Well, I got my TWC HDTV box 6 months ago and enjoy HBO HDTV: But when is TWC going to start showing the local HDTV channels on cable......It's football season ?????? Anyone got any info ??

Jerry

One new HDTV watcher here but not through TWC. I recently purchased on open box Hughes E86 receiver from Best Buy, a Rat Shack double bow tie antenna and an HDTV from Dilday. I'm getting all of the digital locals except Fox with no problems. I really hope Fox gets their hardware fixed so I can see some widescreen NFL.

-Robert

I am having problems getting my OTA antenna up and tuned in........but I am hoping for some great HDTV from Memphis!!

Did any have problems with CSI last night? I couldn't pick up the first episode and the second looked like the SD feed since it had side bars.

-Robert

Thanks for the comments......Silly question:

If I wanted to receive the local HDTV channels OTA for now, would I have to buy an entirely different box or could the 3100HD provided bt TWC receive such a signal ?????

Jerry

You will need a receiver with OTA capability. All of the DirecTV receivers or the Samsung T-150 (I think that's the model) will work. I'm using the Radio Shack Double Bow-Tie and the Hughes E-86 DirecTV receiver. I found the antenna in the Hickory Ridge mall for $4.85 (close-out) and the Hughes from Best Buy on Winchester for $419 (open-box).

I just left a voice mail with Jim Amhall (sp?) of WREG asking about the CSI problems I was having last night. I post his reply as soon as I get it.

-Robert

Got my antenna up yesterday and it is an Digital OTA success story!! I was worried due to my distance from Memphis but I get very high signal strength on all channels except Fox which I get nothing, are they still at low power??

Got my antenna up yesterday and it is an Digital OTA success story!! I was worried due to my distance from Memphis Great news. How far away are you? I'm about four miles into MS.

I get very high signal strength on all channels except Fox which I get nothing, are they still at low power?? As far as I know, they are at "no power". On the other Memphis thread, it was mentioned that the digital transmitter so some other piece of equipment was struck by lightning.

Jim Andholt or WREG returned my call late Friday afternoon. They had "technical" difficulties during the first CSI. When they fixed those, CBS was not transmitting the HD version of CSI. He thinks that was because of limited transponder space and CBS showing the US Open in HD in other time zones.

-Robert

I am about 60 miles as the crow flies........about 15 miles south of Jonesboro......... a quick question about WMC, it seems the are altering their digital picture some, the left and right are cut off slightly, but the top and bottom seem unaffected, is this the result of the 16:9 conversion??
I havent yet to watch anything but the news so far so I dont have much to compare to.........

60 miles! What type of antenna do you have?

I haven't really watched much WMC-DT except for about 10 minutes of Leno on Friday night. Since all of my favorite shows on that channel are SD, I usually watch in 480i stretch mode off of the DirecTivo. I'll look to see if they are cropping the picture.

-Robert

VU-190 radioshack on a 30' mast, no preamp.......I get signal strengths of 100 according to my E86...........saw a little bit of Drew Carey on ABC tonight, looks like to me that they are broadcasting not quite a 16:9 ratio.

I have seen comments on the forum of 14:9, any one have any info on this??

I am thinking of staying up to watch Leno tonight

I didn't notice anything strange with the aspect ratio on Drew but I only watched for a minute or so. I was watching the baseball game on HD-Net and I really HATE baseball. The picture was just too good. Even my wife commented on how it looked. I was disappointed at 9:00 when WREG didn't flip the switch for CSI.

-Robert

Robert:

Question ?? If I bought the E-86 but I don't have DirecTV , will it still be useful for OTA HDTV local here in Memphis ? Also I read that technology might make the E-86 obsolete soon ???? Any comments ??

Jerry

Dre,
Im not Robert but i can help you I think!! The E86 CAN be used for OTA, the only catch is if you buy it with an agreement to actvate D* programing for a reduced price on the reciver. There is also talk of a D* policy saying all recivers must be activiated with D* within so many days to prevent system theft using hacked access cards.

So if you buy it somewhere like Best Buy and it is a cash and carry tranaction, i.e. no credit card used or number given, and no contract signed you cant be charged back for the non-activation fee.

The only technology out there in regards to this box or most others right now is means of transmitting the video to the monitor by a secure digital link.....which can be any number of styles, DVI, IEEE 1394, Firewire, etc.
The point to this is to prevent or control taping of HD material. It is possible for premium channel providers to "down rez" content recived by the E86 to prevent full resoultion through the component outputs which is all the E86 has.

But as far as I know this will not affect OTA channels, I think must transmit in the clear, and unencumbered, so as you want this for OTA only anyway, I dont see the problem..........

I hope I have helped in some small way!!

Thanks Dirk:

What about the Samsung SIR-T151.......its OTA only with no sat. The cost is only about $399 ?? Have you heard any comments about it ??

I used the E86 for two days before subscribing. I just turned off the dish input in the setup. It worked just fine.

I'm not sure if Best Buy will let you do a cash and carry on a D* receiver. They did ask if I was a D* subscriber during checkout. I just said yes.

I just got tired of reading about DVI and firewire. I got a Mits WS-55411 (I had the 65411 for about 24 hours) with no special input and the E86 with no special output. Component video works great and I'll stick with it until the whole copy protection thing sorts itself out.

Dre, if you get any D* receiver I would recommend signing up for the service. I've been watching re-runs of the Olympics on HD-Net. I'm amazed at the picture quality and I haven't even calibrated the TV.

-Robert

the Samsung is ATSC only, it cant do NTSC, so you will have to switch sources to watch regular tv.....it also is no DVI, so no more flexabilty for future upgrades than the E86.

IMHO.....the E86 is a good choice unless you have some reason to not want to be involved with D*.

I wouldnt let the merger worry you, as having HD equipment for either service should put your foot in the door so to speak no matter what happens. Even in the unlikely event that all E86 owners are out in the cold after the merger, you will still have a top quality OTA tuner!!

Does anyone else see an across the board loss of signal at night??

All my channels nearly max out my strenght meter, until the sun goes down then i get bad dropouts on WMC-DT, some on WREG-DT, and a few on WPTY-DT. The signal strength meter will stay down about 60 then wildly go up and down the scale.

I dont have the problem with WLMT-DT.

I wonder if the stations my turn down their power at night??

Any other ideas??

No problems with dropouts. My signal strength stays between 90 and 100.

-Robert

Does anyone know what kind of resolutions the Memphis staions are broadcasting in when not HD?? I feel that WMC is 480i most of the time, WREG is 480i and 1080i, but I dont think I have seen anything over that on the other 3 staions..........UPN,ABC, or PAX.

The lower signal strength at night might not be caused by lower signal, but dropped bits probably caused by skip. When I lived in Blytheville, I regularly picked up stations from Mo, Ky, Ms, La, and Ar at night. Check the analog channels when you see the signal drop off, and see if you are picking up skip. I live on a hilltop in North Little Rock, but have a 200' higher ridge to my east, and still pick up Memphis 52-1 occasionally off the back of my antenna. Wish I could afford about a 120' tower, I would really love to get the antenna up there. At my old location, I could watch Memphis stations from about 5pm to about 11am the next morning.

Hey Davenir.........
I posted a question to you on another forum..........are you familiar with a combiner used with 2 antennas pointed in differnet directions.....the secondary antenna used for one channel only.....I think Winegaurd used to make them, but I have yet to find any info........

Thanks for the dropout info..........I hate to say Im not familiar with the term "skip". What would I look for on the analog stations.........BTW my analog reception is not what I think it should be.....

To add a single channel antenna pointed another direction from a main antenna, you need a channel master single channel block inserter, it blocks the single channel from the main feedline, and allows you to insert the channel from the second antenna. I believe stark electronics sells them.

Skip is where signals follow the curvature of the earth due to atmospheric conditions usually found in early AM and mid PM hours, instead of following the usual line of site direct lines. To check for it, watch channel 3 and 5, if you start hearing a whine, and the picture becomes wavy, there is skip. May come from different directions on different days. 3 and 5 there are usually the first ones affected. If you can get channel 6 or 9 from Mississippi, then its definantly a good night.

Thanks Man................

Hey Memphis HDTV'ers.....I have been doing some comparisons of the OTA NTSC and ATSC channels out of Memphis, and I have noticed the sound on the ATSC(hd) channels to be somewhat lacking, almost not even stero.

I dont have my E86 hooked to my A/V reciver, just straight to the TV, so I was wondering if that was the problem. Does anyone know what kind of audio is being transmitted out of Memphis??

Thanks

I had no NBC all day Sunday...........was there a problem at the station??

Well...I got an answer from TWC here in Memphis and the news wasn't good. After originally telling me June 1st 2002 for local HDTV over cable, now they have NO IDEA when TWC will start local HDTV. Typical cable customer service !!

Typical cable customer service !! I hate Memphis TWC but I still use them for RoadRunner. If CenturyTel DSL was faster, I'd switch and cut all ties to TWC.

Why can't you switch to satellite?

