My area is serviced by TW also, but they do not offer any of the neighboring markets local channels, except the analog version of two from Wilmington, and they are full of static.

But not TWC. They pass the data through unmolested. In terms of picture quality, QAM with TWC is currently just as good as OTA. However, they do strip and mangle the PSIP data enough that my TV doesn't see the EIT guide data, and can't grok the channel remappings. In general, the EIT guide data you get from ATSC OTA broadcasts is flaky enough as to be useless. It can go for days with no data at all from some channels.

It would be great if somebody could figure out how to decode the guide data used by the TWC set-top boxes. I heard rumors that somebody (perhaps the makers of the HD Homerun) was trying to reverse engineer enough of the "open" cable standards to be able to use the guide data...

Drew
I see guide data for 17.1 over QAM.

I see guide data for 17.1 over QAM.

I don't, but maybe your TV is smarter than mine. I do think there is a general problem with TWC mangling the PSIP information, though. See the past threads about remapping not working for ABC and FOX on QAM ( 11-x and 50-x to 113-x).

Drew

My area is serviced by TW also, but they do not offer any of the neighboring markets local channels, except the analog version of two from Wilmington, and they are full of static.A friend of mine lives in Jacksonville and also complains about the lack of HD channels he can get on his QAM tuner. Only PBS, which has a Jacksonville outlet (WUNM), is available in HD.

Technically, the FCC "Must Carry" ruling does specify local stations, and none of the commercial network affiliates TWC provides as part of its basic package is really local to Jacksonville.

I've seen some other reports of audio/video sync issues. I'm experiencing some of those using QAM on my new Vizio 1080 LCD on digital channels. It might go to away if I change channels and go back to it (I think) but I need to do more troubleshooting. I don't have any other TV or equipment to test on at this time to narrow the issue down to the TV or signal. I see it most often on the channel for MyRDC which seems to be particularly prone to the problem though I believe I've seen it on other channels as well. Usually the sync is only off a fraction of a second, other times it's grossly out of sync and may be combined with picture macro blocking and artifacts.

I saw on the news yesterday that Verizon wanted to close a part of I-85 to lay some fiber optic cables under the road.

http://www.wral.com/traffic/story/1603362/

Is this an indicator of FiOS or just some regular cell phone infrastructure upgrading?

Thanks for all the suggestions. The viewer solved the issue, which was Microsoft has us listed on physical ch. 17 instead of ch. 55. It will be correct in two years though!
halljb,
In step 1, Vista users can find the "atscchannels.xml" file in:
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\eHome\EPG\prefs\

I can't verify if the same procedure works on Vista... but at least I was able to locate where the file is for Vista users.

(I found this post from another thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11034368&&#post11034368) here at AVS Forum.)

Thanks,
- Ryan Pertusio

AutumnWave Technical Support
OnAir Solution North America
http://www.autumnwave.com/

I saw on the news yesterday that Verizon wanted to close a part of I-85 to lay some fiber optic cables under the road.

http://www.wral.com/traffic/story/1603362/

Is this an indicator of FiOS or just some regular cell phone infrastructure upgrading?

I doubt it. I saw a story last week that even though Verizon bought enough NC legislatures to get a statewide franchise law passed that they have no plans to provide FIOS in NC until at least 2012 (I think the article said 2012).

It's probably just normal telephony trunk stuff or internet backbone upgrades. When you see Verizon trucks pulling fiber in your neighborhood that will be an indication.

I have some Raleigh HD questions. I am new at this, so forgive me :-) My dad just bought a 55" Sony, and we want to get some HD going. I bought him an antenna, but not having the best of luck, he is in a townhouse, and we cannot get good reception the way the antenna needs to be pointed to get most of the channels in Raleigh.

If he has Road Runner installed, will the HD locals be on the line? Or if he subs to the 12.99 package of basics, will they be on there? I have Road Runner at my house, so we lugged the TV over here, and could only get a 2 of the networks in HD, PBS and one other. The rest were not there, even in SD digital. There were quite a few channels in SD in the 100.x range like Sundance, etc.

We are just trying to figure out if he can get the HD locals without subbing to the digital and HD package from Time Warner (he has satellite for most channels).

Any help would be appreciated!

Jay

Jay, if he already has Road Runner likely enough if you can get a coax line with signal into the TV it will pick up practically the same channels as if he subscribed to the $13 basic package. The big plus is you will also get the digital channels including around 5-6 HD channels including ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, FOX, UPN.
Give it a shot, connect the wire to the TV and do a scan.

Welcome to the thread. I know 260+ pages of posts is a bit daunting but please also:
* Read the past 4-5 pages of posts. This same question has been asked and answered at least twice in the last 5 pages over the course of a few weeks. (and before that, and before that...etc)
* Learn how to use the SEARCH function. ESPECIALLY within a thread. Go to the top of this page and right above where posts begin, on the right side of the page is a 'Search this Thread' drop-down. Learn it, use it, love it.

Best of luck.

"OTA.

With the impending demise of the Zap2It guide data for MythTV, I was browsing the OTA channels using my TV's ATSC tuner looking to see how good the EIT/PSIP guide data was. It looks like it sucks. I thought the FCC mandated that the stations provide at least 12 hours of data..

Drew "


I was wondering why no one ever jumped in when in the past I complained about lack of data on ATSC OTA.


Now I know why eveyone else was using Myth

-DonB2

Hello all, I have a question on what to do. A little back ground on my situation. I have been a TWC basic customer, receiving in the clear HD channels. I decided to picked up the new HD DVR STB and was given a promotional deal "promotional code C0???" for one year "what ever that is". And was told being I am a RR customer I would only pay an additional $7.95, so I was good with that. However after hooking up the HD DVR STB I have noticed I'm getting all HBO's, showtimes, HD tear, ect, ect..... I did not ask for any additional channels just a HD DVR. The question is, are any of you receiving all these channels as part of a promotion?

V/R

Bama

It generally takes a day or two for your box to figure out that you don't have those channels. Either that, or it's intentional on TWC's part to make you want them after getting a taste. Either way, in a few days you will stop getting them. It's been that way for me every time I get a new box.

Hello all, I have a question on what to do. A little back ground on my situation. I have been a TWC basic customer, receiving in the clear HD channels. I decided to picked up the new HD DVR STB and was given a promotional deal "promotional code C0???" for one year "what ever that is". And was told being I am a RR customer I would only pay an additional $7.95, so I was good with that. However after hooking up the HD DVR STB I have noticed I'm getting all HBO's, showtimes, HD tear, ect, ect..... I did not ask for any additional channels just a HD DVR. The question is, are any of you receiving all these channels as part of a promotion?

V/R

Bama

I switched from a regular DVR box to a HD one and the same thing happened to me. I was able to get all of the HBO's, Showtime's, etc. That only lasted a few days and then I was back to getting what I pay for. I think they were trying to get me hooked on them so that when they were gone I would want to pay for them.

I doubt it. I saw a story last week that even though Verizon bought enough NC legislatures to get a statewide franchise law passed that they have no plans to provide FIOS in NC until at least 2012 (I think the article said 2012).

It's probably just normal telephony trunk stuff or internet backbone upgrades. When you see Verizon trucks pulling fiber in your neighborhood that will be an indication.

Well that bites. I am moving to Chapel Hill from Bolton, MA, just as Verizon was FIOSing all the neighboring towns. I thought for sure I'd be able to get it here. I just hope this house I'm buying has a clear view of the southern sky. I forgot to write that into the P&S. Live and learn.
--

Well that bites. I am moving to Chapel Hill from Bolton, MA, just as Verizon was FIOSing all the neighboring towns. I thought for sure I'd be able to get it here. I just hope this house I'm buying has a clear view of the southern sky. I forgot to write that into the P&S. Live and learn.
--

Sorry, no such luck. If you don't have a decent view of the southern sky it might not be that bad. First, all our major networks (except PBS) are, in essence, broadcasting HD from one tower. You have a pretty good shot of getting all the network HD OTA with a reasonable antenna. In addition, Time Warner here isn't that bad, at least as long as you don't want to use a TiVo S3 or some other CableCard device (they're going to be pushing out SDV soon). Their quality is pretty good and the outage rate is much lower than when I had it 4 years ago.

Yes, I said something nice about TWC. No, it doesn't appear the apocalypse has come. :D

I don't know if I can describe this accurately, but something weird is going on with 17.1 HD. I am watching OTA during Jay Leno tonight. When the commercials come on and it kicks back to local commercials everything seems ok, but the national commercials and the Leno show itself has something funky going on.

Don Cheadle is on right now, and he looks semi-transparent! Its almost like the background is showing through on him and Leno... but there are also other weird color patterns in places on the screen.

This is the only channel OTA or via satellite that exhibits this... but it could be an NBC problem rather than a local 17.1 problem.

Anyone else seeing this? It is almost psychadelic at times.

yeah. the today show looks like crap. Some kind of problem with the blue, or overlapping images or something..


I don't know if I can describe this accurately, but something weird is going on with 17.1 HD. I am watching OTA during Jay Leno tonight. When the commercials come on and it kicks back to local commercials everything seems ok, but the national commercials and the Leno show itself has something funky going on.

Don Cheadle is on right now, and he looks semi-transparent! Its almost like the background is showing through on him and Leno... but there are also other weird color patterns in places on the screen.

This is the only channel OTA or via satellite that exhibits this... but it could be an NBC problem rather than a local 17.1 problem.

Anyone else seeing this? It is almost psychadelic at times.

This is the only channel OTA or via satellite that exhibits this... but it could be an NBC problem rather than a local 17.1 problem.

Anyone else seeing this? It is almost psychadelic at times.

Not a network problem. Not a cable problem. WITN-7 looks fine. Problem still persists Friday A.M., both OTA/cable. The sympton is two distinct chroma ghosts right justified at appx 5% and 10%.

Looks like WUNC HDTV is off air - I am getting zero signal strength. Can anyone else confirm?...I couldn't find anywhere on their website (www.unctv.org) where
they have status on their over air transmission.

Looks like WUNC HDTV is off air - I am getting zero signal strength. Can anyone else confirm?...I couldn't find anywhere on their website (www.unctv.org) where
they have status on their over air transmission.

I'm getting WUNC fine OTA here in Cary.. I just checked. Note that for WUNC-HD OTA, you'll see just a banner which says they resume programming at 8pm. To get WUNC-HD during the day, you need to get it via TWC.

Drew

Not a network problem. Not a cable problem. WITN-7 looks fine. Problem still persists Friday A.M., both OTA/cable. The sympton is two distinct chroma ghosts right justified at appx 5% and 10%.

That's a better description of what I was seeing, and thanks for confirming that it is most likely a channel 17 problem. I haven't checked yet this morning, but hopefully they are now aware of it if no one noticed overnight.

I'm getting WUNC fine OTA here in Cary.. I just checked. Note that for WUNC-HD OTA, you'll see just a banner which says they resume programming at 8pm. To get WUNC-HD during the day, you need to get it via TWC.

Drew

Ok, thanks. I'm off 1010, between Cary and Raleigh, and I'm getting zero signal strength on WUNC, but getting all the others (WTVD, etc) fine....WUNC typically comes in at around 68 signal strength during the day, so it is odd that it is at 0.

Well that bites. I am moving to Chapel Hill from Bolton, MA, just as Verizon was FIOSing all the neighboring towns. I thought for sure I'd be able to get it here. I just hope this house I'm buying has a clear view of the southern sky. I forgot to write that into the P&S. Live and learn.
--


(Originally posted by Pkscout)
Sorry, no such luck. If you don't have a decent view of the southern sky it might not be that bad. First, all our major networks (except PBS) are, in essence, broadcasting HD from one tower. You have a pretty good shot of getting all the network HD OTA with a reasonable antenna.

mythical_phenix,

You might want to invest in a good chain saw. :) Unfortunately getting OTA from around Durham and getting it from Chapel HILL are often very different. Many people here have very little luck, especially if you're surrounded by higher terrain. The good news is I have been quite happy with D* since I moved; it was and still is my only choice. Not getting OTA for 2 years was a bummer, but since adding the 5 LNB and locals things are much better. BTW many parts of CH have TWC, FWIW.

That's a better description of what I was seeing, and thanks for confirming that it is most likely a channel 17 problem. I haven't checked yet this morning, but hopefully they are now aware of it if no one noticed overnight.

They were still having the problem last night at 6:30pm for Nightly News in HD. At some point in the middle of the broadcast they switched to upconverted SD.

They were still having the problem last night at 6:30pm for Nightly News in HD. At some point in the middle of the broadcast they switched to upconverted SD.

And then back to "repaired" HD.....

Anyone know if I can get a DVR from Timewarner (Raleigh) and just order the locals in HD, and the HD addons like Universal HD (I think they call it the HD suite)? I don't want the entire digital lineup, just the HD stuff so I can record. I have a satellite (Directv with Tivo) for everything else.

Thanks
Jay

Anyone know if I can get a DVR from Timewarner (Raleigh) and just order the locals in HD, and the HD addons like Universal HD (I think they call it the HD suite)? I don't want the entire digital lineup, just the HD stuff so I can record. I have a satellite (Directv with Tivo) for everything else.


I don't think so. If you get the HD receiver you get the whole digital package.

I switched from a regular DVR box to a HD one and the same thing happened to me. I was able to get all of the HBO's, Showtime's, etc. That only lasted a few days and then I was back to getting what I pay for. I think they were trying to get me hooked on them so that when they were gone I would want to pay for them.


I'm now back to getting what i pay for. Fun while it lasted.

Since last Thursday I have not been able to get any EPG information when I bring up the EPG on my Samsung ATSC tuner. I also am not getting it with my Pioneer Plasma built in tuner.

All I get is "No information" repeated over and over again in the guide for each time slot and each channel.

In addition, the scheduled time being displayed is wrong and also when I select "Info" I get the channel number but the time says "No time available" or something to that effect.

When I go to set up I do not have the ability to enter time, just time zone and daylight savings time info.

Anybody else experiencing this?

