Does Fox 8.1 always have a line of static across the top of the screen?

I've never seen it on their HD broadcasts, but I do notice it on SD programming. Since HD televisions do not overscan, they show you the entire picture that is being sent by the station. What you're seeing is data encrypted in a TV signal that you won't see on a tube TV since the picture is cropped. Foxeng could probably give you a better answer than I could though.

Does Fox 8.1 always have a line of static across the top of the screen?

That is the information that is carried in the vertical blanking of the SD upconvert signal. Sometimes it is there, sometimes it isn't. It just depends on the program being shown. The HD feed doesn't have that. If you are seeing it, your set has very little if any overscan and that is actually good. As time goes on, that information will start to disappear as more and more feeds are received digitally.

4228 Question,

I had my 4228 pulled down from the attic for some changes and decided I would spray my Radio Shack tuner cleaner on the elements to rid them of what appeard to be some minor corrosion. The antenna came with the elements not shiny when I purchased it used a few years back.

Well the Tuner cleaner did zero to clean up the elements. Now I am wondering if these elements are galvanized as that is sort of what the surface of them looks like.

Could some one with a brand new 4228 tell me how shiny the elements are?

-Donb2

They went live two nights ago with both channels. Try updating your Favorite 'custom' channels, or set it back to All Channels. I just went into my favorites (Custom 1) and added both channels.

They now list WRAL-HD and WRAZ-HD on the directtv website as being available. Now if only dish will do the same I would leave TWC.

Not that anyone cares since everyone will be throwing their Antennas away with WRAL coming into the Direct TV fold.

On ABC 11.2 - which is a multicast subchannel which I believe do not exist on Dish Sat at this time, is found a show called The View from the Bay cohosted by Spencer Christian from 10:30 to 11pm.

Not sure if it is a permanent move on ABC's part or not. But it is some alternative OTA programming considering we have lost "The Tube" on 28.

-DonB2

Just finished watching the Carolina/State game on TWC. Could someone explain what was happening here with the PQ? It was abcHD with ESPN ribbons along the bottom with what looked like ok 480p SD from the floor cameras but SD-horrible from the overhead cameras that carried the game action.

Is this a local company doing the part from the RBC center? I'm curious if any of the broadcast people here could explain the resolution etc. along the path. Is it that everything they have is SD, the cameras, the mobile truck? Why does ABC call it HD?

ok, since you guys are too busy watching tv or skiing this weekend, I'm going to post another one... I know most of you are antenna or D* specialists, but this is my (periodic?) plea that if any of you central nc (raleigh, durham, chapel hill) TWC people have cablecards from twc that are working, please let me know the make/model of the host-device your cablecard is in.

ok, since you guys are too busy watching tv or skiing this weekend, I'm going to post another one... I know most of you are antenna or D* specialists, but this is my (periodic?) plea that if any of you central nc (raleigh, durham, chapel hill) TWC people have cablecards from twc that are working, please let me know the make/model of the host-device your cablecard is in.

I have two TWC/SA cablecards working fine in a Tivo Series 3. Had one in a Sony 50XBR SXRD which also worked fine. It was moved to the Tivo.

Why does ABC call it HD?
They dont. It was an SD broadcast.

Has WRAL 5.1 raised their bitrate? And what is AGC%?

They dont. It was an SD broadcast.
OK, thanks for that ENDContra.

I have two TWC/SA cablecards working fine in a Tivo Series 3. Had one in a Sony 50XBR SXRD which also worked fine. It was moved to the Tivo.
Thanks scsiraid, now at least I know some TWC/SA cablecards are working *somewhere*!

The thickest cablecard discussion on AVSforum seems to be here:
HDTV > HDTV Reception Hardware > "CableCards: We should NOT give up",
a thread started by Mark Rubin.

Recently, in that thread, someone pointed out that the Tivo Series3 discussion
in the tivo community forums was even more in-depth about cablecards. And additionally someone pointed to a discussion on an ecoustics forum that is good.

With cablecards it seems that "when it works, it works", but "when it doesn't work, you may have a lengthy problem on your hands." I feel like we users should have a knowlege base of know-how and troubleshooting tips built up -- anyway I plan to post my own experiences in that regard over in that thread eventually.

Thanks again for the reply --pixel

I seem to remember reading somewhere that Raleigh TWC was going to start rolling out an IPTV-type thingy where they only send down channels that you are watching, instead of all channels. This would increase capacity in the last mile.

Am I confusing this with something else I read, or can someone please point me to a link about this?

Thanks

Did any TWC HD subscribers experience any problems during the superbowl? In the second half I started getting block noise every 15-20 seconds with that "max headroom" type stuttering in the audio. Needless to say, since I was having a party, I was not too thrilled. Called TWC and they did the old "remote reboot" thing. This seems to happen only when there are popular events that many people would be tuning into in my neighborhood - ex. state-duke basketball etc. I can only surmise that there are some bandwidth issues with TWC in this neighborhood.

Last week my mother-in-law decided to ditch her 3 year old TiVo and get the TWC HD DVR (at my suggestion after she got an HDTV). My wife (who is still in NC) told me today the horror story of the install.

1- TWC installed the 8000HD. I thought the 8300HD was available now in the Raleigh area. Do you have to request it specifically? I'm really curious about this, as, on a separate note, the wife is dropping DirecTV (our HDTiVo is dying) and I'd like her to get the 8300HD.

2- The contractor used all the old RCA cabling from the TiVo, so my mother-in-law was left with SD service on her HD DVR and HDTV.

3- The contractor used the power cable from the TiVo as well, so now we can't even give the TiVo to someone.

4- The contractor left no documentation, did no training on how to use it, and left no channel guide.

Ick. What crap service. She's calling TWC tomorrow to have them come out again and install it correctly. I know they probably don't provide a DVI to HDMI cable, but I assume TWC would provide a component cable and at least stereo audio.

And in the meantime the wife is calling to request the 8300HD. Her appointment is Wednesday, and she won't let them leave until it's right.

BTW, I miss you guys. The people in the Las Vegas thread are mean. ;)

thamlet, the entire superbowl over TWC was pristine for me.

pkscout, I have a twc 8300hd dvr in central NC, yes they are available.

pkscout,

there is/was a major backlog here for 8300's.. made the front page of the N&O as everyone was scrambling to get them before the Superbowl.

I got my 8300 ~2 years ago, and got component cables with it.. don't know what they do now.

Mike

pkscout, the contractors can indeed be horrible. I feel sorry for anyone getting an install that doesnt know enough about this stuff to tell the contractors what to do.
-We've had 8300HDs in the raleigh area for quite some time. I believe they were on backorder recently, but you should still be able to request one and receive it when its available.

-They should hook it up with component cables at a minimum. I also had the installer give me an HDMI cable. They have component and HDMI in their truck and should give you either or both.

-i can't believe he didnt give you a power cable. That is ridiculous.

-the documentation is pretty weak on this stuff. They should give you a tiny little pamphlet, but its borderline worthless.

Call 'em back and request the 8300HD, some component and/or hdmi cables and a power cable for your box.

I know they probably don't provide a DVI to HDMI cable, but I assume TWC would provide a component cable and at least stereo audio.

They should. The DirecTV HD TIVO I got two years ago had an HMDI -> DVI cable. Two years later, you'd expect the TWC equivalent to have similar cables.

As I expected, Raycom/Lincoln Financial Sports' web site shows the ESPN-HD broadcast of tomorrow's UNC-Duke game will be blacked out in all of NC resulting in us getting a SD broadcast from the R/LF Sports affiliates.

R/LF Sports frequently has stated the reason it broadcasts only in SD is that R/LF cannot provide an HD signal compatible with all the locals' different receiving/rebroadcast equipment. R/LF recently has said, however, that they were working on a solution that would allow their sports broadcasts to be received and rebroadcast by the locals in HD.

I sent R/LF an e-mail this morning asking when the solution might be implimented and received the following response that indicates they were expectig to broadcast the 2007 ACC Tournament in HD. Let's hope so.

QUOTE
Thank you for your feedback. You raise a valid point and one that Raycom/Lincoln Financial has been struggling with for the past two years now. R/LF's broadcast contracts with the local TV stations that carry ACC Basketball provide them with full exclusivity in their markets, as per FCC requirements for syndicated content. Without these affiliates we would not be able to broadcast the other 35 regular season ACC games we have on the R/LF schedule. As a result, we will have to continue to black-out ESPN's SD & HD feed of the Duke-UNC game where we have local R/LF TV coverage.

Raycom Sports and Lincoln Financial Sports have been testing "non-network" or syndicated HD delivery of our ACC Basketball telecasts with our local stations throughout the ACC region. The tests are have been fairly successful thus far, with about half of our local stations having the ability to downlink and broadcast a HD feed from R/LF. Because of this promising statistic, we will most likely be producing and distributing the entire ACC Basketball Tournament in HD this season. We are also looking into the feasibility of broadcasting other regular seasons games in HD during the 2008 season. Thank you for your patience and your support of ACC Basketball.
END QUOTE

That is actually a more favorable response than I would have expected. Maybe they really will follow through with HD!

Now that Directv finally has CBS and FOX in HD I'm going to get an HR20 and a new 5 lnb dish. Anyone get the new dish installed lately? Are they installing the new slimline in Raleigh, or are the still installaling the old AT-9 dish?

I seem to remember reading somewhere that Raleigh TWC was going to start rolling out an IPTV-type thingy where they only send down channels that you are watching, instead of all channels. This would increase capacity in the last mile.

Am I confusing this with something else I read, or can someone please point me to a link about this?

Thanks
Your thinking of SDV (Switch Digital Video). The word is the Raleigh/Durham/Fayetteville system suppose to go SDV by the end of the 2nd quarter, after they have the new Mystro Navigator EPG in the cable boxes. I thing SDV will render TV's built-in QAM tuners useless unless they decide to keep the local digital channels off the SDV setup.

Your thinking of SDV (Switch Digital Video). The word is the Raleigh/Durham/Fayetteville system suppose to go SDV by the end of the 2nd quarter, after they have the new Mystro Navigator EPG in the cable boxes. I thing SDV will render TV's built-in QAM tuners useless unless they decide to keep the local digital channels off the SDV setup.

Not to mention cause issues with Tivo Series 3 boxes.

Not to mention cause issues with Tivo Series 3 boxes.

What I was told by someone who has been corrosponding with TWC Raleigh execs was that the current plan is that current content available by cablecard was not going to be impacted by SDV. All digital simulcast of basics was going to be SDV (cablecards currently get analog basics) and any new content was very likely to be delivered via SDV. It was all prefaced by 'subject to changed' of course.... so take it for what its worth....

That is good news about Raycom. I actually came over here to whine about how I would not be able to watch the game in HD. I wonder how WRAL must feel, spending so much money on HD equipment and being the leader in their field only to be saddled with such crappy coverage of ACC sports. Kind of funny how Raycom says they have been struggling with this for a couple of years. If they were not so fat and happy and actually cared about doing a decent broadcast, they would have been working on this 5 years ago.

As I expected, Raycom/Lincoln Financial Sports' web site shows the ESPN-HD broadcast of tomorrow's UNC-Duke game will be blacked out in all of NC resulting in us getting a SD broadcast from the R/LF Sports affiliates.


They did the Miami@Boston College BB game in HD a few weeks ago...only broadcast locally in SD on the WRAL Newschannel though.

Your thinking of SDV (Switch Digital Video). The word is the Raleigh/Durham/Fayetteville system suppose to go SDV by the end of the 2nd quarter, after they have the new Mystro Navigator EPG in the cable boxes. I thing SDV will render TV's built-in QAM tuners useless unless they decide to keep the local digital channels off the SDV setup.

Will they swap out my 8300HD with a new box then, or just change the code on it?

I would miss the 8300HD!

Will they swap out my 8300HD with a new box then, or just change the code on it?

I would miss the 8300HD!

My understanding is that they will need to upgrade folks with the Passport software (which I believe is what in on the boxes in the Raleigh area) to the new Mystro software to do SDV. So they won't swap your box, but they will totally change the software.

This thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=723830) talks about the new software. There's a great deal of name calling in the thread, but the general sense I get from it is that folks with Passport aren't that happy with Mystro, as it appears to remove some scheduling functionality that Passport has.

So you might end up missing your 8300HD even if you get to keep it. ;)

Will they swap out my 8300HD with a new box then, or just change the code on it?

I would miss the 8300HD!
pkscout is right. Same box, different software. Passport won't work with SDV so Mystro Navigator must be deployed in the Raleigh/Durham/Fayettville area boxes before SDV can start here.

BTW, Monday the Durham hub (now the main distrobution hub for Raleigh/Durham/Fayettville division) was having problems with the cable network channels between channels 2 thru 76 (not counting the local network channels), but since they fixed it digital cable has looked slightly better (slight more detail). Anybody noticed or is it just me?

Ooh I forgot. HNN (headline news) is now on QAM in-the-clear 118.1.

Version 0128

Hdmi/Dvi support
recording extensions
closed captions polished
user interface polished
reliability

New Feature
90 minute review buffer while box is in standy by.

force this test version by reset then 02468 on remote

Now that Directv finally has CBS and FOX in HD I'm going to get an HR20 and a new 5 lnb dish. Anyone get the new dish installed lately? Are they installing the new slimline in Raleigh, or are the still installaling the old AT-9 dish?

I had the 5 lnb installed on Jan 28. They installed the Slimline. It appears that the slimline is all that they're installing seeing as my dad in Florida had the 5lnb dish installed a week before I got mine and they installed the slimline at his place.

90% chance another Beta update will come down tonight by force update at 11p-1:30

This is not the same as last nights!

I found this link over on the RemoteCentral.com forum


http://uhfhdtvantenna.blogspot.com/

It is for a hand made UHF antenna that builder claims works well. Could be a cheap alternative to the Free antenna from WRAL. :)

I have one question for the antenna experts amongst us, And that is why do the wire pairs have to be swapped as they get run to the transformer?