-Robert

Robert.....

I have 6 TV's in our house and I understand it would take alot of hardware and expense to connect all of them up to be able to watch different channels. Also, my wife is not crazy about having dishes on the roof of our house.

dre,
Before you decicde you cant go Sat. check to see how many times a day all 6 of your TVs are actually on a different channel and someone watching them.

With D* you would have only one dish on roof.........with E* you would need two for all HD channels........

We have three TV's and a tuner card for the PC. I feed the HDTV signals directly from the two sat receivers for picture quality. The rest of the TV's get a signal through a channel modulator. Any TV in the house can view both sat receivers, the VCR and the DVD player (as soon as I finish the wiring). All of the remote controls work through IR targets and emitters connected to the modulators. Long term plans include modulating a security camera and at least one computer.

This way I'm only paying for 1 extra sat receiver. It was a little more money up front but my wife loves the ability to watch a DVD in the bedroom. I always tell her the advantages of new gadgets and then sneak a little extra in. She'll be surprised when I start surfing the net while sitting in bed.

My dish is less conspicuous than the attic vents on the roof. I mounted it at the back of the house on the facia board at the edge of the roof. You can't see it from the road or in the driveway. When you do see it, you don't see wires running everywhere. I run them under the eve, directly into the attic. It was a little more work but well worth it.

-Robert

Has anyone noticed a loss of PQ on Memphis Staions?? Some of the HD material looks soft..........It was much better than HBO and Show HD off D*, but here lately the D* stuff looks better...........

I am about to make the big leap into the HDTV world. I have been doing a good bit of research on the actual TV but am lacking on what is needed to get reception. I was hoping you fellow Memphians could help.

I am about to purchase the 60" Grand Wega XBR and the Sony HD-200. I already have the oval dish for local channels and, from what I understand, that can be used for DirecTV HDTV. What do I need to get the local HD? Do I need an antenna to install in the attic? (That is what my wife would prefer) If you guys have a preference on a specific brand and type please let me know. Thanks in advance for any info.

Chris

I already have the oval dish for local channels and, from what I understand, that can be used for DirecTV HDTV. This dish was required for locals until Dec. 27, '01 when Memphis locals moved to transponder 4 of the spot beam sat located at 101. Yes it will work for HBO HD and HD-Net. You will need a Sat-C kit for Showtime. Order it from DirecTV for under $9 and they will ship it FedEx from DirecTV warehouse #3 on Holmes Rd. If you have a dish with an integrated switch, it will take about 5 minutes to install it. If you have a switch on the back of your dish, it may take 10 minutes to run the cables through the dish arm.

Do I need an antenna to install in the attic? You need to have an antenna installed somewhere. The attic will work. I'm using a Radio Shack Double Bow Tie that I picked up for $5. It works pretty good but I need to get it up in the attic so it can see over a slight hill in the back yard. I'm about 6 miles from the state line on the Southaven/OB border so that puts me around 20 miles from the tower.

If you guys have a preference on a specific brand and type please let me know. If you can't get the Rat Shack, look at Channel Master UHF models. (http://www.channelmaster.com/pages/u1.htm)

-Robert

Robert,

Thanks for your help. I don't mind paying extra for a really good OTA antenna but I just don't know what is good and what will fit in the attic.

Also, Who do you deal with in the Memphis area for AV products. I have talked to Giant TV, Berclair, and Video Station. In fact a guy from Video Station is coming out today to start installation on my audio system. Thanks again.

Chris

From what I've read here, the Channel Master products are really good. If my antenna doesn't work in the attic, I'll be upgrading to one of the ones I linked to.

I bought my TV from Dilday at Winchester and Hacks Cross and my HD receiver and DVD from Best Buy on Winchester. Everything else, I've picked up here and there. I build my own speakers and subs and I have wired my entire house for video. I really picky about my stuff and wouldn't even let Dilday connect anything when they delivered the TV.

-Robert

Hey, guys. New here.

I tried to get an open box Hughes E86 at BB, but they wouldn't let me w/o sigining up for DirecTV service. I ended up getting the Samsung SRT151. Anyone know what I need to do to get the E86, if anything?

Now: (what u see between quotes is what I already posted on the ilovehdtv forums, but I was glad to find an active thread here of Memphis area users).

"Just got my Mitsu 55311. Haven't done anything on it as far as tuning (not even Avia. Did rent Video Essentials, but haven't done it.) I just wanted to see if I could get an HDTV signal.

Using the Samsung SRT151, trying to watch channel 28, LSU vs. ARK. I was getting a signal (about 60%, I would say, all lines were yellow...) with a simple rabbit ear. The Mitsu aspect was set on Standard, and the aspect on the Samsung HDTV receiver was on full, but I was still getting bars on each side. I thought HDTV would fill the screen, so I wasn't convinced I was watching HTDV feed. The pic was bad, even though when they were showing the fans in the stands, I could see how it could look really nice if the tv was set up right... The manual switch in the back of the SRT151 was set to digital 1080i...

Was I seeing bad HTDV? I can't really, right, cause you either see beauty or nothing, right?

Thanks"

Anyone saw this game in HDTV? What suggestions can u give me?

Thank you lots,
Radu

Radu,

One of the first and most disappointing things you will find about HD, it that not all of the programing on the HD staions are in HD.

Although CBS(28) is usually very good about throwing the switch others in our veiwing area are not(you know who you are) and this can cause problems...........The networks will be sending HiDef and the locals will still be sending the SD feed.............

I didnt see the game myself, but I think if you have to ask yourself "is this HD" then it wasnt. You WILL know when it is.............

It was upconverted SD for the Arkansas/LSU game. I even called the station but no one was home. I was really looking forward to seeing the Hogs in HD. Hopefully someone will remember to throw the switch during the SEC championship game.

The Georgia/GT game on Saturday looked great.

-Robert

Originally posted by radu
... Using the Samsung SRT151, trying to watch channel 28, LSU vs. ARK....

Anyone saw this game in HDTV?
I watched the game on CBS KTHV 11-1 in Little Rock.

Most of that game was in widescreen, 16:9 format HD, but not very good quality. Some cameras they used and some replays were not HD, they were upconverts.

I was very disappointed in the consisitency of the PQ, especially after the local CBS affiliate made such a big deal about the game being in HD (http://www.kthv.com/hog_zone/hogsinHDTV.asp). The station even had an HD party at one of the local shopping malls.

The Arkansas/LSU football game on CBS was nowhere near the quality of most sports shown on HDnet.

Originally posted by Southerncentralrain2
... What do I need to get the local HD? Do I need an antenna to install in the attic?...

You should be able to use the Channel Master 4221 (http://www.warrenelectronics.com/antennas/4221.htm), since all your locals are UHF.

It may work fine in the attic. If not, you'll have to install it on the roof.

Hey, guys. I liked the "if yo have to wonder if it's HD, then it's not" comment. I definitely wasn't watching HD feed.

Crossing Jordan was pretty awesome yesterday. Leno was amazing. First time I get to see Leno in HD.

Anyone know what scan resolutions channels 25, 28, and 52 broadcast in?

Alias was horrible on ABC Sat or Sun night, can't remember which. Stretched and ugly.

On all of the real HD feeds, the picture is really dark. When commercials, this is not a proble. Do u any of you own Mitsubishis? What should I set the brightness/contrast to on my 55311?

Thanks,
Radu

hi, again.

I am very, very curious to find out what the basic settings (especially brighntess/contrast) are on your sets, especially Mitsubishi set owners, and especially Memphis-area watchers. All of the shows I have watched (except for maybe Leno), like drama or sitcoms are dark or very dark... Can it be the cables? I am using the cables that came with the Samsung SRT151, and using the DTV input in the back of the TV...

Thank you,
Radu

I am very, very curious to find out what the basic settings (especially brighntess/contrast) are on your sets, especially Mitsubishi set owners, It will vary by manufacturer, model and sometimes even the set but I'll give it a shot. On my WS-55411:
contrast: @35%
brightness: @50%
sharpness: 0%
SVM: off
pic temp: 6500K
some other setting I can't remember the name off: off
red: 25% (480i inputs only)
magenta: 25%(480i inputs only)
rest of colors: 50% (factory setting)

I used Video Essentials to get these settings. My overscan is not set correctly at 5% and I'm really thinking about becoming a paid member at The Spot so I can get to the Mitsu tweaks information.

-Robert

Has anyone noticed that on all stations, except CBS, the SD feeds are very bad.....??

Does anyone know what the staions are transmitting when not HD material??...............ie are they upconveritng everything to 1080i/720p or are they just passing it through as 480i.

I would like to believe that my e86 does a better job of upconvering than what I am seeing......................except for CBS.....

To me, they are almost DVD quality when broadcasting SD. I think NBC is the worst, always forgeting to switch to HD, and I get a partial stretch, that only fills about 90% of my screen.

Sorry guys, this started out as a question, and turned into a rant, but any info will be helpful:)

Robert I noticed that you were looking for Mits tweaks.......have you tried Kenohi HDTV??

