Memphis, TN - HDTV [Text View] - Page 15

mx6bfast

09-07-06, 10:42 PM

Tonight's game on WMC. To try to be fair I put in both awful and good shots.

http://img466.imageshack.us/img466/3912/wmc907061dj6.th.jpg (http://img466.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wmc907061dj6.jpg) http://img321.imageshack.us/img321/3332/wmc907062cf1.th.jpg (http://img321.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wmc907062cf1.jpg) http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/6389/wmc907063xh5.th.jpg (http://img175.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wmc907063xh5.jpg) http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/6379/wmc907064ii8.th.jpg (http://img181.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wmc907064ii8.jpg) http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/4604/wmc907065rb0.th.jpg (http://img175.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wmc907065rb0.jpg) http://img321.imageshack.us/img321/422/wmc907066ds2.th.jpg (http://img321.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wmc907066ds2.jpg) http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/5265/wmc907067ql9.th.jpg (http://img175.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wmc907067ql9.jpg) http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/6736/wmc907068kc4.th.jpg (http://img175.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wmc907068kc4.jpg)
And what WMC is sending us tonight, which is about the normal:
http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/4821/capturewizct5.th.jpg (http://img175.imageshack.us/my.php?image=capturewizct5.jpg)

ravma479

09-07-06, 11:35 PM

Does anyone know yet about The CW. Will they show the programs at 10pm and later like last year, or will they now be on at normal time. Like Smallville at 7pm cst instead of 10pm. I kinda hope they stay on late. It makes it easier to get them all Tivo'ed. I may run into problems if the go to reg time.

Yeah, UPN 30 becomes The CW 30. The reason WB programming airs at 10 is that they are a UPN affiliate, but they have an agreement with the WB to tape delay the programming. Since UPN and The WB are shutting down, they won't have but 1 channel's programming to run, so...

Bottom line: 7-9 PM will be The CW. They have no reason to tape delay it. This also means we get HD again!

jdmac29

09-08-06, 11:19 AM

Have read where they stated the 5th or 6th, my h20 does not pick them up.
Does anyone know if receiver requires a reset? I have the 5lnb dish also.
Thanks
jdmac29

mx6bfast

09-08-06, 11:56 AM

Have read where they stated the 5th or 6th, my h20 does not pick them up.
Does anyone know if receiver requires a reset? I have the 5lnb dish also.
Thanks
jdmac29
You'd probably see it here once it does go live, http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=57386&page=6. I would say call D*, but your iq will drop instantly once they answer.

mx6bfast

09-09-06, 05:37 PM

Action sports on WMC:

http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/6376/wmc909061iu7.th.jpg (http://img64.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wmc909061iu7.jpg) http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/7183/wmc909062lu4.th.jpg (http://img64.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wmc909062lu4.jpg) http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/8329/wmc909063hv8.th.jpg (http://img64.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wmc909063hv8.jpg) http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/3411/wmc909064at8.th.jpg (http://img410.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wmc909064at8.jpg) http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/8982/wmc909065tb1.th.jpg (http://img145.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wmc909065tb1.jpg)
http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/6121/wmc909066qx6.th.jpg (http://img136.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wmc909066qx6.jpg) http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/9065/wmc909067cd0.th.jpg (http://img136.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wmc909067cd0.jpg) http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/6979/wmc909068eu6.th.jpg (http://img136.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wmc909068eu6.jpg) http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/3796/wmc909069ua2.th.jpg (http://img136.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wmc909069ua2.jpg) http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/2505/wmc9090610zk2.th.jpg (http://img156.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wmc9090610zk2.jpg)

mx6bfast

09-09-06, 05:38 PM

Bitrate for Action Sports:
http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/2193/capturewiz002go3.th.jpg (http://img245.imageshack.us/my.php?image=capturewiz002go3.jpg)

mx6bfast

09-09-06, 05:39 PM

Notre Dame game:
http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/7347/wmcnd1it9.th.jpg (http://img177.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wmcnd1it9.jpg) http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/6540/wmcnd2ta1.th.jpg (http://img245.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wmcnd2ta1.jpg) http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/2093/wmcnd3zx4.th.jpg (http://img156.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wmcnd3zx4.jpg) http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/6151/wmcnd4zu0.th.jpg (http://img245.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wmcnd4zu0.jpg) http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/7811/wmcnd5jw0.th.jpg (http://img156.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wmcnd5jw0.jpg) http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/8259/wmcnd6rk2.th.jpg (http://img156.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wmcnd6rk2.jpg)

Bitrate:
http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/5551/capturewiz003qx5.th.jpg (http://img245.imageshack.us/my.php?image=capturewiz003qx5.jpg)

mx6bfast

09-09-06, 05:39 PM

Game on WPTY:
http://img353.imageshack.us/img353/3738/wpty99061mb5.th.jpg (http://img353.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wpty99061mb5.jpg) http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/1593/wpty99062rp6.th.jpg (http://img218.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wpty99062rp6.jpg) http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/9767/wpty99063nb3.th.jpg (http://img218.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wpty99063nb3.jpg) http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/857/wpty99064ga2.th.jpg (http://img218.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wpty99064ga2.jpg) http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/6936/wpty99065ax2.th.jpg (http://img245.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wpty99065ax2.jpg)
http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/84/wpty99066qp9.th.jpg (http://img245.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wpty99066qp9.jpg) http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/9845/wpty99067gc2.th.jpg (http://img218.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wpty99067gc2.jpg) http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/7761/wpty99068ky7.th.jpg (http://img245.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wpty99068ky7.jpg) http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/3073/wpty99069ss9.th.jpg (http://img245.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wpty99069ss9.jpg)

Bitrate:
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/9851/capturewiz004np5.th.jpg (http://img218.imageshack.us/my.php?image=capturewiz004np5.jpg)

mx6bfast

09-09-06, 05:40 PM

I tried to get the same type of shots for the football games on both channels. Tell me which on you prefer.

home_theatre_man

09-09-06, 07:13 PM

I tried to get the same type of shots for the football games on both channels. Tell me which on you prefer.Good one. :D

Chase

jawilljr

09-09-06, 10:25 PM

Anybody receiving WMC-DT? I am getting the dreaded "Searching for signal".

Jerry

mollerup

09-10-06, 09:34 AM

home_theatre_man

09-10-06, 11:16 AM

This Notre Dame game was probably the worst image quality I think I've ever seen on an HD game. Sad to even call that HD.I cannot imagine it being any worse than the NFL Kickoff Thursday night. :D

Chase

soccercoach61

09-10-06, 08:36 PM

Hi guys, I've been reading this forum for quite a while, but this is my first post...

Is it just me or since TW became Comcrapic, has the audio on 805 started doing some funky things, like dropping to the surround channels on non-HD commercials and at odd points during HD broadcasts? I'm watching the Colts/Giants game and when the players introduced themselves, their voices were only (barely) coming out of the rear channels.... and the commercials I only get the LFE feed. I didn't notice it doing this a couple of weeks ago.

I have the 8300 DVR feeding into a Yamaha rxv2500 (component video and fiber audio) and the receiver drives a Philips plasma if that makes any difference, but this has been set up this way for almost a year with no problems until very recently.

I was a long time D* customer; I'm seriously thinking about going back soon.

Thanks in advance.

ravma479

09-10-06, 08:58 PM

Ooh! Comcrapic. I prefer straight up Comcrap myself, but opening with a joke, that's good way to start. :) Welcome to the forums! Nice to have you on board.

I haven't noticed anything, but then again, I don't watch WMC very often. I'd bet money that it was WMC itself having the problems. They couldn't have screwed it up this soon, could they?

mx6bfast

09-10-06, 09:44 PM

WHBQ-DT is down. Missed Family Guy but luckily caught it in time for The War at Home. Looks like I am changing all of my SP's back to channel 88.

WMC looks awful as usual. Even the pregame looked bad with the highlights from other games on other channels.

soccercoach61

09-11-06, 12:08 AM

ravma479

09-11-06, 12:16 AM

It's quite possible it's a national issue. NBC-HD isn't exactly reliable (or HD for that matter....)

home_theatre_man

09-11-06, 01:16 AM

Is it just me or since TW became Comcrapic, has the audio on 805 started doing some funky things, like dropping to the surround channels on non-HD commercials and at odd points during HD broadcasts?I just finished watching the Colts/Giants game on DVR from TWC/Comcast. There were a couple of minor audio production glitches, but nothing that lasted more than a second or two. PQ was predictably bad.

I'm watching the Colts/Giants game and when the players introduced themselves, their voices were only (barely) coming out of the rear channels...The voices shouldn't be coming from the surround channels at all.

Chase

mx6bfast

09-12-06, 10:03 AM

Did anyone see if Wheel or Jeopardy were in HD yesterday? I sent an email to David at WMC but I didn’t get a response yet. He must’ve been off or something since he usually responds pretty quickly.

I heard that there was some t-shirt printed up for the Manning vs Manning game. I wonder if they make them with blocks around the edges of them? :)

mx6bfast

09-12-06, 11:42 AM

I got this from the WPXX form I filled out last week:

At this point in time we do not broadcast in HD. In the future we might. Thank you for your feedback.

Alissa
Audience Relations Coordinator
ION Media Networks

ravma479

09-12-06, 07:32 PM

No HD for Wheel, Didn't see Jeopardy.

soccercoach61

09-13-06, 08:37 AM

This morning, with the advent of the Today Show in HD, WMC seems to be working on the sound... It only dropped out of the center channel once this morning on 805... 5 works just fine, and every other station works fine.

Too weird.

mx6bfast

09-13-06, 10:21 AM

I caught a little bit of the Today show this morning while I was getting ready. I wasn't impressed with the PQ at all. When someone's face would move, it would go out of focus and then finally catch up and look decent for a second until they moved again.

ravma479

09-13-06, 10:32 AM

What?! You mean to tell me that NBC's picture quality was lacking in sharpness, detail and overall quality?

My mom had the TV on and she was impressed by the HD, until I realized she was on the SD channel.... (I switched it to the HD and she was REALLY impressed then, but, it was just a static shot of them standing around.)

mx6bfast

09-13-06, 11:02 AM

What?! You mean to tell me that NBC's picture quality was lacking in sharpness, detail and overall quality?
It sounds strange, doesn't it? I'll try to check tomorrow if I can get some numbers on the bitrate. I have to be at work earlier tomorrow so it might have to wait until Friday.

soccercoach, even tho I don't have Comcast I wouldn't doubt that there are strange issues that pop up. In my situation I can not touch my antenna, and WLMT-DT will be stuck at 100% for a few days and they all the sudden it wont be more than say 50%. Then it will go back to 100%. :confused:

Rthoreau

09-13-06, 12:36 PM

seturner

09-13-06, 12:56 PM

According to Directv, NBC and Fox are now available in HD in Memphis!

mx6bfast

09-13-06, 01:33 PM

mx6bfast you trying to make baby jesus cry! I don't watch much football but that makes me sick! How do they get away with stuff like that?

I do have comcast, and yes the sound will drop to stereo during commercials, and other odd times. As far as hearing sound out of different channels, I would say it depends on your receiver. For example I was watching a 5.1 stream on TNT then switched to 2.1 on local news, I was hearing the stereo coming out of the rear channels. I just leave my receiver set on DTS cinema, or Dolby prologic 2, as my wife has a slight hearing problem, and she likes to hear the voices out of the center channel.

I am still not convinced that what they say is 5.1 isn't really 5.1 I think some up converting is used on some shows. I know at times that my receiver tell's me it's 5.1 but it sure does not sound like 5.1 even if I set it right, which means turning off dobly prologic, or DTS. If your curious I use the xr55 panny receiver. Or if you say watch a 5.1 on TV then watch the dvd, it always seems that the dvd sounds better even if it is supposed to be 5.1 on both.
hehe, I'll try to get some non-crap shots for you. You might be waiting for a while for those tho. :)

As far as 5.1, I agree. I do know that ABC lights up as 5.1, but it's really stereo or something like that. There are a few threads in the programming area about it. I do know that Without A Trace is lit as 5.1, but when WREG doesn't change to 5.1 and is only stereo it comes thru just fine. If they change audio formats for this season then that might change.

I do remember CBS SEC and NFL games always have a good 5.1 mix, I think. I've only watched about 20 minutes of preseason on WREG while my wife has been asleep on the couch, so I had to have the audio down real low. But this weekend we will see at least the SEC games in HD, so we should hear the 5.1 then.

jdmac29

09-13-06, 03:15 PM

I will check again tonight but the last word was 9/5 or 9/6 and no luck on those days either. I tt Directv on Monday 9/11 and they stated Fall 06.

According to Directv, NBC and Fox are now available in HD in Memphis!

mx6bfast

09-13-06, 03:40 PM

Yeah I heard the same thing when I called them Saturday trying to find out why we weren't getting the Ole Miss game in HD. I was told the same thing. I sent an email to the engineer at WPTY/WLMT to find out if he could share any info.

home_theatre_man

09-13-06, 03:45 PM

DTV Dave,

Another season of football is here and I'm back to wondering why I get DialNorm 25 from WHBQ and DN 27 from D* for FOX NFL Sunday. :) I checked C* and the DN value from WHBQ is 25 there as well. Do you remember where we left this last year?

BTW, the NFL on CBS is DN 31 from both D* and WREG OTA. I haven't checked C*, but it stands to reason it would be DN 31, too.

The problem is, when I switch from the FOX game on WHBQ to a CBS game, the volume jumps 6dB by virtue of the DN values. When you have NFL Sunday Ticket and are switching rapid-fire between 10 games, it's impossible to manually adjust the volume every time. When I try to strike a compromise, my crowd complains that CBS is too loud and they can't hear the FOX commentators.

If there's anything you can do about it, I would really appreciate it. ;) The 4dB difference on D* between FOX at 27 and CBS at 31 is bad enough.

You know, one would think that if DN isn't going to be used, it could not be used by everyone at the same value. :D

Chase

seturner

09-13-06, 04:16 PM

I will check again tonight but the last word was 9/5 or 9/6 and no luck on those days either. I tt Directv on Monday 9/11 and they stated Fall 06.

When I said "according to Directv" I meant their web site. This is not from word of mouth or a CSR. Just plug in a Memphis area zip on the web site where it says check for locals, and it lists these two channels.

On the general HD local info. page, it says September for Memphis

ravma479

09-13-06, 04:32 PM

No Jeopardy HD either..

mx6bfast

09-13-06, 04:44 PM

Another season of football is here and I'm back to wondering why I get DialNorm 25 from WHBQ and DN 27 from D* for FOX NFL Sunday. :) I checked C* and the DN value from WHBQ is 25 there as well. Do you remember where we left this last year?

BTW, the NFL on CBS is DN 31 from both D* and WREG OTA. I haven't checked C*, but it stands to reason it would be DN 31, too.

The problem is, when I switch from the FOX game on WHBQ to a CBS game, the volume jumps 6dB by virtue of the DN values. When you have NFL Sunday Ticket and are switching rapid-fire between 10 games, it's impossible to manually adjust the volume every time. When I try to strike a compromise, my crowd complains that CBS is too loud and they can't hear the FOX commentators.

If there's anything you can do about it, I would really appreciate it. ;) The 4dB difference on D* between FOX at 27 and CBS at 31 is bad enough.

You know, one would think that if DN isn't going to be used, it could not be used by everyone at the same value. :D
I've complained about this before. WHBQ, WPTY, and WLMT all seem to be lower than the others. I change the channel off the DT station and I have to find the remote to turn it down before my wife asks me to turn it down.