-DonB2

I was getting some program information last night, i'll check again tonight.

I've noticed the time is always wrong on my Vizio TV. And I found the same thing that you have found, it only asks for Time Zone and Daylight savings, no place to set the time.

I forget how the info for the OTA EPG is sent out.

Who sends out the correct time ? I can't believe each station does or you would think there would be conflicts.

Maybe I have to rescan the stations.

-Donb2

Not a network problem. Not a cable problem. WITN-7 looks fine. Problem still persists Friday A.M., both OTA/cable. The sympton is two distinct chroma ghosts right justified at appx 5% and 10%.
Just send me a PM here next time as it will alert my email at work. The satellite reciever needed a re-boot.

"Since last Thursday I have not been able to get any EPG information when I bring up the EPG on my Samsung ATSC tuner. I also am not getting it with my Pioneer Plasma built in tuner.

All I get is "No information" repeated over and over again in the guide for each time slot and each channel.

In addition, the scheduled time being displayed is wrong and also when I select "Info" I get the channel number but the time says "No time available" or something to that effect.

When I go to set up I do not have the ability to enter time, just time zone and daylight savings time info.

Anybody else experiencing this?"

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

I spent about 1.5 hrs last night trying to solve this issue. I cycled power a number of times on the Samsung, I also did channel scan a number of times and only had mixed success getting the EPG to display info.

I had just about concluded that it was a bad cable I had recently used, and that maybe it was somehow messing up the EPG time info.

But than I stumbled on to the real reason. I found that if I selected WTVD ABC 11.1, I would instantly lose the EPG info and would only see No Information displayed for all Digital channels.

As soon as I switched to 5.1 for example, the info would be back and I could see all available EPG info for all stations except 11.1

I would appreciate it if someone with a Samsung H260F STB would see if they experience the same issue.

Thanks in advance,

DonB2

Ok - I just looked at MY Samsung's EPG - and I can report exactly what you are seeing - all channels are fine except 11.x. This is in contrast to a couple weeks ago where 50.x was the "No information" culprit.

I found that if I selected WTVD ABC 11.1, I would instantly lose the EPG info and would only see No Information displayed for all Digital channels.


The problem does not seem to be unique to Samsung. My ancient Zenith ATSC HDTV also sees "No information" for 11.x. It was fine a week or so ago. Then it was 50.x whose EPG info was missing. Sigh.

Drew

drewwho and Scooper,

Thanks for verifying this.

I wonder if WTVD would care to know?

-DonB2

Anyone know if I can get a DVR from Timewarner (Raleigh) and just order the locals in HD, and the HD addons like Universal HD (I think they call it the HD suite)? I don't want the entire digital lineup, just the HD stuff so I can record. I have a satellite (Directv with Tivo) for everything else.

Thanks
Jay
I wish. I've found that I now sit down, check the HD channels, and if nothing is on, I fall back to the DVR. There are very very few shows that I watch in SD.

I guess it wont be such a waste of money come college football and hockey time though. :)

I wish. I've found that I now sit down, check the HD channels, and if nothing is on, I fall back to the DVR. There are very very few shows that I watch in SD.

I guess it wont be such a waste of money come college football and hockey time though. :)

Especially with ESPN2HD this year.

I decided to go ahead and try the Time Warner HD DVR, and have an install scheduled for Wednesday. I have had Tivos for years, anyone have experience with both and can tell me what I am not going to like about the HD DVR I get from TWC?

I have also thought of the new HD Tivo, and cablecards, but that is just a big chunk of money to let go of, plus the hassle of getting the cable cards working.

Also, has anyone in the Triangle got the SATA interface to work adding external storage on the TWC HD DVR? I think I will need more storage :-)

I decided to go ahead and try the Time Warner HD DVR, and have an install scheduled for Wednesday. I have had Tivos for years, anyone have experience with both and can tell me what I am not going to like about the HD DVR I get from TWC?
Having used both, I would say the interface on the TWC DVR is vastly inferior, but if you work at it you can get the basic things a TiVo does done with the 8300. You won't have wishlists or TiVoCast, but you can get PPV and VOD. You'll also miss some shows wth the 8300. Our 8300 just randomly wouldn't record something even though it was on and both tuners were available.

I have also thought of the new HD Tivo, and cablecards, but that is just a big chunk of money to let go of, plus the hassle of getting the cable cards working.
Did you see that TiVo just released a new lower cost unit, the the TiVo HD (http://tivo.com/whatistivo/tivohd/index.html?WT.ac=HPTkovr_PhotoToWhat). It has a smaller HD than the S3 (but the same size as the 8300) and lacks THX certification, the glo-remote (it has a standard TiVo remote), and the OLED screen on the S3. Other than that it's exactly the same as the S3. And it's $300.

I have read about these, but with the $299 upfront cost, then $16.95 per month (or less if you commit to a longer contract), it just seems crazy to me. I have used Tivo's since the S1, and currently have a S2 that is $6.95 per month (I was going to cancel, but they let me keep it for $6.95 per month).

Of course after using the TWC DVR for a while, I may feel different about it :-)

I decided to go ahead and try the Time Warner HD DVR, and have an install scheduled for Wednesday. I have had Tivos for years, anyone have experience with both and can tell me what I am not going to like about the HD DVR I get from TWC?

Having just gone through this, my comparisons are (keeping in mind I'm comparing to a DirecTIVO, which doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the latest TIVOs):

1) It's a bit easier to search for shows by title. Not significantly, but I like the way the TWC setup for entering letters / filtering the shows works better.

2) Guide is quicker, even over 6.x.

3) If you say "record first runs & repeats", it will happily record multiple copies of the exact same show. This is especially annoying if you have it set to keep only 5 or so. Probably the biggest thing I miss from my DirecTIVO next to:

4) No folders. Back to scrolling through a long list of shows to find the one you want. I really miss folders.

5) OnDemand is very cool.

6) Guide only seems to go out maybe a week. I'm still waiting for "Feasting on Asphalt 2" to show up in the guide, and it starts this Saturday. I miss the 2 week guide.

Overall, it's okay. I'd give it maybe a C+, where the DirecTIVO was pretty clearly an A.

Having just gone through this, my comparisons are (keeping in mind I'm comparing to a DirecTIVO, which doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the latest TIVOs):

1) It's a bit easier to search for shows by title. Not significantly, but I like the way the TWC setup for entering letters / filtering the shows works better.

2) Guide is quicker, even over 6.x.

3) If you say "record first runs & repeats", it will happily record multiple copies of the exact same show. This is especially annoying if you have it set to keep only 5 or so. Probably the biggest thing I miss from my DirecTIVO next to:

4) No folders. Back to scrolling through a long list of shows to find the one you want. I really miss folders.

5) OnDemand is very cool.

6) Guide only seems to go out maybe a week. I'm still waiting for "Feasting on Asphalt 2" to show up in the guide, and it starts this Saturday. I miss the 2 week guide.

Overall, it's okay. I'd give it maybe a C+, where the DirecTIVO was pretty clearly an A.

7) there's no way to remove all the channels that you don't receive from the guide.

8) guide is grid style, which i find less friendly than the tivo live guide.

Are you guys talking about the new Navigator software (I've been reading the forums!) or the older passport/sara software? I see all new boxes are coming with Navigator now.

I have two Directivo's also, 300 gig drives, hacked for MRV, etc. I am gonna miss 'em....

anyone know... ?

Are HD DVD players included in the tax free weekend this week?

Are you guys talking about the new Navigator software (I've been reading the forums!) or the older passport/sara software? I see all new boxes are coming with Navigator now.

I have two Directivo's also, 300 gig drives, hacked for MRV, etc. I am gonna miss 'em....

I was talking about Passport. Haven't seen the navigator software yet.

anyone know... ?

Are HD DVD players included in the tax free weekend this week?

I don't think so. The only electronics thing I see that is specifically exempt are computers under $3,500.

http://www.dor.state.nc.us/taxes/sales/salestax_holiday.html

"Computer supplies" to include printers and storage media are included.

"Computer supplies" to include printers and storage media are included.

Yea, but those aren't electronics, and you'd be hard pressed to describe an HD-DVD or BlueRay player as a computer supply. ;)

I was talking about Passport. Haven't seen the navigator software yet.

Same with me. Would love to know if Navigator fixes any of this.

Same with me. Would love to know if Navigator fixes any of this.

I will have mine installed tomorrow, and from what I have read, it should have Navigator on it. I will post my experience a day or so after getting it. I found one post in another forum (or was it this one...) that stated they got an external SATA drive working with Navigator, so I will want to try that too in a week or so. 20 hours of HD is not gonna work :-)

If anyone has any Navigator questions just post them and I'll do my best to answer. I don't have experience in having a passport dvr box before, so it would be hard for me to compare everything. My parents had an older box (don't even know what version it was running), but I never really paid much attention until I got my own. I've been using my Navigator box for a month and a half now.

Oh, and by the way, the reason I headed over here was because I just had a box reset. I've got to remember my versions so I can see if they are updated.

This could be good for us ...

http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/656012.html

This could be good for us ...Certainly could be in the areas serviced by the old BellSouth if prices get competitive between AT&T and TWC. But AT&T will have a lot of work to do to upgrade infrastructure in Raleigh at least. There are currently too many areas that can't even get a decent DSL signal. It's not available at all in my neighborhood inside the beltline. Of course I'd still hope to benefit from any price wars. :)

If anyone has any Navigator questions just post them and I'll do my best to answer.

Navigator questions outside of local developments should be posted in the Navigator thread.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=723830

FYI for you DishNetwork HD customers:

6466 - WRAL [MPEG4 HD] - Anik F3 118.7W TP 10 ConUS beam changed to Available
6468 - WRAZ [MPEG4 HD] - Anik F3 118.7W TP 12 ConUS beam changed to Available

http://www.satelliteguys.us/dish-network-forum/102727-satelliteguys-us-dishnetwork-uplink-activity-report-week-ending-08-04-2007-a.html

FYI for you DishNetwork HD customers:

6466 - WRAL [MPEG4 HD] - Anik F3 118.7W TP 10 ConUS beam changed to Available
6468 - WRAZ [MPEG4 HD] - Anik F3 118.7W TP 12 ConUS beam changed to Available

http://www.satelliteguys.us/dish-network-forum/102727-satelliteguys-us-dishnetwork-uplink-activity-report-week-ending-08-04-2007-a.html

These actually compare pretty favorably with OTA too. I was flipping back and forth between my OTA and these on Dish, and they are surprisingly close to my OTA experience. I expected some noticable lack of quality, but haven't seen it. Could be the type of programming on thus far, though so I'll see what I see as time goes by.

Nice to have these aboard finally.

In case there are any OTAers out there;

Last night I was watching Mod Squad on MYTV ATSC OTA 28.1 and a commercial break came up about 1/2 way through the show I got up and came back and the screen now displayed the MYTV logo across the whole screen. No commercial no show just this full size logo.

I switched to analog and the show was back on.

Later I switched back to 28.1 and the show was on again.

Must have been some technical glitch.

DonB2

I kept switching back and forth between WRAL OTA and WRAL-Dish and the dish was a little softer, but it was still a nice picture. It may be enough to get me to take down the antennae - which will make my wife very happy.

I kept switching back and forth between WRAL OTA and WRAL-Dish and the dish was a little softer, but it was still a nice picture. It may be enough to get me to take down the antennae - which will make my wife very happy.

Must be one heck of an antenna to get WRAL OTA from Pensacola :)

I kept switching back and forth between WRAL OTA and WRAL-Dish and the dish was a little softer, but it was still a nice picture. It may be enough to get me to take down the antennae - which will make my wife very happy.

Why take down the antenna? Might as well leave it up so you can record up to 3 channels at the same time. IF you take down your OTA antenna, you will be down to just 2 simultaneous programs.

Why take down the antenna? Might as well leave it up so you can record up to 3 channels at the same time. IF you take down your OTA antenna, you will be down to just 2 simultaneous programs.

Wives don't seem to understand how glorious that would be.

Keep the antenna up - weather can take out your DBS reception. Especially right now - we're just coming into tropical storm season.

jello212 ,

I feel for you. Had to put my antennae in the attic to keep the wife from complaining and even in the attic she complains.

Maybe I should keep her in the attic :)

Oh well.

-DonB2

does anyone know if TWC-Raleigh is giving out M-Cards for the new TivoHDs? If so, can you tell me what you had to do to get one? They are stonewalling me.

I almost got sucked in by 28.1 MYTV watching Damages last week. They had both episode 1 and 2 back to back.

I kinda thought it was going to broadcast on MYTV as well as FX but it does not appear so as I only see it on FX this week.

Bummer since it was in digital on 28.1 OTA ATSC.

-DonB2

I didn't realize I still had Pensacola listed. I moved back to Raleigh (40/42 area) about 3 months ago.

HDME, you and I know we'll lose the ability to record 2 sat channels and 1 ota channel. Actually, my wife knows too. I just don't think she cares about that as much as she does the unsightly antennae on the entertainment center.

Thanks to MLB (which blacks out Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals games in NC) and TWC-- for robbing us of Bonds record breaking home run last night. I'm not the biggest Bonds fan, but this is history. The game was on ESPN2 (which was blacked out locally by MLB), and on MASN (which TWC refuses to place on basic cable). So ... we're screwed again.

If any of you are sick of the lame excuses by TWC ... in this case, that MASN is not worthy of a basic cable spot because it's a "regional sports, niche" channel (uh ... then what are Fox Sports South-- channel 50, and the Golf Channel-- channel 51??)-- then go to:

http://www.playballnow.org

By the way ... every other satellite and cable system in the region (Dish, DirectTV, Charter, Comcast, etc. etc.) has placed MASN on basic cable. MASN not only shows baseball, but also other sports ... including football, basketball, etc. for many NC universites.

