If the local stations can't or won't provide the product I want, I'll simply watch a station that will.

You and me both. If its not in HD, I simply do not watch anymore.

Watching a whole lot of CBS and FOX these days... :)

There is plenty of HD out there. And you can get CBS-HD and FOX-HD either OTA or from local cable. It really is better than waiting. Any HD is awesome.

Frank,

Thanks for the response...very much appreciated. Part of what I'm concerned with is getting too discerning when it comes to HD vs. SD. I hooked up an HDWonder to my media center to pull in the Patriots in HD a few weeks ago. The Broncos were on right after and I could barely stand to watch the game. I may as well wait until it's more broadly available.

The rep I talked w/ this weekend told me that the broadcast channels fed through Sat would be mostly HD feeds. I'd never heard that before but the deal was great and figured I'd check w/ this forum first. Looks like they didn't know what they were talking about.

Again...thanks.

Regards,

Bob

Look at it this way, the more people put off buying an HDTV the longer the local stations will drag their feet. Your control over what you watch is about the only way of having an impact on the speed at which the local stations make the switch to HDTV broadcasts. Get the TV and watch all the HD Programming that's available...and make sure you let the local stations know that you aren't watching anymore and won't be until they offer what you want to see.

If you're not part of the solution....

;)

I'm going to go for it. Now the question is whether I stay w/ Dtv or move to Adelphia. Is there anywhere on the net that has a direct comparison? Adelphia is my HS-ISP. Buying a box and being stuck w/ it for 2 years isn't high on my list of things to do but Dtv has served me very well over the years. Decisions...decisions.

Thanks again for all of your help.

Regards,

Bob

I'm using Dishnetwork, have been for years. Compare all three before deciding.

I'm going to go for it. Now the question is whether I stay w/ Dtv or move to Adelphia.
Bob,
D* is eventually going to own HD(bandwidth issues over cable). But, it's going to take time. If you do go with D*'s HD now, buy a used receiver. Their current receivers have a limited lifetime with all of their HD moving to MPEG-4. It'll be at least a year before C/S has HD LIL from D*. And, w/o HD LIL, you'll be dependent on OTA(which as long as U live in the Springs, is probably doable with hopefully ABC & NBC coming online soon).

Now me, I live outside WP, and I have no chance of C/S HD, so I have to depend on Denver. Not Good. All stations at low power right now.

More later,
....jc

I absolutely love the HD-TiVo from DirecTV, wouldn't trade it for a cable box until they come out with one much better than what the cable companies offer today. Yeah, there are minor issues with it but nothing like the Moxi stuff you hear. I paid $899 for it, sad to say, so $299 minus $100 rebates etc. sounds like a steal to me.

Hi everyone. Just found this forum on Google and this is great. I'm driving down to the Adelphia office tomorrow to try to pick up a DVR box. The guy on the phone told me I couldn't because "it's a sophisticated piece of equipment that must be professionally installed". They told me the same crap when I got the HD box but when I went to the office, they just handed it to me. I'm hoping for the same tomorrow. Anyway, I saw on the Adelphia website that they have two HD DVR boxes - the Moxi and one from Scientific American. I've seen the posts about the Moxi but nothing about the SA. Does anyone have this one and if so, how is it? Do you think Adelphia will give me an option as to which one I get or am I stuck with what they give me?

Thanks for the great info. I had dish network about a year ago and had equipment problems durning the olympics and missed much of it. The dvr kept freezing up. They also didn't have season pass (something like it but way short of Tivo). I'll look into what they offer now. Can you tell me who makes the box they use or where I can find info on it?

As for the Dtv HDTivo...I'm afraid it will obsolete pretty quickly when they move to their branded box.

The boxes Adelphia could use by Motorola; seem to have great potential for networking and a few other features. If they enable to USB drive function; it won't matter that it has a small internal drive.

Maybe I should just pull the trigger.

Anyway, I saw on the Adelphia website that they have two HD DVR boxes - the Moxi and one from Scientific American.

Whoa!!!! I just looked on Adelphia's website and saw the SA 8300 HD DVR listed on there as well. This is the first I'm hearing of this. Anyone know about the availability of this box here in the Springs?

I had the SA 8300 in Tampa and it is MUCH better than the MOXI.

msbob, let us know what you find out!!

As far as I know, the Moxi was the only HD-DVR available when I got mine last week- If you hear otherwise, let us know!

I just talked w/ Adelphia and the SA box they have is a standard DVR not HD...according to the rep.

Regards,

Bob

As for the Dtv HDTivo...I'm afraid it will obsolete pretty quickly when they move to their branded box.

The boxes Adelphia could use by Motorola; seem to have great potential for networking and a few other features. If they enable to USB drive function; it won't matter that it has a small internal drive.
Actually, no, the information (which is not yet an official announcement but has been much discussed in conference calls and the word on the street) is that D* will not obsolete its best-paying customers' HD-TiVos but will offer some kind of swap for the next MPEG4-DVR when available, possibly involving a 2-year commitment at that time or a small fee for only a 1 or 0 year commitment. This is all over these forums and DBSForums.com, and makes good business sense as well. I'm not worried. Plus the earliest they start moving our area to MPEG4 is 2007 - do you think everyone will even have to switch by 2008? A long way off... Plus it's a 30+ hour hard drive for HD today and the best UI around, I think.

I stopped by the office today and they refuse to let me install it myself so I have to wait for the tech to show up on Friday. If you're right about the SA vs. the Moxi, I'm hoping for that one. I'll let you all know what happens

D* will not obsolete its best-paying customers' HD-TiVos but will offer some kind of swap for the next MPEG4-DVR when available, possibly involving a 2-year commitment at that time or a small fee for only a 1 or 0 year commitment.

This is true. I got the $299 (less $100 rebate) HD Tivo deal and they told me the same.

Plus it's a 30+ hour hard drive for HD today and the best UI around, I think.

Plus, I put in another 250Gig HD for a total of 63hours of HD for $199. An idiot could do this upgrade.

I emailed KRDO Chief Engineer Joe Reed awhile back about when they thought they would be broadcasting HD and here is the response I got:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rob
At this time I do not have a firm date when we will begin our HD broadcasts.

Thanks for viewing
JR
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

So I hope no one was still holding their breath!!

Rob

I heard that D* will start offering Significantly Viewed DMA service starting in Nov. I'm hoping that we in the Springs will be able to get HD feeds for WB NBC and ABC. Does anyone know anything about this? :cool:

On a side note: I went by the KRDO office late last week (I live within 1 mile of their office) to inquire about HD and when they'll be up and running. After being transfered from engineering to whom I believe was the head honcho, I was told that "They are moving in the direction of HD". Whatever that means. ie. Not any time soon. LOOSERS!! :mad: :mad: :mad:

I heard that D* will start offering Significantly Viewed DMA service starting in Nov. I'm hoping that we in the Springs will be able to get HD feeds for WB NBC and ABC. Does anyone know anything about this? :cool:
Yup. And no changes for El Paso county. Sorry. Now I live in Teller county and we'll be gaining 3 Denver stations(KCNC, KMGH & KUSA)(CBS, ABC, NBC), however, I have them covered anyway. What I need is Fox, and KDVR, at this time, is not on the list.

What is still unknown is if we'll be getting the HD feeds of these stations(when Denver gets HD LIL). I tried to contact KDVR to get see if they are applying for SV status. No answer as of yet.

What really pisses me off is the attitude of KXRM. I spoke to their GM personally, and while he knows that people living in my area can't get their HD signal, he refused to grant me a waiver. The Reason: He doesn't want me(or anyone else) to watch another Fox station. So, he's basically ruining part of my HD football season. But as this Horses Ass will find out, there are only 206 days till the FCC mandated digital signal tests. So, if he doesn't get a digital repeater/translator station up here by then, I'm set(they have an analog one up here). Of course I'm also hoping that KDVR will get SV status here, and we'll be able to get their digital signal.
....jc

Hey, this is Andy Wineke, the TV writer at the Gazette. I wanted to do a thing on the Easter Eggs and hidden treasures the TV show "Lost" plants for loyal viewers. I figured this forum has more Tivo/DVR owners than most, so I'd give it a shot. If you do, drop me a line at awineke[at]gazette[dot]com, or call 719-636-0275. Thanks.

The first episode had a nice one if you were watching. Anyone notice the mark near the sharks tail?

The numbers entered into the computer to reset the timer to 108 minutes, when added together equal 108.

Andy, you should check out ABC's discussion board for anything you could ever want to know about lost. There are 100s of website that have easter eggs about the show. but if you wanted to do a meaningful acticle, how about doing one on the slow process of getting HD up and running for ABC and NBC. Maybe then we could watch Lost in HD and we would be sure to notice more easter eggs.

I noticed the shark logo, the numbers, kate crawling through the vent. I am sure we all saw kate crawling through the vent, over and over. Did anyone notice the girl in the pit with Sawer, mike and Jin was the same girl from season one that was at the bar drinking with Jack and offered to trade him seats? Oh there are so many more...

I agree with mrtolles. Obviously our emails, calls and visits to KRDO aren't getting them off the ball and moving towards HDTV. Maybe a thorough article in the Gazette will draw more attention to it. I was actually going to post a question to the "Did you ever wonder" section in the Friday and Sunday editions of Gazette because this is ridiculous that we live in one the most high-tech cities in the nation and can't get HD from half of our TV stations.

KRDO isn't always good about returning my calls, either. I'll be doing another HD story as KOAA gets ready to roll their thing out. There isn't much else to report at the moment.

BTW, I'm pretty up on the "Lost" bulletin boards and Easter eggs, I just wanted to talk to some local people for a story. There are a lot of folks who don't know how detailed this stuff gets and they might enjoy reading about it.

Thanks,
Andy

I agree with mrtolles. Obviously our emails, calls and visits to KRDO aren't getting them off the ball and moving towards HDTV. Maybe a thorough article in the Gazette will draw more attention to it. I was actually going to post a question to the "Did you ever wonder" section in the Friday and Sunday editions of Gazette because this is ridiculous that we live in one the most high-tech cities in the nation and can't get HD from half of our TV stations.
Hell Andy,
U could make a series out of it! Just write the 'series' for the entire front range. I would guess that we live in the most underserved HD area in the entire country. That is not BS!
But then again, there's politics :( The Gazette may not want to piss off the 'news' folk's in the area. WHO CARES - GO 4 IT!
....jc

I changed to channel 13.1 on HD OTA tuner, and guess what KRDO is actually broadcasting in full 480i lines of fuzzy rebroadcast. maybe next year they will be all set.

I wrote Joe Reed (KRDO engineer for those who don't know) today and asked him to just grant the 10 or 20 of us who actually give a rats a$$ about HD a waiver for Distant Feeds. I told him we don't watch ABC for the commercials, that's for sure. I mean, who are they kidding?? I TiVo right the hell through the commercials, I could care less who's broadcasting 'Lost' or 'MNF'.

Anyway, we'll see what he has to say, if anything. It was more of a rhetorical than inquisitive email.

Go Colorado Springs -- antithesis of technology & progression

Andy, that would be funny if you'd mention that it's harder in Colorado Springs to see as much detail on the easter eggs since the show is shot in HDTV but not distributed by KRDO in HD...

Sorry, I don't watch Lost so I can't help with this.

Maybe if KOAA goes live with HD in December/January the Gazette could give them a big plug before NBC's HDTV coverage of the Winter Olympics in February? Maybe make KRDO jealous of the positive attention if you're not allowed to the negative truth about those turkeys.

I'm sure it's no consolation, but when I did that story last year, I checked on cities that were about the same market size as Colorado Springs and we were average in terms of number of stations broadcasting in HD.

Out of curiosity, I just ran the comparison again (go to checkhd[dot]com and try it yourself), and it was still true that most cities in the 90's in market size have two or three HD stations.

Waco, Texas, is apparently the place to be if you want HD -- they have like five or six.

Don't get me wrong, I'd like to see Monday Night Football in HD, too. And once it moves to ESPN in 2006, I suppose I'll be able to.

On a whim I went out and bought a $10 pair of rabbit ears just to see if I could pick up anything OTA on my DTivo. I was pleasantly surprised to grab nice strong signals for KXRM, KKTV, and KTSC (all signal strengths in the 70's and 80's). KRDO is flaky though - bounces all around, and hovers mostly in the 20's and 30's. Is this because KRDO isn't broadcasting at full strength like the others yet, or is it just my location/setup? Just trying to decide whether it's worth the hassle of an external antenna. Is there any hope that when KRDO actually starts broadcasting HD that they'll increase their signal power?

Also, is KTSC actually showing any HD yet, or is it just digital SD at this point like KRDO?

Thanks,
Sean

That is what I receive exactly. KRDO-DT definitely isn't at full strength, and their engineer told me a while ago that they would be full power when they go HD (who knows when that really is). And KRDO's engineer told me recently that they should be full power by October 19 - even without HD. So we'll see. Their DTV picture and signal are so bad right now that I haven't worried too much about when I receive it and when I can't. Hopefully it will get better.

That is what I receive exactly. KRDO-DT definitely isn't at full strength, and their engineer told me a while ago that they would be full power when they go HD (who knows when that really is). And KRDO's engineer told me recently that they should be full power by October 19 - even without HD. So we'll see. Their DTV picture and signal are so bad right now that I haven't worried too much about when I receive it and when I can't. Hopefully it will get better.

Cool, thanks TallGuy. Maybe I can get by with just the rabbit ears then, or something like the SilverSensor. I'm actually pretty psyched about this - I was assuming I'd need to stick a giant antenna on the roof, which the wife probably would have nixed.

Is it pretty straightforward to split the antenna signal if I get a second HDTivo? I'm thinking I can put the antenna upstairs, run it to a simple coax splitter, and then run coax homeruns to each HDTivo. Will that cause the signal strength at each unit to be halved? If so I guess I'd just get 2 antennae, one for each. What the heck, the first one was only ten bucks. :)

Also, another question for TallGuy if you don't mind - since you have an HDTivo too - do you pay for the local channel package, or just pull them OTA? I figure if my reception is good enough I might drop the local package and save a few bucks, unless there's a downside?