This is the first season us OTA'ers with D* have had the opportunity to watch 2 different games on FOX at one time.

ravma479

09-13-06, 04:56 PM

As far as 5.1, I agree. I do know that ABC lights up as 5.1, but it's really stereo or something like that. There are a few threads in the programming area about it. I do know that Without A Trace is lit as 5.1, but when WREG doesn't change to 5.1 and is only stereo it comes thru just fine. If they change audio formats for this season then that might change.

Without a Trace is NOT 5.1, it's upconverted Dolby Surround. In addition, nearly ALL the CW (WB/UPN) shows are upconverted, check the DVD sets. Veronica Mars, Gilmore Girls, Smallville, Supernatural... All Dolby Surround Stereo on DVD....

FYI, Anyone curious as to what we are missing with Wheel/Jep:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=709567&page=7&pp=30

Looks GREAT, though I wish they would frame for 16x9. It would look a lot better.

mx6bfast

09-13-06, 05:08 PM

Without a Trace is NOT 5.1, it's upconverted Dolby Surround. In addition, nearly ALL the CW (WB/UPN) shows are upconverted, check the DVD sets. Veronica Mars, Gilmore Girls, Smallville, Supernatural... All Dolby Surround Stereo on DVD....
When I was writing in my own mind I was saying that it wasn't really in 5.1. Re-reading it I didn't quite say it.
FYI, Anyone curious as to what we are missing with Wheel/Jep:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=709567&page=7&pp=30

Looks GREAT, though I wish they would frame for 16x9. It would look a lot better.
Wheel would look pretty good in HD with all the colors. I'd just be worried what the wheel turning would look like.

ravma479

09-13-06, 05:11 PM

Re-reading it, I kind of get what you meant. But yeah, the point is that not all '5.1' is 5.1.

LOL! I forgot, it would air on WMC. Maybe it's for the best that we don't have it in HD..

jdmac29

09-14-06, 10:32 AM

NBC & FOX were on the satellite last night, MPEG 4 picture was good and very comparable to my OTA antenna picture. Watched Tonight Show and it was in DD, will check FOX DD tonight.
jdmac29

When I said "according to Directv" I meant their web site. This is not from word of mouth or a CSR. Just plug in a Memphis area zip on the web site where it says check for locals, and it lists these two channels.

On the general HD local info. page, it says September for Memphis

DTV Dave

09-14-06, 10:39 AM

DTV Dave,

Another season of football is here and I'm back to wondering why I get DialNorm 25 from WHBQ and DN 27 from D* for FOX NFL Sunday. :) I checked C* and the DN value from WHBQ is 25 there as well. Do you remember where we left this last year?

Chase

We're still in the same situation as last year. We have a new encoder that will let us set the dialnorm level wherever we want to (preferably to the right value), but we're still waiting on a couple of other pieces of equipment to come in before we can put it on the air. Without the other equipment, we couldn't pass closed captioning, and the FCC would spank us for that! It has been used on the air for short periods for testing, and it is a big improvement over the old one (not really visible to the viewer, but the table timing is better so receivers should have an easier time staying locked). And of course we can set dialnorm.

Last year I ran the audio levels going into the encoder as high as I could without causing distortion to make up for the bad dialnorm number. It's as close as I can get to matching everyone else without screwing stuff up. Hopefully, it won't be much longer.

By the way, we're operating with only one transmitter cabinet (50% power) due to another high-voltage arcing problem that burned up some wires. We think that the humid outside air is condensing in the conduit once it gets into the building and hits cooler air. It makes a puddle in the conduit - not exactly good for high-voltage!

It's always something!

mx6bfast

09-14-06, 10:42 AM

home_theatre_man

09-14-06, 01:11 PM

We have a new encoder that will let us set the dialnorm level wherever we want to, but we're still waiting on a couple of other pieces of equipment to come in before we can put it on the air. It has been used on the air for short periods for testing, and it is a big improvement over the old one (not really visible to the viewer, but the table timing is better so receivers should have an easier time staying locked).That's great news! Thanks for the update. I thought I remembered something about a new encoder. You are on top of things as usual.

And of course we can set dialnorm (preferably to the right value).Have you thought about how/where you are going to set it?

By the way, we're operating with only one transmitter cabinet (50% power) due to another high-voltage arcing problem that burned up some wires. We think that the humid outside air is condensing in the conduit once it gets into the building and hits cooler air. It makes a puddle in the conduit - not exactly good for high-voltage!Yikes! Not good, indeed. :eek: Good luck fixing it!

Chase

ravma479

09-14-06, 01:46 PM

Via DSLReports.com:
"Comcast yesterday announced that the cable provider would be offering 100 hours of high-definition video-on-demand (HD VOD) programs on its ON DEMAND service starting September 15. The company says they've served up three billion on demand programs since 2004. "

http://www.cmcsk.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=147565&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=904911&highlight=

"Industry-Leading HD VOD Push Kicks Off with Starz HD ON DEMAND and Encore HD ON DEMAND During Starz Free Preview September 15-17.
...
Comcast and Starz Entertainment today announced that at least 20 high-definition movies from Starz Entertainment will be available each month."

Unfortunately, We don't have Starz HD in Memphis, so I doubt we will be getting this free preview weekend, at least not the HD side of things. But it is good to see HD On Demand FINALLY rolling out.

ravma479

09-14-06, 06:32 PM

Just a note here, I noticed that WMC is now splicing Nightly News to the Digital Feed. It looks a LOT sharper now. Although it's obviously still SD video, it's much, much better.

soccercoach61

09-14-06, 10:59 PM

Via DSLReports:
"Comcast yesterday announced that the cable provider would be offering 100 hours of high-definition video-on-demand (HD VOD) programs on its ON DEMAND service starting September 15. The company says they've served up three billion on demand programs since 2004. "

"Industry-Leading HD VOD Push Kicks Off with Starz HD ON DEMAND and Encore HD ON DEMAND During Starz Free Preview September 15-17.
...
Comcast and Starz Entertainment today announced that at least 20 high-definition movies from Starz Entertainment will be available each month."

Unfortunately, We don't have Starz HD in Memphis, so I doubt we will be getting this free preview weekend, at least not the HD side of things. But it is good to see HD On Demand FINALLY rolling out.

I think somewhere in that article, it also says that Comcast offers ESPN2-HD... but if you go to the Comcast site, it says that Comcast is not available in Memphis.

On a different note, I tried an experiment tonight. I installed an 80" boom antenna in my attic to pick up the OTA HD channels on my TV. The OTA signal showed no difference in sound between HD and SD programming on the digital channel. Switching the input back to Comcrap, the problem is still there, so it looks like Comcrap is causing the drop. Maybe I need to replace my HD-DVR...

Or maybe I just need to change my service.

ravma479

09-15-06, 10:03 AM

Memphis gets shafted again, No Starz free preview weekend.

Are we Comcast or not?!

Then again, we still have HDNet...

jdmac29

09-15-06, 10:13 AM

I checked on Monday and they were not there. I did not look Tuesday.
I have the new Directv HR20-700 DVR.

Was that the first night they were live? Do you have the DVR or the regular stb?

DTV Dave

09-15-06, 10:20 AM

That's great news! Thanks for the update. I thought I remembered something about a new encoder. You are on top of things as usual.

Have you thought about how/where you are going to set it?

Chase
Since we don't have a Dolby Dialog Meter, I'll have to do it the old fashioned way - watch the audio level for dialog (fortunately the court shows have nothing but dialog) and set the dialnorm for that level (after pulling the audio back down to give me about 20 dB of headroom - right now we have about 5 dB left before we go into distortion).

However, where the rubber meets the road is how it sounds to you guys. I'll get you to help me fine tune the setting by listening to us compared to other sources. The Fox dialnorm will be passed through by the splicer, so the only thing I can change is the local programming, but I'll monitor the network levels compared to their dialnorm to see if they (or whoever supplies the shows) have theirs set right.

home_theatre_man

09-15-06, 02:32 PM

Since we don't have a Dolby Dialog Meter, I'll have to do it the old fashioned way - watch the audio level for dialog (fortunately the court shows have nothing but dialog) and set the dialnorm for that level (after pulling the audio back down to give me about 20 dB of headroom - right now we have about 5 dB left before we go into distortion). However, where the rubber meets the road is how it sounds to you guys. I'll get you to help me fine tune the setting by listening to us compared to other sources.I will be happy to monitor the other affiliates during local programming and let you know what their DN values are. That might be a good starting point.

The Fox dialnorm will be passed through by the splicer, so the only thing I can change is the local programming, but I'll monitor the network levels compared to their dialnorm to see if they (or whoever supplies the shows) have theirs set right.Now see this is the source of my question. I see different DN values from WHBQ and D* for FOX NFL Sunday games. Assuming everyone is getting the same feed from FOX, somebody downstream has to be changing the DN. Perhaps I am mistaken and FOX is sending a different DN value to D*. Dave, let me ask you this. If I wanted to contact someone at FOX about this, do you know where I should call?

Chase

mx6bfast

09-15-06, 02:53 PM

Memphis gets shafted again, No Starz free preview weekend.

Are we Comcast or not?!

Then again, we still have HDNet...
This is the new symbol for TW/C. Kinda like Prince.

۞

ravma479

09-15-06, 09:04 PM

This is the new symbol for TW/C. Kinda like Prince.

۞

LOL! Duly noted.

BTW, Anyone with ۞, I've got a question. Why do we have 827 for Atlanta Braves baseball games in HD if they are always blacked out?! I flip it on whenever it actually has programming on, but NOTHING ever comes up.

And a note, The remastered and visually upgraded Trek starts showing this weekend. WPTY has picked it up, and will be airing it at 2am Monday Morning, however it will NOT be in HD. (It won't be in HD anywhere in the country for a while.)

hdtvluvr

09-15-06, 09:20 PM

Star Trek Enterprise starts Monday night on HDNet. It WILL be in HD.

ravma479

09-15-06, 10:51 PM

Of course it will, It's HDNet! ;) I can't wait for that!! They started airing Arrested Development this week too.

I will be so upset if Comcast drops HDNet. They have SO much good stuff. (Like Jake 2.0 late night!)

ravma479

09-16-06, 11:46 AM

UPN 30 is no more! The website officially shows WLMT as The CW 30. Such a sad day, I remember when WLMT was an independent station, airing Syndie Trek (both reruns and new eps). They had basically all syndie programming, and it was such a great station. Then Clear Channel...

Anyway, you can see the new logo here: http://www.myeyewitnessnews.com/images/mast_new/cw_30.jpg
I'm not a big fan of the CW's logo, but that's out of their hands.

(Edit: Actually, On air, they are still running the UPN 30 bug.)

FYI, The WB OFFICIALLY shuts down tomorrow night from 4-9, with a huge block of some of the pilot episodes from the best shows of the past 11 years. They're also going to show a ton of rare on-air promos and old WB stuff.

Also, I just noticed that Fox 13 has a new logo on the DT channel. They've finally gotten rid of their old horizontal 13 logo, and replaced it with their vertical logo. (Although, I'm not sure if this is going to work well, cause the previous logo was designed well to cover the national Fox logo)

mx6bfast

09-16-06, 06:52 PM

SO what does everyone think about all the games today? Personally, I'd rank them WPTY, WREG, & WMC.
WPTY isn't as sharp as I have seen before.
WREG, while better than last season, still had a lot of blocking on the screen. A lot more than I expected.
WMC, well, it's WMC and NBC.

I haven't had enough time today to get screen caps since I was in the AHA heartwalk today, but here are the bitrates right now. I'll see if I can get some caps from the games tonight.
http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/2111/wmc91606uv4.th.png (http://img176.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wmc91606uv4.png) http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/2207/wpty91606kt9.th.png (http://img156.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wpty91606kt9.png) http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/3971/wreg91606kb7.th.png (http://img176.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wreg91606kb7.png)

mx6bfast

09-16-06, 06:54 PM

redmikeu2

09-16-06, 08:24 PM

btw...I called WREG and spoke to someone in engineering and he had to check twice to make sure the game was in HD after I told him it was in HD. I told him the game this evening was in HD also, so hopefully they wont be later starting that game in HD.

It wasn't turned on until 7:18. Unbelievable!! I called and the news desk sounded annoyed...which means that they had gotten a few calls about it.

redram38

09-17-06, 01:44 PM

Does anyone here have the new HR20-700 yet and if so what locals are coming in now. Do they come in well or are they choppy like I have read elsewhere. Also has anyone that got the free HR10 upgraded and how much did they charge you. CSR told me when I got the HR10 that upgrade would be free, but we know how that goes sometimes. My OTA is pretty poor on 5-1 and 13-1 so i was just wondering if I should upgrade yet.
Thx

bigmikemac

09-17-06, 07:56 PM

I called last week trying to upgrade. I got the HR10 in February and was told then that the upgrade would be free or very minimal cost. When I called last week I was told $299, but the CSR told me she could give me $100 off because of what I was told in Feb and notated it on my account. I think I am going to wait until they get 3 and 24 on there or at least turn on the OTA tuner before I upgrade. I also think I am going to lean on them for more of a discount. Best Buy has it this week for 199 for new subscribers. I will pay that minus my 100 dollar upgrade credit that the csr promised me. I think 99 dollars is resonable.

redram38

09-17-06, 09:01 PM

I kinda figured they would FORGET about the free upgrade they promised. I will wait as well, maybe by then they will do it cheaper. I may have to look at a better OTA ant. The small one D* installed just don't cut it for 5-1 and 13-1. If anyone can suggest a better one. I live in the Macon Rd Sycamore View area 3814

mx6bfast

09-17-06, 09:54 PM

Also, I just noticed that Fox 13 has a new logo on the DT channel. They've finally gotten rid of their old horizontal 13 logo, and replaced it with their vertical logo. (Although, I'm not sure if this is going to work well, cause the previous logo was designed well to cover the national Fox logo)
Don't like it. Stands out too much.

mx6bfast

09-17-06, 10:18 PM

These are the DN's I got tonight:
WREG: 31
WMC: 27
WKNO: 27
WHBQ: 23
WPTY: 25
WLMT: 27

I've been testing out MPEG2Repair, and I captured this from the NFL game tonight.
File Size Processed: 1.03 GB, Play Time: 00h:09m:58s
1920 x 1080, 29.97 fps, 65.00 Mbps (13.95 Mbps Average).
Average Video Quality: 58.32 KB/Frame, 0.23 Bits/Pixel.
AC3 Audio: 3/2 Channels (L, C, R, SL, SR) + LFE, 48.0 kHz, 384 kbps.
Dialog Normalization: -27.0 dB, Center Mix Level: -3.0 dB, Surround Mix Level: -3.0 dB

ravma479

09-17-06, 11:44 PM

Don't like it. Stands out too much.

I concure, the vertical feels to contrary to the picture, widescreen. It looks way out of place, where as the old logo kind of blended in with the picture. Plus, the bottom is cut off on my TV. (Still can't get the overscan calibrated properly.) Although, the old logo was cut off partially on the right side.

WLMT is using The CW 30 in their promos now. They all match The CW's green scheme.. Ugly. Their newscast hasn't changed over though.

home_theatre_man

09-18-06, 12:02 AM

These are the DN's I got tonight:
WREG: 31
WMC: 27
WKNO: 27
WHBQ: 23
WPTY: 25
WLMT: 27Status quo. WHBQ and WPTY change depending on whether or not they are sending 2.0 or 5.1. As I recall, WPTY goes to 30 for 2.0 and WHBQ goes to 25 for 5.1.

