Raleigh, NC - HDTV [Text View] - Page 50

csimon2

10-20-09, 07:26 PM

I think that 11-1's quality started to go downhill well before 11-2 started broadcasting in so-called "HD".I'd have to completely agree. I distinctly remember trying to watch college football last season on ABC versus ESPN and easily noticing the quality difference was night and day. Since all sports aired on ABC are produced by ESPN and distributed on the same backend, there should be little difference. But what WTVD calls "HD" is a frankly a joke. I think this season they did try and mitigate the issue by applying a slight blur to the image, but this only adds a layer of softness to the picture that makes it only look as good as a decently upscaled DVD.

(By ESPN, I mean ESPN and ESPN2, not that crappy pixelated image that Time Warner is trying to also push off as "HD" for their SDV channels. What an embarrassment when watching ESPNU on a 106" screen!)

tarheelone

10-23-09, 10:42 AM

October 28, 2009: The following channels will be added:

Classic On Demand - Channel 512
Thriller On Demand - Channel 513
Kids/Teens On Demand - Channel 514
Action On Demand - Channel 515
Comedy On Demand - Channel 516
Drama On Demand - Channel 517
Lo Mejor On Demand - Channel 547
HBO 2 East HD - Channel 414
BBC America HD - Channel 235
Headline News HD - Channel 232
Investigation Discovery HD - Channel 236
truTV HD - Channel 242
MSNBC HD - Channel 233
TCM HD - Channel 243

November 24, 2009: The following channels will be added:

HBO Signature East HD - Channel 415
HBO Family East HD - Channel 416
HBO Comedy East HD - Channel 417
HBO Zone East HD - Channel 418
HBO Latino East HD - Channel 419
Showtime Too HD - Channel 454
Action Max HD - Channel 436
Cartoon HD - Channel 230
WE HD - Channel 231
IFC HD - Channel 306

efranklin002

10-25-09, 01:42 PM

Can someone tell me why WRAL isn't showing any NFL football right now? It's 1:30 and they are showing the f-ing Wedding Singer instead of the NFL. What the hell?????? :mad::mad:

drewwho

10-25-09, 01:50 PM

Can someone tell me why WRAL isn't showing any NFL football right now? It's 1:30 and they are showing the f-ing Wedding Singer instead of the NFL. What the hell?????? :mad::mad:

They have only one game (Bills / Panthers @4pm) this weekend, and Fox has 2. It seems to trade off like this, where Fox has 2 and CBS has 1, then CBS has 2 and Fox has 1. They've been doing it like this for years. Complain to the money-grubbing scumbags that run the NFL. And while you're at it, ask them to offer a paid streaming service like the MLB.tv for their games, so we can watch out-of-market NFL without being beholden to DirecTV, which many fans can't get (trees, landlords, HOAs, etc) even if they are willing to pay their exorbitant rates. I would kill for NFL.tv.

Drew

PS: Go Bills (I know, that's going to make me really popular around here, but I'm just so excited to finally see my team w/o having to go to a sports bar)

efranklin002

10-25-09, 01:57 PM

Thanks for the explanation.

Scooper

10-25-09, 05:51 PM

a 32" tv isn't going to "expose" mpeg macroblocking like a 70" tv will. the smaller the TV, the less dependence on high quality encoding. try standing closer to your 32" TV, like maybe 2 feet away. any macroblocking should be more apparent.

Ain't no macroblocking happening today, gentlemen - at least when I tell the TV to do a 1:1 of a 720p component feed. And I was watching from about 3-4 feet from the screen.

Now, When I looked at it from my PC (again OTA 11.1) - and went full screen - I did see some fuzzing / muddying up of text graphics (white text on a black background was where it really showed). But again - no other macroblocking etc. (and I've been a Dish sub long enough that I KNOW what that looks like).

I can send you a 20GB recording of the race if you would like to examine it yourself.

I would suggest that it's your upscaling on your TVs that's causing your issues.

CCsoftball7

10-26-09, 09:59 AM

Ain't no macroblocking happening today, gentlemen - at least when I tell the TV to do a 1:1 of a 720p component feed. And I was watching from about 3-4 feet from the screen.

Now, When I looked at it from my PC (again OTA 11.1) - and went full screen - I did see some fuzzing / muddying up of text graphics (white text on a black background was where it really showed). But again - no other macroblocking etc. (and I've been a Dish sub long enough that I KNOW what that looks like).

I can send you a 20GB recording of the race if you would like to examine it yourself.

I would suggest that it's your upscaling on your TVs that's causing your issues.

Are you watching on DISH or OTA? When you watch cars move, you don't see macroblocking. However, when graphics come on the screen (like you are watching ESPN of ABC)...watch the graphics as they "disappear". You can see macrblocking every time.

Scooper

10-26-09, 10:18 AM

Are you watching on DISH or OTA? When you watch cars move, you don't see macroblocking. However, when graphics come on the screen (like you are watching ESPN of ABC)...watch the graphics as they "disappear". You can see macrblocking every time.

I'm watching the race OTA. I'll take a better look now that I know what you're talking about.

nitdawg

10-26-09, 12:35 PM

PS: Go Bills (I know, that's going to make me really popular around here, but I'm just so excited to finally see my team w/o having to go to a sports bar)

2nd that Drew...I'm a western NYer myself, glad to see them on TV!

Lee L

10-26-09, 01:03 PM

I'm watching the race OTA. I'll take a better look now that I know what you're talking about.

The only time I notice actual blocking on races is in a quick transition or the closeup of hte cars shows focussed crowd flying by behind them. THis causes problems no matter what, but looks worse on ABC than it used to.

The real problem is the overall compression and softness. Look at the edge of any graphic and you get tons of compression caused edge problems, sometimes extending a dozen or more pixels away from the graphic. It is very noticeable even at beyond normal viewing distances to me. I notice this on 3 1080i plasmas and 2 720 LCDs veiwing OTA so it is not merely cross conversions IMO.

thess

10-26-09, 06:08 PM

Anyone having problems tuning FXHD in the last day or two, specifically on cablecard?

I can tune it but I have a friend about a mile away who hasn't been able to, on a Tivo S3 with cablecard. Equipment has been restarted.

Scooper

10-26-09, 06:18 PM

The only time I notice actual blocking on races is in a quick transition or the closeup of hte cars shows focussed crowd flying by behind them. THis causes problems no matter what, but looks worse on ABC than it used to.

The real problem is the overall compression and softness. Look at the edge of any graphic and you get tons of compression caused edge problems, sometimes extending a dozen or more pixels away from the graphic. It is very noticeable even at beyond normal viewing distances to me. I notice this on 3 1080i plasmas and 2 720 LCDs veiwing OTA so it is not merely cross conversions IMO.

If you look hard enough at ANY digital TV - you can get blurry background flying by while the object they are tracking stays perfect.

On the 2nd paragraph - I guess I'm conditioned by years of barely adequate DBS SD to notice things like that. That's one reason our normal viewing distance is in the 10-15 feet range - so little issues like that get hidden.

posg

10-27-09, 08:08 AM

ldmccall

10-27-09, 03:20 PM

On Friday I finished installing Windows 7 on my dual TWC CableCARD system. Because it is Windows 7, I'm able to use the SDV tuning adapter, which is working well. I'm now getting all non-demand channels, including Fox Sports South HD and ESPNU-HD.

The TWC technician (who was surprisingly adept) said that they had done one installation in Garner, but couldn't get it working. The reason is that the ATI tuner firmware update and the SDV tuning adapter drivers are not yet available to the public (they were supposed to be available last week!). I'm not able to forward these to anyone, but can say that the system is running solidly. After 4 days I have had no CableCARD pairing issues (have one single-channel, and one multi-stream).

Pretty soon, Microsoft will release the tool which will allow any fairly new PC (not just certified systems) to run CableCARD tuners with Windows 7 Media Center. For those of you have been watching this possibility, my advice is to wait until ?February? when the Ceton 6-tuner internal card is said to be released. Right now you can get a pair of external ATI CableCARD tuners, but they are $400 a piece, and cannot handle multistream, so you will tune exactly one channel per tuner + CableCARD you purchase and rent, respectively. The Ceton tuner will enable a single Multistream CableCARD to tune SIX simultaneous streams. Very nice.