-Sean

Is it pretty straightforward to split the antenna signal if I get a second HDTivo? I'm thinking I can put the antenna upstairs, run it to a simple coax splitter, and then run coax homeruns to each HDTivo. Will that cause the signal strength at each unit to be halved? If so I guess I'd just get 2 antennae, one for each. What the heck, the first one was only ten bucks. :)
Unless you've got a LOT of signal from the antenna, don't split it unless it's been amplified(preamp) 1st.

Either use 2 antennas, or use a preamp before a splitter.
....jc

Also, another question for TallGuy if you don't mind - since you have an HDTivo too - do you pay for the local channel package, or just pull them OTA? I figure if my reception is good enough I might drop the local package and save a few bucks, unless there's a downside?
I can think of a few reasons why it's still worth it to subscribe to the locals... (some may or may not apply to you)

- some TVs in the house with SD receivers
- no ability to record NBC for now
- KRDO-DT (ABC) is hard [for me] to receive at low power
- sometimes the HD feeds are out of sync audio to video (I notice this mostly on DirecTV satellite HD channels though)
- sometimes HD feed is stretched (KKTV seems to have stopped this)
- the HD feed of an SD program takes up [almost] an HD amount of hard drive space - I'd rather have SD file sizes and more room available

YMMV

Also, is KTSC actually showing any HD yet, or is it just digital SD at this point like KRDO?
It's all digital SD. Last I heard, KTSC and Rocky Mountain PBS are having technical issues getting the HD feed sent down from Denver via some kind of microwave relay system that is more cost effective.

I can think of a few reasons why it's still worth it to subscribe to the locals... (some may or may not apply to you)

- some TVs in the house with SD receivers
- no ability to record NBC for now
- KRDO-DT (ABC) is hard [for me] to receive at low power
- sometimes the HD feeds are out of sync audio to video (I notice this mostly on DirecTV satellite HD channels though)
- sometimes HD feed is stretched (KKTV seems to have stopped this)
- the HD feed of an SD program takes up [almost] an HD amount of hard drive space - I'd rather have SD file sizes and more room available

YMMV

Cool, thx., that helps. I think the main thing right now for me would be the lack of NBC and difficulty pulling in ABC. I'll probably hold off for a while.

-Sean

Anyone else miss the last 2:00 of the Bronco game? No mention of the tech difficulties on Fox21 web site.

Regards,

Bob

Saw it, Glad they stopped the skins from scoring 2 at the end. Great game!!

I just moved to the Colo Spgs area and hope a few HD veteran locals might be able to help me with a couple of questions:

--I just installed a new HT system and would like have my Optoma H79 front projector calibrated. Can anyone recommend a good ISF technician in the area?

--I just acquired Adelphia's Moxi HD DVR. Put mildly, it's a let down having come from ReplayTV. But it does record HD. I noticed on Adelphia's website that they have a couple other HD-DVR models, (Motorola DCT6412 & Sci Atl 8000HD). Upon calling Adelphia to ask about them, the CSR told me they only had the Moxi box. After I told her how to find the web page, she agreed it looked like there were other choices. Suffice to say, I didn't get much information. Has anyone used these other DVR's with Adelphia HDTV? How do you like them? How do they compare to Replay or Tivo as far as functionality and menus go?

Help is greatly appreciated,
Jason

Welcome to the thread. I'd love to answer your questions, but I'll have to wait until you ask something that I might know something about... :D

I just moved to the Colo Spgs area and hope a few HD veteran locals might be able to help me with a couple of questions:

--I just installed a new HT system and would like have my Optoma H79 front projector calibrated. Can anyone recommend a good ISF technician in the area?

...

Jason

Hey Jason-

Can't help with the Moxi/Adelphia question - I've got DirecTV. However, with your Optoma, you might try John at Integrity Home Theater (http://www.integrityhometheater.com). They sell Optomas and might be able to put you in touch with a good calibration tech. One word of caution - I have heard anecdotal stories of Optomas having problems with the altitude - potentially overheating and shutting down automatically. If your H79 has a high altitude or high fan speed mode, you might want to use it.

-Sean

Hey Jason-

One word of caution - I have heard anecdotal stories of Optomas having problems with the altitude - potentially overheating and shutting down automatically. If your H79 has a high altitude or high fan speed mode, you might want to use it.

-Sean

Thanks, Sean for the recomenation. I've only got about 60 hrs on the H79 and have not had any issues like you describe, so far anway. My HT is in the basement where it stays around 68F year round, which may help. I'll keep your comments in mind if I run into issues.

Regards,
Jason

I just found this website. I'm so disappointed to read that ABC and NBC (Co Springs) are not on board with broadcasting in HD. I guess I should have done my research. I have Direct TV HD, then I realized the local channels aren't in HD, so I went out and bought an off-air antenna and now 2 stations still don't broadcast in HD. That's so disappointing. I wanted to watch Lost in HD or Monday night football.

Anyone know a time frame when they will offer HD? Isn't Direct TV supposed to pick it up as well?

Thanks.

I just found this website.
Yup, you found the best site on the web!

Sorry, there are people much more in the know on C/S OTA than I, so I will defer.

Isn't Direct TV supposed to pick it up as well?
Don't hold your breath! My best guess is 2007 before D* will be online with HD LIL.
....jc

It looks like our friends at KXRM had the other BB playoff game blacked out last night. It was supposed to be on FX. The folk's in Denver got the game. This was on D*, so I would assume that it was prolly black'd on cable also.

Thank You KXRM. You SUCK, and will always SUCK!
....jc

It looks like our friends at KXRM had the other BB playoff game blacked out last night. It was supposed to be on FX. The folk's in Denver got the game. This was on D*, so I would assume that it was prolly black'd on cable also.

Thank You KXRM. You SUCK, and will always SUCK!
....jc

I could see it on my FX from adelphia.

I didn't know they could black out a game on FX via DirecTV for a certain market.... strange...

Kristie, welcome. One cool thing about this forum is that the day a station goes live with DTV or HDTV, it will be announced here by someone!

There is lots of info on KRDO and KOAA in the last page or two...none of it great. But there's still a good chance for this year yet, we think.

I didn't know they could black out a game on FX via DirecTV for a certain market.... strange...
I could go into detail, but they have the capability to black out anything for any zip code. I spent a year in Charlotte, back in '93, helping to write their 1st billing system. And, it's that system that manages just about everything(activations, customer info and yes 'black outs').

So, I assume that Fox has a relationship(owns?) with FX. And the only explaination is that KXRM not being O & O, didn't want anyone to be watching another FOX production. That is the exact reason that the KXRM GM indicated was why they would NOT give me a waiver for FOX HD DNS. And, of course, everyone West of WP has no chance of getting their HD signal.
....jc

ps: Ok, did anyone in the C/S area with D*, get the game on FX last night?

FX is owned by Fox. It's Fox without the O.

I find it strange that a local affiliate has that much power over blackouts. Seems like Fox would like viewers to receive both ball games - $$$$. Also, a local Fox affiliate being able to black out FX is akin to a local NBC affiliate being able to black out CNBC and MSNBC. Doesn't make sense to me and it seems that if Fox allowed an affiliate to black out reception of a sister station (FX), they need a new business plan.

Anybody figure out how to tune FOX HD with Adelphia standard cable with a QAM??? Tuning to 104.2 gives me nothing, but I got CBS to work somehow.

...I find it strange that a local affiliate has that much power over blackouts. Seems like Fox would like viewers to receive both ball games - $$$$. Also, a local Fox affiliate being able to black out FX is akin to a local NBC affiliate being able to black out CNBC and MSNBC. Doesn't make sense to me and it seems that if Fox allowed an affiliate to black out reception of a sister station (FX), they need a new business plan.
I agree 100%. The only difference being that this is a sporting event, and they've got some weird rules for blackouts. Since I don't have any sports subscriptions, this may be the 1st blackout that I've ever seen! I still have not seen evidence that any other D* subscriber in the area was blacked out(R they picking on me?).

Yes, I'm sure the Fox network would want us to get all of their programming. However, since KXRM is not O & O, we are getting the shaft. For instance everyone in the Denver DMA is getting FOXW HD w/o a waiver. In C/S KXRM won't give the waiver out.
....jc

Woo Hoo!! Looks like CBS is broadcasting the Broncos/Pats game in HD!!

at., Oct. 15th
College Football
Alabama @ Mississippi 12-3:30 p.m.
Florida @ LSU* 3:30-7 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 16th
NFL
The NFL Today 12-1 p.m.
Cincinnati @ Tennessee 1-4 p.m.
Miami @ Tampa Bay* 1-4 p.m.
Cleveland @ Baltimore 1-4 p.m.
Jacksonville @ Pittsburgh * 1-4 p.m.
New England @ Denver* 4:15-7 p.m.
San Diego @ Oakland 4:15-7 p.m.
N.Y. Jets @ Buffalo 4:15-7 p.m.
* -- HDTV

GO CHAMPS!!!! (Pats of Course!!!!)

~Josh

Has anyone else been having problems with their Moxi channel guide info being empty or almost empty of information this weekend? I rebooted yesterday but that didn't help... grrr.

-Kelly

Found this post today researching HD in C/S. We've never gotten great analog OTA coverage at our house...so bad that making one channel clear made all the others snowy/shadowy etc.

So today I thought we'd see how good the digital OTA coverage would be. I'm only getting CBS and FOX--but understand that ABC & PBS both broadcast as well. Are they low power?

We're real frustrated because we're trapped into a relationship with Adelphia or DirecTV.

Anyway, we're using a Terk TV55 atenna and a Samsung HD tuner. Any ideas how to get PBS and ABC to come in at all?

Where are you located?

I believe that PBS is a full strength signal but KRDO is still low power.

I can't tell because I am close to Cheyenne Mtn with a direct view of the towers, so all come in strong. I do believe that pickup of digital signals can be sensitive to directional alignment of the antenna.

Other fourm members who are furthur from the signal may be able to give you more usefull feedback.

Roy

We are right next to Cottonwood Creek Park around Dublin Blvd. and Union...so we're a little down in a valley. I can't see Cheyenne Mountain from anywhere but the roof (I think).

I used to be big believer in the Terk TV55 but no longer. The darn thing kept failing so often that I think some of the folks at Soundtrack started to keep one by the front door for me. I use a Zenith Silver Seven and it works well.

PBS, FOX, CBS come in clear as a bell but ABC is terrible. I don't even bother with it.

I'm near Powers and Stetson Hills Blvd.

Is there anyone using D* that is getting the CSU vs BYU game blacked out tonight on Fox RM?

Thanks,
....jc

Found this post today researching HD in C/S. We've never gotten great analog OTA coverage at our house...so bad that making one channel clear made all the others snowy/shadowy etc.

So today I thought we'd see how good the digital OTA coverage would be. I'm only getting CBS and FOX--but understand that ABC & PBS both broadcast as well. Are they low power?

We're real frustrated because we're trapped into a relationship with Adelphia or DirecTV.

Anyway, we're using a Terk TV55 atenna and a Samsung HD tuner. Any ideas how to get PBS and ABC to come in at all?


All the Terk TV antennas are a waste. You could use a bread tie and get better reception than a terk. The more elements there are with proper spacing, the better the antenna is going to work. ABC is in the 70's for me on my D* HDTivo. PBS comes in fine too, but I've never checked what the signal level is.
I use the approx $30 RCA (from HD) with a Winegard preamp. I am 5 miles N of Falcon without sight of Cheyenne Mtn so it would probably work without a preamp in town.
RCA (http://www.rca.com/product/viewdetail/0,2588,PI45483-CI210,00.html?)

The antenna link you showed me looked like it was an old-style roof mounted (or mast mounted). Right?

Anyone you know that can do a roof mount? (Besides me because I won't be able to.)

Thanks...

Is there anyone using D* that is getting the CSU vs BYU game blacked out tonight on Fox RM?

Thanks,
....jc

I noticed it was blacked out as well. The message I received stated the program was not available in my area and to check the guide listing for alt programing. To the best of my knowledge there was not another FOX station carring the game???

I too have a Terk TV-55....This antenna really does depend on orientation if you have such issues as multipath or reflection (due to other house, road traffic, clouds, sun). I live very near two large water towers and I have moved, rotated, etc...my TV-55 many times. My results: I can receive ALL but FOX without a hitch any time of day. OR I can receive ALL but KRDO without a hitch any time of day OR I can recieve ALL and marginally PBS without a hitch.

Now I don't know about any other antenna's, but in the meantime, I can live without OTA ABC or PBS, but as I am waiting on ABC to get their sh*t together, I have left it so that I barely get PBS.

I'm sure other antenna's are far better, but I bought the TV-55 2 years ago, and it mostly does a good job considering my surroundings. Given that, try changing it's position and definitely get it within line of sight of cheyenne mtn. if you can!

Being relatively new, I have what may be a very basic question.

Are analog and digital transmissions sent together? What I mean is this...my antenna gives me analog reception of PBS, CBS, ABC, and FOX. (NBC Channel 30 is there, but really poor quality).

However, no matter what I do--with several different attennae, I still only get digital broadcasts of CBS, FOX and Tube (which comes in on 21-2).

So I'm confused...how could I pick up analog PBS/ABC and not digital PBS/ABC at the same time?

Could it be my STB? I am using a SIR-T451 decoder which shows NO SIGNAL on the PBS / ABC Channels.

Also, is it true the KOAA is going digital in November? What is the latest on that?

Thanks

Being relatively new, I have what may be a very basic question.

Are analog and digital transmissions sent together? What I mean is this...my antenna gives me analog reception of PBS, CBS, ABC, and FOX. (NBC Channel 30 is there, but really poor quality).
No. Each analog or digital channel occupies a 6 Mhz bandwidth. While the stations are still broadcasting both(well some of them) analog & digital, they are on different frequencies. For instance KKTV is broadcasting on channel 11 for analog, and channel 10 for digital(a 6 Mhz separation).

