have an older Dish unit that would have no issue picking up this channel.

Does anyone know of someone in Greensboro that install a 20" or so Dish (even a Dish 300 or Dish 500) aimed at 119 so he could get this channel? I figure its the least I could arrange to get done for them.

Thanks.

Kodus

04-01-09, 09:09 AM

Just wanted to say hi, I am finally getting my stuff set up with a PVR etc.

Is anyone using firewire? I have a Hauppage 1600 that I'm working on setting up but my STB also has FW out, any suggestions on which would be better/more flexible?

Also, can anyone confirm if Cartoon Network is availble in HD around here? My kids are very interested in DVR'ing Clone Wars.

uncrules

04-01-09, 11:35 AM

I don't believe the local TWC franchise carries. However, both Directv and Dishnetwork carry Cartoon Network HD

Crazywoody

04-01-09, 03:34 PM

Anyone know if TWC is rolling out Navigator in G'boro soon? My son in Raleigh was just updated with the new software.

April 2, 2009: The following channels are added:

Travel Channel HD: Channel 582
FX HD: Channel 583
Outdoor Channel HD: Channel 585
AMC HD: Channel 586

I belive it's going to be a long long time before Navigator gets launched in Greensboro. Just don't hold your breath. Maybe 6 months to a year if we are lucky.

uncrules

04-01-09, 07:52 PM

Internet caps are coming to us Road Runner customers in Greensboro. :mad:

http://www.myfox8.com/wghp-story-twc-broadband-090401,0,1511740.story

Time Warner Cable will roll out an Internet bandwidth cap program in Greensboro. The new program will mean customers could be charged for using too much bandwidth through Time Warner's internet service.

According to an article on www.businessinsider.com once downloads and uploads hit the set limit, you will have to pay extra -- potentially $100 or more extra, depending on how much bandwidth you consume.

The changes come as Time Warner looks for additional sources of income, and targets people that use excessive amounts of bandwidth.

According to www.businessinsider.com, plans will range from $30 to $55 per month, depending on the cap -- 5 GB, 10 GB, 20 GB, and 40 GB caps are available, with a $1 per GB overage charge.

The new plans took effect as of March 31.

What does this mean for you? If you watch about 7 hours a week of standard-def video, or 2.5 hours a week of hi-def Web video, you could easily pass even the 40 GB cap. After that, each iTunes movie rental -- or Netflix (NFLX) stream, or whatever -- could cost $1 to $4 more. Or Hulu episodes could cost $0.30 to $0.50. That doesn't even include your other Web usage, such as downloading music, using the Web, etc.

winghus

04-02-09, 07:30 AM

Internet caps are coming to us Road Runner customers in Greensboro. :mad:

http://www.myfox8.com/wghp-story-twc-broadband-090401,0,1511740.story

Yeah, I saw that and TWC can kiss my *** if they think I'm going to keep paying the same price for a 40gig limit. I'll go DSL/Dish/OTA in a heartbeat. They push new tech and new things like Hulu.com that require bandwidth then put in caps that won't allow you to actually do any of those things.

Anyone know where to send a complaint that would be seen by the right people dealing with this kind of thing?

telemike

04-02-09, 08:04 AM

Is there an email campaign site to flood TWC with complaints?

ncmikey

04-02-09, 08:50 AM

Is there an email campaign site to flood TWC with complaints?

Yeah, I saw that and TWC can kiss my *** if they think I'm going to keep paying the same price for a 40gig limit. I'll go DSL/Dish/OTA in a heartbeat. They push new tech and new things like Hulu.com that require bandwidth then put in caps that won't allow you to actually do any of those things.

Anyone know where to send a complaint that would be seen by the right people dealing with this kind of thing?

I have already sent a complaint to the TW Cable (Triad) Operations VP (I think that is his title) and that would be Buck Yarborough and his email addy is buck.yarborough@twcable.com . He has always responded to me when I have complained to him in the past, so we will see if he chooses to do so this time. I don't always like his responses but he usually answers me.

AggieCEO

04-02-09, 09:19 AM

Internet caps are coming to us Road Runner customers in Greensboro. :mad:

http://www.myfox8.com/wghp-story-twc-broadband-090401,0,1511740.story

WHOA WHOA WHOA!!!!!!

I download/upload more than 100GBs of stuff a month. thats what happens when you run a web design/photography/film studio from home.....and dont even get me started on the movies and music that I download...This is outrageous. I hate DSL but I might be tempted to go back after this shenanigan....why even pull this on such a small area as Greensboro!?!?

telemike

04-02-09, 12:28 PM

Thank you for contacting us. Time Warner Cable understands and embraces the current evolution in the way people are using the Internet for things like video, music, and more. We continue to manage our network to ensure that our all of our subscribers have a terrific user experience. We also recognize that the Internet was not designed to handle the mass amounts of video that are now being consumed, therefore there is a risk that service speeds could slow to a complete crawl unless proper investments are made. We are taking a multi-pronged approach that we feel will be to the benefit of our customers. As we are in the early stages of planning, we want to keep you informed of what we are doing to ensure our subscribers continue to enjoy all of the content available on the Internet today.

Our goal is to provide the best possible Internet experience for ALL of our customers, not to let the minority affect the majority. The vast majority of our customers will see no difference in their monthly bill. The challenge is to find an equitable way to charge customers so that we can pay for necessary infrastructure upgrades. We are looking to create a business model that will allow customers to choose the speed and consumption package that makes sense for their household Internet usage. With a consumption based billing plan, all customers will have access to a ''gas gauge'' that will enable them to track their consumption against their plan. A customer will have three months to get comfortable with the gauge before the bill hits. We don't want our customers to have any unpleasant surprises. Some of our customers may actually save money by ''right-sizing'' to a plan that meets their needs. We are happy to help them do that. Included in the extended trial is Greensboro, NC. Preliminary communications regarding specifics will begin in August 2009 in Greensboro, NC. Billing will follow these communications after a three month grace period. If you would like to speak with a live agent regarding this matter, please either visit your local Time Warner Cable office, or call your local Time Warner Cable Customer Care Center at 1-800-892-2253 or 1-866-874-2389.

:-(

Kodus

04-02-09, 02:24 PM

This is pretty bad. I keep getting requests from AT&T to move to their DSL. It's now looking much more attractive, especially considering how many problems I've had with horrid latency on TWC (I think they've oversubscribed in my neighborhood (Oak Ridge).

telemike

04-02-09, 03:22 PM

How long before AT&T caps internet as well?

ncmikey

04-02-09, 04:35 PM

How long before AT&T caps internet as well?

That is the BIG question!!

Does anyone know when AT&T plans to begin U-Verse service in Greensboro?

foxeng

04-02-09, 04:43 PM

ncmikey

04-02-09, 05:17 PM

They are to start it in Winston-Salem this summer. I have had DSL since 2000 and there is NO WAY I would go cable modem. My total outage has been a total of two days in 9 years and one day was during an ice storm and I have had good speeds the whole time.

Sounds good .... I may have to look into replacing my RR with DSL. I was hoping U-Verse was further along in Winston and was headed to Greensboro

androgelrx

04-02-09, 05:23 PM

Foxeng,

Do you do a lot of downloading? I would definitely switch if dsl is a bit faster. I would probably fit in the 5% category that they are describing. I watch and download so much stuff online.

foxeng

04-02-09, 06:59 PM

I have a 6 meg down connection. Pretty fast to me! I run a web server on my connection. If you have ever connected to Van Denton's weather website, I host it. The box it is on sits next to this computer I am using to type this. My connection stays up 24/7 and has since 2001.

Bronco70

04-02-09, 07:52 PM

Foxeng,

Do you do a lot of downloading? I would definitely switch if dsl is a bit faster. I would probably fit in the 5% category that they are describing. I watch and download so much stuff online.

To add to Foxeng comments. I also have had Bell South/ATT DSL for about 8 years. Don't remember ever being down for a single full day.

One thing to keep in mind is that AT&T's two top tier high speed offerings are a "max" down TX of 6 or 3Mbps. In my case due to the distance from their head end and my house the 6Mbps is not available. I'm paying for their 3Mbps deal as the best I can get.

My actual down speed never gets above 1.9Mbps. That has been adequate until this past year. Added D* VOD and Netflix streaming via the Roku box. Long story short the Roku box is of marginal use and since the D* DVR saves to the HDD, it does work, but 10 hours or more to download a 2 hour HD film is not exactly "Video On Demand".

You may have already found this (this thread has some of the most intelligent, best looking folks at AVS), AT&T's site will let you check to see if your phone line will support the 6Mbps service. It sounds like you would not be satisfied with the "max" 3Mbps.

The funny thing here is that I was starting to think I might try out RR to find a faster connection. I have been a very happy camper with D* since 1995, will never go back to the dark side for video.

Kinda ironic what's going on with the core issue. I believe Comcast caused a furry some time back with their cap plan. Now TWC, next AT&T?

Remember back when AOL offered a dial-up pay by the sip plan?

Back to the Future.

Maybe time for the Feds to step in and stop the insanity. Nah, too interested in raising taxes and spending money that doesn't exist.

I better stop now. Have a good weekend.

Joe

eddard

04-03-09, 09:21 AM

Internet caps are coming to us Road Runner customers in Greensboro. :mad:

http://www.myfox8.com/wghp-story-twc-broadband-090401,0,1511740.story

Considering the date this came out on, I really thought this was a April Fool's joke. I hate it's not. :eek:

Crazywoody

04-03-09, 09:22 AM

Does anyone here have any current contacts in Time Warner to help us get any info on Navigator in Greensboro?

ncmikey

04-03-09, 02:28 PM

Does anyone here have any current contacts in Time Warner to help us get any info on Navigator in Greensboro?

I have an engineer's name and contact info but I am reluctant to give it out. I came across him once when I complained to buck yarborough ( buck.yarborough@twcable.com ) about an issue I was having and he referred my problem to this engineer. Now I directly deal with him via email when I have an issue. BTW Buck is the Operations VP for the Triad office and he is located on Regional road

Anyway, I have dealt with him recently over an issue of my DVR not recording programs which I had in the cue and it turned out he had the solution. It had to do with SDV and how they have deployed it.

When I asked about the status of Navigator he said that they are still testing it in house and that it is not ready for deployment yet. He would not speculate on when it will be ready. When we talked about this subject a while back I got the impression that the engineering staff here in the Triad office are very conservative and they don't want to deploy something that is not ready.

When I do hear when they plan to roll it out I will post something here.