Add to this the continued ridiculous position they are taking with the NFL Network (also shown by just about every satellite and cable provider except TWC), and they wonder why their subscriber base dropped drastically over the past 6 months (even with the artificial subscriber increase from the Adelphia acquisition)-- not that they care ... obviously. If you'd like to send TWC a message about getting the NFL Network (which they will promptly ignore), go to:

http://www.iwantnflnetwork.com/

I recently had TWC installed for my PHONE (and internet), and I am having problems getting my two D* TiVo boxes to successfully call in.

Is there a known problem (and work around - without hacking the boxes) about this combination?

I recently had TWC installed for my PHONE (and internet), and I am having problems getting my two D* TiVo boxes to successfully call in.

Is there a known problem (and work around - without hacking the boxes) about this combination?

I had this combo working fine until just a couple of months ago, when I dropped DirecTV.

Double-check your lines, cables, etc. Take an old-style phone (that works off the wire, doesn't have an AC adaptor, etc) and plug the wire running into your DirecTIVO unit into that phone. Do you get dial tone?

time warner lineup changes coming up:

http://www.timewarnercable.com/NC/programming/channelChangeUpdate.html

Thanks to MLB (which blacks out Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals games in NC) and TWC-- for robbing us of Bonds record breaking home run last night. I'm not the biggest Bonds fan, but this is history. The game was on ESPN2 (which was blacked out locally by MLB), and on MASN (which TWC refuses to place on basic cable). So ... we're screwed again.

If any of you are sick of the lame excuses by TWC ... in this case, that MASN is not worthy of a basic cable spot because it's a "regional sports, niche" channel (uh ... then what are Fox Sports South-- channel 50, and the Golf Channel-- channel 51??)-- then go to:

http://www.playballnow.org

By the way ... every other satellite and cable system in the region (Dish, DirectTV, Charter, Comcast, etc. etc.) has placed MASN on basic cable. MASN not only shows baseball, but also other sports ... including football, basketball, etc. for many NC universites.

Add to this the continued ridiculous position they are taking with the NFL Network (also shown by just about every satellite and cable provider except TWC), and they wonder why their subscriber base dropped drastically over the past 6 months (even with the artificial subscriber increase from the Adelphia acquisition)-- not that they care ... obviously. If you'd like to send TWC a message about getting the NFL Network (which they will promptly ignore), go to:

http://www.iwantnflnetwork.com/

This sounds like a perfect candidate for the sports tier. Why doesn't MASN let TWC put it there?

... that MASN is not worthy of a basic cable spot because it's a "regional sports, niche" channel (uh ... then what are Fox Sports South-- channel 50, and the Golf Channel-- channel 51??)-- then go to:

<...>
Add to this the continued ridiculous position they are taking with the NFL Network (also s


Actually, I applaud them for standing up to the sports/media mafia. Including everything in the "basic" or "standard" lineup just means inflated prices for those of use who don't care about those channels. I'd like to see more unbundling , and more a la carte pricing, including the ability to pay per month for just the (5 or so) channels that I want, rather than the $50 to $100 for the tens or hundreds of channels that are forced upon me. It is channels like Disney/ABC/ESPN, the MASN and the NFL network which are driving up prices for all cable and sat. subscribers.

Don't get me wrong. I like sports. I typically pick up cable in basketball season so I can get Fox Sports South, and the ESPN family. But I'd like to be able to pay $5/mo for the 5 channels that I want than $50 to $100 per month for the 5 channels I want, plus bazillions more that I don't care about, some of which I find personally offensive and am loath to financially support.

Drew

This sounds like a perfect candidate for the sports tier. Why doesn't MASN let TWC put it there?

Because they realize only about 1% of the sets have the sports tier. They want the same kind of exposure that Fox Sports South (on basic cable) and the Golf Channel (on basic cable) currently have ... which seems reasonable to me. If TWC is insisting on having all non-ESPN sports channels on a sports tier, then they should remove Fox Sports South and the Golf Channel from basic, and the Speed Channel from expanded basic. What I really hate is their inconsistency.

I recently had TWC installed for my PHONE (and internet), and I am having problems getting my two D* TiVo boxes to successfully call in.

Is there a known problem (and work around - without hacking the boxes) about this combination?

i have 2 directivo's that work with vonage over TWC broadband. i realize you have TWC phone and not vonage, but this might help. i had to use the new york dialup numbers for it to work : 1(212)277-3895. you can try using that number to see if it helps. if that doesn't do it for you, go to tivocommunity.com and search the forums there. search for vonage. there are lots of combinations and mojo you can use to slow the directivo modem down, etc. some of that works for some people, and some people it doesn't work for. i didn't have to do any of that. i just had to use the NY dialup numbers.

Because they realize only about 1% of the sets have the sports tier. They want the same kind of exposure that Fox Sports South (on basic cable) and the Golf Channel (on basic cable) currently have ... which seems reasonable to me. If TWC is insisting on having all non-ESPN sports channels on a sports tier, then they should remove Fox Sports South and the Golf Channel from basic, and the Speed Channel from expanded basic. What I really hate is their inconsistency.

They need to add the Big Ten network as well. All these channels should be moved to the sports tier because they are popping up all over the place.

I recently had TWC installed for my PHONE (and internet), and I am having problems getting my two D* TiVo boxes to successfully call in.

Is there a known problem (and work around - without hacking the boxes) about this combination?

I dont believe digital phone supports (at least officially) dial up modems. However, they do work at my house.

I recently had TWC installed for my PHONE (and internet), and I am having problems getting my two D* TiVo boxes to successfully call in.

Is there a known problem (and work around - without hacking the boxes) about this combination?

The Series 2 TiVo units (the platform on which the DirecTV TiVo is built) have always been very hit and miss with VoIP solutions. You might check here

http://www.tivocommunity.com

(do a search for Voice Over IP and I think you'll find something)

Thanks to MLB (which blacks out Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals games in NC) and TWC-- for robbing us of Bonds record breaking home run last night. I'm not the biggest Bonds fan, but this is history. The game was on ESPN2 (which was blacked out locally by MLB), and on MASN (which TWC refuses to place on basic cable). So ... we're screwed again.

If any of you are sick of the lame excuses by TWC ... in this case, that MASN is not worthy of a basic cable spot because it's a "regional sports, niche" channel (uh ... then what are Fox Sports South-- channel 50, and the Golf Channel-- channel 51??)-- then go to:

http://www.playballnow.org

By the way ... every other satellite and cable system in the region (Dish, DirectTV, Charter, Comcast, etc. etc.) has placed MASN on basic cable. MASN not only shows baseball, but also other sports ... including football, basketball, etc. for many NC universites.

Add to this the continued ridiculous position they are taking with the NFL Network (also shown by just about every satellite and cable provider except TWC), and they wonder why their subscriber base dropped drastically over the past 6 months (even with the artificial subscriber increase from the Adelphia acquisition)-- not that they care ... obviously. If you'd like to send TWC a message about getting the NFL Network (which they will promptly ignore), go to:

http://www.iwantnflnetwork.com/



I don't believe TWC here carries MASN anywhere, be it basic or digital.

I've written to MLB about the blackout numerous times since I get MLB.TV and those are all blacked out for me even though we don't have a way of seeing them. Drives me nuts as a Red Sox fan as I have to miss 15+ games a season because they're blacked out against the orioles...

Anyone with TWC Standard service (not digital and not basic) receive TNT-HD and DISC-HD via QAM?
How about ESPN-HD?

THANKS

Anyone with TWC Standard service (not digital and not basic) receive TNT-HD and DISC-HD via QAM?
How about ESPN-HD?

THANKS

no.. I used to get TNT and Discovery, but that's been at least a year ago.

Because they realize only about 1% of the sets have the sports tier. They want the same kind of exposure that Fox Sports South (on basic cable) and the Golf Channel (on basic cable) currently have ... which seems reasonable to me. If TWC is insisting on having all non-ESPN sports channels on a sports tier, then they should remove Fox Sports South and the Golf Channel from basic, and the Speed Channel from expanded basic. What I really hate is their inconsistency.

You are naive to the complexities of these contracts, and why things that may not make sense to you are perfectly logical to those who have all the facts. Big networks have a lot of muscle behind them, and can pretty much get their way, while the smaller ones have to take what they can get.

The fact that so few people are willing to choke up what turns out to be about the cost of a "Number 1 Combo" at a fast food restaraunt for a month of a sports tier is testiment that most people are already satisfied with the amount of sports they already get.

no.. I used to get TNT and Discovery, but that's been at least a year ago.

Yes, I had it too, even with Basic but that was a fluke. I hoped that these channels would be available via clear QAM when or if I upgraded to standard cable from basic. WITHOUT going the digital route however. (another 15 bucks a month)

You are naive to the complexities of these contracts, and why things that may not make sense to you are perfectly logical to those who have all the facts. Big networks have a lot of muscle behind them, and can pretty much get their way, while the smaller ones have to take what they can get.

The fact that so few people are willing to choke up what turns out to be about the cost of a "Number 1 Combo" at a fast food restaraunt for a month of a sports tier is testiment that most people are already satisfied with the amount of sports they already get.

OK ... naive. Whatever. All I know is that I'd rather have the "Number 1 Combo" than TWC's Sports Tier-- which consists of the Tennis Channel and 4 or 5 Fox Sports soccer channels. So few now get the sports tier, because the channels contained therein are garbage.

Now, if TWC had their way, they'd add the NFL Network and MASN to that Sports Tier ... but, instead of it being $1.95/mo ("Number 1 Combo"), they'd jack it up to $10/mo (Number "2" Combo and 2 beers)-- telling us that they are simply passing along the unreasonable carriage fees from the big, bad sports capitalists. Here's the dirty little secret ... they would pocket about $5/mo/sub PROFIT by doing this, while telling us that they are just trying to keep our costs down.

Maybe I'm just naive, hmmm? Any other insults you'd like to pass along?

TWC aside.

If there are any ATSC OTAers out there. Have you noticed on 28.1 MYTV that vertically in the top third of the screen and almost in the middle there are what looks like sparkles? They go straight down the screen.

I don't always see it but I have seen it on various shows on various nights.

-Donb2

TWC aside.

If there are any ATSC OTAers out there. Have you noticed on 28.1 MYTV that vertically in the top third of the screen and almost in the middle there are what looks like sparkles? They go straight down the screen.

I don't always see it but I have seen it on various shows on various nights.


I don't watch much 28.1, but I just took a peak and didn't see anything like you describe.

Yes, I had it too, even with Basic but that was a fluke. I hoped that these channels would be available via clear QAM when or if I upgraded to standard cable from basic.
AFAIK TWC carries only HD programming provided by local channels and their respective networks via QAM regardless of package level. Of course, they've been known to open additional sources briefly from time to time, but I suspect that's more from erroneous settings than anything else.

pkscout ,

Thanks for looking!!

I watch Star Trek Sunday nights at 6pm. Watching the original Star Trek in Digital Color sure beats the way I grew up watching it.

I also watched the new show with Ted Dansen at least the first two episodes they have not aired the third episode.

And I watch some of the movies that they now show every other night or so.

I am glad they dumped the nighttime latin serial format that they I guess started with last January.

-DonB2

Thanks to MLB (which blacks out Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals games in NC) and TWC-- for robbing us of Bonds record breaking home run last night. I'm not the biggest Bonds fan, but this is history. The game was on ESPN2 (which was blacked out locally by MLB), and on MASN (which TWC refuses to place on basic cable). So ... we're screwed again.

i'm slightly irritated with twc for not carrying MASN, but WAY more irritated that MLB is blacking out games that we can't get in any other way. That is idiotic. On top of that, ESPN2 wasn't running anything to say the games were blacked out. I was completely baffled earlier in the week when i couldn't find the game. I never suspected a giants/nats game would be blacked out here. Ridiculous. MLB needs to get their act together.

i'm slightly irritated with twc for not carrying MASN, but WAY more irritated that MLB is blacking out games that we can't get in any other way. That is idiotic. On top of that, ESPN2 wasn't running anything to say the games were blacked out. I was completely baffled earlier in the week when i couldn't find the game. I never suspected a giants/nats game would be blacked out here. Ridiculous. MLB needs to get their act together.

In addition to MLB, I really blame the Baltimore Orioles (owners of MASN) for this. All along, the Orioles games were on Comcast Sports Mid-Atlantic who sold the games to FSN South. This year, the games are on MASN and rather than sell the games to our EXISTING RSN, they want to force ANOTHER RSN on us at $3 a month. I hate not having baseball here, but it really seems greedy to have 2 RSNs in an area like this without many pro sports teams. I mean, the only team covered on FSN South in our region are the Hurricanes. Having multiple RSNs in areas like NY and LA make sense since you have multiple teams in the same sport with schedules and games that overlap, but when the only 2 teams you have access to play opposite schedules, having to pay for 2 RSNs is BS.

47.1 PAX/ION - I noticed last night and this morning that I can no longer get this station reliably. In addition the clock is about 1/2 hour off on this station.

I hope that they are just doing some adjustments.

-DonB2

47.1 PAX/ION - I noticed last night and this morning that I can no longer get this station reliably. In addition the clock is about 1/2 hour off on this station.

I hope that they are just doing some adjustments.

-DonB2

If they went off the air all together, I'd be suprised if they got 100 phone calls, seriously. The only technical adjustments they would likely make is to reduce power to save on the electric bill.

I heard their new fall line-up includes "Industry On Parade" and the Encyclopedia Brittanica Health & Hygene series from the 1940s, colorized and letterboxed for 4:3 SDTV.

Well, I know Master's of Science Fiction was a concept and ABC is just burning off the episodes, but it sure would be nice if our local ABC affiliate could have bothered to transmit it with the dialog audio track. I turned on closed captioning for about 10 minutes and then gave up and found the complete episode (with dialog) from an alternate source.

"Master's of Science Fiction, No Dialog" - Hmm not familiar with this show. Sounds interesting

-DonB2

posg ,

If you layout all the OTA tv available in Raleigh. And disregard all other mediums. Us OTAers really don't have tons of choices.

And I happen to like the Moby Dick show that was on last night.

-DonB2

posg ,

If you layout all the OTA tv available in Raleigh. And disregard all other mediums. Us OTAers really don't have tons of choices.