However, no matter what I do--with several different attennae, I still only get digital broadcasts of CBS, FOX and Tube (which comes in on 21-2).
Help me here! What is the 'Tube'? The only thing that I know of on 21-* is KDVR's translator station in Ft. Collins.

So I'm confused...how could I pick up analog PBS/ABC and not digital PBS/ABC at the same time?
That's easy. Analog stations don't really have a 'viewable threshold'. Digital stations do. Analog stations just degrade, Digital stations will completely 'disappear'.

Could it be my STB? I am using a SIR-T451 decoder which shows NO SIGNAL on the PBS / ABC Channels.
Maybe, but doubtful. It's more likely to be your antenna.
....jc

The Tube is some kind of OTA Music Video channel. I picked it up last time I scanned for DTV signals, haven't really watched it though. I believe it's on 21-2.

As far as I can tell Tube is just a music video channel...I've only seen music videos on it. However, I'd much rather see the other networks grrr. Tube comes in on 21-2.

I've read a lot of reviews on the Samsung decoder and the ProBrand. I confess I bought the Samsung on brand recognition...but upon further research, a lot of the reviewers ding it for having a high threshold for decoding. Many have said that with the ProBrand they ended up with a lot more channels.

So, I was thinking of switching...anyone have any good/bad experiences with either model?

Newbie........a little confused. OTA question.

I live in Springs Ranch off of N. Carefree. Last week, I just had Directv bring me out an HR10-250 HD Tivo and they threw in an OTA Antenna purchase and install for free, so I got it. I have signals in 60-70s for all available OTA channels (Fox, PBS, ABC). My experience has been similar to what I have generally read on this forum (bitchin forum, btw) with the OTA signal of KRDO, etc. What puzzles me slightly is KKTV.

I really thought that since CBS said so, I would get the bronco's game against NE in HD. I got jack. The signal is always 0-12 or so. But I don't think that it is the signal...........

I work at home, so I can check reception in the daytime as well. I never get ANY type of signal from the OTA CBS channel EXCEPT @ 2:00pm. They push The Young & The Restless in HD. I check strength at that time, and it is high 60's. After it is over, signal goes to 0.

Did anyone else get the Bronco's game via OTA, or do I have an antenna position problem?

thx,
tofersprings

If the analog signal is strong enough to come in clearly...why would the digital signal be below the threshold?

I love the Tube! Not to derail the topic, but I found it weird that once I got Adelphia I found the Tube on 142. Never seen a "cable" channel also get aired OTA...

If the analog signal is strong enough to come in clearly...why would the digital signal be below the threshold?
If you have a signal meter, check that. If it doesn't have at least 30% you may have a signal strength problem. If it has good strength, but drops to zero every few seconds, you have a multipath problem.

Put plainly, in this low power environment on the front range, reception of digital signals can be a challenge.

You'll need to keep testing, tweaking & hoping.
....jc

I got the game on KKTV-HD with no problems at all. Signal strength was in the mid to low 90's, which is pretty much average for me. I'm a bit farther north, so I'd say you have an antenna issue. Is your antenna easily accessable? If you are using a dish-mounted antenna that may be your problem.

Newbie........a little confused. OTA question.
...
I really thought that since CBS said so, I would get the bronco's game against NE in HD. I got jack. The signal is always 0-12 or so. But I don't think that it is the signal...........
Depending on the receiver, you'd need a signal of at least 30% to be able to lock and view a digital broadcast.
I work at home, so I can check reception in the daytime as well. I never get ANY type of signal from the OTA CBS channel EXCEPT @ 2:00pm. They push The Young & The Restless in HD. I check strength at that time, and it is high 60's. After it is over, signal goes to 0.
So, KKTV boosts the signal for 1 program? I don't buy it. There is something else at play there(Unless you have the special 'Young & Restless' limited edition receiver :cool: ). It could be atmosphere related, and maybe not. I would suspect that it's your antenna.
...jc

If you have a signal meter, check that. If it doesn't have at least 30% you may have a signal strength problem. If it has good strength, but drops to zero every few seconds, you have a multipath problem.

If I had a multipath problem, how would that get fixed?

I received the Bronco game in HD with no problems up here in Gleneagle. CBS also advertised next week's game against the Giants to be in HD. Great!!!!

Yes, it is a dish-mounted antenna.

Guess my clumsy ass is gettin on the roof. I just don't want to mess up what I have now. Fox HD is outstanding.

I will give it a shot. Thx for all of the advice!

tofersprings

In case some of you didn't notice, Adelphia is previewing the NFL Network on channel 78. I don't know how long it's been up or how long it will continue but I found it Saturday morning when scanning for cartoons for my daughter. Now that's something that should be broadcast in HD, and maybe it will when they start charging for it or add it to whatever tier. Anyone know more about it?

In case some of you didn't notice, Adelphia is previewing the NFL Network on channel 78. I don't know how long it's been up or how long it will continue but I found it Saturday morning when scanning for cartoons for my daughter. Now that's something that should be broadcast in HD, and maybe it will when they start charging for it or add it to whatever tier. Anyone know more about it?

Yeah, this is it's second week. I hope they leave it on, its great!

Anybody figure out how to tune FOX HD with Adelphia standard cable with a QAM??? Tuning to 104.2 gives me nothing, but I got CBS 11-711 to work somehow.

Anybody know???

FYI, the NFL Network is a permanent addition to Adelphia's digital tier.

Yeah, this is it's second week. I hope they leave it on, its great!


I hadn't noticed that. But I noticed it IS on channel 177. I have been missing it greatly since losing Voom. I'm glad they finally picked it up.

So, I'm the only one who's lost all my programming data on the Moxi the past several days? A tech is coming out this afternoon so hopefully they can help. The CSR said she got several calls on this issue in my area but had no clue other than rebooting the Moxi (which I had already tried on two different days). Well hopefully a solution is forthcoming soon.

I agree 100%. The only difference being that this is a sporting event, and they've got some weird rules for blackouts. Since I don't have any sports subscriptions, this may be the 1st blackout that I've ever seen! I still have not seen evidence that any other D* subscriber in the area was blacked out(R they picking on me?).

My understanding about blackouts is that if you live within 50 miles of the event and the event is not already sold out by game time then they will blackout the game to "encourage" ticket sales of the game. This is suppose to be a stipulation for being able to broadcast the game.

For Cable, the 50 miles originates from the station (i.e. distance from the stadium to the station, not your house) but I don't know how they do it for OTA transmissions (control the power output and direction?) SAT can be controlled based on billing address.

I just bought the Pro Brand decoder. I now get all Colorado Springs channels. Oddly, signal on PBS in the high 60s, but wouldn't decode with the Samsung. ABC is decoding fine for me with signal in the high 20s/low 30s. So overall, the Pro Brand is working just great.

Anyone ever able to receive a signal from the Denver stations?

Anyone ever able to receive a signal from the Denver stations?
This question comes up from time to time. The short answer is no, not in Colorado Springs.

Is it mainly an antenna/signal strength issue? Or are they blocked somehow? Just curious...

Signal strength. Check out the Denver HDTV thread for details. Basically they are having problems getting antenas built and there are low power issues as well.I believe that there are some folks that live north of the Palmer Ridge that can get a signal but you really need to be farther north (Castle Rock) to pick up a decent signal.

Anyone in Rockrimmon getting good OTA DT signals? Actually, to be more specific, anyone in a valley in Rockrimmon getting good OTA DT signals? I have the Alegheny Dr ridge between me and Cheyenne Mtn. If I climb to the top of the hill in my backyard, which is quite steep and a good distance away from my house, I can actually see Cheyenne Mtn along side a house on the next ridge. If I climb up on my rooftop I can see that house, but not Cheyenne Mtn. That leads me to surmise that I have a 50-50 chance of pulling in the DTs with my HDTiVo. Any experiences or suggestions here appreciated.

Upon calling Adelphia to ask about them, the CSR told me they only had the Moxi box. After I told her how to find the web page, she agreed it looked like there were other choices. Suffice to say, I didn't get much information. Has anyone used these other DVR's with Adelphia HDTV? How do you like them? How do they compare to Replay or Tivo as far as functionality and menus go?
I just upgraded to HD DVR and I also got the Moxi. According to the CSR I spoke with, Adelphia has a contract in Colorado to use the Moxi only. He said the SA box is used on the east coast but isn't available in Colorado.

I have not been thrilled with the Moxi. I tried using the DVI port and had mixed results. Some of the channels came in great; others made the box lose its signal. I tried everything I could think of but the best I could get was most HD channels working ok but 708 would alwasy lose the signal. Also, all non-HD channels got the vertical bars on either end of the picture and I couldn't figure out how to turn that off. I'd personally rather have it just fit to screen and let me be able to adjust my TV than have the box just do it for me. I ended up having to stop using the DVI and go back to standard component. Has anyone else had any luck with the DVI on the Moxi?

Other than that, I like the features of the Moxi and really like being able to record HD. Now if only KRDO would broadcast HD, I could catch some of those easter eggs in 'Lost'......

Anyone in Rockrimmon getting good OTA DT signals? Actually, to be more specific, anyone in a valley in Rockrimmon getting good OTA DT signals? I have the Alegheny Dr ridge between me and Cheyenne Mtn. If I climb to the top of the hill in my backyard, which is quite steep and a good distance away from my house, I can actually see Cheyenne Mtn along side a house on the next ridge. If I climb up on my rooftop I can see that house, but not Cheyenne Mtn. That leads me to surmise that I have a 50-50 chance of pulling in the DTs with my HDTiVo. Any experiences or suggestions here appreciated.

As a first pass, you might just take a basic set-top antenna (rabbit ears, whatever) and see what sort of strength #'s you can pull on the HDTivo. You might be surprised at what you get (I was). Even if you can't lock on a decent signal, you can get a feel for how far you need to go. If rabbit ears register 15-25 on the HDTivo strength meter, maybe a decent outdoor antenna could bump you into the 50's or 60's or even higher, which should be plenty. And as a 2nd pass, before plopping down time/$$ on a decent rooftop antenna install, you might home run a length of coax and drag it up to the roof with some rabbit ears (just temporarily obviously) to see what sort of #'s the extra height buys you. Maybe you can get by with an attic install, etc.

Definitely test with KKTV or KXRM - they're broadcasting at full strength.

-Sean

I recently added a 10 db signal amplifier to my outdoor OTA. I use an outdoor AntennasDirect DB8. I live in FoxRun just east of Glen Eagle. I use an HR10-250 HD DirecTivo. Peaks showing here for Tuner1 and Tuner 2, averages are not far behind. Here's the signal peaks I get.


CH.......Network......Freq...Peak (T1/T2)
8-1.......PBS/KTSC.....26.....79/78
11-1.....CBS/KKTV.....10.....89/90
13-1.....ABC/KRDO....24....16/17 *
21-1.....FOX/KXRM.....22.....81/82
21-2.....FOX/TUBE.....22.....81/82


If you live in this area (Tallguy, Bruno) how do these compare to your signal peaks?

* KRDO is all over the place with signal strength. Typically it shows as 16/17, with spikes to 30/42 which is still insufficient to get an adequate picture.

Adding this new 10 db amp has allowed me to finally get a decent signal for PBS/KTSC, although it's rare that they broadcast anything in HD of interest to me.

I use an HR10-250 HD DirecTivo. Peaks showing here for Tuner1 and Tuner 2, averages are not far behind. Here's the signal peaks I get.


21-2 FOX/TUBE 22 81/82



Hey Rmassey-

How do you get 21-2 to show up in the HDTivo channel guide? I get similar signal strengths for the other channels, but 21-2 isn't listed for me.

Thanks,
Sean

Re: 21-2/ Tube

I don't know, I just did the initial setup and did the OTA scan and it picked up fine. I also used to see this on an RCA DTC 100 with no problem.

Anyone in Rockrimmon getting good OTA DT signals? Actually, to be more specific, anyone in a valley in Rockrimmon getting good OTA DT signals? I have the Alegheny Dr ridge between me and Cheyenne Mtn. If I climb to the top of the hill in my backyard, which is quite steep and a good distance away from my house, I can actually see Cheyenne Mtn along side a house on the next ridge. If I climb up on my rooftop I can see that house, but not Cheyenne Mtn. That leads me to surmise that I have a 50-50 chance of pulling in the DTs with my HDTiVo. Any experiences or suggestions here appreciated.

Suggestion: Get Adelphia & a MOXI :p

I have not been thrilled with the Moxi. I tried using the DVI port and had mixed results. Some of the channels came in great; others made the box lose its signal. I tried everything I could think of but the best I could get was most HD channels working ok but 708 would alwasy lose the signal. Also, all non-HD channels got the vertical bars on either end of the picture and I couldn't figure out how to turn that off. I'd personally rather have it just fit to screen and let me be able to adjust my TV than have the box just do it for me. I ended up having to stop using the DVI and go back to standard component. Has anyone else had any luck with the DVI on the Moxi?


Currently, the DVI port only works with HD signals. 708 is PBS...digital, but not HD. You can use the component output in conjunction with the DVI to pull both HD and 480i signals or uncheck 480i in the HD setup on the MOXI and let it upconvert the 480i signals; quality's not that great though. Or you could just use component and wait for 480i-enabled DVI support. The PQ is very similar, IMHO.

The black bars for the 480i signal is just the MOXI's native passthrough. It adds the bars to keep the picture size unaltered. You can stretch/zoom with your TV's functions, uncheck 480i on the MOXI, etc. to get rid of them.

splinke has a great FAQ here (http://users.adelphia.net/~ksoltmann/SPLMoxiFAQ.htm).

Rmassey - Believe it or not I still do not have HD! Mostly because we just don't watch enough TV to justify the cost of entry. Plus I am saving my money for HD-DVD/Blu-Ray.

If you live in this area, how do these compare to your signal peaks?