I am thinking about making one of these to use for my PBS issues.

-DonB2

http://uhfhdtvantenna.blogspot.com/

It is for a hand made UHF antenna that builder claims works well. Could be a cheap alternative to the Free antenna from WRAL. :)


Nothing is cheaper than Free :)

FWIW, it looks like a home-made Channel Master 4221 http://www.pctinternational.com/channelmaster/antennas_outdoor_uhf.html

Drew

Now that TWC has signed with Sinclair (and the 2 Raleigh Sinclair stations are included in the agreement) ... there is no reason why TWC Raleigh does not offer HD channels for WLFL (CW 22) and WRDC (MyNetworkTV 28). I've emailed George Douglas (Mktg VP for TWC Raleigh), but have gotten no response.

If you are at all interested, I'd encourage you to email him. Maybe he'll respond to somebody.

george.douglas@twcable.com

So, has anyone heard anything?

drewwho,

I agree so now tell me why the wires are swapped ? I am assuming it is a phase issue but not sure why two elements in parallel requireing swapping.

Note in URL you posted the wire swaps sides between the two lower elements.

Don

For Immediate Release, Friday February 9, 2007



Raycom Sports and Lincoln Financial Sports Will Produce 2007 ACC Tournament in High Definition
Tournament Will Be Available to Syndication Affiliates in HD



Charlotte, N.C. – Raycom Sports and Lincoln Financial Sports will produce the syndicated broadcasts of the 2007 ACC Basketball Tournament in high definition, it was announced today. The syndicated telecasts will be available to the R/LF network of local affiliates. R/LF has conducted extensive testing with a live syndicated HD signal.
“Raycom Sports and Lincoln Financial Sports are very excited to offer syndicated telecasts of ACC basketball in high definition for the first time,” stated Ken Haines, President and CEO of Raycom Sports. “Most local affiliates have not been able to rebroadcast syndicated HD programming. What has changed dramatically over the past year is the introduction of syndicated programming, such as Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy.”
“We have done exhaustive research on production and syndication of high definition regional telecasts,” said Ed Hull, President of Lincoln Financial Sports. “More local stations are now able to receive and, most importantly, rebroadcast HD-syndicated programming.”
Raycom Sports and Lincoln Financial Sports, in a unique partnership, have been the rightsholders of ACC men’s basketball since 1982. In addition, the partnership now includes syndicated football telecasts.

For Immediate Release, Friday February 9, 2007



Raycom Sports and Lincoln Financial Sports Will Produce 2007 ACC Tournament in High Definition
Tournament Will Be Available to Syndication Affiliates in HD



Charlotte, N.C. – Raycom Sports and Lincoln Financial Sports will produce the syndicated broadcasts of the 2007 ACC Basketball Tournament in high definition, it was announced today. The syndicated telecasts will be available to the R/LF network of local affiliates. R/LF has conducted extensive testing with a live syndicated HD signal.
“Raycom Sports and Lincoln Financial Sports are very excited to offer syndicated telecasts of ACC basketball in high definition for the first time,” stated Ken Haines, President and CEO of Raycom Sports. “Most local affiliates have not been able to rebroadcast syndicated HD programming. What has changed dramatically over the past year is the introduction of syndicated programming, such as Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy.”
“We have done exhaustive research on production and syndication of high definition regional telecasts,” said Ed Hull, President of Lincoln Financial Sports. “More local stations are now able to receive and, most importantly, rebroadcast HD-syndicated programming.”
Raycom Sports and Lincoln Financial Sports, in a unique partnership, have been the rightsholders of ACC men’s basketball since 1982. In addition, the partnership now includes syndicated football telecasts.

Hopefully, they'll also do the football games in hd.

So, has anyone heard anything?

Answering my own question, here's the reply from Mr. Douglas:


Dale,
We will be adding the signal soon...I expect within the next couple of
weeks. Thanks for taking the time to write!
George

Answering my own question, here's the reply from Mr. Douglas:


place your bets....

Has anyone in the Triangle area had the Navigator software show up in their TWC STB yet? :)

Has anyone in the Triangle area had the Navigator software show up in their TWC STB yet? :)

I was told by a tech advisor today, within 6 to 8 weeks.

I live in Louisburg, around 30 miles away from Raleigh. I built one of those DIY UHF antennas. The thing looked like total crap in the end of the first build, but i was getting a range of 91-80 percent from the antenna. where i live is surrounded by trees and more trees plus it is kind of a hilly area. I live in a 2 story house, and I put the antenna on a 2nd floor window pointed to the south towards Raleigh. The next day I made another one following the DB8 model with two transformers connected to a splitter but I haven't gotten the same reception range that I did get with the first crappy build I made. My 2nd build only got up to around 88 percent max. Granted I did try both builds at two different times of the day. I am going to try to test one of the transformers out of phase and see if I can receive a better signal. There are a lot of designs and how to's at lumenlab/dot/com(couldn't post the actual address b/c i haven't posted at least 5x's)

For Immediate Release, Friday February 9, 2007



Raycom Sports and Lincoln Financial Sports Will Produce 2007 ACC Tournament in High Definition
Tournament Will Be Available to Syndication Affiliates in HD



Charlotte, N.C. – Raycom Sports and Lincoln Financial Sports will produce the syndicated broadcasts of the 2007 ACC Basketball Tournament in high definition, it was announced today. The syndicated telecasts will be available to the R/LF network of local affiliates. R/LF has conducted extensive testing with a live syndicated HD signal.
“Raycom Sports and Lincoln Financial Sports are very excited to offer syndicated telecasts of ACC basketball in high definition for the first time,” stated Ken Haines, President and CEO of Raycom Sports. “Most local affiliates have not been able to rebroadcast syndicated HD programming. What has changed dramatically over the past year is the introduction of syndicated programming, such as Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy.”
“We have done exhaustive research on production and syndication of high definition regional telecasts,” said Ed Hull, President of Lincoln Financial Sports. “More local stations are now able to receive and, most importantly, rebroadcast HD-syndicated programming.”
Raycom Sports and Lincoln Financial Sports, in a unique partnership, have been the rightsholders of ACC men’s basketball since 1982. In addition, the partnership now includes syndicated football telecasts.


this is AWESOME! i assume since the station manager at WRAL posted it, WRAL is also going to broadcast it in HD. many thanks go to RS/LFS and hopefully WRAL for getting the tourney to us in HD. i know a lot of people in the past (including me) have been beating them up pretty bad for not having the tourney in HD. now that it is here, i say thanks!

I found this link over on the RemoteCentral.com forum


http://uhfhdtvantenna.blogspot.com/

It is for a hand made UHF antenna that builder claims works well. Could be a cheap alternative to the Free antenna from WRAL. :)

I have one question for the antenna experts amongst us, And that is why do the wire pairs have to be swapped as they get run to the transformer?


I am thinking about making one of these to use for my PBS issues.

-DonB2

You do know that the CM 4221 only costs around $25 !!!!!

Posg,

You have to read back to find all the PBS / Everything else antenna issues.

..

The PBS/<all> march continues!

POSG, I sold my Powered Square shooter that I use to use to get PBS.

It did ok for PBS but I just didn't like having to use the semi reliable miss mash of remote A/B switch so that I could also use my 4228 for "All".

I was told that the 4228 is more directional than the Square Shooter and that I may be better using the 4228 for PBS in conjuction with the AntennaJoiner that I have.

So I was thinking about using the home brew for either All or PBS.

BTW- I am getting pretty good PBS/ALL by just splitting the position of the 4228 halfway between All and PBS directions.

PBS is still finicky during the morning hours with this set up. But pretty good in the evenings.

The only reason this works at all is because I am now using the Samsung DTB-H260F. This model does a good job of handling multipath.

When I try to get the same stations with my PIONEER ATSC receiver i get a lot of "No Signal Found " messages.

And yes I agree the "You do know that the CM 4221 only costs around $25 !!!!!"

Trouble is anything I have to order the better half scrutinizes. Especially electronic equipment.

I can probably dig up a coat hanger or two and an old 2*4 without stepping out of the house.

BTW- You have not told me why they swap the wires between the two coat hangers.

-DonB2

BTW- You have not told me why they swap the wires between the two coat hangers.

-DonB2

"Phase coherency"

Posg,

Do you swap between each coat hanger/bow tie?

-Donb2

From the top, switch between the 1st and 2nd elements, and between the 3rd and 4th. The connections between the 2nd and 3rd are non switched physically, but since the feeds connect to the feed point, and are coming from opposite directions, they are switched electrically.

Whether or not elements are "in phase" with other elements or "out of phase" depends on the seperation in wavelengths between the elements.

Also the distance between the element and the reflector is important, and may not necessarily be the width of a 2x4, which is actual more like 3 1/2 by 1 3/4.

Save your allowance and buy a real one. :)

Save your allowance and buy a real one.

Whatever

-DonB2

I live near the Southpoint mall area in Durham. Has anyone noticed anything odd with respect to the HD signals on ABC (11.1) or FOX (50.1)? I have DirecTV and OTA. I have been getting pixelation and sound loss at the same place in the programming (evening) while recording the same program simultaneously on the HR20. I get a high signal strength (86% on ABC and 100 on FOX on OTA and high 90s on DirecTV on the 99).

I live near the Southpoint mall area in Durham. Has anyone noticed anything odd with respect to the HD signals on ABC (11.1) or FOX (50.1)? I have DirecTV and OTA. I have been getting pixelation and sound loss at the same place in the programming (evening) while recording the same program simultaneously on the HR20. I get a high signal strength (86% on ABC and 100 on FOX on OTA and high 90s on DirecTV on the 99).

It is just your OTA channels or the MPEG channels on Directv?

I live near the Southpoint mall area in Durham. Has anyone noticed anything odd with respect to the HD signals on ABC (11.1) or FOX (50.1)? I have DirecTV and OTA. I have been getting pixelation and sound loss at the same place in the programming (evening) while recording the same program simultaneously on the HR20. I get a high signal strength (86% on ABC and 100 on FOX on OTA and high 90s on DirecTV on the 99).

I think i noticed this 1 night on OTA abc during According to Jim (or maybe it was George Lopez). Some slight audio dropouts.

I think i noticed this 1 night on OTA abc during According to Jim (or maybe it was George Lopez). Some slight audio dropouts.

I posed the question to the previous poster before I watched my recordings of George Lopez and Lost this morning before going to work. I recorded both shows from the MPEG 4 local version of our ABC HD affil on Directv. GL didn't have any break ups but at the beginning of Lost I had some. At about the 10 or 15 minute point in Lost the break ups disappeared. They weren't long.

We watched Lost last night and it was fine from beginning to end.

A guy at work had a question.. he is suffering thru TWC's enthusiasm for CableCard... :)

Right now, TWC is supposedly "simulcasting" 0-100 as both analog and digital.. so if you have a cable box (not sure if an 8300HD is required) you are getting the digital version.... which version do you get if you have CableCard?

Thanks,
Mike

A guy at work had a question.. he is suffering thru TWC's enthusiasm for CableCard... :)

Right now, TWC is supposedly "simulcasting" 0-100 as both analog and digital.. so if you have a cable box (not sure if an 8300HD is required) you are getting the digital version.... which version do you get if you have CableCard?

Thanks,
Mike

Analog...

I believe the reason they chose to supply analog was that they would be taking the digital simulcast channels to SDV.

Original Post:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9233609

I've signed up to be calibrated on Chad Billheimer's tour. I was told by the person scheduling his appts, Reenie, that if others in the area sign up for this trip, a referral discount goes in effect. According to Chad's website, it appears that we would all save $50 (see http://www.hdtvbychadb.com/specials.htm). If you are interested, write Reenie at chadbcalibrations@yahoo.com and let her that you are signing up by reference of Chris Lombardo and would like to be included in the discount offer. Please PM me if you sign up.

Update: Chad is finally coming to our area the beginning of April. Sign up if you are interested!

For those of you using the HR20 from Directv, as of Friday, Directv and Tribune have fixed the problem that was causing the MPEG 4 HD version of channel 22 to show 'No program information available" in the program guide. The names of the shows appear now.

Directv HD DVR HR20 owners

A new beta software download will be available by force update Sat and Sun nights 11p-2:30a

Romor is that a new toggle will be added, not sure if its a dual buffer toggle or just a toggle between both tuners, no release notes yet.

go to www.dbstalk.com
for more info in the directv cutting edge forum.

I'm totally new to this HD/satellite game and I may have missed this in the thread but any more info on when Dish Network will be getting CBS and Fox (WRAL and WRAZ) in HD? I saw post upthread that had an email from a Capitol Broadcasting rep saying they were in discussions. I hope they come through before the NCAA tourney! Any ideas?

^ I'm interested in the answer to this too...and since I'm just moving back to Raleigh next month (woo!), are any locals (like NBC / ABC?) already on Dish or DirecTV in HD in Raleigh? I'm looking at HD options when I move back.

Also, is "naked" DSL offered in the area? What's the cheapest way to get high-speed internet if you don't buy cable from TWC?

Last: we're going to be staying w/ a pal for a few weeks in Wendell until we can get a home in the Raleigh area -- anyone know if we can pick up HD locals OTA in Wendell w/ just an indoor antenna?

^ I'm interested in the answer to this too...and since I'm just moving back to Raleigh next month (woo!), are any locals (like NBC / ABC?) already on Dish or DirecTV in HD in Raleigh? I'm looking at HD options when I move back.

Also, is "naked" DSL offered in the area? What's the cheapest way to get high-speed internet if you don't buy cable from TWC?

Last: we're going to be staying w/ a pal for a few weeks in Wendell until we can get a home in the Raleigh area -- anyone know if we can pick up HD locals OTA in Wendell w/ just an indoor antenna?
I can answer a few of these questions.

