I haven't been able to watch any games at home until today. But I do agree this is very sad what they are doing. I will be sending an email to the email address above to voice my concern also.

As far as the 16 mbs, I wonder what WREG is sending their main feed at? It's got to be less than 16 mbs because I always see blocking on their broadcasts, even now. The game is pretty bad. WLMT is sent at 15 mbs and looks better than WREG. I don't think WREG is using their entire allotment.A good discussion question for the broadcast engineering team while we're there. If they're not sending a full 19Mbps of something, I think we at least deserve to know why.

Chase

5.1 came on right before halftimeYeah, the 2.0 they were sending before was...interesting. I must admit that, from a sound mixer's perspective, it was kinda fun to hear the arena ambience mix without the commentators. But, that's just me... :D

Wow, how close did WREG come to completely screwing up the video? I might have to watch the highlights and hope I can hear what the announcers said when the guy from WSU stole the ball.

fyi..the UCLA/Bama game is in HD. Everyone get your phones ready.

I have a question for you all. Would you rather get an HD game on 3-1, or a simulcast SD game? Like the game on right now, yes I would like to watch some of the game, but I would much rather watch an HD game on the HD channel. If I wanted to watch LSU I could always go to the analog channel. Ya'lls thoughts?

Also, 3 years ago and even a little last year, WREG would show separate games on the HD & SD channels. That's why I'm mad at them for now doing that anymore. Just even more proof they could give a crap less.

FYI...the UCLA/Bama game is in HD. Everyone get your phones ready.Locked and loaded.

I have a question for you all. Would you rather get an HD game on 3-1, or a simulcast SD game?No question. I would rather get an HD game. Simulcast other games on subchannels (at low BW) or the analog feed. However, I am an HD fan, not a college BB fan!

Chase

Went to HD on time. Apparently the weekend people know that there are games in HD.

For the past month SNL has not been in HD. Just called and the guy flipped it to HD with me on the phone.

uhhh, and now back from commercial break and its back to SD. Guess I'll go to sleep now.

Wow, the NCAA games are in HD? I honestly didn't know. I haven't seen a single one on.

Hey, I'm alive!... :) AVS quit sending me emails when new posts popped up, so I didn't check the site for about 2 weeks.

I'd be interested in the WREG tour as well.

It's AMAZING how much better Analog 'The Tube' is over digital. WMC is running a sampler of it right now, and it looks 1000x better on 5-0.

Here's a thought. If we're all upset with WREG (and I think it's obvious we are), why don't we all pick a time, go down there, and tour their broadcast suite?An AVS Forum WREG tour! Now that is a great idea. I doubt that I could attend (farther than I want to travel), but I think if a group of 10-12, or more, knowledgable viewers were to tour the station, it would be enlightening to us, and could make an impression on the station management and engineering staff as well.

I'm interested in a tour as well.

Anyone who is interested in the WREG tour please send me a PM with "WREG Tour" in the subject line. (You can say whatever you want after that! ;) ) It will be easier for me to keep track of how many people want to go.

Neil, do you ever come to Memphis? We might be able to schedule the tour for a time when you're in town.

Chase

Neil, do you ever come to Memphis? We might be able to schedule the tour for a time when you're in town.Was there a couple of weeks ago, but don't expect to be in town again 'till...maybe November.

With all the hoopla going on with WREG this weekend I forgot to mention, someone in my neighborhood has one of the new AT9 dishes. I've seen them at businesses but not at residents. I saw it while going on a walk.

I recently Tivo'd 3 shows on WREG and discovered to my dismay when I tried to watch them, there was no center channel sound(therefore no dialog). The last 2 were Cold Case on Sunday and King of Queens on Monday. When you include this with the sound sync on SD and the intermittent switch flipping, one would think they really don't care about their viewing public. It makes Tivoing their programs totally useless. Enough venting for today. If someone has phone numbers to call into the different stations when they are having problems, I would appreciate them.

ravma posted this a while ago:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WREG-TV: (CBS 3):
Main Phone Number
901-543-2333

News Tip Line
901-543-2111

WMC-TV (NBC 5):
Main switchboard phone number:
901-726-0555

Main newsroom number (staffed at all times):
901-726-0416

WKNO-TV (PBS 10):
Main Number
901-325-6544

WPTY-TV (ABC 24) / WLMT-TV (UPN 30 / WB):
Main Office
901-323-2430

News Hotline
901-321-7668

WHBQ-TV (FOX 13)
Main Office
901-320-1313

Newsroom
901-320-1340
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If it's after hours, call the newsroom or hotline number and ask for engineering.

Yeah I missed Cold Case too. Usually I tivo a copy upstairs on our SD tivo for certian shows. But since CC started much later, and the correct sound kicked in way after 8, I deleted it from both tivo's.

WREG is known to mess up the sound more often than other stations. So to be quite honest, it doesn't suprise me. If you haven't yet, send an email to WREG to voice your concern.

I got a response to my email about this past weekend that said they will get better at it, and they do know that the games will be in HD. Let's hope that comes true.

Did anyone else get a response?

Thanks for posting that, mx. :)

No response yet from WREG.

MX, thanks for the numbers. I did have a direct line to WMC engineeriing but lost it. I just returned from a week in Dallas where my daughter had Comcast with all the local HD stations. Was really nice to have good HD picture and sound ALL THE TIME. Wish the Memphis stations could get it together. I really think that local management refuses to budget for quality production.

I sent an email about the games switching to different CBS feeds and he said they didn't have the equipment or authority to do that. I also complained about the high def feed not happening all the time. He also said there shouldn't be a problem from here on out.

I sent an email about the games switching to different CBS feeds and he said they didn't have the equipment or authority to do that.
I don't believe that at all. Go to the thread about "how is your station handling the games" and you will see that many are showing more than 1 feed at a time. Like I said, even last year they showed a HD feed on the digital channel and a separate game on the analog station. I know because I utilized the PIP feature on my tv. They didn't do this as much last year as they did the year before.

I also posted a message about how they almost screwed up the ending of a game they were showing. 3-18 at 5:25. The UT/WSU game, but the game was in HD, then cut to the middle of a commercial, then back the HD game, but only 2.0 sound.

Any bets as to whether tonight's Memphis game will be in HD?

Normally I would bet against it.

Someone must've called, the HD feed is on. ;)

PQ is awful, tons of blocking. I wonder why we are getting that message at the bottom of the screen every now and then?

I wonder why we are getting that message at the bottom of the screen every now and then?


I wondered the same thing. I switched a couple of times, especially as the LSU-Duke game was under 2 mins, but the were synced with the digital channel.

I seldom complain on here about the quality of the offerings, but last night was incredibly HORRIBLE! The sound was mismixed, nearly inaudible play-by-play, HUGE fan and stadium announcer volume from the rears, and who directed this stuff. They (CBS) obviously planned to switch to the other game several times, but basically left us watching time outs with no sound and the other game winding down with a heckava finish.

Amateurish at best. I seems to me most of my complaints are directed at CBS national. I say that because the LSU-Duke game had much better sound mix quality when they did switch.

Why is it everyone at CBS has gotten stupid at the same time?

I relenquish the soapbox....

It's funny, people on the main games thread said that our game looked better than the Duke game. I did notice when it would show just a regular camera shot, with no audio, I would turn on the PIP which was tuned to the analog station and I was getting the Duke game then.

I'm glad someone else thought the sound was off. I complained about this last weekend too.

I still don't think that WREG was sending the correct type of HD feed. I mean are we supposed to always see the "This is the CBS HD channel" banner at the bottom all the time now? Something was still wrong.

I thought the banner was weird, too, until I actually backed up the Tivo and read it. It said something like "This is the CBS HD channel. For game updates and cutaways to other games, tune to your regular CBS channel." So I did, and they were NOT always in synch. As you noted, they would cut to other games during time-outs on the analog channel, and keep the one game full-time on the digital channel. It was actually almost the best of both worlds, as I got to see the end of the Duke and Texas games on the analog channel (the true best of both worlds would have been DIFFERENT games on the two channels).

Wiggo: "As you noted, they would cut to other games during time-outs on the analog channel, and keep the one game full-time on the digital channel."

A friend at work told me the same thing today, obviously I didn't have the patience to wait. I couldn't believe they weren't cutting to a #1 in a two point game with less than a minute to play! So I stuck with the HD feed and missed the end of the Duke-LSU game.

mx: "I'm glad someone else thought the sound was off. I complained about this last weekend too. "

I responded last week when you mentioned it, but I had no problems at all. Last night was a different story. I had made zero changes to my setup, so the differences were in broadcast and not my system. I whould hear a distinct difference when they cut to the different site.

Hopefully everything is better tomorrow!!!!

Is anyone else noticing the out of focus blur that happens on WREG? It was real bad for the Memphis game and I'm seeing it a lot now.

Also, WHBQ keeps dropping out every now and then.

Is anyone else noticing the out of focus blur that happens on WREG? It was real bad for the Memphis game and I'm seeing it a lot now.Yes. The PQ yesterday and today (the first I've really seen of the tournament) was terrible. In fact, a friend of mine elected to stay home and watch the Memphis game tonight in SD because he thought the HD image last night was "not worth leaving home to see."

Also, WHBQ keeps dropping out every now and then.Don't know; I haven't tried WHBQ since Monday.

Chase

Whbq cut out several times with me during the Nascar race yesterday not sure what the problem is. I noticed the blurring also during the basketball games yesterday also, it seemed to me it happened only when they just would come out of a commercial I would see it but I never noticed it during the action.
jdmac29

WHBQ worked for me yesterday... no cutouts...

Jerry

WHBQ worked for me yesterday... no cutouts...I'll try it tonight during 24.

Chase

I only counted just a couple times yesterday. It dropped out more times on Saturday.

Anyone have experience with repair on a Rear Projection TV? My Toshiba 50HX81 lost convergence yesterday, the best diagnostics I have gotten (mainly from web sites) is that the Convergence ICs have gone out.

Any experinece with honest repair companies?

Anybody getting 13-1 WHBQ-DT? I am getting the dreaded "No Signal"...

It was working earlier this afternoon.

Jerry

No signal either

We need to call

what the number?

WHBQ-TV (FOX 13)
Main Office
901-320-1313

Newsroom
901-320-1340

No signal here either. Missed half of Prison Break before I noticed it.

Nooo, no HD for 24.

Glad I have kept my main shows to channel 88. Whew!

I sent David from WHBQ an email today about the dropouts and stuff. I learned a lot of good stuff from him about what happens when there are issues with the towers.

Nooo, no HD for 24.
Sure glad I'm recording both SD and HD. I only got SD tonight.

Is anyone else having problems with CBS's 5.1 audio? Everytime they go to commerical the sound goes to the rear speakers. I could care less about hearing the commerical, but my wife finds it annoying.

Is anyone else having problems with CBS's 5.1 audio? Everytime they go to commerical the sound goes to the rear speakers. I could care less about hearing the commerical, but my wife finds it annoying.The true 5.1 feed last night was fine for CSI: Miami. Commercials are not 5.1. If you're watching a 5.1 program, WREG normally transmits the 2.0 audio from the commercials as the L/R channels of the 5.1 stream. Sound should only come from the L/R speakers. It should not come from the surrounds unless you have some kind of DSP mode engaged on your A/V controller. Next time you watch, try straight 5.1 mode and see what happens with the commericials.