Data for Arrowwood (N of 105, E of Furrow) using a Winegard SS-2000 attached to a HR10-250:

8-1: 92/92
11-1: 92/92
13-1: 82/53
21-1,2: 92/92

CH.......Network......Freq...Peak (T1/T2)
8-1.......PBS/KTSC.....26.....79/78
11-1.....CBS/KKTV.....10.....89/90
13-1.....ABC/KRDO....24....16/17 *
21-1.....FOX/KXRM.....22.....81/82
21-2.....FOX/TUBE.....22.....81/82


If you live in this area (Tallguy, Bruno) how do these compare to your signal peaks?

* KRDO is all over the place with signal strength. Typically it shows as 16/17, with spikes to 30/42 which is still insufficient to get an adequate picture.

Adding this new 10 db amp has allowed me to finally get a decent signal for PBS/KTSC, although it's rare that they broadcast anything in HD of interest to me.
My signal strengths are very similar. KRDO's low power signal is not enough to lock onto, but it's only DTV. Also, remember that KTSC/PBS doesn't have any HD at all yet.

Although I live in PW I get all of the stations just fine, 8-1, 10-1, 11-1, 13-1, 21-1, 21-2, 26-1, even on rabbit ears. Since I have been out of the loop for a while do you think we will ever see any HD from ABC or NBC within the next 20 years? It seems the only stations I watch any more is 11-1 and 21-1. All this meat and no potatoes!

I can't bring myself to watch MNF since I can't seem to see any of the plays or even who's playing.

Oh well, I guess we are at the mercy of those who don't think HD is important when it comes to watching TV. Now if only the Satellites could bring us more content since cable is too far from coming. Too bad Voom went away!!!

Here's what Joe Reed (KRDO Engineer) had to say back on Aug 26. He won't respond to any of my emails asking what the hell happened to this terrific mistake in estimation!

We are shooting for the beginning of the NFL regular season Sept 8 2005 to begin broadcasting LIVE events with HD content.
As far as our network delay feeds I do not have a time frame at this time.
We are waiting for our encoder equipment to arrive and working out the details of our HD delay server.
We are planning our transmitter to be at full power by October 2005.

thanks for viewing

Joe Reed
Chief Engineer
Pikes Peak Broadcasting
719-575-6213

Data for Arrowwood (N of 105, E of Furrow) using a Winegard SS-2000 attached to a HR10-250:

8-1: 92/92
11-1: 92/92
13-1: 82/53
21-1,2: 92/92

Wow, 13-1: 82/53 can you get a lock on this one?

My signal strengths are very similar. KRDO's low power signal is not enough to lock onto, but it's only DTV. Also, remember that KTSC/PBS doesn't have any HD at all yet.

That's what I thought, but not sure, since I hardly ever watch PBS. I tivo Austin City Limts off the PBS D* Local feed rather than OTA.

Wow, 13-1: 82/53 can you get a lock on this one?

If I'm on tuner 1, then yes. Never have been able to explain the difference in signal strength between the two tuners. Just figured it was KRDO's crappy signal, which isn't worth watching anyway. I'll worry about it when they go HD, which at their current rate of progress will be sometime in the 2010 - 2015 timeframe. :rolleyes:

well folks it's time to let KRDO know how you feel about their lack o progress. You the viewer are their bread and butter. Let the advertisers know that you won't support them by purchasing anything that is advertised on KRDO. Let the management know that you do not and, will not watch their station until they have a full power HD signal on the air.

We can sit around and belly ache about it or we can try to make an impact.

One station at a time folks. KRDO first then KOAA.

KRDO Management
Patti Hoth, President
Phone: 719-632-1515
Email Address: hoth@krdotv.com

Sent my email. Anyone else?

And KRDO's engineer told me recently that they should be full power by October 19 - even without HD.

So, I guess we're all getting full strength DTV from KRDO by now, right? Right!
I guess I need to send that email.

Thanks Frank for the KRDO president's email. I just sent mine.

Ms. Hoth-

I am an interested viewer in the north part of Colorado Springs, and I have a substantial investment in my home theater. I'm sure you have experienced HDTV along the way somewhere and have seen what an amazing experience it is.

Anyway, it is great that KKTV and KXRM have made the leap to HDTV, and we are waiting for KRDO to join them ("we" meaning all of the other HDTV owners out here - the stats on people buying big screens, widescreens, projectors, etc. are jumping!) I know it's a substantial investment for the station, but it also makes viewers want to tune in much more. Right now I would rather watch anything in HD on FOX or CBS or ESPN or ESPN2 or Discovery or Universal or Showtime or HDNet or HDNet Movies than anything in low-definition on ABC-KRDO. It is just too blurry on my 65" TV.

Also, your current low-power DTV (not HDTV) signal is too weak to lock onto, and I am not too far away in Gleneagle, south of Monument.

So if there is anything you can do to accelerate the transition to 21st century technology instead of 1950s technology, I would love to start watching more ABC and all the expensive programming that ABC invests in nationally. As it stands now, I wouldn't have any idea what your advertisers are showing on KRDO in low definition...

Thanks for listening.

Come on, people, let's complain to the right people instead of only preaching to the choir on this forum!

Have a good weekend everybody. Go Broncos, in HD! Thank you KKTV!

Here's mine:

Hello Ms. Hoth-

I am a viewer in the KRDO broadcast area, and I am very interested in HDTV. I find that if a broadcast isn't HD, I'm not really interested in watching. I realize the conversion to HD is a costly proposition for local affiliates, but I would just like to let you know that there are many of us out there in the Colorado Springs viewing area that KRDO missing because it isn't broadcasting in HD. I would love to watch Monday Night Football, Lost, etc., in HD, but until KRDO converts, I'll be watching KXRM-HD and KKTV-HD.


-Sean

Here's mine....
Ms. Hoth,
I have been a KRDO viewer for many years and have been waiting patiently for your station to begin broadcasting an HDTV signal. To be quite honest I'm tired of waiting. I will no longer watch KRDO nor will I support any local business that advertises on your station until such time that you begin broadcasting an HDTV signal...and I can promise you that I'm not the only one that feels this way.

Dear Ms./Mr. KOAA, KKTV & KRDO,
Thank you for providing me a waiver so that I can watch your networks' programming in HD. I really appreciate it. I also realize, and probably so do you, that no one in my locale can possibly receive C/S HD signals. You all have responded in a responsible manner to my situation.

Dear Ms./Mr. KXRM,
I would like to thank you for being the a$$hole that you are. When I spoke with your GM on the phone, and was told that waivers were not an option, you showed your true colors. Not only did you try to lie to me regarding the status of HD waivers, you told me that you didn't want anyone watching another Fox station. Yet, you can't provide me with an HD signal. You seem to think that because I happen to live in 'your' DMA, that you own me.
SHREVA is another piece of money bought legislation, but it does give people like me a few rights that you don't want give. The Right To An HD Signal. So, as the days count down to 04/30/06, I'll be working hard to enhance my antenna system(so I can receive KDVR - Denver) so I never have to watch your pathetic station again. If I fail, the clock is ticking.
....jc

I sent mine....now we are going to have to really contact those advertisers...........ummm.....anybody know of any :rolleyes:

Hi...apparently we were told, "And KRDO's engineer told me recently that they should be full power by October 19 - even without HD"

So....where is it? Also, a lot of us that have HD theaters and the money invested in it are going to start contacting your advertisers and letting them know that we will not support them or anything they sell. KKTV and KXRM are at full HD.....what's the matter with you?

heh heh....I never claimed to be an English major... :D

Here's mine. I hope it helps:

Ms. Hoth,

I am a resident of Peyton, just north and east of Colorado Springs. I moved here from New England back in January and have really fallen in love with the region. One of the things I made a priority in purchasing my new home was a home-theater in our basement rec room complete with High Definition receiver and projector. This past August I was able to make my dream a reality and had hoped that I would be able to take full advantage of the HD experience with the fall television season.

Some of my favorite programs (Lost, Alias, Desperate Housewives, et al.) are all broadcast in HD by ABC, but to my dismay, they are not available on your station. I had heard from your chief engineer, Joe Reed, that you were expecting to have your HD decoding equipment in place by the start of the Monday Night Football season kickoff on September 8th (a New England Patriots game I might add) which alas never came to fruition. Joe told me that the equipment was expected to have arrived and been installed and tested but there was a delay in the shipment and he fully expected that things would be in place if not for the following Monday (Sept 12th) then the week after.

Well, here we are a full 6 weeks past *that* deadline and HD on KRDO is not yet a reality. I am not alone in my dismay. There is a rather large segment of the local population that is eagerly awaiting the opportunity to view HD content on your station but is continually frustrated by the ability to do so. A big part of the frustration is the lack of information coming from your station regarding your progress in implementing the technology. Numerous calls and e-mails to Joe Reed have gone unanswered.

Because of this, I must regretfully inform you that I will not be patronizing any of your advertisers until you begin broadcasting in HD. If you are unable to begin broadcasting in HD I will have to wait for my favorite shows to be released on DVD later in the year to catch up, but in the meantime I will be viewing the HD content available to me on the local CBS (KKTV-HD) and FOX (KXRM-HD) affiliates instead.

Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter.

Ed

Excellent!!

Great letter, Ed

I notice we got a lot of responses today from Patti

So has Ms. Hoth responded to anyone? I actually got a response from Joe Reed but of course it was the generic "We are not broadcasting any HD content at this time. At this time I do not have a firm date when we will begin our HD broadcasts." This reminds me of those customer service commercials by DHL.....

Currently, the DVI port only works with HD signals. 708 is PBS...digital, but not HD. You can use the component output in conjunction with the DVI to pull both HD and 480i signals or uncheck 480i in the HD setup on the MOXI and let it upconvert the 480i signals; quality's not that great though. Or you could just use component and wait for 480i-enabled DVI support. The PQ is very similar, IMHO.

On my TV, I actually notice quite a difference between the DVI and component. That's why I spent hours trying to get it to work right. Unfortunately, I can't switch between DVI and component on my TV because I haven't upgraded my receiver yet to be in the 21st century with my TV so I can only run audio off one or the other :( Guess that'll have to be my next Christmas present to myself.

So has Ms. Hoth responded to anyone?
Not to me.

As a first pass, you might just take a basic set-top antenna (rabbit ears, whatever) and see what sort of strength #'s you can pull on the HDTivo. You might be surprised at what you get (I was). Even if you can't lock on a decent signal, you can get a feel for how far you need to go. If rabbit ears register 15-25 on the HDTivo strength meter, maybe a decent outdoor antenna could bump you into the 50's or 60's or even higher, which should be plenty. And as a 2nd pass, before plopping down time/$$ on a decent rooftop antenna install, you might home run a length of coax and drag it up to the roof with some rabbit ears (just temporarily obviously) to see what sort of #'s the extra height buys you. Maybe you can get by with an attic install, etc.

Definitely test with KKTV or KXRM - they're broadcasting at full strength.

-Sean

Well, since my setup is in a basement which is below ground on all sides, rabbit ears down there are not an option. So, I picked up a Terk dish-top antenna and sent my neighbor up to the rooftop. When he held it over his head I was able to tune in KKTV (signal of 70 or so) and got a weak signal reading for KXRM. If he lowered it, KXRM started going in and out, mostly out. So, any experience with any of these yagis: http://www.antennasdirect.com/yagi_antenna.html ?

Has anyone heard anything at all from this Ms. Hoss yet? I'm betting that no one has or will. Anyway I have an amusing story to tell. Last week I noticed my signal strengths going down on almost all channels, I use an HD-Tivo. I went up on the roof again to re-aim the ancient antenna that came with the house when I bought it. I had my wife on the phone telling me the signal strengths, flipping between 24, 22, and 10 like mad. After spending around 20 minutes moving the dumb thing in every direction, I realized that no matter what I couldn't pull in all the stations well.

By this time I was getting pissed and uttering choice words about DORK (KRDO) under my breath. I pulled the antenna off the mast and tossed it on the roof, figuring I'd have to get a new one anyway. Just then my wife tells me all signals suddenly went very high! So now my 20+ year old antenna is just laying flat on the roof, pulling in every station at 90+. :D I just hope one of our famous windstorms doesn't come through and blow it off the roof.

Duct tape that mutha in place!!

Still no response here from my email. I doubt they'll respond to anyone.

I wonder if it was the cabling or the connectors rotted out a bit, and that shooked it in place better.

Just a reminder that todays Broncos vs. Eagles game is in HD on FOX.

The Bronco game was in HD until about halfway through the 2nd quarter then KXRM quit transmitting a digital signal. Fortunately the analog was still active. Anybody know what happened to KXRMs DTV signal?

Actually the whole game was in HD but alot of the wide shots were from SD cameras. Even some of the HD left alot to be desired.

Frank, how were you receiving the game? I get it OTA and the KXRM DTV signal was zero. Normally I'm in the low 80s. The other DTV stations (CBS,ABC,PBS) still came in. I did get the KXRM signal via Dishnetwork OK and that of course is SD.

I'm using a Dishnetwork 921 DVR (DBS and OTA-HD) and a Zenith Silver Seven Antenna. My signal strength was 100+ at kickoff and never had any dropouts. Could the weather have been a factor with your reception?

Interesting problem!. I would have thought if the weather were a problem then I would have issues recieving KRDO. I didn't. Right now 8:20PM I still can't get a signal on KXRM.I have never had an issue receiving them before. I'll wait and see what is like tomorrow.

I get the local digital channels ota. I got the game in HD throughout except for a period of about 5 minutes when I got slushy hail. Both KRDO and KXRM went out and came back a few minutes later. I had no problem with the end of the game.

I am on a hillside near the Garden of the Gods with a clear view of Cheyenne Mountain, so it would take a major drop in signal for me to lose it. I think the brief interuption was due to slush on my antenna.

RJO, I don't know if this info helps you. Where are you located?

Roy

Yeah, I had HD from KXRM OTA the whole game, not great PQ but at least not SD. I had a lot of weird audio adjustments, where the overall level and mix would take a dive and then come back later. I guess we're fortunate to have CBS for our main Broncos station and they usually choose to put the Broncs in HD.