Crazywoody

04-03-09, 03:11 PM

I have an engineer's name and contact info but I am reluctant to give it out. I came across him once when I complained to buck yarborough ( buck.yarborough@twcable.com ) about an issue I was having and he referred my problem to this engineer. Now I directly deal with him via email when I have an issue. BTW Buck is the Operations VP for the Triad office and he is located on Regional road

Anyway, I have dealt with him recently over an issue of my DVR not recording programs which I had in the cue and it turned out he had the solution. It had to do with SDV and how they have deployed it.

When I asked about the status of Navigator he said that they are still testing it in house and that it is not ready for deployment yet. He would not speculate on when it will be ready. When we talked about this subject a while back I got the impression that the engineering staff here in the Triad office are very conservative and they don't want to deploy something that is not ready.

When I do hear when they plan to roll it out I will post something here.

Thank you very much for your info. I rather have a conservative enginering staff. It means less problems for them and for us when it's deployed.

ncmikey

04-03-09, 04:12 PM

Thank you very much for your info. I rather have a conservative enginering staff. It means less problems for them and for us when it's deployed.

I agree completely, let's hope that turns out to be the case ...

dmm219

04-03-09, 11:55 PM

To add to Foxeng comments. I also have had Bell South/ATT DSL for about 8 years. Don't remember ever being down for a single full day.

One thing to keep in mind is that AT&T's two top tier high speed offerings are a "max" down TX of 6 or 3Mbps. In my case due to the distance from their head end and my house the 6Mbps is not available. I'm paying for their 3Mbps deal as the best I can get.

My actual down speed never gets above 1.9Mbps. That has been adequate until this past year. Added D* VOD and Netflix streaming via the Roku box. Long story short the Roku box is of marginal use and since the D* DVR saves to the HDD, it does work, but 10 hours or more to download a 2 hour HD film is not exactly "Video On Demand".

You may have already found this (this thread has some of the most intelligent, best looking folks at AVS), AT&T's site will let you check to see if your phone line will support the 6Mbps service. It sounds like you would not be satisfied with the "max" 3Mbps.

The funny thing here is that I was starting to think I might try out RR to find a faster connection. I have been a very happy camper with D* since 1995, will never go back to the dark side for video.

Kinda ironic what's going on with the core issue. I believe Comcast caused a furry some time back with their cap plan. Now TWC, next AT&T?

Remember back when AOL offered a dial-up pay by the sip plan?

Back to the Future.

Maybe time for the Feds to step in and stop the insanity. Nah, too interested in raising taxes and spending money that doesn't exist.

I better stop now. Have a good weekend.

Joe

Can anyone let me know where ATT DSL actually EXISTS in Greensboro. According to their website, Adams Farm gets no DSL. I am a renter, and I am more than willing to move to get the hell away from TWC...but I don't know how to find what area's will have decent DSL. Can anyone help?

foxeng

04-04-09, 10:08 AM

I live off Battleground by Westridge.

dmm219

04-04-09, 12:36 PM

I live off Battleground by Westridge.

We actually like that area a lot. What speed DSL are you able to get there?

foxeng

04-04-09, 03:10 PM

We actually like that area a lot. What speed DSL are you able to get there?

I have 6 megs.

dmm219

04-04-09, 03:16 PM

I have 6 megs.

Many Thanks!

pwrmetal

04-04-09, 11:21 PM

Bronco70

04-05-09, 12:11 AM

AT&T as an alternative may be a short term solution. They are also experimenting with bandwidth caps in test markets. (http://arstechnica.com/old/content/2008/12/sorry-beaumont-att-brings-bandwidth-caps-to-texas.ars) Is there going to be a locally available ISP that can guarantee long term capless broadband? I hope so.

That's another interesting article. So much for the future being all download and physical media will go away. Not in this country anytime soon.

Joe

foxeng

04-05-09, 08:30 AM

pwrmetal

04-05-09, 11:09 AM

Well from my vantage point, you can either enjoy the bandwidth you have or you can change until something happens to it or you can wring your hands. Looks pretty cut and dry. People aren't scared to change TV providers but are frightened stiff to change ISPs? I don't get it.

I think most people's reluctance to change their ISP is simple. They don't want to lose their email address! More people (including my wife and me) need to establish their personal email addy's separate from their ISP's offerings. :)

foxeng

04-05-09, 12:31 PM

Good point. I hadn't considered the email aspect of it. I host my own email here so the ISP doesn't matter to me. My email server resides feet from me.

Scooper

04-05-09, 01:02 PM

I got burned on that one when Sprint dumped from Earthlink to their own. Now - my all purpose email address is on Yahoo. I set my ISP email to forward to the yahoo address.

uncrules

04-05-09, 04:23 PM

I think most people's reluctance to change their ISP is simple. They don't want to lose their email address! More people (including my wife and me) need to establish their personal email addy's separate from their ISP's offerings. :)

I'm in this boat. My whole family uses road runner for their email address. All the forums I'm a member of and the various bills I pay online, all have my road runner email address. So do places I order online from like Amazon and iTunes. So changing email address isn't a simple thing. Not impossible but not simple.

telemike

04-06-09, 06:06 AM

It's back to the AOL days when you paid by the hour for internet..........

Crazywoody

04-06-09, 08:37 AM

Has anyone gotton the new Samsung dvr from Time Warner that has the 360 meg hard drive with 40 hours of hd recording. Charlotte and Raleight have them.

pwrmetal

04-06-09, 11:28 AM

Has anyone gotton the new Samsung dvr from Time Warner that has the 360 meg hard drive with 40 hours of hd recording. Charlotte and Raleight have them.

I would hazard to guess that no one in the Triad would be able to use these as long as we are running SARA.

Donniewb420

04-06-09, 01:25 PM

telemike

04-06-09, 02:25 PM

Donnie- I see that a bit on the HD channels. . If I am persistent, I can usually get that channel up in 15-30 minutes. Not great news. I don't know if it's bandwidth or what. I may have to call TWC and complain again. If it's a signal issue I've had them out to check the trunk lines before.

telemike

04-06-09, 02:25 PM

More news on internet caps:

Thank you for writing. I understand you would like to express your displeasure with the current plan to test a bandwidth capping model. Time Warner values their customers and the opinions they express. Customer feedback is very important, even when it is not positive. Rest assured your feedback is being forwarded to the proper management team.
It's very important to know that consumption based billing is not currently in effect in your area. We are in the beginning stages of planning for this trial and will keep customers informed on our progress. You will receive advanced notice before any changes are made in the pricing of their Road Runner service, and this new billing plan will not be officially introduced until the fall. If you are a Price Lock Guarantee customer prior to the launch of consumption based billing, you will be excluded from any additional charges.
Please visit our homepages www.timewarnercable.com or www.rr.com for any future updates on the status of Road Runner consumption-based billing plan. Thank you for being our valued customer, and have a great day.

Regards,
Sam Sabia
Customer Care Advocate
Time Warner Cable Corporate Office

customercarefeedback@ndc.rr.com

ncmikey

04-06-09, 05:54 PM

Quick question guys. I am sure I am not the only one who gets the dreaded "channel not available screen" on certain SDV channels when trying to tune to them. I have read on the main time warner thread and various locals, that this could either be a signal issue/set top box issue (diagnose replace), or its the local branch not calibrating their system well enough to avoid this. Which of these are true or not true?? Any help would be appreciated. Its simply starting to get annoying in the evening when 7 channels are stating this for me at the same time, as well as DVR recordings not starting due to the channel not being available. Thanks in advance.

-Donnie

Winston-Salem, NC

Donnie .... I had the same problem and complained to Buck Yarborough (VP Operations, I think) and he referred my problem to the Engineering folks who fixed the problem within a day or two. They had to make some adjustment at the hub which feeds me (not sure what they did) but the problem has not re-curred for more than a month now. I do a lot of switching around during commercials and it got really frustrating seeing a "try again later" message for channels which I was paying a premium price to watch (NHL Center Ice)

By the way I went round and round with Cust Service before emailng Yarborough and all they could offer was, reboot, schedule a tech and/or replace my box. They don't have a clue.

Send your email to Yarborough at buck.yarborough@twcable.com

Good luck getting it resolved

hilltopper72

04-06-09, 07:42 PM

ncmikey

04-07-09, 04:53 AM

Guys I have had the dreaded Channel not available for almost 2 months - only on the higher number HD channels. This past Sunday 16 channels would not come in for over 2 hours. I had a tech service guy here 4 Saturdays ago and he saw the problem. After 2 hours he clearly told me it was a head end situation. He ran me a new line and had me switched at the office to another, I believe switch. That worked for a week or so and I'm now back to losing 8-10 channels each and every night. I can go back to a channel an hour later and it usually will be fine. It's very frustrating, he said there wasn't currently enough bandwidth to handle the new channels everywhere. I live near Greensboro Day school - wondering if others are seeing a similar issue.
Charlie :mad:

Charlie .... I understand completely what you are going thru, but I would recommend you escalate your problem by writing to Buck Yarborough ( buck.yarborough@twcable.com ). I was having the same problem and every time I dealt with Cust Service and the field techs I became more frustrated. It's unfortunate that TW does not have a documented way to escalate problems to the Engineers which are clearly not trivial. Good luck getting it resolved.

87astro

04-07-09, 08:52 AM

ncmikey

04-07-09, 09:01 AM

Well all this talk of "channel not available" must have jinxed me, :-) because the problem is back for me in spades. I have tried rebooting to no avail, I just sent an email to the engineer contact I have and I'll see what he says.

Edit: I just heard back from the TW engineer and he said they were having trouble with the SDV switch this morning but now it is fixed. Time will tell

foxeng

04-07-09, 11:10 AM

Just had one of the TWC field engineers in and they were talking about all the problems they are having with SDV and how they are having to rethink a lot about how they are doing it because of all the problems they are having. It appears to be widespread and is due to not having enough connections available for the load. They are trying to install more equipment to handle the load. It is being done in an area by area basis. Sounds like it will be a while before they get everything changed out.

bhlonewolf

04-07-09, 01:09 PM

I live in Winston Salem and I get the "Channel Not Available" all the time on the HD channels.

When I called in to ask about it I was told HD is Free, so there wasn't anything they could do, they could only work on a fee basis services like DVR, etc.

It only took me 18 min to get DirecTV ordered. The picture quality is amazing so glad I did it.

Just my 2 cents! :)

I did the same thing a few months back. I'm not saving any money with DirectV but it works great, never a problem. Was tired of the SDV problems (and inferior DVR, but that alone wasn't enough to make me switch).

Now that TW is trying bandwidth metering in greensboro, looks like they'll soon lose me on broadband, too.

telemike

04-07-09, 01:19 PM

I tried to talk the wife into Sat TV but no avail.....