I always forget about Kehoi. I'm talking about the service menu and opening up the box and manually focusing each CRT type tweaks. Everything short of the ISF calibration since I don't have the equipment to set the proper gray scale level. I'm trying to convince my wife to let Gregg Loewen (sp?) calibrate it the next time he is in the area.

-Robert

Originally posted by dirk1843
... Does anyone know what the staions are transmitting when not HD material??...............ie are they upconveritng everything to 1080i/720p or are they just passing it through as 480i.

I would like to believe that my e86 does a better job of upconvering than what I am seeing......................except for CBS.....

To me, they are almost DVD quality when broadcasting SD. I think NBC is the worst, always forgeting to switch to HD, and I get a partial stretch, that only fills about 90% of my screen.
Every station is different. Some are broadcasting SD programming in 480p, 720p or 1080i. Others are using 480i.

If your station fogets to "throw the HD switch" (our CBS affiliate in LR is bad about that on weekends), try to contact them by phone or email. Politely let them know they need to be more attentive.

At least your NBC station is doing HD. KARK in Little Rock is only doing "lip service" digital. Very low power UHF station and 480i only. No NBC-HD.

After reading all of your posts, I decided to get the SIR-T151.

Many thanks for all the tips and advice on HD in the Memphis area.
Last night I was able to receive all stations except FOX.
I remember reading that they had some problems with their equipment a couple months back.

Does anyone know if they transmit 24x7 or only during primetime?

As far as I know, Fox digital is still broken. I try every once in a while during primetime and get nothing.

-Robert

You can contact the station at their web site: http://www.fox13whbq.com
Click on "Inside FOX 13"
Click "Community Affairs"
Select "Talk to FOX 13 Programming" from the drop down list in the form.

Or call them at 901 320-1313 and ask them if their digital station is on the air.

Thanks arxaw...I will contact them.
FOX is not really on my priorities list right now, but if they are up
I will watch occasionally.
Thanks again.

Originally posted by rlj5242
As far as I know, Fox digital is still broken. I try every once in a while during primetime and get nothing.

-Robert

I don't know if this info is still accurate but I spoke with their engineer a few months ago and, at that time, they were broadcasting 24X7 but with very low power. The antenna is located on top of their 2/3 story facility located on South Highland. It's the thing that looks like a sailboat mast when you drive by.

They did get blasted during a thunderstorm but that was supposedly fixed soon after. He emailed me to check reception and I couldn't get the station. He said that, as far as he knew, no one could receive them because of the low antenna height and low power.

He also stated that they would be moving the antenna out by Whitten later next year... I wouldn't expect much until then...

Dan

We are transmitting a DTV signal on channel 53. Our transmitter was down for a few weeks in May and June, but has been back for some time. It is a low-power station, and is predicted to cover only the city of Memphis. Once some tower modifications can be made, we should be able to move the antenna to a higher elevation, which should improve the signal coverage. I don't have a definite date when that will happen, but I'd be glad to keep you informed of the progress.

this from an email from Fox 13 from 10/25/02.

As for FOX, I live 11 miles from the transmitter antenna on Highland St.

I can't get it either... Maybe when they move the antenna up higher...

Hi

Whilst I can really nice epictures from CBS, NBC and ABC using an omnidirectional powered Toshiba antenna, I can never get FOX. I called them but these said they are currently up and running. Has anyone got FOX in HD recently?

Also I was watching 'The Practice' last night (12/8) but could only get the main channel L & R digital audio. No center channel i.e. no voices! Pretty surreal but did anyone else have this problem or was it just an error intepreting the signal by my ACT3 surround processor?

Thanks

(Newbie who found the site by accident but took all of the good advice to get my Pana from Visual Apex. Great job guys!)

Originally posted by ppotter
Hi ... I called them but these said they are currently up and running. Has anyone got FOX in HD recently?...

You'd have to live a couple of blocks away from them in the Memphis State area to have any chance of receiving them. I don't know of anyone who can pick them up.

By the way, FOX doesn't broadcast HD, just their SD widescreen...

All the Best,
Dan

I guess Midtown is too far away (2-3 miles!)

Thanks,

Phil

Robert, thanks. What is your color setting?

I just did the Sound and Vision HTT: The contrast and brightness are about where I had set them (about 30% and 50%, respectively). In the color and tint section, I had to take the color high in order to match the squares while looking through the blue filter. Then I had to take it down in the next section red push section...

The Sat. night SEC championship game looked great from the top camera (live shots during live plays). When they would switch to a ground camera for example, the faces of the players were very dark, sometimes the shadow part of the face was completely black. Has anyone else experienced this?

I ran the SVHTT DVD on the DTV input where my HDTV STB box goes into. I also ran it on Component 1 where I have my DVD player. The DVD movies look pretty great...

Question to everyone: after you have tweaked your brightness and contrast settings with any of the tools (Avia, VE, etc.), is your picture in shows like Robbery Homicide Division, The District, really dark to where sometimes you only see onse side of the face of a person (the not-in-the-shadow side) or to where a black (or dark color) suit is so black that you can't tell anything about it except for where it begins or where it ends (the outline)? Yes, I know about director's intent, but this is too much...

WHat could it be? Cables? STB? TV? Local (Memphis) network affiliates? Or is that the hay it is always going to be, and I just have to live with it? How do you guys see it? Robert, I know you have a Mits.. What can you tell me?

Thank you,
Radu

Robert, thanks. What is your color setting? I'm at work and don't really remember. I can check it this afternoon.

When they would switch to a ground camera for example, the faces of the players were very dark, sometimes the shadow part of the face was completely black. I only watched half of the first quarter in HD. Had to go to a Christmas party. During that time, I did not notice this. The picture looked great. Too bad the Hogs sucked.

Question to everyone: after you have tweaked your brightness and contrast settings with any of the tools (Avia, VE, etc.), is your picture in shows like Robbery Homicide Division, The District, really dark to where sometimes you only see onse side of the face of a person (the not-in-the-shadow side) or to where a black (or dark color) suit is so black that you can't tell anything about it except for where it begins or where it ends (the outline)? Yes, I know about director's intent, but this is too much... I used to get this a lot with RHD but it's much better since my last tweaking session. I think I just needed some practice with VE. I don't watch The District so I can't comment.

WHat could it be? Cables? STB? TV? Local (Memphis) network affiliates? I'm using the cables that came with my E-86. They seem to work OK. I will upgrade when I move the STB into the theater room and send the video about 35 feet back to the living room. I don't think it's the STB or TV. If it was the station or network we would all be complaining. Try tweaking it again. I sat down and listened to the VE guy as he explained each setting before changing anything.

-Robert

In response to ppotter who is having trouble getting more than 2 channels from ATSC OTA, to the best of my memory I cant remember ever getting 5.1 from OTA from Memphis yet.........I think it must be the memphis stations, as others on this forum speak of 2.0 to 5.1 on ABC,NBC,CBS etc at differnt times and with differnt programs.

I really apprecitae the high quality pictures I am recieving, but I will be glad when all stations get the bug worked out, and ATSC becomes a dependable medium for broadcast.

I cant remember ever getting 5.1 from OTA from Memphis yet I haven't checked since I don't have my sound system completed yet. I'm with you, I hope they have it figured out before I finish building my speakers and subs.

-Robert

I'm using a Dish6000 with OTA to receive the local digitals.

Is anyone else having trouble mapping WPTY-DT? When it works (most of the time) it maps to ch24 with no subchannels. Picture quality doesn't compare favorably to WREG-DT though.

Sometimes it maps to ch 25 with 20 subchannels, no picture, no audio... Also, I get a green haze over the whole picture many times right after I tune to the station then it goes away. Anyone else?? Signal strength is always 90 plus.

All except WPXX and FOX come in fine when they're on the air. WPXX is weak and the signal breaks up.

By the way, no one broadcasts in 5.1 locally...

I'm not familiar with the way the E* 6000 inputs channels, on E86 all ATSC are listed as sub-channels, ie 24-1. To tune to the actual channels I have to input 25-1, then it maps back to 24-1, but this has something to do with the broadcasters becaue when they arent broadcasting and you input 25-1
nothing happens, ie. dosent map back to 24-1 as when recieving the signal.

Originally posted by dirk1843
Has anyone noticed a loss of PQ on Memphis Staions?? Some of the HD material looks soft..........It was much better than HBO and Show HD off D*, but here lately the D* stuff looks better...........

Dirk, you asked this a while back but I thought I'd mention the difference between WPTY-DT and the ABC-DT national feed. The ABC feed off satellite is every bit as good as the best WREG-DT HDTV; it's Sharp, crisp, vivid and just plan WOW, along with 5.1 digital audio... When I switch over to WPTY-DT OTA the picture and sound are a drastic disappointment. WPTY is doing something, maybe lowering bit rate or down rezzing in some other manner but whatever it is, it's real obvious...

Does anyone know if any of the engineers or other people "in the know" about HD at the stations are freindly to us AV types??