One enhancement I was excited about was the change in DRM for Media Center. Before, only cable channels tuned with an ATI DCTuner contained DRM. Windows 7 takes that away and makes the system recognize whatever the cable company is flagging, on a per-show basis. So, potentially nothing would have DRM. Unfortunately everything I've recorded in Windows 7 through Time Warner's, CableCARDs has been "copy-protected" (officially known as "copy-once"). This copy protection is important for me because I want to move recordings to the iPhone so I can watch them during lunch. Alas, there is no improvement on this topic so far when moving from Vista to 7 in Raleigh.

For those wondering about a QAM tuner, I recommend the HDHomeRun dual clear QAM tuner (~$150). It sits as a network device with two coax inputs, and offers all of Time Warner's channels up to 24, DRM-free. About 90% of what I record and watch is network TV anyway, so it makes for a nice tuner #3 and tuner #4 for the system. Yes it only does clear QAM, but honestly, the cable companies are making moves to make ATSC extinct anyway, so I'm not too worried about its inability to record ATSC channels.

For those wondering about channel mapping in Media Center 7, this is much improved. HDHomeRun is getting QAM channels (like 83.3 or so), and puts them in Media Center automatically on the correct Time Warner channel, in most cases. Some manual mapping will need to be done, but that is easy. Simply find 83.3 in the guide, and edit the channel. The next screen allows you to assign the correct channel number. From here you can merge the channels with those tuned from the ATI tuners if you want.

What I did is I mapped all HD versions of WRAL to channel 3, and gave the HDHomeRun priority. I also hid all SD versions of WRAL from the guide to avoid confusion. Now when anyone in the house tunes to 3, they will get WRAL-HD off the HDHomeRun if possible. If someone else is using both HDHomeRun QAM tuners, then it will show WRAL from TWC's 255. Of course, that is all back-end, and really improves the WAF. The bottom line is that we no longer have to map QAM channels to the 2000's and worry about whether we are recording a show in HD/SD, or the DRM-free zone or not. The wife just puts it on 3 and records!

Check out this video for how to set it up like this.
http://mynetworkproject.blogspot.com/2009/09/swap-sd-for-hd-in-your-media-center.html

If any of you have any MC7 questions, I'd be happy to help you!

ldmccall

10-27-09, 03:21 PM

I am preparing a story showcasing all of the TV options in the area. I want to do a short video of each system's UI, and need a Dish HD customer to help me out. Is there anyone here who can help me?

ldmccall

10-27-09, 03:27 PM

I am having some problems with WNCN's audio. I am viewing through clear QAM and through 255 on CableCARD (isn't that just shooting out that same clear QAM signal, only remapped?) on Time Warner Cable, and several shows I watch are coming through ONLY in the L and R front channel speakers.

I have a Yamaha 5.1 amp, and during some shows, like Jay Leno, the amp's display shows all 5 channels coming through, but all I can hear are front L and R. Also, when I throw the amp into any of the processed surround modes, I can never get audio to come through the center channel. On most "stereo" broadcasts, the amp will parse out the exactly synched common audio and throw it through the center channel while keeping the unique audio to the L and R.

During many NBC broadcasts, such as NFL football, I am getting true 5.1 sound.

Anyone have an explanation for why this is happening?

drewwho

10-27-09, 03:36 PM

everything I've recorded in Windows 7 through Time Warner's, CableCARDs has been "copy-protected" (officially known as "copy-once"). This copy protection is important for me because I want to move recordings to the iPhone so I can watch them during lunch. Alas, there is no improvement on this topic so far when moving from Vista to 7 in Raleigh.

You should consider an HD-PVR. You hook it to the component output of your HD cable or satellite box, and it records a DRM-free MPEG4 720p or 1080i stream that you can do whatever you want with. It is fully supported in SageTV, as well as MythTV 0.22, and a number of other PVR software packages. I think there may be a plugin for MC as well.

For those wondering about a QAM tuner, I recommend the HDHomeRun dual clear QAM tuner (~$150) <...> Yes it only does clear QAM, but honestly, the cable companies are making moves to make ATSC extinct anyway, so I'm not too worried about its inability to record ATSC channels.

Uh.. the HDHomeRun is an ATSC (over the air) tuner as well as a QAM tuner. You can even run one port as ATSC and the other as QAM. Perhaps you have your acronyms confused, and you mean to say CableCard, and not ATSC? I hope the cable companies won't kill ATSC.

It sounds like you have a client / server setup. What do you use for playback devices (eg, frontends, or clients, the box you connect to the TV)?

Drew

nitdawg

10-27-09, 03:44 PM

If any of you have any MC7 questions, I'd be happy to help you!

So I've been running 7MC for a while (now finally the real deal) but just use QAM (and I only subscribe to roadrunner). So I get 4xPBS, 2xCBS, 2xFOX, 3xABC, 3xNBC, CW, myRDC, news14, WGNamerica, and ION. I've also used my antenna, but I have some issues with WUNC reception, so for now just sticking with QAM.

I don't have an HD homerun...anyway, you can bypass the tedious work of channel and guide mapping using Guide Tool (http://1geek1tool.com/guidetool) to add whatever guide info you want to use on a per channel basis, edit the channel number, etc...much easier than going through 7MC GUI. You can even add channel logos (I will post them for others if you want some that I tweaked for 7MC) or use http://mychannellogos.com/default.aspx

Anyways, 7MC and QAM plus HULU Desktop app and ZincTV works fine for us and wifey approved :cool:

ldmccall

10-27-09, 05:03 PM

Uh.. the HDHomeRun is an ATSC (over the air) tuner as well as a QAM tuner. You can even run one port as ATSC and the other as QAM. Perhaps you have your acronyms confused, and you mean to say CableCard, and not ATSC? I hope the cable companies won't kill ATSC.

It sounds like you have a client / server setup. What do you use for playback devices (eg, frontends, or clients, the box you connect to the TV)?

Drew

Yes, you are right about the HDHomeRun's abilities. I live in a hole, however, and my OTA reception is terrible. It's just simpler to grab the clear QAM off of TWC to get the locals with it.

Unfortunately, I don't have my acronyms mixed up. Because of bandwidth, cable companies want to put the entire lineup on QAM. This would require every TV for every customer to have either an internal QAM tuner or an external QAM tuner (for legacy hardware). The companies are probably going to be required to offer these boxes for free in order to keep their contracts valid.

Sage has its place, but for me Media Center, even with some DRM, is the dream system. The $200 HD-PVR is not supported in Media Center, and requires Sage customers to rent a TWC box for each HD-PVR (which is what, $20/mo?). That's a weak link in the chain that is unacceptable for me. Their boxes change channels too slowly and are too unstable. The CableCARDs are $4/mo.

My Media Center PC is directly connected to the den HDTV and audio system. I'm using 3 Linksys DMA2100 and 1 DLink DSM-750 extenders in each of my rooms through the house.

drewwho

10-27-09, 05:29 PM

Yes, you are right about the HDHomeRun's abilities. I live in a hole, however, and my OTA reception is terrible. It's just simpler to grab the clear QAM off of TWC to get the locals with it.

And I've been screwed in the past by TWC changing the QAM frequecies without notice, and/or breaking the cable virtual channel table, so I prefer to use OTA. A $70 investment in an antenna and an afternoon of fishing wires beats chasing QAM.

Unfortunately, I don't have my acronyms mixed up. Because of bandwidth, cable companies want to put the entire lineup on QAM. This would require every TV for every customer to have either an internal QAM tuner or an external QAM tuner (for legacy hardware). The companies are probably going to be required to offer these boxes for free in order to keep their contracts valid.

You're talking about cable companies shutting off their analog broadcast. That still doesn't affect the free ATSC that broadcasters offer over the air. Also, from the companies that have already switched (mostly Comcast), they generally encrypt nearly everything, so all that a non-cable card "clear" QAM tuner in a TV, or in an HDHR could receive would be the "basic" channels. Eg, no ESPN, CNN, etc.

Sage has its place, but for me Media Center, even with some DRM, is the dream system. The $200 HD-PVR is not supported in Media Center, and requires Sage customers to rent a TWC box for each HD-PVR (which is what, $20/mo?). That's a weak link in the chain that is unacceptable for me. Their boxes change channels too slowly and are too unstable. The CableCARDs are $4/mo.