1) DirecTV and Dish both offer ABC and NBC in HD. DirecTV also offers CBS and Fox.
2) Verizon offers naked DSL in Durham, so I'd imagine they do in Raleigh, as well. Last I checked it was $29.99 with a 1 year commitment. I use TWC cable internet since they were able to offer me the same rate for a year and Verizon just pissed me off with their stupid provisioning telling me one thing and the rep telling me another. You don't need TWC cable service to get cable internet, but it does cost more.
3) No idea, but check antennaweb (dot) org (I can't put URLs in my posts yet.) and put in the address and you can see what's offered.

I'm new as well. I'm trying to get an OTA setup going, and was wondering if anyone knew of any good resources besides antennaweb for antenna info. I live in an apartment off of Creedmoor, so have to be careful with a roof setup, and have had no luck in getting a strong signal in my attic with either a Terk TV55 or a RCA stick antenna. I'm thinking about getting a Terk HD roof antenna.

I'm not sure if this is against forum guidelines, but I was in Best Buy today at Crabtree and they have a weekend special where they are giving away a giftcard for 50% of the retail price of open box electronics. I was taking back the open box RCA antenna I had bought because it didn't have an AC adapter (and it didn't work--wink wink) and scored a cheap Dolby Digital Insignia receiver for my computer setup for $150 (regular price) with a $75 giftcard. I was eyeing a Yamaha 5090 with HDMI switching for my main system, but the open box label said "$599 with an $85 gift card" while the sales rep's "retail price" was $1000 (with a $500 gift card).

I tried to argue that his weekend deal was only $14 better than the box, it was discontinued stock, I could probably find a new one on the web for a similar price (with no tax) and I could see in his eyes he knew I was right, but he wouldn't budge. I went over to Best Buy on Capital to see if they were running the same deal, but they weren't. Even though I had the blood lust for electronics by then, I managed to leave empty handed.

Obviously, YMMV, you need to know what something's worth and what you're getting but there is a 30 day guarantee on sales.

I'll be buying an HDTV shortly and have a question about in-the-clear digital channels I can expect to get via QAM. Does anybody have an up to date list for TWC Raleigh or can you refer me to a reliable source?

If I can get major networks without springing for the TWC digital level, I'll be happy.

Thanks!

During this windstorm yesterday I found I had very bad reception on several of my digital OTA channels. The worst being PBS 4.1. I noticed this also last week when we got the rain and wind.

I assume it is all the trees between myself and the towers.

BTW- I watched that Tom Hanks FED EX Movie Saturday where he is trapped on the island. I could only get one version of surround sound working. All my other choices only produced Bass.

-DonB2

BTW- I watched that Tom Hanks FED EX Movie Saturday where he is trapped on the island. I could only get one version of surround sound working. All my other choices only produced Bass.

-DonB2

My experience so far is that some the local stations don't seem to know how to properly do Dolby Digital.

^ I'm interested in the answer to this too...and since I'm just moving back to Raleigh next month (woo!), are any locals (like NBC / ABC?) already on Dish or DirecTV in HD in Raleigh? I'm looking at HD options when I move back.

You can check both Dish and Directv's websites as you might know. I have Directv and they offer CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, and the CW.

SouthPaW1227,

I guess all the Direct TV folks are busy so without having directtv I will tell you I am pretty sure that Direct TV has all the locals in HD. The last hold out that I knew of was WRAL 5.1 but I guess they caved in recently for the playoffs.

DonB2

Larc919,

I have Directv, but I believe if you subscribe to "Basic" cable and you have a TV with a built in ATSC/QAM tuner, you can receive the major networks in HD along with the SD versions.

I live near Princeton and get my signals free off two antennas, one pointed to Greenville and the other pointed to Raleigh.

I'll be buying an HDTV shortly and have a question about in-the-clear digital channels I can expect to get via QAM. Does anybody have an up to date list for TWC Raleigh or can you refer me to a reliable source?

If I can get major networks without springing for the TWC digital level, I'll be happy.

Thanks!

in a nutshell:
4.1
5.1
11.1
17.1
50.2

Thanks, j.r. braswell. My HDTV is scheduled for delivery tomorrow and is ATSC/QAM capable.
in a nutshell:
4.1
5.1
11.1
17.1
50.2But aren't those channels actually carried at spots on the HDTV tuner that TWC isn't showing in its channel lineup? Somebody said 5.1 (WRAL-HD) is in the clear at 85.2.

Being sure of getting those stations in HD is great. No WLFL 22 (CW) or WRDC 28 (MYTV) yet?

Thanks, SugarBowl.

Thanks for the DirecTV / Dish info :)

What's DirecTV charging these days up-front for their HD DVR? The biggest reason I was leaning towards Dish HD is I believe they're giving away the dual-tuner HD DVR upon signup, which is like $300-400 savings over how it used to be (and I think the way it still is w/ DirecTV).

If DirecTV would give away its HD DVR, then we'd be in business.

Does anybody have an up to date list for TWC Raleigh or can you refer me to a reliable source?
Here's a list for TWC Durham, for whatever it's worth. I don't know if TWC Raleigh uses the same channel numbers.

Unencrypted Digital TV Channels in Durham, NC (http://home1.gte.net/res18h39/channels.htm)

Thanks, j.r. braswell. My HDTV is scheduled for delivery tomorrow and is ATSC/QAM capable.
But aren't those channels actually carried at spots on the HDTV tuner that TWC isn't showing in its channel lineup? Somebody said 5.1 (WRAL-HD) is in the clear at 85.2.

Being sure of getting those stations in HD is great. No WLFL 22 (CW) or WRDC 28 (MYTV) yet?

Thanks, SugarBowl.

Those are the channel assignments that my Sony TV displays them as. It may depend on your particular tuner.

I can answer a few of these questions.

1) DirecTV and Dish both offer ABC and NBC in HD. DirecTV also offers CBS and Fox.
2) Verizon offers naked DSL in Durham, so I'd imagine they do in Raleigh, as well. Last I checked it was $29.99 with a 1 year commitment. I use TWC cable internet since they were able to offer me the same rate for a year and Verizon just pissed me off with their stupid provisioning telling me one thing and the rep telling me another. You don't need TWC cable service to get cable internet, but it does cost more.
3) No idea, but check antennaweb (dot) org (I can't put URLs in my posts yet.) and put in the address and you can see what's offered.


Verizon does not serve Raleigh, Bellsouth does and they do not offer Naked DSL. Also, their prices are about double that of the same service in Verizon territory.

It looks like WRDC 28.1 MYRDC OTA went 720p HD today. Caught me totally off guard when flipping channels just now.

A new beta software update is available tonight for the HR20 HD DVR.
Force update by using remote after reciever reset, hit 02468 at the welcome screen.

It looks like WRDC 28.1 MYRDC OTA went 720p HD today. Caught me totally off guard when flipping channels just now.

thanks for the heads up. Went rolling thru my QAM and have CW22 in 1080i on 77-1 and MyRDC in 720p on 77-2.
Also digital music station "Soft Rock" on 918.

Surely we'll have cw22 and myrdc in HD on the 8300HD soon if they're putting them on clear QAM, right?


Here's a list for TWC Durham, for whatever it's worth. I don't know if TWC Raleigh uses the same channel numbers.

Nice list. My raleigh channels are the same as yours.

Here's a list for TWC Durham, for whatever it's worth. I don't know if TWC Raleigh uses the same channel numbers.Thanks very much for that link. I can't imagine TWC would carry different in-the-clear channels for Durham and Raleigh.

Edit: Just saw HotTubJohnny's remark that Raleigh channels are the same. :)

^ Also, is "naked" DSL offered in the area? What's the cheapest way to get high-speed internet if you don't buy cable from TWC?


i don't know what the cheapest way to get HSI ... but earthlink cable modem is 41.95/mo. its basically TWC roadrunner, but its cheaper than TWC roadrunner in the "naked" form.

Isn't TWC offering Turbo internet for $35.00 a month?

-Donb2

Ever wonder why TWC is always last to get any distribution agreements for new channels? Check this out:

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6417934.html?display=Breaking+News

Hey, I'm happy that they are doing so well. And, it's cool that since TWC went public, we now get to see little nuggets like this. But, wouldn't it be nice if they used some of their record profits to keep customers happy (improve technology, add significant and popular national carriage agreements)? Guess not ... Britt needs a new private plane.

Surely we'll have cw22 and myrdc in HD on the 8300HD soon if they're putting them on clear QAM, right?
Sounds logical. :)

Sinclair owned WLFL CW 22 HD launched today for TWC Raleigh (channel 222).

I found out that the Verizon naked DSL in Durham isn't available in Raleigh, and although the AT&T/Bellsouth shindig should eventually get naked DSL to Raleigh, it's not yet.

At any rate, a 1.5Mbps cable service is reportedly available from TWC for $29.99/month -- good enough for me :)

Aside from all that, what's it running you TWC customers per month that have:
- high-speed internet (and which flavor, the Lite or regular, what?)
- digital cable w/ HD package
- any premium channels

Seriously, TWC, DirecTV (by far the worse), and Dish have such ambiguous sites regarding pricing packages. DirecTV's site seriously doesn't even work most of the time...argh.

It's tough because TWC doesn't have ESPN2-HD nor ESPN-U (HUGE deals for me), and while Dish HD gives you an HD DVR free, they don't have locals in HD, and while DirecTV charges $199 for its HD DVR, they have all the locals in HD.

For heavens sake I'd like just one monopoly who would charge me $5 a month more and give me everything I want.

At any rate, a 1.5Mbps cable service is reportedly available from TWC for $29.99/month -- good enough for me :)

Link? The "Roadrunner Lite" I thought was $24.95 and 768k...the regular is $39.95 (with cable), not sure the official speed though.

^ Sup man ;)

Yeah, that's what I was referring to. I'm fairly sure they advertise 1.5Mbps, but actual throughput is around 768kbps.

For a package deal of Phone, internet , and cable:
Road Runner - $34.95
Road Runner Turbo(6 megs down) - $49.90 (39.95 + 9.95) a month for 12 months.
Road Runner Lite (1.5) - $29.95 a month for 12 months
------------------------------------------------------------
Digital Cable $39.95 a month for 12 months.
Road Runner Lite (1.5 Mbps) $29.95 a month for 12 months.
Digital Phone Unlimited Carolinas $29.95 a month for 12 months. (Unlimited Carolina only- $10.00 more per month for Nationwide
Total $99.85

-------------------------------------------------------

The 29.95 for each part of the bundle is the basic for each group

http://www.timewarnercable.com/nc/products/bundling.html

But than if you go to just Road runner and you are a new customer you can get Road Runner Turbo for $34.95 a month for 12 months.

So basically you pay more for road runner Turbo with a Package deal then separately? This does not make since.

-DoNb2

................... and while Dish HD gives you an HD DVR free, they don't have locals in HD, and while DirecTV charges $199 for its HD DVR, they have all the locals in HD.


The operative word with Dish Network is that they offer some of the hd locals but not all of them.

^ Right, but who wants a half-done package? I want 'em all.

For a package deal of Phone, internet , and cable:
Road Runner - $34.95
Road Runner Turbo(6 megs down) - $49.90 (39.95 + 9.95) a month for 12 months.
Road Runner Lite (1.5) - $29.95 a month for 12 months
------------------------------------------------------------
Digital Cable $39.95 a month for 12 months.
Road Runner Lite (1.5 Mbps) $29.95 a month for 12 months.
Digital Phone Unlimited Carolinas $29.95 a month for 12 months. (Unlimited Carolina only- $10.00 more per month for Nationwide
Total $99.85

-------------------------------------------------------

The 29.95 for each part of the bundle is the basic for each group

http://www.timewarnercable.com/nc/products/bundling.html

But than if you go to just Road runner and you are a new customer you can get Road Runner Turbo for $34.95 a month for 12 months.

So basically you pay more for road runner Turbo with a Package deal then separately? This does not make since.

-DoNb2

Were TWC that simple. How many digital boxes do you get? I think one is included, then tack on $7 (? is that still right, been a bit since I checked). Plus a DVR fee, plus HD package.

In my attempts to price compare, I've run into similar issues to the original poster. It's not clear from the TWC site what my cost is for 2 rooms (bedroom with digital cable, living room with HD-DVR), HD, DVR service. You can only price out a DigiPic package, then check ala carte prices, but they don't tell you which ala carte bits are included in the actual DigiPic.

DirecTV is a bit simpler as it is a flat fee for each extra receiver, so your price is base package + DVR + HD + (receiver fee x (rooms - 1) ).

gstelmack,

TWC does not sound too simple to me. Still don't understand why single pricing on Road Runner Turbo is less than package pricing.

DonB2

^ Right, but who wants a half-done package? I want 'em all.
You do get them all with OTA + 2 via SAT (4 when they reach a deal). I have been enjoying the CW in HD ever since I switched to DISH many, many months ago + the 31 other HD channels.
But you are right if you don't have an OTA you are screwed, then again you are probably in the wrong forum as any true HD enthusist would spring for an indoor OTA at the least. ;)

I'm just skeptical as to how many OTA channels I could actually get in Holly Springs with a simple, indoor antenna. I'm not flanking some lightning rod up my house ;)

Anyone know how easy OTA signals come in in Holly Springs? This is likely where I'm relocating to.

Sinclair owned WLFL CW 22 HD launched today for TWC Raleigh (channel 222).
Not down here on the Fayetteville system (Yet). :(

SouthPaW1227 ,

Assuming the 3 story estates are not taller than the trees they replace by the time you get here....

I am in Holly Springs and down below normal elevation with plenty of tall trees around my house and I get 5,11,17,22,28,47, and 50 with my 4228 pointed more or less towards the Garner Farm.

The antenna is in my attic and I use a CM booster. I receive with a Samsung DTB-H260F.

My biggest issues are heavy rain and wind.