Which is why 85% of TV households have either cable or satellite.

Well, I know Master's of Science Fiction was a concept and ABC is just burning off the episodes, but it sure would be nice if our local ABC affiliate could have bothered to transmit it with the dialog audio track. I turned on closed captioning for about 10 minutes and then gave up and found the complete episode (with dialog) from an alternate source.

Thanks for confirming it wasn't just me! I had recorded this while sleeping to watch the next day and thought perhaps it was a problem with my DVR. I had a similar no-audio problem about a week earlier on PBS recording Nova so I was suspicious.

But it sounds like it was the local station the culprit.

Thanks for confirming it wasn't just me! I had recorded this while sleeping to watch the next day and thought perhaps it was a problem with my DVR. I had a similar no-audio problem about a week earlier on PBS recording Nova so I was suspicious.

But it sounds like it was the local station the culprit.

I thought it might be some artsy Sci-Fi thing haha with all the music in the background. I dled the ep and will watch later.

Hello,

We have an old Directv install (5+ years) that is getting spottier as the years go by. I have a HD DirecTivo, and want to upgrade to their new MPEG4 capability. I've had 2 DirecTV installers out that are amazed I am still getting a signal in our current spot, and have said they can't install the new dish in the current location.

Soooo, I want to get a quality installer out who might be able to mount the dish in a better location (higher up on the chimney, or on a higher point on the garage where the directv guys are too lazy to get to).

Any good recommendations for folks that service the Chapel Hill area? We have a lot of trees on our property, but there are "breaks" in between where a signal might poke through, so I am hoping a good honest installer will be able to work with me on this. Thanks

I thought it might be some artsy Sci-Fi thing haha with all the music in the background.
:)
I did too, for the first 5 or 10 minutes in. Considering the episodes communication theme I was going with it. :o

A huge thanks for this forum for pointing to the WRAL antenna giveaway. I received mine last week (CM 4228), along with a CM Spartan3 amplifier. Working great - now I need to pick up a rotor!

Hello,

We have an old Directv install (5+ years) that is getting spottier as the years go by. I have a HD DirecTivo, and want to upgrade to their new MPEG4 capability. I've had 2 DirecTV installers out that are amazed I am still getting a signal in our current spot, and have said they can't install the new dish in the current location.

Soooo, I want to get a quality installer out who might be able to mount the dish in a better location (higher up on the chimney, or on a higher point on the garage where the directv guys are too lazy to get to).

Any good recommendations for folks that service the Chapel Hill area? We have a lot of trees on our property, but there are "breaks" in between where a signal might poke through, so I am hoping a good honest installer will be able to work with me on this. Thanks

I will also be looking for someone in a month or so to install the new 5lnb dish for me. I am poked through trees too, I did it myself when the directv installer told me there was no way to get signal.

With the new 5lnb dish, they use 119 to help tune the dish and there is no way I will ever get the 119 satellite, so I will need someone with a satellite meter to get it tuned right. With the new satellites they just launched, I should be fine hitting 99 101 and 103 for plenty of HD content.

America's Top 100 and Dish HD
9492 - MHD - Music High Definition
9487 - Discovery HD (already had Discovery Theater HD)
9488 - The Learning Channel

America's 200
9489 - Animal Planet HD

America's Top 250
9468 - Golf/Versus
9490 - The Science Channel

Mike

AFAIK TWC carries only HD programming provided by local channels and their respective networks via QAM regardless of package level. Of course, they've been known to open additional sources briefly from time to time, but I suspect that's more from erroneous settings than anything else.

which would explain why I was picking up unscrambled hardcore porn on Sunday night!

This is from WRAL.com:

Capitol Broadcasting Goes 'Retro'

Posted: Today at 3:01 p.m.

Raleigh — If you are a fan of classic TV and the Durham Bulls, you are about to be in for a treat.

WRAZ-DT will begin airing Retro Television Network’s “Prime Time All the Time” lineup on Sept. 10. The new 24 hour-a-day network will be available over-the-air on digital channel 50.2 and on Time Warner Digital Cable channel 251.

RTN is home to dozens of classic TV shows, such as Hawaii 5-0, Matlock, Perry Mason, Mission: Impossible, Hogan's Heroes and Gomer Pyle USMC. RTN Raleigh-Durham will also be the home of the Durham Bulls.

“I’m a big fan of the classic programs on RTN”, said Capitol Broadcasting President and CEO Jim Goodmon. “This is a great broadcast service with family-friendly programming, and we are looking forward to bringing it to the market and adding more local programs to it as we move forward.”

“Digital technology continues to be a huge win for our communities,” said Tommy Schenck, Vice President and General Manager of FOX 50. “Research shows there is a real appetite for this type of programming, and our local viewers are now gaining a brand new network with these great familiar classics."

“Capitol Broadcasting is known for being an industry leader in technology and it is fitting that our network has partnered with them," said Mark Dvornik, executive vice president of RTN. "RTN’s unique delivery system allows WRAZ-DT to air a customized network feed that best suits their viewers.”

-DonB2

America's Top 100 and Dish HD
9492 - MHD - Music High Definition


A small correction... as MHD is on channel 9469, right next to Rave.

This is from WRAL.com:

Capitol Broadcasting Goes 'Retro'

Posted: Today at 3:01 p.m.

Raleigh — If you are a fan of classic TV and the Durham Bulls, you are about to be in for a treat.

WRAZ-DT will begin airing Retro Television Network’s “Prime Time All the Time” lineup on Sept. 10. The new 24 hour-a-day network will be available over-the-air on digital channel 50.2 and on Time Warner Digital Cable channel 251.

RTN is home to dozens of classic TV shows, such as Hawaii 5-0, Matlock, Perry Mason, Mission: Impossible, Hogan's Heroes and Gomer Pyle USMC. RTN Raleigh-Durham will also be the home of the Durham Bulls.

“I’m a big fan of the classic programs on RTN”, said Capitol Broadcasting President and CEO Jim Goodmon. “This is a great broadcast service with family-friendly programming, and we are looking forward to bringing it to the market and adding more local programs to it as we move forward.”

“Digital technology continues to be a huge win for our communities,” said Tommy Schenck, Vice President and General Manager of FOX 50. “Research shows there is a real appetite for this type of programming, and our local viewers are now gaining a brand new network with these great familiar classics."

“Capitol Broadcasting is known for being an industry leader in technology and it is fitting that our network has partnered with them," said Mark Dvornik, executive vice president of RTN. "RTN’s unique delivery system allows WRAZ-DT to air a customized network feed that best suits their viewers.”

-DonB2


I think this is GREAT! We don't watch a ton of TV but when we do we struggle for decent family oriented programming. I look forward to such options.

I am impressed with Capital, again.

Well, I know Master's of Science Fiction was a concept and ABC is just burning off the episodes, but it sure would be nice if our local ABC affiliate could have bothered to transmit it with the dialog audio track. I turned on closed captioning for about 10 minutes and then gave up and found the complete episode (with dialog) from an alternate source.
Well, to be fair, I was just happy they were making the effort to tape delay in HD...a year or so ago, a tape delay for overnight air would have meant SD only for sure. I havent watched it yet (DVRed off TWC) but Im guessing it will have the same audio issues as well. Im just glad to see they are making the effort to air preempted network programming in HD when possible....just hope they get all the kinks out sooner rather than later :).

This is from WRAL.com:

Capitol Broadcasting Goes 'Retro'

Posted: Today at 3:01 p.m.

Raleigh — If you are a fan of classic TV and the Durham Bulls, you are about to be in for a treat.

WRAZ-DT will begin airing Retro Television Network’s “Prime Time All the Time” lineup on Sept. 10. The new 24 hour-a-day network will be available over-the-air on digital channel 50.2 and on Time Warner Digital Cable channel 251.

RTN is home to dozens of classic TV shows, such as Hawaii 5-0, Matlock, Perry Mason, Mission: Impossible, Hogan's Heroes and Gomer Pyle USMC. RTN Raleigh-Durham will also be the home of the Durham Bulls.

“I’m a big fan of the classic programs on RTN”, said Capitol Broadcasting President and CEO Jim Goodmon. “This is a great broadcast service with family-friendly programming, and we are looking forward to bringing it to the market and adding more local programs to it as we move forward.”

“Digital technology continues to be a huge win for our communities,” said Tommy Schenck, Vice President and General Manager of FOX 50. “Research shows there is a real appetite for this type of programming, and our local viewers are now gaining a brand new network with these great familiar classics."

“Capitol Broadcasting is known for being an industry leader in technology and it is fitting that our network has partnered with them," said Mark Dvornik, executive vice president of RTN. "RTN’s unique delivery system allows WRAZ-DT to air a customized network feed that best suits their viewers.”

-DonB2

Shouldn't they be working on this:

Time Warner Cable’s agreements with programmers to carry their services routinely expire from time to time. We are usually able to obtain renewals or extensions of such agreements, and carriage of programming services is discontinued only in rare circumstances. The following agreements with programmers are due to expire soon, and we may be required to cease carriage of these services in the near future.

Service:
WRAL
WRAZ

"The following agreements with programmers are due to expire soon, and we may be required to cease carriage of these services in the near future. "

So what are they?????

-DonB2

It means that Capital Broadcasting (parent company of WRAL-TV and WRAZ-TV) opted for Retransmission consent (instead of Must Carry) on their last election period, and the end of the period is coming up. TWC and Capital Broadcasting are probably in negotiations for continuing this. If they cannot come to an agreement (unlikely), then TWC will not be able to show Capital Broadcasting stations. You may see a short break if this comes to pass, in which case you can still get WRAL/WRAZ OTA. I believe Dish has already secured their agreements.

If you were here back in 2000 / 2001 timeframe (right before Dish started offering Raleigh), there was a similar issue with WTVD (ABC channel 11). I remember this very clearly - I was already a Dish subscriber, but was still taking TWC for locals (I hadn't figured out OTA reception for the UHF stations at that time). I put a VCR up on the other input of my Sony MRDD1 that was tuned to channel 11 (only had 1 Dish tuner at the time) and I was golden. Nowadays - I wouldn't worry about it - if Dish and the locals have an issue - I get the locals just fine (most in digital as well as analog), and I can record on PCs for time shifting purposes (which I will do since I work 330PM-midnight).

Shouldn't they be working on this:

Time Warner Cable’s agreements with programmers to carry their services routinely expire from time to time. We are usually able to obtain renewals or extensions of such agreements, and carriage of programming services is discontinued only in rare circumstances. The following agreements with programmers are due to expire soon, and we may be required to cease carriage of these services in the near future.

Service:
WRAL
WRAZ


Ignore it, that's been up there for about two months. They had Starz and Encore listed with it a couple of months ago as well. It's just a routine announcement and probably means nothing in the long run.

It means that Capital Broadcasting (parent company of WRAL-TV and WRAZ-TV) opted for Retransmission consent (instead of Must Carry) on their last election period, and the end of the period is coming up. TWC and Capital Broadcasting are probably in negotiations for continuing this. If they cannot come to an agreement (unlikely), then TWC will not be able to show Capital Broadcasting stations. You may see a short break if this comes to pass, in which case you can still get WRAL/WRAZ OTA. I believe Dish has already secured their agreements.

Yes, Dish just recently got the HD versions of these channels added.

Mike

Now if 22 or 28 I forget which could get the Tube back I would be ahead of the game with OTA channels.

Does anyone remember The Tube on ATSC?

Oh yeah darn-it I lost 47 the other day so gain one lose one.

DonB2

I can get 47 (both analog and digital) no matter which direction I point my antenna (only 10-15 miles from me) :D . My Samsung can get both 17 and 22 digital OK, but our cheaper bedroom TV gets one or the other..

I remember the Tube, and the WTVD black out a few years ago. I think we all got a dollar or 2 credit on our bill for being without ABC for 3 days. Sounds OK to me.. those channels all come in perfect OTA.

The announcement from TWC is clearly a scare tactic to get people to complain to WRAL.

I will also be looking for someone in a month or so to install the new 5lnb dish for me. I am poked through trees too, I did it myself when the directv installer told me there was no way to get signal.

With the new 5lnb dish, they use 119 to help tune the dish and there is no way I will ever get the 119 satellite, so I will need someone with a satellite meter to get it tuned right. With the new satellites they just launched, I should be fine hitting 99 101 and 103 for plenty of HD content.

I helped my dad get his 5 LNB dish setup. I was surprised how much view of the sky we ended up needing... with the help of the installer. It took the removal of 3 trees and moving the dish out into the yard. It was a real pain.

119 was the sat we had trouble with, but I found it easy to get 99/101 tuned without 119 available. One you get 101, 99/103 pretty much fell into place with some minor tuning with tilt, using the on-screen meter for adjustment. Once we moved the dish, again, and cut one more tree, we got 119.

someone answered my general question but i think i could get better advice here since i'm in raleigh.

i have a tv with a digital tuner. i have standard service and got the local hds. i understand and saw how that worked.

with the deal twc has now i decided to call and get the digital cable set up on one tv. ok-- if i get digital on the set without the qam what will my qam-tv recieve without a stb in the other room? will this work? i hate the way twc "fees" you to death and i don't want a stb on the qam if i don't need it.

ps--between service now and can't find pbs with the antenna, but i havent searched this thread thoughly yet.

tia

someone answered my general question but i think i could get better advice here since i'm in raleigh.

i have a tv with a digital tuner. i have standard service and got the local hds. i understand and saw how that worked.

with the deal twc has now i decided to call and get the digital cable set up on one tv. ok-- if i get digital on the set without the qam what will my qam-tv recieve without a stb in the other room? will this work? i hate the way twc "fees" you to death and i don't want a stb on the qam if i don't need it.

ps--between service now and can't find pbs with the antenna, but i havent searched this thread thoughly yet.

tia

You should be ok. I had an SA8300 DVR connected to my SD TV when I got my HD set. I was able to get all the QAM HD channels from TWC even with STB connected to my other TV.

what i'm really asking is if i'll get the additional channels on the qam-tv since digital cable is now running into the house.