I thought a non-DVR box was less than that ($10?). I don't even have cable. Nearly anything I want is available via hulu or similar. As to the tuning adapters being the weak link -- maybe in Windows, but I know many Linux SageTV / MythTV users who swear by the things. The advantage is that the format is open. Until somebody breaks the CC DRM, you'll need an HD-PVR or similar if you want to transcode your premium shows to use on your own terms.

My Media Center PC is directly connected to the den HDTV and audio system. I'm using 3 Linksys DMA2100 and 1 DLink DSM-750 extenders in each of my rooms through the house.

How snappy is the gui? What are the drawbacks as compared to a PC client? I think there is a commercial skipping extension for 7MC. Will that work in the extender like it does on SageTV.

BTW, I don't want to sound like I'm too much of a SageTV advocate. I'm not, and I'm looking for alternatives. SageTV's extenders are flaky, and painfully slow, and the GUI is state-of-the-art for 1995. But my HD100 extenders spank any PC playback I've ever seen in terms of quality. This is mostly due to how MythTV fails to properly display telecined HD, but the Sigma chipset in my HD100 looks better (to me) than 7MC running on an Nvidia Ion. And 7MC was nearly as sluggish on the Ion as SageTV was on the HD100 extender.

Drew

Lee L

10-27-09, 08:35 PM

If you look hard enough at ANY digital TV - you can get blurry background flying by while the object they are tracking stays perfect.

You are right, all HD is like that, but I have noticed it becoming much more prevalent since they started teh Live Well crap on ABC.

vidiot1985

10-28-09, 07:47 AM

...
Unfortunately, I don't have my acronyms mixed up. Because of bandwidth, cable companies want to put the entire lineup on QAM. This would require every TV for every customer to have either an internal QAM tuner or an external QAM tuner (for legacy hardware). The companies are probably going to be required to offer these boxes for free in order to keep their contracts valid.
...

But what does any of that have to do with ATSC?

nitdawg

10-28-09, 09:38 AM

But what does any of that have to do with ATSC?

Perhaps he is talking about analog cable tuners. I could see in the years down the road TVs only having QAM and ATSC tuners and forgoing the old "cable-ready (i.e. analog cable tuner capable)" tuners.

drewwho

10-28-09, 10:05 AM

Perhaps he is talking about analog cable tuners. I could see in the years down the road TVs only having QAM and ATSC tuners and forgoing the old "cable-ready (i.e. analog cable tuner capable)" tuners.

I think that's what he's talking about.

My impression from the MythTV and SageTV communities is that the cable companies that have gone all digital have first made the "standard" (eg, Ch 15 -> 75) lineup available via clear QAM, and then they rent customers "Digital Tuning Adapters" (DTAs) that are basically just a QAM tuner that does channel re-mapping. At this point, if you have a QAM tuner in your TV (or HTPC) you're golden. After a while, they began encrypting some or all of those channels, so you end up roughly where we are now: all QAM is encrypted except for the local broadcast channels, and maybe one or two others. But at this point, you no longer have analog, and all TVs need a box to get ESPN, CNN, etc. I think this happened because the DTAs are non-cable card boxes, and they received a waiver from the FCC in order to enable encryption on non-cable card DTAs.
See, for example, http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43792

Drew

ldmccall

10-28-09, 01:22 PM

(Scratch what I said bout ATSC.) I'm talking about the cable companies going to total encrypted QAM for the entire band, except for unencrypted for locals they may be contractually obligated to carry. Two months ago the FCC granted permission (http://www.multichannel.com/article/328866-FCC_Grants_DTA_Waivers_To_Four_Vendors.php) to the cable companies' request of presenting encrypted QAM across the entire band, requiring settop boxes on all TVs.

What I'm talking about is referenced in these articles:

http://www.anandtech.com/weblog/showpost.aspx?i=637 (http://www.anandtech.com/weblog/showpost.aspx?i=637)
http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/08/28/clear-qam-hd-isnt-going-anywhere/
http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/04/13/would-dual-must-carry-be-good-or-bad-for-hdtv/
http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/04/07/comcast-begins-digital-transition-in-chicago/

I don't think our locals will be encrypted, but there are some cable operators who currently are.

HDHomeRUN: Yeah, the ATSC might be worth a day in the attic, given that there is less compression in OTA signals than what TWC packages, I just haven't gotten any success with receiving all of them correctly.

MediaCenter: The extenders are very snappy. Granted, I am only using them on 13" TVs in bedrooms and the kitchen. I have heard very good things about the XBox360's abilities as an extender, and the newer ones are quiet enough to use now. I am going to do a big comparison, complete with HD video of each interface, of each of the area's TV options, so you'll see the interface there.

drewwho

10-28-09, 01:40 PM

(Scratch what I said bout ATSC.) I'm talking about the cable companies going to total encrypted QAM for the entire band, except for unencrypted for locals they may be contractually obligated to carry.

OK, so I guessed what you were trying to say.. I think the FCC should have never issued that waiver without requiring the cable companies to offer a-la-carte programming. The technical reason for bundles is analog filtering limitations. Since encryption can be done at the channel granularity, they should be required to offer channels a-la-carte if they want to use these DTA and encrypt QAM.

HDHomeRUN: Yeah, the ATSC might be worth a day in the attic, given that there is less compression in OTA signals than what TWC packages, I just haven't gotten any success with receiving all of them correctly.

Unless something has changed in the last few weeks, TWC does not compress OTA when they transfer it to QAM. But in some sense you're right -- if you have a good enough antenna, you can pick up the Greensboro CBS and ABC affiliates, and get a less compressed HD signal than WRAL and WTVD offer us.

Drew

VisionOn

10-28-09, 11:55 PM

Someone at NBC17 fell asleep and hit the control board tonight. A total mess on Conan.

They dropped local ads in during the monologue, came back in time for Conan to go to the ads, had to spin the peacock logo for a minute during the designated local ad spot because they then had nothing to show, and then came back too late and ran into the desk opening.

nitdawg

10-30-09, 12:26 AM

Unless something has changed in the last few weeks, TWC does not compress OTA when they transfer it to QAM. But in some sense you're right -- if you have a good enough antenna, you can pick up the Greensboro CBS and ABC affiliates, and get a less compressed HD signal than WRAL and WTVD offer us.

Drew

There also may be perceived differences between OTA and QAM that are tuner-related. Just because on paper they should result in the same quality picture, I'm sure there may be tuner processing differences that could account for a difference one way or another. Just thinking out loud.

Trip in VA

10-30-09, 12:45 AM

WRAY is being sold to the company that owns WLXI in Greensboro. Expect religion to appear there in HD stretch-o-vision at some point.

- Trip

HDMe2

10-30-09, 04:35 PM

That reminds me... Wasn't there rumors/speculation of Ion going HD at some point?

Trip in VA

10-30-09, 05:00 PM

ION went HD in a few places, then went bankrupt. I haven't heard about any upgrades since. The nearest, I think, is Norfolk, where WPXV 49-1 is in 720p.

- Trip

HDMe2

10-30-09, 09:37 PM

Thanks, Trip... I don't always get Ion well enough but if they had gone HD I would make more of an effort to boost my signal reception.

drewwho

11-02-09, 02:37 PM

HDMe2

11-02-09, 03:33 PM

So, I'm home sick, channel surfing OTA. WUNC has their 4-1 1080i channel showing kids cartoons, and their 4-3 480i channel showing beautiful travel shows. Who was the braniac that decided to show cartoons in 1080i HD, and scenic travel shows in 480i? Can we get a little common sense here..? I mean come on, I've got a 3 year old. He doesn't care if Curious George and WordWorld are in HD. All he cares is that he gets to watch them.

Drew

Some cartoons do look nice in HD... but overall I do agree with you. I've noted some programs airing on 4-2 as well that would be better served in HD than on the SD sub-channel.

I don't have Time-Warner... Anyone know if cable is getting any other HD feeds than the 4-1 still? I remember when they first went to the 24/7 HD OTA feed with mixed SD/HD programming Time Warner still had the 24/7 all-HD-all-the-time feed from UNC.