PBS 4.1 comes in ok but I will not say that I get it 100 percent without moving antenna.

This is my winter reception. Things will change when the leaves get back on the trees. I have not owned this Samsung receiver long enough to know how well it works in summer.


I previously used my Pioneer TV's built in ATSC tuner and it worked pretty good for the major stations with 11.1 giving me issues now and than and 4.1 (PBS) always being a issue to the point that I had separate antennas and a A/B switch.


-DonB2

I just noticed tonight that WLFL/CW has finally appeared on TWC digital tier - channel 222.

It lists some prime time shows in the guide as HD, but the presentation that I saw of tonight's shows (at around 11pm when I noticed it was there) was clearly a regular SD feed.

At least it's preferable to he horrible signal on it's regular TW channel.

Not only is WLFL-DT on TWC, but so is WRDC-DT.

When I did a digital "channel add" this morning on my direct tuner connection, it added C22.1 and C28.1 ("C" being Sony's indicator for a cable channel). WRDC-DT does not yet show up in the Passport guide, so therefore cannot be accessed through the set-top box as of yet.

I just noticed tonight that WLFL/CW has finally appeared on TWC digital tier - channel 222.

It lists some prime time shows in the guide as HD, but the presentation that I saw of tonight's shows (at around 11pm when I noticed it was there) was clearly a regular SD feed.

At least it's preferable to he horrible signal on it's regular TW channel.

Currently, the only HD on 22 is the CW network feeds which run 8-10 PM and a little earlier on Sundays. Don't expect much more than that for the foreseeable future.

I'm just skeptical as to how many OTA channels I could actually get in Holly Springs with a simple, indoor antenna. I'm not flanking some lightning rod up my house ;)

Anyone know how easy OTA signals come in in Holly Springs? This is likely where I'm relocating to.

You can get them all from Holly Springs with an attic mounted antennae.

I have an $8 set of rabbit ears antenna in the attic and it picks up all the locals, and the UNC PBS stations.

I've also got a channel master antenna that picks up some of Greensboro/High Point's stations. Useful since they sometimes show different NFL games and college games.

Where are you from in WV??

"It looks like WRDC 28.1 MYRDC OTA went 720p HD today. Caught me totally off guard when flipping channels just now."

What was it before this?

-DonB2

You can get them all from Holly Springs with an attic mounted antennae.

I have an $8 set of rabbit ears antenna in the attic and it picks up all the locals, and the UNC PBS stations.

I've also got a channel master antenna that picks up some of Greensboro/High Point's stations. Useful since they sometimes show different NFL games and college games.

Where are you from in WV??

That sounds good...would Garner be about the same way, you think? We're looking at Holly Springs, Garner, and possibly Knightdale as far as places to relocate.

I'm not from WV -- I was actually born & raised about an hour inland from the Outer Banks of NC, went to school at NC State, took a job near Charleston, WV 9 months ago, and cannot WAIT to get back to NC. I took the job b/c of the cash, but boy I'm happy to be moving back into civilization.

On another note: anyone know about how long the commute from Knightdale to RTP is now w/ the new I-540 extension?

SouthPaW1227,

If you move to Garner you will be sitting under most of the towers except PBS and maybe PAX.

Have you been to Raleigh lately? Things have changed alot - traffic wise-around here in the past 6 years that I have been here.

-DonB2

WRDC-DT does not yet show up in the Passport guide, so therefore cannot be accessed through the set-top box as of yet.
I'm guessing that WRDC-DT will be on channel 228 when it shows up.

That sounds good...would Garner be about the same way, you think? We're looking at Holly Springs, Garner, and possibly Knightdale as far as places to relocate.

I'm not from WV -- I was actually born & raised about an hour inland from the Outer Banks of NC, went to school at NC State, took a job near Charleston, WV 9 months ago, and cannot WAIT to get back to NC. I took the job b/c of the cash, but boy I'm happy to be moving back into civilization.

On another note: anyone know about how long the commute from Knightdale to RTP is now w/ the new I-540 extension?

I grew up in Point Pleasant WV so i understand! !


I would guess that commute could be 30-45 minutes.. Unless there is an accident, which happens about once a week.

^ Yeah, that's what I'm hearing, and it's unfortunate. The house prices there are awesome, but up near 45 mins/day commute is just too much for me. Sadly, I think Fuquay is ~45 mins. also.

SouthPaW1227,

If you move to Garner you will be sitting under most of the towers except PBS and maybe PAX.

Have you been to Raleigh lately? Things have changed alot - traffic wise-around here in the past 6 years that I have been here.

-DonB2

^ I visited Raleigh about 2 weeks ago for the weekend, as I was down interviewing for the job that I ended up taking and start next month, but didn't spend much time just cruising around and unfortunately didn't make it over the new I-540 extension. I lived in Raleigh from '03-'06, though, so I know the traffic nightmares well. Was your comment referring to traffic improvements or worsening?

"worsening"

There is talk of making the unfinished extension of 540 to Holly Springs a toll road.

This is suppose to speed up the construction by ten years.

They patted themselves on the back for "completing" 55 from Holly Springs up to RTP.

Well yeah it is better in some sections but so much business has cropped up and the inevitable addition of traffic lights that it really is not an improvement.

Oh and it is still one lane each way thru Apex.

I am always amazed at how quickly a development goes in while highway construction is stalled.

So did you work out a deal with your new job to work from home part of the week?

On the bright side it is a nice Springy day today!!!! :D

-Donb2

There is talk of making the unfinished extension of 540 to Holly Springs a toll road.

This is suppose to speed up the construction by ten years.


I think the 540 toll road is a great idea if it relieves some of the congestion.

It usually takes me about 10 minutes to get to work and about 12 minutes to get home. :)

We looked all over, but decided to stay closer to RTP. 45 minutes each way was just not acceptable. Good luck on your house search.

^^ Yeah, the toll deal would suck bigtime...I guess we're at their mercy, though.

My job will eventually lend itself to being manageable from home some of the time, thankfully, so I'm looking forward to that day for sure! :)

^ I would stay in a nice part of Durham in a heartbeat -- we'd be close to RTP, great shopping areas, etc. But the schools there are just so much less desirable than ones in Wake Co. it's just amazing, and houses just don't resell as well due to this. If we weren't planning on kids, we'd definitely pick Durham, but as it stands, we want Wake Co. school so we're forced to live a half hour out to get a place that's not 100 years old or in the ghetto. Sucks, but it's life.

"It looks like WRDC 28.1 MYRDC OTA went 720p HD today. Caught me totally off guard when flipping channels just now."

What was it before this?

-DonB2
Up until Tuesday 20th they were only broadcasting in 480i SD digital OTA.

Daryl L,

Thanks - so basically they use to be what ION has now.

BTW - Not that you may care- but PAX/ION has some new broadcasting. 47.3 is a healthy life style format. 47.2 is Cubo a 24/7 cartoon channel., 47.4 is mostly moving scenery with backgroud music and an occasional verse of scripture thrown in. They do have some nice screen shots on 47.4 from Colorado and also Nova Scotia.

They are doing prime time with a boxing show on Saturday.

Also Charlies A's has been replaced with KungFu.

None of this may be considered Top Quality but it is an digital OTA alternative for those of us on a OTA budget.

-DoN2

Currently, the only HD on 22 is the CW network feeds which run 8-10 PM and a little earlier on Sundays. Don't expect much more than that for the foreseeable future.

I expect very little so I can't be disappointed!

If it's HD during prime time, I'll take that over not HD at any time. :)

Daryl L,

Thanks - so basically they use to be what ION has now.Yep.
BTW - Not that you may care- but PAX/ION has some new broadcasting. 47.3 is a healthy life style format. 47.2 is Cubo a 24/7 cartoon channel., 47.4 is mostly moving scenery with backgroud music and an occasional verse of scripture thrown in. They do have some nice screen shots on 47.4 from Colorado and also Nova Scotia.Yep, Cubo started Jan 8th and ION west was replaced with IONLife on Feb 19th.
They are doing prime time with a boxing show on Saturday.

Also Charlies A's has been replaced with KungFu.

None of this may be considered Top Quality but it is an digital OTA alternative for those of us on a OTA budget.

-DoN2
I liked watching Charlie's Angel (aswell as Green Acres and Growing Pains) but never cared for KungFu. No offence to KungFu fans but David Carradine just moved way to slow to pull off being a expert martial artist. A true martial artist could kick David Carradine upside the head 4/5 times at the least by the time David Carradine threw one hit at the speed he moved. :) KungFu was Bruce Lee's idea and was suppose to be the star in it until the studio gave him the shaft. :(

Daryl L,

Maybe Grasshopper moved slow from having to walk across that "Rice Paper" without tearing it during his training days :)

-DoNB2

Daryl L,

Maybe Grasshopper moved slow from having to walk across that "Rice Paper" without tearing it during his training days :)

-DoNB2
Good point. :D It's not a bad show. I watched it when it first aired on tv in the early 70's (no cable back then, just 3 channels, 4 if the weather permited). And yes I'm that old. ;) It's just not one I remember fondly.

I grew up in Point Pleasant WV so i understand! !


I would guess that commute could be 30-45 minutes.. Unless there is an accident, which happens about once a week.
From my house in Wendell, further east from Knightdale, it is 20-25 mins to RDU airport, and exactly 35 mins to Southpoint Mall in Durham. The new I-540 and US 64-264 Bypass are awesome. Knightdale would be 7-10 mins less commute time if you can miss the I-40 bottleneck at Durham during rush hours. TV-wise, I can see the towers from my roof, PBS is a few degrees off from the others, and oddly I can get the Greenville PBS digital signal just as well when my antenna is looking east.

^ That's great to hear. We'll actually be staying in a friend's house in Wendell until we buy our own. I guess Knightdale's back in the running...I'll drive it myself in a few weeks and find out if I can stand it. :)

So do you use an attic/roof-mounted antenna to get OTA from Wendell, or just a simple indoor antenna?

ION was dropping out on me a little bit this morning. I attribute it to the high winds we are experiencing. - The better half has been showing interest in 47.3.

Oh and it takes me about 45 minutes to get to work near Triangle park from Holly Springs. I take 751 as I don't like 55. When I first moved to Holly Springs 6 years ago it was closer to 30 minutes.

Several roads I take have had their speed limits drop and there are also some more traffic lights I have to deal with - plus construction.

-DonB2

^ That's great to hear. We'll actually be staying in a friend's house in Wendell until we buy our own. I guess Knightdale's back in the running...I'll drive it myself in a few weeks and find out if I can stand it. :)

So do you use an attic/roof-mounted antenna to get OTA from Wendell, or just a simple indoor antenna?
You should know the engineer in me has a big outdoor antenna with a remote controlled rotor. Aarrgh, Aarrgh! Over here you can lock into the DTV's with a bicycle rim on a broom handle. No issue at all south and east of Raleigh. It's the other side of town where everybody lives, that has issues with hills, trees, and what not. (Does anyone remember airplane flutter in analog RF?) I can watch my 17 analog at my mom's house in Bertie county, over 110 miles away, but haven't tested the digitals down there lately. Might try that Sunday when I'm there.

^^ Yeah, the toll deal would suck bigtime...I guess we're at their mercy, though.

My job will eventually lend itself to being manageable from home some of the time, thankfully, so I'm looking forward to that day for sure! :)

^ I would stay in a nice part of Durham in a heartbeat -- we'd be close to RTP, great shopping areas, etc. But the schools there are just so much less desirable than ones in Wake Co. it's just amazing, and houses just don't resell as well due to this. If we weren't planning on kids, we'd definitely pick Durham, but as it stands, we want Wake Co. school so we're forced to live a half hour out to get a place that's not 100 years old or in the ghetto. Sucks, but it's life.

You should check Morrisville. I have lived out here since 2000 and it is great being so close to RTP, yet to get to Raleigh take little time as well since you are going against traffic. ALso, you are close to Durham and Chapel Hill for things to do after work.

Lee L ,

Quit bragging! :D

Hey and the Shiny Diner is not too far away either!! That did it, now I am getting hungry.

-DonB2

^^ I'd love to move to Morrisville -- there's just a tiny problem. There's exactly FOUR homes between $150k - $225k listed for sale in Morrisville right now. FOUR!

I tested ATSC PAX this morning and got No signal :(

I hope it was just a short term issue.


-DonB2

You should know the engineer in me has a big outdoor antenna with a remote controlled rotor. Aarrgh, Aarrgh! Over here you can lock into the DTV's with a bicycle rim on a broom handle. No issue at all south and east of Raleigh. It's the other side of town where everybody lives, that has issues with hills, trees, and what not. (Does anyone remember airplane flutter in analog RF?) I can watch my 17 analog at my mom's house in Bertie county, over 110 miles away, but haven't tested the digitals down there lately. Might try that Sunday when I'm there.


I live in Washington NC about 25 miles east of Greenville, 116 miles from the WRAL station. I get the following stations.
WRAL-DT5
WTVD-DT11
WNCN-DT17
WLFL-DT22
WRDC-DT28
WRAY-DT30
WRAZ-DT50
I get these stations from around 4p-10a daily
WRDC usually 24 hrs aday with sometimes going out. Also WRAY
WRAL is usually the 1st station to come in. With WNCN and WTVD being the last.
WRAZ has times it is hard to get.

Im using a channel master 4228 that WRAL gave me from the antenna give away. Im not even in the WRAL market, but me and my father in law both got one.


heres my local DT stations I also get.
WUND-DT 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5 (UNC) COLUMBIA
WITN-DT 7.1(NBCHD), 7.2(24/7WX), 7.3(NBCSD) WASHINGTON
WNCT-DT 9.1(CBSHD), 9.2(CW) GREENVILLE
WCTI-DT 12.1(ABCHD), 12.3(ENCTV) NEW BERN
WYDO-DT 14.1(FOXHD) GREENVILLE
WUNM-DT 19.1, 19.2, 19.3, 19.4, 19.5 (UNC) JACKSONVILLE
WUNK-DT 25.1, 25.2, 25.3, 25.4, 25.5 (UNC) GREENVILLE

jamieh1,

Out of curiosity how well do you receive the analog NTSC equivalent of these Raleigh ATSC stations?

i.e. are they watchable 24/7? Or do they get too grainy or snowy to be watchable?