Bronco70

04-07-09, 07:22 PM

I tried to talk the wife into Sat TV but no avail.....

After almost 14 years with D* there is no way I could talk my wife out of sat, nor would I ever try. :)

Joe

uncrules

04-08-09, 11:21 AM

I tried to talk the wife into Sat TV but no avail.....

Is it having a dish on the house the problem?

pwrmetal

04-08-09, 01:24 PM

Crazywoody

04-08-09, 01:48 PM

Got a E Mail fromBuck the VP in charge of Triad TWC. Was in responce to cople of my questions to him. Navigator is in final test phase in Triad and launch date will be set soon. What soon is your guess good as mine The new Samsung box dvr and non dvr will not be availabe here until after Navigator is fully launched. The new boxes has a 360 meg hard drive. 40 hours of hd or 200 hours of sd. Raleigh and Charloote are currently receiveing these boxes. So there it is all I have in current information.. All this information was TWC.

uncrules

04-08-09, 03:55 PM

This article (http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009904030339) details the prices for the new capped internet. It looks like RR Lite ($20/mo) subs get the 5G, current "normal" RR ($50/mo) get the 20G.

Since I have turbo I guess I get the 40 gig plan. The 54.90 price is probably for those that have TV from TWC. Since I don't, I'm sure it will be the 59.90 I pay now. I guess I'll have to see if 40gig is enough.

uncrules

04-08-09, 03:58 PM

The new boxes has a 360 meg hard drive. 40 hours of hd or 200 hours of sd.

Those recording times are disappointing. My nearly 3 year old HR20 HD DVR from D* does 50 hours of HD and 200 of SD. But my new HR22 HD DVR from D* does 100 hours of HD and 400 hours of SD.

Donniewb420

04-08-09, 04:30 PM

Crazywoody

04-08-09, 05:32 PM

Those recording times are disappointing. My nearly 3 year old HR20 HD DVR from D* does 50 hours of HD and 200 of SD. But my new HR22 HD DVR from D* does 100 hours of HD and 400 hours of SD.

I agee. But considering the 8300hd we have now has a 160 meg hard drive it is a big upgrade for TWC. Only 20 hours of HD recording fills my DVR up fast right now. I know I can add a external drive but for the moment I record a lot of shows in SD to conserve space. Guess this is as close to TIVO's record quality in their season pass options as we get.

foxeng

04-08-09, 06:48 PM

Business Notes
Pols Blast Time Warner Cable's Bandwidth Metering
New York Congressman Calls Plan ‘Monopolistic' and Vows to Fight
By Todd Spangler, Multichannel News, April 8, 2009

Time Warner Cable has raised the ire of politicians in New York and North Carolina over plans to impose monthly usage limits on broadband subscribers -- and charge them $1 per Gigabyte if they exceed the caps.

Rep. Eric Massa (D.-N.Y.), who represents a district in upstate New York, called the operator's bandwidth-metering plan "monopolistic" and said one of the outcomes could be that "middle-income families will see outrageous Internet bills."

"With limited choices in broadband providers, and virtual monopolies in many market areas, I view this as nothing more than a large corporation making a move to force customers into paying more money," Massa said in a statement Tuesday. "I firmly oppose capping Internet usage and I will be taking a leadership role in stopping this outrageous, job-killing initiative."

Meanwhile, city council members and the mayor of Greensboro, N.C., are also lining up to oppose the MSO's usage-based pricing plan.

"I don't like it at all," Greensboro Mayor Yvonne Johnson said, according to a report in the local News-Record (http://www.multichannel.com/common/jumplink.php?target=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.news-record.com%2Fcontent%2F2009%2F04%2F06%2Farticle%2Flocal_gove rnment_weighs_in_on_time_warner). "I'm not a happy camper about it. I think it's bad for their customers and it's bad for the city."

The Greensboro city council doesn't have authority to regulate Time Warner Cable but Johnson said local officials will voice their concerns with the operator.

Time Warner Cable has defended the plan, likening it to usage-based pricing schemes used by wireless phone providers.

The MSO kicked off a bandwidth-metering test last summer in Beaumont, Texas, (http://www.multichannel.com/article/87973-Time_Warner_Cable_Prices_Usage_Caps_In_Texas_Trial.php) and is expanding the model this month to four markets: Austin, Texas; San Antonio, Texas; Greensboro, N.C.; and Rochester, N.Y.

Under the plans being tested, customers are offered four different tiers ranging in price from $29.95 to $54.90 per month with maximum usage capped at 5, 10, 20 and 40 Gigabytes per month. Users who go over their caps are billed at $1 per Gigabyte in overage fees.

In a statement Monday, Time Warner Cable chief operating officer Landel Hobbs said the consumption-based billing plans will allow the MSO to upgrade its infrastructure to DOCSIS 3.0, to offer "wideband" service with speeds up to 100 Mbps as well as higher speeds for existing customers.

"With regard to consumption-based billing, we have determined that as broadband usage and penetration grow, there are increasing differences in the amount of bandwidth our customers consume," Hobbs said. "Our current pricing plans require all users to pay the same amount, whether they check e-mail once a month or download six movies a day. As the amount of usage has dramatically diverged among users, this is becoming inherently unfair and not the way most consumers want to pay for goods they consume."

Added Hobbs: "When you go to lunch with a friend, do you split the bill in half if he gets the steak and you have a salad?"

Based on customer feedback, Time Warner Cable now is developing a "super-tier" that allows for up to 100 Gigabytes of broadband usage per month in all test markets and also is providing a "gas gauge" tool to customers so they can see how much bandwidth they're using in a given period, according to Hobbs.

Pali Capital analyst Rich Greenfield, in a note to investors Wednesday, said asking consumers to keep checking their consumption "sounds tedious."

"Let's start with a simple premise: moving from an all-you can eat ‘buffet line' for bandwidth usage via broadband to an a la carte system of paying for every gigabyte you eat is subscriber-unfriendly and will be confusing to the average broadband user," he wrote, referencing the opposition by Massa and the Greensboro city council.

"In an increasingly competitive world, the age-old saying of ‘keep it simple stupid' should not be overlooked," Greenfield continued. "If competition exists, we suspect a provider offering broadband without caps or a simplified strategy toward broadband will gain meaningful market share, assuming TWC continues to move forward with its bandwidth-cap strategy."

TWC is the only major U.S. cable operator trying out usage-based pricing, although other Internet providers, including AT&T, are also testing the concept.

Other MSOs, meanwhile, have implemented standard bandwidth caps but currently don't institute overage fees. Comcast (http://www.multichannel.com/article/86039-Comcast_Sets_Subscriber_Bandwidth_Limit.php) limits subscribers to 250 Gigabytes per month, and both Charter Communications (http://www.multichannel.com/article/173640-Time_Warner_Cable_Charter_Set_Internet_Usage_Cap_Plans.php) and Cox Communications impose maximum-usage as well.

At last week's Cable Show '09, Jim Blackley, Cablevision Systems senior vice president of corporate engineering and technology, said on a panel discussion that bandwidth-usage caps are not in the MSO's plans.

"We don't want customers to think about byte caps so that's not on our horizon," he said. "We literally don't want consumers to think about how they're consuming high-speed services. It's a pretty powerful drug and we want people to use more and more of it."

http://www.multichannel.com/article/print/195850-Pols_Blast_Time_Warner_Cable_s_Bandwidth_Metering.php[/QUOTE]

bhlonewolf

04-08-09, 06:55 PM

jspENC

04-08-09, 06:58 PM

The subscribers to this out of control giant are to blame in many cases because they won't consider going another route. I've been free of TW cable since 1999 and have not missed it one bit. Cable companies, (especially this one) are out of control. They are nickel and dimeing you at every corner.

Until everyone starts getting together on canceling service, and stop the bundling, they will continue to make up the rules as they go along, so that it suits them, and make it sound like they are doing customers favors, when in fact it's just the opposite.

I encourage everyone to cancel service, and do business elsewhere when at all possible.

dmm219

04-08-09, 06:58 PM

why does it always come to this? I am raving lunatic mad at TWC for this cap nonsense, which is clearly, thinly veiled anti-competitive behavior...however...LEGISLATING against it is just stupid. TWC is a private company. They can do what they want. The problem isn't TWC. The problem is the government whom allows TWC to operate in a monopolistic fashion. If government would do their damn job, this would not be an issue, because we would all for 3 different quality services to choose between in order to vote with our wallets. TWC as a company suffers for having anticonsumer, anti competitive behavior...they go bankrupt..a far better company takes its place...capitalism does what it is supposed to. This isn't TWC's fault, this is YOUR congressman and senator's fault. Put the blame where it belongs and vote accordingly for once.

That being said...ATT's cap is not in place here at the moment, and even if it were, for less money, you get 100G per month. So it still would be a far better deal than TWC.

Also, don't forget about North State if you are in their area. They also have 6/1 for less than $40 and no limits...(that's the way I'm going)....

jspENC

04-08-09, 07:04 PM

Don't forget about the local folks. Your county commissioners give this company permission to do business in your area. I don't know about the way local government is done in Greensboro area, but in my area, it's really a comedy show to see the things they allow to get by around here.

pwrmetal

04-08-09, 09:04 PM

In relation to this whole internet usage cap system from TWC. The few articles I have read indicate they would supply you with the past months usage within your bill. Is there a way to internally meter this or will they supply us with some form of usage meter? I have a hard time beleive that a company making this move to make a profit wont fudge the numbers to make you pay extra fees for overage... Its just like my water man or power man, sometimes I have seen them use an average for the neighborhood and thats your rate for the month, versus actually coming to check the damn meter... craziness.

As noted before you can install hacked firmware on your router (if you have one) that monitor your monthly usage. My primary router is actually not hacked right now, but I am probably going to put DD-WRT on it soon so I can monitor my usage and have an idea of what the cap's impact will have on me (if any). Additionally, TWC claims we'll have 3 months of them measuring our bandwidth and we can check on their web site how much we are using, before they start billing us with the new rates (and caps). So, you'll have 3 months to decide whether or not you need to switch.

telemike

04-09-09, 10:51 AM

If you are a Price Lock Guarantee customer prior to the launch of consumption based billing, you will be excluded from any additional charges.

There is hope for present TWC customers....

uncrules

04-09-09, 12:27 PM

There is hope for present TWC customers....

Unfortunately that doesn't do me much good. I only use TWC for Internet and I believe you have to have multiple services with TWC to get the price lock guarantee. But for those of you that do have multiple services you probably ought to sign up with that deal and save yourself the trouble of a download cap.

foxeng

04-09-09, 12:36 PM

Glad I have D* and BellSouth DSL!