If you're not watching a 5.1 program, WREG tranmits a 2.0 stream. All the sound, including the program audio and the commercials, should come from the L/R speakers -- unless Dolby ProLogic II, some other matrix decoder, or a DSP mode is routing sound elsewhere. I find that PLII Movie works very well for all the 2.0 broadcasts in Memphis. Give it a try, if you haven't.

Chase

I posted this earlier, but had no responses. I'll try one more time.

Anyone have experience with repair on a Rear Projection TV? My Toshiba 50HX81 lost convergence yesterday, the best diagnostics I have gotten (mainly from web sites) is that the Convergence ICs have gone out.

Any experinece with honest repair companies?

Thanks in advance.

I posted this earlier, but had no responses. I'll try one more time.

Anyone have experience with repair on a Rear Projection TV? My Toshiba 50HX81 lost convergence yesterday, the best diagnostics I have gotten (mainly from web sites) is that the Convergence ICs have gone out.

Any experinece with honest repair companies?

Thanks in advance.
I've been lucky enough to not have that happen yet. *knocking on wood* Now that I think about it, my parent sknow someone who works on tv's. I'll get his name tomorrow.

My Sharp Aquos is being serviced by Jim's tv and vcr. It's under warranty, but I haven't recieved it back yet.

I have TW Value Package and have never upgraded to digital service. When cable is connected to QAM tuner numerous digital channels are found. What is significant is that only one version each of ch 5-NBC and ch13-FOX shows up and neither is in HD.

All other local channels appear repeated on several channels, however each station: 3-CBS, 10-PBS, 24-ABC, 30-UPN & WB all appear once in HD.

Any explination as to why I cannnot receive 13 & 5 in HD?

Glad to see 13-1 back and running fine last night. Thought I'd miss Idol. Had it recording on SD though... same with 24 & Prison Break the other night.

My wife doesn't even notice the difference between SD and HD. :)

She could care less. Just let her watch her show... it doesn't matter to her. Can you imagine?

My wife doesn't even notice the difference between SD and HD. :)

She could care less. Just let her watch her show... it doesn't matter to her. Can you imagine?
do a google search for eyemasters. :D

hdtv_duffus, Mosley tv on Central. The guy who runs it is Alan Mosley. He's a family friend. If he asks, say Bonnie Thompson sent you.

Thanks, does he have experience with projection TVs?

Not sure.

Just checked my recording of Veronica Mars from UPN 30 yesterday, and it was HD. When did that start back up?

Just checked my recording of Veronica Mars from UPN 30 yesterday, and it was HD. When did that start back up?
3 weeks ago, at least new episodes. College basketball was over so it moved back to it's normal time slot. 3 weeks ago it didn't go HD until a couple minutes in, then last week it went HD about a minute in. I haven't watched it from last night yet.

I also noticed that the previous episode came on at 8 pm on Tuesday. I'm not sure if that is going to be an every week thing.

I switched between the two programs last night and I don't quite understand Lost was in hd and DD 5.1 but Veronica mars was in hd but the sound was terrible it was not in DD 5.1, my av receiver only detected a prologic sound but it was in and out with the center channel and front speakers switching dialogue.
I know 24 and 30 are basically the same station, it is funny one works and the other does not. I guess it could be upn's issue.
Any thoughts
jdmac29

WBBJ-DT(43) Jackson Tn is now testing at full power of 920kw..Those of you outside Memphis located more towards Jackson may be able to see us. Our coverage reaches into a large part of Fayette County. Any reception reports would be appreciated. :)

Guess I just got so used to the no HD that the second I saw SD I gave up and deleted them (and resorted to undiscussable means to obtain them in HD).

But what I really want is Smallville in HD (new episode tonight!). Crossing fingers...

WBBJ-DT(43) Jackson Tn is now testing at full power of 920kw..Those of you outside Memphis located more towards Jackson may be able to see us. Our coverage reaches into a large part of Fayette County. Any reception reports would be appreciated. :)
Any chance it could reach into eastern Shelby County?

But what I really want is Smallville in HD (new episode tonight!). Crossing fingers...
It blows, but I don't think we will be able to get Smallville in HD until the CW starts up. Or of course HDNet, if you can take being 1 season behind.

Any chance it could reach into eastern Shelby County?


Unlikely,there are a few projected areas, but, won't know unless you try...

Anyone else not getting sound from channel 5? Just getting ready to watch The Office at 8:30, and My Name Is Earl is on with no audio :(

I'm not getting audio or video OTA. But I am getting a signal. I called about 8:05 to get it fixed. Had to watch Earl in SD. My eyes are hurting. Also had to change ER to the SD feed.

I have TW Value Package and have never upgraded to digital service. When cable is connected to QAM tuner numerous digital channels are found. What is significant is that only one version each of ch 5-NBC and ch13-FOX shows up and neither is in HD.

All other local channels appear repeated on several channels, however each station: 3-CBS, 10-PBS, 24-ABC, 30-UPN & WB all appear once in HD.

Any explination as to why I cannnot receive 13 & 5 in HD?

I compiled a list some time ago and found 13 (whbq) on qam 80-2, and 5 (wmc) on 80-3.

Here is the full list of unencrypted QAM if you are interested ... some of these may not work anymore but I checked the two you are missing :)

70-1 WPTY-HD
70-2 WLMT-SD
80-2 - WHBQ HD *************************
80-3 - WMC HD *************************
81-2 EWTN-SD
81-12 - WMC Weather Plus
84-3 - WKNO HD *************************
86-1 - WLMT SD
86-2 - WMC SD
86-3 - WHBQ SD
86-4 - WPTY SD
86-5 - WREG SD
93-9 - C-SPAN 2
93-10 - CCTV 9 (Chinese News Channel! Pretty cool, actually..)
94-8 WREG-HD
102-10 - The Tube
102-11 - TWC Promo Channel
104-8 Events on Demand PPV Promo
104-9 Events on Demand PPV Promo
108-1 - News Channel 3 Anytime
108-4 - WREG SD

Does anyone know if the locals will replay the episodes we missed last night at a later time?

Does anyone know if the locals will replay the episodes we missed last night at a later time?

If they do it probably will not be in HD :(

What I do not understand is why they don't use the subchannel for the weather alerts and keep the main digital channel on the main program?

WMC had the Tube on all of the time... they could have turned off that and put the weather alerts on there.

Jerry

heh, I was waiting for someone else to say it first.

Speaking of WMC, instead of the Tube, why not put it on Weather +? I mean, it was weather related right? And it was also news worthy, so it coulda gone on NewsAnytime.

But, I can also see why it was on the main channel. I think WPTY did the best job. I noticed Grey's Anatomy was on at 9 pm. But I'm glad I still have the national FOX feed. I had to change the Loop to channel 88 to get the program.

I agree they could've put it on 5-3 the weather channel. During commercials they can have a scroll bar saying "please tune to Weather+ channel 5-3" or something similar. WREG-DT could have done the same thing.

Me I would have rather watched Cold Case... but oh well.

Jerry

Anybody receiving WREG-DT? Right now I am receiving all of the DTV stations but WREG-DT.

If it is down I hope they get it back up before the NCAA Cahmpionship Game!!!!.

Jerry

WREG has been off all afternoon, so it's not looking good for the Championship. Talk about bad timing!

I just called and they transferred me to jim anhalt's vm. Not who I wanted to speak with. Has anyone else called? Looks like I will not be watching the game tonight unless they get it fixed. And we probably wont get an explanation about it.

The good news is, we can't complain how bad the PQ is.

If they do it probably will not be in HD :(

What I do not understand is why they don't use the subchannel for the weather alerts and keep the main digital channel on the main program?

WMC had the Tube on all of the time... they could have turned off that and put the weather alerts on there.

Jerry

They don't put it on the Tube because nobody watches that channel and nobody would have seen the alerts! :D

Seriously, my complaint has always been that they should just put the alert in a bar at the bottom, like they do. Maybe interrupt the programming for a real emergency. But they like to overdo it every time and follow the storm completley through the area trying to outdo all the other stations. I understand the need for alerts to tornados and such, but they really overdo it some of the time.

BTW, my wife said that they were replaying Desperate Housewives and Gray's Anatomy Tuesday at 12:05am. I think that means Monday night/Tuesday morning...but it could be Tuesday night/Wed morning...not sure.

This sucks that CBS is out tonight of all nights for the championship game. Talk about bad timing! Oh well, it should be the tigers *memphis that is!!! Too bad they didn't show up against UCLA.

I've got Time Warner and was able to see last night s game in HD on channel 803 of my cable box. A friend phoned during the game saying he had a scroll at the bottom of his screen saying the storm had caused damage and that was why he could not see the game in HD (he uses a antenna to get the local HD channels). I'm not sure how Time Warner was able to provide HD for channel 3.

A buddy of mine up at work was able to watch it in HD last night also on cable.

dsharp, can you find out where that person saw that scroll on the bottom of their screen? Obviously it wasn't on the digital channel.

Did the damage the storm caused not crop up and break until after the storm was gone? 3-1 was on late Sunday night, which was the last I tuned to that channel.

My friend wasn't getting any signal at all on 3.1, so he watched the game on the regular 3 signal from dvt. That is where he saw the scroll about the HDTV signal not being available. He lives in the Summer/G'town Rd. area.

Ok. I think I turned to that channel 5 total times, all to see the score. But twice I saw the score, the others I saw commercials. I was able to catch up on my Tivo last night since the game wasn't in HD. :D

WREG-DT is back up... I can watch NCIS in HD!!!... to bad it was down last night though...

Jerry

Looks like it's back down.....anyone receiving a signal?

Also, I can recommend Electronics Unlimited for anyone needing their HDTV service. They repaired my Tosh today and everything went very well.

Actually it went down last night after NCIS... been down ever since.

Glad you got your Tosh fixed!!!

Jery

I'm not getting a signal right now. I was told that it should be up and functioning tonight. I did notice it was on around NCIS time last night, but was off after 9.

I hope they ave it back up by the Master's. I hope they show the Master's Thursday and Friday.

WHBQ is down also for me as well as WREG. All others ok.

Is anyone on TW getting a/v on the WREG-DT channel?

I just noticed my HR10-250 recording a blank screen. No signal at all on WREG via OTA.

-Robert

Any word on the transition from Time Warner to Comcast in the Memphis area? Some time ago, I thought they said it would be April 1, but I haven't heard anything at all from TWC and there's nothing on their website.

Anyone have better information?

WREG-DT is back on. I hope they show the Master's on the DT station today.

I just called the main number and asked for master control. The person said he didn't know if the Master's was on today. I told him it was on teh HD network as a separate feed than the SD one. He said he would call upstairs to see if it was in and if it is they would show it. *crossing fingers*

Since the coverage goes until 6, if you want to watch it when you get home, or just want to help, 543-2333 (business hours) and ask for MC

No Master's on WREG today. Loser's

The true 5.1 feed last night was fine for CSI: Miami. Commercials are not 5.1. If you're watching a 5.1 program, WREG normally transmits the 2.0 audio from the commercials as the L/R channels of the 5.1 stream. Sound should only come from the L/R speakers. It should not come from the surrounds unless you have some kind of DSP mode engaged on your A/V controller. Next time you watch, try straight 5.1 mode and see what happens with the commericials.