I live in Gleneagle, very close to Tallguy. This morning I'm once again receiveing KXRM but lost it yesterday during the game. My bad luck.

Did you reboot or unplug?

Nuggets game wednesday against the Lakers on the schedule to be on Altitude and broadcast nationally on ESPN (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/schedule)

hmmm......I bet Altitude gets to show it and we don't get to watch it on ESPN-HD...they'll black it out.... :mad:

I did not reboot or unplug. I'm still receiving OK. Just don't know what happened Sunday.

Nuggets game wednesday against the Lakers on the schedule to be on Altitude and broadcast nationally on ESPN (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/schedule)

hmmm......I bet Altitude gets to show it and we don't get to watch it on ESPN-HD...they'll black it out.... :mad:
True enough, though I don't think this one is an HD-produced game, just an upconvert to show on ESPN-HD. So both channels would have black bars, players' jersey numbers you can't make out, etc.

Here in Pueblo we got the nuggets game in HD on Altitude on Comcast :) , The ESPN HD was not in HD. They just got the channel working correctly tonight. Can't wait till tomorrow to see the Avalanche in HD. :D

I love ABC. I HATE KRDO. They start shows early, the start them late, they run seemingly endless and unnecessary scrolls on the bottom the screen - usually on top of first run network programing. If the man that says "We now join the following program in progress" gets paid each time they use that recording - he must own his own island by now. Orange sherbet is not a good color scheme for a major network affiliate.

That's not why we are here though. DTV is not acceptable, and their treatment of viewers is just insulting. The don't offer any answers, adhere to deadlines or respond to emails. Complaining does nothing. Action is required and there is power in numbers.

I suggest an all out war of words on two fronts.

1. I suggest everyone interested call local advertisers that run their ads during KRDO News 13 and Good Morning Colorado. If we all decide to call (not email) one specific local advertiser on the same day it will make them take notice. We keep going everyday with a new advertiser until KRDO is tired of getting complaints from the people who pay the bills. It's just a phone call a day - doesn't cost us a dime.

2. KRDO is up for license renewal. I suggest we start filing complaints with the FCC in large numbers. The nature of the complaints isn't as important as the shear number.

KRDO will be likely be forced to respond with improved service. We may consider informing other media outlets of our boycott.

Comments? please be honest. I'm open to suggestions, like most of you - I just want ABC in HDTV, my programs to start on time and no scrolls on the bottom of the screen. I'm fine with whatever works...

I think what we will see down the road and will be more of a nudging factor for stations like KRDO is a change in legislation which will allow satellite/cable viewers who cannot receive HDTV networks through there local affiliates, an automatic waiver to view distant newtorks regardless of where they live. I am surprised that this type of legislation hasn't already been implemented as HDTV developers, both programming and hardware, have a vested intereset in cosumers watching their product and buying their TV sets and receivers. What good does it do NBC to invest in HD content if everyone can't watch it?

Perhpaps we should contact, and I don't have a clue on any names just yet, manufacturers such as Samsung, Sony, the Networks directly, satellite providers of HD content, and most importantly, the senators and representatives we elected to make laws on our behalf.

Just my $.02....because I don't think KRDO could honestly give a rats ass. Nor do I think there are enough of us "locally" to do any damage. But on a grander scale, there is power in numbers. I'm sure Denver and Colorado Springs are not the only cities disenjoying years worth of angst because of stations like KRDO.

What do you think??

Valid points to be sure...I also have concerns about the numbers here (a few dozen at most?). Regardless, KRDO needs to be taken down a peg - you can go to the news blogs and read postings from local stations employees - KKTV & KOAA employees seem the happiest (and it shows) apparently KRDO treats their employees with the same distain they treat viewers. All stations make mistakes - KRDO doesn't seem interested in fixing, or even communicating with the public - just a complete disregard for viewers wants and needs. If anyone knows how to complain to ABC directly about this, I'd love to know.

I agree with you about changing the law (although that is a fish considerably larger than KRDO) - but networks and studios are too obsessed with the ridiculous and viewer unfriendly broadcast flag (it's evil I tells ya...evil) and DRM to concern themselves with little things like making viewers happy. Oddly enough, they are more focused on people "stealing" HD programs than on who is actually receiving them.

I am surprised that this type of legislation hasn't already been implemented as HDTV developers, both programming and hardware, have a vested intereset in cosumers watching their product and buying their TV sets and receivers.

I agree with this completely. I'm looking all over ABC's and Disney's sites and I can't find any place to file a complaint other than the generic Contact Us page at http://abc.go.com/site/contactus.html. It's worth a shot but I seriously doubt we would get any kind of useful response. Maybe contacting a Congressman about legislation might be helpful. Unfortunately none of the Colorado Congressman are on any of the related committees but it wouldn't hurt to try. Joel Hefley is our local representative and his contact info is at http://www.house.gov/hefley/contact.shtm#coloradosprings . Even though he's from Michigan, Fred Upton is the chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, which oversees the DTV Transition Act. His contact info is at http://www.house.gov/upton/contact.html . Unfortunately, there is a push from his parent committee, Energy and Commerce, to push the deadline date from December 31, 2006 to December 31, 2008 http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/Hearings/05262005hearing1533/The_Honorable_Joe_Barton.htm

Maybe contacting these guys could influence something....

Great information MsBob - thanks for the research.

I will send off an email or two but I too doubt this will have any real effect. Politicians usually have little interest in anything that doesn't directly benefit them, they respond to money and pressure groups who can make them look bad come election time.

The FCC is a prime example - they do little if anything regarding tv violence (not that they should) but two seconds of a nipple at the super bowl and all hell breaks loose. The FCC reacted faster to complaints (Less than 12 hours) than FEMA did for hurricane Katrina. Half the world's population are women, so how exactly are breasts "evil" and harming our children?

And lets not forget the broadcast "flag" - it doesn't benefit anyone, including the producers of the content that are pushing for it. Networks should be increasing product placement and sponsored programming and making shows easier to view on tv and the web. Instead they're worried about future DVD sales, when on-demand content is the wave of the future. A monthly fee for any tv show, movie, song or magazine anytime, anywhere. Make it easy for people to get exactly what they want - when they want it, and the money will pour in.

Great information MsBob - thanks for the research.

I will send off an email or two ...

I have already done the same. Both Salad-Bar and Allard have been emailed. I have also forwarded my concerns to DirecTV. Granted it probably won't matter, but much in the same as writing KRDO, it wouldn't hurt to try. They won't know there's a problem by just guessing!

I have already done the same. Both Salad-Bar and Allard have been emailed. I have also forwarded my concerns to DirecTV. Granted it probably won't matter, but much in the same as writing KRDO, it wouldn't hurt to try. They won't know there's a problem by just guessing!
They(the stations) can ignore you as long as they want. You need to up the ante. When they start to look bad, that's when things will happen. The best place is probably getting a letter(or 2 or 3) to the editor published in the Gazette.

That's the route I'm planning to take with KXRM. Where I live, West of WP, there is no possibility of a digital signal from the Springs. Zip, Nada, None. When a station(KXRM) denies a waiver 'Just Because They Can', and deny people HD TV, then it's time for the gloves to come off.
....jc

They(the stations) can ignore you as long as they want. You need to up the ante. When they start to look bad, that's when things will happen. The best place is probably getting a letter(or 2 or 3) to the editor published in the Gazette.

That's the route I'm planning to take with KXRM. Where I live, West of WP, there is no possibility of a digital signal from the Springs. Zip, Nada, None. When a station(KXRM) denies a waiver 'Just Because They Can', and deny people HD TV, then it's time for the gloves to come off.
....jc


You are so right....if we could all coordinate an effort to write to the Gazette, maybe we could get some movement. I mean, if they would just grant us a waiver for distant networks, then we could give about the same care for them as they care for us!!! If we are so insignificant to them in terms of size, then why the big deal in letting us go on a case by case basis?? Man I don't get it! :mad:

I work at the Regional Building Dept. and review/approve the majority of all the new Commercial Building plans for El Paso County. I have on my desk a plan for KOAA's TV transmitter building located on Cheyenne Mtn. I'm guessing that the building's purpose is to house their HD stuff, but I'm not sure as there is nothing in electrical plans that says HD. Just a bunch of transformers, power amplifiers and voltage regulators. Keep your fingers crossed maybe NBC HD is just around the corner for Colorado Springs. :)

Keep your fingers crossed maybe NBC HD is just around the corner for Colorado Springs. :)
When will you be approving this facility?

And with winter just about here(especially on top of Cheyenne Mtn.), when do you think construction would be completed? July '06?

And, what has KOAA been saying about having HD on the air?
....jc

I wrote to Joel Hefly awhile back regarding HDTV, I think it was something reagarding satelite waivers when your local station doesn't broadcast in HD.

I got a slightly condescending sounding response back from him, much of which I don't remember other than the part about him not seeing what the big deal is with HD because he didn't see much of a difference!! :eek:

So either he was looking at a pretty crappy HD set up, or he's so old his eyes can't tell the differnce :D , or (most likely) he's never actually seen any HD.

Go ahead and write/email everyone you can (I emailed a number of people at KRDO yesterday), it certainly can't make matters worse but don't hold your breath on it making matters better!

Rob

When will you be approving this facility?

And with winter just about here(especially on top of Cheyenne Mtn.), when do you think construction would be completed? July '06?

And, what has KOAA been saying about having HD on the air?
....jc


I just approved the architectural and structural plans for construction. They still need to get approval from a few other depts., electrical and fire, before they can pull a permit. But once they get the approvals I would guess they could construct this simple small building (only 900 sq ft) in around 3-4 weeks. I would then guess that they would need another 2-3 weeks to get all the electrical equipment up and running. So maybe by the end of the year we might see HD from KOAA? Again thats just a guess. So keep your fingers crossed.

Let's see if I've got this straight. KOAA is in a top 100 market, is a big 4 affiliate, has never had an STA, failed to meet the full power July 1, 2005 deadline, has an FCC construction license for its digital facility that expires November 12, 2005, is finally getting around to securing building permits from El Paso county just before the weather turns bad, and viewers are supposed to keep their fingers crossed?

http://www.koaa.com/info/
KOAA and HDTV - Updated 09-19-05
On November 12 th 2004, the FCC granted KOAA their Construction Permit (CP) for Digital Television (DTV) KOAA-DT. KOAA has purchased the associated digital transmitter equipment from the manufacturer, the installation of some of the equipment is in progress. The construction process of the transmitter building has begun as well. The estimated time of building completion is December 2005, after which the installation of the previously purchased equipment can be installed weather permitting. The on air date of KOAA-DT is tentatively scheduled for December of 2005. Programming will be all “standard definition” digital and will have 4 hours of High Definition in prime time hours, as well as a few programs during the daytime schedule when it is available. The format (4X3 vs. 16X9) will depend on the supplier of the programs, our NBC HDTV should always be in 1080i. For more information on HDTV in general go to the Advanced Television web site.
So "the construction process has started - just meaning that they were thinking about applying for a permit 6 weeks ago?? I think the chances of having NBC in HD for the Olympics in February are dwindling.

You all sound like you're getting fed up with the whole scene here - who can blame us? I agree with trying to get the Gazette to explain publicly what is and isn't going on.

Maybe it's time to look at becoming a "southern Canadian" satellite subscriber to get all the networks in HD, or a "western New Yorker" works as well. Or even ********** can get widescreen, somewhat compressed HD shows from ABC, NBC or anyone else, without commercials. They look decent on a laptop - I don't know if they would look like regular HD if played on an HTPC onto a giant screen...

In all reality, we HD' ers are a minority. No matter how much we complain, our chances of expediting the local networks business plans are slim to none.

I've given up on KOAA and KRDO.

In all reality, we HD' ers are a minority. No matter how much we complain, our chances of expediting the local networks business plans are slim to none.

I've given up on KOAA and KRDO.

I'm to the point where I'm ready to fake my address in order to get HD on all channels. Personally, I could give a crap about the local news or weather. We live in an information age where I can get the news I want a whole lot faster than can be broadcasted. And as far as commercials go? Anyone heard of TiVo!!!???

Exactly, if the local stations abandon us, we can abandon them... If/when they come back to us, I would love to use their OTA HD signals.

In all reality, we HD' ers are a minority. No matter how much we complain, our chances of expediting the local networks business plans are slim to none.

I've given up on KOAA and KRDO.

I don't agree. No, we may not have a majority, but KKTV and KXRM know that there are quite a few of us out here. KRDO was, is, and probably always be a hick station run by short sighted managers. KOAA will always be third string because they can't see past the Pueblo County line, they haven't changed much in the past 30 years.

Send your emails....weekly!! Let the management of those stations know that you are still out there demanding a better product than what they are offering.

Don't give up the fight.

I am So fed up, that I've almost given up. I'm counting the days 'til I can get the heck out of here back to a top 10 DMA. This is a new experience for me. Not to mention the abysmal music on the FM dial. Every 5th song is AC/DC or Prince. I'm not 22 and I don't need music only from the last 6 months, but come on people! And they're the same ten 80's and 90's artists I swear. And don't EVEN get me started on the local newscasts....

Oh how I miss my Lost and other ABC shows in high def. Plus, it seems that Adelphia blocks P2P ports so I can't use ********** to d/l a show if I missed a week. I would definitely pay a nominal fee to see a broadcast show in HD On Demand. After all, the DVR is tiny for HD storage purposes.

--Kelly

(we won't even talk about the lack of a Trader Joe's in this state. :o )



You all sound like you're getting fed up with the whole scene here - who can blame us? I agree with trying to get the Gazette to explain publicly what is and isn't going on.

I am So fed up, that I've almost given up. I'm counting the days 'til I can get the heck out of here back to a top 10 DMA. This is a new experience for me. Not to mention the abysmal music on the FM dial. Every 5th song is AC/DC or Prince. I'm not 22 and I don't need music only from the last 6 months, but come on people! And they're the same ten 80's and 90's artists I swear. And don't EVEN get me started on the local newscasts....
Kelly,
Try 103.5 'The Fox' in Denver. That's about all that I listen to. However, I live up outside WP, so reception here is easier than in the Springs.