-DonB2

I cant recieve the analog versions, WRDC 28 comes in at night but is snowy.
My Directv HR20 HD DVR does not tune analog ota. But my old SAMSUNG HD TUNER did.

Does anyone in the Raleigh area get any of the Greenville Washington New Bern channels?

^^ I'd love to move to Morrisville -- there's just a tiny problem. There's exactly FOUR homes between $150k - $225k listed for sale in Morrisville right now. FOUR!


My wife and I are having the same issue. We're just now starting the house search and we've been in Morrisville for a few years and want to stay in the area, and stay in an area with good schools since there will probably be a kid in the not so distant future, but we can't find anything over here. Morrisville is all townhouses and apartments (and businesses!). She refuses to live in Garner or that side of town (even though it would be great for me as I work at Wake Tech), but oh well.

On a side note, I just noticed us having CW-HD today >< Talk about being out of it the past week!

Is anyone else having problems receiving Digital Channels 200-295 from TWC? I have an 8300HD from TWC in Durham.

All I get is a grey screen on those channels. I tried hard booting the DVR, but the status has not changed.

It's 8:42am, and there's no trouble with those channels on TWC Raleigh.

Just saw TWC will be showing all NCAA tournament games again for FREE this year. Great news. I think all the games will be in HD this year. :)

Here is what the email from TWC says:

Get EVERY NCAA Tournament Game!
Time Warner Cable and WRAL are giving viewers the opportunity to see EVERY game played during the NCAA college basketball tournament! Time Warner Digital Cable customers can check out the regional action on Ch. 3 (or Ch. 5 in some areas) or watch alternate games on Digital Channels 256-259. This is a college basketball fan's dream come true! Plus, a ton of games will be available in High Definition. Visit our website in March for a complete schedule.

Pax is working for me again so I guess it was just a anomaly.

-DonB2

Man I hate the fact that WRAL has the ACC Raycom basketball package b/c shows that I record are preempted to stupid times like 3:07 in the morning. Also, with the ACC tourney coming up, they're not going to show the afternoon soaps, two of which I record. This just reaks of bush league programming. If you're the affiliate for a major network and you're in a top 30 market, why are you carrying college sports programming that conflicts with network programming and that is on throughout the week. I know that basketball is huge here, but damn, let the CW or some other non major affiliate have the package. I don't need CSI to be preempted so that we can watch Miami vs. Georgia Tech.

Man I hate the fact that WRAL has the ACC Raycom basketball package b/c shows that I record are preempted to stupid times like 3:07 in the morning. Also, with the ACC tourney coming up, they're not going to show the afternoon soaps, two of which I record. This just reaks of bush league programming. If you're the affiliate for a major network and you're in a top 30 market, why are you carrying college sports programming that conflicts with network programming and that is on throughout the week. I know that basketball is huge here, but damn, let the CW or some other non major affiliate have the package. I don't need CSI to be preempted so that we can watch Miami vs. Georgia Tech.

LOL You ain't from 'round here, are you? :) (j/k)

^^ HAH! Welcome to maybe 0.0001% of North Carolina's opinion. Like it not, this is ACC country, and there would be an uprising beyond belief if TWC just ignored the ACC Tourney.

I know how it is though, I'm currently in WV (moving back to NC this weekend!!) and all I see is "stupid Big East" stuff. ;)

AFH ,

I missed the second half of Criminal Minds because of this.

Than when I learned about it I recorded UNIT in the am slot and didn't get it for some unknown reason.

Than recently I actually got Criminal Minds in the AM time slot :o

-DONB2

Man I hate the fact that WRAL has the ACC Raycom basketball package b/c shows that I record are preempted to stupid times like 3:07 in the morning.I agree! There are times when WRAL preempts a CBS program I really want to see for a game I couldn't care less about. They have extra digital channels. Wonder why they couldn't make network programming available on one of those channels when they use 5 and 5.1 for non-network local/regional games?

Man I hate the fact that WRAL has the ACC Raycom basketball package b/c shows that I record are preempted to stupid times like 3:07 in the morning.

At least they are preempted to a set time. I've stopped watching "Cold Case" entirely because sports would always delay it by some factor, and I was tired of having to record 2 to 3 hours of material in the hopes of finding it.

Drew

What does WRAL use for advertising during the game? Dicks Sporting Goods?

-DonB2

What does WRAL use for advertising during the game? Dicks Sporting Goods?

-DonB2

Not sure b/c I'm at the gym the time that the games are on.

LOL You ain't from 'round here, are you? :) (j/k)

Wasn't too hard to figure out. :)

Is anyone else having problems receiving Digital Channels 200-295 from TWC? I have an 8300HD from TWC in Durham.

All I get is a grey screen on those channels. I tried hard booting the DVR, but the status has not changed.

Had same problem. Called TWC at 6:45am and was told yes they were working on those channels. It would be resolved by 7am (and was, approx.).

Wasn't too hard to figure out. :)


If it's any consolation - I feel the same way (UNIVERSITY of KANSAS graduate).

However, I understand why they do - KU BB in Kansas is about as big as ACC here !

It would be nice if WRAL could use some of their subchannel capacity (for those with digital TV capability) for a simultanaueos showing, but I still would be out of luck - so, I record 3 hours from 2AM to 5AM for CBS network programming, and do alot of fast forwarding....

I just got home from work, and tried to turn on the WRAL news like I always do. I find that I am no longer receiving any digital stations, I normally get 5.1, 11.1, 17.1, and 50.2. Now I only get standard channels, nothing with decimal points.

Is anyone else having this problem, or did my tuner die?

I've got 4.1-4.5, 5.1 and 17.1, but no 11.1 nor 50.1 (50.2) using my QAM tuner. Ah well...hope the situation is resolved soon-ish *shrug*

At least you're not alone :)

They may be "moving" channels so they can do the entire NCAA tournament in HD. I'll take a little inconvenience now for all the games in HD. :)

I am guessing the reason WRAL does not use a sub channel to air the Prime time shows during their prime time slot is a bandwidth issue.

One HD and one SD or maybe two is tops it appears.

PAX/ION has about five SD channels simultaneously but Quality suffers.

-DonB2

Yeah, it's not a big deal that they are moving things around, but it's still a little alarming when a channel suddenly doesn't work. It always questions the reliability of my tv's QAM tuner...I haven't have the best luck with electronics lately.

Can't they move the channels around, but still have them mapped to their 5.1, 11.1 channel assignments?

Can't they move the channels around, but still have them mapped to their 5.1, 11.1 channel assignments?
They are still mapped to 5.1, 11.1, etc, which are the virtual channel numbers.

The issue is that your TV needs to know the physical channel numbers that they moved to. Typically, for this to happen, you tell the TV to auto-scan all the channels. After the auto-scan, it knows what physical channel number to tune into when you enter a virtual channel number.

I can't even imagine teaching the better half how to find QAM channels that have moved.

Just the other day she told me to yank the Sirius Radio out of the living room because she can't find the stations she wants on it. "I have a car Sirius radio with house adapter to my stereo in on my Pioneer amp."

Needless to say this did not make me happy. BUT.. I really hate the way my Sirius radio stores preset stations. If you press one of the presets slightly too long it changes the preset. There is no way to lock in a preset. Just try to do it thru a secondary remote and wireless repeater!

Maybe I could program a Macro on another remote that only sends the signal for 1 sec or less.

Or maybe just sell the piece of crap sirius radio with til May left on the contract :mad:

-DonB2

Well, there seems to be a problem with QAM and 11.1 and 50.1.

To my surprise, I got a quick response from TWC that they are currently working on some issues that prevent 11.1 and 50.1 from showing up...

"Response:Thank you for contacting us. We have been advised that they are currently working to resolve the issue with the QAM tuner for 11.1 and 50.1."

Yerp.

Wow !! They admit QAM exists!!! I am impressed. :D

-DonB2

Yerp.

Wow !! They admit QAM exists!!! I am impressed. :D

-DonB2
if only they would tell TiVo..

Speaking of QAM.
I have 11.1 and 50.1 but 22.1 (CW) disappeared. Anyone know where it is?

Hi, new to this thread. Anyone have a list of which channels are available on Time Warner QAM?

Hi, new to this thread. Anyone have a list of which channels are available on Time Warner QAM?

From just last week (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9825558&&#post9825558). Might be worth a little work in the future to scan through at least the last week or so of the thread to find stuff.

Sorry, I can't agree with you. In a 239-page thread there's no guarantee scanning the last 10 pages will have enough pertinent info to justify the time commitment. If WildBill is no longer around to keep the 1st post updated, I'll be happy to help set up a static / wiki page...

The Durham list linked in message #7077 is basically accurate for Raleigh, so you should find it quite usable for Chapel Hill as well. There are a few differences since TWC seems to make channel assignment additions and changes occasionally. Overall, you can count on the channels available in TWC Basic plus all their digital variations.

Hi all - I just received my AverTV ExpressCard DVB-T tuner from Australia. It says it cannot automatically scan for channels as it doesn't have the US frequency list. I can do a manual scan but it is asking for the channel's frequency in KHz (example from the help is 533000) and the Bandwidth in MHz (choices are 6, 7 or 8).

Does anyone know where I can find this info for the Raleigh locals ? Is there something out there like lyngsat for OTA ? I've been searching but am coming up blank.

Thanks in advance!

Hi all - I just received my AverTV ExpressCard DVB-T tuner from Australia. It says it cannot automatically scan for channels as it doesn't have the US frequency list. I can do a manual scan but it is asking for the channel's frequency in KHz (example from the help is 533000) and the Bandwidth in MHz (choices are 6, 7 or 8).

Does anyone know where I can find this info for the Raleigh locals ? Is there something out there like lyngsat for OTA ? I've been searching but am coming up blank.

Thanks in advance!


http://home1.gte.net/res18h39/channels.htm

Check the formula at the bottom of that page..

Hi guys, new to this thread. I live about 8 miles south of Chapel Hill, just about 3 miles from the UNC tower. There is not TWC in my area, so I am on DTV. My zip code puts me in the Raleigh region.

I am about 40 miles from the Raleigh towers with a lot of mini mountains in between, and the tree line rises above my house. I cannot receive any off air HD with the crappy little antenna DTV gave me. I can get ABC and NBC off satellite, but no CBS or FOX because of affitiate agreements.

Any ideas? Anyone live in my area who somehow gets off air stations? I hate to invest in a big boy antenna and build a extension off my roof, only to have all those stations just read "no signal". Are any of the best antennas able to extract a signal from below the mountain line?

If I'm in the wrong place, please redirect me. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Hi guys, new to this thread. I live about 8 miles south of Chapel Hill, just about 3 miles from the UNC tower. There is not TWC in my area, so I am on DTV. My zip code puts me in the Raleigh region.

I am about 40 miles from the Raleigh towers with a lot of mini mountains in between, and the tree line rises above my house. I cannot receive any off air HD with the crappy little antenna DTV gave me. I can get ABC and NBC off satellite, but no CBS or FOX because of affitiate agreements.

Any ideas? Anyone live in my area who somehow gets off air stations? I hate to invest in a big boy antenna and build a extension off my roof, only to have all those stations just read "no signal". Are any of the best antennas able to extract a signal from below the mountain line?

If I'm in the wrong place, please redirect me. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

WRAL and WRAZ cleared their standoff with DTV 3-4 weeks ago. They are both available via sat and should be showing up on your guide provided you have the proper equipment and are signed up for locals service. :)

Hi all - I just received my AverTV ExpressCard DVB-T tuner from Australia. It says it cannot automatically scan for channels as it doesn't have the US frequency list. I can do a manual scan but it is asking for the channel's frequency in KHz (example from the help is 533000) and the Bandwidth in MHz (choices are 6, 7 or 8).

Does anyone know where I can find this info for the Raleigh locals ? Is there something out there like lyngsat for OTA ? I've been searching but am coming up blank.

Thanks in advance!
Here are Cable TV Freq lists (they actually go higher):
http://www.jneuhaus.com/fccindex/cablech.html
http://www.qsl.net/atn/library/Broadcast_freqs.htm

The AverTV ExpressCard DVB-T apparently doesn't do either QAM, Analog NTSC or even Analog PAL,
and DVB-T is entirely different from our ATSC waveform. So it's doubtful you'll get ANYTHING in the U.S.

Another issue is whether it tunes to the CENTER frequency or to the LOWEST frequency in each 6 MHz assignment.
And tuning to the NTSC Visual Carrier would be a third possibility if the card actually did NTSC...

WRAL and WRAZ cleared their standoff with DTV 3-4 weeks ago. They are both available via sat and should be showing up on your guide provided you have the proper equipment and are signed up for locals service. :)

Thanks much. I'll check.

Any ideas? Anyone live in my area who somehow gets off air stations? I hate to invest in a big boy antenna and build a extension off my roof, only to have all those stations just read "no signal". Are any of the best antennas able to extract a signal from below the mountain line?

Check out antennaweb.org (http://antennaweb.org). Stick in your address and the system will tell you what kind of antenna you need to get all the stations, even if it's a huge tower mounted thing. ;)

WRAL and WRAZ cleared their standoff with DTV 3-4 weeks ago. They are both available via sat and should be showing up on your guide provided you have the proper equipment and are signed up for locals service. :)

Say, Wilson-Flyer,

I looked in the guide and I see channel 5-WRAL and 50-WRAZ as satellite stations, but they are the old SD, no HD logos. A couple of questions for you.