Trip in VA

11-02-09, 05:16 PM

So, I'm home sick, channel surfing OTA. WUNC has their 4-1 1080i channel showing kids cartoons, and their 4-3 480i channel showing beautiful travel shows. Who was the braniac that decided to show cartoons in 1080i HD, and scenic travel shows in 480i? Can we get a little common sense here..? I mean come on, I've got a 3 year old. He doesn't care if Curious George and WordWorld are in HD. All he cares is that he gets to watch them.

Drew

I was told they're ultimately planning to get rid of kids shows on 4-1 in favor of the 24/7 UNC-KD feed. However, since UNC-KD is not carried on all systems on the same tier of service, they can't do it yet.

- Trip

HDMe2

11-02-09, 06:51 PM

I was told they're ultimately planning to get rid of kids shows on 4-1 in favor of the 24/7 UNC-KD feed. However, since UNC-KD is not carried on all systems on the same tier of service, they can't do it yet.

- Trip

If they do that... I hope they won't ditch them all. Lots of OTA folks would miss out on Sesame Street in HD if they are not getting it OTA and don't have cable.

I'm out of the age group, but admit to sneaking a peek now and then just to see familiar old characters in HD.

roybishop

11-02-09, 11:28 PM

drewwho

11-03-09, 10:21 AM

If they do that... I hope they won't ditch them all. Lots of OTA folks would miss out on Sesame Street in HD if they are not getting it OTA and don't have cable.

I'm out of the age group, but admit to sneaking a peek now and then just to see familiar old characters in HD.

I actually have a 3 year old. Earlier this year when they started showing Sesame Street in HD, I recorded a few but soon decided it was a waste of space. The problem was that the new segments were HD, but the recycled segments were up-converted SD, so not much of the show was actually in HD. The kid didn't seem to care much either way. Now he seems to have moved on, and prefers WordWorld & Curious George. Both of those look fine in SD, so I've setup my recordings to always record from the SD 4.2 to save space. Beleive me, he'd rather have 50 or 60 episodes to choose from than have 5 or 10 in HD.

Drew

drewwho

11-03-09, 10:24 AM

I was told they're ultimately planning to get rid of kids shows on 4-1 in favor of the 24/7 UNC-KD feed. However, since UNC-KD is not carried on all systems on the same tier of service, they can't do it yet.

- Trip

That sounds familiar... And they are boxed in by incompetent cable companies, and out of spec digital tuners, so they can't do something creative, like make 4-3 HD from 8am-6pm, or have the cable companies carry 4-2 WUNC-KIDS from 8am to 6pm..

Drew

HDMe2

11-03-09, 01:46 PM

I actually have a 3 year old. Earlier this year when they started showing Sesame Street in HD, I recorded a few but soon decided it was a waste of space. The problem was that the new segments were HD, but the recycled segments were up-converted SD, so not much of the show was actually in HD. The kid didn't seem to care much either way. Now he seems to have moved on, and prefers WordWorld & Curious George. Both of those look fine in SD, so I've setup my recordings to always record from the SD 4.2 to save space. Beleive me, he'd rather have 50 or 60 episodes to choose from than have 5 or 10 in HD.

Drew

I thought that was essentially what UNC-KD was for anyway... for all the kids programs. I realize Sesame St still recycles old SD footage (some of that brings back memories of my childhood so it's nice)... but I'll still give it a slight pass because they are making new HD footage.

But for the other stuff, especially the stuff they aren't showing in HD at all... seems like the 4.2 sub-channel OTA covers it. They even repeat the morning Sesame St in the afternoon on 4.2 in SD around the time kids get home from school.

I am disappointed that there isn't more HD on 4.1, since we know they have more than they show on a daily basis.

nitdawg

11-03-09, 03:10 PM

Up until about a month ago using Win 7 RC, I received Time Warner Raleigh 4.1 and 5.1 in HD and their respective subchannels were also available. Now the MC Guide has only 4.1 and 5.1 (no subchannels) and the actual channel shown is SD.

I just installed the "real" Windows 7 hoping it would solve the problem. No luck. Exactly the same symptoms

I've tried manually entering the channels but MC won't ask me for the physical channel. I don't know the correct QAM channels but am guessing 85.x for 5.1 and 90.x for 4.1 and would try experimenting if I could only enter the physical channel.

I set up with TWC Digital Cable selected with an AVerTV Combo PCI-E M780 and the drivers (2.5.64.32) that came with Win 7.

Any local Media Center user out successfully getting these channels? Thanks!

This does work, QAM and 7MC. The easiest way is to install guide tool http://1geek1tool.com/guidetool then you can go the the appropriate QAM channel...use http://home.roadrunner.com/~res18h39/channels.htm for the physical addresses of the channels (e.g. 85.2, 85.3 for WRAL-DT and WRAL-DT2) and you can easily map the channel guide info to your new QAM channel, and you can make it whatever channel number you want it to appear as in 7MC. You can also do this through the 7MC GUI, but its tedious to map 20 channels this way. Let me know if you need more help.

NitDawg

VisionOn

11-03-09, 03:23 PM

This does work, QAM and 7MC. The easiest way is to install guide tool http://1geek1tool.com/guidetool then you can go the the appropriate QAM channel...use http://home.roadrunner.com/~res18h39/channels.htm (http://home.roadrunner.com/%7Eres18h39/channels.htm) for the physical addresses of the channels (e.g. 85.2, 85.3 for WRAL-DT and WRAL-DT2) and you can easily map the channel guide info to your new QAM channel, and you can make it whatever channel number you want it to appear as in 7MC. You can also do this through the 7MC GUI, but its tedious to map 20 channels this way. Let me know if you need more help.

Yep, I had to do the same thing last night to setup WMC7 with WRAL and UNC using HDHomerun.

Very slow process but it works in the end.

SugarBowl

11-03-09, 06:23 PM

Yep, I had to do the same thing last night to setup WMC7 with WRAL and UNC using HDHomerun.

Very slow process but it works in the end.

Same here. The HD Homerun app at least does a scan first and reports the correct channels that need to be added in media center.

It looks like the latest driver from silicon dust will automate some of this:
http://www.silicondust.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7683

fmoraes

11-03-09, 08:14 PM

Anyone having problem fast forwarding on their DVR? I have an 8300HD DVR and the CSI: Miami from last night doesn't seem to fast forward correctly. I know it is going forward but the screen doesn't update to show the content at the same rate. I tested with Heroes and it was fine, so it seems to be only happening with CSI: Miami at the moment.

rollcage

11-04-09, 07:27 AM

willobandb

11-04-09, 08:55 AM

got upgraded to MDN 2.4.6-19 yesterday and Sort by Favorites is gone. One of the few features that made keeping the TWC DVR bearable! Why in the world would they remove functionality!?! (rhetorical question)

I was wondering the same thing....(rhetorical answer :) )

\rant on
The old rule about not removing things without adding something "better" is only a rule for those organizations who want to please their external customers. 'Nuff said.....
\rant off

Bob

roybishop

11-04-09, 05:37 PM

This does work, QAM and 7MC. The easiest way is to install guide tool http://1geek1tool.com/guidetool then you can go the the appropriate QAM channel...use http://home.roadrunner.com/~res18h39/channels.htm for the physical addresses of the channels (e.g. 85.2, 85.3 for WRAL-DT and WRAL-DT2) and you can easily map the channel guide info to your new QAM channel, and you can make it whatever channel number you want it to appear as in 7MC. You can also do this through the 7MC GUI, but its tedious to map 20 channels this way. Let me know if you need more help.

NitDawg
I've installed the GuideTool but still am confused and found no help info.

For WRALDT I tried overtyping the 5.1 with 85.2 and got the message "Service is scrambled The current service is encrypted and cannot be viewed at this time.

I see all the Cxx.x listings which I guess are for the QAM subchannels but 85.2 to 85.4 are not included.

I tried using the TWC channel 255 but still got the SD picture.

WTVD and WNCN are listed with all their subchannels and work correctly.

Even with the GuideTool I don't see how to indicate all 3 parameters, the 5.1listing number, the QAM 85.2 number, and the appropriate guide listing.

nitdawg

11-04-09, 08:39 PM

I've installed the GuideTool but still am confused and found no help info.

For WRALDT I tried overtyping the 5.1 with 85.2 and got the message "Service is scrambled The current service is encrypted and cannot be viewed at this time.

I see all the Cxx.x listings which I guess are for the QAM subchannels but 85.2 to 85.4 are not included.