If you're not watching a 5.1 program, WREG tranmits a 2.0 stream. All the sound, including the program audio and the commercials, should come from the L/R speakers -- unless Dolby ProLogic II, some other matrix decoder, or a DSP mode is routing sound elsewhere. I find that PLII Movie works very well for all the 2.0 broadcasts in Memphis. Give it a try, if you haven't.

Chase


Thanks for your help. Confirming it was not the feed allowed me to trace the problem.

It turns out that my two teenage sons have been "trying" the different buttons. It is a new receiver.

Thanks again.

The Master's was on UniversalHD today. With all HD commercials, too. It will be on CBS tomorrow and Sunday.

Thanks for your help. Confirming it was not the feed allowed me to trace the problem.

It turns out that my two teenage sons have been "trying" the different buttons. It is a new receiver.

Thanks again.Glad the information helped. Gotta watch people and buttons!

Chase

The Master's was on UniversalHD today. With all HD commercials, too. It will be on CBS tomorrow and Sunday.
Yeah I watched in on UHD. Had lots of blocking. I'd be interested in seeing if WREG looks any better.

Any word on WHBQ-DT getting back on the air?

Any word on WHBQ-DT getting back on the air?

Only when they are forced to.

Jerry

The PQ for the Master's today looks pretty good. However, I am still seeing blocking when guys who have bright colored shirts move. And also when they follow the ball flight. I'm not sure if that is an issue because of low bw or if everyone is seeing that.

That doesn't sound good.

The PQ for the Master's today looks pretty good. However, I am still seeing blocking when guys who have bright colored shirts move. And also when they follow the ball flight. I'm not sure if that is an issue because of low bw or if everyone is seeing that.Yep, I saw blocking all over the place. There were a number of problematic focus pulls, too, it seemed.

Chase

My fingers are burning........Does WREG look better to anyone else? I thought the Master's looked a lot better than other offerings. And tonight, Cold Case was clearer with minimal blocking, and the movie on right now looks pretty good. Scenes that would normally have a lot of pixelation don't. Anyone else? I'm going to see what CSI:Miami looks like tomorrow night and see if it's just a fluke tonight. CSI has a lot of scenes changing flashes that causes a lot of blocking.

Well, I finally got rid of time warner cable because of their horrible customer service and the horrible 8300HD box with a hard drive that doesn't last more than a week (I've been through 4 since November). I hooked up my old rabbit ears to my Samsung 5078 HDTV and amazingly I receive all of the OTA digital channels perfectly except WHBQ (channel 13). Its almost as if its not even broadcasting because I don't get any digital signal from that channel at all. Does anyone have any information? As far as I can tell from other web sites such as antenna web, WHBQ fox is broadcasting at full strength. I live downtown on mud island and as I said I get every other digital channel perfectly but absolutely nothing for WHBQ. Also if anyone has a number or knows who I would need to talk to at the station to inquire about this matter. Thanks in advance.

I'm not getting a signal from WHBQ-DT either. I was this afternoon around 6:30. If you can get WMC then you should be able to get WHBQ. When its up, of course.

Well, I finally got rid of time warner cable because of their horrible customer service and the horrible 8300HD box with a hard drive that doesn't last more than a week (I've been through 4 since November). I hooked up my old rabbit ears to my Samsung 5078 HDTV and amazingly I receive all of the OTA digital channels perfectly except WHBQ (channel 13). Its almost as if its not even broadcasting because I don't get any digital signal from that channel at all. Does anyone have any information? As far as I can tell from other web sites such as antenna web, WHBQ fox is broadcasting at full strength. I live downtown on mud island and as I said I get every other digital channel perfectly but absolutely nothing for WHBQ. Also if anyone has a number or knows who I would need to talk to at the station to inquire about this matter. Thanks in advance.

WHBQ-DT is doing repair work on the combiner that has been causing problems for the past few weeks. The manufacturer of the combiner and the transmitter are both on site, and will have the transmitter up and down for the next couple of days. Hopefully, this should take care of the last of the problems, now that the new tube has stabilized.

Thanks for the info Dave.

I emailed Ron at WREG and this was his response to the better pq after I viewed a couple of shows last night: "We had to re-build parts of our digital transmission damaged from the storm last week."
Whatever they fixed they made it better. I still do see some blocking tho.

My wife thinks the picture quality is much better. I thought it was just the better job we did on the convergence after the recent failure and some rewiring I did at the same time.

I hope they did make it better!

Well, good for WREG! Perhaps a storm will hit the WHBQ transmitter next, and the repair will make it work more consistently! I'm getting tired of 24 in SD with 2.0-channel sound...

Sorry, David, purely attempting to make light of the situation. I know you guys are doing everything you can to stay on the air, and I wish you the best of luck!!! Just so you know, I'm very pleased to see that you are transmitting a 448 kbps Dolby AC-3 audio stream. All of the other Memphis stations are at 384 kbps, which studies have shown is not always transparent to the master.

Chase

Anyone else having dropouts on 24-1?

Well, good for WREG! Perhaps a storm will hit the WHBQ transmitter next, and the repair will make it work more consistently! I'm getting tired of 24 in SD with 2.0-channel sound...

Sorry, David, purely attempting to make light of the situation. I know you guys are doing everything you can to stay on the air, and I wish you the best of luck!!! Just so you know, I'm very pleased to see that you are transmitting a 448 kbps Dolby AC-3 audio stream. All of the other Memphis stations are at 384 kbps, which studies have shown is not always transparent to the master.

Chase
You know, with a nice twister at the transmitter building, a Harris transmitter could replace that Axcera... :D

You know, with a nice twister at the transmitter building, a Harris transmitter could replace that Axcera... :DLOLs! :D

Is anyone else having dropouts on 30-1? It started up last night and was fine during the day today, but tonight it's doing the sam thing again. I haven't touched my antenna.

Hi, I'm new to this forum and was wondering if there is anyone out there in the Olive Branch, MS area. I just got a new Hitachi 42" plasma and was looking at the Radio Shack U-75R for over the air HD. Any thoughts?

I do not live in Olive Branch... I live in Southaven, but that is the same antenna that I am using... You will probably have to point it due north to get everything.

Jerry

Has anyone else noticed that Time-Warner Cable upgraded their SA-8300HD DVR software? Mine went from 1.87 to 1.88. New features include: 4x fast forward; start from beginning for shows in progress.

Haven't tried yet to see if it fixed the problems with my external SATA drive...

I do not live in Olive Branch... I live in Southaven, but that is the same antenna that I am using... You will probably have to point it due north to get everything.

Jerry

Jerry, is your U-75R antenna outdoors or in the attic?

Jerry, is your U-75R antenna outdoors or in the attic?

In the attic... with no preamp.

Jerry

Does anyone know where I might find a regularly-updated list of D* channels sorted by which satellites carry them? Terrain blocks me from receiving the lower satellites, so I'm continually having to call D* to find out if I can get certain channels. The first-tier customer support staff doesn't always know...

Thanks,

Chase

http://www.lyngsat.com/america.html

Thanks, mx!!! This is exactly what I need!

Chase

lyngsat is your friend. :) I wanna get a c-band dish so bad, FTA is so much fun. Course, blind scanning works too...

4utvols, welcome to the forums! :)

Sometimes things will happen that leaves you scratching your head going "WTH????" For the last couple of days, I have been getting a sporadic signal on 30-1, even nothing last night. I was using another antenna that can get 30-1 fine, but not 5-1. Since I am not tivo'ing anything on 30-1 tonight, but watch to watch Earl, I switched antennas. Sure enough, locked at 100% on 30-1.

*sigh*

Hi, I'm new to this forum and was wondering if there is anyone out there in the Olive Branch, MS area. I just got a new Hitachi 42" plasma and was looking at the Radio Shack U-75R for over the air HD. Any thoughts?
I just moved from there and if you point your antenna due north you should be good to go.

Sometimes things will happen that leaves you scratching your head going "WTH????" For the last couple of days, I have been getting a sporadic signal on 30-1, even nothing last night. I was using another antenna that can get 30-1 fine, but not 5-1. Since I am not tivo'ing anything on 30-1 tonight, but watch to watch Earl, I switched antennas. Sure enough, locked at 100% on 30-1.

*sigh*

It's always something isn't it MX...Ahhh the joys of HD.

Btw, I was flipping the other day and noticed that The Tube 5-2 OTA looks significantly better than it used to. Did they up the bandwidth on it? If so, I haven't noticed a decline in the regular NBC PQ. Anyone else?

It's always something isn't it MX...Ahhh the joys of HD.

Btw, I was flipping the other day and noticed that The Tube 5-2 OTA looks significantly better than it used to. Did they up the bandwidth on it? If so, I haven't noticed a decline in the regular NBC PQ. Anyone else?
This morning I'm not getting a blip on 30-1, and not more than 20 on WMC. I hope it's a tower or signal issue.

I haven't checked the Tube in a while. The last time I checked a subchannel on WMC was when the big storm came by a few weeks ago to see if they had local weather on Weather -. Nope, national. I wasn't going to watch it anyways, but was wondering what they were doing.

30-1 and WMC is working for me.

Jerry

This morning I'm not getting a blip on 30-1, and not more than 20 on WMC. I hope it's a tower or signal issue.

I haven't checked the Tube in a while. The last time I checked a subchannel on WMC was when the big storm came by a few weeks ago to see if they had local weather on Weather -. Nope, national. I wasn't going to watch it anyways, but was wondering what they were doing.

Just checked and I'm getting in the 70's for WMC 5-1 and 80's for 30-1. Both have fine pictures with no dropouts.

damn

I guess it's a good thing my wife in on a business trip until Thursday. She hates it when I'm fixing the antenna.

damn

I guess it's a good thing my wife in on a business trip until Thursday. She hates it when I'm fixing the antenna.

What antenna are you using? Is it in the attic? Also which zip code are you in?

Jerry

What antenna are you using? Is it in the attic? Also which zip code are you in?
Yeah it's in the attic. It's a Samsung Axession, it's about 1 1/2 years old. Go to ebay and use item #5814689390. It was doing just great up until this past weekend. I ended up moving it over about 2 feet and placed it on top of some insulation in the attic, so it might've fallen over. That's on the left side of my house, which is closest to those towers.

I've also got a RS VU-90XR http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103085&cp=2032057.2032187.2032189.2032205&parentPage=family laying on top of some of the beams in our attic. That one gets all channels at 100% (like the other anntenna used to) BUT barely gets WMC.

My zip is 38135. I live 2.1 miles from the tower that has WPTY, WMC, and WLMT.

Both antennas are in the attic, but I only have 1 hooked up at a time. The last time I even touched the Samsung antenna was when WHBQ first when on the air, so they don't seem to react to each other.

Is WHBQ 13 back online yet. I know that it was down a week ago or so but I haven't seen it since. The same time it went down I moved my antenna so I dont know if it is the antenna or WHBQ.

I looked at your Zip on Antennaweb... I would say your biggest enemy is the angular distance between the towers... which is about 110 degrees apart. Since you are between approx. 2 - 5 miles from the towers, signal strength definitely won't be an issue, in fact it might be a negative.

Have you tried 2 UHF antenna's pointed 2 different directions? it is worth a try.