1. What specific stations should be showing up?
2. Do I need to sign up for HD local stations since this agreement?
3. What do you mean by proper equipment? Isn't my DTV-HD satellite box sufficient? Are you referring to the 5 LNB dish I've heard about?

Thanks again.

Say, Wilson-Flyer,

I looked in the guide and I see channel 5-WRAL and 50-WRAZ as satellite stations, but they are the old SD, no HD logos. A couple of questions for you.

1. What specific stations should be showing up?
2. Do I need to sign up for HD local stations since this agreement?
3. What do you mean by proper equipment? Isn't my DTV-HD satellite box sufficient? Are you referring to the 5 LNB dish I've heard about?

Thanks again.

First question, do you have the HR20 or H20 Directv recievers? B/c if you don't you won't get the HD verisons of WRAL and WRAZ. I have the HR20 and you can get it from Directv from anywhere from 99 to 199 depending on your haggling skills. I got it for 99 but I've been a customer for 2 years. You will also need a 5 lnb dish, but when you order the HR20 they will send out the 5 lnb dish the guy will install everything for you.

First question, do you have the HR20 or H20 Directv recievers? B/c if you don't you won't get the HD verisons of WRAL and WRAZ. I have the HR20 and you can get it from Directv from anywhere from 99 to 199 depending on your haggling skills. I got it for 99 but I've been a customer for 2 years. You will also need a 5 lnb dish, but when you order the HR20 they will send out the 5 lnb dish the guy will install everything for you.

Thanks AFH,

I'd have to check to see which receiver I have, but if I need the 5 LNB dish, I assume I need to get new equipment installed, so I'll call DTV.

P.S. I've been a "valued customer" of DTV for 3 years now. Do you think they will give it to me for free? Just kidding. It's amazing how the cable, satellite, and cell phone companies will let you go on forever with outdated and more expensive and less comrehensive contracts unless you call them and confront them.

Thanks AFH,

I'd have to check to see which receiver I have, but if I need the 5 LNB dish, I assume I need to get new equipment installed, so I'll call DTV.

P.S. I've been a "valued customer" of DTV for 3 years now. Do you think they will give it to me for free? Just kidding. It's amazing how the cable, satellite, and cell phone companies will let you go on forever with outdated and more expensive and less comrehensive contracts unless you call them and confront them.

Unless you have an H20 (HD non PVR) or an HR20 (HD PVR) AND a new style 5 LNB dish, you can't get the new HD locals. They are MPEG4 and all older HD receivers are MPEG2 ONLY.

Sorry. The implication I read in your original post was that you already had the right equipment and that you could get the others (11, 4, 17, etc) but just couldn't see 5 and 50 for some reason. My mistake.

There are some pretty sweet deals out there from DTV. I've been a "top-tier" subscriber for 10 years so I got some pretty sweet incented deals. All depends on who you get on the phone. Customer retension makes the sweetest deals as a last resort if you don't get the deal you want from a normal CSR.

Good luck.

Hi guys, new to this thread. I live about 8 miles south of Chapel Hill, just about 3 miles from the UNC tower. There is not TWC in my area, so I am on DTV. My zip code puts me in the Raleigh region.

I am about 40 miles from the Raleigh towers with a lot of mini mountains in between, and the tree line rises above my house. I cannot receive any off air HD with the crappy little antenna DTV gave me. I can get ABC and NBC off satellite, but no CBS or FOX because of affitiate agreements.

Any ideas? Anyone live in my area who somehow gets off air stations? I hate to invest in a big boy antenna and build a extension off my roof, only to have all those stations just read "no signal". Are any of the best antennas able to extract a signal from below the mountain line?

If I'm in the wrong place, please redirect me. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Still don't get your post. The normal (SD) stations were never in question. You should have ALWAYS been able to see 5 and 50 SD. Only the 5 and 50 HD feeds were at odds and being held up. The very implication that they were the only ones you couldn't see implies you already have the right equipment.

I'm confused. :confused: What gives?

what happened to the free all music channel called tubetv

it was located on 28.2

can anyone else get this channel?

and no this was not a cabletv channel either..lol

it was being picked up with rabbit ears for a good 4 months now poof its gone..

Still don't get your post. The normal (SD) stations were never in question. You should have ALWAYS been able to see 5 and 50 SD. Only the 5 and 50 HD feeds were at odds and being held up. The very implication that they were the only ones you couldn't see implies you already have the right equipment.

I'm confused. :confused: What gives?

Yea, you're right, I always got them in SD, just rarely watched them. I just thought from your original post some new HD stations might be there, but I see I need to call and get the new receiver and dish installed. Will do. thanks again.

^^^^^P.S. to the above. I called DTV; apparently the installers in my area are out of HR20's or the dish. I got the first appointment for when they are due in-- April 2. Oh well, I've waited this long. :) :(

Say, AFH, or Wilson-flier, or anybody out there,

After I ordered the HR20, I looked it up on Amazon and read some pretty scathing reviews-- many people saying it's a piece of junk. Did I make a mistake? Should I cancel this while I still can and wait until a better unit is out? :eek: :eek:

what happened to the free all music channel called tubetv

it was located on 28.2

can anyone else get this channel?

and no this was not a cabletv channel either..lol

it was being picked up with rabbit ears for a good 4 months now poof its gone..
They were being carried as a subchannel to 28, which is a Sinclair owned station and as of Jan 1st, Sinclair terminated their contract to carry The Tube on their stations (presumably to dedicate full bandwidth for the HD channel, haha!)

Say, AFH, or Wilson-flier, or anybody out there,

After I ordered the HR20, I looked it up on Amazon and read some pretty scathing reviews-- many people saying it's a piece of junk. Did I make a mistake? Should I cancel this while I still can and wait until a better unit is out? :eek: :eek:

If you have DirecTV and you want to record all the HD available from DirecTV the HR20 is the only game in town. If you can get OTA reception for the local HD channels you might consider the older (but IMHO vastly superior) HR10-250 (the HD TiVo). The HR10-250 can't receive or record the new MPEG4 channels, but the reviews on it are much better. You can't buy an HR10-250 from DirecTV anymore, so if you want one you'll have to look on eBay.

I recently switched from DirecTV to TWC (long story involving a commute to Las Vegas for work), and I have a HR10-250 I'm not using. If you're interested, PM me.

If you have DirecTV and you want to record all the HD available from DirecTV the HR20 is the only game in town. If you can get OTA reception for the local HD channels you might consider the older (but IMHO vastly superior) HR10-250 (the HD TiVo). The HR10-250 can't receive or record the new MPEG4 channels, but the reviews on it are much better. You can't buy an HR10-250 from DirecTV anymore, so if you want one you'll have to look on eBay.

I recently switched from DirecTV to TWC (long story involving a commute to Las Vegas for work), and I have a HR10-250 I'm not using. If you're interested, PM me.

Actually, I can't get any over air HD stations where I live, nor do I have TWC in the area, so I must get everything via the satellite. Problem is I'm on a 3 LNB dish with a regular HD receiver (generic, but I think it's made by Samsung). It's extremely reliable but no local channels. Just wondering if I'm opening a can of worms with this unit. Maybe if it ain't broken I shouldn't fix it!

Say, AFH, or Wilson-flier, or anybody out there,

After I ordered the HR20, I looked it up on Amazon and read some pretty scathing reviews-- many people saying it's a piece of junk. Did I make a mistake? Should I cancel this while I still can and wait until a better unit is out? :eek: :eek:

Greetings from Rocky Mount. I had a HR20 installed about 3 weeks ago along with the 5lnb dish. I, too, have heard the horrible reviews on the HR20, but it works for me. Granted, it is NO TiVo, but it hasn't missed a recording for me yet.

My only issue is, currently, the signal for the spot beam of locals isn't all that great here. Getting about 59% signal for HD locals. I'm told that when DirecTV launches their new birds this year, they will correct that by moving HD locals to a proper spot beam with better coverage. Until then, I have to baby sit my HD local recordings (cancel and move them to the SD locals when light rain is moving in). But, I can live with that for a few months.

Cheers

-Matt

Sorry, I can't agree with you. In a 239-page thread there's no guarantee scanning the last 10 pages will have enough pertinent info to justify the time commitment. If WildBill is no longer around to keep the 1st post updated, I'll be happy to help set up a static / wiki page...


Hello Richard, yes I still exist. :)

Good point about the front-page. I am going to rework the initial post a bit. I started to about 3 months ago and was interrupted by work. I will post obvious info, some links to pertinent posts and perhaps with permission from others links to their info. More to follow shortly.

I like the WIKI idea and wish Vbulletin software could blend in a WIKI front-page where we could all contribute. That would be very cool evolution of forum posting software.

I was also considering a Wikipedia entry for Raleigh/Durham HDTV. Not sure if that would be better than an individual hosting it or not. Thoughts???

I might ask one of the Sr. administrators if they would like to suggest a forum standard for the local HDTV wikipedia entries. That could be a fairly good use of talent across the board. They might even want to setup the initial pages and then insert a initial post into all of the local threads and point to the local wikipedia entry and see if the local communities would consider banding together to keep their information up to date.

I think something like a WIKI page is preferred as a forum is not the best way to find an overview of local info. A forum is generally intended for question/answer sessions but after a while everyone gets tired of answering the same questions.
Folks also get tired of trying to find a relevant post via the search. The search tool IS powerful, especially within a thread but too often it can become a bit much to wade through.

Bill

Say, AFH, or Wilson-flier, or anybody out there,

After I ordered the HR20, I looked it up on Amazon and read some pretty scathing reviews-- many people saying it's a piece of junk. Did I make a mistake? Should I cancel this while I still can and wait until a better unit is out? :eek: :eek:

I too was worried about that when I order mine back in earlier Jan. However, the posts over at Dbstalk (http://www.dbstalk.com/index.php?) were very informative. With all of the software updates that the HR20 has had, it's has gone from being unreliable to pretty stable. I too once had the HR10-250 from summer 04- summer 06 and in my never to be hubble opinion, the HR20 is a better overall reciever. I have my network connected to it and I'm able to play songs from my computer using the HR20 b/c of the ethernet port on the back of the HR20. The over user interface is miles better than the HR10 or that HD Dvr that I used for a while from TWC.

Don't worry. If you have any problems you can always have Directv send you a new one. Also, the folks over at Dbstalk are very helpful and Directv also lets them know when software updates are coming.

Greetings from Rocky Mount. I had a HR20 installed about 3 weeks ago along with the 5lnb dish. I, too, have heard the horrible reviews on the HR20, but it works for me. Granted, it is NO TiVo, but it hasn't missed a recording for me yet.

My only issue is, currently, the signal for the spot beam of locals isn't all that great here. Getting about 59% signal for HD locals. I'm told that when DirecTV launches their new birds this year, they will correct that by moving HD locals to a proper spot beam with better coverage. Until then, I have to baby sit my HD local recordings (cancel and move them to the SD locals when light rain is moving in). But, I can live with that for a few months.

Cheers

-Matt

Thanks Matt,
Thanks AFH,

I feel a lot better now. Maybe to hedge my bets I'll call and find out how much it would cost to keep my present HD receiver and just add the HR20, running in one new line. That way I could keep my old one connected through component to my AV/R, along with my DVR and DVD. The HR20 could run through HDMI and get the new channels. Then if the HR20 craps out, I won't be without TV, just what I don't have now. I could run that for 6 mos. or until I felt the new unit was worthy of our sole dependence on it. Then I could switch it over and use the other line in for the dual tuner. I would still be able to record now on the HR20 and watch TV on the old one. Anyone see a downside to this, other than spending a little extra per month for a while?

Thanks Matt,
Thanks AFH,

I feel a lot better now. Maybe to hedge my bets I'll call and find out how much it would cost to keep my present HD receiver and just add the HR20, running in one new line. That way I could keep my old one connected through component to my AV/R, along with my DVR and DVD. The HR20 could run through HDMI and get the new channels. Then if the HR20 craps out, I won't be without TV, just what I don't have now. I could run that for 6 mos. or until I felt the new unit was worthy of our sole dependence on it. Then I could switch it over and use the other line in for the dual tuner. I would still be able to record now on the HR20 and watch TV on the old one. Anyone see a downside to this, other than spending a little extra per month for a while?

No, no downside that I could see. I have the HR20 downstairs as my only dvr that I use to record my HD programs and some SD stuff. I also have a Directv SD Tivo upstairs that I use to record other SD shows and to act as a back up to the dvr downstairs. But, I've had that Directv SD Tivo since 2003 and when I got the HR10-250 in 04 I began using the SD Tivo as a back and as additional capacity for SD programs that I don't won't taking up the HD dvr's harddrive space. So what you're doing makes since to me.

I'm confident enough in the HR20 that I plan on getting another one before the college football season begins so that I can put it in one of my rooms upstairs and pair it with a 32in LCD that I plan to get before the season starts.

Does anyone have any more news about the disappearance of HD channels that I normally pick up with my QAM tuner? I got 17.1 back, but I'm still missing CBS, ABC, and Fox. Could it have something to do with the power outage the morning they became unavailable?

I'm getting all those channels on Raleigh TWC via QAM.

H 2 0 Directv owners

There is a beta version software update available now until 2:30a and Sunday night 11p-2:30a that will give you interactive features and other updates to the H20.
force the update by resetting the box then hot 02468 on remote at welcome screen.

DO NOT DO THIS FORCE METHOD AGAIN AFTER THE NEW UPDATE, THIS MAY CAUSE THE H20 TO CRASH, BRICK,

This is a large update and you should go to www.dbstalk.com
to the directv cutting edge forum for more on this.

If you have a problem do not call directv, the CSRs have no info on this update. It is a test version not released nationally yet.

Reports on www.chat.dbstalk.com
are positive so far.

H 2 0 Directv owners

There is a beta version software update available now until 2:30a and Sunday night 11p-2:30a that will give you interactive features and other updates to the H20.
force the update by resetting the box then hot 02468 on remote at welcome screen.