I tried using the TWC channel 255 but still got the SD picture.

WTVD and WNCN are listed with all their subchannels and work correctly.

Even with the GuideTool I don't see how to indicate all 3 parameters, the 5.1listing number, the QAM 85.2 number, and the appropriate guide listing.

Well let's start just through MC...I'm not at home, but go into 7MC, under 'Settings', 'TV', 'Guide', and I think its under add missing channels...select that, enter 85.2, then 64 for the modulation (I think) then you type in a name, WRAL-DT, then that's it. Then you can go into the Guide menu under TV settings, scroll all the way down to 85.2 and manually select the guide listing. Does that work?

rollcage

11-04-09, 11:01 PM

got upgraded to MDN 2.4.6-19 yesterday and Sort by Favorites is gone. One of the few features that made keeping the TWC DVR bearable! Why in the world would they remove functionality!?! (rhetorical question)

Time Warner's response ... unsatisfactory, as expected:

Thank you for contacting Time Warner Cable Email Support.
I understand after the Navigator upgrade, sort by favorites feature is unavailable. You have found that this feature is still on the website.
I apologize for the inconvenience and will be glad to help you.
Thank you for bringing this to our notice. We will share your suggestion with our technical team is working on several improvements to the Search functionality. With the latest improvement, when you press B for search, the keyboard displays immediately. You can then press and hold any of the arrow keys to skip quickly through the letters and it will wrap around to the next row.
With the next phase of improvements, when you press B for Search, the program list displayed to the right of the keyboard will be positioned on the title of the program you are either currently watching or have navigated to in the Guide.
A later phase of improvements will allow you to search for a channel number by entering the name of the network. It will further consolidate multiple listings for the same show.

roybishop

11-05-09, 06:00 PM

Well let's start just through MC...I'm not at home, but go into 7MC, under 'Settings', 'TV', 'Guide', and I think its under add missing channels...select that, enter 85.2, then 64 for the modulation (I think) then you type in a name, WRAL-DT, then that's it. Then you can go into the Guide menu under TV settings, scroll all the way down to 85.2 and manually select the guide listing. Does that work?
Finally some progress! Adding 85.2 and 90.2 got me an HD picture. I was then able to associate the 5.1 and 4.1 guides. I have no idea why it worked this time vs. my many previous attempts but now we're getting somewhere.

Thanks for you help!

One more thing...is it possible to have them show up in the Guide listings as 5.1 and 4.1?

HomeTheaterFAN

11-05-09, 08:42 PM

nitdawg

11-05-09, 11:36 PM

Finally some progress! Adding 85.2 and 90.2 got me an HD picture. I was then able to associate the 5.1 and 4.1 guides. I have no idea why it worked this time vs. my many previous attempts but now we're getting somewhere.

Thanks for you help!

One more thing...is it possible to have them show up in the Guide listings as 5.1 and 4.1?

Yes, if you installed guide tool, you can change the channel numbers on the right column...change 85.2 to 5.1 etc.

Through the 7MC GUI you can also do this...'Settings' 'TV' 'Guide' 'Edit Channel Info' then select 85.2 and you can change the channel number to 5.1...this is the 'virtual' channel number...save it, go back to your guide and you should be good to go.

NitDawg

roybishop

11-06-09, 09:54 PM

Yes, if you installed guide tool, you can change the channel numbers on the right column...change 85.2 to 5.1 etc.

Through the 7MC GUI you can also do this...'Settings' 'TV' 'Guide' 'Edit Channel Info' then select 85.2 and you can change the channel number to 5.1...this is the 'virtual' channel number...save it, go back to your guide and you should be good to go.

NitDawg
Thanks, nitdawg!!! It's all come together now with your excellent help.

Does anybody know to report these channel errors to Microsoft so we don't have to jump through hoops and rely on the kindness of strangers?

NBC17ENG

11-07-09, 03:02 PM

vidiot1985

11-07-09, 04:51 PM

Time-Warner will switch NBC 17 to a new QAM frequency Wednesday night....

Thanks for the heads up!

Did they say what time things would change? I'm assuming overnight, which might hose the late night talk shows that I like to record.

nitdawg

11-07-09, 06:45 PM

Thanks, nitdawg!!! It's all come together now with your excellent help.

Does anybody know to report these channel errors to Microsoft so we don't have to jump through hoops and rely on the kindness of strangers?

No problem!

willobandb

11-08-09, 06:07 PM

Hey guys, I have a quick question. I haven't had a TWC Digital cable box since February (I've been using QAM), but I am thinking about getting one soon. What is the best box to get? I used to have the SA 3250HD, but I was not impressed with either the picture quality or performance with SDV channels. Is there a newer box that I could get?

By the way, I am not interested in a DVR.

I am in a similar situation, have a HD-DVR for one TV but need a new non-DVR HD box for another. Any recommendations or cautions before I head to the Cary TWC office?

Thanks,
Bob

jspENC

11-08-09, 08:09 PM

Time-Warner will switch NBC 17 to a new QAM frequency Wednesday night. This may require re-scanning channels on Thursday. I would imagine other changes will be made, but have no direct knowledge of any other changes. They just said we were moving.

If you see or don't see things correctly Thursday, re-scanning may bring things back to normal.

Thanks for keeping us ahead of TW. The thing is my family in your viewing area on TW cable doesn't know how to rescan and will just watch analog until I visit again and do it for them!:eek:

VisionOn

11-10-09, 02:24 AM

Anyone using a Moxi w/tuning adapter?

The latest downgrade/upgrade to Navigator is grinding my bones and I think I'd rather deal with a CableCard and a tuning box rather than using a TWC box much longer.

dookie1

11-12-09, 12:20 PM

cucamelsmd15

11-12-09, 12:26 PM

Anyone else see the CMA's last night? The broadcast mix was HORRIBLE. Like, when Brad Paisley and Taylor Swift performed at the beginning, there were no vocals. None.

They should fire whoever was in charge of the mix for that show.

ktut

11-12-09, 05:08 PM

AT&T is showing it as available in my neighborhood (southern Chapel Hill). Anyone in the area live with it?

How is PQ? I find cable appalling (compared to Dish), but stick with it because RR is so far superior.

Perhaps I will Guinea Pig....

PQ is okay, probably not as good as Dish, about the same as TWC. However, I do not get the picture breakup that I got with TWC. The internet is as good or better.

vidiot1985

11-12-09, 09:50 PM

Thanks for keeping us ahead of TW. The thing is my family in your viewing area on TW cable doesn't know how to rescan and will just watch analog until I visit again and do it for them!:eek:

So has anyone noticed a change?

I did a rescan on my HD Homerun tuner and I don't think WNCNDT TWC channel 217 moved.

I did notice some other channels moved around, or at least the HD Homerun view of channel names, TWC channel guide numbers and frequencies changed. I even had TCM HD in the clear for a few minutes :-).

scsiraid

11-13-09, 07:33 AM

So has anyone noticed a change?

I did a rescan on my HD Homerun tuner and I don't think WNCNDT TWC channel 217 moved.

I did notice some other channels moved around, or at least the HD Homerun view of channel names, TWC channel guide numbers and frequencies changed. I even had TCM HD in the clear for a few minutes :-).

According to Russ's blog, it was put on hold....

HomeTheaterFAN

11-13-09, 07:56 AM

BTW, I picked up a SA4240HDC the other day and so far I have had no problems with it. Also, it looked like it was a new box (meaning that now one else has used it before me), so that's always a plus.

I am in a similar situation, have a HD-DVR for one TV but need a new non-DVR HD box for another. Any recommendations or cautions before I head to the Cary TWC office?

Thanks,
Bob

ziltink

11-15-09, 09:21 AM

Scooper

11-15-09, 11:35 AM

Have any channels recently received a boost in power? I've noticed ion in Raleigh seems to be up about 20% compared to a few months ago. Also the Raleigh Spanish language channel seems to be up about 20% as well. Could this be because of the season or did some of these channels actually get a boost?

Depends on your location, also, with the leaves coming down that should help some marginal situations.