Jerry

Have you tried 2 UHF antenna's pointed 2 different directions? it is worth a try.
I've tried it all, and sometimes it makes me :mad: I've even put an attenuator on it and that fluctuates the signal strength. What's strange is if I plug the cable from the antenna into the multiswitch, I get bad signals on 3 of the channels. If I plug it into a splitter abd then into the multiswitch, no problems (usually). I'm guessing the splitter is acting as an attenuator. But if I plug the antenna cable into the attenuator into the multiswitch, fluctuating signals strengths.

Is WHBQ 13 back online yet. I know that it was down a week ago or so but I haven't seen it since. The same time it went down I moved my antenna so I dont know if it is the antenna or WHBQ.
Hi Craig, welcome to the forum. Yes WHBQ-DT is back online. It's been backup regularly for over a week now.

Oh... sorry for what I guess was i dumb question. I guess it's my antenna then. This means I get every channel perfectly except 13. Thats weird. Thanks for the quick response! ok I went into the attic, tweaked the antenna, and I got it now. I never tried to adjust the antenna because I assumed 13 was down. 24 in SD because of ignorance dang it!

Oh... sorry for what I guess was i dumb question. I guess it's my antenna then. This means I get every channel perfectly except 13. Thats weird. Thanks for the quick response! ok I went into the attic, tweaked the antenna, and I got it now. I never tried to adjust the antenna because I assumed 13 was down. 24 in SD because of ignorance dang it!
No problem. Had you asked that question 4 1/2 months ago we would've said it wasn't up at all!!

btw...came home, tested my signal strengths, WLMT steady at a minumum 76%, WMC the same. :confused: Maybe I'll just come here and talk about it, and my problems will go away.

I am new to this forum and thik it's great. Two things I hoped someone could answer for me:

1. My favorite show is Smallville and when it's on in HD it's fantastic but it seems like all of season 5 on my Directv 30.1 has been completely boxed and NO HD. Does this happen with TW as well? When will it be fixed? Next season with CW?




2. I just replaced my Sony HD Receiver with Directv HDDVR from Best Buy. Since I have done so, I have had trouble picking up 24.1 in HD. I have had some trouble with FOX too but I just tune to channel 88 to get Fox in HD. Any ideas why that is?

Hey guys. I'm not HDTV ... yet. I'm trying to decide if I want to buy a TV with it to watch any local stations (right now my wife watches the news) as all I ever watch is D* (Spike, Food, and HGTV) on a 15yr old 19" from 16' away. I bought a DVD recorder to catch the shows that are on when I'm out and about, but alas the TV doesn't have composite in.

My wife suggested a new TV but bigger. So yesterday we go to the BB, BB, and Sears to look at sets that will actually fit our cabinet. I'm restricted to 20" deep so that keeps me to a 27" 4:3 set or 30" 16:9. I'm watching 4:3 mostly since I have a projector for movies. That narrowed me down to the Samsung SlimFit ($400 for no HDTV tuner, $600 with).

Since my current TV has lasted 15 years I am thinking to help prepare for the future to go with the HDTV turner one. I don't really care for the local programming now, but maybe in the future. OTOH, HD recievers are $200 and I may want to go D* HD in the future so having a built in OTA reciever would be un needed.

Any pros or cons that I'm not considering? Also, I don't watch any sports other than UFC.

Thanks,
Jay

If you want to use your new set for a long time, it may be best to consider the 16:9 IMO. In 2009, all channels are supposed to be digital which will be 16:9. If you have a 4:3 set then, it will be letterboxed (black bars on top and bottom) resulting in an even smaller picture.

Since you like Spike, Food and HGTV, I assume you already have D*. If so, I would upgrade to an HD Tuner and forget about the Samsung with a built-in HD tuner.

With D* HD channels, you'll get Fox (88) out of NY with the package. The D* HD tuner will also have an input for an antenna so you can get the local HD channels also.

If you have a Sam's Club memebership, I would check out their TV's / prices.

I have Costco and they don't sell anything but LCD and plasma in my size range. All the 16:9 Slimfits have HD tuners built in and are $900.

Are you saying D* will go all 16:9 in 2009? Letter boxing doesn't bother so much going from mostly 4:3 to 16:9, but it does bother me to watch 4:3 on a 16:9 for some reason.

I've just read both user manuals for the two sets I'm considering. I think the non-tuner one is a better fit now.

Thanks,
Jay

I am new to this forum and thik it's great. Two things I hoped someone could answer for me:

1. My favorite show is Smallville and when it's on in HD it's fantastic but it seems like all of season 5 on my Directv 30.1 has been completely boxed and NO HD. Does this happen with TW as well? When will it be fixed? Next season with CW?
Hi Sean and welcome. Earlier this year UPN had to get rid of their WB programming in HD. THey were feeding us the west coast HD feed, so the digital channel wasn't getting any local commercials. Apparently there was some issue with closed captions, and they had to fix that which in turn, got rid of the WB in HD at night. It should be fixed with the CW.

If you want to watch season 5 in HD, HDNet will more than likely begin showing it about the same time season 6 starts.
2. I just replaced my Sony HD Receiver with Directv HDDVR from Best Buy. Since I have done so, I have had trouble picking up 24.1 in HD. I have had some trouble with FOX too but I just tune to channel 88 to get Fox in HD. Any ideas why that is?
Not sure. Is 30-1 fine? 30, 5, ad 24 all broadcast from the same tower. The tuner in the HDTivo I've noticed will hold onto signals better with less dropouts. Are you also loosing 24-1 on your old tuner?

Are you saying D* will go all 16:9 in 2009? Letter boxing doesn't bother so much going from mostly 4:3 to 16:9, but it does bother me to watch 4:3 on a 16:9 for some reason.
D* is already 100% digital, not too good a digital. :D

In 2009 all analog stations will have to go to the digital format if not done by that date. They can be 4:3 or 16:9, it doesn't matter as long as they are broadcasting digitally.

Re-reading your post, is the only readon you are looking at getting a new tv for composite in? Is that correct. To help you out we would need to know things like do you watch DVD's? Do you want them to fill up the entire screen on do you care for the black bars? You already said you don't like watching 4:3 on a 16:9.

If you were planning for the future, I would go for the 16x9 tv.

My old tuner holds 24.1 just fine. It's the Directv HD-DVR HR10-250 Model. It has trouble with 13.1 Fox and 24.1 ABC. Fox is not a problem because I tune to channel 88 out of New York for Fox HD.

Jay C

The D* HD boxes will allow you to stretch the picture so that the 4:3 formatted shows (all SD channels) will fill the 16:9 screen so you won't have the black bars on the D* non HD channels. This is done automatically with the D* HD Tivo unit. I have a 65" Mits and I watch all of the SD shows stretched. Of course, HD programming takes advantage of the the full 16:9 format.

Sorry if I wasn't clear, but I would forgo the HD tuner in a new TV if I had another way of getting local HD channels such as a D* HD receiver. These allow you to add an antenna and get the local channels.

16:9 is the future. If you currently have D*, I would check the owners manual of your receiver and see if it has a stretch mode that will remove the black bars. If so, you could use that for the SD (standard definition i.e. 4:3 format) shows and get an HD reciever later to go with your new set.

D* is already 100% digital, not too good a digital. :D

In 2009 all analog stations will have to go to the digital format if not done by that date. They can be 4:3 or 16:9, it doesn't matter as long as they are broadcasting digitally.

Re-reading your post, is the only reason you are looking at getting a new tv for composite in? Is that correct. To help you out we would need to know things like do you watch DVD's? Do you want them to fill up the entire screen on do you care for the black bars? You already said you don't like watching 4:3 on a 16:9.

If you were planning for the future, I would go for the 16x9 tv.
Yeah, just need composite or component input on the set to use this DVR. I found another option. Composite to RF converter ... $20 or so.

I have a projector and 100" screen for DVD this is just a bedroom set for watching some shows before bedtime (the only time I ever watch TV anyway). 4:3 is fine, and since I've never seen HD I don't know what I'm missing ;)

As for 2009, it reaqlly doesn't affect me since I have D* and can add the local stations at any time. Also, I noticed thay have dropped the price on the Smsungs by $20 and $40 respectively ... hmmm.

Thanks for the feedback, I'm now settled on the 4:3 screen O(after sounding it out here is makes the most sense) if I get a new set. However, some sort of converter would be a cheaper choice. I'll check the Rat Shack to see what they have.

Jay

Jay C

The D* HD boxes will allow you to stretch the picture so that the 4:3 formatted shows (all SD channels) will fill the 16:9 screen so you won't have the black bars on the D* non HD channels. This is done automatically with the D* HD Tivo unit. I have a 65" Mits and I watch all of the SD shows stretched. Of course, HD programming takes advantage of the the full 16:9 format.

Sorry if I wasn't clear, but I would forgo the HD tuner in a new TV if I had another way of getting local HD channels such as a D* HD receiver. These allow you to add an antenna and get the local channels.

16:9 is the future. If you currently have D*, I would check the owners manual of your receiver and see if it has a stretch mode that will remove the black bars. If so, you could use that for the SD (standard definition i.e. 4:3 format) shows and get an HD reciever later to go with your new set.
Yeah, they have that stretch option on the Samsungs, but uh, I really dislike a 4:3 stretched to 16:9 (I do this on my projector for the "extras" on DVD rather than switch between the modes).

I appreciate the ideas you have provided.

Jay

I have a projector and 100" screen for DVD this is just a bedroom set for watching some shows before bedtime (the only time I ever watch TV anyway). 4:3 is fine, and since I've never seen HD I don't know what I'm missing ;)
With a screen that big you should have HD. You are missing a lot.

With a screen that big you should have HD. You are missing a lot.No kidding. I've been playing around with HD DVD on an eight foot screen all week. Pretty blasted unbelievable.

Chase

Well the PJ is 4 or 5 yrs old now (Infocus LP340b) and is 800x600 native. DVD's look great to me :D Hell D* looks great to me (though not on the PJ), why spoil a good thing ;)

I'm going to pass on a new TV and get the converter ... the $399 one downconverts to 480i so what's the point in HD on that. The $600 model is more than I care to spend for a measly 27 or 30" and that of course includes any LCD or plasmas so I'll let that sleeping dog lie for now.

Jay

Jay C,

Try true HD and you would not want anything else. Of course, it would cost you. You would want a new PJ as well.

Jay C,

Try true HD and you would not want anything else. Of course, it would cost you. You would want a new PJ as well.
Are you referring to true HD versus DVD or SD? I have a projector for DVD and I agree that I love the picture a DVD gives. But at this point I haven't seen anything on regular TV that is worth the extra expense nor the bulb life :) But again, that's just my opinion and only worth anything to me ;)

BTW, just so I completely understand is true HD 720p or 1080p?

Update: I bought a modulator for $20 (seems a bit high for what it does but oh well) and have my DVR up and running. Maybe when I check back in a few years LED or laser DLPs will be the norm and I'll look at my options then.

Jay

I have a projector for DVD and I agree that I love the picture a DVD gives. But at this point I haven't seen anything on regular TV that is worth the extra expense nor the bulb life...I wouldn't spring for an HD projector strictly for TV viewing unless you are a big fan of sporting events that are broadcast in HD or your favorite TV show is HD.

However, HD DVD and Blu-Ray will definitely make an upgrade worthwhile. You can get a $500 HD DVD player right now at Best Buy (well, at least you could before they sold out) along with a rapidly-growing number of titles. BTW, Netflix rents HD DVDs and BDs if you don't want to invest in movie software until the format war is over.