Kodus

04-09-09, 12:36 PM

Hey, this sounds like a joke, but write your congressman. I can't post the link since I'm a new member.

PamW

04-09-09, 12:41 PM

There is hope for present TWC customers....

Whoo-ee! I am a Price Lock customer - at least I have time to shop around:o

telemike

04-09-09, 03:25 PM

Maybe after my 2 years I'll see what DSL options are if TWC does the caps.

FOX TV

04-09-09, 03:49 PM

[QUOTE=This isn't TWC's fault, this is YOUR congressman and senator's fault. Put the blame where it belongs and vote accordingly for once.
[/QUOTE]

It is greed's fault, and no one is innocent. Capitalism, greed, and corruption is way out of control on every level, be it Local, state, or federal government, and that's why this country is going down the toilet. It is truly time for a revolution in this country.

Not only are they stealing our financial futures, and those of our children, they are now trying to stop freedom of speech with the "Unfairness Doctrine" that will be re-introduced under some other name, with even far greater restrictions than the original law that Ronald Regan got rescinded.

Freedom of speech is one of the basic rights of our constitution that helped make this country great, and even forums like this one will be threatened soon if the "Current Statist Regime" in power has its way.

Now, tell me how this is not related to HDTV, and I will tell you how it is related. Power to the people needs to be reclaimed before it is to late. Now...what was the DTV related the question?

uncrules

04-10-09, 08:56 AM

Time Warner has responded to backlash from Internet downloading caps.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/195969-Time_Warner_Cable_Tweaks_Bandwidth_Billing_Plans.php?rssid=2 0062

Hobbs acknowledged that the MSO's "communication to customers about these trials has been inadequate and we apologize for any frustration we caused. We've heard the passionate feedback and we've taken action to address our customers' concerns."

The $15 monthly plan will "accommodate lighter Internet users and those who need a lower-priced option," according to Hobbs. The tier will be capped at 1 Gigabyte per month with speeds of 768 Kbps down and 128 Kbps up, and overage charges for this plan will be $2 per Gigabyte.

Time Warner Cable's usage data shows that about 30% of customers use less than 1 Gigabyte per month, Hobbs said.

In addition, the MSO is increasing bandwidth cap sizes included in all existing packages in the trial markets to 10, 20, 40 and 60 Gigabytes for Road Runner Lite, Basic, Standard and Turbo packages, respectively. Overage charges will be $1 per Gigabyte per month.

Furthermore, Time Warner Cable will introduce a Road Runner Turbo package with a 100-Gigabyte cap, priced at $75 per month, offering speeds of 10 Mbps down / 1 Mbps up. Overage charges will be $1 per GB per month.

And as DOCSIS 3.0-based services are deployed in the trial markets, Time Warner Cable plans to offer a 50 Mbps down / 5 Mbps up tier for $99 per month.

Time Warner Cable will not immediately start billing customers for overage when it initiates the market trials. After providing customers two months of usage data, the operator will offer a one-month grace period in which overages will be noted on customers' bills, but they will not be charged.

"So, customers will have an opportunity to assess their usage and right-size their service packages before usage charges are applied," Hobbs said.

The MSO also will offer a "gas gauge" tool to show subscribers how much bandwidth they've used up in a given monthly period.

Still, some analysts believe that consumption-based billing will be an unpopular move no matter how it's designed.

Changing from "an all-you can eat ‘buffet line' for bandwidth usage via broadband to an a la carte system of paying for every gigabyte you eat is subscriber-unfriendly and will be confusing to the average broadband user," Pali Capital analyst Rich Greenfield wrote in a note to investors Wednesday.

But Hobbs reiterated that bandwidth consumption among Time Warner Cable's high-speed Internet subscribers is increasing dramatically, rising by about 40% a year, and asserted that pricing models must be adjusted accordingly.

"As a facilities-based provider, we've built a network that must be maintained and upgraded. We have increasing variable costs and we have to continue to invest in the network itself," he said.

Hobbs warned that the Internet's infrastructure may not be able to accommodate the explosion of online content by 2012, which could "result in Internet brownouts."

"It will take a lot of money to fix the problem," Hobbs said. "If we don't act, consumers' Internet experience will suffer. Sitting still is not an option."

bigsnyder

04-10-09, 11:10 AM

The whole principle of this situation is what will prompt me to drop TWC for all my services. Their proposed capping tiers are not reasonable based on what they will charge. Even comcast's cap is a more reasonable 250GB for about the same price I pay now. Their whole analogy about eating lunch is completely flawed. I like the one I read about "all you can eat buffets". I don't complain about what I pay just because I eat less food than someone else. I have been browsing the AT&T site. They are offering some cash back incentives till 5/23 for switching from cable internet and ordering new services online. Not sure if I will switch next month or wait till this summer with the hope I will be able to get U-verse. Unless they offer a more reasonable plan within the coming the months, I will certainly switch regardless of the inconvenience it will cause me.

uncrules

04-10-09, 12:30 PM

U-Verse is experimenting with caps too. From the article I posted this was also in the article.

In the U.S., AT&T has been conducting usage-based billing trials. Comcast, Cox Communications and Charter Communications impose monthly maximum-usage limits but currently do not bill for additional bytes consumed.

uncrules

04-10-09, 12:34 PM

It appears that TWC reasons for the caps maybe BS.

http://blog.wired.com/business/2009/04/time-warner-cab.html

Time Warner Cable is pushing some fuzzy math to justify its controversial plan to ditch flat-rate broadband subscriptions in favor of a metered approach that effectively charges customers by the bit.

The company claims its capped rates are fairer than flat rates because people who use less bandwidth stand to get a break as the company shifts its costs to others who use the network more.

There is only one small problem: A close look at Time Warner Cable's books shows no significant link between its high-speed data costs and network usage.

For 2008, the most recent period available, Time Warner Cable reported that its high-speed data costs actually declined by 12 percent to $146 million. Meanwhile subscribers increased by more than 10 percent to 8.4 million, and high-speed data revenues climbed to more than $4 billion.

The company declined to comment for this article, instead pointing to an online statement.

Time Warner Cable's broadband costs are in the spotlight after the company recently announced a plan to impose bandwidth caps on customers of its Roadrunner broadband service, a scheme it's been testing in four states, with plans starting at a paltry 5 GB a month for $30 and a top tier of 40 GB a month for $55.

Ars Technica's Nate Anderson this week computed the per-gig price of Time Warner Cable's plan and found it many times higher than competitors Comcast, Verizon and AT&T. For instance, TWC's base rate works out to $6 a GB, while the heaviest user of Comcast's cable service would pay 17 cents per GB.

Meanwhile, Saul Hansell at the New York Times put its COO Landel Hobbs on the defensive, getting him to admit that highly active customers pose no risk of increasing its broadband service costs. At the same time, Hobbs refused to back down from the proposition that bandwidth caps are necessary in the long term to rein in bandwidth hogs.

In previous public statements, TWC has said that flat-rate plans are unfair to its customers and that those who just check their e-mail pay the same amount as those who watch streaming video and download movies and that the company needs the extra cash to make the network faster.

These claims, however, do not appear to stand up under scrutiny.

So why does Time Warner Cable care so much about bandwidth caps? One reasonable theory making the rounds is that bandwidth itself is a red herring, and the real concern is cannibalization. As more broadband customers shift video viewing to the web, cable companies fear a steep drop in TV revenues. Bandwidth caps may not make sense as a cost-saving move for Roadrunner, but they might look tempting to cable executives hoping to save cable TV.

"The conspiracy theorists are saying its because they want to keep their customers captive to their video services," says Vince Vittore, a principal analyst at The Yankee Group. "I tend to fall towards the side that they are trying to keep people captive."

"I understand why you want to make the heaviest users pay their share, but I think the caps are ridiculously low. 5 GB a month? If you download a few NetFlix movies, you will hit that quickly."

FOX TV

04-10-09, 01:50 PM

It appears that TWC reasons for the caps maybe BS.

For 2008, the most recent period available, Time Warner Cable reported that its high-speed data costs actually declined by 12 percent to $146 million. Meanwhile subscribers increased by more than 10 percent to 8.4 million, and high-speed data revenues climbed to more than $4 billion.

http://blog.wired.com/business/2009/04/time-warner-cab.html

Another case of corporate greed. Someone has calculated that there will be more revenue for them if they switch to this plan. Capitalism is the best economic system in the world when it is ran by honest people, but it is prone to corruption and greed, and we are now seeing the effects of many years of rampant corporate greed in every aspect of the capitalist business world, including the Federal Government. Now...What was the DTV related question ?

jspENC

04-10-09, 02:35 PM

Another case of corporate greed. Someone has calculated that there will be more revenue for them if they switch to this plan. Capitalism is the best economic system in the world when it is ran by honest people, but it is prone to corruption and greed, and we are now seeing the effects of many years of rampant corporate greed in every aspect of the capitalist business world, including the Federal Government.

I agree, and you would think that with all the evidence of it, that these people would learn, but obviously not this company. They are going to dig themselves a grave before it's over. Then they will want a handout. :mad:

Whoever is making these dumb decisions for TWC, needs to be removed from his position. This is a very poor business decision if I've ever seen one.

bigsnyder

04-10-09, 08:46 PM

U-Verse is experimenting with caps too. From the article I posted this was also in the article.

I have seen those too, but if I remember right, the caps listed in the U-Verse FAQ were a lot more reasonable. Certainly not ideal, but a huge improvement over what TWC is proposing.

Had a link pointing to it, but currently not working.

AggieCEO

04-11-09, 11:16 AM

why cant Verizon just come here???

I'd Drop TWC Cable, Internet, & phone services for FiOS...

AT&T U-verse just isn't appealing enough to me.

One thing is certain I'm glad my price is locked in for another year. Maybe they will get their head out of the clouds by then. If Not maybe U-verse will be better by then.

Them saying some people just check their e-mail with Road Runner makes me scratch my head. If ALL I did was check my e-mail I would have $9/month NetZero. not some $30/month Road Runner that I never use

jpd31

04-13-09, 04:57 PM

"And as DOCSIS 3.0-based services are deployed in the trial markets, Time Warner Cable plans to offer a 50 Mbps down / 5 Mbps up tier for $99 per month."

First off, this won't come to Greensboro anytime soon. Why? No competition. If we had Verizon FIOS here, then it would be different.

Second, if we are so lacking in our infrastructure, then how can TWC handle a 50/5 tier even if it is DOCSIS 3.0?