For reference, the vast majority of movie soundtracks on DVD are DN 27.

Chase

jdmac29

09-18-06, 10:28 AM

NBC(5) AND FOX(13) are on currently. For me they are not as quite as sharp as the ota but they are in hd, no issues with choppiness but I have a great signal strength in the 90's with my 5lnb dish. D* said we would get ABC & CBS once negotiaions are done. I am new hd/dvr subscriber I have no info on upgrades.
My deal basically was $75.00 for the dvr, install free, 5lnb free, free hd for 12 months, I am a 11 yr subscriber with good payment history, I also told them they had to beat E* offer.

Does anyone here have the new HR20-700 yet and if so what locals are coming in now. Do they come in well or are they choppy like I have read elsewhere. Also has anyone that got the free HR10 upgraded and how much did they charge you. CSR told me when I got the HR10 that upgrade would be free, but we know how that goes sometimes. My OTA is pretty poor on 5-1 and 13-1 so i was just wondering if I should upgrade yet.
Thx

jdmac29

09-18-06, 10:32 AM

Go to radioshack get the uh75r, it is uhf only and put it in you attic. Go to antennaweb.org and put in you address, you will need a compass. I am 15-20 miles from the towers 13 and 5 come in but they are a little bit weaker on the signal strength.

I kinda figured they would FORGET about the free upgrade they promised. I will wait as well, maybe by then they will do it cheaper. I may have to look at a better OTA ant. The small one D* installed just don't cut it for 5-1 and 13-1. If anyone can suggest a better one. I live in the Macon Rd Sycamore View area 3814

tiger bob

09-18-06, 11:09 AM

I watched the games this weekend and I think that both games on NBC looked like garbage. If our NBC is only sending us less than 14 mb then that is outrageous. Apparently they could care less about what they picture looks like.

CBS didn't look as bad, but there was still a lot of motion blocking during any movement.

ABC and FOX looked tons better. At least when someone moved their head you could still see the outlines of their heads.

mx6bfast

09-18-06, 11:32 AM

I watched the games this weekend and I think that both games on NBC looked like garbage. If our NBC is only sending us less than 14 mb then that is outrageous. Apparently they could care less about what they picture looks like.
At some points during the game they were giving The Tube over 3mbs. No love for HD

mx6bfast

09-18-06, 11:35 AM

Has anyone with the HDTivo gotten the 6.3 upgrade yet?

hdtvluvr

09-18-06, 08:17 PM

I haven't gotten the upgrade yet. Is it worthwhile? What does it fix / accomplish?

HDTV_Duffus

09-18-06, 09:41 PM

Try this site.
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=316312

Basically the update adds, Folders, Better Speed, and some User Interface Changes (one page for Favorites/Chan You Receive, minor change to either WishList or To Do List - can't remember).

Also, the site says the role-out has been halted until an issue with the 72.5 & 95 sats have been fixed.

I received the update Friday and I'm mildly impressed. I expected better speed, but better than before the update.

Hope this helps.

Ron

redram38

09-18-06, 09:54 PM

Has anyone with the HDTivo gotten the 6.3 upgrade yet?

Yes I have gotten it and it has made it quite a bit faster. It added folders in the now playing list. Also when you change the guide to a diff date to set a season pass, it takes you back to the spot you changed it to when you are done. before it would take you back to the original place in the guide. This is one of the best features they changed. Not even my SD HDTivo will do that. It made setting up the new season much faster.

mx6bfast

09-19-06, 10:00 AM

When I was driving to work today I saw a billboard for ۞ that said "Drop the Dish. Get $500" It was just between Sycamore View and the bridge to get onto 240.

Wow, I'm going to really look into this. Are those people with the HD-DVR's happy with them? I've heard that non-HD channels look worse on ۞ than on D*. Is that correct? Also I'm sure the national HD channels look better. I've got a meeting to go to until about 11 so I'll give them a call after then. If it really is as good as it sound I just might have to put my D* account on hold.

mx6bfast

09-19-06, 04:21 PM

Ok here's the deal. For D* or E* customers. They can provide you with this deal that:
lasts for 18 months
one time only
no commitment
no cancellation fee if you leave early
and on the 19th month the price goes back to normal pricing.
they don't take your dish or stb's

Digipic 1000 is reduced from $60.45 to $20.45
Digipic 2000 is reduced from $76.45 to $36.45. This includes 14 HBO's and 10 Starz
Digipic 4000 is reduced from $85.45 to $45.45

Normal DVR and other fees remain the same.

Also, if you have RR the price goes down $4.95

mx6bfast

09-19-06, 05:29 PM

I have new questions about this now. It looks like this could save me pretty much the cost of RR if I went this route.

What type of HD-DVR's do ya'll have? Is there more than 1 available? Which ones have either an HDMI or DVI output? Has anyone added an external SATA drive to one? What are the dimensions of it? I can't find them anywhere.
How would you compare the SD channels on ۞ compared to D*? HD channels? Does the signal go out often?
Are channels 219 & 643 the same thing? Do you get HBO & SHO E&W HD even if you don't sub to them but sub to the HD tier?

he, I think that's it for now.

home_theatre_man

09-19-06, 07:19 PM

What type of HD-DVR's do ya'll have?Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300HD

Is there more than 1 available?I'm not aware of another HD DVR STB that they are distributing to new customers, but I am new to this game, too. I believe you have a couple of options for non-DVR HD STBs.

Which ones have either an HDMI or DVI output?The 8300HD has an HDMI output. The older 8000HD had a DVI output.

What are the dimensions of it? I can't find them anywhere.The 8300HD is roughly 16" x 11" x 3.5".

Do you get HBO & SHO E&W HD even if you don't sub to them but sub to the HD tier?No.

Chase

ravma479

09-19-06, 08:07 PM

If anyone's around right now, can you turn on Gilmore Girls for a minute and see if you are having the same issues I saw? There is MAJOR picture breakup. It's almost freezing every couple of seconds.

home_theatre_man

09-19-06, 09:08 PM

If anyone's around right now, can you turn on Gilmore Girls for a minute and see if you are having the same issues I saw? There is MAJOR picture breakup. It's almost freezing every couple of seconds.GG had gone off when I checked, but I saw the same thing on The CW preview. Source: C*

Chase

ravma479

09-19-06, 10:17 PM

You did see the picture breakup through Comcast? It was STILL happening during the news when I looked a few minutes ago. It looks like it's an encoder problem.
Can anyone with OTA confirm the same? I don't have a good enough antenna to pick up WLMT-DT.

And GG was HD! :D No DD5.1, but it doesn't matter cause most CW shows are Dolby Surround anyway...

mx6bfast

09-19-06, 10:36 PM

ravma479

09-19-06, 10:40 PM

Alrighty, I'll shoot off an email to CW 30 then.
At least this is happening NOW, not next week...

mx6bfast

09-19-06, 10:46 PM

I'll get in touch with Scott also. I'm waiting to hear from him about WPTY and possibly WLMT being up on D*.

jdmac29

09-20-06, 10:39 AM

Last night on my HR20-700 I switched channels to 24 expecting the 24 sd version but I got the HD VERSION, so now we have nbc, fox, and abc, only CBS is left.
The only thing I noticed last night was no DD 5.1 on the Dancing with the Stars show, I switched to my OTA antenna and 24hd has the sound in DD 5.1.
Picture was excellent very close to the OTA picture, I will watch some more hd shows tonight and see if the sound is fixed, if not I will let directv know about it.
jdmac29

jdmac29

09-20-06, 10:43 AM

Directv for now is only going to put of the big 4 networks, nbc, cbs, abc, and fox.
NO pbs or the new cw in hd for now.

I'll get in touch with Scott also. I'm waiting to hear from him about WPTY and possibly WLMT being up on D*.

mx6bfast

09-20-06, 11:35 AM

Last night on my HR20-700 I switched channels to 24 expecting the 24 sd version but I got the HD VERSION, so now we have nbc, fox, and abc, only CBS is left.
Email ron.walter@wreg.com to see if he will provide any type of status on this channel.
I watched CSI:Miami last night and while the low movement shots looked good, the screen was littered with blocking when screen changes, and a lot of movement. I guess the only good thing was they had the switch already flipped in time.
The only thing I noticed last night was no DD 5.1 on the Dancing with the Stars show, I switched to my OTA antenna and 24hd has the sound in DD 5.1.
I emailed the guy at WPTY to mention WLMT last night and also mentioned this too.
Picture was excellent very close to the OTA picture, I will watch some more hd shows tonight and see if the sound is fixed, if not I will let directv know about it.

Definately.
Directv for now is only going to put of the big 4 networks, nbc, cbs, abc, and fox.
NO pbs or the new cw in hd for now.
Doesn't hurt to ask. :cool:

Jeffrey T

09-20-06, 01:10 PM

mx6bfast

09-20-06, 01:32 PM

btw....they are looking into the issue on WLMT. He said he got another complaint about it.

I've heard the OTA is turned off right now too. They are planning on turning it on with a software upgrade. I'm not sure if that has been done yet.

ravma479

09-20-06, 03:24 PM

That other complaint was me. :D I got a reply that they had sent it to Engineering and that they'd get back to me.

mx6bfast

09-20-06, 04:02 PM

That other complaint was me. :D I got a reply that they had sent it to Engineering and that they'd get back to me.
Kinda figured. It will take him a day or so to respond to you if you haven't emailed him a few times already.

I guess for the newer people here are the emails that you need to contact the stations in case you have any issues. These contacts, except for David Brant I pulled from the websites. (Other contacts I haven't asked or gotten permission to provide their names)

WREG: ron.walter@wreg.com (station president and GM)
WMC: not one showing, either im EngDave or email the station pres and gm Lee Meredith lmeredith@wmctv.com
WKNO: wknopi@wkno.org
WHBQ: david.brant@foxtv.com chief engineer, DTV Dave
WPTY: programming@abc24.com (will probably take a few days to get a response back, if you get one at all) or new email marshallhart@clearchannel.com , Engineer
WLMT: programming@abc24.com or new email pambridges@clearchannel.com (will forward to either Marshall above or most likely Scott @ WLMT

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
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After hours or weekends, call the newsroom or hotline number and ask for engineering or master control.

ravma479

09-20-06, 04:07 PM

Hey, thanks for reposting that, mx.

Can you edit that post and add in a phrase or something, like Phone List? Maybe not that generic. Something unique that would make it easy to find when I use the Search this Thread option. I'll bookmark the page, but I know that I'll lose it. I spent 10 minutes looking for the list last night..

mx6bfast

09-20-06, 04:26 PM

Sure, I have a better idea

mx6bfast

09-20-06, 04:27 PM

Since it's close to the bottom of this screen, maybe if I get this page to 3600 then......

mx6bfast

09-20-06, 04:28 PM

I can have the next post at the TOP of the screen.

I searched for it by looking for wmctv.com and then 543.

mx6bfast

09-20-06, 04:41 PM

Local station phone numbers and contact emails addresses

Please use these to voice your concerns/praises for the HD quality. With the exception of Dave @ WHBQ I don't think anyone from these stations posts here regularly so they wont see what we are talking about. David @ WMC used to, but he hasn't posted in a while. Scott @ WLMT/WPTY also did for a while but he hasn't either. So if you have an opinion on a channel, voice it with these numbers and emails.

For the newer people here are the emails that you need to contact the stations in case you have any issues. These contacts, except for David Brant I pulled from the websites. (Other contacts I haven't asked or gotten permission to provide their names)

WREG: ron.walter@wreg.com (station president and GM)
WMC: not one showing, either im EngDave or email the station pres and gm Lee Meredith lmeredith@wmctv.com
WKNO: wknopi@wkno.org
WHBQ: david.brant@foxtv.com chief engineer, DTV Dave
WPTY: programming@abc24.com (will probably take a few days to get a response back, if you get one at all) or new email marshallhart@clearchannel.com , Engineer
WLMT: programming@abc24.com or new email pambridges@clearchannel.com (will forward to either Marshall above or most likely Scott @ WLMT

ravma posted this a while ago:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WREG-TV: (CBS 3, OTA 28-1 & -2; cable 803):
Main Phone Number
901-543-2333
News Tip Line
901-543-2111

WMC-TV (NBC 5, OTA 52-1, -2, -3; cable 805):
Main switchboard phone number:
901-726-0555
Main newsroom number (staffed at all times):
901-726-0416

WKNO-TV (PBS 10, 29-1, -2; cable 810):
Main Number
901-325-6544

WPTY-TV (ABC 24, 25-1; cable 807) / WLMT-TV (CW 30, 31-1; cable 809):
Main Office
901-323-2430
News Hotline
901-321-7668

WHBQ-TV (FOX 13, 53-1; cable 813)
Main Office
901-320-1313
Newsroom
901-320-1340
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After hours or weekends, call the newsroom or hotline number and ask for engineering or master control.

Cheep

09-20-06, 05:28 PM

jdmac29

09-20-06, 05:40 PM

ota does not work on hr20-700 for now, I read on dbstalk.com October which probably means November.
Would hope it would work before Smallville in HD new season comes out but does not look very good.
jdmac29

Is your OTA connected to the HR20-700? I have heard rumors that the OTA does not work.

mx6bfast

09-20-06, 05:57 PM

Wow, that is a really great deal on Comcast. I've heard horror stories about the HD DVR they offer, though. MX, I think it'd really be a huge step down from our HD Tivos.

By the way, I haven't gotten the 6.3 upgrade yet, and now they've halted distribution. Makes me want to upgrade to the HR20-700.
Yeah, I've done some more detective work and the HD DVR does have some bad stories. But then 2 people I work with have one and they haven't had issues with them, other than the hdd going bad. It's really hard to pass that deal up. I mentioned it to my wife and she first asked if they had BabyFirstTV. I said I didn't know. She said no. And also missing ESPN2HD for FSU/Auburn/Ole Miss/Memphis football games. I guess I'll have to call D* to see what they can offer it anything. I'd be stretching to expect them to give me even half of that difference in credits. Maybe I can get more than 1 free HR20's out of it since I have more than 1 HDTivo. But even that is hard to give up.

With Murdoch's new statement about 100 HD channels on D* by Christmas (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8468103&&#post8468103), I don't believe it, but if it's true would be good. Is it Christmas yet so I can make up my mind?

hdtvluvr

09-20-06, 07:56 PM

If anyone dumps their HDTivo, I'd be interested if the price is right.

2blackbelt

09-20-06, 11:49 PM

Is anybody in the Walnut Ridge, Arkansas area picking up any memphis stations in HD? I'm getting Jonesboro (KAIT8) and thats it.

Neil L

09-21-06, 09:22 AM

Hey 2blackbelt, and welcome to the forum.

I'm not exactly in the Walnut Ridge area (Paragould), but I get all the Memphis stations some of the time. I'm between 70 and 75 miles from the different towers in Memphis. I think you are a little farther than that. Beyond about 60 miles 24/7 reception is not likely, but with a tall tower, high-gain antenna, mast-mounted pre-amp and some luck you will get them some of the time.

mollerup

09-21-06, 08:43 PM

So now that 30-1 is The CW I was hoping to start getting Smallville in HD. However tonight it is not in HD, but letterboxed with pillars on both sides. The old excuse was because of closed captioning issues. What's the excuse now? That's really the only show I watch on that network. Have any of their other shows been HD?

ravma479

09-21-06, 09:00 PM

mx6bfast

09-21-06, 09:58 PM

WLMT was having stuttering issues on Monday and Tuesday. Gilmore Girls was in HD on Tuesday, but again, it stuttered every few seconds, which made it almost unwatchable. I bet they have swapped out an encoder for a non-HD one..

mx: Can you try and find out what is going on?