BTW, just so I completely understand is true HD 720p or 1080p?Both are "true" HD. So is 1080i, which is much more common than 1080p right now -- although the industry is hurtling toward 1080p with reckless abandon. Note that SD DVDs (and other 480i/p sources) can be upscaled to 720p, 1080i, or 1080p, but they are not HD; they are upscaled SD. BDs and (existing) HD DVDs are native 1080p.

Chase

Chase, have you seen this (http://www.ehomeupgrade.com/entry/2419/don-t_believe_the)? Also, if P3 is really Blu-disc ready wouldn't it make more sense to get it as a BD player with the added benefit of games and whatever else it might do.

You guys are great to try and convert me ;) What should I watch (what movie, what player, what location) to convince me that HD is now and is $$ better than DVD? Is there a local store with a decent setup. One thing though, I have seen HD on a buddy's Sony VPL-60 (IIRC) at 720p and well ... it wasn't a big deal to my eyes.

I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade though, to each his own and let's just enjoy our toys :)

Jay

Chase, have you seen this (http://www.ehomeupgrade.com/entry/2419/don-t_believe_the)?I have now. With all the other problems people are having with the HD-A1, I can't believe someone picked the ICT flag to complain about! :) HD DVDs don't even have them yet. If you would be using the HD-A1 -- or any HD DVD or BD player -- with a display that doesn't support HDMI, I would advise against buying the player until you can upgrade your display as well.

Also, if PS3 is really Blu-disc ready wouldn't it make more sense to get it as a BD player with the added benefit of games and whatever else it might do.Yes, I like that idea in theory...but we don't actually know what the PS3 will contain and how much it will cost when it finally hits shelves. It may or may not have a Blu-ray drive, and the price is rumored to be anywhere between $500 and $1,000. Then, there's no guarantee that it will be a good BD player. Gaming consoles have not typically fared well in the PQ department. In addition, you have to wait for PS3. I have been anticipating HD discs for years, so I jumped at the first HD DVD player! I'm going to do the same thing with BD.


What should I watch (what movie, what player, what location) to convince me that HD is now and is $$ better than DVD? Is there a local store with a decent setup. One thing though, I have seen HD on a buddy's Sony VPL-60 (IIRC) at 720p and well ... it wasn't a big deal to my eyes.I haven't seen any store displays around town, but I wouldn't recommend them even if I had. PQ is entirely dependant upon a display's calibration, and I don't trust a display unless I've seen a detailed calibration report.

BTW, this is a nice discussion, but we should probably stick to the topic of broadcast HD on this thread. Sorry for the side track, guys.

Chase

Agreed, apologies for the way off topic discussion I started with, forgot what thread I was in, but thank you again for your input. I'll go back to lurking :)

Is there a local store with a decent setup. Jay


Check out Berclair television on Summer Ave.

Hi, I'm new to this forum and was wondering if there is anyone out there in the Olive Branch, MS area. I just got a new Hitachi 42" plasma and was looking at the Radio Shack U-75R for over the air HD. Any thoughts?

I purchased the U-75R antenna at Radio Shack and installed it along with a set of diplexers to combine the sat/antenna signal using the single coax feed to my living room. I simply laid the antenna on the attic floor and pointed north. I was able to get all locals locked on the first scan. WMC was the lowest at around 66% and WREG was highest at around 75%. I'm going to mount the antenna a bit higher in the attic on a mast to see if I can bump those signals up just a tad. Thanks to those of you that replied to my posting.

Looks like DirecTV will offer Memphis Channels in HD later this year....

http://phoenix.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=127160&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=850780&highlight

"DIRECTV Continues to Expand Local HD Programming; Names 14 New HD Markets; Local HD to be Available to Customers in 50 Markets, Representing More Than 65 Percent of U.S. Television Homes
EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 2, 2006--Continuing its drive to lead the industry in the delivery of HDTV to consumers, DIRECTV named 14 more markets where it will offer local HD programming later this year. When the markets are added, DIRECTV will offer local HD programming in 50 major metropolitan areas, representing more than 65 percent of U.S. TV households. The rollout is scheduled to begin in the third quarter.

Local news, sports and popular primetime programming from ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC will be available in HD to customers who subscribe to any TOTAL CHOICE(R) programming package that offers local channels. There is no additional charge for local HD programming.

The 14 local markets to receive HD programming from DIRECTV include:

-- Cincinnati -- Madison, Wis.
-- Austin, Texas -- Memphis, Tenn.
-- Albuquerque, N.M. -- Portland, Maine
-- Grand Rapids, Mich. -- Portland, Ore.
-- Green Bay, Wis. -- Providence, R.I.
-- Greensboro, N.C. -- Reno, Nev.
-- Las Vegas -- San Antonio

"With the rollout of each new HD market, DIRECTV continues to affirm its commitment to hold the competitive high ground in HD programming," said Dan Fawcett, executive vice president, DIRECTV, Inc. "Our local HD expansion will continue through next year when we expect to offer access to the crystal-clear picture and sound of local HD programming to nearly every household in the nation."

DIRECTV currently offers standard-definition local channels in 142 markets, covering nearly 94 percent of television households in the country, as well as 20 HD local channel markets including: Atlanta, Birmingham, Boston, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Nashville, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, Tampa and Washington, D.C. By June of this year, DIRECTV will have activated local HD programming in 16 more previously announced markets for a total of 36 markets, representing 58 percent of U.S. TV households.

With the launch of two new satellites - DIRECTV 10 and DIRECTV 11 - in 2007, DIRECTV will have the ability to deliver more than 1,500 local HD and digital channels and 150 national HD channels, in addition to new advanced programming services for customers.

Customers can receive local HD channels by purchasing the new H20 HD receiver and a satellite dish that has the ability to receive programming from five different orbital locations. DIRECTV is offering new customers who purchase a DIRECTV HD receiver a $100 mail-in rebate. (Limit one rebate per customer.) Receiving equipment is available at major consumer electronics retailers like Best Buy and Circuit City, and through DIRECTV. Existing customers are eligible for a $99 upgrade to the new H20 receiver and dish, plus $99 for each additional HD receiver.'

Such a waste of bandwidth, and in our situation, we're stuck with our crappy affiliates.

Has anyone else noticed we are now getting GMA in HD?

Yeah, GMA went HD to the Central time zone last Thursday, just in time for May sweeps. and to their credit (or WPTYdude's credit), WPTY has not been asleep at the switch this time (although Saturday morning they forgot to switch back to the local programming after GMA Weekend, so we got the old ABC HD test loop with the Monster's Inc. trailer, the shuttle launch, et al. for about half an hour).

Thanks for the link pilot.

Reading over that I'm not as trilled as I first was when I heard all the stuff about the upgrade. Some of my main concerns are:
-- no -4 DVR to replace HDTivo
-- $99 per box to upgrade
-- PQ
-- looks like they might take away the FOX HD feed if you do upgrade

Does anyone have any new info on TW changing over to Comcast? It's been over a year since the agreement and the agreement said within 9 - 12 months.

Has anyone noticed that 30-1 is now s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d to full screen now? I noticed it for the first time last night. Looks like I'll be sending an email off about it. If I wanted to see a stretched picture I would watch the analog station.

Such a waste of bandwidth, and in our situation, we're stuck with our crappy affiliates.
No kidding.

Tonight at 7:
WREG: non-HD show
WMC: WIll & Grace, not showing in HD
WKNO: HD on
WHBQ: non HD show
WPTY: non-HD show
WLMT: Chris. not showing HD. showing nasty ass stretched SD

And to make matters worse, the Cards game is being blacked out on ESPN2

what was up with Earl and The Office last night on WMC. I recorded them on my HD TIVO. Background music was there but no dialogue. The picture kept bouncing from HD to SD also.

what was up with Earl and The Office last night on WMC. I recorded them on my HD TIVO. Background music was there but no dialogue. The picture kept bouncing from HD to SD also.
I called last night during Will & Grace (there really WAS nothing on at 7) and asked to speak with master control. The person transferred me to that number but it went to voicemail. Ileft a message asking to turn the HD feed on. Apparently they got the message about 45 minutes later because they tried to switch to HD, but like you said, only 2.0 audio. I had to end up watching the rest of Earl on the D* feed.

I Tivo'd ER last night and my wife will die if that has no audio.

I know it won't do any good, but I just sent a note to WMC telling them to get their act together. Sure wish I could get waivers.

NBC Schedule

SATURDAY, MAY 6 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. NHL STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS ON NBC
New Jersey Devils @ Carolina Hurricanes (Game 1)
Commentators: Chris Cuthbert, Peter McNab, Cammi Granato
Site: Entertainment & Sports Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina
*Available in High Definition

SUNDAY, MAY 7 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. NHL STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS ON NBC
Colorado Avalanche @ Anaheim Mighty Ducks (Game 2)
Commentators: Mike Emrick, John Davidson, Pierre McGuire
Site: Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, California
*Available in High Definition

SATURDAY, MAY 13 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. NHL STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS ON NBC
Carolina Hurricane @ New Jersey Devils (Game 4)
Commentators: TBA
Site: Continental Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
*Available in High Definition

SUNDAY, MAY 14 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. NHL STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS ON NBC
Colorado Avalanche @ Anaheim Mighty Ducks (Game 5 if necessary
Commentators: TBA Site: Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, California
*Available in High Definition

Forgot to also note, afterwards is the Kentucky Derby this Saturday. WMC has lots of chances to get it right this weekend. Will they or wont they *insert suspense theme*

My response from WMC......

We are having technical difficulties with the Dolby 5.1 audio processors
at our digital transmitter. Our engineering staff switched to standard
definition to minimize the annoyance to viewers.
HDTV digital equipment is still very new technology and the
manufacturers' are doing their best to solve these types of glitches
with their equipment. One day out digital equipment will be as reliable
as our analog. We can only ask that you be patient as this new
technology rolls out.
Thank you for watching WMC-DT.
Cordially,
Howard Meagle

HDTV digital equipment is still very new technology and the
manufacturers' are doing their best to solve these types of glitches
with their equipment. One day out digital equipment will be as reliable
as our analog. We can only ask that you be patient as this new
technology rolls out.
Is this a Microsoft Word template? I've gotten pretty much the same exact response from 3 other local stations. If this technology is still very new to them, then they are behind the curve. They've been doing HD since when this thread was started. The only channel that can call this very new technology is WHBQ.

I've counted at least 5 times so far that the WMC-DT signal has gone down. PQ is bland. I'm seeing tons of blocking when the NHL on NBC logo comes flying in

Has anyone heard from WLMT about 30-1 being stretched now and no HD being shown? I sent one on Thursday or Friday but haven't gotten a response back yet.

Has anyone heard from WLMT about 30-1 being stretched now and no HD being shown? I sent one on Thursday or Friday but haven't gotten a response back yet.

I still haven't seen 30-1 being stretched. Is this just during certain shows? Really though, the only thing I ever watch on 30 is Smallville, wich I know can't be shown in HD due to the closed captioning nonsense. But even that is not stretched it is just shown in letterbox iirc.