The only QAM channels you'll get are the locals, because they are unencrypted. All other channels - no because they are encrypted.

what i'm really asking is if i'll get the additional channels on the qam-tv since digital cable is now running into the house.

No, the QAM channels you currently get on your TV with the QAM tuner won't change with addtion of the STB on your other TV... no channels added or removed. To the best of my knowledge, these days a filter is only applied to the cable line if you only get basic cable. Standard cable has no filter at all. Any additional cable offerings (digital cable, premium channels, etc) are done with an STB or cable card.

On another thought - with this morning's rain ( I live east of Youngsville in Franklin county) that was too much for Dish, I thought i'd take a look at how well ATSC handles heavy rain. In short - a little bit of pixelating (mostly with lightening flashes), but really - not too bad (we were watching WTVD at the time). The wife remarked that those with the requirement for absolutely perfect picture would be disappointed, but it was serviceable enough..

On another thought - with this morning's rain ( I live east of Youngsville in Franklin county) that was too much for Dish, I thought i'd take a look at how well ATSC handles heavy rain. In short - a little bit of pixelating (mostly with lightening flashes), but really - not too bad (we were watching WTVD at the time). The wife remarked that those with the requirement for absolutely perfect picture would be disappointed, but it was serviceable enough..

Yea, we've noticed that too. Torrential downpours that would take out DirecTV would barely phase our OTA reception.

I like the new layout.
However I posted a bug in the bug thread about the goto=lastpost apparently not working correct.y.

I'm considering building a new MythTV box, and am realizing that a Tivo with 3 years of service will probably cost me roughly the same as a new MythTV box.

Does anybody know of local retailers who have a working, fully set up Tivo HD demo unit? If anybody has one, how well does it tune OTA HD? Will it do clear-QAM, or does it need a cablecard to work at all on cable?


Thanks,

Drew

Does anybody know of local retailers who have a working, fully set up Tivo HD demo unit?

Thanks,

Drew

I'd like to know the same thing. I went around to several places and was unable to find a working demo.

Jeff

Does anybody know of local retailers who have a working, fully set up Tivo HD demo unit? If anybody has one, how well does it tune OTA HD? Will it do clear-QAM, or does it need a cablecard to work at all on cable?

I have a Series 3, not the TiVoHD, but for the questions you asked I think they're basically the same, so here goes.

The OTA tuner is really good. Good enough that I can pickup UNC-DT off the back of my antenna, and I've never been able to do that with any other OTA receiver. You can sort of get unencrypted QAM without cablecards, but it will have no guide data and you can only record using manual recordings. To get the unencrypted QAM channels mapped (so you get guide data and all the TiVo goodness) you have to have CableCards (either two single stream cards or one multistream card - if TWC has them yet).

I'd like to know the same thing. I went around to several places and was unable to find a working demo.

Jeff

At Best Buy, I was told that the store was wired only for DirectTV, and it would be non-trivial to set up an antenna or get a TWC for it. They didn't seem terribly motivated.

I was hoping to play with it for a while, and see how "snappy" it felt.

Drew

Good enough that I can pickup UNC-DT off the back of my antenna, and I've never been able to do that with any other OTA receiver. You can sort of get unencrypted QAM without cablecards, but it will have no guide data and you can only record using manual recordings

Thanks.. Just to compare, what other tuners did you use? I started to get WUNC off the back of my antenna when I started using my 5th Gen LG based tuners in my MythTV box OTA this winter. Over the last 6 months, I'd say about 20% of my recordings are glitch-free, 70% are watchable, but mildly to very annoying, and 10% are unwatchable. Does your Tivo do better, or about the same? Before that, I'd been using a (4th gen ?) nxt2002 based Air2PC PCI tuner and the older LG tuner in my 3.5 year old HDTV, neither of which did nearly as well as the newer cards (90% unwatchable).

It is a shame about needing the cable cards to get even clear QAM.

Drew

Thanks.. Just to compare, what other tuners did you use? I started to get WUNC off the back of my antenna when I started using my 5th Gen LG based tuners in my MythTV box OTA this winter. Over the last 6 months, I'd say about 20% of my recordings are glitch-free, 70% are watchable, but mildly to very annoying, and 10% are unwatchable. Does your Tivo do better, or about the same? Before that, I'd been using a (4th gen ?) nxt2002 based Air2PC PCI tuner and the older LG tuner in my 3.5 year old HDTV, neither of which did nearly as well as the newer cards (90% unwatchable).

I'd say that's about my experience with the Series 3. Before that I had a Pansonic ATSC tuner that came free with my Panasonic Plasma. That was probably three years ago. Then I had the DirecTV HDTivo, and the ATSC tuner on that was OK on a good day.

I have a series 3 that picks up all the locals perfectly. I'm a little closer to the middle point of the UNC antenna and the garner antennas though.

It picks up 2.1 and 8.1 from greensboro occasionaly. This is with a very basic attic antennae.

It seems like more and more stations are upgrading their local news operations to HD. Any activity at WTVD or WNCN ???

Anybody else noticed that the bitrate on the SD channels on TWC have on several occassions recently been "reduced" significantly. This seems to last a day or two, and then things are back to normal. There is a noticeable reduction in overall picture quality, sharpness, and an increase in macroblocking. Wonder what causes this, and if it affects large service areas, or is it hub and/or node specific.

Can anyone here who’s had Time Warner HD service in the RDU area compare it to D* or E* HD picture quality? With the new offerings from the dish companies, I've been debating a switch since TWC is pretty slow about adding new HD.

Can anyone here who’s had Time Warner HD service in the RDU area compare it to D* or E* HD picture quality? With the new offerings from the dish companies, I've been debating a switch since TWC is pretty slow about adding new HD.

I've had both, and I think it really comes down to who has the channels you want. The picture qualities are comparable. You're going to run into the grass is greener on the other side syndrome and be switching back and forth every year chasing the provider with the "most" HD. None of the services are adding all the channels everyone wants, and they all use hanky counting to get to their total (who really believes every VOD movie or sports game is a single channel?).

Can anyone here who’s had Time Warner HD service in the RDU area compare it to D* or E* HD picture quality? With the new offerings from the dish companies, I've been debating a switch since TWC is pretty slow about adding new HD.

I've not seen D*'s mpeg 4 yet, but their mpeg 2 channels are awful. Don't know, don't care about E*. I don't trust them. I don't want to be locked into a two year contract when Charlie decides to do battle with a major network.

I've not seen D*'s mpeg 4 yet, but their mpeg 2 channels are awful. Don't know, don't care about E*. I don't trust them. I don't want to be locked into a two year contract when Charlie decides to do battle with a major network.

I think those rose colored cable glasses you wear has totally screwed up your vision. I have had both, have no agenda (unlike some) regarding services, and I really found that the digital quality of both were about the same. Neither HD quality was as good as OTA of course.

I've not seen D*'s mpeg 4 yet, but their mpeg 2 channels are awful. Don't know, don't care about E*. I don't trust them. I don't want to be locked into a two year contract when Charlie decides to do battle with a major network.

Well, I don't have D* and haven't for a few years. I saw E* first hand on Saturday for the first time in a long time. The macro blocking effect was quite evident (Sony SXRD). So, no E* for me. I tend toward saying TWC has the better PQ than E* on HDTV. But, I haven't seen a good D* on an SXRD (the type of TV I own) for comparison.

I'm wondering the same thing for myself...I miss Sunday ticket. However, I remember reading last year about the awful PQ every Sunday afternoon...even at that, I'm still thinking about getting D* just for Sunday ticket. :)

Go Colts!!!

I've not seen D*'s mpeg 4 yet, but their mpeg 2 channels are awful. Don't know, don't care about E*. I don't trust them. I don't want to be locked into a two year contract when Charlie decides to do battle with a major network.

Rose colored indeed.

There is no contract required (and it would be 18 months not 24 if you did). If you do sign a contract, you get a $5/mo dicount, BUT even at that extortionist pricing :) you still get 2-3x more HD channels for the same or less cost than TWC basic digital tier. Don't let propoganda scare you off.

Mike

Can anyone here who’s had Time Warner HD service in the RDU area compare it to D* or E* HD picture quality? With the new offerings from the dish companies, I've been debating a switch since TWC is pretty slow about adding new HD.

I just left DirecTV for TWC, mostly over them wanting to charge me $300 to get the HD I was promised 4 years ago, after already spending $700 over those 4 years on HD equipment.

On HD picture quality, they are comparable. Note that for the locals, one advantage of TWC is to take the full stream and release it out. What this means is 4 HD games during March Madness, while OTA and DirecTV (which captures WRAL's signals OTA before retransmitting) get 4 SD games.

On SD picture quality, TWC wins hands down. Brighter colors, sharper image. Note that I get more macro blocking on TWC, which indicates to me that they are favoring a higher overall quality at the expense of occasional drop-outs, while DirecTV seems to sacrifice overall quality to get rid of those drop-outs. Not to mention letting them cram in more shopping channels on their already precious bandwidth.

I do miss some features of the DirecTIVO, though. Sadly, that's not an option for their MPEG-4 HD anyway.

My prediction: if you stick with TWC, you'll be disappointed at the number of channels and have some minor usability gripes about the DVR. If you switch to DirecTV, you'll be missing the SD picture quality, possibly complaining about rain fade depending on setup, and wondering where all those cables came from. With both you'll be annoyed at certain programming decisions.

In other words, you can't win :mad:

According to the main TWC thread in the programming forum, someone with TWC Hawaii said CNN and TBS would be coming in the next couple of months. Nothing to get exactly excited about, especially considering these were no brainers (both owned by AOL Time Warner), but good to know something is coming (supposedly).

^Also, there were never 4 HD games at once during March Madness, only 2 (255 and 254)...still, better than 4 SD only games, though.

According to the main TWC thread in the programming forum, someone with TWC Hawaii said CNN and TBS would be coming in the next couple of months. Nothing to get exactly excited about, especially considering these were no brainers (both owned by AOL Time Warner), but good to know something is coming (supposedly).

So is Cinemax, and we are still waiting for that 3 years later.

On TWC, what happens in Hawaii, stays in Hawaii.

It seems like more and more stations are upgrading their local news operations to HD. Any activity at WTVD or WNCN ???If the past is any indicator, count on WTVD to be at the tail end. Years ago when stations were switching to stereo sound, I called WTVD and talked to Larry Stogner to find out when they would be catching up with the other local stations. He was very defensive and downplayed the need to switch before all ABC network programming was in stereo.

Something tells me their overall thinking about progress hasn't changed.

I have TW Cable. I use a cable box downstairs, but my upstairs TV has a QAM Tuner and gets the HD channels for Channels 4, 5, 17, and 22; however, I can't get either Channel 11 or Channel 50 although I used to get both of them. I remember reading about others having the same problem a little while ago, but never saw any resolution to the problem. Anyone have any answers or suggestions? Thanks.

as far as March Madness, WRAL was beat up pretty bad this year for showing 4 SD games. their station manager (Chuck deCourt) commented on it here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=10079453&postcount=7407

and here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=10079747&postcount=7410

they may change what they do next year (show some HD games OTA) based on the vigorous discussions this year.

also, i agree with gstelmack, directv HD is comparable to TWC. directv's SD isn't so hot (but i don't think TWCs is so good either). directv used to beat TWC hands down, but directv has oversubscribed their bandwidth with too many channels, and their SD quality has suffered. i think TWC SD is better, though not vastly better. i am hoping that with their new satellites going up, directv will have enough bandwidth to get their PQ back to where it was a few years back.

I have TW Cable. I use a cable box downstairs, but my upstairs TV has a QAM Tuner and gets the HD channels for Channels 4, 5, 17, and 22; however, I can't get either Channel 11 or Channel 50 although I used to get both of them. I remember reading about others having the same problem a little while ago, but never saw any resolution to the problem. Anyone have any answers or suggestions? Thanks.

In Cary, 113.1 is channel 11, and 113.4 is channel 50. Not sure about anywher else.

Also, see the first append in this thread.

Thanks for the responses. I guess I'll wait a month or two and read peoples reviews of the new Directv HD channels that are supposed to be turn on in September.

In Cary, 113.1 is channel 11, and 113.4 is channel 50. Not sure about anywher else.

Also, see the first append in this thread.


Interestingly enough I just switched from Basic to the lowest tier of digital. Reason below. With the basic filter on my old line 50.1 and 11.1 were FOX and WTVD-11. NOW I just found (like this quote pointed out by abward) that 113.1 and 113.4 are 11 and 50 respectively. Odd that WITHOUT the basic filter they moved apparently randomly to another address. Or it could have been coincidence with my switch-over. Not sure.

First time in 12 years with anything more than basic or OTA and impressed I am not. However my son wanted to see more educational shows such as Discovery, History Channel and TLC put out so for a while I will try it.

The deal if you care... I too an upgrade price for 12 months that was too good to pass up. I essentially got Digital plus standard, plus the 'pick-one tier' for around 35 a month. And this knocked about 5 bucks a month off of Road Runner. So for about 20 bucks a month I get a few good channels and a whole bunch of junk. :)

113.1 and 113.4 are 11 and 50 respectively. Odd that WITHOUT the basic filter they moved apparently randomly to another address

They have always been at 113. It is just the channel mapping information that is now gone. Sometime back in Feb. TWC started mangling the channel remapping info on QAM 113. If I had to guess, I'd guess you last scanned for channels months and months ago when the remapping info was still there, so your TV "remembered" that 50.1 and 11.1 were on 113. Then after your upgrade, you rescanned again. The channel remapping info wasn't there, so your TV put the channels at 113. This is better than some people's TVs will do.

Drew

The deal if you care... I too an upgrade price for 12 months that was too good to pass up. I essentially got Digital plus standard, plus the 'pick-one tier' for around 35 a month. And this knocked about 5 bucks a month off of Road Runner. So for about 20 bucks a month I get a few good channels and a whole bunch of junk. :)
How do I get this deal? I have Road runner now but I am thinking of getting Digital cable again.