We just can't win with WB/UPN/CW.... At least it's a few weeks until Veronica Mars starts..
Yeah I will see what kind of answers I can get tomorrow. But I still need for everyone else here to email the contacts above to show I'm not the only one who is being affected by this.

I was told that the stream was changed from ANSI to something else or vise versa. I wonder if that caused the non-HD? But on a better note, they are sending a higher video bitrate than before. It is just under 17 mbs where it was about 15.

ravma479

09-21-06, 10:42 PM

Could the bitrate have been UPN's fault? (IE: Was UPN running at 15mbs?)

Thanks for working to figure this out, mx. I emailed them already, but mx is right, we need a few others to email. Ask why Smallville and Supernatural weren't in HD.

mx6bfast

09-21-06, 10:55 PM

No, it was WLMT that sent it at that rate. Remember a few months ago when they were stretching all of their programming for I think 2 weeks? And it looked like the analog feed? They had to send their encoder to get fixed to Tandberg and when they got it back it was set at that that rate and they didn't change it. I asked if they were going to bump that up since they were sending ~3mbs of null data and he said they would. I would like to see it at WHBQ levels (almost hitting 18) but I guess we will see what the PQ looks like now.

If anyone sent an email to the programming email, let me know if you got a response or if it bounced back. I'll remove it if it was bounced back.

mx6bfast

09-21-06, 11:33 PM

Was WPTY on D* in 5.1 tonight?

redram38

09-21-06, 11:45 PM

redram38

09-22-06, 12:00 AM

My signal strength was in the 88-92 range when I did a test on my DTV settings. That is pretty strong so I have to think the problem may be ABC itself. Hope so anyway.

mollerup

09-22-06, 09:05 AM

mollerup

09-22-06, 09:07 AM

24-1 was breaking up tonight for me during Grey's. I Tivoed it and at 10:42 was still breaking up. This station has been perfect up until tonight. Did anyone else have this trouble or was it just me. Using a Hr10-250 OTA 24-1.

First time I have set up anything to record that I really did not want to miss on this station. Lucky that this show repeats Friday night.

My wife watched it and complained that it broke up at least 5-10 times for her. It was also tivo'd using same equipment as you. I didn't check the signal strength, but like you said, I haven't noticed any problems out of that station for many weeks. So, maybe it was just a network problem.

mx6bfast

09-22-06, 10:47 AM

I just sent my email off to the engineer at WLMT. Thanks to those who also emailed.

I've got E86's and an HDTivo. I've noticed that while my signal can fluctuate on the E86's, on the HDTivo it will remain constant. I guess it's a good thing the tuner is more stable in the HDTivo.

I didexperience 1 breakup last night on WPTY during Grey's.

mx6bfast

09-22-06, 11:17 AM

They are looking into it.

ravma479

09-22-06, 01:54 PM

Really? Wow, cause they were looking into it on Tuesday...

This sounds very, very serious.

soccercoach61

09-22-06, 06:16 PM

I haven't been a D* customer since December '05, but I was for 4 years before that. Then I bought a Philips Plasma and TW made me a deal I couldn't refuse to convert to cable.

Since January of this year, D* calls occasionally to try and get me to come back. Until recently, I said "Call me back when you have HD locals." Last night they called again.

me: "Hello"
D*: "We see that you ended your service last December"
me: "That's correct, no HD locals"
D*: "Well today's your lucky day, we now have HD locals in your area"
me: "Really? all of them?"
D*: "Yes sir, let me check... yes, all seven of your local stations are available in HD. Can I sign you up?"
me: "You're sure all seven?"
D*: "Yes sir, that's what my computer says. Can I sign you up?"
me: "Well, what are you offering?"
D*: "I've got a deal you can't pass up. Do you like football? Good, I can give you Total Choice Premier for $69 for 4 months."
me: "uh huh... what about an HD-DVR?"
D*: "Gotcha covered on that, too... regular price $399, I can let you have it for $349.99, installed. You still have all of your other equipment?"
me: "I still have the STB's I had before"
D*: "You still have your antenna up?"
me: "Yeah, but it won't work with HD"
D*: "Yeah, that's right, tell you what, I'll throw in a new antenna, and wave the install fee, and you just pay the $19.95 delivery fee. Can I sign you up?"
me: "Well, i'm looking at an HD DVR from the cable company that I didn't have to pay for..."
D*: "Hold please... I can get you everything you want for no installation fee, no charge on the antenna, no delivery fee, and HD DVR, can I sign you up?"
me: "and how much is the DVR?"
D*: "For you, today, I can cut the price to $299"
me: "I can go to BestBuy and get a better deal than this"
D*: "Okay, I understand, how about a DVR for free?"
me: "you mean the HD DVR?"
D*: "No HD, but i can give you a free HD receiver. Can I sign you up"
me: "I think I'll pass..."
D*: "If i make the HD DVR $199, can I sign you up today?"
me: "Call me back when you have a better deal... good night."

The sad thing is I'm really starting to want to go back to satellite. Comcast has been doing a lot of quirky things with the signal down in my area. :(

bigmikemac

09-22-06, 09:29 PM

The D* website only lists 2 Memphis Local in HD, Channel 5 and 13. I have seen posts on here that say 24 is on there too. But i'm sure all 7 stations don't have the HD feed on D*. In fact when I called retention last night to order my HDDVR for $99, the nice rep said all they had listed were fox and abc. If there is anyone with a H20 or HR20 that can verify what HD Locals are coming in it would be appreciated. Thanks

mx6bfast

09-22-06, 09:30 PM

Keep that pimp hand strong. :D

I'm watching ER from last night and man it looks awful! I'm seeing blocking quite a lot. Not to mention there was a lot of it during Deal or No Deal, and that's SD!!!!!!!!!!!!

To add injury to insult, WMC is the only channel breaking into programming for weather updates. Ummm, hello people. Isn't this what Weather + is for?

mx6bfast

09-22-06, 09:49 PM

MATORANS

09-23-06, 12:11 AM

24-1 was breaking up tonight for me during Grey's. I Tivoed it and at 10:42 was still breaking up. This station has been perfect up until tonight. Did anyone else have this trouble or was it just me. Using a Hr10-250 OTA 24-1.

First time I have set up anything to record that I really did not want to miss on this station. Lucky that this show repeats Friday night.

Just watched my DVR of Greys. It was awesome. I noticed one slight stutter for the whole show.

I get my HD locals OTA with Dish VIP 622. My antennae for OTA is in the entertainment center under my plasma.

IMHerDad88

09-23-06, 01:45 AM

MATORANS

09-23-06, 10:31 AM

Newbie here with a beginner question. We are thinking hard about jumping into the HD market but from what I am reading here is it really worth it at this time? Would hate to invest all that money and not be able to watch TV.

Are one of the satellite companies better than Comcast?

Thanks for your help. :cool:

I don't know how it compares to cable but I love my Dish HD package. I can't go back. I have the dishHD bronze package which is about $50 before they start adding fees for receivers and DVR fees.

The key is you need to know if you can get your locals off air where you live. Off air means you hook an antennae to the back of your TV with a built in HD tuner or satelite box with a HD tuner and you get digital channels which deliver probably the best picture you can get.

By the way, that is free. I am amazed how many people have the TV's and dont know this.

You may need a fancy antennae if you live far from the towers. I live in cordova and have $10 rabbit air antenna not extended and hidden in my entertainmnet center. I get great reception.

If you like what you see you can get HD packages to get 25 other HD channels from Dish which I believe is significantly more than others and includes ESPNhHD, ESPN2HD, TNTHD, DiscoveryHD and others. What I love is that Dish has recently added channels like NFLHD and FoodnetworkHD without raising my rates. Downside is I had to pay $200 for my HD DVR equipment.

redram38

09-23-06, 05:05 PM

I have a question. I just bought a RCA Amplified in-door ant to see if it would help me get 5-1 and 13-1 better. I am also all of a sudden having freeze ups on 24-1 and 10-1. The ant DTV installed with my HR10-25o was a small outdoor one. When I hooked up the in-door one it seems to work well on 3-1, 5-1 is better but freezes some and 24-1 seems much better now. 10-1 is still freezing. The question is this. When I turn on the amplifier on the ant and turn it up any at all the signal goes completly out. It goes all the way up tp 45 db. Do you think I only need a non amplified ant which would probl cost about 15 - 20 bucks less. The outdoor ant seems to be maybe to strong ?? I am kinda lost here and could use some help. I live at Macon and Sycamore view Here is what antennaweb gave me for my address

DTV Antenna
Type Call Sign Channel Network City State Live
Date Compass
Orientation Miles
From Frequency
Assignment
* yellow - uhf WPTY-DT 24.1 ABC MEMPHIS TN 29° 9.1 25
* yellow - uhf WLMT-DT 30.1 CW MEMPHIS TN 29° 9.1 31
* yellow - uhf WREG-DT 3.1 CBS MEMPHIS TN 44° 1.9 28
* yellow - uhf WKNO-DT 10.1 PBS MEMPHIS TN 104° 1.9 29
* yellow - uhf WPXX-DT 50.1 MNT MEMPHIS TN 33° 4.2 51
* yellow - uhf WMC-DT 5.1 NBC MEMPHIS TN 29° 9.1 52
* yellow - uhf WHBQ-DT 13.1 FOX MEMPHIS TN 33° 1.1 53
* violet - uhf WBUY-DT 41.1 TBN HOLLY SPRINGS MS 141°

Thx for the help

ravma479

09-24-06, 06:09 PM

GREAT NEWS!

Everybody Hates Chris is airing in HD right now on WLMT-DT. I guess they got it fixed. I haven't noticed any stuttering.

On a personal side note, it looks like the CW is taking a WB-type approach to their bug placement. It's clearly placed to be within the 4x3 safe area, and it's VERY annoying there. As I am watching the show, it reminds me of where the 4x3 safe area is... UPN always placed their logo to the far right for HD shows. :(

soccercoach61

09-24-06, 08:50 PM

Is it just me, or is the PQ on Sunday Night Football on WMC really, really bad tonight?

ravma479

09-24-06, 08:54 PM

Is it worse than the usual WMC PQ? Is that even possible?

Wowee, I just flipped over for a sec. Man, I don't think I've ever seen it look that bad...
How in the world can WMC (and, to an extent, NBC) justify this?

soccercoach61

09-24-06, 09:29 PM

It is the worst I've seen. I've been flipping back and forth between my OTA and Comcast, and it's the same on both. It seems like the signal is clipping or something; the audio drops out completely during the some of the more extreme macroblocking.

pgfitzgerald

09-24-06, 09:37 PM

Long post for simple questions. :D Sorry 'bout that. LOL

I live in the county near the intersection of Yale and Old Brownsville. I have a Channel Master StealthTenna and recieve all the local HD stations. I've only had the antenna for about a month, and yet to have any problems. Overall, I'm pretty happy.

Currently, the antenna is mounted in my attic above the living room. I'm using about 16 feet of cable between the antenna and my TV and the signal strength ranges from 3 to 6 bars (out of a total of 10 bars).

I'm not very worried about the stations that get 6 bars, but I am a bit worried about the ones that get 3 or 4, as I've had had some pixelation on these stations. Adjusting the antenna doesn't seem to do help or hurt the signal.

I'd like to run the antenna to my junction box and distribute to all my TVs, so I attempted to move the antenna above the garage and pointing out a window. Unfortunately, I'm loosing too much signal and lost all of the channels.

Channel Master makes an amplifier for the StealthTenna that provides an additional 15db of gain and requires the use of a wall wart power supply.

1) Do signal amps really work? Would it help the channels that get 3 or 4 bars and eliminate the pixelation that occurs due to the poor signal?

2) Where does the power supply go? If I leave the antenna feeding only the living room, I assume the power supply goes between my TV and the antenna. Where does it go if I'm distributing the signal to multiple TVs?

Thanks!

Paul

soccercoach61

09-24-06, 09:54 PM

Hi Paul,

I live down near Hernando in Nesbit and I have a Radio Shack 80" boom VU-90XR mounted in my attic. I hooked it up to an old RCA 15db amp that I had and it pulls in all of the Memphis OTA digital and analog stations very well - it found 19 digital and 11 analog channels. Before the amp it would not pull in WMC-DT (it would pull in the analog channel 5) and it would not pull in some of the other DT and analog channels (mostly the religious and shopping network channels). With the amp, they are all very clear.

My amp has one input and four outputs and acts as it's own distribution block, if that helps any.

Chuck

mx6bfast

09-24-06, 10:39 PM

I had to work on my antenna today and at one time had 100% on all channels without a hiccup. Tonight I can't go over 50% for WMC on my main boxes, and I can't change tuners on the HDTivo since 2 programs are recording. I'm watching the NFL game on my pc. After watching parts of this game, Studio 60, Earl, and ER, the PQ that WMC is providing us with is almost enough to push me back to SD for those programs. I agree, tonight's game is especially bad. Even something as simple as someone talking, theiir faces are getting blurry when they move. NASTY!! For those of you unhappy, use the email address that is posted above.

I didn't get the chance to watch too many games this weekend. I was helping my wife cook and stuff for a wedding reception she catered yesterday. However, I was able to catch OT of the Ark/Ala game. That PQ was marginally better than the best WMC has attempted to give us. Even though WREG is giving us about 15.5 mbs, it is still not enough. I sent an email to the station vp last week and in his usual fashion, didn't get a response back. I'm sure I never will. Or I will get a response from "Some Clown" that said the feed looked flawless.

The ND/MSU game looked tons better, although I have seen better from ABC. The games on FOX looked pretty good, but I think their bandwidth restrictions are being maxed out since they are doing so many games right now. There was one preseason game that was probably the best I've ever seen them do. We can't blame this on WHBQ, they don't screw up the PQ. If FOX sends 15 mbs, WHBQ sends 15.

I find it odd that the 2 720p channels don't multicast, but 3 of the 4 1080i channels do. (counting WKNO in this even though they sideconvert to 720p)

Maybe if we could get these stations to care then we would get better PQ. *shaking head*

scowler

09-24-06, 11:00 PM

I live in Germantown and tonight both WMC and CBS HD ota suck! What is the deal?
I don't have the new upgrade yet so I don't get these stations on satellite. This leaves me stuck with TIVOing everything on sd as well as hd if I want to be sure to be able watch anything without pixelation, freezes, etc. Who do we complain to?

mx6bfast

09-24-06, 11:34 PM

IMHerDad88

09-25-06, 12:26 AM

home_theatre_man

09-25-06, 01:04 AM

I think we finally found the HD flat screen we were looking for. It's the Sony KDL-46XBR2 that is a flat screen LCD that comes only in 1080p.I just received a sample 46XBR2 for evaluation. It looks quite nice so far. Very flexible picture controls...an ISF tech's dream.

Is it worse than the usual WMC PQ? Is that even possible? Wowee, I just flipped over for a sec. Man, I don't think I've ever seen it look that bad... How in the world can WMC (and, to an extent, NBC) justify this?After the last couple of weeks, I thought the PQ for SNF could not get worse. Apparently, I was wrong. :( My mother, over to see the Sony LCD, made a totally unsolicited comment about the poor PQ. It's the first time in my memory that she has ever criticized a technical presentation.

Chase

mx6bfast

09-25-06, 07:12 AM

I think we finally found the HD flat screen we were looking for. Its the Sony KDL-46XBR2 that is a flat screen LCD that comes only in 1080p.