WTVD has gotten a recent power boost granted from the FCC, but the ION / Spanish station (they're more southerly - towards Fayetteville) have been pretty much been at max licensed power since well before June 12. There is also an ION channel out of Rocky Mount that's only 10 miles from me.

larc919

11-15-09, 03:12 PM

WTVD has gotten a recent power boost granted from the FCC.Yeah, from 20.7kW ERP to 45kW on channel 11. I'm wondering whether this will get them a footprint equal to what they had with 1000kW on channel 52. Somehow, WTVD's decision to move from 52 to 11 doesn't look very smart in hindsight. Even I can see that. One would think their supposedly skilled engineers would have had sufficient foresight to see it.

Trip in VA

11-15-09, 07:41 PM

It was a corporate decision. All of the ABC O&O stations moved back to their analog channels, regardless of band, including WPVI in Philly which moved back to channel 6. (!)

- Trip

drewwho

11-15-09, 08:07 PM

It was a corporate decision. All of the ABC O&O stations moved back to their analog channels, regardless of band, including WPVI in Philly which moved back to channel 6. (!)

- Trip

Wow! Between that, and the livewell 720p subchannel, I'm pretty much convinced that ABC are total morons..

Drew

Lee L

11-16-09, 10:01 AM

So, Has WTVD actually upped their power yet?

jspENC

11-16-09, 10:07 AM

I don't know about WTVD, but I get WLFL and WRDC at 50% 90 miles away, and the rest I can't get a picture until really early or late day. WNCN will come and go at 30% most times.

larc919

11-16-09, 09:09 PM

It was a corporate decision. All of the ABC O&O stations moved back to their analog channels, regardless of band, including WPVI in Philly which moved back to channel 6.Then the idiocy was somewhere other than at WTVD? ;)

I'm guessing the reason they chose that route for their stations was lower power requirements that would cost them less in broadcast operating expense. It would be a bit poetic if making corrections were to wind up costing them more than they would have saved if everything had worked satisfactorily on VHS from the outset.

I originally thought the FCC wasn't going to license any digital station to transmit in the VHF band, even the upper range.

HDMe2

11-16-09, 09:35 PM

So, Has WTVD actually upped their power yet?

I never saw anything official, but I noted in this thread weeks ago that my signal took a big jump (On my Dish receiver it went from approx 74 to 90) a couple of weeks back and has been consistently higher since then.

bobbis

11-16-09, 09:48 PM

second night in a row cable is out starting at around 9:30 pm. Last night went completely out....tonight MANY HD channels not working. Waited on hold with TWC for about 45 mins only to have them tell me there are outages in my area. Southern Wake. I misses a freaking great football game last night and now Top Gear. TWC sucks.

tarheelone

11-16-09, 10:34 PM

Splat!

11-16-09, 11:53 PM

All SDV channels are out for me here in SE Durham.

Same for me in Chapel Hill. I figured it was the tuning adapters acting up in a new way, but sounds like it's a more systemic thing.

RaleighVW

11-17-09, 02:21 PM

Same story in West Cary last night no SDV channels.

dgmayor

11-17-09, 05:34 PM

Same story in West Cary last night no SDV channels.

Likewise..

Scooper

11-17-09, 10:08 PM

Has anybody else noticed that OTA WUNC is getting out better lately ? Since some of my stuff has dried a bit, I'm now getting WUNC almost as good as WUNP.

pkscout

11-18-09, 02:18 PM

Has anybody else noticed that OTA WUNC is getting out better lately ? Since some of my stuff has dried a bit, I'm now getting WUNC almost as good as WUNP.

I've noticed that as well. I'm getting WUNC off the side of my antenna, and usually I get pixelation at least half a dozen times during a 30 minute show. The last couple of weeks the recordings on my TiVo have been almost flawless.

donnied4rko

11-19-09, 10:13 AM

Did anybody else lose WNCN via Time Warner clear QAM channel 75-2 (virtual channel 17-1) this morning? I would normally call TWC for support but I only pay for Road Runner.

scsiraid

11-19-09, 10:23 AM

Did anybody else lose WNCN via Time Warner clear QAM channel 75-2 (virtual channel 17-1) this morning? I would normally call TWC for support but I only pay for Road Runner.

Russ told us a while back that TWC was moving it but had put it on hold. Perhaps it has happened... you might do a rescan and see if you can find it.

nitdawg

11-19-09, 10:24 AM

Did anybody else lose WNCN via Time Warner clear QAM channel 75-2 (virtual channel 17-1) this morning? I would normally call TWC for support but I only pay for Road Runner.

Something like this was planned 2 weeks ago or so but it wasn't clear when the change would actually happen. Rescan your channels and it should remap to 17.1. Here's the blog post regarding the change but it doesn't have any updated info as of yet:

http://dtv.myncblogs.com/2009/11/10/alert-for-time-warner-customers/

donnied4rko

11-19-09, 01:10 PM

Something like this was planned 2 weeks ago or so but it wasn't clear when the change would actually happen. Rescan your channels and it should remap to 17.1. Here's the blog post regarding the change but it doesn't have any updated info as of yet:

http://dtv.myncblogs.com/2009/11/10/alert-for-time-warner-customers/

Thanks, 2 out of 3 of my tuners pick it up now. I think it actually moved to 75-2 but I don't know what it was at before. 1 of the 2 good tuners is an HD HomeRun and it's only showing about 50% signal strength which is lower than what I'm used to seeing for QAM cable channels. I usually see 90% or more. I'm guessing that is why one of my tuners can't pick it up.

I use the HD HomeRun tuner with Vista Media Center and I have no idea how to get Media Center to start tuning to 75-2 instead of the old mapping for WNCN. Anybody out there know how to do this without messing up my Media Center Guide and Scheduled Recordings?

nitdawg

11-19-09, 01:41 PM

Thanks, 2 out of 3 of my tuners pick it up now. I think it actually moved to 75-2 but I don't know what it was at before. 1 of the 2 good tuners is an HD HomeRun and it's only showing about 50% signal strength which is lower than what I'm used to seeing for QAM cable channels. I usually see 90% or more. I'm guessing that is why one of my tuners can't pick it up.

I use the HD HomeRun tuner with Vista Media Center and I have no idea how to get Media Center to start tuning to 75-2 instead of the old mapping for WNCN. Anybody out there know how to do this without messing up my Media Center Guide and Scheduled Recordings?

You can add a QAM channel manually through the tv settings, add missing channel, put in 75-2 call it whatever you want for the name. Then go back to settings, tv, edit guide and you can uncheck your old 17-1 channel, scroll down to 75-2, edit this channel where you can change the number to 17-1 (this is so it appears as 17-1 in your guide, but still tunes to 75-2) edit the guide listings and select WNCNDT.

drewwho

11-19-09, 02:06 PM

Thanks, 2 out of 3 of my tuners pick it up now. I think it actually moved to 75-2 but I don't know what it was at before. 1 of the 2 good tuners is an HD HomeRun and it's only showing about 50% signal strength which is lower than what I'm used to seeing for QAM cable channels. I usually see 90% or more. I'm guessing that is why one of my tuners can't pick it up.

75 is quite low for QAM, and pretty close to the frequency range that TWC blocks at the street if you don't have analog service, so it is not surprising that one of your tuners can no longer get NBC17.

Is it possible to tell Media Center to never use your weak tuner for NBC17, or will you start to randomly miss recordings whenever it schedules a recording for NBC17 on the weak tuner?

Drew

nitdawg

11-19-09, 02:15 PM

75 is quite low for QAM, and pretty close to the frequency range that TWC blocks at the street if you don't have analog service, so it is not surprising that one of your tuners can no longer get NBC17.

Is it possible to tell Media Center to never use your weak tuner for NBC17, or will you start to randomly miss recordings whenever it schedules a recording for NBC17 on the weak tuner?

Drew

Yes. You do have channel control per tuner so you could turn off 17 on the weak tuner if needed. I'll check tonight to see if WNCN is elsewhere, but 75 is low!

drewwho

11-19-09, 02:26 PM

Yes. You do have channel control per tuner so you could turn off 17 on the weak tuner if needed. I'll check tonight to see if WNCN is elsewhere, but 75 is low!

It is indeed on 75 now here in Cary... I rescanned a TV at lunch time. Luckily, I record OTA, so I don't need to worry about frequency changes like this.