Third, What would the download limit be for a 50/5? Since, they offer 100GB for a 10/1, would it be 500GB. Doubt it!!!

I can't see anyone paying $150.00 for unlimited internet. If you did and had cable, and phone service, your bill will be close to $300.00. :eek:

Also, TWC has already made a lot of people mad about this. They might as well throw in Navigator on all of the cable boxes to top it off. :D

pwrmetal

04-13-09, 05:04 PM

Also, TWC has already made a lot of people mad about this. They might as well throw in Navigator on all of the cable boxes to top it off. :D

Tell me about it. I was at my in-laws' house in Wilmington again this weekend. Their box has Navigator and it's just horrifically bad. If you want to scroll up or down the channels it just lags to a ludicrous degree. I dread losing SARA for Navigator. I really hope it runs better on DVRs than on standard cable boxes.

FOX TV

04-14-09, 08:41 AM

This is absolutely ridiculous. Read the attached PDF file and then tell me again if you may possibly agree that this country is now being run by Communists. The attached document proves it !!

J. Edgar Hoover would absolutely FREAK OUT if he were still around to see Communism slowly creeping its way into our political system, even if he did wear dresses in his spare time !!

Fox eng, what is your station doing about this, or did you know about it? I got the document yesterday from The Virginia Association of Broadcasters legal department.

There aren't many other industries that are as heavily regulated as broadcasters, other than the auto industry, oil producers and the trucking industry.

Could it be that the Messiah is going to federalize Broadcasters too, thinking that he knows more about the industry and how to run it than the ones currently administering it?

STATISTS ARE IN CONTROL, NOW THAT'S CHANGE YOU CAN BELIEVE IN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

____________________________________________________________ __________________________
Definition of a Statist:

Statists tend to favor a great deal of government control over individual behavior and over the economy. That's why WordIQ.com defines "statism" as "any social or political system in which state intervention plays a major role." The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines it as a "concentration of economic controls and planning in the hands of a highly centralized government."

Many statists believe government represents the collective will of the people, and they usually argue that a powerful government is necessary to build a better society. As WordIQ.com noted, "supporters of statism argue that [government power] ultimately benefits the individual himself, since the public good involves the personal good of the maximum number of individuals."

Statists support far less individual liberty than any other political ideology. Statists tend to distrust the free market, advocate centralized planning of the economy (including high taxes, strict regulation of business, and even government ownership or control of major industries), oppose "alternative" lifestyles that go against the beliefs of a majority of citizens, and downplay the importance of civil liberties. In short, statists consistently doubt that economic liberty and individual freedom are necessary, practical, or workable in today's world.

Some statists call their political beliefs populism, socialism, or communitarianism. At the extreme, undemocratic end of the statist spectrum, statism also encompasses communism, fascism, and other forms of totalitarianism.

foxeng

04-14-09, 08:50 AM

This is absolutely ridiculous. Read the attached PDF file and then tell me again if my last "Political" post that some members on here did not like was really that far out of line. This country is now being run by Communists, and the attached document proves it !!

Didn't know anyone said anything disparaging about any political post you made here? Did I miss something? (possible)

Anyway, that is a management issue to worry about. I am not paid enough to worry about that. WAY above my pay scale. Once management figures it out, if engineering is needed, we will help out.

FOX TV

04-14-09, 09:37 AM

Didn't know anyone said anything disparaging about any political post you made here? Did I miss something? (possible)

Anyway, that is a management issue to worry about. I am not paid enough to worry about that. WAY above my pay scale. Once management figures it out, if engineering is needed, we will help out.

NO..I am sorry for the misleading post. I posted this on the Roanoke Va. forum for the first time since I was scorned from there, and I copied and pasted the same text here without editing it. Sorry to mislead, and I will edit it

foxeng

04-14-09, 01:55 PM

Fox eng, what is your station doing about this, or did you know about it? I got the document yesterday from The Virginia Association of Broadcasters legal department.

Yeah, I saw it in the original R&O and wondered then how the FCC expected us to do that. I haven't heard how we are going to deal with it yet.

Just stupid. Copps is out of his mind.

J. L.

04-14-09, 02:05 PM

Yeah, I saw it in the original R&O and wondered then how the FCC expected us to do that. I haven't heard how we are going to deal with it yet.

Just stupid. Copps is out of his mind.Unless I misunderstood the linked PDF document, it does not mandate your station to provide a walk-in-help-center, but instead to report on where they are, if one is available in your area, and to give the national help number/web-site regardless.

foxeng

04-14-09, 02:17 PM

Unless I misunderstood the linked PDF document, it does not mandate your station to provide a walk-in-help-center, but instead to report on where they are, if one is available in your area, and to give the national help number/web-site regardless.

Ok, fine. Let's go with that. Thinking along those lines, who do you think the FCC expects to do it and more importantly, pay for it? Realistically, not theoretically as the FCC has in this ruling? And leave no doubt, the FCC EXPECTS MANY of these walk-in centers to exist in EVERY market.

J. L.

04-14-09, 04:06 PM

Ok, fine. Let's go with that. Thinking along those lines, who do you think the FCC expects to do it and more importantly, pay for it? Realistically, not theoretically as the FCC has in this ruling? And leave no doubt, the FCC EXPECTS MANY of these walk-in centers to exist in EVERY market.I would guess they would be available at every FCC field office. (and paid for by the FCC budget):D Have you called them to check yet?

It is nice to see they specified longer hours during the weeks surrounding the transition... especially since you 'll probably be busy during that same time-frame.

It sure won't be available at the local TWC office.. no way they'd do it unless they could show that converting to cable-tv was less of a hassle than going OTA and there was money in it for them.
(humm... maybe it will be there after all:eek: you may need to ask ;))

Joe L.

foxeng

04-14-09, 05:53 PM

BeachComber

04-15-09, 04:56 AM

bigsnyder

04-15-09, 11:37 PM

Anyone attending the planned protest to the usage caps Saturday at the GSO time warner office?

Story link (http://www.wxii12.com/money/19188420/detail.html)

roland6465

04-16-09, 06:55 AM

No. Who plans a protest on a day that there will be NOBODY but CSRs at work?

Brilliant!

eddard

04-16-09, 03:50 PM

Just saw this in the WS Journal:

Time Warner shelves Internet pricing test
By Tim Clodfelter | Journal Reporter

Time Warner Cable said this afternoon that it has shelved its plans for a consumption-based pricing structure for its Internet services, but the company said it may return to the idea in the future.

The Triad was to be one of four test markets for the new plan, which was to start this fall.

The announcement of the plan was met with complaints from consumers, who said it would stifle creative growth on the Internet.

http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2009/apr/16/time-warner-shelves-internet-pricing-test/

pwrmetal

04-16-09, 03:56 PM

Here's a longer article with more spin from the Greensboro rag:

Linky (http://www.news-record.com/content/2009/04/16/article/report_time_warner_to_stop_new_pricing_plan_in_ny)

androgelrx

04-16-09, 04:02 PM

I still hate TWC!!!

jspENC

04-16-09, 04:53 PM

HA HA. They finally woke up and realized how damaging this could be to them. What a stupid idea to start with... Pathetic.

dmm219

04-16-09, 05:41 PM

I have North State coming to install DSL on Monday. Know what? This doesn't change my mind. I no longer trust TWC in any fashion. I will not patronize a business who regular threatens its customers because its a pseudo-monopoly. And I will NOT support business models and CEO's who continue to believe its their right for force anti-consumerism in the market place and Government.

My DSL will be slightly slower, and slightly cheaper. And I will never, ever give 1cent of my money to any cable company, ever again.

Guess what TWC...TOO LATE...you already lost me as a customer...here's looking forward to your eventual demise and bankruptcy....

foxeng

04-16-09, 09:39 PM

% OF HOMES COMPLETELY UNREADY FOR DIGITAL TRANSITION
DATE Total White Black Hispanic Asian Under 35 Over 55
Apr 12, 2009 3.2 2.5 5.9 5.4 4.3 5.7 1.7
Mar 29, 2009 3.4 2.7 6.2 5.6 4.4 6.3 1.8
Mar 15, 2009 3.6 2.9 6.6 6.1 4.4 6.5 2.0
Mar 1, 2008 3.9 3.2 6.7 6.5 4.5 7.2 2.2
Feb 15, 2009 4.4 3.6 7.5 7.4 5.1 8.1 2.6
Feb 1, 2009 5.1 4.1 8.7 8.5 6.3 8.6 3.2
Jan 18, 2009 5.7 4.6 9.9 9.7 6.9 8.8 4.0
Dec 21, 2008 6.8 5.6 10.8 11.5 8.1 9.9 5.2

Market %Unready
National 3.17
Nielsen 56 Metered Markets 2.99
ALBUQUERQUE-SANTA FE 9.13
DALLAS-FT. WORTH 6.31
AUSTIN 6.12
HOUSTON 5.57
LOS ANGELES 5.24
SACRAMNTO-STKTON-MODESTO 5.2
PHOENIX (PRESCOTT) 5.05
TULSA 4.84
GREENVLL-SPART-ASHEVLL-AND 4.7
CLEVELAND-AKRON (CANTON) 4.3
MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL 4.04
SALT LAKE CITY 4.04
SEATTLE-TACOMA 3.99
PORTLAND, OR 3.92
SAN ANTONIO 3.92
MIAMI-FT. LAUDERDALE 3.82
MEMPHIS 3.8
WASHINGTON, DC (HAGRSTWN) 3.7
SAN DIEGO 3.68
JACKSONVILLE 3.47
INDIANAPOLIS 3.29
DAYTON 3.01
CINCINNATI 3
LOUISVILLE 2.93
DETROIT 2.92
SAN FRANCISCO-OAK-SAN JOSE 2.81
BUFFALO 2.64
DENVER 2.6
NASHVILLE 2.45
CHARLOTTE 2.39
ORLANDO-DAYTONA BCH-MELBRN 2.39
CHICAGO 2.32
NEW ORLEANS 2.32
LAS VEGAS 2.26
ST. LOUIS 2.19
PHILADELPHIA 1.96
RICHMOND-PETERSBURG 1.94
BIRMINGHAM (ANN AND TUSC) 1.93
RALEIGH-DURHAM (FAYETVLLE) 1.9
KNOXVILLE 1.87
KANSAS CITY 1.83
WEST PALM BEACH-FT. PIERCE 1.75
COLUMBUS, OH 1.71
NORFOLK-PORTSMTH-NEWPT NWS 1.7
TAMPA-ST. PETE (SARASOTA) 1.69
GREENSBORO-H.POINT-W.SALEM 1.64
ATLANTA 1.5
MILWAUKEE 1.46
OKLAHOMA CITY 1.44
PITTSBURGH 1.37
NEW YORK 1.35
BOSTON (MANCHESTER) 1.3
FT. MYERS-NAPLES 1.11
BALTIMORE 0.99
HARTFORD & NEW HAVEN 0.79
PROVIDENCE-NEW BEDFORD 0.00

AggieCEO

04-17-09, 08:19 AM

AggieCEO

04-17-09, 08:39 AM

Scooper

04-17-09, 08:58 AM

Unfortunately - yes, you ARE reading that right...