Now we have to come to some agreement on if we jump over to Comcast HD or go HD satellite with DVR. So far it looks as if Dish is the one with more to choose from. Too bad that Direct doesn't want to keep us as their customer. That one I don't understand but they are higher on up front cost.

Any suggestions on cable or satellite???

Thanks for the help.
I currently have D* but am really thinking about going to ۞. As far as HD, D* has the least amount of HD channels from any provider. I'm not talking abot HD-LIL's, I'm talking about national. If you get the HD pack from D* you'll get ESPN & ESPN2HD, Universal HD, TNTHD, Discovery HD Theater, HDNet and HDNet Movies, a "special events HD channel (usually RSN HD games), channel 101 HD (D* sponsored stuff, useless in my opinion), east FOX HD feed (since WHBQ is O&O). Then of course there is HBO and Showtime HD if you sub to those packages. As far as PQ, that is where the term HD Lite popped up. They are sending their 1080i signals as 1280x1080 and at very low bitrates as low as 8 mb's. As opposed to Dish who is sending most of their 1080i channels at 1920x1080. D*'s PQ used to be pristine a few years ago. I also have noticed a drop in SD PQ since then too.

For the local HD channels, you can get them OTA (over the air) with an antenna. This will give you the best PQ possible (although for some channels that isn't saying a lot). With the new 5 lnb dish, D* is transmitting 3 confirmed Memphis locals, 5, 13, 24. The last one to jump on board is 3. Later D* plans on adding the other local HD channels (10, 30) and our FOX Sports RSN. I don't think there has been any word on subchannels. Mainly because they suck and no one watches them anyways. :p But right now, the HD-DVR from D* doesn't have the OTA tuner turned on so if you are using that box, you will have to get the HD from 3, 10, & 30 from another source.

Now D* is under a lot of fire right now with their measely offerings and horrible PQ. Murdoch has said D* will have 100 HD channels by Christmas. I'm personally following this cloesley because I'm thinking about jumping ship to Comcast so I can see what HD looks like again.

Hopefully that helped you a little bit.

mollerup

09-25-06, 09:49 AM

ravma479

09-25-06, 10:14 AM

Finally got a reply from Pam Bridges at WLMT as to why Smallville wasn't in HD last week:

"Jeff,

"Smallville" was not broadcast in HD due to operator error
at our station. It has been addressed and should not happen again.
I apologize for the inconvenience. Thank you."

I don't buy that for a second. They were having SERIOUS technical issues with their signal.

Now D* is under a lot of fire right now with their measely offerings and horrible PQ. Murdoch has said D* will have 100 HD channels by Christmas. I'm personally following this cloesley because I'm thinking about jumping ship to Comcast so I can see what HD looks like again.

Even if they do get 100 channels, which I doubt they will, they'll all look like crap. They can't even handle what they have NOW, how in the world can they expect to have that many with good PQ? (Mpeg-4? No more HDTiVo, plus what will THAT look like?)

Bottom Line: D* doesn't care about PQ.

pgfitzgerald

09-25-06, 10:15 AM

I currently have D* but am really thinking about going to ۞. As far as HD, D* has the least amount of HD channels from any provider. I'm not talking abot HD-LIL's, I'm talking about national. If you get the HD pack from D* you'll get ESPN & ESPN2HD, Universal HD, TNTHD, Discovery HD Theater, HDNet and HDNet Movies, a "special events HD channel (usually RSN HD games), channel 101 HD (D* sponsored stuff, useless in my opinion), east FOX HD feed (since WHBQ is O&O). Then of course there is HBO and Showtime HD if you sub to those packages. As far as PQ, that is where the term HD Lite popped up. They are sending their 1080i signals as 1280x1080 and at very low bitrates as low as 8 mb's. As opposed to Dish who is sending most of their 1080i channels at 1920x1080. D*'s PQ used to be pristine a few years ago. I also have noticed a drop in SD PQ since then too.

For the local HD channels, you can get them OTA (over the air) with an antenna. This will give you the best PQ possible (although for some channels that isn't saying a lot). With the new 5 lnb dish, D* is transmitting 3 confirmed Memphis locals, 5, 13, 24. The last one to jump on board is 3. Later D* plans on adding the other local HD channels (10, 30) and our FOX Sports RSN. I don't think there has been any word on subchannels. Mainly because they suck and no one watches them anyways. :p But right now, the HD-DVR from D* doesn't have the OTA tuner turned on so if you are using that box, you will have to get the HD from 3, 10, & 30 from another source.

Now D* is under a lot of fire right now with their measely offerings and horrible PQ. Murdoch has said D* will have 100 HD channels by Christmas. I'm personally following this cloesley because I'm thinking about jumping ship to Comcast so I can see what HD looks like again.

Hopefully that helped you a little bit.

Good summary!

As for the 100 HD channels by Christmas... Murdoch didn't quantify that statement, but I'd be willing to bet he was talking about the number of HD Locals implemented nationwide. I would be VERY surprised if we see any national HD channels (HGTV-HD, FoodTV-HD, History-HD, etc.) before the new birds go up next year.

Paul

pgfitzgerald

09-25-06, 10:17 AM

mx6bfast

09-25-06, 10:53 AM

Even if they do get 100 channels, which I doubt they will, they'll all look like crap. They can't even handle what they have NOW, how in the world can they expect to have that many with good PQ? (Mpeg-4? No more HDTiVo, plus what will THAT look like?)

Bottom Line: D* doesn't care about PQ.
They'd have to be in -4. There is no way they could add 1 channel in -2 right now. They have to take down 1 HD channel for a while on Sundays when there are no bye's. The bye's start this week.

Maybe now is the time to upgrade to the HD-DVR before they start charging more for them.

Unless D* comes up with 50 or 60 exclusive D* HD channels, I have a feeling the 100 HD channels will be a mix of local and national HD channels. Someone posted a list of HD channels in the Murdoch 100 HD channels thread. I've read that D* will have some exclusives, kinda like Voom, but they can't have that many. Some preople who are more technical than I am are saying it's possible, and Ken H is foloowing up with his contacts.

Jeffrey T

09-25-06, 10:54 AM

I currently have D* but am really thinking about going to ۞. As far as HD, D* has the least amount of HD channels from any provider. I'm not talking abot HD-LIL's, I'm talking about national. If you get the HD pack from D* you'll get ESPN & ESPN2HD, Universal HD, TNTHD, Discovery HD Theater, HDNet and HDNet Movies, a "special events HD channel (usually RSN HD games), channel 101 HD (D* sponsored stuff, useless in my opinion), east FOX HD feed (since WHBQ is O&O). Then of course there is HBO and Showtime HD if you sub to those packages. As far as PQ, that is where the term HD Lite popped up. They are sending their 1080i signals as 1280x1080 and at very low bitrates as low as 8 mb's. As opposed to Dish who is sending most of their 1080i channels at 1920x1080. D*'s PQ used to be pristine a few years ago. I also have noticed a drop in SD PQ since then too.

For the local HD channels, you can get them OTA (over the air) with an antenna. This will give you the best PQ possible (although for some channels that isn't saying a lot). With the new 5 lnb dish, D* is transmitting 3 confirmed Memphis locals, 5, 13, 24. The last one to jump on board is 3. Later D* plans on adding the other local HD channels (10, 30) and our FOX Sports RSN. I don't think there has been any word on subchannels. Mainly because they suck and no one watches them anyways. :p But right now, the HD-DVR from D* doesn't have the OTA tuner turned on so if you are using that box, you will have to get the HD from 3, 10, & 30 from another source.

Now D* is under a lot of fire right now with their measely offerings and horrible PQ. Murdoch has said D* will have 100 HD channels by Christmas. I'm personally following this cloesley because I'm thinking about jumping ship to Comcast so I can see what HD looks like again.

Hopefully that helped you a little bit.

I live in the Lakeland area. I agree with MX6 D* can be fustrating. I am going to hang in there a little longer. I just had the new HDDVR installed on saturday.

wakka092

09-25-06, 10:59 AM

Well I just registered, and I'm having a few problems with my setup.
I live in Ripley, TN, which ~40 miles north of Memphis. Here's my setup:

OTA UHV/VHF Antenna with Preamp, 10 feet above ground, with a signal amp
Sanyo 32" HDTV (HT32744)

Well, I only get:
CBS 3.1 3.2 strength: 90
WKNO 10.1 10.2 strength: 90
WJKT 16.1 strength: varies, usually less than20
ABC 24.1 strength: 85
CW 30.1 strength: 90
MNT 50.1 50.2 strength: varies, usually less than 30

Now, about a year ago when we bought the TV we could pick up everything except WHBQ. Now, I only get what's above. I'm missing WMC and WHBQ, which is annoying. I split the antenna signal, one cable to the analog input, and another to the digital input behind the TV. I did a little experiment and removed the splitter. All the signal strengths went to near 100, but I couldn't recieve any other channels.

There are 4 Tvs in the house, and I'm splitting ALOT of wires. The signal amp is before all the splits in the wire.

I consider myself lucky for getting what I get, considering where we live.

Help would be great! -BEn

IMHerDad88

09-25-06, 02:05 PM

I currently have D* but am really thinking about going to ۞. As far as HD, D* has the least amount of HD channels from any provider. I'm not talking abot HD-LIL's, I'm talking about national. If you get the HD pack from D* you'll get ESPN & ESPN2HD, Universal HD, TNTHD, Discovery HD Theater, HDNet and HDNet Movies, a "special events HD channel (usually RSN HD games), channel 101 HD (D* sponsored stuff, useless in my opinion), east FOX HD feed (since WHBQ is O&O). Then of course there is HBO and Showtime HD if you sub to those packages. As far as PQ, that is where the term HD Lite popped up. They are sending their 1080i signals as 1280x1080 and at very low bitrates as low as 8 mb's. As opposed to Dish who is sending most of their 1080i channels at 1920x1080. D*'s PQ used to be pristine a few years ago. I also have noticed a drop in SD PQ since then too.

For the local HD channels, you can get them OTA (over the air) with an antenna. This will give you the best PQ possible (although for some channels that isn't saying a lot). With the new 5 lnb dish, D* is transmitting 3 confirmed Memphis locals, 5, 13, 24. The last one to jump on board is 3. Later D* plans on adding the other local HD channels (10, 30) and our FOX Sports RSN. I don't think there has been any word on subchannels. Mainly because they suck and no one watches them anyways. :p But right now, the HD-DVR from D* doesn't have the OTA tuner turned on so if you are using that box, you will have to get the HD from 3, 10, & 30 from another source.

Now D* is under a lot of fire right now with their measely offerings and horrible PQ. Murdoch has said D* will have 100 HD channels by Christmas. I'm personally following this cloesley because I'm thinking about jumping ship to Comcast so I can see what HD looks like again.

Hopefully that helped you a little bit.

Thanks for that info. Just checked on Comcast. They are offering current satellite owners to switch over. Cost for 18 months is $20 which includes their HD Channels (locals, HBO,TNT,Showtime,Discovery & On Demand Movies) plus their HD Premium Tier (INHD 1&2, ESPN,HDNet,HDNet Movies & NBC Universal). Normally that package runs around $60.

Not sure what the quality is for the local channels coming off cable at this point in HD. Sure wish they offered ESPN2 in HD.

soccercoach61

09-25-06, 02:31 PM

I currently have D* but am really thinking about going to ۞. As far as HD, D* has the least amount of HD channels from any provider. I'm not talking abot HD-LIL's, I'm talking about national. If you get the HD pack from D* you'll get ESPN & ESPN2HD, Universal HD, TNTHD, Discovery HD Theater, HDNet and HDNet Movies, a "special events HD channel (usually RSN HD games), channel 101 HD (D* sponsored stuff, useless in my opinion), east FOX HD feed (since WHBQ is O&O). Then of course there is HBO and Showtime HD if you sub to those packages. As far as PQ, that is where the term HD Lite popped up. They are sending their 1080i signals as 1280x1080 and at very low bitrates as low as 8 mb's. As opposed to Dish who is sending most of their 1080i channels at 1920x1080. D*'s PQ used to be pristine a few years ago. I also have noticed a drop in SD PQ since then too.

For the local HD channels, you can get them OTA (over the air) with an antenna. This will give you the best PQ possible (although for some channels that isn't saying a lot). With the new 5 lnb dish, D* is transmitting 3 confirmed Memphis locals, 5, 13, 24. The last one to jump on board is 3. Later D* plans on adding the other local HD channels (10, 30) and our FOX Sports RSN. I don't think there has been any word on subchannels. Mainly because they suck and no one watches them anyways. :p But right now, the HD-DVR from D* doesn't have the OTA tuner turned on so if you are using that box, you will have to get the HD from 3, 10, & 30 from another source.

Now D* is under a lot of fire right now with their measely offerings and horrible PQ. Murdoch has said D* will have 100 HD channels by Christmas. I'm personally following this cloesley because I'm thinking about jumping ship to Comcast so I can see what HD looks like again.

Hopefully that helped you a little bit.

I am both glad and sad to see your review of D*. Ever since I left them last year, I have missed the PQ that I had grown accustomed to with SD programming from D*. While the HD channels from ۞ actually look pretty decent (I don't have any comparison to D* as I didn't have HD at the time), almost all of the other channels from Tomcast sill have the same soft, in some cases fuzzy, picture that I remember from the old days of Time Warner. I guess I need to find out from Dish what is broadcast at 61.5W on Echostar 3, because I have no LOS to that bird.

pgfitzgerald

09-25-06, 03:05 PM

Thanks for that info. Just checked on Comcast. They are offering current satellite owners to switch over. Cost for 18 months is $20 which includes their HD Channels (locals, HBO,TNT,Showtime,Discovery & On Demand Movies) plus their HD Premium Tier (INHD 1&2, ESPN,HDNet,HDNet Movies & NBC Universal). Normally that package runs around $60.

Not sure what the quality is for the local channels coming off cable at this point in HD. Sure wish they offered ESPN2 in HD.

I actually switched from DirecTV to Comcast earlier this month, but switched back to DirecTV soon after.

These are only my thoughts and experiences. YMMV.

Here are my thoughts on Comcast:

Comcast's HD PQ is pretty good. I think it's a bit grainy though.
Comcast's SD PQ is positively aweful. It varies from channel to channel, but most of it is washed out and very grainy. SciFi and Food Network are almost unwatchable.
You get all the local stations in HD, HBO-HD and HBO West-HD, Showtime-HD and Showtime West-HD, Discovery HD Theater, TNT-HD, HD On Demand, and Grizzlies in HD. If you subscribe to the premium tier, you also get INHD, INHD2, ESPN-HD, HDNet, HDNet Movies, Universal HD, and HD PPV.
Their HD-DVR (Scientific Atlanta 8300HD) isn't very good. It works, but not well.
All their equipment, except for the HD-DVRs, is used. The first two SD recievers I got didn't work. The third worked, but the plastic was melted in one spot and it had a child's cartoon band-aid stuck to it.
Their installers range from unqualified and unprofessional to highly qualified and very professional. It's a crap shoot.
Their customer support is not very good. The CSRs are not trained very well, and they always want to send someone out.