I still haven't seen 30-1 being stretched. Is this just during certain shows? Really though, the only thing I ever watch on 30 is Smallville, wich I know can't be shown in HD due to the closed captioning nonsense. But even that is not stretched it is just shown in letterbox iirc.
Whatever is on is now taking up the entire 16x9 screen, no bars on the side anymore. If an HD program is on, it's shown the same way above, but in SD. It's pretty much just like watching the D* feed. I've seen it on both my E86 and HDTivo. If you get a chance turn it to that station and you will see what I am talking about.

I only watch Reba, Veronica Mars, and Chris (every now and then) VM and Chris have not been in HD the past 2 weeks. I was hoping to start watching Supernatural again when the sweeps are over but it doesn't look like that's gonna happen.

Whatever is on is now taking up the entire 16x9 screen, no bars on the side anymore. If an HD program is on, it's shown the same way above, but in SD. It's pretty much just like watching the D* feed. I've seen it on both my E86 and HDTivo. If you get a chance turn it to that station and you will see what I am talking about.

I only watch Reba, Veronica Mars, and Chris (every now and then) VM and Chris have not been in HD the past 2 weeks. I was hoping to start watching Supernatural again when the sweeps are over but it doesn't look like that's gonna happen.

MX I just don't see it. I went and looked at 30-1. It was on Fresh Prince of Belair. Pillar boxes on both left and right side and not stretched on either of my 16x9 tv's. I use an hr10-250 HDTivo on both Tv's. Do you have the default set to panel or full? I have mine on Panel and get the sidebars, but when I go to Full it does stretch, but not by the default of the signal only when I tell it to. Hope that makes sense.

I have my HDTivo set to full. When I change it to panel it adds the grey bars on the side coming from the HDTivo, not the station. I checked all the other locals and changed those from full to panel and didn't see a change. I've always had my HDTivo set to full and the black bars from the station always show up on the sides. All of the other locals have the black side bars.

I also tested this on the E86 in the living room, attached to the same tv, and also in the game room. Both 30-1 channels were stretched to fit the entire screen. When I changed the channel from 30 to 30-1, there was no change at all. Not even a PQ difference, and no black bars. But all of the other locals had black bars on the sides.

I have my HDTivo set to full. When I change it to panel it adds the grey bars on the side coming from the HDTivo, not the station. I checked all the other locals and changed those from full to panel and didn't see a change. I've always had my HDTivo set to full and the black bars from the station always show up on the sides. All of the other locals have the black side bars.

I also tested this on the E86 in the living room, attached to the same tv, and also in the game room. Both 30-1 channels were stretched to fit the entire screen. When I changed the channel from 30 to 30-1, there was no change at all. Not even a PQ difference, and no black bars. But all of the other locals had black bars on the sides.

OK I FINALLY see what you're saying.

I just did a test between Panel and Full too. When mine is on Panel I see black bars on each side because I have that option set in the Tivo setting to be black and not gray.

So when mine is on panel on 30-1's stretched picture it shows up 4x3 with the bars on each side. However when I put on Full it stretches the way they are sending it, like you said.

Just as a comparison, I put it on Deal or No Deal, which is being sent as a 4x3 picture on 5-1. REGARDLESS of whether I had it on Full or Panel I saw the black bars on each side. So, this show was being sent non-stretched.

Wow, sorry it took me so long to see what you were saying (seeing). Anyway, if you want a workaround for 30-1, just set the options to show black bars on each side instead of gray bars then choose panel setting.

Man, about time :D j/k

Yeah I know the workaround. But it won't work on the other recievers. :( WLMT needs to get it fixed. And while Scott is at it he can make sure they flip the HD switch on for WPTY. I had to call last night for the bird flu movie. It was so bad I decided to give it a try. Glad I wasted 30 minutes of my life on it.

Has anyone else noticed Weather + is gone? At least OTA. Hopefully for good so they can use that bw for the main channel.

Has anyone else noticed Weather + is gone? At least OTA. Hopefully for good so they can use that bw for the main channel.I'm not sure Weather + is actually gone. Last time I checked my channel guide, I was getting two 5-3s. One was dead, the other was weather.

Chase

I'm not sure Weather + is actually gone. Last time I checked my channel guide, I was getting two 5-3s. One was dead, the other was weather.I just checked again. The extra 5-3 is gone and weather is back. Was NBC airing a major program in HD when you noticed Weather + was missing?

Chase

I just checked again. The extra 5-3 is gone and weather is back. Was NBC airing a major program in HD when you noticed Weather + was missing?
It disappeared from my guides because I haven't been to that channel in so long. If I haven't been to that channel and it drops off my guides it wont work if I go to 5-3, only 52-3 then it maps back to 5-3 and shows up on my guides as 5-3. I was going to what I thought was 52-3, but I was typing in 53-3. I put in 52-3 correctly and it showed up. Oh well, guess it will disappear again from my guides again soon.

30-1 is back to normal

The analog watching Smallville last night was letterboxed, horizontally filled.
but the digital was just a rectangular box surrounded by black.
I dont' understand why the analog was correct and the digital was not?
Any ideas?

The analog watching Smallville last night was letterboxed, horizontally filled.
but the digital was just a rectangular box surrounded by black.
I dont' understand why the analog was correct and the digital was not?
Any ideas?

Channel 30 is stretched to fit the entire 16x9 screen and 30-1 has just been set back to 4x3. 30-1 puts black bars on the sides and fits the video into the 4x3 screen. So if there is a letterbox program on, it will be surrounded by black bars all around it on 30-1.

SNL and Conan O’Brien are both letterbox. So it the HD feed wasn’t turned on on 5-1, you would see the same thing you saw last night.

Is WHBQ-13 down? Or is it just me again... If they are down they better get it back up in time for the race later on this afternoon!

Thanks, Craig

Is WHBQ-13 down? Or is it just me again... If they are down they better get it back up in time for the race later on this afternoon!
It's been down all day so far. Your best bet would to look in the phone book and get the news tip line since there is nothing on teh website, and ask for master control and see if they are going to turn the feed on. Most of the time on the weekends they have it off in the morning, but usually turn it back on later in the day.

edit: I found the number, 320-1313, asked for MC, and the ladt asked if she could help and I asked her if they were going to turn the digital feed on. She said she would get the word back to them.

I am having issues with WMC today. There must be a huge tree in between me and the tower that is making the signal fluctuate at times. It'll be fine for 3 or 4 minutes then act up for a minute. :confused: I hope they fix the jumping I saw this morning on local programming.

I am having issues with WMC today. There must be a huge tree in between me and the tower that is making the signal fluctuate at times. It'll be fine for 3 or 4 minutes then act up for a minute. :confused: I hope they fix the jumping I saw this morning on local programming.WMC has dropped out on me periodically from day one. I will have 93% signal strength on a D* H10, then the signal suddenly drops down between 0% and 40% (with break-up). After a few seconds, it's back to 93%. It's the only station that doesn't come in perfectly all the time. I've neglected to find the problem because I don't watch anything on NBC. That will change come football season. I'm not looking forward to more antenna tweaking...

Chase

Well, its 6:24 and the race is on. I don't see Fox13 digital. It is me or is it still down???

Still down

Still down
WHBQ-DT will be off the air at various times during daylight hours for tower work. They are finishing up the structural modifications to the tower above the DTV antenna, and installing backup antennas. Safety of the tower crew sometimes requires that the transmitter be shut down when they are working in the area of the DTV antenna. The work should be finished in another week or so.

Chase,
Can you do another test on the audio of WPTY-DT and see what their dialnorm is set to? during GA last night the commercials were extremely loud.

Can you do another test on the audio of WPTY-DT and see what their dialnorm is set to?Sure. I'll let you know...

Chase

Sure. I'll let you know...

Chase
By the way, I should have a way to adjust our DialNorm value soon. I'll let you know when it comes in and we can test it.

Madness, I tell you, The CW is utter MADNESS...

Ok, So, WLMT OFFICIALLY became a CW affiliate today. So that's locked.

Veronica Mars is SAFE! Moving to where I thought it would, Tuesdays at 8, after Gilmore Girls.And in the strangest twist of all (stranger than 7th Heaven coming back for an 11th season) Reba has been renewed for 13 episodes at the last minute.
MX: I guess you'll have something to watch come September! :)

I think NBC should base one of their new series about TV networks on the CW. ;)

By the way, I should have a way to adjust our DialNorm value soon. I'll let you know when it comes in and we can test it.How cool is that? ;) Do you have a multi-channel monitoring setup yet?

BTW, I'd love to come see Master Control sometime (and I'll bet the other guys on here would, too). Do you guys ever do tours?

Chase

I think NBC should base one of their new series about TV networks on the CW. ;)Now that I would have to see.

Chase

Can you do another test on the audio of WPTY-DT and see what their dialnorm is set to?Sorry it's taken so long, MX. I've been fighting a dying PJ the last few days.

DN on WPTY has consistently been 25 for 5.1 transmissions. Nobody's switching values for commercials as intended by the system, though. I have only seen DN values change when the stream switches from 2.0 to 5.1.

Chase

Madness, I tell you, The CW is utter MADNESS...

Ok, So, WLMT OFFICIALLY became a CW affiliate today. So that's locked.

Veronica Mars is SAFE! Moving to where I thought it would, Tuesdays at 8, after Gilmore Girls.And in the strangest twist of all (stranger than 7th Heaven coming back for an 11th season) Reba has been renewed for 13 episodes at the last minute.
MX: I guess you'll have something to watch come September! :)

I think NBC should base one of their new series about TV networks on the CW. ;)
You just made my day.

When does the CW start programming, in the Fall? Maybe by that time WLMT will have it's HD signal back on.

Yep, September-ish. Hopefully WLMT can get it together by then. I'm looking forward to HD Smallville again (which stays on Thursdays btw, followed by Supernatural.) I REALLY hope that they can get HD AND 5.1 online by then.

BTW, No word on when (or where) Reba starts airing, but expect Sunday nights, probably midseason. Everybody Hates Chris is moving to Sundays, so that night should be the Comedy night.

Lorelai, Rory and Veronica... What a night that will be. :) I tell you, with WB competition out of the way, the ratings should be up, especially with a lead-in like GG.

What is a CW affiliate?

The WB and UPN are shutting down to form The CW, a combo network with the best of each network's shows. UPN 30 (WLMT) will become The CW 30, and air their programming.

How cool is that? ;) Do you have a multi-channel monitoring setup yet?

BTW, I'd love to come see Master Control sometime (and I'll bet the other guys on here would, too). Do you guys ever do tours?

Chase
We still won't be able to monitor DialNorm, but we should be able to change our setting for upconverted programming soon. Right now, we have to live with whatever our encoder was set for at the factory.

The big failure with DialNorm is that it was invisioned that all content producers (commercials and programs) would encode the correct DialNorm in the metadata of their stuff. Unfortunately, here in the real world, we don't get any metadata with our spots or shows. They come in as tapes or satellite feeds with analog signals that don't have any metadata. The only DialNorm value is the one we program into our encoder, and that is based upon our normal audio levels.

Eventually, we may have a device that measures the loudness of dialog on the incomming audio and sets the DialNorm on the fly, but that's not the case today. At least changing the DialNorm will let me bring the audio level down at the analog-to-digital converter, giving us more headroom before the audio starts distorting.

We haven't done many tours since 9-11-2001, but we might be able to arrange something once we finish the transmitter project. I'll feel it out and let you all know.