Oh how I miss my Lost and other ABC shows in high def. Plus, it seems that Adelphia blocks P2P ports so I can't use ********** to d/l a show if I missed a week. I would definitely pay a nominal fee to see a broadcast show in HD On Demand. After all, the DVR is tiny for HD storage purposes.
I also receive ABC HD up here from Denver. However, it's not a given that everyone up here can receive it, because they can't.

Your best bet would be to consider 'moving' or the 'Canadian Connection'. If there's a will there's a way!
....jc

I don't think Adelphia blocks ********** - I haven't had a problem.

As far as FM, the radio conglomerates have messed it all up. The answers are XM or Sirius, and if you don't want to pay the $10-12/month, jack the iPod into the car and get your custom library of songs. (But no FM modulator, they stink!)

... The answers are XM or Sirius, and ...

I am an XM convert. I never thought I'd ever see a need/want for it, but since I got it with my new car for 3 free months, I went ahead and paid for 3 years of subscription. It's that addicting! Off topic, I know, but thought I'd throw that in.

All Out war....

How many of you have spent thousands... if not tens of thousands on your ht setup? How many are going to be madder than HELL when the superbowl runs at the current status quo and KRDO gives us all the middle fin9er with NO responses, NO waivers, and NO HD?

How serious are the readers of this forum about their LOCAL HD content? Are you serious enough to make this a PUBLIC issue?....Serious enough to contribute a Friday afternoon on a picket line in front of KRDO?

Intelligent coordination is THE answer! Along with notification of our actions to other major media outlets we CAN have an impact.

If a picture is worth thousands... negative pictures can be worth much more (just ask fox news).

So I OFFICIALLY propose as a humble member of this great forum, to form an informal organization that will FORMALLY create a date before the end of each month to PICKET and PROTEST under the God Given RIGHTS of the United States of America, on the sidewalk and in front of one:

KRDO TELEVISION ABC
399 South 8th Street
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO 80901
Phone: (719) 575-6285

All in favor? Do I hear a second? Okay.. now lets hear some dates! Or are you that serious?

All Out war....

So I OFFICIALLY propose as a humble member of this great forum, to form an informal organization that will FORMALLY create a date before the end of each month to PICKET and PROTEST under the God Given RIGHTS of the United States of America, on the sidewalk and in front of one:

KRDO TELEVISION ABC
399 South 8th Street
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO 80901
Phone: (719) 575-6285

All in favor? Do I hear a second? Okay.. now lets hear some dates! Or are you that serious?

I live about 2 blocks from their office and have this Friday off. How's this coming Friday sound?

Here's the email I just sent to the Pres, the GM, Station Relations, Chief Engineer, News Director, and General Mailbox of KRDO. Let's see if I get a response...

Ladies & Gentlemen,

I know you don't care too much about making a move to HDTV anytime soon. You have indicated this through your failure to even respond to emails from members of the community asking why you are taking so long. Both Fox and CBS locally have managed to have their stations transmitting HD signals for some time now. Kudos to them. You apparantly were going to be third in line by the start of this fall's programming but something happened. What, we don't know. Many have called and written to find out but you still will not provide any answers or a new timeframe. We are tired of waiting.

I wanted to be the first to let you know what is brewing because of your actions. Perhaps you are familiar with an invention called the Internet which has brought a way for people to come together in forums and discuss/debate anything that comes to mind. I invite you to visit such a place and see for yourself just how serious many members of this community are about your lack of movement towards HD. Here is a sample of the latest posting:

All Out war....

How many of you have spent thousands... if not tens of thousands on your ht setup? How many are going to be madder than HELL when the superbowl runs at the current status quo and KRDO gives us all the middle fin9er with NO responses, NO waivers, and NO HD?

How serious are the readers of this forum about their LOCAL HD content? Are you serious enough to make this a PUBLIC issue?....Serious enough to contribute a Friday afternoon on a picket line in front of KRDO?

Intelligent coordination is THE answer! Along with notification of our actions to other major media outlets we CAN have an impact.

If a picture is worth thousands... negative pictures can be worth much more (just ask fox news).

So I OFFICIALLY propose as a humble member of this great forum, to form an informal organization that will FORMALLY create a date before the end of each month to PICKET and PROTEST under the God Given RIGHTS of the United States of America, on the sidewalk and in front of one:

KRDO TELEVISION ABC
399 South 8th Street
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO 80901
Phone: (719) 575-6285

All in favor? Do I hear a second? Okay.. now lets hear some dates! Or are you that serious?

If you are interested in reading more, just visit http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6493578#post6493578 and feel free to look around. Incidentally, all the members of that forum would request is for you to issue waivers to our satellite providers to allow us to watch the Los Angeles feed of ABC, or simply quit dragging your feet on the switch to HDTV. Obviously you don't care for us, so why should we care for you? Seems like a fair trade, no?

David Fritz
Colorado Springs

One reply so far...pretty typical and ill-informing...

KRDO-TV is currently broadcasting a digital broadcast signal, but not a HD signal. We are waiting for a delivery date for the HD encoder before we can put up any HD content.

Neil O. Klockziem
General Manager

One reply so far...pretty typical and ill-informing...

How is his statement 'ill-informing'?

Don't get me wrong, I'm as frustrated as anyone when it comes to HD programming.

However, there is no FCC directive that I know of to provide HD programming.

There is a directive to provide an ATSC formatted digital signal. But, that signal could be comprised of one or more SD channels.
....jc

How is his statement 'ill-informing'?

It's 'ill-informing' in that it doesn't inform us of anything we haven't already been told. We've known for 3 months now that they are "waiting on the encoder". I am sick and tired of this answer. I can understand why you don't really feel our frustration, even though you say you do...this quote would explain it:

Dear Ms./Mr. KOAA, KKTV & KRDO,
Thank you for providing me a waiver so that I can watch your networks' programming in HD. I really appreciate it. I also realize, and probably so do you, that no one in my locale can possibly receive C/S HD signals. You all have responded in a responsible manner to my situation.

Wish I had NBC and ABC in HD....hell, I don't think I'd care too much either. But we are held hostage, the same as you are with FOX, by the directive you speak of. So because it's the law we can't be pissed off about its lack of rights afforded the consumer? Is that what you're saying?

I can understand why you don't really feel our frustration, even though you say you do...this quote would explain it:
Since there is nobody up here that can receive C/S digital OTA, my main rants are in the Denver OTA thread. You think that you have it bad?

Wish I had NBC and ABC in HD....hell, I don't think I'd care too much either. But we are held hostage, the same as you are with FOX, by the directive you speak of. So because it's the law we can't be pissed off about its lack of rights afforded the consumer? Is that what you're saying?
Nope. We should be very pissed. I was just stating that they don't have to offer us HD. That's the problem. When have you seen legislation that favors us? You haven't. And, the way it's going you never will. All we can do is to revolt and keep voting the bastards out-o-office.

Clear now?
....jc

I am So fed up, that I've almost given up. I'm counting the days 'til I can get the heck out of here back to a top 10 DMA. This is a new experience for me. Not to mention the abysmal music on the FM dial. Every 5th song is AC/DC or Prince. I'm not 22 and I don't need music only from the last 6 months, but come on people! And they're the same ten 80's and 90's artists I swear. And don't EVEN get me started on the local newscasts....



Try KEPC at 89.7 or KRCC at 91.5 during the freeform hours.

Hi everyone --
my parents will be moving to the Springs next month. I have three questions: who is the best cable provider? Do they have a wide selection of HDTV? Also, who is the best provider for high speed internet? Thanks in advance for any help!

Adelphia is the only cable provider and they have a pretty normal selection of HDTV channels/tiers. Probably a little less than the biggest cities. Adelphia is definitely the fastest broadband too, though expensive without cable TV and priced OK when bundled with cable TV. I don't have too many more specifics though since I am DirecTV for my HD.

Good news - I just checked whether CBS chose the Broncos for 1 of their 3 HD games tomorrow - and it looks like the Broncos are in HDTV on CBS for the next 3 games for sure! That's as far out as they schedule, but that's good news. I sure am glad that CBS likes the Broncos, since they seem to pick their favorite (or best-ratings) games to be produced in HDTV.

Nov. 13, Denver at Oakland 2:05
Nov. 20, NY Jets at Denver 2:15
Nov. 24, Thanksgiving, Denver at Dallas 2:05

TallGuy --
thanks for the reply. Is DSL internet service available in the Springs? Thanks again.

DSL is definitely available through the phone company, Qwest, and the usual resellers. It's cheaper but not as fast, at least that was my experience a few years ago. You can check out address availability at www.qwest.com.

Any bets on how long it will take KKTV to make the switch to HD?

Second half

You Lost

Hi everyone --
my parents will be moving to the Springs next month. I have three questions: who is the best cable provider? Do they have a wide selection of HDTV? Also, who is the best provider for high speed internet? Thanks in advance for any help!


I have had SprintBroadband wireless service for 3+ years now. Blazing fast downloads, very poor uploads. Look for the diamond shaped antennas on some houses....that's Sprint. They quit soliciting new subscribers for a couple of years, but just recently have restarted. See DSLreports.com for a sampling of download/upload speeds reported by speedtests. I personally dowload at about 3Mbits per second on average.

Good luck.

Try KEPC at 89.7 or KRCC at 91.5 during the freeform hours.

Thanks! Those are the two interesting stations I've found and donated to. :D Sounds like I found the gems.

-Kelly

I'm working on my husband... But I've already pressed my luck with the HDTV, digital cable and broadband wireless methinks. But maybe by the time I get satellite radio it will be higher quality audio

-Kelly

I am an XM convert. I never thought I'd ever see a need/want for it, but since I got it with my new car for 3 free months, I went ahead and paid for 3 years of subscription. It's that addicting! Off topic, I know, but thought I'd throw that in.

To be fair to KKTV, the late switch to HD was out of their control. It has something to do with CBS network not able to broadcast the late game in HD until the early games are finished. Both of the early HD games did not end until about 2:20 PM and then we got the HD feed.

I turned the game on right after it started, I believe there was 13:36 left in the first quarter, but it was well before 2:20 PM. I watched it on KCNC in Denver. It was in HD from the time I turned it on.

To be fair to KKTV, the late switch to HD was out of their control. It has something to do with CBS network not able to broadcast the late game in HD until the early games are finished. Both of the early HD games did not end until about 2:20 PM and then we got the HD feed.
That happened at least once last year. And the apparent reason is lack of bandwidth, thus having to wait until an early game is over to use that bandwidth for the 2nd game.

However, that wasn't the case yesterday. I couldn't pick up the game on KCNC(Denver) so I watched it on KGWN(Cheyenne). The game was in HD from the kickoff.
....jc

I turned the game on right after it started, I believe there was 13:36 left in the first quarter, but it was well before 2:20 PM. I watched it on KCNC in Denver. It was in HD from the time I turned it on.

And strangely enough....if you have SuperFan (DirecTV HD Football package) a lot of times the game begins to air on the SuperFan channel in HD before they black it out, but it's in HD while it's not in HD locally. Doesn't make any sense why they can't air it in HD until the morning games are over if DirecTV has no problems with it. Sounds like a local affiliate limitation.

I think I know something about what is going on. CBS has one main HD satellite feed that KKTV gets their HD programming from. When there are several HD games, CBS uses a couple of backup locations for games that are not on the main feed. I assume that the Bronco game was on a backup location while the morning game was running long on the main feed. After the morning game was over, the main feed picked up the Bronco game (while the backup feed would continue to also have it until the end of the game).

They always have their SD tuner turned on for their analog channel. They use that for the digital channel when they are not using the HD feed.

Apparantly KKTV doesn't go out of their way to switch to the backup HD feed at the start of the Bronco game. Maybe they don't even have someone there on Sundays who knows how to do it. (Changing settings on the HD tuner may be more complex than for the SD tuner but shouldn't be that hard.) They would also have to switch back to the main feed at the end of the game.

Roy

And strangely enough....if you have SuperFan (DirecTV HD Football package) a lot of times the game begins to air on the SuperFan channel in HD before they black it out, but it's in HD while it's not in HD locally. Doesn't make any sense why they can't air it in HD until the morning games are over if DirecTV has no problems with it. Sounds like a local affiliate limitation.
I am speaking from what I saw last year. Hopefully they have more bandwidth this year.

One day I was watching a game on KGWN(Cheyenne), the game was in HD, and it ran long. At 2:00 I turned on the Bronco game(on KCNC), it was in SD. I switched back and forth until the 1st game was over. As soon as the 1st game ended, the Bronco game switched to HD. Someone in the Denver OTA thread noted that it was because of CBS's bandwidth. Something about only being able to carry so many HD games at one time.

Again, this was last year. Hopefully, they have increased their bandwidth. As far as D* goes, D* is using their own resources to broadcast the games. And, I'm willing to bet that D* has more resources than CBS does. And soon(if they ever get Spaceway 2 off the flipp'n pad) they'll have more HD broadcast power than anyone else.
....jc

So am I the only one ticked off that we had to watch the MLS Cup in SD?! :mad:
Who knows when KRDO will ever get their act together...
Man that was horrible - especially after getting to watch the Rapids on HDNet last week! We kept rewinding trying to tell who particular players were, usually to no avail.
Time for another (pointless I'm sure) nasty email to KRDO!!!

Rob

Doesn't ABC have the Super Bowl this year?! If they don't have HD by then there's no way I can host another Super Bowl party because that pic is horrendous and I would be personally embarrassed. We probably won't have the Olympics in HD either at the rate KOAA is going. I may have to "move" for a couple of months come the end of January. :D

... at the rate KOAA is going. I may have to "move" for a couple of months come the end of January. :D

In all seriousness, does anyone have any experience with this?? If so, let us know how you fooled them. Open a PO Box somewhere will do?? Just tell them you moved, but mailing address is still the same??? How do you do it!!!!