J. L.

04-17-09, 09:05 AM

[QUOTE=foxeng;16283207]% OF HOMES COMPLETELY UNREADY FOR DIGITAL TRANSITION
DATE Total White Black Hispanic Asian Under 35 Over 55
Apr 12, 2009 3.2 2.5 5.9 5.4 4.3 5.7 1.7
Mar 29, 2009 3.4 2.7 6.2 5.6 4.4 6.3 1.8
Mar 15, 2009 3.6 2.9 6.6 6.1 4.4 6.5 2.0
Mar 1, 2008 3.9 3.2 6.7 6.5 4.5 7.2 2.2
Feb 15, 2009 4.4 3.6 7.5 7.4 5.1 8.1 2.6
Feb 1, 2009 5.1 4.1 8.7 8.5 6.3 8.6 3.2
Jan 18, 2009 5.7 4.6 9.9 9.7 6.9 8.8 4.0
Dec 21, 2008 6.8 5.6 10.8 11.5 8.1 9.9 5.2

thats crazy that under 35 is less ready that over 55. I mean am I reading that right??

I would guess that far more of the under 35 group get their local news and programming from alternate/internet sources of online video than the over 55 group.
The loss of an OTA signal may not be not a huge impact.

The remaining percentage under 35 group may never replace/convert the old TV until they have a real need. (note that in most categories, the percentage has dropped to about 1/2 of the December numbers, so the education campaign is working... just slowly.)

Joe L.

FOX TV

04-17-09, 09:50 AM

Unless I misunderstood the linked PDF document, it does not mandate your station to provide a walk-in-help-center, but instead to report on where they are, if one is available in your area, and to give the national help number/web-site regardless.

It does not matter if a particular station does or does not have to comply or not to see that this goes way beyond what would normally be expected of your average commercial business in a "Free Market".

You could not possibly know how much broadcasters have been mandated to sacrifice already for the blundered DTV transition unless you are an industry insider. Our two stations alone have sacrificed a 6 figure amount of potential revenue producing air time over the last 2 years devoted to "Educating the public", and what do we have to show for it, more heavy handed demands on an already overburdened private industry that provides a public service, that just happens to use a public resource to conduct it's business.

The trade off for that public resource use is the public service we provide to viewers, but not to be bullied into performing a service that should have been left entirely up to the government to do in the first place. They are the ones selling off a public resource (The reclaimed spectrum)to a private industry for private profits, so why should the broadcasters be penalized, and expected to cover for the FCC and federal government, and to promote their stealing of a public resource for private profit?

Now, I agree with the role of the FCC as being protectors of the airwaves, but mandating something virtually every 2 weeks that will cost the broadcasters even more money at a time when their revenues are down to historic lows, just to educate 1.5% of the procrastinators who are to lazy or stupid to go out and take action, even when it will only cost them around $20.

There are very few industries who are as heavily regulated as broadcasters, and with the "Messiah" in office, it is bound to only get worse. Where did this government get the power to fire the CEO of a private company (GM) in a "Free market Society"? If that is not an example of heavy handed government, then what is: true socialism? I will stop now, but not because I don't have more to say, but just because I do still have a job...At least for now !!!!!

eddard

04-17-09, 10:09 AM

foxeng

04-17-09, 10:22 AM

It's more crazy to me that they break this down by race.
What possible need is there for that? :confused:
No wonder racism won't go away in the US.

One word. POLITICS.

FOX TV

04-17-09, 11:47 AM

It's more crazy to me that they break this down by race.
What possible need is there for that? :confused:
No wonder racism won't go away in the US.

The results of our analog soft tests proved to me that the categories of those "Groups" that are not ready seem to be correct. We asked callers to give their address, and then looked on a local map to see clustering of where they lived, and the categories do seem to be correct. No amount of analog broadcasting is going to resolve this problem. The only way to FORCE them to take action will be a blank TV screen today, that had programming on it yesterday.

Then the phones will light up asking if we are off the air, and of course we would have to explain the whole digital conversion scenario to each and every caller who must have been living in caves for the last 2 years, or they would know why their dinosaur TV has no picture.

DrDon

04-18-09, 12:11 PM

Off topic posts removed. Actually, I could have gone a little deeper since little of this pertains to Greensboro directly. Let's get back to local reception/cable/fios/dss/cheap beer discussions please.

AggieCEO

04-18-09, 05:19 PM

uncrules

04-18-09, 06:17 PM

FiOS???

We Have FiOS in our Area?!?!?

No, but I wish we did. FiOS is the only service that I would switch to instead of Directv.

Bronco70

04-19-09, 02:29 AM

This is rich. The FCC has "clarified" that stations are not required to put up walk-in centers. They are only required to publicize such locations. It appears the FCC has just finished the bidding process for non-profits to receive grants to establish both walk in centers and on the ground dispatch for people needing physical assistance with the set-up. Stations must then announce them in their DTV education spots and if a new center pops up, stations are required to update their announcements. Guess they have decided to use the rest of 650 million dollar coupon money to fund all this. Our government.

Closest one I see is in the city of Rockingham in Richmond Country.

Been away for a few days. Read the pdf concerning the last great announcement by the FCC. Let's see, 12 June is the new transition day? And these "walk in centers" don't yet exist? And the bidding process has just finished?

So what are the odds that a new date will be set, so that no one has to suffer through the travail of this difficult period.

Yes, our government.

Now I'll probably get myself in trouble again: why is a mod from Detroit overseeing us southern folk?

Joe

DrDon

04-19-09, 07:38 AM

Now I'll probably get myself in trouble again: why is a mod from Detroit overseeing us southern folk?If you heard my accent, you'd KNOW why:D

J. L.

04-19-09, 09:33 AM

Been away for a few days. Read the pdf concerning the last great announcement by the FCC. Let's see, 12 June is the new transition day? And these "walk in centers" don't yet exist? And the bidding process has just finished?

Washington always uses a different time-scale than the rest of us. To make up for the extended time it takes them to make any decision, the new management at the FCC apparently decided to use a new shorter calender for this task.

Two months lead time should be *plenty* to set up a short term ?3 month? lease of hundreds of spaces in publicly accessible, ADA compliant locations,(several in the Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High-Point area), prepare and furnish them, obtain insurance and business permits, procure equipment (samples of all converters sold), prepare materials for distribution to the confused masses who visit, set up kiosks with videos to view, web-sites for reference, and then hire and train employees to assist with the FCC suggested demonstrations in multiple languages.:rolleyes:

So what are the odds that a new date will be set, so that no one has to suffer through the travail of this difficult period.
I'd say 50/50.

Oh yes, I'm over 55, and I know I have two SDTV's that I've not yet connected to their converter boxes, but I do have the boxes sitting near them..

Not sure I need help from the walk-in-transition-help-center, but I am in no rush, I've got time... There's only two of us, and we've got three other ATSC/QAM capable HD sets, two of them connected to both TWC and an outdoor antenna, the third only on TWC.

Joe L.

AggieCEO

04-19-09, 10:01 PM

No, but I wish we did. FiOS is the only service that I would switch to instead of Directv.

you and me both man...

AggieCEO

04-19-09, 10:06 PM

uncrules

04-20-09, 08:43 AM

Channel 2 has a HD commercial that they've been showing for their weather folks. I hope that means that they are are going HD soon for their newscast.

According to this link, we are the 6th largest DMA without a local HD newscast.

http://members.cox.net/oknewshawk2/DTV_HDLIL_DMA.html

AggieCEO

04-20-09, 11:14 AM

is WXII channel 2? I cant remember cause I think thats the commercial I seen. Well one of them

Trip in VA

04-20-09, 11:15 AM

is WXII channel 2? I cant remember cause I think thats the commercial I seen. Well one of them

WXII is 12. XII = Roman Numerals for 12.

- Trip

fairtomiddlin

04-20-09, 11:17 AM

May 28, 2009: Smithsonian HD will launch on the HD Tier and HDNet will migrate from the HD Tier to the Digital Tier.

http://www.timewarnercable.com/Carolinas/support/policies/channelchange.html

AggieCEO

04-20-09, 01:29 PM

WXII is 12. XII = Roman Numerals for 12.

- Trip

LMAO!!

gotcha...I dont watch the local channels enough to even remember. Just enough to watch Heroes, Law & Order, 24, House, Fringe, Grey's Anatomy, Smallville, etc.

I hope ONE of them goes HD soon tho. Hell there's not like they don't have a market for it....

AggieCEO

04-20-09, 04:57 PM

May 28, 2009: Smithsonian HD will launch on the HD Tier and HDNet will migrate from the HD Tier to the Digital Tier.

http://www.timewarnercable.com/Carolinas/support/policies/channelchange.html

HDNet is going to be free now?? Nice. I hope we get Cartoon Network HD soon Need it for Star Wars Clone Wars...

foxeng

04-20-09, 06:05 PM

WFMY is channel 2, WGHP is channel 8, WXII is channel 12. WGPX is channel 16, WCWG is channel 20. WUNL is channel 26. WXLV is virtual channel 45 and WMYV is virtual channel 48 and WLXI is channel 61.

popweaverhdtv

04-21-09, 08:23 PM

Does anyone know if WXII going HD anytime soon??

I have been seeing local news commercials from them in what APPEARS to be HD in 16:9 format. Its not stretched or anything but I suppose it could just be shot in 19:9 and upconverted but I don't know. I do like how they have the sidebars during the news instead of just black on the sides.

Their sister station, WYFF, is in the same boat with airing local news commercials in HD and not airing the local news itself. Hopefully, both stations will go HD with Local News soon (with the blessing of the corporate powers that be). I'd guess it would be at least after the upcoming DTV Transition on June 12th.