OTA ATSC channel 4-100,

Is anybody else seeing this channel (4-100) mapped as one of the PBS multicast sub channels? I see it on my Samsung and just curious if anyone else does.

-DonB2

OTA ATSC channel 4-100,

Is anybody else seeing this channel (4-100) mapped as one of the PBS multicast sub channels? I see it on my Samsung and just curious if anyone else does.

-DonB2

Yes, I saw it on my ATSC tuner cards in MythTV. Seems to be emtpy, or sending something I don't understand. My HDTV didn't see it..

Drew

Yes, I saw it on my ATSC tuner cards in MythTV. Seems to be emtpy, or sending something I don't understand. My HDTV didn't see it..

Drew

I wonder if it's this.

http://www.moviebeam.com/opencms/opencms/Pages/

I read that this company is using some PBS subchannels throughout the country to beam a digital content stream to it's customers. Perhaps they are testing??

MR12,

That is possible. I even got a brochure on Moviebeam when I was in Rockville Maryland last fall so I guess they already have it.

I wonder if this will last longer than that paid OTA mini cable system that started in UTAH called I think USDTV.

-DonB2

CBS HD?
Hi, can someone tell me what channel is CBS HD on a QAM? I can get rest of the local HD channels, but just not CBS. Thanks.

They have always been at 113. It is just the channel mapping information that is now gone. Sometime back in Feb. TWC started mangling the channel remapping info on QAM 113. If I had to guess, I'd guess you last scanned for channels months and months ago when the remapping info was still there, so your TV "remembered" that 50.1 and 11.1 were on 113. Then after your upgrade, you rescanned again. The channel remapping info wasn't there, so your TV put the channels at 113. This is better than some people's TVs will do.

Drew

Drew,
And I would agree with you. My last scan prior to the upgrade was months ago. With only basic there was not much need to scan. :)

Well, I give, I am taking my 8300HDC (Navigator) back to TWC in Raleigh and canceling service. I have a Directv install scheduled a few weeks out, and will see how that goes.

This DVR is horrible, and I feel for anyone else getting one. Recordings are sporadic, sometimes saying channel not available in the log. It sometimes just quits recording about 50 minutes into a program, and God forbid you try to watch a program while it is recording it, most of the time is just stops recording with no warning. If you change channels while recording, it stops the recording and changes channel, no warning.

No manual recording, search is awful, what a mess. I end up rebooting it every few days. I miss my Tivo :-)

TiUser,

In Cary, it shows up on 5.1. See the first post in this thread for Raleigh.

TiUser,

In Cary, it shows up on 5.1. See the first post in this thread for Raleigh.

That's the re-mapped channel number, which I doubt he'll be able to get. He should try the QAM frequency, which is 85.2

Drew

Anybody know a local HT installer or even handyman who would be able to run cat5 to a few rooms in an existing 2 story house in Cary?

I'm planning a new MythTV setup, and I really want to be able to separate my front and backends. Wireless just won't cut here (too much interference from the 17 different wireless networks around me).

Thanks,

Drew

Anybody know a local HT installer or even handyman who would be able to run cat5 to a few rooms in an existing 2 story house in Cary?
I used Steve Jones in the past. He wired up a couple rooms and did an in the wall 5.1 surround sound speaker setup. Reasonable price and good work.

Steve Jones
Company Owner
All The Right Connections
PO Box 52002
Raleigh, North Carolina
(919) 571-0007
Cat5alive@msn.com

It's been quite some time, so don't know if he's still in business.

Anybody know a local HT installer or even handyman who would be able to run cat5 to a few rooms in an existing 2 story house in Cary?

I'm planning a new MythTV setup, and I really want to be able to separate my front and backends. Wireless just won't cut here (too much interference from the 17 different wireless networks around me).

Thanks,

Drew

Drew, I might hold off on a mythtv setup until they figure out a good way to get Tv listings (current free listings end in sept). At the current proposed rate you might as well buy a Tivo. (Note: I have mythtv)

Thanks guys, but neither 5.1 nor 85.2 works for me in Durham TWC.

Drew, I might hold off on a mythtv setup until they figure out a good way to get Tv listings (current free listings end in sept). At the current proposed rate you might as well buy a Tivo. (Note: I have mythtv)

As appropriate for this forum (:)) my interest is only in HD. AFAIK, an HD Tivo will cost $300 for a 3 year prepay, or ~$8.33/mo, and apparently won't even work with QAM without having a cable card (and all the requisite unwanted and expensive packages full of garbage that you're required to get before they'll even rent you a cable card). I can keep using my existing HD Myth setup for $5/mo using the SD data. Or I can use it for free if I have the time and energy to write a grabber for just the local channels (which is all I care about).

Drew

As appropriate for this forum (:)) my interest is only in HD. AFAIK, an HD Tivo will cost $300 for a 3 year prepay, or ~$8.33/mo, and apparently won't even work with QAM without having a cable card (and all the requisite unwanted and expensive packages full of garbage that you're required to get before they'll even rent you a cable card). I can keep using my existing HD Myth setup for $5/mo using the SD data. Or I can use it for free if I have the time and energy to write a grabber for just the local channels (which is all I care about).

Drew

Drew,
You do not need any decoding/cable card for HD locals. Not even with timewarner. And if the idea is to save money... I bet you end up spending more then 8.33 a month with your mythtv box. I know I have :). The remote alone is worth 3.33 a month in WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor).

Oh... and not being culpable for the next time the box fails to record her favorite show? Priceless :).

Drew,
You do not need any decoding/cable card for HD locals. Not even with timewarner.

I think we've all become victims of sloppy language. While it is true you don't need the cable cards to tune the QAM channels on the TiVoHD (or Series3), in that setup you won't get any guide data for them and will only be able to do manual recordings. In order to get the channels mapped from their QAM frequencies to the channel numbers, get guide data, and have the full TiVo goodness, you need CableCards in the TiVo. That's just the way it works with the TiVo.

I think we've all become victims of sloppy language. While it is true you don't need the cable cards to tune the QAM channels on the TiVoHD (or Series3), in that setup you won't get any guide data for them and will only be able to do manual recordings. In order to get the channels mapped from their QAM frequencies to the channel numbers, get guide data, and have the full TiVo goodness, you need CableCards in the TiVo. That's just the way it works with the TiVo.

Ah, didn't know that... thanks for the info.

(and all the requisite unwanted and expensive packages full of garbage that you're required to get before they'll even rent you a cable card)
Are you sure about that? It's my understanding that cable companies are legally required to provide a CableCARD to you, as long as you have a device that supports CableCARD. So you should not need to subscribe to any digital package.

Oh... and not being culpable for the next time the box fails to record her favorite show? Priceless :).


Eykode,

Do you actually have a TivoHD now? How do you like it? I was seriously considering it until I heard about the "no-guide-data-on-qam" limitations, and until I realized that no retailers had working demo units setup. If you have one, can you tell me how the transition from Myth went? Can you get used to having no commercial-skip?

Drew

Are you sure about that? It's my understanding that cable companies are legally required to provide a CableCARD to you, as long as you have a device that supports CableCARD. So you should not need to subscribe to any digital package.

No, I'm not sure. But the digital packages are not what I object to. Rather, I object to the bloated, overpriced, packed full of trash "standard". On the web page for my area (http://www.timewarnercable.com/nc/products/pricingpages/cary.html) they say "Basic Service required to get Standard Service. Basic and Standard Service required to get Digital Service. "

Based on that, I think I'm required to pay $50 for the "packages full of garbage" (basic & standard). Is there anybody around with just "basic" and a cablecard?

Drew

"I might hold off on a mythtv setup until they figure out a good way to get Tv listings (current free listings end in sept)."

What free listings stop in September?

-DonB2

"I might hold off on a mythtv setup until they figure out a good way to get Tv listings (current free listings end in sept)."

What free listings stop in September?

-DonB2

The Zap2It listings service from Tribune Media Services, which MythTV (and a number of other home brew PVRs) use to get listings without resorting to parsing web pages or relying on the flaky EIT guide info.

Drew

Is there anybody around with just "basic" and a cablecard?
I don't have that combo, but I believe it's possible. The cable company is legally required to provide a CableCARD to you, as long as you have a device that supports CableCARD. I don't think the law allows the cable company to deny you a CableCARD just because you only have basic service.

In addition, TWC's price list shows that CableCARD is priced "a la carte" which implies that it is offered independently of Standard and Digital services.

"The Zap2It listings service from Tribune Media Services"

What about titantv.com?

I see that they have the following:

Through its partnerships with leading Personal Video Recorder and PC TV tuner card manufacturers, TitanTV provides you with the ability to watch and record TV on your PC. TitanTV is the first online television program guide to offer this convenient functionality that allows members to gain more control over their TV viewing experience.

Select any of your favorite TV shows from TitanTV's program grid or search results and you can instantly schedule your Personal Video Recorder (PVR) to record it for you. To watch TV programs on your PC, simply visit TitanTV when your favorite program is airing and find it on the program grid. You can click on the Watch Now icon and it will automatically launch your viewer displaying the show in progress.

Clicking the PVR or Watch Now icons on TitanTV eliminates the need to manually enter program title or time-TitanTV automatically sends all of that information to your PVR scheduler and PC-TV card for you.

--------------------------------------------------------------
Just curious as I have been toying with making a 1.3 GHZ/512Meg /200 GigHD ASUS computer I got on the cheap into a MythTV style device.

-DonB2

-DonB2

"The Zap2It listings service from Tribune Media Services"

What about titantv.com?


It is not (immediately) compatible with MythTV (or most sophisticated PVR apps). Such apps depend on downloading the entire schedule, not being fed small portions of it which it sounds like what Titan does. I think Titan is used mainly in the bundled Windows (or OSX) PVR software that comes with TV tuners.

BTW, this is getting pretty off topic for local info and reception. It would be better to talk about myth in a private email, or on the linux htpc chat forum, or on the Myth mailing list.

Drew

Thanks guys, but neither 5.1 nor 85.2 works for me in Durham TWC.

very odd it's neither...

i live in raleigh and on a philips dlp i receive it @ 85.2, on a vizio lcd i receive it @ 5.1 .

try channel 53.1 and see if it works.

US Open on UHD un-watchable again this year?!? Same issues as last year. A total mess. (TWC Durham)

I installed a hand made antenna in the attic to replace the Overly priced Powerd Square shooter that I used previously to receive PBS OTA ATSC 4.1.

I watched this station for 3 hrs last night and the only time it broke up was once when a low flying helicopter flew by.

I thought that was interesting.

-DonB2

I installed a hand made antenna in the attic to replace the Overly priced Powerd Square shooter that I used previously to receive PBS OTA ATSC 4.1.

I watched this station for 3 hrs last night and the only time it broke up was once when a low flying helicopter flew by.


Was the helicopter black? :)

I forgot.. do you have 2 antennas, or do you try to position a single antenna to receive both PBS and the stations from the commercial farm?

Drew

"Was the helicopter black?" - Not sure I was too busy looking at "NO Signal" on my Plasma.

"I forgot.. do you have 2 antennas, or do you try to position a single antenna to receive both PBS and the stations from the commercial farm?"

I have a 4228 pointed at the Garner Farm and than this home brew 1/2 of a 4228 mounted on a Satellite mount pointed at Chapel Hill.

I have them connected with a infrared Radio Shack A/B switch that is triggered by a new Universal RF-20 Radio Remote and radio repeater that works much more reliably between living room and attic than the Radio Shack RF repeater I had previously ever did.

I do not have really enough clearance for a rotator. If I used one I would have to come up with some limit switch to stop the antenna before it hits the rafters.

I could lower the antenna to miss the rafters but than "I have lowered the antenna:)"

-DonB2

I have a 4228 pointed at the Garner Farm and than this home brew 1/2 of a 4228 mounted on a Satellite mount pointed at Chapel Hill.


Ah, I see. For me, WUNC is strong enough that I can get it just fine with an indoor Silver Sensor as long as I have it pointed at Chapel Hill. Sigh. Why, oh why, could they not have put their antenna in the farm with everybody else?

Drew

Another thing about 4.1 PBS. Last night the show I was watching was on 4.1 which is not HD.

I sware I saw a lot of artifacting and pixel crawl that I never saw last year.

-DonB2

I sware I saw a lot of artifacting and pixel crawl that I never saw last year.


Some time in the last year (or 2) they made the kids channel (4-3) 24-hours, so they may have reduced the bandwidth available to 4-1.

Drew

Someone explained to me the reason for 24 hr children channels but I am still having trouble believing it. My contention was "What self respecting kid watches Cartoons at 2 am in the morning?"

I was told that parents sit the sleepless child down in front of the tv, turn on the cartoons in the middle of the night, and it lolls little Bobby Beeb to sleep.

So I guess I can understand this. But I I don't understand why so many networks have to either tie up the weekends with cartoons or have 24 hr cartoons on a subchannel.

How many stations can a kid watch Cube on at one time?

-DonB2

But I I don't understand why so many networks have to either tie up the weekends with cartoons

You can thank the FCC for that one.

ESPNU was added to channel 140 this morning. :)

How do I get this deal? I have Road runner now but I am thinking of getting Digital cable again.

How I got my $35 for 12 month Deal.

I called up TWC and said "I have been looking at Dish Network for getting HD channels, they have 26 of them, can you compete?" The operator came back with the following deal:
$35 For Digital Cable (for 12 months)
$7 a month for HD-DVR
$2 For HD Tier (for 12 months)
I already had RR but that dropped from $45 to $40 a month. My bill was about $96 a month.

I just did an impulse Order HBO and get Cinemax, HBO On Demand and Cinemax on Demand free for 12 months. The interesting thing about the flyer is they mention Cinemax HD, which is not in the area. I need to call them and complain about it.:p

Chuckeis ,

You should have said I am looking at Direct TV with 100's of HD channels.