We still won't be able to monitor DialNorm, but we should be able to change our setting for upconverted programming soon. Right now, we have to live with whatever our encoder was set for at the factory.That's a huge step.

Tell me something, if you can. When our locals are broadcasting HD network programming with 5.1 audio, the DN always breaks down as follows:

WREG: DN 31
WMC: DN 27
WHBQ: DN 25
WPTY: DN 25

I am assuming that since the programming is coming from the network, they are setting the DN value and the locals are passing it through. Do you know why the various networks have chosen these values? If they must broadcast at one DN all the time, why can't they all broadcast at the same DN? I have to dive for the volume control every time I switch from you guys or WPTY to WREG. They're a full 6dB louder by default.

Please tell me it's not a case of, "Let's broadcast louder than everyone else so the public will think our network sounds better!"

The big failure with DialNorm is that it was invisioned that all content producers (commercials and programs) would encode the correct DialNorm in the metadata of their stuff. Unfortunately, here in the real world, we don't get any metadata with our spots or shows. They come in as tapes or satellite feeds with analog signals that don't have any metadata. The only DialNorm value is the one we program into our encoder, and that is based upon our normal audio levels.Yes, a very novel and useful idea going totally to waste at the moment. I wonder if it was prudent, though, to devise a system that is so dependent on content providers to be up on the latest technology...


Eventually, we may have a device that measures the loudness of dialog on the incomming audio and sets the DialNorm on the fly, but that's not the case today. At least changing the DialNorm will let me bring the audio level down at the analog-to-digital converter, giving us more headroom before the audio starts distorting.Hmmm. Real time DN encoding. That's going to be tricky.

We haven't done many tours since 9-11-2001, but we might be able to arrange something once we finish the transmitter project. I'll feel it out and let you all know.Thanks, keep us posted! :cool:

Chase

I am going to rewire my audio setup in the LR this week. I asked the dude to to monster cable when it was first setup and he didn't, he used some cheap stuff. I've been fine with it for a while but now I have the time to use what I want to use. So my question is, BB has both monster cable and acoustic research cables. I've been fine using AR component and optical cables. Are the speaker cables just as good? Are they comparible to monster?

AR has 100 ft spool for 28.79 (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=4118305&type=product&productCategoryId=cat08055&id=1051384703799) and another for 19.79 (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=4118305&type=product&productCategoryId=cat08055&id=1051384703799). Monster has 53.99 (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=3183799&type=product&productCategoryId=cat08055&id=1051384447132). I need 2 spools. Do you think I will get as good a sound out of the AR as I would Monster?

I'm doing this most likely Wednesday and going shopping Tuesday, so any input would be greatly appreciated.

I usually stay away from Monster. You can find wire with the same quality, or better, at a cheaper price.

I don't claim to be an audiophile, but I have had excellent reesults with AR cables. I just moved my components and used the middle grade AR for everything (audio, video, and speakers). The runs were ~50 feet and all is well :-)

I am going to rewire my audio setup in the LR this week. I've been fine using AR component and optical cables. Are the speaker cables just as good? Are they comparable to Monster?Probably. It's impossible to say precisely without taking both into a lab and measuring them. Electrical properties are all that matter where wire is concerned, and everything Best Buy carries should be fine in that regard. Save yourself the worry and just get whatever appeals to you. In all likelihood, it won't be any better or worse than what you already have.

That being said, you can run into trouble with small speaker wire gauges over long runs. If you use 12 gauge, you should be fine up to 60 feet. Over 60 feet, it's a good idea to hook a digital multimeter up to the wire and measure its loop resistance. If the resistance is less than 0.2 Ohms, the wire is fine.

Incidentally, the speaker itself plays a role in determining what kind of wire can be used with it. For example, a speaker with flat impedance response will work great with doorbell wire.

FWIW, I use basic Monster and Liberty THX-certified wire designed for custom installers. There's nothing magic about it; it just keeps me from having to measure the wire myself! :D

Are we off the topic of Memphis HDTV reception yet? ;)

Chase

I am going to rewire my audio setup in the LR this week. I asked the dude to to monster cable when it was first setup and he didn't, he used some cheap stuff. I've been fine with it for a while but now I have the time to use what I want to use. So my question is, BB has both monster cable and acoustic research cables. I've been fine using AR component and optical cables. Are the speaker cables just as good? Are they comparible to monster?

AR has 100 ft spool for 28.79 (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=4118305&type=product&productCategoryId=cat08055&id=1051384703799) and another for 19.79 (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=4118305&type=product&productCategoryId=cat08055&id=1051384703799). Monster has 53.99 (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=3183799&type=product&productCategoryId=cat08055&id=1051384447132). I need 2 spools. Do you think I will get as good a sound out of the AR as I would Monster?

I'm doing this most likely Wednesday and going shopping Tuesday, so any input would be greatly appreciated.


I agree with Jeffrey... monster is way overpriced. I also notice that they don't tell you what gauge wire it is... and that is the only thing that really matters is the thickness (guage) of the wire.

The 2 Ar links you gave is 18 guage wire... for short runs that is OK. Me I like to use 14 guage or better. Lowes has 100 foot 14 guage speaker wire for $24.51 (http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=214940-578-PM62122&lpage=none)

That is what I would and do use... Monster cable is not any better than that.

I'll be running between 50 and 70 feet. Is lower guage wirer better or higher gauge?

I'll be running between 50 and 70 feet. Is lower guage wirer better or higher gauge?Generally lower is better, but don't go too low. Thick wire (low gauge) has high inductance that can act as a low-pass filter.

If the 70 foot runs are to surround speakers, go with 12 gauge and call it a day.

Chase

That's a huge step.
Tell me something, if you can. When our locals are broadcasting HD network programming with 5.1 audio, the DN always breaks down as follows:

WREG: DN 31
WMC: DN 27
WHBQ: DN 25
WPTY: DN 25

I am assuming that since the programming is coming from the network, they are setting the DN value and the locals are passing it through. Do you know why the various networks have chosen these values? If they must broadcast at one DN all the time, why can't they all broadcast at the same DN? I have to dive for the volume control every time I switch from you guys or WPTY to WREG. They're a full 6dB louder by default.

Please tell me it's not a case of, "Let's broadcast louder than everyone else so the public will think our network sounds better!"
Chase
When we're transmitting Fox programming, the DialNorm is passed through from their uplink in LA. I'm not sure how they set the DialNorm, but they probably have the same problem we do in that the source material probably doesn't have it encoded in many cases. The procedure then would be to measure the dialog level over a period of days using the normal levels of their system, then plug that number into their encoder.

Before we had the splicer, we took the HD video and AES audio from Fox and fed them to our encoder, with it set to pass through instead of upconvert. The DialNorm in that case was the same for all programming, since the Fox DialNorm value wouldn't make it through the AES feed. If that is what the other stations are doing, that may be why it doesn't match - ours definitely didn't. Of course, they could also be passing on the original 5.1 with DialNorm without changing it if they have the right encoding equipment.

To do it right, I need to put the AES levels back to normal, get a Dolby meter that reads the dialog value over about a week, then set the DialNorm to that value. That will only affect the upconverted local programming, not the Fox network. We can't change the DialNorm that we get from Fox. It also won't help the audio operators who don't watch their meters!

Should be fun to get right! I'll probably need to have you take a listen and talk me into the right setting.

WHBQ-DT's down, I guess.. Flipping through and I'm not able to lock on to it.
And how long has WLMT been down now? Did we ever find out what's going on?

On a side note, it's amazing how SOFT the PQ is on NBC...

WHBQ-DT's down, I guess.. Flipping through and I'm not able to lock on to it.
And how long has WLMT been down now? Did we ever find out what's going on?

On a side note, it's amazing how SOFT the PQ is on NBC...
WHBQ is up.
WLMT, no idea what's p with them. I think ghtey decided to stop transmitting HD. I haven't seen HD from that channel in a month. All I have been doing is checking. I never got a response about them stretching the video a few weeks ago. I might send them an email about it.

Yeah NBC is really much softer than the other channels. It's funny that shows I have seen on UHD and TNTHD look sharper thru D* than OTA with WMC.

On a side note, I re-wired yesterday. It took a couple of hours, but I didn't realize just how bad the people set everything up. My rear sats sound much better, and I am hearing "more" now. Lost had more sounds to it than I heard before.

I have not changed my antenna direction at all and just recently the picture, sound would go out on american idol season finale and yesterday during the coca cola 600, I was fixed at 89, and the signal just kept fluctuating down to 60, 55, then back up to 89 that is when the sound and picture would go out. I could not believe abc did not show the indy 500 yesterday in hd here in Memphis. I know the NBA game tonight will be in hd.

Off the subject, I know directv carries fox sports midwest in the memphis market. The question is, do you have too pay extra for it or does it come in the total choice plus package? I'm trying to get the st. louis cardinals games. Are any of the games blacked out or do you get all the games on fox sports midwest?

The Indy 500 is NOT in HD, anywhere. The man who owns the broadcast rights refuses to upgrade his equipment to HD, so it will be many, many years before we get an HD broadcast of that.

I have not changed my antenna direction at all and just recently the picture, sound would go out on american idol season finale and yesterday during the coca cola 600, I was fixed at 89, and the signal just kept fluctuating down to 60, 55, then back up to 89 that is when the sound and picture would go out.
I didn't experience any of those issues at my house. Even at 55 you still should be able to keep video and audio. Is it happening to everything on that channel?

Off the subject, I know directv carries fox sports midwest in the memphis market. The question is, do you have too pay extra for it or does it come in the total choice plus package? I'm trying to get the st. louis cardinals games. Are any of the games blacked out or do you get all the games on fox sports midwest?
If you have anything other than the top package you will have to purchase the sports pack to get those game on FSMW. Sometimes we even get the Cards HD games on channel 95. I'm not sure if you have to have the sports pack for that.

There are some games on fox sports south but mostly all are on fox sports midwest. You have to pay for the sports pack to get fox sports midwest, FSS should be part of your normal package. So far I have had cardinal games blacked out on espn if they are being televised on fsmw. You will have to check you guide for channels they are not all on 630. Check out george lapides website for listing of all games on fss.
hope this helps
jdmac29

I don't know what it was I watched fast and furios 2 last night and no problems at all. I live near navy base in Millington could be the planes flying above.
Wow no indy 500 in hd due to a cheapskate, nascar looks great in hd.

WLMT-DT is HD again.

If anyone is using Time Warner cable, are you having pq problems on sd channels?

I am having pg problems on sd channels such as espn2, and speed, as well as tnt, don't know if its my house problem or if its over subscribing, as a lot of new houses are going up in my area. Shelby, and Old German town rd, also near hacks cross.

This morning it was fine but last night it was crap could not watch tnt hd on 826, when I flip channels to speed, or espn2 too much blocking, seems like even for sd feeds the bandwidth is crap.

Hello, all,

Is ESPN2HD on TWC in Memphis yet?

Thanks,
Radu

Hey guys, thought I've give you a heads-up on this. I know DTV is coming out with a new box here in the future, but after reading about this on a different forum, I thought I'd give it a shot. I've heard they will swap out the old box with the new version when it's available, we'll see.