All the emails I have sent have been replied to with canned responses or the very insulting "not that much HD programing out there anyway, why should we care" type answers.

It would be nice to actually know what is going on with each station, what format they are broadcasting when not 1080i/720p, why they have problems switching to the HD feed sometimes, what audio problems they have...........If I knew that they had actuall issues and not just laziness or cheapskate, I would feel alot better.....

Who knows, since they are in the station and we are out in the field, we might even be able to help with some of their problems, I for one would be glad to do anything I could!!

Originally posted by dirk1843
Does anyone know if any of the engineers or other people "in the know" about HD at the stations are freindly to us AV types??...
It depends on the attitude of the station and the people working there.

Two locals in my area are *very* interested in talking to viewers to find out what tuner, TV, antenna, etc. they are using, and what problems they are having.

Another station won't even answer emails. And if you call the station, it's impossible to talk to an engineer - your call is routed to voicemailhell. They're probably tired of complaints about their low power and 480i format.

Originally posted by arxaw
...And if you call the station, it's impossible to talk to an engineer - your call is routed to voicemailhell. They're probably tired of complaints about their low power and 480i format.

You said it! WPTY has NEVER let me speak with anyone and every email I've sent them has bounced with a bad address... :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

I'm beginning to wonder if my problem with WPTY-DT is my Dish6000; although one guy here in town knows a bit about their setup and said their encoder is crap...

All the Best,
Dan

Hey, guys.

I got a Hughes E86 to try out. With the same video settings, CBS shows looked much better (not as dark). Still Standing was great (I remember, with the SIR-T151, the main living room shots were much darker). Jay Leno was great, and much brighter.

Can't wait for some live ballgame.

Robert, and anyone else using this HD STB: how is the signal steadiness? The Hughes showed signal strength of 100 steady for CBS, but I kept getting the little squares (don't know what to call them), and sound skips every 5-10 seconds... The Samsung was much better at signal sensitivity...

Later,
Radu

Radu,
My signal strength jumps between about 70 and 90 on CBS. I'm using a Radio Shack Double Bow Tie sitting on the top of my TV. I have not replaced the antenna wire with coax either. My house sits in a small valley and I think that getting the antenna up in the attic will give it a better signal.

I also get a blocky picture but no sound drop outs. I'm hoping my tweaks will improve the picture. If not, I'm upgrading to a Channel Master antenna.

-Robert

radu,

I get 100% on CBS with no problems on my E86. ABC is also good with no pixelation (although some programs do not have sound transmitted in digital e.g The Practice). NBC frequently jumps from 60-90% during Leno and giant pixels appear with occasional loss of signal.

I haven't tried the Samsung box, but I am very happy with the E86. Sat pm football and basketball games are incredible on CBS with the Panny plasma. Just hoping the Superbowl will be transmitted (with sound!) in HD.

hey, thanks, Robert and ppotter.

On CBS when I check the signal strength, the bar never moves below 100, and the signal strength pitch sound it at its highest. Still, every 5-10 seconds I get what I see called by one of you guys pixelation... and sound drops...

Anyway, I need to ask you guys this. First, I am much happier with the E86, even though I am going to have to take it back unless I want DirecTV to charge my credit card who knows how much if I don't sign up for service within 30 days. Now: even though I am much happier with the E86, I still feel like the picture is too dark sometimes. CSI: Miami, for example. I was switching back and forth between the HD signal on 28-1 through the E86 and the CBS channel 3 (I think) on my TW Digital Cable Scientific Atlanta box. Obviously, the detail and the quality of the pic was not comparable. But the show was much darker (even in outside shots) on the HD feed. Why is that? I have the same settings on all lmy inputs (about 30 contrast, and 50 brightness). Digital Cable is using S-Video, by the way.

Oh, I forgot to mention: I am using an RCA antenna that has the rabbit ears and a circle thing in between (about $13 at BB)...

ppotter, you say you get ABC pretty well. Every time I see it, it looks pretty bad (Family Affairs, for example)...

THanks,
Radu

I still feel like the picture is too dark sometimes. CSI: Miami, for example. I was switching back and forth between the HD signal on 28-1 through the E86 and the CBS channel 3 (I think) on my TW Digital Cable Scientific Atlanta box. I don't remember, have you calibrated your TV? I had to calibrate each input separately. CBS-HD is the same brightness as CBS-SD over DirecTV. There is a difference in color on my Mitsu because I haven't corrected the red push on the component inputs yet.

-Robert

Robert,

Forgive the ignorance, but how do you calibrate each input individually (especially, how did you calibrate the input that the HD STB goes in)? Just use the AVIA or whatever DVD and stick it in each input, including S-Video, in my case? I also noticed you can switch to another input's video settings through the remote...

Thanks a lot,
Radu

Radu,

I have not checked all of ABC's broadcasts but only ones that cleary indicate the HD is available (or sports). Monday Night Football and The Practice have been my programs of choice. Whilst I know MNF is not transmitted in HD, the component output of the E86 coupled at 1080i with the Pana 42PWD5UY gives a better picture than the S-video with 480i.

With The Practice the picture is superb with the component/1080i setup, but I do not get voices due to the lack of 5 channels on the transmission. There is very clear difference when ABC goes from SD to HD transmission. (Try checking at 8.55 on Sunday night and watch the change to HD ~9).

By the way I am just using a powered omnidirectional antenna that came with my (old round) satellite dish. I hope when the power get ramped up on the digital channels I wont need to install a custom UHF antenna to get all the locals in HD.

Radu,
That's what I did. I used my progressive scan DVD player on my HD & DVD inputs. I used the s-video out of the DVD player on the other inputs. I know it's not 100% accurate but it's closer than eyeballing it. I still need to convince the wife to go for a full ISF calibration.

-Robert

Originally posted by rlj5242
I don't remember, have you calibrated your TV? I had to calibrate each input separately. CBS-HD is the same brightness as CBS-SD over DirecTV. There is a difference in color on my Mitsu because I haven't corrected the red push on the component inputs yet.

-Robert

Robert,

I think I can see why you are getting the same brighntess. LOL. I am as confused as ever. No, really: I am guessing you are using one box (the E86) for DirecTV SD, and for OTA HD. When you switch to CBS -SD on DirecTV, are you staying on the same Mitsu input (I'm guessing you are using the DTV input for the OTA HD), or are you switching to another TV input (like S-Video)? In my case, I am using two separate boxes: the TW digial cable box through Mitsu S-Video for locals and all the other digital cable channels, and the E86 for OTA HD through the Mitsu "DTV" input.

Anyway, are all broadcasts supposed to use SMPTE-compliant stuff? (I think that's what it's called: the people on the S&V HTT DVD said that the color pattern was made by SMPTE). Well I used those supposedly standard patterns on all my inputs, but something is cookie, because HD feeds are much darker than SD.

Guys, if you have any ideas, please let me know. This is making me crazy. :)

Ppotter, I will look at The Practice sunday night. thanks.

THanks everyone,
Radu

I am guessing you are using one box (the E86) for DirecTV SD, and for OTA HD. When you switch to CBS -SD on DirecTV, are you staying on the same Mitsu input All of my SD programming comes through a DirecTivo on a different TV input.

-Robert

Originally posted by radu
I am using two separate boxes: the TW digial cable box through Mitsu S-Video for locals and all the other digital cable channels, and the E86 for OTA HD through the Mitsu "DTV" input.

.....I used those supposedly standard patterns on all my inputs, but something is cookie, because HD feeds are much darker than SD.

There are lots of variables to consider.

Even if you calibrate the inputs using a DVD, etc., the TW cable box may have a brighter output than the E86. OR, your DVD player may have different brightness levels on its different output jacks.

Bottom line, if the picture is too dark when using the E86, slowly adjust the contrast & brightness controls until the picture looks right to you.

thanks, Robert. Is your brightness about 50 even on HD shows?

Arxaw, your solution makes a lot of sense. For me to get the pic looking like I want on some HD shows, I have to get the brightness up to around 80-90 percent... I know upped contrast reduces the life of y CRTs. How about high brightness?

Is there a time of day, or probably night when there is a pattern aired on any of the digital stations?

thanks,
Radu

Radu,
Are you watching TV with a lot of lights on? I normally watch with all of the living room lights off and just some ambient light coming through from the kitchen.

-Robert

Robert,

I always watch in either total darkness or as in your case with some dim light coming from the kitchen or porch light outside...

Thanks,
Radu

ppotter, and anyone else: how does ABC look? I haven't seen The Practice yet, but "My Wife and Kids" and other shows are stretched horizontally, and the pic is not too good at all...

Radu

but "My Wife and Kids" and other shows are stretched horizontally I noticed that the last time I tried watching NYPD Blue. I figured that someone forgot to throw the switch to the HD feed. I gave up after about 5 minutes and switched to the DirecTivo. The picture looked the same.

-Robert

Thanks, Robert. In my case every single time I have tried ABC, it was ugly and stretched...