-david

Just tell them you moved, but mailing address is still the same???

After reading this forum for the last few months I finally decided on Sat. that I had enough of KRDO and KKTV dragging their butts. :mad: Letters and emails don't seem to have any effect. :mad: Plus I don't watch the news or commercials so the STUPID local stations aren't gaining anything from advertisting to me. :p And lets face it I paid big bucks for my home theatre system so I DESERVE TO HAVE EVERYTHING IN HD!!!

So I did exactly what you are contemplating doing... I "moved". I am now enjoying ABC and NBC in HD. Plus I get to watch everything a couple hours earlier than I could before. Woo Hoo!! :) All I had to do was give the D* tech. an address for a dentist's office in NY and then explain to her that I had 2 houses and was moving my receivers back and forth between the two. That was good enough and she hooked me up immediatley. :) :) :) :) :)

~ Tim

At first I tried Bridgeport, CT so I could get both YES and NESN. That worked fine, but CT charges 11% tax on Sat subs!!!! So, now I "live" in the Hamptons!!!:)

As the guy running the TV truck for all of the Altitude Nuggets and Avs games at home, I can tell you that ALL of the home games this year are supposed to be in HD 1080i

Bill

In all seriousness, does anyone have any experience with this?? If so, let us know how you fooled them. Open a PO Box somewhere will do?? Just tell them you moved, but mailing address is still the same??? How do you do it!!!!
-david
There are a 'few' that have 'moved'. Just remember your service and billing address do not have to be the same.

Where you 'move' is now getting more interesting. With HD LIL coming online, moving to the NY or LA DMA(or somewhere else that does not have LIL) is not your only option. The only 'downfall' is that you'll lose your current local channels. And, if you 'move' to Detroit(the HD LIL test city), and you want the new HD LIL, you will have problems getting the equipment and install here in Colorado. Not to mention, whatever spotbeam sizing that they use, you may end up 'out-o-the-spot'.

I'd suggest(and others may have a better idea) moving to the NY DMA, and when Denver gets HD LIL moving there. It'll be well over a year before C/S gets HD LIL.
....jc

I think I know something about what is going on. CBS has one main HD satellite feed that KKTV gets their HD programming from. When there are several HD games, CBS uses a couple of backup locations for games that are not on the main feed. I assume that the Bronco game was on a backup location while the morning game was running long on the main feed. After the morning game was over, the main feed picked up the Bronco game (while the backup feed would continue to also have it until the end of the game).

They always have their SD tuner turned on for their analog channel. They use that for the digital channel when they are not using the HD feed.

Apparantly KKTV doesn't go out of their way to switch to the backup HD feed at the start of the Bronco game. Maybe they don't even have someone there on Sundays who knows how to do it. (Changing settings on the HD tuner may be more complex than for the SD tuner but shouldn't be that hard.) They would also have to switch back to the main feed at the end of the game.

Roy
This sounds right. Other stations around the country seem to be able to find the HD signal, and for 2 football seasons now KKTV has had trouble with it. If it was that hard, others would have the same problems.

As the guy running the TV truck for all of the Altitude Nuggets and Avs games at home, I can tell you that ALL of the home games this year are supposed to be in HD 1080i
That would be sweet, but who is going to carry it in Colorado Springs? I don't think Adelphia or DirecTV will have it for a long time... :mad:

I've heard New York is nice this time of year. I believe Denver is going to be a nice place to live sometime in 2006, and Colorado Springs in 2007.

This is what I got from koaa.com website:

KOAA and HDTV - Updated 11-14-05
On November 12 th 2004, the FCC granted KOAA their Construction Permit (CP) for Digital Television (DTV) KOAA-DT. KOAA has purchased the associated digital transmitter equipment from the manufacturer, the installation of some of the equipment is in progress. The construction process of the transmitter building has begun as well. The estimated time of building completion is December 2005, after which the installation of the previously purchased equipment can be installed weather permitting. The on air date of KOAA-DT is tentatively scheduled for February 1, 2006. Programming will be all “standard definition” digital and will have 4 hours of High Definition in prime time hours, as well as a few programs during the daytime schedule when it is available. The format (4X3 vs. 16X9) will depend on the supplier of the programs, our NBC HDTV should always be in 1080i. For more information on HDTV in general go to the Advanced Television web site.

That would be sweet, but who is going to carry it in Colorado Springs? I don't think Adelphia or DirecTV will have it for a long time... :mad:

DirecTV has said that they will be carrying all channels in the top 50 markets in HD. Perhaps that means regional sports channels as well which would include Altitude. If we are so lucky, then we may receive it down here in the Springs as well. If not, then, as many have said, Denver is a nice place to 'live' and I may 'move' back in with my parents.

--Ron

This is what I got from koaa.com website:

KOAA and HDTV - Updated 11-14-05
On November 12 th 2004, the FCC granted KOAA their Construction Permit (CP) for Digital Television (DTV) KOAA-DT. KOAA has purchased the associated digital transmitter equipment from the manufacturer, the installation of some of the equipment is in progress. The construction process of the transmitter building has begun as well. The estimated time of building completion is December 2005, after which the installation of the previously purchased equipment can be installed weather permitting. The on air date of KOAA-DT is tentatively scheduled for February 1, 2006. Programming will be all “standard definition” digital and will have 4 hours of High Definition in prime time hours, as well as a few programs during the daytime schedule when it is available. The format (4X3 vs. 16X9) will depend on the supplier of the programs, our NBC HDTV should always be in 1080i. For more information on HDTV in general go to the Advanced Television web site.
Thanks for catching this update. At least there is some movement on it. I think they could change the web site to say "3 months from today", that way it would always be right...

DirecTV has said that they will be carrying all channels in the top 50 markets in HD. Perhaps that means regional sports channels as well which would include Altitude. If we are so lucky, then we may receive it down here in the Springs as well. If not, then, as many have said, Denver is a nice place to 'live' and I may 'move' back in with my parents.
--Ron
I think they'll add it when they can but there's no room on the current MPEG-2 satellites so our current equipment won't do it. Their MPEG-4 sats will have room for 1500 HD channels (most of them taken up by NBC ABC CBS FOX in every major market in the country) including up to 150 national (probably and/or regional) HD channels so it sounds like they'll have as much capacity as is being produced, but in 2006-07.

As far as market size, Denver is #20-something and Colorado Springs is #90-something IIRC. So I think you're right on.

KRDO and KOAA will begin broadcasting in HD....when monkeys fly outta my a$$.

Can you tell that I have no faith in either of these stations?

Believe it when it's actually on the air.

Meanwhile, will the monkeys stay in your a$$? What do they do in there while they are waiting to fly?

I actually believe that KOAA will do it. This is the first specific target date. I expect that they will be a little late. I predict Feb 27th (the day after the winter olympics end).

Roy

Sorry, Frank, that's gotta be painful at the moment. :)

I do believe that KOAA is on the way. KRDO is of course a different story. They are probably trying not to spend the money, but trying to look like they want to. The times when I've talked to Joe Reed in Engineering, it was clear that no one at KRDO was trying to figure WHEN the encoder would become available or WHY it was delayed in limboland.

Anyway, glad to hear people here are taking matters into their own hands and getting more HD content for their huge HD theater investments. Capitalism will always find a way. The ironic thing is that the opportunity to purchase the service was never offered to us, but could have worked: the local stations probably could have gotten a fee (ad revenue replacement) to give out a waiver for the HD channels only, which would have kept KRDO, KOAA, etc. on our SDTVs (and the corresponding commercials). I know I would have paid $50 a year each to get the waiver for a national HD NBC and/or ABC.

I bet PBS will be in HD before KRDO.

Anyway, glad to hear people here are taking matters into their own hands and getting more HD content for their huge HD theater investments. Capitalism will always find a way.

I have an address in L.A. Anything wrong/odd with 'moving' there that I should know about? I've had it with this 1 horse town.

I have an address in L.A. Anything wrong/odd with 'moving' there that I should know about? I've had it with this 1 horse town.
It's prolly as good as you'll get with D*(unless you like East Coast teams).

I get 3 of the 4 HD stations now. I will warn you that they don't always carry the Broncos, so if you're a fan you'll need to get the game locally(or start to like the Raiders :eek: ).

Also, sometime early next year(maybe even this year) they'll start broadcasting HD LIL out there. So, that is a consideration. What I'd do, is move somewhere, and when they get HD LIL in Denver, move to the Denver DMA. Depending how they use the spotbeams, HD LIL from LA may or may not be received here. And, you'd need to do some covert work to get a new MPEG4 receiver & dish installed here, when they think you live out there.

This afternoon, for the umteenth time, they will try to get Spaceway 2 in orbit. The launch window is 16:46 - 18:31 today. D* may cover it on one of their channels(maybe 399) or you can watch it here. (http://www.videocorner.tv/index.php?langue=en) Hopefully, it won't be delayed again!


Edit: At 16:12 MDT channel 399 has come alive on D*. It's noted as a 'Private Network Broadcast'. So, hopefully we can see Spaceway 2 launch right there.
....jc

I just 'moved' to LA and now I have HD West coast feeds. I have a niece who lives there, so I told them I travel every few weeks and want to take my equpment with me. The rep said just call when you get back to Colorado and we'll switch it back. I am not affected by the spot beaming as far as the HD feeds go, but seem to be for their gazillion local channels they offer as the independents won't tune in. I don't care about those channels anyway. I can't wait to enjoy my favorite shows in HD, starting with Lost tonight.

I just 'moved' to LA and now I have HD West coast feeds.
Congrats!
:p :p :p :p :p :p :p

And on another note. Spaceway 2 successfully made it into orbit. If everything works out, more D* HD is on the way! ;)

Congrats, you will love it. You're right, the stations other than the big 4 are on spot beams for LA and NY so they don't cover us. And of course, you still get OTA quality from KXRM and KKTV, including Broncos games etc., so it's the best of both worlds.

The only downside to LA feeds is that everything is on so pickin' late - primetime would be 9 pm to midnight Colorado time. But then again, with TiVo, who cares?

By the way, The Tonight Show set and colors are really gorgeous in HD.

DirecTV has said that they will be carrying all channels in the top 50 markets in HD. Perhaps that means regional sports channels as well which would include Altitude. If we are so lucky, then we may receive it down here in the Springs as well. If not, then, as many have said, Denver is a nice place to 'live' and I may 'move' back in with my parents.

--Ron

You could move to pueblo as comcast has altitude in HD 1080i and cost of living is alot less. It's hard to watch the away games for the avalanche and Nuggets that's not in HD now.

Congrats, you will love it. You're right, the stations other than the big 4 are on spot beams for LA and NY so they don't cover us. And of course, you still get OTA quality from KXRM and KKTV, including Broncos games etc., so it's the best of both worlds.

The only downside to LA feeds is that everything is on so pickin' late - primetime would be 9 pm to midnight Colorado time. But then again, with TiVo, who cares?

By the way, The Tonight Show set and colors are really gorgeous in HD.

Agreed on the late starts for West Coast feeds...but with TiVo......

And agreed on the Tonight Show....it is OUTSTANDING! And I can't believe how FREAKIN GOOD Lost looked compared to the crap I've been watching. ;) ;) ;)

I've heard New York is nice this time of year. I believe Denver is going to be a nice place to live sometime in 2006, and Colorado Springs in 2007.

So if I "live" in Pittsburgh, where they have all of the networks in HD including WB, I would get a DTV feed and still OTA local? I could watch the Steelers and the Broncos (on occasion) in HD?

My dad wouldn't understand what I'm doing when I ask if I could "move" back in but that would be par for the course.

Regards,

Bob

So if I "live" in Pittsburgh, where they have all of the networks in HD including WB, I would get a DTV feed and still OTA local? I could watch the Steelers and the Broncos (on occasion) in HD?
I don't think that would work. Right now you want to either pick the NY or LA DMA. Why, because those are the DMA's that are home to the national DNS feeds. I think that you'd be in the same situation that you are in here, and need waivers for the DNS feeds.

Even when Pittsburgh gets HD LIL you'd be out-o-luck due to the spotbeams used to carry it.

HD LIL = Spotbeams
HD DNS = National Feeds

'Move' to NY or LA, and when Denver gets HD LIL, 'Move' there(unless you aren't interested in HD LIL and like the DNS better).

....jc

I would love Altitude-HD, but I have to go with ABC-HD and NBC-HD being more important. Especially with the Superbowl in 2 months.

jc is right about Pittsburgh or any city other than NY or LA, unfortunately. Too bad, I have Chicago roots.

And agreed on the Tonight Show....it is OUTSTANDING! And I can't believe how FREAKIN GOOD Lost looked compared to the crap I've been watching. ;) ;) ;)
And both of those are even coming to you with extra compression or bandwidth limits via satellite...they should look even better if received OTA!! Oh yeah, we have to wait for Frank's pigs to fly out of a very scary place for that to happen...

So if I "live" in Pittsburgh, where they have all of the networks in HD including WB, I would get a DTV feed and still OTA local? I could watch the Steelers and the Broncos (on occasion) in HD?
1 other note. There are literally 1000's of other places that you could 'move' and get the DNS feeds. These would be places that have no SD LIL. However, they(D*) seems to have rules about areas that get DNS automatically. You'd need to do your research before you move to Podonk, USA.
....jc

So if I "live" in Pittsburgh, where they have all of the networks in HD including WB, I would get a DTV feed and still OTA local?

Thats the one drawback about getting the network feeds from NY or LA... no WB. :( I was bummed when I realized that I'm not going to get to watch Veronica Mars until they come out on DVD now. (Unless someone would be willing to burn them for me... anyone? :D ) But I guess that's a small price to pay for Lost and MNF in HD.

Anyone know why WB isn't part of the NY or LA network feeds? I would think that it would be since the station has been around for quite a while and has some fairly good shows on it.

Thats the one drawback about getting the network feeds from NY or LA... no WB. :(

The West Coast feed included WB on channel 5 (KTLA). Tuned it in just now to make sure it worked, and it does.