Here are my thoughts on DirecTV:

DirecTV's HD PQ is pretty good -- at least as good as Comcast's, but not as good as OTA.
DirecTV's SD PQ is also pretty good -- WAY better than Comcast's.
Both SD and HD suffer from compression artifacts.
At the moment, you only get the NBC, FOX, and ABC local stations in HD. CBS should be turned up soon. I don't know about PBS, CW, or MNT. You also get HBO-HD, Showtime-HD, Discovery HD Theater, TNT-HD, ESPN-HD and ESPN2-HD, Universal HD, and HDNet and HDNet Movies. You don't get INHD or INHD2, nor do you get HBO West-HD or Showtime West-HD. You do get ESPN2-HD.
Their HD-DVR (HR-20) is pretty good. It's still a bit buggy, but it's much better than the SA8300HD in terms of usability.
In my experience, their installers are better than Comcast's. I've had them out 3 times in the last 10 years or so (each time for an install during a move), and I havn't had a problem yet.
Their customer support is pretty good, if you get the right person. 80-90% of the time, my problem is fixed within 10 minutes. The rest of the time, I get an idiot on the phone (or someone who wants to argue with me -- I hate that). I just call back and get a different person and everything is good. I have NEVER had to have anyone come out to fix a problem with DirecTV.

When it comes to price, Comcast ends up being more expensive due to the way they price their equipment. In my experience, the package pricing is very close to that of DirecTV.

Comcast charges $8 per receiver per month, and $6-7 for DVR service per receiver per month. DirecTV charges $5 per receiver per month, and doesn't charge you a DVR fee if you have their premium package. I think it's $5-6 per account per month if you don't have their premium package.

I'm going to be paying about $125 for DirecTV with 1 HD-DVR, 1 SD-DVR, and 1 SD Receiver. I would have been paying almost $140 for Comcast with 1 HD-DVR, 1 SD Receiver, and 1 Cable Ready TV.

You can get a good deal from both Comcast and DirecTV, but the deal I got from DirecTV made the Comcast deal look pitiful. Personally, I never make my decision based solely on how good the deal is for the first 3-6 months. Yeah, I may save $100 during the first 6 months, but when all the deals roll off, who's beating who?

So bottom line for me was DirecTV offered better service, better equipment, and better overall picture quality at a better long term price. It was a very easy decision for me.

Hope this helps. :D

Paul

soccercoach61

09-25-06, 03:20 PM

ravma479

09-25-06, 03:34 PM

Did you ask if HDNet is going to be dropped?

mx6bfast

09-25-06, 04:02 PM

How many coax inputs does the HR20 need? Does anyone have a non-DVR HD box? How many does that need?

pgfitzgerald

09-25-06, 04:08 PM

How many coax inputs does the HR20 need? Does anyone have a non-DVR HD box? How many does that need?

Ideally, you'd want three pieces of coax for an HR20. Two for SAT and one for OTA. The OTA tuners are supposed to be enabled in October.

I don't have a non-DVR HD DirecTV reciever, so I can't be sure... but I'm guessing you'll want two pieces of coax. One for SAT and one for OTA.

Of course, the OTA isn't required for either box. Neither is the second SAT on the HR20. But if you want to take advanage of all the features, you'll need 'em.

Paul

mx6bfast

09-25-06, 04:28 PM

Ideally, you'd want three pieces of coax for an HR20. Two for SAT and one for OTA. The OTA tuners are supposed to be enabled in October.

I don't have a non-DVR HD DirecTV reciever, so I can't be sure... but I'm guessing you'll want two pieces of coax. One for SAT and one for OTA.

Of course, the OTA isn't required for either box. Neither is the second SAT on the HR20. But if you want to take advanage of all the features, you'll need 'em.
Thanks. I have 3 going to my HDTivo and I think only 1 to my E86. Looks like I'll have to have another run. Maybe I could split the one cable to a non-DVR at the box. I've filled up my outputs from the mutliswitch.

Which leads me to another question, how many lines come out of the new AT-9 dish? I currently have a 5x8 multiswitch, 4 sat 1 OTA. Has D* brought any new switches out during installations (which I remember they should) and if so are they cascadable? I want to keep the OTA for the channels that are not on D* yet and also keep those as a backup in case bad weather comes around.

soccercoach61

09-25-06, 04:46 PM

Did you ask if HDNet is going to be dropped?

Yes, their reply was the same "no changes in the foreseeable future"

pgfitzgerald

09-25-06, 04:57 PM

Thanks. I have 3 going to my HDTivo and I think only 1 to my E86. Looks like I'll have to have another run. Maybe I could split the one cable to a non-DVR at the box. I've filled up my outputs from the mutliswitch.

Which leads me to another question, how many lines come out of the new AT-9 dish? I currently have a 5x8 multiswitch, 4 sat 1 OTA. Has D* brought any new switches out during installations (which I remember they should) and if so are they cascadable? I want to keep the OTA for the channels that are not on D* yet and also keep those as a backup in case bad weather comes around.

The AT9 has 4 outputs. I beleive the dish has an integrated multiswitch, so it can feed 4 tuners directly.

Zinwell has 6x8 and 6x16 multiswitches available. I have the 6x8, which was installed at no cost during the installation of my AT9 dish.

I do not know if they are cascadable, but if you can manage to get a 6x16 as part of the installation, you wouldn't have to worry about it.

I do know that you can no longer use diplexors for OTA... hence the need to run an additional coax just for OTA.

You might try DBSTalk (http://www.dbstalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=82) for more detailed info.

Paul

mx6bfast

09-25-06, 05:02 PM

I haven't read much on the hardware part of it. I'll go over to dbstalk for more info. I've been there quite a few times before.

home_theatre_man

09-25-06, 06:49 PM

They have to take down 1 HD channel for a while on Sundays when there are no bye's. The bye's start this week.They have been taking down two NFL Sunday Ticket HD channels for the first three weeks.

Does anyone have a non-DVR HD box? How many does that need?I have the D* H10. It takes one for the satellite and one for the antenna.

Chase

pgfitzgerald

09-25-06, 07:15 PM

They have been taking down two NFL Sunday Ticket HD channels for the first three weeks.

I have the D* H10. It takes one for the satellite and one for the antenna.

Chase

D* has not taken down any NFLST channels.

They took down TNT-HD the first week, HDNet the second week, and Universal HD the third week to make room for NLFST games in HD.

There's no doubt they're starved for bandwidth. The two new birds going up next year is supposed to alleviate this issue.

Paul

home_theatre_man

09-25-06, 11:12 PM

D* has not taken down any NFLST channels.All the SD channels were there, but two of the HD channels disappeared on Sundays -- at least from the 101. When I inquired about it, D* engineering claimed they were being removed due to bandwidth constraints.

Yesterday, it was the Colts/Jaguars and the Bengals/Steelers.

Chase

pgfitzgerald

09-26-06, 12:02 AM

All the SD channels were there, but two of the HD channels disappeared on Sundays -- at least from the 101. When I inquired about it, D* engineering claimed they were being removed due to bandwidth constraints.

Yesterday, it was the Colts/Jaguars and the Bengals/Steelers.

Chase

I hadn't noticed that. I stand corrected. :D

Paul

home_theatre_man

09-26-06, 12:12 AM

I hadn't noticed that. I stand corrected. :DMan, I wish it weren't so. I really wanted to see those games! :(

Let's hope it doesn't continue now that the byes have begun.

Chase

rlj5242

09-26-06, 09:04 AM

I guess I need to find out from Dish what is broadcast at 61.5W on Echostar 3, because I have no LOS to that bird. Lyngsat (http://www.lyngsat.com/packages/america.html) has all of the details.
DISH Network on EchoStar 3 & Rainbow 1 at 61.5°W (http://www.lyngsat.com/packages/dish61.html)

-Robert

mx6bfast

09-26-06, 10:38 AM

bigbadred00

09-26-06, 12:15 PM

soccercoach61

09-26-06, 12:37 PM

Lyngsat (http://www.lyngsat.com/packages/america.html) has all of the details.
DISH Network on EchoStar 3 & Rainbow 1 at 61.5°W (http://www.lyngsat.com/packages/dish61.html)

-Robert

Thanks Robert, I also found this list of channels on the 61.5 bird (http://ekb.dbstalk.com/61-5list.htm). It looks like Fox Sports South, NFL HD, ESPN2-HD, all of the VOOM channels, and a few other HD's for the Eastern US are broadcast from the 61.5W satellite. The 129W satellite broadcasts all of these channels except Fox Sports South for the Western US, but that would mean I couldn't get the local RSN in HD. Don't know where the Memphis locals would come from, either, but I have a question in to E* to see if someone can tell me.

For now, it looks like unless I move, my only satellite choice is D*.

Chuck

soccercoach61

09-26-06, 12:48 PM

pgfitzgerald

09-26-06, 02:03 PM

I've enjoyed Comcast since I've gotten it last week. 1 thing I noticed last night while watching the ESPN HD broadcast of MNF is it came in very goofy at times with blocks of pixels and sound missteps. Is it my box? Is it the connection? Is it ESPN HD? Anyone else experience similar problems with the broadcast last night.

I have seen the same thing on Comcast. I'm not sure what caused it for me, but I have my suspicions...

I called Comcast about the problem and all they did was reset my box from their end. That did absolutely nothing. After further investigation, I found what I think was a mistake by their installer.

I have Earthlink Cable Internet through Comcast. When Comcast came out to install Digital Cable, they left the 10db tap in the junction box outside in addition to the new one they installed in the attic for my cable modem. That basically sucked 10db of signal out of the line before it got to my TV. I haven't noticed a problem since removing it, which was a real pain because it required a special tool. I used my vise grips. :)

I have no idea if it was related or not, but it does seem better now.

Secondly. Someone pointed out problems with the 8300HD? You say it's not good as the D* (I'm assuming that's Direct TV for a newbie), what's wrong with it. I've had no problems with it yet and it seems very good to me (maybe because I'm a noob). Secondly about D*, is HD not that good? Do you need a phone line to get premium content (I don't have a land line, just a cell phone, if you do need a land line then it would add significantly to the cost of the package since I currently do not own one nor would use it other than for D*)? If so, D* isn't a viable option even though I would love to have Direct Ticket (which is quite expensive I might add if you don't get the deal this year).

This is what I said:

Their HD-DVR (Scientific Atlanta 8300HD) isn't very good. It works, but not well.

It's a bit unstable for me. I've had it reboot sporatically numerous times. Other than that it's fine. It does what it's supposed to do. The one thing I dislike is that it's not intuitive at all. Things aren't where you'd expect them to be, so to me the user experience is severely lacking. But like any new piece of equipment, it takes some getting used to.

With that being said, how is HD quality of D*? I've enjoyed HD especially on inHD1 and 2, HBO HD. It would also be tough for me to get a proper antenae to get a good signal in my apartment complex. With that being said, I'm pleased with comcast so far although ESPN HD has been pissing me off atleast last night during the MNF broadcast.

HD on Comcast and HD on DirecTV are both pretty good. Neither is as good as OTA. To me, it's a trade off. Comcast is grainier and DirecTV has more compression artifacts.

What swayed me back to DirecTV was the quality of SD. I think the SD channels on Comcast look horrible. As I said previously, SciFi and the Food Network are unwatchable.

Athough DirecTV has compression artifacts on all of their channels, their overall SD picture quality is head and shoulders above Comcast. Their overall HD picture quality is just as good as Comcast's (in my opinion).

Paul

soccercoach61

09-26-06, 02:09 PM

Until the commercials announcing that Time Warner was becoming Comcast started, I never had any problems with my 8300HD - no reboots, no missed recordings, etc. Maybe it's just coincidence, but during the past 45 days or so, it has hung 3 times and rebooted itself twice. Several folks in my office have noticed the same thing.

-Chuck

redram38

09-26-06, 07:08 PM

home_theatre_man

09-26-06, 07:34 PM

I was watching both of those games in HD until they ended in the 700 channel range. They were in HD on my HR10-250.It's possible that some of the NFL Sunday Ticket HD channels are being switched to a bird other than the 101, which is the only one I can get. D* told me the games I missed were being removed, but it could be that they were simply moved to a different satellite.

I assume you have a 3- or 5-LNB dish? And you were watching the Colt/Jaguars and Bengals/Steelers in HD last Sunday in the 719 to 727 channel range?

Was anyone else?

Chase

mx6bfast

09-26-06, 09:29 PM

Secondly about D*, is HD not that good? Do you need a phone line to get premium content (I don't have a land line, just a cell phone, if you do need a land line then it would add significantly to the cost of the package since I currently do not own one nor would use it other than for D*)? If so, D* isn't a viable option even though I would love to have Direct Ticket (which is quite expensive I might add if you don't get the deal this year).

With that being said, how is HD quality of D*? I've enjoyed HD especially on inHD1 and 2, HBO HD. It would also be tough for me to get a proper antenae to get a good signal in my apartment complex. With that being said, I'm pleased with comcast so far although ESPN HD has been pissing me off atleast last night during the MNF broadcast.
You only need the phone line for the initial call when D* is setup. If you have a neighbor or another friend that has D* and a phone line you can make the first call there. Now if you get a Tivo you need the phone line when there are software updates, but I'm not sure about the new D* DVR's.

Another use for the phone line is if you purchase PPV from the stb itself. But the way to get around that is to call D* and order it from them, for a nice $5 charge, or purchase it online and the info will be pushed to the stb.

D* HD isn't as good as it used to be. Depending on how close you are to the towers, Comcast might be the only way to go for you for local HD channels.

ravma479

09-26-06, 09:45 PM

If ya'll have some free time tonight, watch WLMT and let me know your thoughts on the PQ. Le me know if you think it looked better or worse than last season. Also if you noticed more/less blocking than before.

I'm gonna pass it to the engineer for WLMT.

GG looked pretty good tonight. It still seems a bit soft, and there's some blocking. Thing about GG is, there's rarely a LOT of movement, so the picture tends to stay very stable. The real test will be on Thursday for Smallville.

Are they running it at full bandwidth?

I don't really know if I should compare it to Veronica Mars's PQ though. I don't know if The CW is using the WB's equipment, UPN's equipment, or new equipment. It's been NINE MONTHS since we've seen 'WB' programming in HD, so I don't really remember it...

Overall, Gilmore Girls looks a LOT better, in HD. ;) We'll have a real comparison when VM starts back up, and when Smallville comes back on Thursday.

redram38

09-26-06, 09:50 PM

It's possible that some of the NFL Sunday Ticket HD channels are being switched to a bird other than the 101, which is the only one I can get. D* told me the games I missed were being removed, but it could be that they were simply moved to a different satellite.

I assume you have a 3- or 5-LNB dish? And you were watching the Colt/Jaguars and Bengals/Steelers in HD last Sunday in the 719 to 727 channel range?

Was anyone else?

Chase

Yes

mx6bfast

09-26-06, 09:59 PM

I caught a few minutes of it tonight, and I don't know if its the way it's shot, but the colors were dull. I also could tell by the tiny amounts of movement that were on the screens that it probably wouldn't be too good of a test. I tivo'd Runaway afterwards cause just by the name it sounds like it has more action. I might get up a little earlier tomorrow and check some of it out.

I'm 1 season behind on Smallville, so I'll have to go on your views for that show. On a side note, now that I have a pc that can save tv shows, I might record all the new shows from this season and then when the HDNet season gets over watch them then. I've thrown that out to my wife. She said we will try it. I just need to get like a 1 tb drive for my HDTivo so I can record all the shows and watch them later.

WLMT seems to be running at the same rate WPTY is, which is roughly 16.65 video. I'm recording the transport stream and will post it later, possibly in the morning.

I do know that Veronica has a more grainy look to it, but I also remember seeing a lot of blocking last season.