You may have even got a better deal :)

-DonB2

yet another sports network, the Big10 Network launches tonight. However, the Big10 feels this channel deserves to be on basic cable, so don't expect TW to carry it anytime soon.

yet another sports network, the Big10 Network launches tonight. However, the Big10 feels this channel deserves to be on basic cable, so don't expect TW to carry it anytime soon.

Everybody thinks they should be on basic cable. :rolleyes:

I don't want to pay for another sports network I won't watch. ESPN, ESPN2, and FSN are basically two sports channels too many for me already. So I have no problem in the other thousand sports channel are on a sports tier as a premium package. If you want all that, I don't mind, just don't get upset that I don't want to subsidize it for you.

Everybody thinks they should be on basic cable. :rolleyes:

I don't want to pay for another sports network I won't watch. ESPN, ESPN2, and FSN are basically two sports channels too many for me already. So I have no problem in the other thousand sports channel are on a sports tier as a premium package. If you want all that, I don't mind, just don't get upset that I don't want to subsidize it for you.

I really wish they would switch to some type of a-la-carte pricing. I'd love the Big10 Sports network, and I'm still pissed we don't get MASN, but of course I have about 100 Channels that I don't watch. I understand that I have to get some channels I don't want in order to get ones I do, but there has got to be a better way that both the customer and the cable company win.

Everybody thinks they should be on basic cable. :rolleyes:

I don't want to pay for another sports network I won't watch. ESPN, ESPN2, and FSN are basically two sports channels too many for me already. So I have no problem in the other thousand sports channel are on a sports tier as a premium package. If you want all that, I don't mind, just don't get upset that I don't want to subsidize it for you.

Don't get upset that we don't want to subsidize your channels either. :D Why should I pay for basic if I don't watch it?

Seriously, there are about 12 or 13 stations I watch. If all the other channels disappeared, I would never know it.

I vote for a system that charges everything as pay-per-view. So, lets say to watch a show costs me 10 cents. Maybe newer shows cost 15 cents.

Just like telephone, cellphones, electricity, natural gas, car gas, and water....if I use too much and the bill is too high, then just use less. If I use very little, the bill is low. It is fair.

Yeah, I know it costs money to prepare and deliver the signal even if I am not using it. But, the same is true for the other utilities I mentioned.

Think of all the TVs that are just left on, wasting electricity. That would end!

With the upcoming SDV format, they would be even more able to know what I am watching, and charge appropriately.

If they actually added all these channels to the sports tier, then the sports tier would be a hugely popular option.

Here's an excerpt from a response I got today from George Douglas, VP of Mktg for TWC NC:

"I don't believe Raleigh will be able to add HD channels until switched digital is in place."

Keep in mind, TWC NC has been promising switched digital for about a year. In other words ... no more HD for TWC NC customers for the foreseeable future. The exodus to satellite continues ...

Here's an excerpt from a response I got today from George Douglas, VP of Mktg for TWC NC:

"I don't believe Raleigh will be able to add HD channels until switched digital is in place."

Keep in mind, TWC NC has been promising switched digital for about a year. In other words ... no more HD for TWC NC customers for the foreseeable future. The exodus to satellite continues ...

I'm on the phone with D* as I write this.

I just installed a Panny TH-50PX600U (on sale from Tiger for $1350!) and I'm really pleased with it, especially since I've found that there are HD channels on my basic TWC cable. This was a serendipity as the purchase was driven by other factors. :)

Thanks to everyone, especially Erik Garci, who has provided info on where to find what channels.

I have everything working except WLFL & WRDC. As near as I can tell, WLFL should be on 22.1 and WRDC should be on 28.1 but neither one is working for me. Nor are the TWC HD channels of 77.1 & 77.2 respectively.

Is anyone else having this problem or does anyone know of different channels for these two?

Of course since their HD content is essentially nonexistent, it's really just an academic question.

Regards,
Will

Here's an excerpt from a response I got today from George Douglas, VP of Mktg for TWC NC:

"I don't believe Raleigh will be able to add HD channels until switched digital is in place."

Keep in mind, TWC NC has been promising switched digital for about a year. In other words ... no more HD for TWC NC customers for the foreseeable future. The exodus to satellite continues ...

hmm... doesn't TWC negotiate channels on a nationwide basis? What would raleigh, specifically, have to do with that? Are there a bunch of TWC hd channels that Raleigh is not carrying?

Are there a bunch of TWC hd channels that Raleigh is not carrying?

Er yes.

Take a look here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=419472) and check off how many you are seeing.

The carriage of HD channels on TWC is random throughout the country for a variety of reasons. That's why even though other markets are, I'm not watching Starz HD, Cinemax HD or even HD Showcase on Demand (which is free) even though it's being advertised here on their OnDemand channels!

Does anybody around the Cary area know of a "live" D* in the area? I went to BestBuy and CircuitCity at Cross Roads...neither had a live feed. I would like to switch from TWC to D* as the new channels begin to light up. But, I don't want to get stuck in a contract for subpar PQ.

Thanks,

Jeff

Hey all,
I posted this over in the HD Recording forum as well, but thought someone here might have an answer. I am interested in the Tivo HD, but I am only interested in the major networks and HD. Would I be better off getting a basic TWC subscription or can I get this stuff OTA? What type of issues might I run into with the programming guide? Does anyone know if I can get CableCards with a basic subscription? Thanks for the help

Hey all,
I posted this over in the HD Recording forum as well, but thought someone here might have an answer. I am interested in the Tivo HD, but I am only interested in the major networks and HD. Would I be better off getting a basic TWC subscription or can I get this stuff OTA? What type of issues might I run into with the programming guide? Does anyone know if I can get CableCards with a basic subscription? Thanks for the help

It depends a bit on where you are, but OTA reception is pretty good here. Check antennaweb (http://www.antennaweb.org) for better info. In theory CableCards will work with basic only, but I believe TWC requires you to spend extra money and get a digital package to get cable cards. Plus they charge you two installation fees (they won't provide one M-card yet, only two S-cards). If you can get OTA I would go that route (that's what I'm doing with my S3).

The programming guide comes from TiVo, so either way you shouldn't have many, if any, problems. I haven't had a problem with the TiVo guide in the five years I've had a TiVo.

Hey all,
I posted this over in the HD Recording forum as well, but thought someone here might have an answer. I am interested in the Tivo HD, but I am only interested in the major networks and HD. Would I be better off getting a basic TWC subscription or can I get this stuff OTA? What type of issues might I run into with the programming guide? Does anyone know if I can get CableCards with a basic subscription? Thanks for the help

You have to get digital cable to get cablecards. OTA works great with the Tivo. Not worth getting cablecards unless you really want ESPNHD or some movie channels.

In theory CableCards will work with basic only, but I believe TWC requires you to spend extra money and get a digital package to get cable cards.

If you can get OTA I would go that route (that's what I'm doing with my S3).

I don't have any empirical data to back this up, but the TiVo fine print regarding CableCARD's says you don't have to have one to get the unencrypted HD channels, like the ones on TWC basic. Here's part of the info from http://www.tivo.com/whatistivo/ccfaqs.html:

This digital set-top box is capable of receiving analog basic, digital basic and digital premium cable television programming by direct connection to a cable system providing such programming. A security card (CableCARD™) provided by your cable operator is required to view encrypted digital programming.

Maybe an existing TiVo HD user could remove their CableCARD's and test to see if they still get the unencrypted channels.

I didn't see any mention of TiVo HD with OTA. Anybody know for sure if TiVo HD works with OTA?

And, as mentioned in the header post the this thread, WRAL is still giving away antennas. I sent for mine yesterday. So you can try OTA for free.
http://www.wral.com/wral-tv/story/1180307/

You will be able to receive the unencrypted QAM channels without cablecards BUT you will have no guide data and thus will have to set manual recordings. Tivo doesnt know where the cableco 'maps' these channels to nor what guide data they pertain to.

I have everything working except WLFL & WRDC. As near as I can tell, WLFL should be on 22.1 and WRDC should be on 28.1 but neither one is working for me. Nor are the TWC HD channels of 77.1 & 77.2 respectively.
Are you subscribed to Basic only or Basic+Standard?

If you have Basic only, then TWC normally installs a trap/filter at the junction box near the road. It filters out the Standard analog channels, which are 25 through 76. It might also filter out or weaken physical channel 77, which was used as an analog channel in the past, but it is now being used to carry 77.1 (WLFL HD) and 77.2 (WRDC HD). If that's the case, you could try asking TWC to send a technician to correct the issue, maybe by replacing the filter.

By the way, 22.1 and 77.1 refer to the same channel. 22.1 is a virtual channel number, and 77.1 is the physical channel number. Either way, the tuner is tuning to the same channel. Likewise, 28.1 and 77.2 refer to the same channel.

You will be able to receive the unencrypted QAM channels without cablecards BUT you will have no guide data and thus will have to set manual recordings. Tivo doesnt know where the cableco 'maps' these channels to nor what guide data they pertain to.
That's correct. In order to receive the channel mappings that TWC uses, you need a CableCARD.

For example, TWC maps the number 255 to WRAL HD. If you install a CableCARD, your device will know this number. Otherwise, your device has no way to know this number.

That's correct. In order to receive the channel mappings that TWC uses, you need a CableCARD.

For example, TWC maps the number 255 to WRAL HD. If you install a CableCARD, your device will know this number. Otherwise, your device has no way to know this number.

It is a shame that Tivo won't let you just attach a usb keyboard and type it in, like you can do in MythTV :)

FWIW, I'm visiting inlaws in Newport News VA, and I finally found a CC with a TivoHD "setup" in demo mode. The demo mode seems to tell me nothing about many of the things I care about (channel change speed, actually using the interface to do common tasks rather than watch people do it). It did let me use the fast forward / rewind, and I it seems like it would take some getting used to. Another customer flipped it around to look at the connectors at the back, and knocked out the power cord. It seemed to take forever to boot back up again.. I'm still on the fence..

Drew

Anyone got a un-encrypted digital channel list for Burlington, NC or Greensboro, NC?

I found one for Durham, but it isnt the same.

I need the physical channels, not the virtual, because i am using the QAM tuner on my HDTV.

Anyone got a un-encrypted digital channel list for Burlington, NC or Greensboro, NC?There is a specific forum for the Greensboro area. You'll probably have better luck finding what you're looking for there.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=137768

Well, at least we're on the short list.

SDV Deployment for TWC
AS OF AUGUST 2007


Time Warner Cable Albany, N.Y. **
Time Warner Cable Austin, Texas*
Time Warner Cable Binghamton, N.Y. ****
Time Warner Cable Columbia, S.C.*
Time Warner Cable Green Bay, Wis.*
Time Warner Cable Greensboro, N.C.*
Time Warner Cable Kansas City, Mo.****
Time Warner Cable Milwaukee, Wis.**
Time Warner Carolina North Carolina systems (Raleigh/Durham, Charlotte, Wilmington)***
Time Warner Cable Oceanic (Hawaii)***
Time Warner Cable Portland, Maine*
Time Warner Cable Rochester, N.Y.**
Time Warner Cable San Diego, Calif.***
Time Warner Cable Syracuse, N.Y.*

* Commercially deployed
** Installing system
***Contract awarded, SDV not yet installed/deployed
**** Installation/deployment status not yet known
***** Full deployment expected in next 30 days


Unknown SDV Deployment for TWC

Time Warner Cable Alabama
Time Warner Cable Barstow
Time Warner Cable Buffalo/Niagara
Time Warner Cable Cincinnati +
Time Warner Cable Clarksburg
Time Warner Cable Dayton/Miami Valley +
Time Warner Cable Desert Cities
Time Warner Cable Eastern Carolina (Wilmington)
Time Warner Cable Erie
Time Warner Cable Fort Benning
Time Warner Cable Hudson Valley
Time Warner Cable Jackson, MS/Monroe, LA
Time Warner Cable Los Angeles North
Time Warner Cable Los Angeles Metro
Time Warner Cable Los Angeles South
Time Warner Cable Mid-Ohio (Columbus)
Time Warner Cable Myrtle Beach
Time Warner Cable National (non-clustered systems)
Time Warner Cable Nebraska (Lincoln)
Time Warner Cable New York and New Jersey
Time Warner Cable North Texas (Dallas-Fort Worth) (formerly Comcast)
Time Warner Cable Northeast Ohio (Akron)
Time Warner Cable San Antonio
Time Warner Cable Southern California
Time Warner Cable Southern Tier New York
Time Warner Cable Southwest (El Paso, Wichita Falls, Corpus Christi, Laredo, Border Corridor, Golden Triangle, Kerrville, Rio Grande Valley, and South Central)
Time Warner Cable Southwest Florida
Time Warner Cable Southwest Ohio (Miami Valley & Cincinnati)
Time Warner Cable St. John
Time Warner Cable Terre Haute

Well, unfortunately we're on the short list.

Fixed your post for you. ;)

I have no problem with SDV in concept. I do have a problem with TWC using it to circumvent the FCC guidelines with regards to open devices (please don't give me that OCAP crap again, that isn't open, that is TWC dictating the interface on a device I own). I feel TWC should be required to deploy a solution for open devices to access any technology before they can deploy it.

I certainly hope this means TWC will do something to increase their anemic HD offerings. I'm especially interested in HGTV-HD and SciFi-HD. I guess in 2022 sometime we'll get those here. :rolleyes:

Well, at least we're on the short list.

SDV Deployment for TWC
AS OF AUGUST 2007

Time Warner Cable Greensboro, N.C.*
* Commercially deployed

And a disaster it is too. They have a hard time keeping the system up and running now. It has gotten to the point that the whole system crashes at least once a month with major sections crashing on a weekly basis. In May, they did a software upgrade and the SA engineers had to come back in and reprogram the whole system. It was down for almost a week. TWC lost a lot of money that month. It has gotten so bad, they have reinstalled the the old straight through analog modulators for the basic 2-15 (we have a local station on channel 15 and News 14 on channel 14) so when the system crashes, people still have the locals at least. They did have the locals running through the system digitally and then reconverting back to analog for basic. But when the system starting dying, they changed back for those channels to give them some breathing room when it does crash.