DO NOT DO THIS FORCE METHOD AGAIN AFTER THE NEW UPDATE, THIS MAY CAUSE THE H20 TO CRASH, BRICK,

This is a large update and you should go to www.dbstalk.com
to the directv cutting edge forum for more on this.

If you have a problem do not call directv, the CSRs have no info on this update. It is a test version not released nationally yet.

Reports on www.chat.dbstalk.com
are positive so far.

features reported so far

interactive
new logos
faster guide
game lounge


interactive channels
MIX Channels-toggle 8 screens and change the audio, direct link to channel
114/201 interactive support channel
115 interactive ad channel
622 YES
794-799 NASCAR HOTPASS features
700s NCAA MMM interactive
700s NFL ST
during US Open tennis, mix channel and stats

ACTIVE BUTTON-weather by city, horoscope, lottery, PPV, 101


ONCE UPDATE IS DONE THE RESOLUTION WILL have been change to 480, SO YOU HAVE TO GO BACK AND SET IT LIKE YOU HAD IT

WARNING TO ALL WHO READ THE ABOVE BETA POST FOR THE H20

This update has bricked a few receivers and has caused some to lose their MPEG4 locals. Others are working fine. I would suggest that if you're unwilling to live on the absolute cutting edge (and willing to potentially BLEED) to AVOID this beta until it shakes out. You COULD potentially make your H20 unusable. We don't even know if those that are broken and are breaking CAN be fixed yet. You have been warned. ;)

www.dbstalk.com

As for the comments above regarding the stability and usability of the HR20...

I owned an HD DTV Tivo since the day they came out. Worked fine but I'm a ReplayTV guy so my opinion of the entire Tivo interface is somewhat skewed compared to others. My HD Tivo worked fine and it did its job but when our locals became available in MPEG4 from DTV and a change was necessary to get them (I get them fine OTA, BTW. I wanted the additional compression when recording that MPEG4 provides), I sold my H10 and bought 3 HR20s w/o hesitation.

If you've hung out here at AVS very long (and I've been here since virtually the beginning), you know we're a very picky bunch. Our sister forum for DBS (www.dbstalk.com) is no different. The squeaky wheel gets the oil as the old saying goes and guys here and there aren't afraid to make noise. Over at DBS Talk, we actually have the ear of DTV so people are atimate (sp?) with regards to the problems and anomolies they see and have.

Tendacy is for the folks here and there, by their very nature, to be a little more picky than the average joe (and that's being nice! LOL).

I've never had a problem with making my HR20s do what I want them to do. While some people's problems are certainly legitimate, I believe that many of the issues blamed on the HR20 are actually the fault of the HD locals being uploaded to DTV, re-encoded as MPEG4 and shot back down. Many of the problems are probably in the original MPEG2 upload from their respective affiliates. The HR20 has some minor issues; don't get me wrong and it is certainly a work in progress but progress is good. There's no reason not to take the dive now. :)

You are more blessed than you might realize in that we live in arguably the most mature locals HD market in the entire country (thank you WRAL for pushing the pocket and forcing everybody's hand). I see a LOT of problems being blamed on the HR20 that we had 4-5 years ago in this market with the old DTC-100s and the like. the problems mostly weren't the receivers at all but rather the learning curve and growing pains being experienced by our local affiliates as they grew up on the tech. They all worked hard and they have the kinks out now. I know how hard they worked. Ask ENG17 and the guys in the control room at WRAL. I virtually had both of them on speed dial for almost 2 years! LOL

You're in a mature market. We've got our ducks in a row. A lot of markets don't and I mean even many of the LARGE markets. Don't expect to see anywhere near the problems you're reading about here. We just aren't having many of the issues you will read about with the HR20. Same hardware and same firmware that the problem children have. You do the math and tell me what the problem is (for the most part but granted, not all).

Get your HR20 and jump in. The water's fine! ;)

Did anybody lose CW-HD (222)? When I try to tune it, it gives me a gray screen and no content. It also takes a while to switch to another channel.

My DVR is a 8300HD.

Any ideas?

Did anybody lose CW-HD (222)? When I try to tune it, it gives me a gray screen and no content. It also takes a while to switch to another channel.

My DVR is a 8300HD.

Any ideas?

I regulary get grey screens on varying channels. I think it has to do with signal strength or possibly loose connections. If I flip through the 100's, there are quite a few channels that give me the grey screen.

So WRDCs new HD channel is showing up via QAM on TWC (or at least it was at one point, I havent checked to see if its not now)....are they planning to officially add it anytime soon? Theres honestly nothing on it that Id have much interest in seeing, but it would still be nice to have.

So WRDCs new HD channel is showing up via QAM on TWC (or at least it was at one point, I havent checked to see if its not now)....are they planning to officially add it anytime soon? Theres honestly nothing on it that Id have much interest in seeing, but it would still be nice to have.
I'd be interrested in DVR-ing Elton John's 60th birthday concert that's airing on MNTV on April 5th (possibly in HD...who knows), so as long as they get it up by then, I'm golden.

I regulary get grey screens on varying channels. I think it has to do with signal strength or possibly loose connections. If I flip through the 100's, there are quite a few channels that give me the grey screen.

the whole digital tier was down again tonight for a while. It's the second time it's happened in the past couple of weeks.

Did anybody lose CW-HD (222)? When I try to tune it, it gives me a gray screen and no content. It also takes a while to switch to another channel.

My DVR is a 8300HD.

Any ideas?

It's not just you as I lost mine as well. I'm also in Cary and all other stations are tuning fine. I know my signal is OK as I had a tech out a couple of weeks ago. Anyone else having issues?

SA-8300HD DVR also.

Jeff

the whole digital tier was down again tonight for a while. It's the second time it's happened in the past couple of weeks.
It went down in Durham also, just after 1am. The Basic and Standard channels still worked (2 thru 76, and a few others).

Does anyone have any more news about the disappearance of HD channels that I normally pick up with my QAM tuner? I got 17.1 back, but I'm still missing CBS, ABC, and Fox. Could it have something to do with the power outage the morning they became unavailable?

Do you have one of the QAM tuners that actually re-maps cable channels from their "real" channel number to their virtual channel? Eg, 5.1 rather than 85.2, and 17.1 rather than 111.1? Maybe that is the problem? I have a crusty 3+ year old QAM tuner which ignores the virtual channels, and just tunes by the "real" channel, and I have not noticed any interruptions.

Drew

Do you have one of the QAM tuners that actually re-maps cable channels from their "real" channel number to their virtual channel? Eg, 5.1 rather than 85.2, and 17.1 rather than 111.1? Maybe that is the problem? I have a crusty 3+ year old QAM tuner which ignores the virtual channels, and just tunes by the "real" channel, and I have not noticed any interruptions.

Drew


I've got this tv: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7675688&type=product&productCategoryId=pcmcat95100050036&id=1134702498404

I don't know how to tell what type of QAM tuner it has. I got the tv about a month ago and up until last Wednesday I had been receving channels 5.1, 11.1, 17.1, and 50.2 (the four major networks in HD). Now all I have is 17.1

Did Time Warner do something to mess this up for me? Does anyone have any experience calling them and trying to get these channels back, I'm not sure if I am supposed to be getting them for free anyway.

up until last Wednesday I had been receving channels 5.1, 11.1, 17.1, and 50.2 (the four major networks in HD). Now all I have is 17.1

By the "17.1", it sounds like your tuner tries to pay attention to the virtual channel stuff on QAM, which mine doesn't. Since I'm having no troubles, I wonder if the problem lies somewhere in the virtual channel mapping stuff..

Drew

Do another auto-scan of your channels again. That should clear things up. The same thing happened to my tv as well, but an another autoscan corrected everything.

Do another auto-scan of your channels again. That should clear things up. The same thing happened to my tv as well, but an another autoscan corrected everything.

I've done this 4 or 5 times. Usually everyday when I get home from work to see if it picks them up again. Trying again now, but I'm not getting my hopes up. I guess the only option left is to call Time Warner.

Update: I am now also getting Fox and ABC again, but not where they used to be. They are on channels 113.1 and 113.4. I'm still missing CBS, which I am definitely going to need before the Masters in April. I take it that those two channels in the hundreds have something to do with the "mapping" mentioned earlier. I looked through every channel on my tv, took an hour, to try to find WRAL (CBS), but couldn't find it. Does anyone know what channel it is supposed to be "mapped" to, since I am not picking up 5.1 anymore?

Raleigh (and Durham) folks.
I have begun the update to the first post. How much you wish to reference it is your choice. I certainly don't wish any glory and would rather the first post in each thread be more of a group effort than attributed to an individual. I actually sent a note to David Bott and asked if he could somehow intertwine a WIKI like function into the top of each local post.

As it is today... Please feel free to send me a private message with interesting information to post. I would rather steer clear of opinions and keep it fairly objective. If you know of an interesting link or a post pointing out something that can not be said much better, send me a private message and in it please "PRE WRITE" the piece you wish me to post. I will try to give credit wherever asked and will quickly remove any links or information that causes confusion, is wrong or causes excessive debate.

Enjoy

Bill

Update: I am now also getting Fox and ABC again, but not where they used to be. They are on channels 113.1 and 113.4. I'm still missing CBSPunch in 85.2 and see if that gets WRAL-HD for you.

BTW, the available list for Durham QAM channels on TWC isn't recent enough to show the physical locations for WLFL-HD and WRDC-HD. Can somebody furnish those numbers? They were coming in on 22.1 and 28.1 respectively, but are no longer. My QAM maps to actual broadcast channel designations, but I suspect that's not available in the cable digital signal unless TWC makes it available. 50.1 went out, but is available at 113.4.

Thanks for your help.

EDIT: I think I answered my own question. WRDC-HD is at 77.2. I think WLFL-HD is supposed to be at 77.1, but there's currently no programming there although it's a "live" channel.

It's not just you as I lost mine as well. I'm also in Cary and all other stations are tuning fine. I know my signal is OK as I had a tech out a couple of weeks ago. Anyone else having issues?

SA-8300HD DVR also.

Jeff

CW HD 222 is grey for me too. All other HD channels are fine including HD Tier.

Mark

Punch in 85.2 and see if that gets WRAL-HD for you.

Nope, I do get WRAL on 78.11, but it's not HD.

SAspinnaker,
I just rescanned with my LG unit (OTA and QAM STB receiver) and my Sony HDTV (I live in Apex) and only have the TWC basic package (not even standard) and I get all the normal channels. CBS, ABC, FOX, PBS, MYRDC, NBC. (CW comes and goes)

However, I JUST got back at 10pm from helping a friend unload his new 65" Mits. 1080p model. He lives on my same street and is 5 houses away.

He has standard cable and we did a scan and I was telling him about all the HD channels he would get without even getting the TWC HD box.
Low and behold he only picked up FOX and ABC. Just like you report.

While here at home, I am staring at WRAL-HD on 5.1 on my Sony.
The only difference I can see is I have basic and he has standard but I know others on this forum have standard and get the QAM channels I get.

This is weird, very weird.

At my friends house on ABC we did see some digital artifacts. His signal could be low. We are going to check that tomorrow.

I've done this 4 or 5 times. Usually everyday when I get home from work to see if it picks them up again. Trying again now, but I'm not getting my hopes up. I guess the only option left is to call Time Warner.


I got a new TV Saturday, ran autoscan and was able to get all the channels from the referenced list of available channels on TWC. Last night, after watching CSI in HD, I decided to run autoscan again (my tuner doesn't seem to be pulling in the program info so I thought I would try again). No more CBS 85.2 :(

I guess I'm in the same boat. I am running the cable straight to the TV without a cablebox, my cable service is included in my condo dues and I think it's the standard pkg.

Speaking to the QAM reception issues...
I sent a note to WRAL. While the engineers at WRAL do not post much anymore in the forum they have assisted TWC engineers in the past with issues. Or perhaps they just have the right engineering contacts to make, while we struggle thru customer service with TWC and occasionally get 'lost'.

For those of you with the QAM issue, I WOULD call TWC. The more voices complaining the better.

Does anyone know if Fox 50 has changed their signal direction for OTA signals? Last night I turned on the TV to watch 24 and it was extremely choppy, so much so that I had to switch to regular old non-hdtv :( 24 is the only show I watch on Fox and it came in fine last week and I have not turned the antenna or anything...so I am guessing it is something on Fox's end....

My call to TWC went nowhere.

TWC: There is no channel 85.2. WRAL HD is in the 200 range, you'll need a digital cablebox to receive it. BTW, we don't even show you subscribed to cable service (<--wrong).

So, rather than address the issue of disappearing service they tried to shake me down.

"My call to TWC went nowhere. "

Well when you think you are a monoply you can say , do , and charge what you want.

IMHO,

Donb2

Does anyone know if Fox 50 has changed their signal direction for OTA signals? Last night I turned on the TV to watch 24 and it was extremely choppy, so much so that I had to switch to regular old non-hdtv :( 24 is the only show I watch on Fox and it came in fine last week and I have not turned the antenna or anything...so I am guessing it is something on Fox's end....


Perhaps the heavy winds turned the antenna for you. Unfortunately I was not watching Fox 50 last night and no TV after Heroes. Sorry I can't help more.

My call to TWC went nowhere.

TWC: There is no channel 85.2. WRAL HD is in the 200 range, you'll need a digital cablebox to receive it. BTW, we don't even show you subscribed to cable service (<--wrong).

So, rather than address the issue of disappearing service they tried to shake me down.
Don't expect most TWC CSR's to know about built-in TV QAM tuners or what their for so they'll know nothing about watching digital cable channels without a cable box. Think of most CSR's as someone fired from macdonalds for burning the fries, hired to answer phone calls and given a short FAQ sheet. Most aren't technically inclined or even interested in technology and probably have a 19" tv and a vcr that they've never learned how to set the clock or program a recording on. Sad, but probably true. ;)

Wasn't there this morning and is there now on 228...the second Sinclair station appears to be up and running on the guide and through the box.