Has anyone heard updates on the TW locals in HD? Their website is a pain to navigate.

Thanks,
Radu

hey, guys.

Trying to watch stuff on 52-1, like AMerican Dreams. My Hghes E86 says 100. Nothing... Also, 28-1, CBS, I can't get any siganl: zero... Finally what seems to be HD on ABC (very grainy, though), but no diaslog sound, just background sound, music... Any of you guys experiencing the same?

I got a new screenname on AOL Instant Messnger. For example right now I would love to talk to some of you about what's going on... If you are ever on, and want to talk to someone in Cordova about HD, my screenname is:

cordovahd

Thanks,
Radu

Originally posted by DanielD
Dirk, you asked this a while back but I thought I'd mention the difference between WPTY-DT and the ABC-DT national feed. The ABC feed off satellite is every bit as good as the best WREG-DT HDTV; it's Sharp, crisp, vivid and just plan WOW, along with 5.1 digital audio... When I switch over to WPTY-DT OTA the picture and sound are a drastic disappointment. WPTY is doing something, maybe lowering bit rate or down rezzing in some other manner but whatever it is, it's real obvious...

Daniel,

How do you get the National ABC feed?

Thanks,
Radu

radu,
I am having the same problem with NBC, I am not really a fan but I wanted
to see the quality of the Faith Hill concert and got nothing.

Also having the same problem with dialog on ABC.

Hope they get them both fixed soon.

Omar

Is there anyway for us all to get together and put the pressure on the local stations to get things right (i.e. email, phone, etc)? The more contacts they get, the sooner things will be done.

I would be for that. I finally took the plunge and got a new zenith stb for Christmas. ABC on Tuesday night didn't have an audio track, they had music and laugh tracks, but that was it. FOX still isn't transmitting!! I haven't gotten anything on NBC yet. I would love to start putting pressure on the local networks to get this stuff right, and up and running. Thats actually why I waited so long to get an STB. BTW I am over in Collierville and seem to get a decent signal with a radio shack set top antenna that I bought. I am going to go see if I can find a silver sensor this weekend, seems to be one of the better indoor antennas. Whats everyone else in Memphis using?

Gut

radu, I have a UM1000A satellite receiver that I use through a BUD to receive the national feeds... Bought it a few years ago in their bankrupcy sale and have never regretted it.

dd

Daniel, thanks. That is awesome.

Gut, the only place I saw a Silver Sensor (the only Silver Sensor they had) was at Sears at Wolfchase. I bought it. But you may be in luck, if they still have it, because I took it back. My cheap-o rabbit year gets everything just as well...

At the time I posted my hd darkness problems, I didn't know that my E86 can get NTSC SD channels, like 3 for CBS, for example (The SIR-T151 can't do that). Therefore, I thought that different inputs were the prblem. Guess what? On the same input on my Mits (DTV input), if I change from 0003 (CBS) to 28-1 (CBS-DT) on my E86, the picture goes from good to dark (talking again about the brightness and not PQ). The input is always at 1080i (set in the prefs of the E86), no matter if I watch SD or HD through my E86. What is going on? Is it the HD feed? If so, shouldn't all of you see the same things I am describing? Or is it my TV set when it it fed a true (how would it know?) HD signal? CSI was beautiful in HD, but my brightness setting was about 90%...

Any ideas would be appreciated. I know I am rambling, and i may not be making sense. Sorry.

Gut, how do you like the Zenith STB? Where did you get it? Man, it is pricy! I looked for on in Memphis locally, no luck.

Thanks,
Radu

I am next door here in Little Rock, and all CBS's HD shows are dark here too. I have a LCD monitor, so I can keep the brightness and contrast set cranked (actually, I use HDNETs test pattern to set it up) a lot more than I could with a tube type set due to burn in worries, which I dont have. There is a major difference in CBS's HD and SD feeds. Must be a network thing. I actually prefer a lower black level myself, and find the PQ great.

I found a silver sensor yesterday at Circuit City on Winchester for $39.99! It works great, got my signal up in the top range!
I got the zenith hdv420 about 3 weeks ago at circuit city at Wolfchase, it was the last one in Memphis. Only $399.00 and I had a 10% coupon CC had sent me..:) Seems to be great, nothing to compare it to though. Very easy to set up and get running. CSI looked great last night, wish my wife appreciated it as much as I do. LOL

I just got an email from the engineer at WMC. I told him I hadn't been getting a picture or sound for a week now. He said their encoder is down and they're having trouble getting it fixed. Although you get a transmitter signal, there's nothing else there...

If I hear anything else, I'll let you folks know.

I also got an email from WMC, but it was just a cursory, "We are experiencing technical difficulties at this time." Hopefully, they'll get it fixed soon. We're missing out on some good HD content.

BTW, I'm using a Sony KP-43HT20, with a Sony SAT-HD200 and a Channel Master antenna.

cws80us,
Did you get your CM antenna locally? I'm looking to upgrade from my Double Bow-Tie and Lowes only carries the VHF/UHF combo. I want a 4 Bow-Tie.

-Robert

Originally posted by rlj5242
... I want a 4 Bow-Tie.

If you can't find the CM locally, Warren Electronics (http://www.warrenelectronics.com/antennas/4221.htm) has the CM 4221 4bay bowtie for around 22 bucks + shipping.

Did anybody take a look at Ms. Doubtfire last night on ABC? The picture was very grainy w/ the audio coming in and out most of the time. That was the first time I have seen any HD on ABC. Is that the way it normally is?

I got my Channel Master at Lowe's, and it works great. I have it mounted in the the attic above my garage, and I'm picking all available analog and digital signals.

Yeah I agree Ms. Doubtfire looked really bad last night, but the District on CBS looked really good.

I noticed NBC is back up...but I am getting an echo on the voice track.

I am also getting 25-2....it locks up but unable to get a pic.
Omar

Well I would like to be watching HDTV, but so far can't pull anything in way up here in Paragould.

I'm using a HiPix PC card, and just got my RS yagi UHF antenna on the roof a couple of weeks ago. I did get a weak signal from channel 52 but no picture. And nothing from any of the other stations. Well except for NTSC, I get 10 good and 13 marginal, 24 and 30 I can just make out in the snow with no sound. Strange thing is, I have an old B/W tv in the garage workshop and can get channel 30 better on it with the attached antenna than with the rooftop. I know it doesn't take nearly as much signal strength for B/W as for color and the little portable B/W tv probably has a more sensative tuner, but interesting anyhow. Anyway, getting of topic. Wonder if I need to mount my antenna higher?

Neil

Yeah, the last couple of nights, it seems like WMC (NBC) has been turning their digital signal on at 10:00 pm, but is seems to be screwed up. I'm experiencing the same echo problem mentioned, and last night the video wasn't very good either. Maybe they're doing some testing or something. BTW, I was actually getting DD 5.1 audio last night during Leno, although the horrible echo made it unbearable.

As far as 25-2 goes, it's the same thing as 24-1, my tuner seems to float back and forth between the two sometimes picking up the signal on 25-2 and sometimes on 24-1; I'm not sure what's causing that.

The last couple of nights, WLMT (UPN30) has been acting up for me also. The picture and audio are cutting in and out.

I've tried my double bow-tie antenna (worked great in Cincinnati) and recently the Channel Master STEALTHtenna. I'm not getting any reception except for 52-2 (NBC). This signal comes in pretty strong - 70 w/ the bow tie and no amplifier.

I'm in a one-story home, so I guess that puts me at a disadvantage...before I give up, are there any suggestions? I doubt the Silver Sensor would solve the problem.

Thanks!

NBC is not broadcasting regularly for some reason. They were on early this afternoon, but are not on during primetime. They were broadcasting starting at 10:00 pm last week a few nights. I emailed the station, and the only response I got is that they were having technical difficulties.

You arent' having a problem, NBC is.

Neil,

I am in Trumann, and I do allright........although in Paragould you may have an elevation factor, too. Which RS* antenna is your yagi?? I am using a vu190 about 30 feet up...........

Bootz,

Have you tried any indoor antenna?? I would think that you would be close enough to get most stations in Memphis with a good indoor antenna set..............

Anyone else having trouble with UPN (31.1)? And is anyone getting a good picture from NBC (52.1)? I'm getting a signal now, but the pictures is heavily pixelated.

I picked up the Silver Sensor antenna at Circuit City. This little bugger knocks the socks off of my double bowtie and the STEALTHtenna.

NBC (52) comes in the strongest...seems to be always on. The antenna captured signals from UPN and PAX, but I haven't seen any programming. ABC seems to receive a signal up until 10 PM CST. CBS seems to hardly EVER be on...I was thinking about having people over for the Steelers / Titans game, but I'm not sure if they'll even broadcast the game in HD!

Can't capture any Fox station...seems to be beyond the reach of my antenna. I'm excited the little Silver Sensor did such a good job, but really disappointed in the quantity AND quality of HDTV supplied by the local Memphis stations.

:(

Bootz,

The Saturday and Sunday NFL games on CBS will be in HD.