In other news, was Vanished new last night? WHBQ-DT went down during Prison Break last night and finally came up later during the news. I had to dl PB thru torrents but didn't find Vanished as off about 1 pm today.

mx6bfast

09-26-06, 10:00 PM

Oh yeah, we finally get an HD game on CBS this week. Funny thing is, is we get the Titans HD game on FOX.

mx6bfast

09-26-06, 10:30 PM

Results:
Sequence Summary:

File Size Processed: 1.62 GB, Play Time: 00h:11m:59s
1920 x 1088 (Display Extension: 1920 x 1080), 29.97 fps, 17.00 Mbps (16.87 Mbps Average).
Average Video Quality: 68.71 KB/Frame, 0.27 Bits/Pixel.
AC3 Audio: 2/0 Channels (L, R), 48.0 kHz, 384 kbps.
Dialog Normalization: -27.0 dB
1 of 21559 video frames found with errors.
0 of 22478 audio frames found with errors.
8 corrupted video bytes in file.
0.000000 seconds of video timestamp gaps.
0.000000 seconds of audio timestamp gaps.

End of Log

The 16.87 average is both video and audio. This was taken during the end of Runaway. I caught the first 10 minutes of it and did see more blocking during it than GG, but I could tell a difference in the picture quality compaired to other shows. This show had a little bit of grainy and cold look to it.

ravma479

09-27-06, 10:35 AM

mx6bfast

09-27-06, 10:55 AM

Vanished was new, check again. It's up there now.

I think that what you mentioned about GG (dull colors) may be a part of the style. It has always seemed to be that way.

If you have an OTA capture card, why not just burn the TS files off to DVD? Or do you not have TS playback capabilities through your HD set?
I'll check when I get home. The private tracker site I use is being blocked until some new fix for IE comes out at work.

I'm pretty sure I will just burn them to DVD's and save them for later. It wont be HD but it should be pretty good.

mx6bfast

09-27-06, 04:02 PM

Does anyone else have any comments on the CW last night? I haven't email the guy yet.

Also has anyone gone to the new Best Buy on Winchester? It's real nice. They have a muhc bigger area with HD stuff. They even have 2 home theater demo rooms. The best part it where a lot of their high end tv's are the lighting is much darker.

home_theatre_man

09-27-06, 04:41 PM

Does anyone else have any comments on the CW last night? I haven't email the guy yet.The few minutes I saw of GG from C* DVR looked fine. I don't normally watch the show, but I agree with the assessment that the muted color palette is probably intentional.

Runaway is also on the DVR, but I may not have time to look at it.

Chase

ravma479

09-27-06, 04:54 PM

Does anyone else have any comments on the CW last night? I haven't email the guy yet.

If you do email him, make sure to mention Smallville on Thursday. We'll have a LOT more feedback then, I'm sure.

Also has anyone gone to the new Best Buy on Winchester? It's real nice. They have a muhc bigger area with HD stuff. They even have 2 home theater demo rooms. The best part it where a lot of their high end tv's are the lighting is much darker.

I actually picked up a new 30 inch CRT as they were closing the old location. It's a really nice TV for under 300 bucks. I like the new location, although it's almost too nice for my tastes...

tiger bob

09-27-06, 04:58 PM

A buddy of mine emailed the station manager at channel 5. He told me that 5 doesn't have the equipment to tape delay Wheel of Fortune and broadcast it in HD. He also mentioned that the football games have looked pretty bad to her. She said that she would look into it.

Kinda funny, but he said he felt like a dumbass because he asked about both programs, Wheel of Fortune & Jeopardy about being in HD. The person at WMC said that was on another station.

mx6bfast

09-27-06, 05:30 PM

My emails to Dave at WMC have gone unanswered. Since the station manager answers emails then I'll email her if I don't get a response soon.

I guess I must be a dumbass too. I asked if Jeopardy was going to be in HD on WMC along with Wheel of Fortune. DOH!

ravma479

09-27-06, 06:12 PM

Did they mention if they have any plans to get the equipment any time soon?
Also, has anyone emailed WREG about Jep?

redram38

09-28-06, 10:20 AM

Anyone else having the audio drop outs using the HR10-250 since the update to 6.3a. I started getting them right after the update. I was watching this morning on 24.1 and recording at the same time to test it. While watching live there were no problems, but when I played back the recording I had some drop outs. I am just using normal audio hook up as well. I am not using the digital hookup. I have read that most of the problems were when using the digital audio on DD 5.1. Sure is getting annoying. Also all of a sudden 5.1 and 24.1 are pixilating again. My signal on 24.1 is over 90 so I can't figure out why the trouble. Is any one else having trouble with these 2 OTA stations. Fox is just a lost cause, I get nothing from them.

ravma479

09-28-06, 08:07 PM

First Impressions of Smallville
Man, they are lazy, The intro is hardly different this season,

Anyway... It is holding together VERY well. I have hardly noticed any blocking so far, and there has been a LOT of motion. There's grain, and dark scenes are a bit hard to see but that might not be WLMT's fault,

Overall, looking great so far!

scowler

09-28-06, 08:13 PM

Redram,
I have definitely been having problems with OTA HD, including pixelation and freezing. This affects NBC and CBS as well as 13.1. I also have the 10-250. Tomorrow, I am supposed to get the new machine (?20-700?) and I will ask the installer to check out my antenna when he installs the new dish. However I bet the problem is with the stations and not with our equipment.

ravma479

09-28-06, 09:59 PM

Overall, Smallville was very good. It's MUCH better than either WB or UPN ever was. If they could bump the bitrate up a bit... I'd love to know what the CW is sending.

And all I can say about the 3nd to last scene of this episode is, FINALLY! It's starting! ;)

mx6bfast

09-28-06, 10:11 PM

I had to go to Tupelo today and got home about 7:30 tonight. I missed recording the first episode. Hopefully it'll be on again soon.

Good to hear it is much better looking. I sent Scott an email yesterday afternoon but was out of the office most of the day today. If anyone else has any other comments please post them soon.

I also asked in the email to cut the 1.5 null data in at least half. I don't know if he did or not.

ravma479

09-28-06, 10:21 PM

Why are they sending so much null data? Since they aren't multicasting, you would think that they'd send the full 19.

mx6bfast

09-28-06, 10:27 PM

I just checked, and they are pretty much stuck at 17.42mbs with ~645 kb null data. That puts them 2nd in line behind WHBQ for video data used.

WMC on the other hand is sending 11.5 mbs for ER.

ravma479

09-28-06, 10:46 PM

What is WPTY sending? Are we getting more on 24 or 30?

11.5?!? No wonder the programs look like crap.

home_theatre_man

09-29-06, 03:09 AM

Overall, Smallville was very good. It is holding together VERY well. I have hardly noticed any blocking so far, and there has been a LOT of motion. There's grain, and dark scenes are a bit hard to see but that might not be WLMT's fault.I just finished watching Smallville from the C* DVR. The most recent episode I had previously seen was the Season 2 finale, so needless to say I wasn't following the story tonight. It did give me a chance to focus on the picture, which, as ravma479 said, looked pretty nice. The image froze and pixelated a couple of times very near the beginning, but I attributed the problem to a DVR glitch. Audio and video were both smooth the rest of the time. There was no overt blocking, at least none that jumped out at me on the Sony panel. I did see some grain, but I always see grain on film OP. Dark scenes didn't bother me, but that may be because there is still something odd going on with this set's gamma.

I just checked, and they are pretty much stuck at 17.42 Mbps...It was apparent. Very good PQ. Not perfect, but not much to complain about, either.

...with ~645 kbps null data.I can definitely confirm that null data looks outstanding at 645 kbps. They might even be able to go a little lower without any noticeable degradation in quality. You never know with null data, though. It can be tricky. :D ;)

11.5?!? No wonder the programs look like crap.I think WMC must secretly be owned by Microsoft. They are attemping to demonstrate how bad 1080i MPEG-2 looks at low transfer rates so they can wow us with their latest codec the next time television standards change. :D ;)

On a serious note, Eng Dave if you are still reading this thread, can you give a us some idea what's happening at WMC? Fast-motion programs, such as Sunday Night Football, really do look bad. MPEG-2 cannot handle that kind of motion down at 11 Mbps.

Chase

mx6bfast

09-29-06, 07:07 AM

What is WPTY sending? Are we getting more on 24 or 30?

11.5?!? No wonder the programs look like crap.
24 is sending around 16.65. For the record WHBQ is sending 17.88 on non-network programming. On network programming FOX dictates the stream.

Apparently that number was during a commercial, but I promise it was there. I checked a minute or 2 later and it was just above 12. Shoot, its at 11.54 right now for the news. Looks like the Tube really does make their PQ go straigth down the Tube. da-da-ching.

mx6bfast

09-29-06, 07:12 AM

I think WMC must secretly be owned by Microsoft. They are attemping to demonstrate how bad 1080i MPEG-2 looks at low transfer rates so they can wow us with their latest codec the next time television standards change. :D ;)
Or they are getting ready to sideconvert to 720p just like WKNO, or are about ready to go to 1280x1080. :eek:

On a serious note, I think we should email the station manager like tiger bob's friend did and mention the PQ. If she said she will look into I'm hoping that something will be done. If I haven't gotten a response from Dave yet I think I'll forward my email to her.

redram38

09-29-06, 09:15 AM

Ok This D* OTA with the HR10-250 since the update is getting unreal. It makes me think they have screwed these boxes with this 6.3a update so more people will jump ship to their new box. Last night my woes continue. At 7pm 24.1 Ugly Betty was just that UGLY. It was unwatchable, also on the Fox national station 88 Til Death was just that DEATH, it was also unwatchable. At 8pm CSI was for the first 5 minutes or so OK, not sure of the rest, but at 9pm Shark records for 12 minutes of unwatchable programing then stops and starts back about 9 minutes later for the rest of the program again unwatchable. How did everyone else do. Oh and I also have Comcast HD and everything I recorded on the 8300 was perfect.

ravma479

09-29-06, 10:03 AM

24 is sending around 16.65. For the record WHBQ is sending 17.88 on non-network programming. On network programming FOX dictates the stream.

24 seems a bit low. Why are they sending more null data than 30? Or could that be the full ABC stream? 720p seems to hold together a lot better, even at a bit lower of a bitrate.

It's great to hear that 30 is so high! That's why it looked as good as it did.

The image froze and pixelated a couple of times very near the beginning, but I attributed the problem to a DVR glitch.

I had the same issues, so I'm betting it was a local or national problem.

I just don't understand how WMC can justify their PQ. I mean, have they LOOKED at their HD channel? I've quit watching anything that's not SD on NBC. It just looks too bad for me to watch.

jdmac29

09-29-06, 10:13 AM

For right now the ota is not activated on the hr20-700 yet, you will get your hd locals(well 5,13, 24 only for now) if you subscribe to sd locals throught directv.
If you tv has a digital tuner I would try hooking up your antenna to that see if they are clearer. I have read where people said the software update to the 10-250 has messed up the ota tuner.

Redram,
I have definitely been having problems with OTA HD, including pixelation and freezing. This affects NBC and CBS as well as 13.1. I also have the 10-250. Tomorrow, I am supposed to get the new machine (?20-700?) and I will ask the installer to check out my antenna when he installs the new dish. However I bet the problem is with the stations and not with our equipment.

mx6bfast

09-29-06, 11:09 AM

mx6bfast

09-29-06, 11:36 AM

This is what I got from Scott:
-------------------------
I’m still concerned about the blocking…I briefly monitored our encoder’s elementary stream buffering…seemed fairly flat. If you are experiencing audio drop outs and freezing, probably a buffering issue. However, slice macroblocking could be RF reception. Can you tell me if you see this macroblocking on two different DTV tuners at same time? In other words, do you see this on Time Warner or Satellite HD & Over the air? Or 2 different over the air receivers?

I bumped up rate to 17.8mbs. As high as WLMT will go…
---------------------------
I haven't seen the dropouts since Grey's last week, so I'm going to have to defer to those that have seen it recently.

I've already sent my thanks to him for upping the rate making the PQ better. I think everyone else should too as a good will gesture since he doesn't post here anymore. I guess I can understand, he is the cheif engineer for 3 stations. Since I don't know if he wants his email public, send it to the email I have at post 3601 and ask to forward to him.

And yes, I did ask about bumping up WPTY to be consistent with WLMT. But I also threw in there I didn;t want to bite more off than I can chew, and that WPTY looks good right now as it is.

mx6bfast

09-29-06, 01:32 PM

A buddy of mine emailed the station manager at channel 5. He told me that 5 doesn't have the equipment to tape delay Wheel of Fortune and broadcast it in HD. He also mentioned that the football games have looked pretty bad to her. She said that she would look into it.
Let your friend know that Lee Meredith at WMC is not a she. I went on this perception and was candidly told he's a male. Boy did I feel stupid.

redram38

09-29-06, 03:44 PM

The audio drops are not happening on my Time Warner\Comcast HD recordings, just D*. I went home for lunch today and hooked up a cheap indoor ant and tried recording 24.1, 13.1 and it all seems much better. In fact with the outdoor ant I was using I could not even bring in 13.1 at all. Maybe it was due to the 100 ft run of cable I was using. The only problems seem to still be on 24.1 with the occasional audio bleeps. I would not really call it drop outs since it is only about a second that it happens.

The recording I had of Justice wed night had the bad studdering problem almost like everything starts to move in slow motion. That also happened on Ugly Betty and some of the CBS shows from Monday night. Bones on Tuesday did not record. It showed up in the now playing list but when I press play it says could not record due to tuner not finding signal and that was D* channel 88.

On another note, I called D* and they offered me the new HR20-700 for a 99.00 upgrade fee no shipping and new 5 lnb dish. They said the OTA won't be active untill late 2006 and CBS was still not active. Those that upgraded, are you having any problem with the new box and are the HD locals working OK. I tried getting it free, but since I just received the HR10-250 2 mths ago and they gave me all kinds of free credits they would not budge on the 99.00 Install is Oct 14th and I am scared to death from what I have read about this new box. can anyone put me at ease LOL. Oh and I get to keep the HR10-250 as well

ravma479

09-29-06, 09:30 PM

Sent an email to Scott thanking him for giving a crap. It's good to know not ALL of our affiliates suck.

On a side note, I saw something sad tonight on NBC. Here it is: PROOF that NBC is run by a bunch of chimpanzees. How this made it on-air, is beyond me.

scowler

09-30-06, 12:53 AM

I got the new dish and receiver today and so far so good. Everything is functioning well.
I have not had enough time yet to closely compare PQ between the new unit and my old HR10-250 which are hooked up to the same tv, but I will soon.
BTW, I now have two dishes on my roof because the new dish and multiswitch can not carry an OTA signal that is diplexed. Be aware of this if you are upgrading.

hdtvluvr

09-30-06, 09:06 AM

Bones on Tuesday did not record. It showed up in the now playing list but when I press play it says could not record due to tuner not finding signal and that was D* channel 88.

I recorded Bones Tuesday on D* channel 88. Must be something wrong with your setup.

redram38

09-30-06, 09:36 AM

It is either one of 2 things. The HR10 is Bad or the update screwed things up. Do you have the update ? I did a clear and delete all and now even when I record on stations like HBO HD I get picture freeze. When I rewind to the same spot it is not there. I also get the frame by frame glitch when I record any HD station. It happens most of the time after about 5 minutes in. D* is sending me a replacement HR10 this week. Could be a bad Box. Weird thing is on HBO last night it would freeze even watching live TV and my signal strength on the Sats are all over 90. I also have an install for the new HR20 in 2 weeks.