Hey, don't we have a writer for the Gazette on this forum? Maybe he should do a story about the large amount of people "moving" to NY or LA to get their HD.... :)

Did anyone else see the KRDO announcement about some FCC license?

Last night while watching George Lopez on KRDO (ABC), they had a quick announcement, stating that at the end of this year their license for something, (I believe it was something about public service) expires and they have to apply to the FCC again to continue to have that license.
I did not catch any more of what it was for, but I did catch that WE can send our feedback to the FCC about KRDO and their commitment to the public. There is more information on this at KRDO, which I hope to get soon. There was a January 26 (I think) deadline for the FCC to receive comments or feedback on their renewal.
Anyways, KRDO would not apply for this license if they did not want it. Even though I have no idea of what type of impact it will have in the renewal of the license and even more on letting KRDO know we want HD, but I think we should all send out thoughts to the FCC about KRDO. I hope that that it will have enough of an impact to let them know we are not satisfied with their commitment to the public.
I hope to have more information on this, and will when I can get over to 8th street, but this may be the kick in the a double $ we are looking to give KRDO.

mrtolles......
That announcement is REQUIRED by any broadcast station whose license is due for renewal in the coming year. This announcement MUST be aired on the 16th and 30th of EACH month prior to license renewal. This holds for ALL commercial (NOT non-coms...!) radio and TV stations in the U.S.
Trust me...as a former broadcaster....we'd have our butts kicked around the moon if we missed airing this....even ONCE!!! :eek:

The West Coast feed included WB on channel 5 (KTLA). Tuned it in just now to make sure it worked, and it does.

I guess I picked the wrong place to "move" to. Bummer for me. :(

Why do you have to "move" to NY or LA? Wouldn't any city covered by the Owned and Operated agreements suffice to get HD via D*? For example, according to:

http://directv.com/see/landing/abc_hd.html

you could "move" to:

New York, NY, Los Angeles, CA, Chicago, IL, Philadelphia, PA, San Francisco, CA, Houston, TX, Raleigh, NC, Fresno, CA, Flint, MI, Toledo, OH

and get ABC HD via D*. Or "move" to:

New York, NY, Los Angeles, CA, Chicago, IL, Philadelphia, PA, San Francisco, CA, Dallas-Fort Worth, TX, Washington, DC, Miami, FL, San Diego, CA, Hartford, CT, Raleigh, NC, Columbus, OH, Birmingham, AL, Providence, RI.

for NBC HD. So, looks like a Chicago "move" would be OK for both ABC and NBC, etc.

-Sean

Why do you have to "move" to NY or LA? Wouldn't any city covered by the Owned and Operated agreements suffice to get HD via D*?
Yes. However, you'd need a city that has all 4 networks that are O & O. And, you don't have to worry about any local exclusions by moving to NY or LA.

Cleaner and simpler.
....jc

Does anyone know if Adelphia is going to pick up the new MTV HD channel when it starts in January?

I'd like to see Adelphia pick up ESPN2 HD, Altitude HD and TNT HD before MTV.

No, but please post here if you get any info. This is the first I've heard of it... Time to go read up.

-Kelly

Oh, and isn't Comcast supposed to take over in February? Maybe we should be asking them about their plans.

Does anyone know if Adelphia is going to pick up the new MTV HD channel when it starts in January?

VAIL - MTV announced Tuesday that Vail Mountain will be its headquarters for the network's new music HDTV channel, MHD.


MTV has plans for a studio built on top of Vail's Eagle Nest at 10,350 feet altitude.

MTV Networks Music Group, a Viacom company, said MHD will follow in the path of MTV, VH1 and CMT showing videos and original content.

A news release issued Tuesday said Colorado's Jeremy Bloom and George Oliphant will work as VJ's for MHD.

Bloom, of course, gained fame playing football for CU and is a member of the US Ski Team. He'll join MHD when he returns from the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turino, Italy.

Oliphant is currently a VJ on mtvU, the network's college channel. He is also a Colorado native.

MHD will be in production at the studio throughout the 2005-06 ski season.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=604128

I'd like to see Adelphia pick up ESPN2 HD, Altitude HD and TNT HD before MTV.
Agreed. And then I would think about having both HD satellite and HD cable for a while...but I wish I could get it for about $20/month (added on to my PowerLink service) if it was without the regular ugly SD channels. Wish they would offer that, but of course they never would...

Agreed. And then I would think about having both HD satellite and HD cable for a while...but I wish I could get it for about $20/month (added on to my PowerLink service) if it was without the regular ugly SD channels. Wish they would offer that, but of course they never would...

I have Adelphia and DTv at the moment. Was doing a 1 month experiment that turned into two. I love the Video on Demand from adelphia but the recording time capability is way too small. Recorded the Broncos in HD and padded the time by an hour and it ate all my other recordings.

Tivo is so much easier to use but wish it had on demand. PQ is also much better. HD Tivo shows up Monday. I'll have both for a few days but I'm locked into DTv w/ the purchase of the box.

Regards,

Bob

Anybody notice that the NFL channel is gone from Adelphia 78? I wonder what happened?

Anybody else notice KRDO (13-1) seems to have gone to full power on their SD signal? Previously received HD-Tivo signal strength in the mid 20's, tonight during MNF it's upper 80's, similar to other digital signal strengths from Fox Run on Baptist rd north of town. Still SD but shows some movement on their part if they stay at full power.

Anybody else notice KRDO (13-1) seems to have gone to full power on their SD signal? Previously received HD-Tivo signal strength in the mid 20's, tonight during MNF it's upper 80's, similar to other digital signal strengths from Fox Run on Baptist rd north of town. Still SD but shows some movement on their part if they stay at full power.

Yep, same phenomenon here. Used to be in the teens-20's on my HDTivo, now I'm in the mid-80's. In fact, it's now my strongest digital signal. CBS, FOX and PBS are in the mid-70's for me. Sure, it's SD, but at least it's progress.

-Sean

Yep, same phenomenon here. Used to be in the teens-20's on my HDTivo, now I'm in the mid-80's. In fact, it's now my strongest digital signal. CBS, FOX and PBS are in the mid-70's for me. Sure, it's SD, but at least it's progress.

-Sean

Just took a look at mine on the OTA 13-1 via my Terk, it's a whopping 89! Perhaps we will see HD before long.

Anybody else notice KRDO (13-1) seems to have gone to full power on their SD signal? Previously received HD-Tivo signal strength in the mid 20's, tonight during MNF it's upper 80's, similar to other digital signal strengths from Fox Run on Baptist rd north of town. Still SD but shows some movement on their part if they stay at full power.


Hi Steve, welcome to the party..... I'll have to check KRDO on my setup. :)

EDIT - I just checked and now see KRDO at 87/88 signal strength. ;)

Just had my HD Tivo installed but the installer wouldn't install the OTA Antenna. I don't have a clear shot of CM since my neighbor's house blocks it. I would have to go onto the Chimney and he didn't want to break any roof tiles.

A few questions:

1. Do I need a clear shot? Is the frequency line of site? My rabbit ears do an OK job of pulling in some stations.

2. On HD Tivo; does anyone have the channels mapped to the frequencies?

3. Are waivers a dead issue? I've seen quite a few pages back that there is a snowball's chance of getting one approved.

4. Installer said that all local channels will be transmitted HD via DTV w/in 60 days. Any truth to that?

Any help would be appreciated.

Regards,

Bob

Just had my HD Tivo installed but the installer wouldn't install the OTA Antenna. I don't have a clear shot of CM since my neighbor's house blocks it. I would have to go onto the Chimney and he didn't want to break any roof tiles.

A few questions:

1. Do I need a clear shot? Is the frequency line of site? My rabbit ears do an OK job of pulling in some stations.

2. On HD Tivo; does anyone have the channels mapped to the frequencies?

3. Are waivers a dead issue? I've seen quite a few pages back that there is a snowball's chance of getting one approved.

4. Installer said that all local channels will be transmitted HD via DTV w/in 60 days. Any truth to that?

Any help would be appreciated.

Regards,

Bob

1. Do I need a clear shot? Is the frequency line of site? My rabbit ears do an OK job of pulling in some stations.
No, but a LOS is always best. You may be just fine.

2. On HD Tivo; does anyone have the channels mapped to the frequencies?
Can't help ya there.

3. Are waivers a dead issue? I've seen quite a few pages back that there is a snowball's chance of getting one approved.
That is pretty much correct.

4. Installer said that all local channels will be transmitted HD via DTV w/in 60 days. Any truth to that?
If DTV is D*(DirecTv), no truth what so ever. It'll prolly be at least 2007 before C/S has HD LIL. Now Denver should be online in a few months.
....jc

A few questions:

1. Do I need a clear shot? Is the frequency line of site? My rabbit ears do an OK job of pulling in some stations.


Don't know if it has to be perfect line of sight. I'd say if you can pick up a few stations w/rabbitt ears, an attic or outdoor antenna would be a step up.


2. On HD Tivo; does anyone have the channels mapped to the frequencies?

Going off of memory here, bear w/me:

10 = CBS
22 = FOX
24 = ABC
26 = PBS
42 = NBC (someday)


3. Are waivers a dead issue? I've seen quite a few pages back that there is a snowball's chance of getting one approved.


I think it's pretty dead, at least in or near the Springs. Can't hurt to ask though.


4. Installer said that all local channels will be transmitted HD via DTV w/in 60 days. Any truth to that?


He's probably referring to the HD-LIL conversion now that the new satellites are up. D* will convert city by city, starting with the largest markets. We're pretty far down on the list. I'd expect 2007, not early 2006, but who knows. Actually, I'd just assume they didn't convert us - I don't want to give up my HDTivo and have to slap an even bigger dish on the house.

-Sean

Wow... full strength SD signal for KRDO! I'm excited. Granted, not HD, but one channel closer to saying good riddance to analog.

Don't know if it has to be perfect line of sight. I'd say if you can pick up a few stations w/rabbitt ears, an attic or outdoor antenna would be a step up.


Going off of memory here, bear w/me:

10 = CBS
22 = FOX
24 = ABC
26 = PBS
42 = NBC (someday)



I think it's pretty dead, at least in or near the Springs. Can't hurt to ask though.



He's probably referring to the HD-LIL conversion now that the new satellites are up. D* will convert city by city, starting with the largest markets. We're pretty far down on the list. I'd expect 2007, not early 2006, but who knows. Actually, I'd just assume they didn't convert us - I don't want to give up my HDTivo and have to slap an even bigger dish on the house.

-Sean

Thanks to you and TPW for the answers...got what I need.

Regards,

Bob

Anybody watching Star Wars AOTC on Fox? What do you of the HD? To me it didn't look as good as say a Bernie Mac TV show. the faces when shown up close looked grainy. Maybe it was just the way the movie was made. Opinions please.

I thought it looked average. Strange, because in the HD Programming thread people are saying it's one of the best-ever HD presentations. I didn't think so...

I'm glad to see KRDO-DT at full strength, because as I understand it the power bill for a full-power DTV signal is very expensive. So maybe we can take it as a good sign that KRDO is definitely spending some money on the transition!

Thanks to everyone here for noticing and telling us. I've added the channel back into my channel list, which I had given up on. No more signal amplifier with an attenuator just to try to receive the weak 13-1!

Hey all,

I am normally in the DC/balt thread but I am visiting the in-laws and just got a samsung 27" slimfit HDTV for my father in-law. I setup the indoor antenna (a RCA1250) and I got 21 (fox) and 13 (abc) in digital glory. I was wondering if any of you are in the Security area and can give me a heads up on anything else I should be recieving here. I was hoping for a little more than just the 2 channels but I guess I am spoiled from the DC/Balt area. Any assistance would be great.

Thanks
Josh

You came to the right place. Here's the snapshot:

HDTV:
CBS - KKTV - 11-1 broadcasted on 10 (VHF!)
FOX - KXRM - 21-1 broadcasted on 22

DTV, working on HDTV:
ABC - KRDO - 13-1 on 24
PBS - KTSC - 8-1 on 26

Nothing yet, constructing the HDTV site:
NBC - KOAA - will be 5-1 on 42


So keep working on CBS. I don't know if there's a problem in Security, but signal strength has never been a problem. Maybe you have a UHF-only antenna or setting?

Thanks man, I am still working on CBS, I don't seem to be getting anything at all for that on the digital side. Maybe the watertower is blocking the signal :rolleyes: . Anywho the antenna I have is a UHF/VHF with amp, but I have to kill the amp inorder to get everything in better. Thanks.

KRDO update - In addition to the full signal strength SD DTV signal, I notice that guide data is showing up and Dolby Digital is being sent along with the signal. Good to know....

Could it be that we may have one more local HD Ch by Q1 06?

So the blurry Superbowl will have surround sound... ;)

So the blurry Superbowl will have surround sound... ;)

Tall Guy....I thought you were a 'mover'....what do you care?!?! :)

KRDO update - In addition to the full signal strength SD DTV signal, I notice that guide data is showing up and Dolby Digital is being sent along with the signal. Good to know....

Could it be that we may have one more local HD Ch by Q1 06?

They are sending Dolby? That's a good sign. The PQ for their DT signal was so nice last night that I had to double check to make sure it was still 480i. The Sony Wega engine really does a nice job on film based content. But of course we want the SB in HD. They must be getting in their equipment. I remember when Fox had the audio so out of sync we could barely watch the broadcast. Was the audio good?

Tall Guy....I thought you were a 'mover'....what do you care?!?! :)
I'd still rather have OTA bandwidth instead, but I meant more for the city as a whole. I'm not nearly as worked up about KRDO as I used to be... :D

They are sending Dolby? That's a good sign. The PQ for their DT signal was so nice last night that I had to double check to make sure it was still 480i. The Sony Wega engine really does a nice job on film based content. But of course we want the SB in HD. They must be getting in their equipment. I remember when Fox had the audio so out of sync we could barely watch the broadcast. Was the audio good?
The last 2 or 3 Superbowls have been good, not way out of sync that I can recall.