--Radu

Bootz,
As best I can tell, this is the broadcasting schedule for all the Memphis stations currently broadcasting digitally.

WPTY (ABC), 24-1, 5pm - ~1am (WB programming 11pm-1am)
WREG (CBS), 28-1, 7pm - 10pm
WLMT(UPN), 31.1, 7pm -
WMC (NBC), 52-2, 5pm - 12am
WHBQ (FOX), 53-1, ????

If you not getting CBS, you're missing out on some of the better HD content available. Most of their prime time lineup is being broadcast in HD. ABC has some HD, but not as much as CBS. UPN and PAX have no HD content, but are both broadcasting all their prime time programming digitally. NBC has been having problems and has just recently in the couple of days gotten back to a regular schedule, so I'm not able to report on them yet. FOX is at low power, and no one is able to pick up their signal.

I'm not sure about the playoff games Saturday. Hopefully, CBS will broadcast the HD feeds, but there's no guarantee.

quote:
WPTY (ABC), 24-1
WREG (CBS), 28-1
WLMT(UPN), 31.1
WMC (NBC), 52-2
WHBQ (FOX), 53-1
-------------------------------------
Are the Memphis stations not remapping to their analog channel numbers? If so, the channels should be:
WPTY (ABC), 24-1 (DTV RF ch 25)
WREG (CBS), 3-1 (DTV RF ch 28)
WLMT(UPN), 30-1 (DTV RF ch 31)
WMC (NBC), 5-1 (DTV RF ch 52)
WHBQ (FOX), 13-1 (DTV RF ch 53)

The only one remapping to its analog number is ABC. The rest display thier digital channel numbers...

dd

Did anyone have trouble with CSI and Without A Trace last night? I had several dropouts (mostly audio), freezes and pixelations. It got so bad that I switched to the regular channel. I am close to Wolfchase and not far from the tower and have an outdoor antenna.

As a side note - Has anyone had their sets professionally calibrated? If so, who performed the work?

Rick

12:30 CST and no signal from our local CBS station. Just wondering if anyone has picked up a signal from them today.

As long as it is live by 3:30...

It's coming in fine, good game too...:)

What a great job by CBS!!!

Did anybody get a signal from fox?

Does anyone know whether CBS in Memphis is going to carry the AFC Championship game in HDTV? I live in Oxford and get CBS crystal clear in HDTV with a RS YAGI Antenna and a RS Pre-Amp. I am having problems getting NBC and ABC. Does anyone else live around 60-70 miles from the TV towers in Memphis and pick these stations up? As far as Fox is concerned, when I looked them up on 100kwatts.tmi.net (http://100kwatts.tmi.net) they were broadcasting at some insane power of 1.2kw. I do not know if this is still true, but FOX is not broadcasting in HDTV anyway. They broadcast in EDTV (Enhanced Digital Television).

I am about the same distance and get NBC & ABC also the SD feeds of UPN and PAXX............I do get pixelazation from time to time, but I belive this is a multipath issue.

I have a radio shack antenna a vu190, but I am not using a pre-amp.

I dont know for sure, but if your pre-amp is very old it may not be passing the higher channels.........

I had this problem with a surge suppressor that I was running my OTA feed through, I couldnt get the NBC HD channel which is 52, and I belive teh highest in Memphis......

Yes, CBS will be broadcasting the AFC Championship in HD. And, Yes FOX is still broadcasting at really low power. Unless you live about a block from their tower, you can't pick up their signal.

Does anyone have any insight on when Time Warner of Memphis may start broacasting the local station in HDTV? thanks

Anyone living in the Goodlett/Walnut Grove area - what type of antennae are you using?

I've tried 4 so far - none of which prevent the CBS signal from breaking up. I'm writing this as the Titans/Raiders game is entering the 4th quarter and I am frustrated enough to leave the game to write this!

Thanks

I thought I would add this to the thread so Memphians would see it.


CraigM Tennessee Calibration Tour

I talked with Craig and he would love to do a TN tour if we can get enough people in the various cities. This tour would be in the March/April time frame after he completes Georgia.

If you want Craig to calibrate your Mits, send an email directly to him at MGHomeTheater@earthlink.net

Anyone else noticing a significant drop in signal strength on NBC around 7:00 pm? I get a really strong signal up until right around 7, then it drops down to where I can't pick it up. Are they going to low power during primetime or something?

What is your location cws.......

I too experince drops in signal strength on all memphis stations but I havent been able to isolate them to a common dedominator.

I feel like it is an athmopheric condtion..........

dirk1843,

I'm in southeast Shelby county around Hacks Cross and Winchester. I emailed WMC and got a response from an engineer stating that they are not lowering their signal strength at night and offering some suggestions on how to solve the problem. He felt like it was an atmospheric condition as well. I'm only having this problem on 52-2, every other digital station is just fine (except FOX). FYI, I adjusted my antenna, and I am now able to pick up 52-2 at night. The signal strength is still much lower, but I was able to get it just strong enough to get a steady picture.

Well, the latest I hear from TWC here in Memphis is not all that encouraging . The people in the know at TWC say around July '03, but this is after telling me June '02 and then Dec. 02. Others around town at various Video Stores say don't hold your breath for July, that TWC hasn't even started talking to folks like WREG. I was hoping for the Super Bowl but I guess not !!:mad:

Jerry

TWC doesn't surprise me. Their digital cable was the pits. I kept it for about 2 weeks when I moved to the area two years ago.

I'm going to look into the ISF calibration Rick mentions above. I'll post some prices/services when I get them.

-Robert

I've been keeping up with a thread in the Mits forum at *************** about defective red CRT's. It seems Craig has found quite a few during his current calibration tour. I won't post the specifics here. However, I've found that my set is slightly affected.


Here is the info on Craig's calibration services:

Here is the information on what my Mits calibrations and tweaks include and the price.

A full scale Mits calibration takes approximately 10-14 hours and includes the following:

1. First Inspection. Using various Avia and HD Generator test patterns I inspect the screens, CRTs and other items on your set. There is no sense in calibrating it if you are going to need any repair work. Also at this time we look at Component 480i as verses S-Video if you have an interlaced DVD player. Since Component 480i has a number of differences that effect other calibrations and tweaks we need to agree on which hook up you will be using. At this time we also talk about the protective screen and remove it if you would like. At this point I'll have a good idea on how much improvement you'll see from the calibration. 98% of the sets see a very nice improvement in image clarity, color, geometry and convergence. If I feel that you will not see that much improvement I'll let you know so you can decide if you want to go forward with a full up calibration or if you would be better off just correcting a few items and save some $$.

2. Next we open it up and continue the inspection: Mirror condition, Lenses, and check for CRT coolant leaks. If all of that looks good, the lenses are removed and the actual CRTs, coolant and coolant lenses are inspected for any anomalies.

3. If everything passes we move on to cleaning. Cleaning is a very important step in the calibration. Even though these are relatively "new" sets, they all need a very good cleaning. This really helps improve the picture clarity.

4. Clean the Mirror. This usually take 3 to 4 passes to get the factory "film", smudges and finger prints off. The 73" set with the Mylar mirror should never be cleaned only dusted lightly with air.

5. Give the lens assemblies a careful but very good cleaning. We also remove that nasty tape at this time and replace it with new tape after focus is complete.

6. The coolant lenses are cleaned next. These coolant lenses or covers are very concave and collect a lot of dirt and bug parts at the factory.

7. And then the Screen Assembly is cleaned. It is amazing how dirty many of the fresnel lenses are (inside back of the screen). This shows up as dark streaks in a 100 IRE (White) Field.

8. Then I hook up my black box (I2C Interface) and download and archive all of the current User menu and Service menu settings for your set.

9. G2 Voltage (Screen VRs) is next. I set these at factory specification +- .1 volt. This determines the base level for all of the following adjustments and it may improve CRT life. This also helps the AKB (Auto Cathode Balance) work properly which helps hold the grayscale adjustment as the CRTs age. These are set incorrectly on just about every Mits. A little too high or low isn't that bad it's the spread between the three CRTs, upwards of 15 volts from the factory, that needs to be corrected to get the best grayscale and AKB working properly. The factory spec calls out for +- 1 volt, not the 5-15 volts that I regularly see. Also if G2 is set to high or low it hurts horizontal resolution and softens the picture a little.

10. Electrostatic and Manual focus, a very necessary and key element to a super image. Some models of the newer Mits have astigmatism correction (Quad Field Focus), so this will also be checked and adjusted to allow for optimum focus. 99.9% of the new sets with Quad Field Focus have been set wrong from the factory and this hurts corner and edge focus. I check and re-check each CRT multiple times to make sure they are at the best possible focus across the entire screen.