Drew

Sebaz

11-19-09, 03:24 PM

I moved to Garner about a month ago and when I did the rescan of channels in Windows 7 Media Center it gave me just four channels that were supposed to be the WRAL ones but none of them was the real 5.1, so I deleted them and I setup manually following the numbers in the guide at http://www.silicondust.com/hdhomerun/lineup_web/US:27603#lineup_341683

A couple of weeks later I noticed that suddenly some of the local HD channels and their SD look-like-crappers little brothers showed up in the Media Center guide, even though I had not touched anything. I left them there, and today I had some extra time so I decided to setup the signal again to make the guide more neat and see if now the channels were showing their real numbers, such as 11.1, 17.1, etc.

So after MC finished the scan I saw the list of channels and I saw all the locals, but when I started changing channels, 11.1 shows some crappy local Garner community channel, and 50.1 shows nothing at all, just a black screen. 17.1 and 5.1 show what they're supposed to. So I went into the settings and I changed the number of 11.1 to 92.1 and 50.1 to 92.4, which are the numbers shown in the website I mentioned above and I had them like that for the last month showing ABC and FOX respectively.

Then I went to live TV and in 92.1 I still get that Garner channel and the same black screen in 50.1. All I can think is that TWC changed the frequencies without warning. Does anybody know anything?

nitdawg

11-19-09, 03:36 PM

So after MC finished the scan I saw the list of channels and I saw all the locals, but when I started changing channels, 11.1 shows some crappy local Garner community channel, and 50.1 shows nothing at all, just a black screen. 17.1 and 5.1 show what they're supposed to. So I went into the settings and I changed the number of 11.1 to 92.1 and 50.1 to 92.4, which are the numbers shown in the website I mentioned above and I had them like that for the last month showing ABC and FOX respectively.

Then I went to live TV and in 92.1 I still get that Garner channel and the same black screen in 50.1. All I can think is that TWC changed the frequencies without warning. Does anybody know anything?

I think I've posted a few versions of this already, but here it goes...

Changing the channel number in 7MC when you "edit" the channel simply changes the virtual channel number that you seen in the 7MC guide...it does not tune a different channel --- simply edits the guide display.

Remove the current 50.1 channel. Go into settings, add a new channel, enter 92.4, call it fox or WRAZDT. Then go back and "edit" the channel (like you did before) and change the number to 50.1 or whatever you would like to number it and change the guide listings to WRAZDT.

Give it a whirl.

Sebaz

11-19-09, 04:17 PM

Thanks, I actually figured it out after I posted and after adding the channels they show up. My question is, why when MC7 does the full scan it doesn't find the real 11.1 and 50.1 like for example, my TV set does? Is this negligence on TWC's part, some technical guideline they're not following, or could it be my TV tuner card (AverMedia Duet)?

donnied4rko

11-19-09, 04:55 PM

Yes. You do have channel control per tuner so you could turn off 17 on the weak tuner if needed. I'll check tonight to see if WNCN is elsewhere, but 75 is low!

Thought you might find this interesting... I got in touch with the people at Silicon Dust, they make the HDHomeRun. Here is what they had to say:

http://www.silicondust.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7902

larc919

11-19-09, 08:54 PM

I think it actually moved to 75-2 but I don't know what it was at before.I rescanned for QAM and am not getting 17.1 at all now (nor am I able to get anything on 75.2). Anybody solved the problem yet?

VisionOn

11-19-09, 09:21 PM

So this is why I missed Community tonight.

TWC had to move NBC today, when I was too busy to check the forum and get advanced warning. :rolleyes:

Celeron

11-19-09, 09:47 PM

75.2 missing in action here in North Raleigh. Silicondust config reports signal strength of only 64% on channel 75.

All my other channels are reporting 90% or higher.

Are we out of luck as far as NBC goes? If so, that sucks, bad.

drewwho

11-19-09, 09:51 PM

75.2 missing in action here in North Raleigh. Silicondust config reports signal strength of only 64% on channel 75.

It sounds like you guys are getting hit by the filter. I was wondering how long it would be until that happened. Are all you guys RoadRunner only, or at least without analog "standard" cable? Having done both, I'll say that roof/Attic antennas are fairly cheap, and often more reliable than TWC. No worries about missing recordings due to surprise frequency changes, and no worries about getting filtered.

Drew

donnied4rko

11-19-09, 09:53 PM

I rescanned for QAM and am not getting 17.1 at all now (nor am I able to get anything on 75.2). Anybody solved the problem yet?

I have two TV sets. One can tune manually (LG 37LH20) and one can only tune to channels found in the scan (Westinghouse LTV-27w7). The LG can pick up WNCN on 75-2. The Westinghouse never picked it up in the scan.

Because I don't pay for any TV services (just road runner), I was weary about calling TWC for support on this issue. Instead I went online and chatted with a rep and they are sending a tech to my house on Tuesday to look at the signal. I'm guessing the rep didn't notice the discrepancy. Or they will be sending a sales person instead of a tech :)

We'll see what happens.

VisionOn

11-19-09, 11:25 PM

75.2 is no show here in WMC. HDHR picks it up with 88% strength and SageTV can find see it but not WMC7.

My main TV is unhooked at the moment so I can't check that.

TW screwed us again.

Scooper

11-19-09, 11:29 PM

OTA is a beautiful thing sometimes :D

VisionOn

11-19-09, 11:37 PM

Looks like I got it back. Had to do some WMC massaging and restarting but the PQ is not great.

NBC17ENG

11-20-09, 12:07 AM

Sorry I couldn't warn anyone since I didn't get any advance warning either. If you still have issues with QAM on TWC, call'em and get them to fix it. Our QAM should be in the clear regardless how you receive it or which frequency they put it on.

vidiot1985

11-20-09, 06:39 AM

Hm...my HDHR tuner shows WNCN HD on TWC 75-2 coming in at 97-98% signal strength, 96-100% signal quality, 100% symbol quality over here in Morrisville.

I am having other problems with one of my TVs though. After doing a rescan it no longer finds any of the WUNC or WRAL digitals even though they come through strong on my HDHR and my other TVs.

I suppose that one drop might be weaker or maybe I need to double check to see if the TV has some channel lineup edits that it's keeping rather than clearing with the rescan. But I don't think WUNC or WRAL had moved recently onto channels that I might have previously removed (e.g. all the shopping junk).

Celeron

11-20-09, 07:10 AM

I have only TWC's broadcast cable package, which probably means I'm getting hit by a crappy filter out on the curb. I've had enough of these frequency changes and I think I'm going to mount up the Channel Master antenna WRAL shipped out a few years ago. I tested it quick in the living room, on the TV directly, last night and it pulled down a 98% signal strength on WNCN and the other locals. Another quick test across the house's coax plant and its still working well. To be honest, I didn't think OTA would work so well.

Here's a side, semi-related question. Can I put a splitter behind the antenna and drive both the HDHomeRun tuners from one antenna?

vidiot1985

11-20-09, 08:23 AM

...
Here's a side, semi-related question. Can I put a splitter behind the antenna and drive both the HDHomeRun tuners from one antenna?

That should work fine, though signal quality caveats apply as with any splits.

talk show host

11-20-09, 09:32 AM

I'm having the same issue. I'm using the HDHomerun in WMC7. I pay for roadrunner and basic cable (the cheap $12 package) and lost the signal for the HD WNCN channel. I was able to find a non-HD channel (89.something if i remember properly) to get the NBC in SD, but i'm not a happy camper. I had the Homerun rescan for channels last night and all the HD WNCN channel was gone. For those of you who have resolved the issue, how have you done it?

Thanks!

VisionOn

11-20-09, 09:56 AM

Would it be easier to reassign NBC to a better channel (what was wrong with 17.1 TWC had to change it?) or to have truck rolls to everyone affected by a filter?

Erik Garci

11-20-09, 11:26 AM

talk show host

11-20-09, 02:47 PM

The filters were already affecting some people for WLFL HD (77.1) and WRDC HD (77.2), but I suppose that more people are being affected now that WNCN HD has been moved to 75.2. FCC rules prohibit TWC from blocking WNCN HD, so their only options are to move it to a channel that is not blocked, or to replace the filters with different ones that do not block channel 75, or to remove the filters altogether.

Thank you for your interest response, but its prompted a few additional questions/comments.

1. I'm a little confused. Are you saying that TWC deliberately moves channels around periodically just for the sake of screwing with its customers? I'm a bit confused as to what is actually going on here and WHY it is going on.