Does anyone here know of someone that could come and check out my OTA and maybe install a better OTA antenna. I get signals of over 90 on most of the OTA stations so I am not really sure what the trouble could be. I even get the glitch on 3.1 and I have NEVER had a problem with it before the 6.3a update.

I am baffled to say the least. If this second HR10 does not fix the problem I am going to call CSR and try and get the 99.00 refunded for the new HR20. Seems to me if it was their update that screwed things up I should not have to pay for it.

Does anyone else that has gotten the update have any of these issues. I am hoping it is just the HR10, but it's only 2 mths old

mx6bfast

09-30-06, 10:12 AM

BTW, I now have two dishes on my roof because the new dish and multiswitch can not carry an OTA signal that is diplexed. Be aware of this if you are upgrading.
Do you have an antenna that is clipped on to the dish?

mx6bfast

09-30-06, 02:58 PM

I saw one play on the ND game and decided to turn it off the rest of the day. I love the fact that WMC isn't even sending 14mbs COMBINED a/v.
http://img243.imageshack.us/img243/4575/wmc91608ia1.th.jpg (http://img243.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wmc91608ia1.jpg)

ravma479

09-30-06, 03:51 PM

Wow, did they bump it up? Wasn't it hovering around 12 earlier in the week?

mx6bfast

09-30-06, 04:20 PM

Wow, did they bump it up? Wasn't it hovering around 12 earlier in the week?
No, they've always sent more for sporting events. They so far are actually sending a little less at that time than usual.

Now be aware that audio is usually in the 384 - 387 kb range. Since that is part or the stream that is in the 14mb number. There are some other tiny pid's that I don't know what they are used for.

The SEC game on WREG looks beautiful on the far away shots, or for the close ones if I am in kitchen. They are still plagued by blocking when there is a medium amount of movement on the screen. WREG is sending on a low end as much as WMC is, but I haven't seen it go over 15.70. They are sending 413 kbs of audio. 3-2 is stealing 1.70 mbs.

WPTY on the other hand is not experiencing any blocking. I've had that game on the most after Memphis was embarrased by UT.

cws80us

09-30-06, 04:56 PM

mx6bfast

09-30-06, 05:10 PM

Is anyone else having issues with 24.1 OTA reception? I been having issues for the last week or so. I get a strong signal, but it's terribly inconsistent and drops out so much that the channel is pretty much unwatchable. I'm using a Sony HD200 for my OTA reception, and 24.1 is the only channel I'm having issues with. Any ideas?
Personally I'm not. If you are getting 30.1 and 5.1 pretty good I'd try moving your antenna slightly to the left or right to see if you can keep a constant signal.

redram38

09-30-06, 08:19 PM

Is anyone else having issues with 24.1 OTA reception? I been having issues for the last week or so. I get a strong signal, but it's terribly inconsistent and drops out so much that the channel is pretty much unwatchable. I'm using a Sony HD200 for my OTA reception, and 24.1 is the only channel I'm having issues with. Any ideas?

As far as the picture on CW30, the picture on the digital feed is ok, but the picture on the SD channel is terrible and has been for over a year now.

Yes same here. has been this way about a week for me now. I am also starting to get blocking on 3.1 which is an all time first for me. Seems like since the new fall shows started back up, I have had lots of problems.

redram38

09-30-06, 11:13 PM

Well looks like my HR10-250 is now DEAD. It now will not let me watch live TV without rebooting every few minutes. Not just on OTA stations but most any station. The HD stations seem to bring it on much faster. Very strange. I have tried everything I know of.

Anyone else having problems since the update ? and if so what did you do to fix it if anything.

mx6bfast

09-30-06, 11:26 PM

That sucks. Do you have the protection plan on your account? If so you need to call D* and have them send you a new one.

Have you been to www.tivocommunity.com ?

redram38

09-30-06, 11:34 PM

I have a new one coming. I called them last night after the clear and delete all did not work. It acually made things worse. That is when the reboots started. Seems anytime I am either watching anything in HD or going to the now playing list it locks up and reboots. It has done it about 8 times tonight so far and counting. I ave been to the Tivo sight and seems like there are others having the same issues. They said when the update came down it found a bad sector on the HD and that is what is causing the problems. Thank goodness for the protection plan it has already replaced a bad R15 unit just a couple mths ago. This thing is barely 2 mths old and already needing to be replaced. I have the HR20 coming in two weeks but with no CBS HD yet that is BAD. They have some of my fav shows.

miklk1973

10-01-06, 08:05 PM

I've been lurking here for a year and a half when I bought my WS-48515 : 48" CRT
I have the 8300 HD DVR & a Cablecard for backup or when 2 things are recording

I was glad we got Smallville in HD again on WLMT... hopefully they get 5.1 working soon....
I noticed PQ didn't fair too well during the intro and in the high action scenes with lots of motion but overall it wasn't the worst I've seen.

bigmikemac

10-01-06, 08:26 PM

Does anyone have a clue when WREG might join the HD Revolution on D*? I really hope it's soon. I have emailed both WREG and CBS hoping this gets things going. I think DirecTV will get my next email.

ravma479

10-01-06, 08:45 PM

I've been lurking here for a year and a half when I bought my WS-48515 : 48" CRT
Welcome to the forums!

I was glad we got Smallville in HD again on WLMT... hopefully they get 5.1 working soon....
As far as I know, 5.1 on WLMT isn't going to happen any time soon. Besides, most CW (and way back when, WB) shows are Dolby Surround Stereo. Check the DVD sets: Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars, Supernatural, even Smallville. None have 5.1 tracks on the DVD sets.

Make sure you set your receiver to Dolby Pro Logic mode, and you will actually get some pretty nice sound.

miklk1973

10-01-06, 09:55 PM

Welcome to the forums!

As far as I know, 5.1 on WLMT isn't going to happen any time soon. Besides, most CW (and way back when, WB) shows are Dolby Surround Stereo. Check the DVD sets: Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars, Supernatural, even Smallville. None have 5.1 tracks on the DVD sets.

Make sure you set your receiver to Dolby Pro Logic mode, and you will actually get some pretty nice sound.

thanks for the welcome... i kinda feel like i know some of you already..lol
due to the lurking..

Smallville is in 5.1 on hdnet

The sound was ok but pro logic has nothing on true 5.1 sound
i noticed WLMTs station drops appear to be in mono music and all
anyone else notice the green vertical strip when the cut in and out of the network

I use a Yamaha 5850 6.1 ch receiver also

redram38

10-01-06, 09:58 PM

Does anyone have a clue when WREG might join the HD Revolution on D*? I really hope it's soon. I have emailed both WREG and CBS hoping this gets things going. I think DirecTV will get my next email.

I hope they get onboard soon. Do you have the HR20-700 and if so how is it doing for you. Are the other locals coming in good in HD ? I have mine set up for instal Oct 14th. After reading some of the problems it makes me very nervous about getting it now.

ravma479

10-01-06, 10:55 PM

Smallville is in 5.1 on hdnet

Yeah, but compare it to a 5.1 track on a show like Lost or 24, and there is a HUGE difference in quality. I firmly believe that HDNet upconverts from Dolby Surround to 5.1.
I have access to a copy of last week's ep with the 5.1 track intact, as passed. I'll output it to my system and see if I can hear a difference.
Anyway. :p

i noticed WLMTs station drops appear to be in mono music and all
anyone else notice the green vertical strip when the cut in and out of the network

I have noticed that. I'm betting that it is something that their encoder does. The local shows/commercials will always be lower quality, because they only have SD equipment. They pass the HD through from the broadcast. That's why last year we got SD WB programming, and SD Veronica Mars during Basketball. They can't tape delay HD.

pgfitzgerald

10-02-06, 10:47 AM

I hope they get onboard soon. Do you have the HR20-700 and if so how is it doing for you. Are the other locals coming in good in HD ? I have mine set up for instal Oct 14th. After reading some of the problems it makes me very nervous about getting it now.

I have an HR-20 and it's still a little buggy. D* is updating the software to fix problems just about every week.

Until they get it right, I'm using an SA8300HD in case I miss any HD programming and a SAT-T60 in case I miss any SD programming.

I still prefer OTA, but even that sucks sometimes. :D I actually like having a sub-channel that runs the news all the time. But why have more than one? Who watches that tube channel anyways? :rolleyes: LOL

Paul

pgfitzgerald

10-02-06, 10:48 AM

Does anyone have a clue when WREG might join the HD Revolution on D*? I really hope it's soon. I have emailed both WREG and CBS hoping this gets things going. I think DirecTV will get my next email.

I hope it's soon too, as most of my favorite shows are on CBS. If you hear back, I'd love to know what they have to say.

Paul

bigmikemac

10-02-06, 12:18 PM

I do have the HR20 and I'm glad I still have the HR10 as a backup. I am getting a lot of freezes and things with the new one. I like it but it is still very buggy. As far as CBS, WREG, if I hear anything I will let it be known. I don't expect too though. This was actually my second email to WREG. Some of my favs are on CBS; CSI, NCIS, AFC football, but for right now I am ok since I did keep my HR10. If they get the OTA turned on I'll be ok too since i get a pretty good signal for WREG. I just wonder how long I will get to keep Ch 88. I like have the extra choice for football.

Jeffrey T

10-02-06, 12:42 PM

I hope it's soon too, as most of my favorite shows are on CBS. If you hear back, I'd love to know what they have to say.

Paul

Call them. Jim Anhalt is the chief engineer, when I spoke to him last week they still did not have a date.

Hopefully the more people that call will escalate the situation.

mx6bfast

10-02-06, 01:26 PM

As far as CBS, WREG, if I hear anything I will let it be known. I don't expect too though. This was actually my second email to WREG.
That's about normal. They don't respond to my emails anymore, and all I did was ask this same question.

mx6bfast

10-02-06, 03:41 PM

Has anyone in our area upgraded to 6.3a nd not had the audio dropouts?

If you have had them, which channels have they been on? One more than the other?

soccercoach61

10-02-06, 11:53 PM

Boy there sure do seem to be a LOT of audio artifacts in the football game tonight... Is anyone else noticing that?

rp3

10-03-06, 11:12 AM

After sticking with D* long enough to find out their HD upgrade path, I have switched to E*, at least for the time being, for E*'s HD lineup. Everything works great, including OTA local digital channels, but there is no guide info for the locals. Are there other HD E* subsribers that have guiide info for the locals?

With D* I had guide info. One difference may be that I opted not to get the satellite locals from E*, since they do not offer HD locals from the satellite. Eventually I'll call E*'s tech support, but I would like to find out other customers' experiences first.

Many thanks.

mx6bfast

10-03-06, 03:22 PM

I got a call from D* about me calling them a few weeks ago about a blackout and after a while the guy was mentioning local channels in HD. I acted dumb and was able to get this deal after asking him about my setup and what upgrades I could get at different times during the call.

Currently I have 1 HDTivo, 2 E86’s, and an SD Tivo active.

He mentioned I could get the D* HD-DVR for $99 including installation, dish, and no shipping charges. I mentioned I have another HDTivo that we were thinking about turning back on. I didn’t tell him this, but it currently has a bad hard drive and was replaced by the one I’m using now. I somehow didn’t have to send that one back. Anyways, if I wanted to activate that I could get another HD-DVR for only $99, not $299 like I’ve read elsewhere.

I then asked about my other HD stb’s. I have 2 active, and another 2 inactive. He said all active HD stb’s would be upgraded for free.

I then asked about our SD Tivo upstairs and he said that’s regularly $99 but if we do the whole house it would be free also.

So, 2 HD-DVR’s, 2 HD stb’s (if I don’t re-activate the other 2) and an SD-DVR for $198, and I get to keep my current boxes. Damn! And I didn’t even mention anything about the Comcast offer.

I was sure to get his name and employee number. He said I wouldn’t need a new multi switch (which I would) and that I can get the HD locals OTA on the HD-DVR, but still, not a bad deal eh?

He said since it was 3 separate orders it could be 3 different installs. I almost said just leave me the boxes and I could do it myself.

rp3

10-03-06, 03:32 PM

He said I wouldn’t need a new multi switch (which I would) and that I can get the HD locals OTA on the HD-DVR, but still, not a bad deal eh?

A friend of mine just upgraded his D* to the new mpeg4 dish and DVR. He says the OTA capability of the DVR is currently disabled. D* has told him it will be activated before the end of the year. Ymmv, but don't count on receiving OTA channels immediately unless you have a different tuner.

Following up on my earlier post, I have since learned that E* requires me to subscribe to their SD Locals pkg before I can get guide info on the receivers.

mx6bfast

10-03-06, 03:59 PM

A friend of mine just upgraded his D* to the new mpeg4 dish and DVR. He says the OTA capability of the DVR is currently disabled. D* has told him it will be activated before the end of the year. Ymmv, but don't count on receiving OTA channels immediately unless you have a different tuner.
Yeah, I mentioned to my wife we were going to wait until that is turned on. We record some shows on CBS, PBS, and CW.

ravma479

10-03-06, 08:14 PM

No center channel tonight on WMC-DT. It looks like they are having 5.1 issues again.. (What aren't they having problems with?)

soccercoach61

10-04-06, 09:55 AM

No center channel tonight on WMC-DT. It looks like they are having 5.1 issues again.. (What aren't they having problems with?)

Yup, it happens all the time. At first I thought it was something Tomcast was doing, but it happens on the OTA signal, too. I have noticed that on network HD broadcasts and HD commercials, the audio is fine; SD commercials, and sometimes SD programming broadcast from the network drop out; SD commercials broadcast locally seem to be okay, and local SD programming (ie news) is okay.

The dropout on SD network commercials makes a great "automatic commercial mute" feature... ;)

-Chuck

mollerup

10-04-06, 11:50 AM

mx6bfast

10-04-06, 01:00 PM

It comes on again tonight at 7. I'm gonna try to catch it tonight. It's getting mixed reviews.

ravma479

10-04-06, 03:00 PM

Well, I just watched my recorded version of Friday Night LIghts on 5-1. It took me a minute to figure out what was going on, but then realized, no center channel. Actually it sounded like all the surround stuff was coming out of the center channel. In any case no dialogue. Too bad I can't read lips.

Of what I saw of the show, I actually thought the show worked better WITHOUT dialogue...

I checked it out between Gilmore Girls, and it seemed to be a show that won't have longevity. I was hoping it would be better, because supposedly, Jason Katims ('Roswell') is an executive producer, but I didn't see him credited.

This is ridiculous that they can't get this working properly. Do they not have somebody there monitoring the broadcast who would see within the first few minutes there was a problem? Doesn't anyone that actually works at the station have HD and realize how crappy their service is? I would personally be embarrased at the level of HD service that the station offered if I worked there.

I completely agree, that was PATHETIC last night. Did you see the football scenes near the end? They were TERRIBLE. I didn't think WMC could look worse, but those scenes proved me wrong...

They just don't seem to care...

mollerup

10-04-06, 04:31 PM

After the debacle that our local NBC affiliate WMC 5-1 put on last night with "Friday Night Lights," I wrote an email to the GM Lee Meredith. It basically was railing the total lack of effort and commitment to quality coming from them for HD viewers. In included the lack of PQ on the main channel coupled with the useless sub channels and also mentioned that the sound issue was unacceptable.

I would urge anyone who also cares about getting better quality on the local NBC affiliate to voice their concerns. If we do it all together at the same time I believe it will have more of an impact than if it comes one at a time spread out over time.

Here is the email I wrote to provided by fellow forum member mx6bfast's previous post http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8475053&&#post8475053: (this post is a great reference for all Memphis area affiliates):

Lee Meredith, lmeredith@wmctv.com