Anyway, I called to cancel my Sunday Ticket. Apparently, the script tells the CSR to throw all sorts of free things at you to keep you from cancelling. Here's what I wound up with (YMMV):

Free HD-Tivo, dish, and installation
3 months free HD package (standard I suppose for HD signup)
3 months free Showtime (again, big whoop, I rarely watch pay channels)
Free Superfan package (necessary to watch ST in HD, $99 value)
ST price broken into 7 installments (yeah, wow ... didn't care much about that one either)
And they are going to install it on Tuesday. I was surprised at that.

I tried to get a free OTA antenna, but she wasn't budging on that one. Since my indoor antenna is so flakey, I went ahead and ordered the antenna from them to have it installed with my new dish. Hopefully that will help with my local reception -- I'm mainly concerned with the NBC night games this year, and my indoor antenna has a hell of a time getting channel 5.

So there you go. In the end, my damage was $40 for the antenna, a new 2 year commitment, and the lease fee (I know, it sucks). I was ready to plop down $400 before the season started to get the HD package, so I'm glad this came along. I really had no intention of cancelling my ST, so I'm glad they didn't call my bluff :)

Wow, not bad at all. Funny that they wouldn't budge on the cheapest thing.

I know, huh? Some other people were able to get the antenna for free. I guess it all depends on what CSR you get. Mine was pleasant enough, but I guess each one has their own "free" threshold :) My method was to take her initial offer, and then ask questions I already knew the answer to ("So, do I get my games in HD with this HD-Tivo?" ... "Well, you have to have Superfan for that, but we'll also include that for free."). I was happy enough to get what I got, so I didn't push too hard for the free antenna.

Gotta say, I'm excited about seeing the games in HD this year without having to move my antenna around the room to catch a signal.

Does anyone have any info when "D" will roll out the local HD stations? Last I heard was starting 3rd quarter and that is next month. Just curious when Memphis will be added so we will no longer have to worry about antennaes and signal strength variances.

The CSR who I talked to when I was getting the freebies said "late 2006" for the locals here. She said there was some offer where I could possibly get network HD channels from other cities, but I told her I'd pass and try the antenna.

Take it with a grain of salt though, I'm sure these CSRs probably know less than we do about the rollout plan.

Probably around the same time Comcast rolls out in our area. :)

Well my install was last night. Poor guy took 4 hours, about the same amount of time the original D* install took. Anyway, I know people have problems with quality of the D* HD picture, and maybe I haven't be exposed to anything better, but the PQ, to me, is amazing. I turned to Discovery HD and I literally gasped -- I finally had the same picture I've seen on the TVs in electronics stores. And the OTA antenna (the most time-consuming part) actually picks up all the locals with no problems -- OK, one problem, for some reason WMC pixelated and disappeared for a few seconds, but came back on steady after that.

So I went through the Discovery HD listing and set a bunch of programs to Tivo -- I'm sure I'll get sick of it sooner or later, but for now, I want to enjoy this PQ being new to me :) Can't wait for football season.

Anyway, I know people have problems with quality of the D* HD picture, and maybe I haven't be exposed to anything better, but the PQ, to me, is amazing. I turned to Discovery HD and I literally gasped -- I finally had the same picture I've seen on the TVs in electronics stores.
Did you have HD before? If so did you notice any improvement with the new equipment?

I was using a Radio Shack HD receiver along with a Terk indoor antenna. I've only really watched football on HD, since I really don't watch any of the network shows that are in HD (except SNL). I did turn it to Leno last night just to see how it looked, and it didn't look any better or worse than I remember. It is nice to have the OTA channels included in the Tivo guide.

Did you have HD before? If so did you notice any improvement with the new equipment?Speaking of new equipment and HD PQ, has anyone been watching the NBA finals on WPTY OTA? PQ has not impressed me through three games, and I'm wondering if it has something to do with a new PJ I'm evaluating...

Chase

My DTv guy hooked up my HD antenna on the side of the deck in Collierville and the reception stinks! Will it help putting it on the roof? I was told the HD reception here was poor cause were far from the satellite signals. (?)

My DTv guy hooked up my HD antenna on the side of the deck in Collierville and the reception stinks! Will it help putting it on the roof? I was told the HD reception here was poor cause were far from the satellite signals. (?)
For clarification to get signals for your OTA antenna you would get the reception from towers. The D* dish gets it from satellite's.

Now, did the installer try anywhere else? Sometimes putting it on top of the house does work, but depending on how visible it is and if you care, it might be good enough to put in the attic. Go to www.antennaweb.org and enter in your address, and you will see which direction you need to point your antenna. If you are in Collierville you would need to point it north towards the Wolfchase area.

If you have a bunch of tall trees around you that could make it harder to get good reception. You could possibly move it inches and get great reception. You will just need to monkey with it. The line about being far from the towers is rubbish. Many people from further away than you can pick them up.

...has anyone been watching the NBA finals on WPTY OTA? PQ has not impressed me through three games, and I'm wondering if it has something to do with a new PJ I'm evaluating...I'm still seeing massive blocking, now with the old PJ. I'm surprised no one else has commented. There must not be any NBA fans in the house...

Chase

Now, did the installer try anywhere else? ....
If you have a bunch of tall trees around you that could make it harder to get good reception. You could possibly move it inches and get great reception. You will just need to monkey with it. The line about being far from the towers is rubbish. Many people from further away than you can pick them up.




He didn't try anywhere else. His position was that the antenna being on the deck (next to the D* satellite) was as good as anywhere else. I do a single tree farly close, but not directly in front. I do have my neighbors house about 40ft beyond that. (which I questioned, but again he thought it shouldn't make a difference)

I have it positioned NW towards Wolfchase and it seems to be the DB2 from AD.

Would a pre-amp help and are there any recommendations of one? (or should I just move it?) Thanks alot!

He didn't try anywhere else. His position was that the antenna being on the deck (next to the D* satellite) was as good as anywhere else. I do have my neighbors house about 40ft beyond that. (which I questioned, but again he thought it shouldn't make a difference)
Sounds like you got a winner!

I have it positioned NW towards Wolfchase and it seems to be the DB2 from AD.

Would a pre-amp help and are there any recommendations of one? (or should I just move it?) Thanks alot!
I'm sorry, what do you mean by DB2 from AD?

A pre-amp might help. What kind of antenna are you using? Some antennas already come powered. Are the signals steady low, or are they fluctuation from high to low?

I'm sorry, what do you mean by DB2 from AD?I understand him to mean a double bow-tie antenna like the DB2 from Antennas Direct. Which should be plenty of antenna for Collierville. Pullyb, you are probably less than 15 miles from the towers. I can't imagine how you could have low signal strength, even on the deck. I would think a pre-amp could only make matters worse.the reception stinks!What exactly are the symptoms of stinky reception?

What exactly are the symptoms of stinky reception?
AH! No wonder the room starts to smell like rotten eggs when I turn on WMC-DT OTA! :p

I understand him to mean a double bow-tie antenna like the DB2 from Antennas Direct. Which should be plenty of antenna for Collierville. Pullyb, you are probably less than 15 miles from the towers. I can't imagine how you could have low signal strength, even on the deck. I would think a pre-amp could only make matters worse.What exactly are the symptoms of stinky reception?

Yes that is the antenna Neil. The symptoms are no signal at all, pixal breakage( picture breaks up and motion stops), loss of sound, etc... It's typical digital problems, you either have a great picture or nothing at all.

Actually, there's a third option: Massive breakup. You're kinda halfway in the middle. You CAN get some kind of signal, but not one that's strong enough for a solid picture.

Actually, there's a third option: Massive breakup. You're kinda halfway in the middle. You CAN get some kind of signal, but not one that's strong enough for a solid picture.


That sounds alot like what I'm getting. Breakup is a good way to describe it. ABC is the only network I get with any consistancy and that will even breakup during the most beautiful weather or look great in a storm. Will a larger or further reaching antenna do it? It sounds like an amplifier would only distort it, reading from above.

I'd place money on interference from trees, buildings, etc. There's a lot of things that can do it.
I doubt an amplifer would help much.

My recommendation? Try, and try, and try. Move that antenna around, a lot. There's almost always that one little spot where it all just, clicks. (I used to have that... but I can't get WMC to work anymore :()

The symptoms are no signal at all, pixal breakage( picture breaks up and motion stops), loss of sound, etc... It's typical digital problems, you either have a great picture or nothing at all.My quess is multi-path distortion. You are picking up reflected signals that are just as strong, or almost as strong, as the direct signal. And your receiver gets confused. :confused:

Solution=What ravma479 said. There is also "The Official AVS Antenna Topic!" thread somewhere around here. Some very knowledgeable people, (installers, broadcast engineers, and ordinary folk like us) hang out there.

Hey Neil, you're a good ways out. Are you able to get everything? What antenna do you use?

My DTv guy hooked up my HD antenna.Another thing. Did he attach the antenna to the dish? The antenna needs to be ten feet, or more, away from any metal objects.

Hey Neil, you're a good ways out. Are you able to get everything? What antenna do you use?When the dew point is high, like it is now, I get excellent reception from all the Memphis channels. I can usually get channel 39 out of Jackson also. But, I'm really too far away to get reliable reception without some help from favorable atmospheric conditions. I'm using a CM4228 with a pre-amp, mounted on a 30ft mast, and my house is in a slight valley. I think if I could get my antenna about 100ft above ground level, I could clear the hill and tall wooded area that is near me in the direction of the towers. But I'm not sure it would make enough difference to be worth the cost.

When the dew point is high, like it is now, I get excellent reception from all the Memphis channels. I can usually get channel 39 out of Jackson also.
Damn!! Considering Jackson is around mile marker 80, and the tower farm is around 16, that's amazing.

Another thing. Did he attach the antenna to the dish? The antenna needs to be ten feet, or more, away from any metal objects.

Sorry for the delay, having a pool put in at the same time as dealing with this!
Project juggling at it's best.

Thanks for the advice on the distance, the antenna is not attached to the dish, but it is less than 5 feet away from it. Am going to try moving it to a better spot today. Lovely day here in Memphis!

I know I don't live in the area, but I came across this on the internet and I thought I would pass the info along. I will put a link to the article below. I thought ya'll like to know.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/. . . . (http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/tvstations/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002726684)

NashDigie signing off.

I wonder if i or PAX is setup for HD right now? I just might add 50 back into my guide once this channel starts.

I wonder if i or PAX is setup for HD right now? I just might add 50 back into my guide once this channel starts.

HD? LOL! Last time I looked they had 3 or 4 subchannels to take a bite out of HD bandwidth :)

50-1 thru 50-4. Like I said earlier, WMC is close to catching up with them. Just 1 channel off.

Anyone else watch Law & Order: SVU on WMC-DT tonight? On HD OTA, I could only hear what sounded like just the ambient sounds from the surround channels coming out of the front channels. No dialog could be heard. Tried the downmix through the built-in speakers on the TV and the DD 5.1 track through the AV receiver. Same thing on both. Commercials were fine though. Anyone notice this?

Switched to DirecTV locals and the sound was normal. Weird.

I noticed it. I've run into it once or twice before, and I think I know what happened. I think they get a Dolby 5.1 source from the network and for whatever reason "convert" it to Dolby 2.0 by subtracting every other channel - including the center channel that carries all the dialog. Actually, I think this time it was Dolby 2.1, because I got the left, right, and LFE channels.

I noticed it also... no center channel dialog.

Jerry