"Originally Posted by Toastyone
Does anyone know if Fox 50 has changed their signal direction for OTA signals? Last night I turned on the TV to watch 24 and it was extremely choppy, so much so that I had to switch to regular old non-hdtv 24 is the only show I watch on Fox and it came in fine last week and I have not turned the antenna or anything...so I am guessing it is something on Fox's end.... "

24 was my favorite show on FOX and I could not wait to watch it. But this year it has just gotten to personal and violent for the better half to want to watch.

The auger drill going thru Cloe's ex-husbands shoulder was the icing on the cake.

So it is with great sadness that I can not tell you how well Jack came in last night. :mad:

-DonB2

So it is with great sadness that I can not tell you how well Jack came in last night. :mad:

Somebody needs a DVR all to himself so he can record shows and watch them with the SO isn't around. ;)

My WRAL HD issue is sorted. When I got home this evening I ran autoscan again. My TV has an ATSC/QAM tuner. The first time I scanned it mapped the channel as 85.2. This time it's 5.1. And now, on some stations at least, I'm getting program info in the guide. Loves it.

DIRECTV HR20 HD DVR OWNERS- NEW WINDOW FOR BETA VERSION DOWNLOAD

WED AND THUR NIGHTS 11P-2:30A

No release notes yet.

To get this test version reset reciever and press 02468 on the remote at welcome screen.

Remember this is a NON NATIONAL release and is not supported by DIRECTV support yet.

My WRAL HD issue is sorted. When I got home this evening I ran autoscan again. My TV has an ATSC/QAM tuner. The first time I scanned it mapped the channel as 85.2. This time it's 5.1. And now, on some stations at least, I'm getting program info in the guide. Loves it.

I tried another rescan last night about 10:00. I wasn't as lucky. Nothing changed and I am still missing WRAL.

Toastyone,

I watched the news on 50 ATSC this morning and it worked fine.

pkscout,

I must admit 24 got a little too much for me also. That plastic bag over the brother.......

-DonB2

Thought I would post another update. Now I don't know what the hell is going on. I get home from work today and I've lost ABC (113.1). Fox and NBC are the only two HD channels still available. I guess I'll have to cave in and subscribe to Time Warner's premium services to get HD. I hate those bastards.

Thought I would post another update. Now I don't know what the hell is going on. I get home from work today and I've lost ABC (113.1). Fox and NBC are the only two HD channels still available. I guess I'll have to cave in and subscribe to Time Warner's premium services to get HD. I hate those bastards.

From what I can tell, they're making and testing changes on the QAM channels in preparation for the NCAA tournament -- the TV Guide system in my cable-carded LC-37D7U Aquos has been acting strangely lately -- it "lost" the 200-level WUNC channels -- they were moved and approximately 100 "inactive" channels were added in the guide configuration -- including the alternate WRAL HD2 and DT channels for the NCAA.

I would wait before paying more... at least until the tourney starts.

From what I can tell, they're making and testing changes on the QAM channels in preparation for the NCAA tournament -- the TV Guide system in my cable-carded LC-37D7U Aquos has been acting strangely lately -- it "lost" the 200-level WUNC channels -- they were moved and approximately 100 "inactive" channels were added in the guide configuration -- including the alternate WRAL HD2 and DT channels for the NCAA.

I would wait before paying more... at least until the tourney starts.

Thanks for the info. I'll definitely have to wait then. I just checked and I magically got ABC back since my last post. CBS is still missing of course. It definitely seems like they are just messing with the channels.

SAspinnaker,
I would advise you take out some insurance. Go get yourself a semi-cheap indoor antenna. Worst case you can use that. As long as you live somewhere in the Triangle you should be able to get WRAL, even with rabbit ears. (I am serious)

I gave my friend up the street, who is still experiencing the same issues as you are an older antenna. It is barely more than rabbit ears and he gets WRAL just by plugging it in. I am going to show him how to use the signal-strength meter tomorrow to 'tune' in my antenna, even though it is literally sitting on the floor beside his TV. :)

SAspinnaker,
I would advise you take out some insurance. Go get yourself a semi-cheap indoor antenna. Worst case you can use that. As long as you live somewhere in the Triangle you should be able to get WRAL, even with rabbit ears. (I am serious)

I gave my friend up the street, who is still experiencing the same issues as you are an older antenna. It is barely more than rabbit ears and he gets WRAL just by plugging it in. I am going to show him how to use the signal-strength meter tomorrow to 'tune' in my antenna, even though it is literally sitting on the floor beside his TV. :)

I tried rabbit ears when I first got my first HDTV and the reception was horrible, no matter what direction i pointed it in. I even tried "super duper special hi-def rabbit ears," and those didn't work either so I returned them. This was about the middle of January. I got rid of that tv pretty fast anyway to get the one I have now (that has been picking up channels on the QAM). I am in Fayetteville, by the way.

I tried rabbit ears when I first got my first HDTV and the reception was horrible, no matter what direction i pointed it in. I even tried "super duper special hi-def rabbit ears," and those didn't work either so I returned them. This was about the middle of January. I got rid of that tv pretty fast anyway to get the one I have now (that has been picking up channels on the QAM). I am in Fayetteville, by the way.

There's always the WRAL free antenna offer: http://www.wral.com/wral-tv/story/1180307/

I tried rabbit ears when I first got my first HDTV and the reception was horrible, no matter what direction i pointed it in. I even tried "super duper special hi-def rabbit ears," and those didn't work either so I returned them. This was about the middle of January. I got rid of that tv pretty fast anyway to get the one I have now (that has been picking up channels on the QAM). I am in Fayetteville, by the way.

Yea, from Fayetteville you're likely going to at least need an attic mount of some sort and probably something on the roof.

Wasn't there this morning and is there now on 228...the second Sinclair station appears to be up and running on the guide and through the box.

I noticed too tonight. I'm not exactly crying out for WRDC HD content though.

From what I can tell, they're making and testing changes on the QAM channels in preparation for the NCAA tournament -- the TV Guide system in my

Yes, they seem to be making lots of changes, probably mostly in the metadata. While my ancient HDTV seems immune, and can still receive all the QAM channels it ever could, my MythTV DVR has started to fail to record some channels (only FOX at this point). This is really bad for me, as re-scanning QAM channels is a PITA in Myth, or at least in the nearly 2 year old version I'm running. I'm assuming my TV is just too dumb to pay attention to the metadata, or cache the subchannel info, or do whatever it is which is confusing my MythTV DVR, and y'all's newer HTDVs. Maybe that is why it takes eons to change channels.. :)

At any rate, the only reason I even keep basic service is to pick up WUNC via QAM. These recent changes have pushed me over the edge, and I'm going to convert to all OTA this weekend. There is no longer anything I want that I can get via QAM that I can't get OTA since they dropped DISC/TNT HD earlier this year. In a brief test I ran yesterday, I had much better luck getting WUNC "off the back" of my CM4228 using my newer 5th-gen LG based tuner card than I had with my other tuners (both 3rd Gen). And if that doesn't work out in practice, I'll get another tuner card and give it its own coat hanger pointing at WUNC.


Drew

^^ I'd love to move to Morrisville -- there's just a tiny problem. There's exactly FOUR homes between $150k - $225k listed for sale in Morrisville right now. FOUR!


Wow, that is surprising.

Drewwho,

"I had much better luck getting WUNC "off the back" of my CM4228 using my newer 5th-gen LG based tuner card than I had with my other tuners (both 3rd Gen). And if that doesn't work out in practice, I'll get another tuner card and give it its own coat hanger pointing at WUNC."

I rotated my attic mounted 4228 towards Chapel Hill and am now receiving all others off side of my 4228.

The latest gen chips for ATSc appear to be great and resolving multipath issues.

On the other hand my Pioneer ATSC tune is now barely picking up anything reliably.

BUT... as I mentioned in previous posts I am brought to my knees when the wind starts blowing and moving the tree limbs around.

Also it is still winter and leaves have not sprouted on trees so not sure how things will be this summer.

-DoNB2

Drewwho,

I rotated my attic mounted 4228 towards Chapel Hill and am now receiving all others off side of my 4228.

I don't know what your location is, but where I am in Cary, the UNC tower is nearly 180 degrees off from the commercial tower farm. The UNC tower location is such a PITA. If I were rich, I think I'd give them a large donation conditional on them moving their darned tower to the same place as all the others. Of course, if I were rich, I'd probably just subscribe to cable/sat and not even care :)

At any rate, I have the same problem with my older 3rd gen tuners (one PCI card in my DVR, and the integrated ATSC tuner in my HDTV) as you seem to have with your Pioneer, and can only get good signal when pointed right at the antennas. My plan was to restrict WUNC to the newer 5th gen PCI card..

Here is a dumb question. I currently have a 4-way 8db bi-directional amplified splitter (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103093&cp=&sr=1&origkw=bidirectional+cable+amplifier&kw=bidirectional+cable+amplifier&parentPage=search) splitting my cable signal between my TV, a tuner card, and a (now dead) VCR. This made all the difference in having enough signal for my tuner card when using QAM. I was thinking to use the splitter to split my antenna to both tuner cards and the TV. Will the bidirectional amplifier thing help or hurt? Should I just go to radio shack and get a 3-way, unamplified splitter instead?

Thanks,

Drew

Hi guys - definite QAM changes going on with TWC.

I have 2 Vizio 42" HDTV's - one LCD and one plasma. Both used to get WRAL in the 85's, WUNC in the 90's, WRAZ in the 113's, etc.

At some point in the last couple days I lost those channels, but once I re-scanned, I now have WRAL on 5.1, 5.2, etc.. WTVD on 11.1, 11.2 etc etc

I like it better that way, but it gets kinda confusing for the non-techie when, for example, channel 50 is FSN, but 50.1 is WRAZ-HD.

Let me be the first here to say, I'm very impressed with the PQ of the Raycom broadcast of the ACC Tourney!

I don't know what your location is, but where I am in Cary, the UNC tower is nearly 180 degrees off from the commercial tower farm. The UNC tower location is such a PITA.I agree with that! Their transmitter tower is actually about 7 miles WSW of Chapel Hill just across the Chatham County line (off Jones Ferry Rd.). My location in Raleigh is only about 11 miles NW of the "tower farm," but 31 miles east of WUNC. Short of mounting a rooftop antenna, looks as if I'm stuck with TWC Basic if I want to keep getting PBS. :(

drewwho,

I am down in Holly Springs -Check old posts - I am told I am trailer trash having had a neighbor with his direct dish mounted on a crooked wooden pole :) .

My locations may afford me a slightly acute angle between Chapel Hill and Garner Farm.

I wonder if people to EAST of Garner farm can get Garner and Chapel Hill nicely?

Yeah I wish we could give PBS some money to move that transmit antenna also.

I can't begin to describe to you how frustrating it is. I know I could use a rotator but I have not yet found a timed recorder with the smarts to rotate an antenna before start of recording.

In regards to your question I guess just give it a try.

Some people have luck doing that and people like me have had failure. I even had failure with the joiner.

-DonB2

Let me be the first here to say, I'm very impressed with the PQ of the Raycom broadcast of the ACC Tourney!

I'll second that; well done so far, surprisingly so.

Ditto the JP coverage of the ACC tourney. They seem to be doing a good job, especially for a fairly new setup.
I do wish the scoreboard was a bit lower and smaller. It is fairly large, especially with the constant Advance Auto Parts logo. But hey, if Advanced Auto is paying some of the bill that is letting me see the Tourney in HD, then I got to go buy some washer fluid. :)

Let me be the first here to say, I'm very impressed with the PQ of the Raycom broadcast of the ACC Tourney!

Agreed. It was refreshing to see the early games in HD.

It saddens me to have to watch the State v. Duke game in SD. I hate to beat a dead horse, but when the heck is TWC Raleigh going to add ESPN-2HD?????

looked good on Directv HD

Yes, it did didn't it??? Especially if you are a WOLFPACK fan!!!

checked out some WRDC HD tonight on TWC during The Rundown.

The worst network bug I have ever seen on a HD channel! I thought the CW logo being as large as it is and floating in the middle of the screen was bad, but the MNTV logo is huge! It must be a 6 inch almost-white square on my 52 inch screen.

Agreed. It was refreshing to see the early games in HD.

It saddens me to have to watch the State v. Duke game in SD. I hate to beat a dead horse, but when the heck is TWC Raleigh going to add ESPN-2HD?????

Why don't they black out ESPN2 coverage and show the games on WRAL like they used to?

Why don't they black out ESPN2 coverage and show the games on WRAL like they used to?

It wasn't a Raycom/Lincoln Financial game.

For all you non sports fans:

I saw an ad for This Old House on PBS. It said it would be on the education subchannel at 8pm Thursday night.

Well there is no ED channel at 8pm as that is when PBS moves to HD and shuts off the extra subchannels.

I guess the time slot is great for people with digital TWC or maybe you people with QAM but it is lousy for OTA.

I don't think the Sat providers have the subchannels of PBS.

-DonB2

For all you non sports fans:

I saw an ad for This Old House on PBS. It said it would be on the education subchannel at 8pm Thursday night.

Well there is no ED channel at 8pm as that is when PBS moves to HD and shuts off the extra subchannels.

I guess the time slot is great for people with digital TWC or maybe you people with QAM but it is lousy for OTA.

I don't think the Sat providers have the subchannels of PBS.

-DonB2

Yes, i think it is lousy they don't broadcast those ED or NC channels as well. They switched 4-3 (PBS Kids) to 24-7 broadcast last year. Why they did that when those viewers are usually in bed by 8pm (I have 3 of them) I dont's know. It would have been smarter to choose either NC or ED to go to 24-7 broadcast. Is bandwidth the reason for this restriction based upon the HD channel?