AggieCEO

04-21-09, 08:53 PM

yea I was guessing that a few stations would wait until after DTV transition in order to save on cost. I can imagine it may be rather costly to shoot in HD then down convert for it to go to the standard channel and they are already spending money on keeping the analog signals up. Just have to play the waiting game. I use to live in Raleigh and was Spoiled from WRAL's HD news broadcast. They've had it up fore YEARS.

and anyone with TWC that may know the answer to this. I noticed that News Channel 14 is on the HD Tier on 514. Are they suppose to be broadcasting in HD soon or did they just put that there for the hell of it.

foxeng

04-22-09, 07:35 AM

The following was posted in another thread about something completely different, but my whacked out sense of humor saw something else. This was from Fringe on Tuesday night. I don't watch Fringe so I don't know what the story line was about, but the headline of the news clipping and the story below it caught my attention! In true Hollywood style, a little TV magic dust was sprinkled on it and a story about cell phone security for the NYPD turned into a story about super humans!! Obviously this wasn't up on the screen but a couple of seconds so no one could actually read the text, just enough time to read the head line and then see there is a story below it! Got to love Hollywood!

http://i43.tinypic.com/2llzyiw.jpg

AggieCEO

04-22-09, 08:17 AM

I seen some of that on Fringe last nite. wasn't going to pause to read it all tho. quite funny...

foxeng

04-22-09, 08:22 AM

Yes, the NYPD story is a real news story from a real newspaper, which one I have no idea. The head line is made up to match the show since that is the part you can read. That is why they don't match. Hollywood does this all the time. It is easier and cheaper to take something that exists and modify it than to create it from scratch. If you look closely, the font for the head line isn't exactly correct. It is close, but not the same.

I spot goofy stuff like that all the time on TV, during the show! Drives my wife crazy!

medikit

04-22-09, 01:50 PM

I'm in Winston-Salem and thinking about getting an HD TV tuner for my computer. What channels are you guys getting on clear qam? I thought I would find an updated summary in this forum but haven't found one. I get internet from Time Warner so I figured I'd just plug it in and see what I get.

AggieCEO

04-22-09, 02:32 PM

I looked for one as well a while back fora list for the TV in the bedroom that I refuse to get a box for but couldn't find one.

But you pretty much get all the Local Digital Stations on QAM. I can't remember the station numbers but you will find them if you just use auto search.

UNC-HD
UNC-Kids
UNC-Educational
UNC-NC
WGHPD
WFMYD
WFMY2
WXLVD
WMYVD
WCWGD
WXIID
WXII2
and for some reason News Channel 14 which is on the HD Tier

I REALLY wish they would at least give us a FEW of the "Free" HD channels via QAM but I'm sure that would eat up bandwidth as well as cut down on their profits from the monthly fee of the HD Box

dmm219

04-23-09, 09:48 AM

AggieCEO

04-23-09, 11:34 AM

my guess would be U-verse. Its SUPPOSE to launch in this area soon. It's been in Raleigh & Charlotte for a while now

foxeng

04-23-09, 11:52 AM

It more than likely is AT&T. I talked to the one of the survey engineers last year and they said they wanted to launch this summer in the Triad.

dmm219

04-23-09, 12:41 PM

well, the more options...the better...I'm pretty happy with North State DSL as a current haven from TWC. But more than one option is always good...as I do miss the high speeds of RR. (6M would be fine, but I'm limited to 3 where I live). The higher speeds of U-verse would be nice. Even if ATT imposes their 100GB cap, that would probably be ok for me. TWC's 40 was an complete insult.

Anybody know much about North State expanding their FO network?

telemike

04-23-09, 01:12 PM

At least TWC has scrapped the cap plan, whew

AggieCEO

04-23-09, 03:05 PM

At least TWC has scrapped the cap plan, whew

at least they did for now...

FOX TV

04-23-09, 05:01 PM

In various areas around Greensboro, (Hilltop Road area, in the City), I have been noticing the tell tale signs of some kind of new network going in the ground (the Orange and Gray tubes sticking out of the ground at corners and such...). This is EXACTLY what it looked like when Verizon was installing FiOS when I was in the DC area.

Now, I don't believe this is FiOS, but I was wondering if anyone knows just what is going it? My only two guess are: ATT Uverse or North State's limited FiOS network.

Anybody know?

This is going on in Roanoke Va. too. I asked the installer if it was Verizon FIOS, and he said "No, this is a private fiber network for the schools" which I seem to doubt that is true. They have buried one large fiber cable with multiple fiber capability, with white arrows painted on the poles where it is supposed to go in the air between the power poles. Your description sound exactly like what is going on here. I wish it was a commercial FIOS service, as one of the overhead runs goes along my street within 40 feet of my house

uncrules

04-23-09, 09:36 PM

at least they did for now...

Yeah, they are just "educating" people for now. But you can bet they will try this again in the future. They will try to slip it in when nobody is looking. Heck, they probably will just start doing it without telling anybody.

BeachComber

04-24-09, 03:43 AM

Yeah, they are just "educating" people for now. But you can bet they will try this again in the future. They will try to slip it in when nobody is looking. Heck, they probably will just start doing it without telling anybody.

Actually, they will do it with everyone looking. Their flaw was doing it without anyone knowing what their bandwidth usage was in advance this time. The failure was a total lack of pre-education before announcement.

When they do it the next time (and it will be successful, just as every other business has been with it) they will simply show the actual customer's bandwidth usage for the 3 to 6 previous months and 99% of the customers will realize they are not even close to the limit.

AggieCEO

04-24-09, 09:03 AM

bhlonewolf

04-24-09, 03:23 PM

Actually, they will do it with everyone looking. Their flaw was doing it without anyone knowing what their bandwidth usage was in advance this time. The failure was a total lack of pre-education before announcement.

When they do it the next time (and it will be successful, just as every other business has been with it) they will simply show the actual customer's bandwidth usage for the 3 to 6 previous months and 99% of the customers will realize they are not even close to the limit.

I agree that knowing your usage is important ... my router keeps track of usage so I have it anyway. I think realistically it's likely 80% of the users, but we'll see. I still think their caps are ridiculous. I use about 100GB max per month, usually in the 70GB range. I am not abusing my connection any more than someone who spends 5 hours a day talking on their cell phone. I don't feel it's reasonable for TW to increase my rate substantially -- there should be base plans that cover all users, and I feel my $60/mo is giving me fair service for the value.

Because of my telecommuting use of VOIP and DirecTV and pure disdain for TW's TV and phone service, their caps also go against net neutrality, which somewhat force VOIP and DirecTV users to TW's offering.

Usage may be on the rise, but hardware and bandwidth costs are dropping as well. Perhaps not at 40% per year, but they are significantly cheaper and $1 or $2 overages per GB is an unreasonable markup. The speeds TW offers are so-so on download, abysmal on upload. If they want to charge more they should offer better service and value, like DOCSIS3.

Of course, they've been pouting now that DOCSIS3 will be "reevaluated" due to the cap issue -- but, it was never promised to begin with so it's a bit moot.

Somehow, Comcast, Cablevision, and Verizon seem to be doing much better in the technology department. While I think some kind of metering is fine, TW really blew it on this one.

Crazywoody

05-02-09, 10:50 AM

Is it just me or is the new Time Warner website just crap. I find it hard to navigator and a lot of the sites are very slow, freeze or just kick you out.

foxeng

05-02-09, 01:14 PM

FYI, we are 40 days away for "D" Only Day. My, how time flies! ;)

eddard

05-02-09, 02:20 PM

Did anyone see this story?

"Beware surfers: cyberspace is filling up. Internet users face regular “brownouts” that will freeze their computers as capacity runs out in cyberspace, according to research to be published later this year."

Complete article is here: http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article6169488.ece

jpd31

05-02-09, 10:41 PM

Is it just me or is the new Time Warner website just crap. I find it hard to navigator and a lot of the sites are very slow, freeze or just kick you out.

Just like there DVR's. :D

Lambdachi237

05-04-09, 09:51 AM

Hey foxeng,

Is Fox 8 going to show Family Guy from last night since they did the Severe Weather updates or should I just Hulu it?

foxeng

05-04-09, 11:56 AM

Hey foxeng,

Is Fox 8 going to show Family Guy from last night since they did the Severe Weather updates or should I just Hulu it?

Currently not rescheduled. My guess is we will not.

pwrmetal

05-04-09, 01:50 PM

FYI, we are 40 days away for "D" Only Day. My, how time flies! ;)

Or is it 20-25 days away from the next "D Only Day Delay"? :) :mad:

AggieCEO

05-04-09, 05:07 PM

Hey foxeng,

Is Fox 8 going to show Family Guy from last night since they did the Severe Weather updates or should I just Hulu it?

yeah that sucked.

I understand things like that happen and its to keep people informed and safe but it just seems to happen during primetime.....very rarely do we get server weather that bad where they cut into day time TV...

foxeng

05-04-09, 05:11 PM

yeah that sucked.

I understand things like that happen and its to keep people informed and safe but it just seems to happen during primetime.....very rarely do we get server weather that bad where they cut into day time TV...

It happens during the day as well. If you work, you don't see it, but it happens and this is the time of year when weather could strike between 1:30pm to 2AM and does.

jspENC

05-04-09, 05:37 PM

yeah that sucked.

I understand things like that happen and its to keep people informed and safe but it just seems to happen during primetime.....very rarely do we get server weather that bad where they cut into day time TV...

One thing you can't do anything about is the weather, and stations have an obligation to alert the viewers in their broadcast area. If you think interruptions happen at bad times around here, you should try going to the mid-west and see how much they have to warn for weather.

People move down here from the north, and moan and complain to stations in ENC all the time. They are not used to their TV show suddenly being pre-empted for Tornadoes. They don't understand why I guess?

AggieCEO

05-05-09, 09:32 AM

It happens during the day as well. If you work, you don't see it, but it happens and this is the time of year when weather could strike between 1:30pm to 2AM and does.

Well yea thats true. I think I can remember a few times where it may have happened during the day but I was in class or out. Just seems like it happens more at nite. I remember last season I was watching Smallville and 2 or 3 weeks in a row we had some bad weather and it cut into the show....not news but the EBS message

One thing you can't do anything about is the weather, and stations have an obligation to alert the viewers in their broadcast area. If you think interruptions happen at bad times around here, you should try going to the mid-west and see how much they have to warn for weather.

People move down here from the north, and moan and complain to stations in ENC all the time. They are not used to their TV show suddenly being pre-empted for Tornadoes. They don't understand why I guess?