D* and E* are reaping the benefits though because I am seeing more dishes of both providers popping up all over. In the last 3 months my neighborhood has turned into a mushroom farm of sat dishes and TWC is trying to aggressively fight back but there seems to be too much bad taste in people's mouths at this point. Until SDV came to town, TWC had pretty much neutered satellite but it is on the raise here again.

Just something for you guys to look forward to.

How much stuff did Greensboro move from linear to SDV? Im a cablecard user and am hoping to avoid losing all the 'good stuff'. I scanned the Greensboro forum and didnt see much mention of SDV.

They tried moving the local stations with most of the digital tier and for about 6 weeks it was painful to watch TWC cable because it actually increased the payload on the system and you had channels freezing for hours and lip sync issues. It was so bad the local stations raised cane and TWC-GSO finally relented dropped the fiber optic feeds from the stations and moved us back to analog basic OTA with a separate digital feed for the digital boxes and that helped the payload issue. But now they are doing so many updates on the system software and the STB's that you never really know if a channel is going to be there or not. As far as channels not being SDVed, only the local analog and digitals are available with a QAM tuner with an occassional digital tier channel showing up for a short period of time as some issue is being resolved. At times the local stations disappear or get moved to different QAM channels only to reappear on the original QAM channel sometime later. The lastest being ESPN-HD one day it is not there, next day it is, next day it is on a different channel and the next day it is gone. The ABC station has been appearing and disappearing for several months now. People are just getting tired of it. The griping in the thread has pretty much quit since many have gone to satellite to get away from the problems.

Hello all,

I'm looking to organize some Home Theater meets in the area and since this is such an active post for Raleigh/Durham area residents, I wanted to bring your attention to a post on the subject at http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11459469

Please check it out and let us know your interest level. It would be great to meet other enthusiasts in the area.

Anyone else having trouble with TWC digital set top boxes this evening?

Ted

both of mine seem to be operating as usual.

I finally got through to TWC after a really long wait on the phone. The said the problem is on their end and they have no idea when it will be fixed. This is as bad as rain-fade when I had D*.

Ted

Does anyone know where to purchase a Channel Master 4228 antenna local? I'm hoping to avoid shipping. I'm in Durham and don't mind a short drive.

Does anyone know where to purchase a Channel Master 4228 antenna local? I'm hoping to avoid shipping. I'm in Durham and don't mind a short drive.

Get it from the WRAL antenna give-away and it is free. http://www.wral.com/wral-tv/story/1180307/

Get it from the WRAL antenna give-away and it is free. http://www.wral.com/wral-tv/story/1180307/

I don't have a receipt from my HD Homerun any more :(

I did not either, but they shipped me one. Just tell them how great their station is (which is true), etc.

Does anyone know where to purchase a Channel Master 4228 antenna local? I'm hoping to avoid shipping. I'm in Durham and don't mind a short drive.

Dow Electronics in Greensboro. Only open M-F I believe.

"Just tell them how great their station is (which is true), etc"

It is real hard to find fault with WRAL!

-DonB2

It's our #1 station.... that is, the one the wife and me watch the most... What I really like is that when the on-air talent makes mistakes (and they do sometimes - after all, they're human) or something happens off camera, they make the appropriate comment about it and move on. If they were wrong or out of line on something - they admit it.

Does anyone know where to purchase a Channel Master 4228 antenna local? I'm hoping to avoid shipping. I'm in Durham and don't mind a short drive.

Lowes/Home Depot usually have some channel master products in stock.

It is real hard to find fault with WRAL!

-DonB2

The only issue I have with them is that they're our primary LF/Raycom Sports affiliate and during a LF/Raycom event the CBS feed gets shown on 5-2. The only time I have an issue with that is when the CBS feed is in HD (like they're showing an SEC football game) and the LF feed is not (everything so far, with the exception of last year's ACC tournament), they should show the CBS feed on 5-1 (HD) and the LF feed on 5-2 (SD).

Or just let WRDC be the LF affiliate (like they did this weekend while tennis was on)...

If anyone is interested, I have a Winegard ProStar PR-4400 UHF Antenna that I would like to sell. It is in excellent condition...... just PM with an offer. I'm in Northeast Raleigh.

^^Occasionally they have done just that (with the Raycom game on analog 5 while CBS-HD was on 5-1), but for the most part they dont. I agree though, I wish that would happen more often.

That reminds me.. They made a splash last Feb by announcing that some of the 2007 ACC tournament would be broadcast in HD. Does anybody know which, if any, ACC football and basketball games will be broadcast in HD by our luddite friends at Raycom/LF this season? The Raycom website seems mostly useless.

Drew

I was watching PBS 4-2 last night. The show was about 1000 pound pumpkins.

I was mildly interested in watching it because when I use to live in Upstate NY a guy on the road I lived on grew huge pumpkins.

Surprisingly they interviewed the guy on the show and even more suprisingly as they panned the HD camera around his farm and you could see things in the background there on the screen was the hill I lived on for years displayed in full HD.

Kinda cool seeing your old stomping grounds in HD. Especially on TV.

-DonB2

^^I dont remember where I saw it posted (maybe PackPride?), but no HD ACC football games, but POSSIBLY up to 4 regular season ACC basketball games (probably Duke-Carolina, and 3 other games involving either Duke or Carolina :rolleyes: ). I assume the tournament would continue to be HD. Rather disappointing, especially when you see the Big Ten Network pulling off 3-4 HD games EACH WEEKEND.

Don't know if anyone of you heard this, but this morning on the local sports radio station (850 the Buzz), Brad Phillips (TWC VP for the Raleigh region) came on to defend the TWC position on not carrying MASN.

Same stuff we've all heard about how TWC cares about keeping costs down, sports tier, bla bla bla. Then, he went on to say that the 8 games on the NFL Network will be broadcast on local TV. The host said ... "wait a minute, are you saying that all 8 games will be shown here in Raleigh?". And, Mr. Phillips said, "YES". Of course, that's a lie (whether intentional or unintentional).

I don't really care since I ordered Dish Network and can't wait for it to be installed in about a week. I'll get all of what I got with TWC for $13/mo less-- with tons more programming (especially HD).

^^I dont remember where I saw it posted (maybe PackPride?), but no HD ACC football games, but POSSIBLY up to 4 regular season ACC

Argh. I suppose 4 basketball games is better than nothing, but I'll bet we will again be in a situation where ESPN-HD or ESPN2-HD has ACC games in HD which gets blacked out due to Raycom. Sigh.

Drew

That reminds me.. They made a splash last Feb by announcing that some of the 2007 ACC tournament would be broadcast in HD. Does anybody know which, if any, ACC football and basketball games will be broadcast in HD by our luddite friends at Raycom/LF this season? The Raycom website seems mostly useless.

Drew

Check here. http://mattsarz44017.tripod.com/football2007.html

I don't see a RAYCOM HD logo though..

Am I the only one noticing lots of little pixelization problems on NBC 17 tonight for the NFL game? This is much worse than I remember games looking last season.

I don't really care since I ordered Dish Network and can't wait for it to be installed in about a week. I'll get all of what I got with TWC for $13/mo less-- with tons more programming (especially HD).

I don't understand why you didn't do that a long long time ago.:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

I don't understand why you didn't do that a long long time ago.:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

1. Questionable southern exposure (I've been assured that it's not a problem).
2. Weather (I hear that is greatly exaggerated).
3. Local presence (I prefer to deal with people-- I'm not a "mail order" type guy).
4. I really didn't care about technology. TWC acts like they are splitting an atom just to add 1 channel. Satellite appears to handle the technology with ease and seems- to the untrained eye- to provide the same or better PQ.
5. I had always thought satellite would be more expensive-- not the case.
6. I'm a deliberate person. But, after waiting for over 3 years for TWC to show any sign of keeping up-- I had enough.
7. I waited for satellite to offer local HDs (without a seperate OTA antenna).

I encourage any of you who have been frustrated over the years with TWC, to do some research. You might just find yourself defecting.

Okay, so here's a question for you guys. I just went and picked up a box for a roommate who I let move in. Previously I had one box, an 8300HDC DVR box. I was paying for Digital, HD suite, and RR.

Now I just hooked up his box and flipped it on, it's an older Pioneer with Passport (on a side note, I didn't think it was legal to give out old non-CC boxes anymore but I could care less). Anyway, on his box he seems to get all kinds of channels, HBO, Encore, etc. When I checked again out on the main TV, I don't have those. How can one room or one box get channels that the rest of the apartment doesn't? I thought it was all restricted, not just per box or per outlet.

Hi, anyone else in the Raleigh area getting silence when using Digital Dolby on the TWC HD8300 DVR? It has always worked fine for me over the last year, until two nights ago. I had to set the box to "two channel" to hear anything. Haven't called it in yet though.

Thanks,

Sooke

Does anyone have a Directv Slimline dish for sale? I actually only need the lnb's, but will consider the entire dish. I ordered one from someone on ebay and it did not come with the lnb's!!

Also looking for someone with experience and a meter to install said dish. I don't have line of sight to 119, so it will be a harder install. Email me if you have a dish or can install - maps@leagh.com

Hi, anyone else in the Raleigh area getting silence when using Digital Dolby on the TWC HD8300 DVR? It has always worked fine for me over the last year, until two nights ago. I had to set the box to "two channel" to hear anything. Haven't called it in yet though.
*
Thanks,
*
Sooke
It's happen to me a few times the past couple years. Rebooting the box always corrects it for me.

How I got my $35 for 12 month Deal.

I called up TWC and said "I have been looking at Dish Network for getting HD channels, they have 26 of them, can you compete?" The operator came back with the following deal:
$35 For Digital Cable (for 12 months)
$7 a month for HD-DVR
$2 For HD Tier (for 12 months)
I already had RR but that dropped from $45 to $40 a month. My bill was about $96 a month.
Just to verify, is the 12 months where they are offering you the deal for 12 months, or do you have to commit to 12 months to receive the deal. Im thinking of doing this, but I dont want to lock myself into anything as Im still very possibly calling up one of the sat companies in the very near future.

That being said, Im also moving within the next year, and Im wondering how much of a hassle it is to get a dish reinstalled at a new location either by a tech or doing it myself. Definitely would hate to have to pay someone to install and/or reinstall a few months later.

I am trying to ditch TWC and move to OTA since the only thing we really watch are the network channels. I put up an old Winegard antenna I had (I think it is a GS-1100; I got it free when I was trying out Voom HD) and tried to tune in some local channels today. I definitely don't think it is the correct antenna for my location; I am located in Northeast Raleigh, just off of Capital Blvd headed towards Wake Forest. I could get WTVD great, but everything else was pretty snowy. I am about 14.5 miles from the antenna farm according to antennaweb.org and about 35 miles from the PBS tower. Also, I am down in a bit of a hole with a fair number of trees around the house. I would really like to be able to pick up PBS for the kid shows, but us grown-ups watch the other networks. Does anyone know if it would be possible to pickup both PBS and the other networks on one antenna? If not, is it possible to use two antennas to accomplish this? I am planning on getting a Tivo HD, but I wanted to be sure I could get good reception OTA. Thanks for the help.

Are you wanting the analogs, the digitals, or both ?

Good reception is certainly possible, you could even use 1 antenna - but you would get best results using a rotor. I'd also suggest that you mount the antenna outside, above your roof some distance. Channel 4 is out in Chapel Hill, most other stations are out in the Garner antenna farm , but Channel 22 analog is about 10-15 degrees away from the rest (Maybe a bit more in your case).

I'd also get a "real" antenna, preferably a combo VHF/UHF antenna that you should be able to find at Lowe's or Home Depot. Using 2 antennas instead of a rotor is possible, but not easy in our market.

BTW - I'm out in Youngsville, in a forest, and I get EXCELLENT reception of all stations , especially when I aim my antennas at the tower I'm trying to receive( yes, I have them on a rotor).

Okay, so here's a question for you guys. I just went and picked up a box for a roommate who I let move in. Previously I had one box, an 8300HDC DVR box. I was paying for Digital, HD suite, and RR.

Now I just hooked up his box and flipped it on, it's an older Pioneer with Passport (on a side note, I didn't think it was legal to give out old non-CC boxes anymore but I could care less). Anyway, on his box he seems to get all kinds of channels, HBO, Encore, etc. When I checked again out on the main TV, I don't have those. How can one room or one box get channels that the rest of the apartment doesn't? I thought it was all restricted, not just per box or per outlet.
I've noticed that when you first get a cable box everything is unscrambled. After a few hours, or sometimes days, it starts scrambling. I think the cable company sends a signal over the line to get it going.

I want to upgrade to HD service, but when I called to ask about deals, and specifically mentioned that I was looking at Satellite companies, I was told how much it was to upgrade (extra $7.95/mo) and no offers were made whatsoever. It was like they didn't care at all because I was an existing customer, and they just want to sign up new customers. And I bet there's some accountant telling them that most people won't switch because it's too much of a hassle.

Now I have to decide if I'm calling their bluff or if it really is too much of a hassle....

Are you wanting the analogs, the digitals, or both ?

Good reception is certainly possible, you could even use 1 antenna - but you would get best results using a rotor. I'd also suggest that you mount the antenna outside, above your roof some distance. Channel 4 is out in Chapel Hill, most other stations are out in the Garner antenna farm , but Channel 22 analog is about 10-15 degrees away from the rest (Maybe a bit more in your case).

I'd also get a "real" antenna, preferably a combo VHF/UHF antenna that you should be able to find at Lowe's or Home Depot. Using 2 antennas instead of a rotor is possible, but not easy in our market.

BTW - I'm out in Youngsville, in a forest, and I get EXCELLENT reception of all stations , especially when I aim my antennas at the tower I'm trying to receive( yes, I have them on a rotor).

Thanks for the info. I'm mainly concerned about the digital channels, so I was planning on getting a UHF antenna. I was hoping not to have to use a rotor if possible. If I could get CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX and PBS I would be happy.