11. Lots of Geometry work to get the Green Grid and Overscan set properly. This is done for both SD and HD using Mylar grid overlays, actual external grid images and special scrolling test patterns to cross check horizontal and vertical linearity. Since I don't just eyeball geometry, this adds a lot of time to the calibrations. I have found that it's best to zero out the Mits factory settings on every RPTV and then set magnetic centering and yoke rotation for green and then do the geometry from the ground up. This isn't just for correcting speed bumps and uneven geometry, that can easily be done by eye. This really improves convergence which improves picture clarity, otherwise I wouldn't spend this much time, and your $$ on this step and the next step.

12. Service Level Convergence for both SD and HD. I zero out SD and HD Fine Red and Blue, set Coarse Red and Blue to starting default values, check and set their magnetic centering and yoke rotation and then re-do convergence from the ground up. This is the only way to do convergence, the Mits factory settings leave a lot to be desired and many times make it impossible to get a real good convergence across the entire screen. The Mits Red and Blue grids are pretty good but they are not exact so I use grid "images" from Avia and the HD generator to converge with. This assures that your actual image will be properly converged. Convergence is done with binoculars so that it is fully optimized from "Your Viewing Position". This eliminates the Parallax Convergence Errors that occur when convergence is done up close to the screen. Once again, I take a lot of extra care here. This is a very important step in getting the best clarity from your Home Theater..

13. Check and adjust edge enhancement through the black box for NTSC, 480p and HD modes. This removes some more of the Mits Showroom add-ons and gets us back to the true Home Theater look.

14. Check and adjust SVM and Sharpness for NTSC, 480p and HD modes.

15. Just about everything up to this point is done to improve clarity, everything that follows is to improve color.

16. Properly set the color decoder for NTSC, 480p and HD modes to remove "Red Push" on ALL inputs. No more attenuators. Besides correcting Red Saturation this also corrects Red Hue, Green Saturation and Green Hue so this also fixes the HD 1080i color decoder problems.

17. At this time the user controls will be centered except for Contrast and Brightness. These settings will be determined during grayscale calibration.

18. Check and adjust Gamma for NTSC, 480p and HD modes.

19. Set 480p grayscale, Contrast and Brightness and make them as linear as possible across the entire IRE range. And then check them against other test patterns and on actual images. Along with everything else, this is another step that I put extra work and care into for the best possible color reproduction from 0 IRE to 100 IRE

20. Set HD 1080i Grayscale.

21. And set grayscale for the NTSC inputs (Coax, Composite, S-Video, Component 480i). The Mits allows High Color Temp grayscale to be set independently for each of the three main display modes (NTSC, 480p and HD) which is very nice since they need to be set separately. The grayscale does vary between NTSC, 480p and HD.

22. Save all of the newly calibrated and tweak settings through the black box.

23. Put it all back together, wipe it all down to get my finger prints off, and then view some DVD and HD scenes to make sure you are truly 100% happy.

I use a Colorimeter for setting all of the grayscale modes/inputs and an HD Generator for setting High Definition Overscan, Geometry, SVM, Sharpness, Color Decoder and Grayscale settings.

Since it takes approximately 10-14 hours to do all of this I like to start the calibration around 9:00 or 10:00 A.M. (depending on sunset) so I can complete it before Midnight rolls around.

To do all of the above tweaks and calibrations I have a flat fee of $750. No surprises, no extra charges and no added fees per input, mode or signal type. Just one all inclusive fee.

Duvetyne ......... improves the blacks and shadow detail it also improves color saturation. To install Duve adds about 1.5 - 2 hours to the job. It would be great if you could do this prior to calibration, it's really not very hard to do, just time consuming. If you are nervous about doing it We would be happy to add it to the calibration. You buy the Duve and let's say $100 for us to install it. But, there are a number of posts here on the SPot that can help you with this so you can save a few $ here. If we install the Duve, it is done right after inspection and before the cleaning starts.

It is absolutely best if you let your set break in for approx. 3 months before calibrating it. The phosphors are a little hot out of the box and 3 months lets them mellow out a little. 3 months also gives the other electronics in the set a good chance to break in to make sure that nothing is going to fail. The CRTs change a lot in the first 300-400 hours so giving them a little time to break-in will definitely help hold your calibration longer.

I have spent thousands of hours analyzing the Mits HD sets and I believe these tweaks and calibrations are the base requirements to get the most from your set.

It makes no sense to have your grayscale calibrated if you don't have the color decoder corrected. It is almost useless to do electrostatic focus without doing manual focus and there's no reason to do focus if you are not going to thoroughly clean ALL of the optics. Edge Enhancement impacts SVM and Sharpness. Gamma impacts Grayscale, Contrast and Brightness. Geometry impacts convergence. Convergence has a major impact on the final image, etc. etc. So, IMHO there is only one way to do a Mits HDTV 100% right. To me, it's not just another RPTV, it's your "Home Theater".

If you have any questions please contact us at (909) 519-2090 cell.

Thanks for the info. It looks like a full calibration. Gregg Loewen does a basic calibration and the extras are by the hour. Based on the Craig's time estimate, the price will be about the same. I understand the value of a good calibration but I have to convince my wife that we need this.

-Robert

I had Gregg do a full calibration on my Toshiba last summer, and he did an excellent job. Well worth the money. I think he has a tour in the Memphis area around March.

during the Super Bowl in HD I couldn't see the time remaining in the game. Or I could see maybe 1/4 of the height of the digits... (the bottom quarter). I could see the team names and the score, but the above time remainaing: nope. Anyone else experiencing this?

This was on my 55" Mits. Is my tv that off?

Thanks
--Radu

Radu,
I had the same problem. Someone posted over here or at HTF that the top of the score box was 31 scan lines (or maybe 37) from the top of the picture. That equated to 4.3%. My overscan is at about 7% based on the Video Essentials DVD.

-Robert

Anyone know exactly where Channel 24 / 30 antenna is? I know the coordinates but would like to know an address or street name. It used to be at Kate Bond and Stage (64) but it isn't there any longer.


Side note: Any word on when PBS will start HD broadcasting? I understand that there are some great shows being broadcast by other PBS stations in HD.

Rick

Rick,
Sources indicate that WKNO PBS begins HD programming May 1, 03. Also, from the Highway 64/Chambers Chapel area in Lakeland, WPTY & WLMT bears 322 degrees...can't tell you the location, however.
ST

I got this reply today when I asked TW about local HD broadcasts.

"We have the technology in place, channels allocated, and hard fiber lines from the broadcasters to our system. We are simply waiting on the necessary retransmission consent agreements to be finalized. We expect this to happen very soon, but until those agreements are signed, I cannot give you a specific day."

I wonder what soon is. I hope it's not the same "soon" my dad's was when I asked about going to Six Flags.

Just found this forum and this thread is perfect, I understand WMC has a web page for their DT does anyone have info on it?

I live in midtown in a 2 story house with an 8bay CM in attic and receive all local channels very well (78%), but 52 seems to be weak at times and pixellates. This spring I am going to roof mount my antenna with a rotor so I'll be able to pickup the new PBS channel and improve signal on all channels (Ihope).

here's more from a different person today...

The information I have received indicates these
channels should be available in about 30-60 days. We are in the process of spec'ing the equipment and securing contracts with the local providers to deliver their signals.


I guess we'll see...

I got that same reply (channels already allocated, no certain date) on january 2...

Just found this site:) Great to hear so many users are in the Memphis area. I purchased a Tosh 50HX81 from Giant ~ a year ago and absoluetly love it. I have the DST 3000 reciever (same as E86 and Zenth ?#) and recieve good signals on all except Fox (~ 70-80% WNC, 100% on others) with an unmodified RS double bowtie in the attic. CBS clearly has the best HD from my reception standpoint.

Anyone else with calibration experience? I'm interested in having Greg Loewen calibrate the set on his tour. Comments?

Hope it's not my receiver, but wmc 52went off at 7:30PM did anyone else have the problem? it's 9:00 now and still no signal on 52 thanks

John,
If your receiver is broken, so is mine....no HD signal on WMC @ 9:30.
ST

Has anyone used the TWC new digital cable boxes. I spoke with a lady at the TW office on Poplar and she said that they had a HD Cable box. Of course she said that it makes all channels HD :). Does anyone know about this or have any insight? I signed up to have it installed sometime Monday so we'll see.

Poop.

I have had the box for three weeks now. The only two channels that are broadcast in HD are HBO and Showtime.

It sounds like this may change this year, and other channels may be added.

Even though the channel selection is limited, I'll take any HD source I can get!

I lost it as well, haven't checked to see if there back up.

Anyone know the location of WHBQ dig 53 transmitter?

Originally posted by John Raymond
Anyone know the location of WHBQ dig 53 transmitter?

Yes, it's the "sailboat mast" on top of the towering 2 story studio building on highland. Low power too, that's why few if any receive it.:mad:

Good, if its on highland, I might be able to see the Daytona 500, I live in midtown (2 miles) but will have to reoreint antenna in attic and try Sunday. I know its not 1080i but if its widescreen it will be interesting.

This spring I'm getting moving antenna to roof with rotor.