Yea I know thats out of everyone's control. Thats why things like Hulu are very useful....and I don't know why people from up north are like that. Like you said I'm just glad I don't live in the midwest...I remember a little over a year ago the bad storms we had come thru here and that was bad enough for me..

amos1001

05-06-09, 09:16 AM

i realize weather break-ins are important, and serve the public.

but sunday night's on WGHP was horrible.

the weatherman, charles ewing, may have known what he was talking about, but there's no way any of us viewers did. he was horrible at explaining what he was attempting to show us. "red next to green means you see the backwards inverted C and there's some rotation. let's see if we can get some street names. oh, same street names as last time in the eden area."

i've watched reports in other places before, and left with an understanding of what the report was trying to say. strong cells in THIS area now, moving THIS DIRECTION at SPEED, people in THESE AREAS need to get ready, expected at LOCATION by TIME, etc and etc. and when the technology was used, it was explained. and POINTERS were used on the maps.

worst. report. ever.

-amos

Scooper

05-06-09, 09:22 AM

One thing you can't do anything about is the weather, and stations have an obligation to alert the viewers in their broadcast area. If you think interruptions happen at bad times around here, you should try going to the mid-west and see how much they have to warn for weather.

People move down here from the north, and moan and complain to stations in ENC all the time. They are not used to their TV show suddenly being pre-empted for Tornadoes. They don't understand why I guess?

Having just gotten back from a trip to Kansas to visit family - I echo jspENC. We don't see ANYTHING like the program interuptions they do out there this time of year.

That said - Amos1001 has a point - get the important info out in way that the viewers can understand is the most important.

pwrmetal

05-06-09, 10:22 AM

I understand the need and value of interrupting programming for weather alerts. I would humbly suggest to affiliates that already have a weather sub channel (WXII and WFMY) that if you're going to preempt network programming for a weather alert, is it reasonable to ask that you move the preempted program to your weather sub channel for the duration of the live break in?

foxeng

05-06-09, 12:30 PM

foxeng

05-06-09, 12:31 PM

jspENC

05-06-09, 02:08 PM

It isn't as easy as it sounds, but....... Just make sure your SAP is working tonight.

(bites tongue because he knows something he can't tell)

I think I know. It's a good idea if it's what I'm guessing. They've done something similar here, just without the sound.

AggieCEO

05-06-09, 03:43 PM

It isn't as easy as it sounds, but....... Just make sure your SAP is working tonight.

(bites tongue because he knows something he can't tell)

lol....SAP???

I normally dont watch Fox Wednesdays but if its something substantial going on I might check it out....

amos1001

05-06-09, 05:12 PM

Two words. DON'T WATCH.

sorry you can't take the critical remarks.

i don't think the repot was on for my entertainment value. if i don't like something wghp offers for entertainment i can tune out.

but this was a weather report, interrupting programming, that should have been giving information to the public. "DON'T WATCH" isn't really an option, although another channel might have had better coverage.

I haven't seen anybody disagreeing with my accessment. Did anybody here understand what Ewing was talking about?

foxeng

05-06-09, 06:16 PM

sorry you can't take the critical remarks.

i don't think the repot was on for my entertainment value. if i don't like something wghp offers for entertainment i can tune out.

but this was a weather report, interrupting programming, that should have been giving information to the public. "DON'T WATCH" isn't really an option, although another channel might have had better coverage.

I haven't seen anybody disagreeing with my accessment. Did anybody here understand what Ewing was talking about?

You are entitled to your opinion, you have voiced it. I have no problem with you voicing it nor you opinion. It IS your opinion. If Charles Ewing irked you, then you have the right to call the station and complain or watch it or don't watch it. I just don't see the relevance in complaining on an Internet board that can give you no satisfaction.

See where I am going here?

foxeng

05-06-09, 06:18 PM

lol....SAP???

I normally dont watch Fox Wednesdays but if its something substantial going on I might check it out....

Biting lip VERY HARD now! :D

amos1001

05-06-09, 06:57 PM

You are entitled to your opinion, you have voiced it. I have no problem with you voicing it nor you opinion. It IS your opinion. If Charles Ewing irked you, then you have the right to call the station and complain or watch it or don't watch it. I just don't see the relevance in complaining on an Internet board that can give you no satisfaction.

See where I am going here?

yes, i see your point. and i apologize if i stepped on your toes. since this is a media forum, i decided to post my thoughts here. anyway, good luck on your sap experiment tonight. if we tune to idol and switch to sap, will we know the secret?

-amos

foxeng

05-06-09, 07:07 PM

yes, i see your point. and i apologize if i stepped on your toes. since this is a media forum, i decided to post my thoughts here. anyway, good luck on your sap experiment tonight. if we tune to idol and switch to sap, will we know the secret?

-amos

Don't worry. No offense taken. All is good.

We are close enough now I can get away with saying it. If the weather fires up, we are set to do a split screen with Van and Idol. The audio for Van will be main channel and Idol audio will be on the SAP channel, digital and analog. I know TWC is having an issue with our SAP on analog and they are working on it now. I just got off the phone with them and on D* it is on the analog, but not on the digital and they are working on that. Always something.

Of course if the weather stays calm, then Idol runs as normal.

AggieCEO

05-06-09, 07:21 PM

Don't worry. No offense taken. All is good.

We are close enough now I can get away with saying it. If the weather fires up, we are set to do a split screen with Van and Idol. The audio for Van will be main channel and Idol audio will be on the SAP channel, digital and analog. I know TWC is having an issue with our SAP on analog and they are working on it now. I just got off the phone with them and on D* it is on the analog, but not on the digital and they are working on that. Always something.

Of course if the weather stays calm, then Idol runs as normal.
lol...wow...can't interrupt idol...lol

If the same thing happens like last nite tho then it won't matter...my Cable went out sometime after a lightening strike and was out for at LEAST 4 hours...I missed Fringe and had to Hulu it...

foxeng

05-06-09, 07:47 PM

lol...wow...can't interrupt idol...lol

If we didn't do something like that, there would be a mob of people with torches and pitch forks at the door. No joke.

jspENC

05-06-09, 08:15 PM

If we didn't do something like that, there would be a mob of people with torches and pitch forks at the door. No joke.

I believe it. After not seeing the superbowl on FOX around here last time, the businesses put on their reader boards to boycott FOX W**O. lol

Good luck tonight. It looks like the storms won't get down here until tomorrow morning.

AggieCEO

05-06-09, 08:48 PM

If we didn't do something like that, there would be a mob of people with torches and pitch forks at the door. No joke.
lol...with a highly watched live show like that I wouldnt doubt it....lol even tho they could EASILY just go online and watch the replays...lol

FOX TV

05-08-09, 11:01 AM

It isn't as easy as it sounds, but....... Just make sure your SAP is working tonight.

(bites tongue because he knows something he can't tell)

Hello FOXENG, Don't you just love having a place for everyone to complain about something that they get for free. If we weren't a nation of whiners when things don't go our way, then this forum would not really be needed.

Do you have an alternate weather sub channel? if so, you could use directed channel change to send the whiners somewhere else !! Wouldn't that be fun..and think how this forum would be buzzing then !! LOL, and I feel your pain, but keep a straight face, and let it roll off !!

They just don't get it most of the time, and it seems to be up to us to tell them !!

foxeng

05-09-09, 04:28 PM

FYI. I just heard from a VA source that WGSR-LP has received their channel 47 transmitter and says they hope to start testing in the next 8-10 days and then I guess they will start programming. They have their microwave in and it is working. Their pattern shows they should have a good signal over Greensboro, Burlington, eastern Winston and northern High Point. Their digital antenna is located on the WGPX tower at US29/29 BUS south of Reidsville.

foxeng

05-11-09, 11:31 AM

It isn't as uncommon as it might sound, but here is proof that crispy critters do happen in transmitters as this snake found out in the transmitter at WHLT-TV Hattiesburg, Miss. when he got on the 30,000 volt beam voltage line. Ouch!

http://www.tvtechnology.com/uploadedImages/TV_Technology/Blogs/highVoltageSnake2.jpg

FOX TV

05-11-09, 01:16 PM

I have snake problems at two transmitter sites..Here are a few rattlesnake pictures, along with some others I thought were interesting from 4000 feet above sea level !! The picture named klys 4.jpg is a picture of a $33,000 dollar UHF Klystron tube being replaced a few years ago

Retspin

05-11-09, 05:43 PM

Snakes like to hang out in telephone boxes too. The picture was taken last week in Henderson NC

jspENC

05-11-09, 06:26 PM

Snakes must like electricity. I had the A/C guy here not long ago to look at my outdoor unit, and something inside was disconnected from the control board, and the guy wondered why... Only thing I could think of was those small green lizards I see going inside of it. When I told him that he said they often find snakes living inside the machines. Logic would suggest all that noise would keep them away. I don't know which is worse under that house, snakes or a coyote. I've dealt with both.:eek:

bdfox18doe

05-11-09, 06:34 PM

I don't know which is worse under that house, snakes or a coyote. I've dealt with both.:eek:

Me, I have always been afraid of running into a snarling 'coon under the house..:eek:

We have a problem with blacksnakes at the WCCB transmitter, and black widows at the WFXB transmitter. However I would not mind a few squirrels finding the beam supply. Hmm.. maybe I could re-direct the analog beam supply on June 13th..

Donniewb420

05-12-09, 08:56 AM

I friggin hate snakes, thanks guys :)

foxeng

05-12-09, 10:27 AM

Hmm.. maybe I could re-direct the analog beam supply on June 13th..

Play nice Bob!

foxeng

05-13-09, 06:44 AM

Just thought I would pass along an interesting thing I am into. In our continuing effort to add redundancy to our digital path, we have bought a backup upconverter. It is amazing how far state of the art has come in just 7 years. In 2002 the current upconverter we have is a huge rack mount box with a PC board in it and all it does is convert 480 to either 720/1080 (selectable) and you can either stretch the video or put in colored side bars. That is pretty much it. It was almost $50k back then. The one we just purchased was $12k, will up AND down convert SD to HD or HD to SD, will move the 4:3 image ALL OVER the screen, will insert either a device for inserting graphics on the side bars or will pull up 10 pre-programed static or animated images for the sidebars, will insert audio for those graphics, will do crawls and I am not sure what else since I haven't played with everything yet and is on a card that is 14 inches deep and 4 inches high! WOW is all I can say! It will take me a year to figure it all out! I am not even sure when I will have it ready to go on the air for testing. We bought this one for the price not the features. but I would hate to see what a full blown one does! There is so much to set up on it just to do the basic functions! At least I am having fun!!

foxeng

05-13-09, 12:33 PM

T-Minus 30 days and counting and all is quiet.

bdfox18doe

05-13-09, 12:41 PM

T-Minus 30 days and counting and all is quiet.

Yea..well let's change that...how about doing the 5/21st shutoff test at 9:20pm!:D

Bronco70

05-14-09, 02:15 AM