2. Also, I didnt even know there was a WRDCHD, since my tuner only picks up a SD version. And which network is WLFL? Presently, i'm getting FOX, CBS, and ABC just fine in HD.

3. And, channels do i need to program into media center (presently)

jspENC

11-20-09, 04:16 PM

Time Warner moves things around because they are not controlled by anyone on where they can locate digital channels, and they do this when they add new services and need to squeeze bandwidth.

WLFL 22.1 is The CW (CBS and Warner Bros.) HDTV

Scooper

11-20-09, 05:23 PM

Thank you for your interest response, but its prompted a few additional questions/comments.

1. I'm a little confused. Are you saying that TWC deliberately moves channels around periodically just for the sake of screwing with its customers? I'm a bit confused as to what is actually going on here and WHY it is going on.

2. Also, I didnt even know there was a WRDCHD, since my tuner only picks up a SD version. And which network is WLFL? Presently, i'm getting FOX, CBS, and ABC just fine in HD.

3. And, channels do i need to program into media center (presently)

1 - Yes - see also the above post

2.There should be both WRDC in HD and WLFL in HD. WLFL is the CW

3. ?

Celeron

11-20-09, 08:27 PM

That should work fine, though signal quality caveats apply as with any splits.

Any reason why I can't plug my antenna into my motorola drop amp to help boost the signal a bit? I've got it hooked up now, it seems to be working fine.

vidiot1985

11-20-09, 09:28 PM

Any reason why I can't plug my antenna into my motorola drop amp to help boost the signal a bit? I've got it hooked up now, it seems to be working fine.

I'm not an expert, but I would expect it to work.

vidiot1985

11-20-09, 09:35 PM

Would it be easier to reassign NBC to a better channel (what was wrong with 17.1 TWC had to change it?) or to have truck rolls to everyone affected by a filter?

WNCN's HD channel used to be on 102-2. That channel now has some encrypted programming on it.

Who knows why they moved WNCN down to 75-2. Maybe when folks who have the "basic" plan call to complain, they'll try to upsell them to the "standard" plan (or whatever they call stuff these days).

Celeron

11-20-09, 09:52 PM

I got my OTA antenna rocking it. I get all the channels I did off of clear QAM. The only thing that comes in a little spotty is UNC TV which rides around 60% signal strength, 67% signal quality.

Everything else is 80%+.

TWC just saved me $16/month by moving WNCN.

vidiot1985

11-21-09, 07:32 AM

...
TWC just saved me $16/month by moving WNCN.

I hope you let them know, beyond calling up to cancel that part of your service, assuming you're continuing with broadband and/or phone service with them. Maybe you could write a letter detailing why so they don't just chalk it up to someone cutting back due to the economy or some factor other than their viewer unfriendly moves.

talk show host

11-21-09, 01:34 PM

What do I need to do to get NBC again? I rescanned in the HDHomerun setup utility and it didnt find any channels in the 75 range. I also went into media center and selected "add missing channel" and added channel 75.2, named it NBC and added the guide listing for NBC to the channel, but that didnt come up with anything. How can i resolve this issue?

Thanks!

jspENC

11-21-09, 03:49 PM

Call Dime Wanter Cable and tell them about it, or put up / hook up a UHF TV antenna.

talk show host

11-21-09, 05:32 PM

VisionOn

11-21-09, 05:46 PM

so .icalled twc and the tech support rep was an idiot and told me that my package is only for channels 2 thru 27 and 75.2 is not in that range and that its a problemwithm tuner, not them. what exactly do i need to tell them to do?

Keep phoning back until you get one with sense and explain to them that local digital channels are Federally mandated to be transmitted in clear QAM over TWC or something similar.

talk show host

11-21-09, 06:12 PM

Keep phoning back until you get one with sense and explain to them that local digital channels are Federally mandated to be transmitted in clear QAM over TWC or something similar.

Ok, i'm on the phone with them now. this is the second rep i've talked to and she has no idea what i'm talking about. she doesnt understand what 75.2 is. she is insisting that WNCN is channel 6. The problem is not that she doesnt beleive i should be getting WNCN. THe problem is she doesnt know what i'm talking about when i refer to clear QAM or local digitial channels. is there a specific phrasing on what needs to be done to resolve the issue that will make sense to them? Like, "you need to go into this system and unfilter this channel?"

Celeron

11-21-09, 06:15 PM

Ok, i'm on the phone with them now. this is the second rep i've talked to and she has no idea what i'm talking about. she doesnt understand what 75.2 is. she is insisting that WNCN is channel 6. The problem is not that she doesnt beleive i should be getting WNCN. THe problem is she doesnt know what i'm talking about when i refer to clear QAM or local digitial channels. is there a specific phrasing on what needs to be done to resolve the issue that will make sense to them? Like, "you need to go into this system and unfilter this channel?"

That's about par for what I've run into when talking to TWC. I just set up an antenna and I'll be calling next week to cancel my TWC service.

texas_nightowl

11-21-09, 06:23 PM

It sounds like you guys are getting hit by the filter. I was wondering how long it would be until that happened. Are all you guys RoadRunner only, or at least without analog "standard" cable? Having done both, I'll say that roof/Attic antennas are fairly cheap, and often more reliable than TWC. No worries about missing recordings due to surprise frequency changes, and no worries about getting filtered.

Drew

I have "basic" cable...@$12/month plus RoadRunner. I'm also in N. Raleigh. Right now, I have no 17-1 and no 75-2. Luckily I don't actually watch anything on a regular basis on NBC. If desperate, obviously analog channel 6 is still showing up. I only noticed 17-1 was missing when I was flipping channels. Rescanned and still had nothing. (Panasonic plasma, no set top box or cable card or media center etc.)

I haven't called yet...maybe I'll waste some time at work doing that Monday. Unfortunately, I can't install a roof/attic antenna since I'm in an apartment.

talk show host

11-21-09, 06:47 PM

jspENC

11-21-09, 06:53 PM

I would talk about the cable system 'Head End' where they locate all their antennas and satellite dishes for receiving signals. This is where the problem is, and where changes were made. Usually, they have specific engineers for maintaining that area, and those are not the ones that come to the homes. The person that is coming to your home will probably not be able to fix anything, unless you have a weak signal around or in your home.

The cable comp. plays these games because they want to hook you up with a box, and push a higher bill on you. They make it sound all good, but most of what you get isn't worth it.

Cable companies need to have strict regulations imposed on them from the FCC. Right now they do not, and our government wants to get rid of free broadcast airwave TV to put into place more broadband services. If they do go that way, it would mean even higher TV rates, and poorer service.

efranklin002

11-21-09, 09:00 PM

I have broadcast cable in Durham and I'm having the same problem with NBC17 HD. I guess I'll have to watch Sunday Night Football in SD tomorrow night, which sucks royally. Is there any chance TWC will fix this problem?

vidiot1985

11-21-09, 10:14 PM

Ok, i finally got TWC to agree to send a technician out. Will the technician understand what they need to do? What specifically should I tell the tech so they understand what they need to do to resovle the provlem? Thanks!

If you get a good one, you should be in good shape. When I had a problem a few weeks ago with Road Runner not working (I didn't change anything on my end where things were running great for months, so TWC did something on their end to break it), I got a good tech out to my house.

He took the time to understand the hairball of a system I have with the cable modem, TV, the HDHR and the tuner cards in my PC. I probably should have got his business card so I'd know who to ask for in the future (if they even allowed that kind of thing) or to put a good word in for him with TWC (or maybe not--that might get him fired, giving good customer service :-).

Anyway, I think mentioning the physical channel number (75-2) and unusual equipment like the HDHR is a mistake when talking to the first level tech support on the phone.

Just tell them that WNCNDT isn't coming in on your TV anymore, rescanning isn't helping and other HD local channels are coming in fine. If they tell you that you need a digital cable box or CableCARD to receive HD channels, tell them they are wrong (well, not in those words!) and point to this web page of THEIRS:

http://www.timewarnercable.com/Carolinas/site.faqs/Cable/CableCARD/If-I-have-a-cable-ready-HDTV-s

That doesn't quite cover all the bases though since they might still cite the bogus digital vs. analog cable and/or "Broadcast" vs. "Basic" (formerly known as Standard service?) packages to try to weasel out of their obligation to get that signal to you. Having references to the relevant FCC regs there might help.