Mits VS60111
Samsung SIR-T151
Onkyo TXS-R800
HTD Level Three Speakers
Sony SAWM40 Subs (2)
Toshiba SD 4800
Onkyo DXC380
Sony SLNV71
RCA VR 650
RS 15-2116 (JP1)
and HTS-650 upstairs with SD4700 DVD

John,

Check antennaweb.org to make sure, but form us I think it's 119degrees. I live a couple blocks from you and I've been able to pick it up (haven't tried in the last couple of weeks) but was able to get NFL during the season.

HDTV_Duffus,

I live at tucker/jefferson 2 story house should be able to get - I hope, Does WHBQ broadcast "24" here on DT? if they do I'll hook up the rotor in attic today, and move to roof this spring. (antennaweb shows 117 degrees, as if my compass knows 2 degrees) thanks

Hi John,

Welcome to the forum.............How deep into JP1 are you......??

I have used the RS remotes for a while now, but have never got into the JP1 side of them...........

dirk1843,

I'm from Arkansas, that's why I'm in midtown-just couldnt get too far away!
I just bought the new RS 15-2116 8 device and am working on programming the CM rotor remote into my STB channel functions.

Oh yeah, cable here is terrible I miss my Directv

Originally posted by FritzinTN
Has anyone used the TWC new digital cable boxes. I spoke with a lady at the TW office on Poplar and she said that they had a HD Cable box. Of course she said that it makes all channels HD :). Does anyone know about this or have any insight? I signed up to have it installed sometime Monday so we'll see.

Poop.

I've also had my HD cable box for about 3 weeks. Only 2 HD channels now ( HBO & Showtime ) but when they have a well done HD program the picture is incredible. The box also has a coaxial digital output so you can get DD 5.1 sound on several channels, not just the HD ones.

I also get HD content OTA ( I live on the 10th floor of the Rivermark downtown on the bluffs, I use a Zenith Silver Sensor set-top antenna ) and have been getting all the available channels ( no FOX or PBS ) until recently when channel 5 started disappearing for extended periods of time. I also notice that when they are broadcasting the picture has what look like little stars twinkling around the outlines of people and other objects. Anyone else seeing this?

Tim

"I also notice that when they are broadcasting the picture has what look like little stars twinkling around the outlines of people and other objects. Anyone else seeing this? "

I get the "little stars twinkling" effect on some Ch 5 programming. It seems to be a function of the transmission, as some programs are completely error free. I have upgraded (in part due to the CH 5 PQ) to a CM 4228 on a rotor in the attic and receive all other OTA HD beautifully. Beats me....OTA HD is all smoke, mirrors and magic, especially with Fox 13. I actually picked up a signal from them for about 15 minutes, and I live in NE Shelby County! I'm still not absolutely certain that antennaweb is completely accurate with all their broadcast locations. I actually called all the local HD channels and asked for the lat/long for their HD antenna sites....only one could/would give it to me.
ST

Glad to hear I'm not the only one seeing the stars<G>

I didn't see any on channel 5 the first week or two that I had the set ... it's just been in the last week or two that they have been visible. It might be my imagination but I think they appeared the first time channel 5 went off the air for an extended period of time and then returned.

I've never been able to pick up FOX but I get a signal strength reading of 80-90 on all the other channels using my set-top antenna.

Tim

Channel 5's reception has been terrible, signal meter jumps up and down and even droputs and stars, I miss not getting L&O and Leno.

Fox is no problem since I live in Midtown and put a rotor on antenna (watched the Daytona 500 today in widescreen).

John,

You say you were able to pull in Fox today? Rotated the antenna in the attic and nada....Was the reception stable, if so I'll move the antenna again.

Fox was pretty good all day- had two dropouts during afternoon, none at nite watching Simpsons or Bundy reunion- I had more problems with WMC trying to watch L&O CI, that signal kept jumping up and down on meter causing video and audio dropouts.

I'll send their WMC an email and see if I get a response, if not I'll go by the station later this week and see if I can get contact info for one of their engineers, unless of course, one of you has good info.....

bump

Let me tell you how weak Fox 13 DT is, just got my rotor calibrated and I live 2 miles from transmitter - at 116 degree good steady pic, at 119 and 113 get dropouts or no signal, go figure!

I've found my reception to be related to the next door neighbors house. Moving my antenna a foot in either direction makes a huge difference. Before their signal decrease, the positioning didn't matter. I was previously able to "split the difference" in direction and pick up all the stations at >80% with a RS bowtie!

Who has the best deal on rotors in town? I'd like one I can control with my MX500 if at all possible.

Also, did you get any info from WMC, these stars are annoying.

Thanks in advance.

HDTV_Duffus

Radio Shack on Avalon has Rotors, (has rotor wire on closeout for .49 per 100'), or call Bill Mathews at Bluff City Elec 901 345-9500. I have the CM remote unit and I'm sure that the MX-500 will operate it.

No word from WMC-DT

Last nite I watched 24 on Fox and the station sent the network feed without local commercials, that was nice- Stars on WMC weren't bad except during the news.

when FOX is going to replace that small antenna with big one that we can get it OTA????

Thanks,
Ben:confused:

MempoDawg

I live about 2 mi from tower and am only getting 60% signal (had to boost from 7 to 15db on preamp to stop some dropouts) no problem now, but some folks living nearby have problems and we're very close.

Everyone who can't receive 13-1(53) should email and call the station to complain and threaten to call FCC or whatever. This signal should be available to all in area

On a positive note Fox 13 does broadcast day and nite on dt, though no HD
but prime time and Nascar is wide-screen and very clear, the sound shows on my receiver as DD, but am pretty sure it is only surround from network.

Originally posted by MempoDawg
when FOX is going to replace that small antenna with big one that we can get it OTA????

Thanks,
Ben:confused:

It's not the small antenna.

It's the lack of antenna height. 24 feet don't get it. I understand the antenna will end up out on the Whitten road antenna farm way, way high up like the rest of the locals.

But... don't know when. And Fox 13 ain't sayin'. :(

Dan

I've had similar issues with 52-1. Like clockwork at about 7:00 pm every night my signal strength weakens considerably; sometimes I lose the station all together. I emailed the station about this thinking maybe they were lowering their signal strength at 7:00 or something, and I got a reply from a tech saying they weren't doing anything. And possibly it was atmospheric conditions that were causing my problem.

Happily, I've been able to resolve the issue by adjusting my antenna and increasing the signal strength enough that I can still receive the signal after 7. It's a weird problem, but it's something that can be dealt with.

cws80us

Do you have sound problem on 52-1, it seems like when they run a local commercial occasionally my sound will go silent for a short period when they return to network program (happens more often during Leno) sometimes I even go channel up then down to re lock on signal, and I'm getting a strong signal (90%).

Still some "stars" on 52-1 on non-hd programs. I switch to ch 3 news at 10 to avoid the annoyance til Leno starts.

I agree...the stars are driving me nuts! Has any one heard anything about this problem?

Bump

The stars are awful, tonite I had pixellation on 52-1- watched CSI on 28-1

cws80us, I have the same problem. I was playing with a pre-amp and modifying the RS double bowtie tonight and I lost ~20 ponits on my strength meter at ~6:30. It will reproducibly happen between 6:30 and 7 each evening. At least with the preamp, I didn't get pixelation tonight when the signal strength dropped..

John, I added a preamp, modified the RS double tie, walked the entire attic searching for the sweet spot and no go with FOX. We're ~ 2blks apart and no go for me. Consider yourself lucky!:) I guess I'll wait for their antenna move before I do anything else.

Stars were horrible tonight on WMC. What the heck are they. They seem to go away with some of the HD feeds from the network.

HDTV_Duffus

I'm lucky to get Fox 13, I think I have clear line of sight to station, I looked on map and there are several high-rise apts on Union and the Memphis Country Club Tower apts directly west of the station that could be blocking a decent signal from their rumored "jerry rig" transmitter. I only have like 4-6 degrees on rotor to lock on signal, and thats with an 8 bay antenna.

You're right about WMC HD is good, everything else has stars. Funny thing is I get good pic on Pax, not HD, but no stars and I think WMC owns them.

The "stars" are a very interesting problem to me..........we are all seeing them, but no one knows what they are, and no metion of them anywhere else that I have seen..............

Channel 52 has strange problems all around.......the stars the signal drops the STRETCH the lack of HD.....anyway not trying to rant, just to say that they are the station that has been ATSC for the longest in Memphis and still have major issuses, while CBS just keeps on "bringing it".

Well the Grammys cost me 35.00, sound was horrible when they started so my kids talked me into buying the wrestling PPV. Evidently the sound was corrected because I watched the last few minutes and it was normal (sigh).

Interesting question with the sound on the Grammy's, I was watching and had both the TV and audio receiver going with no issues. Sounded great! Strange that some have good sound and others don't.

I emailed WMC about the "star" issue and the signal drop outs - no response. I'll let you folks know what I hear, if anything.

Hello Memphians..

Good News, PBS is on-line at 80-3 (PBS1dt). I was just scanning for new stations and PBS showed up... :-) They are running FULL HD stuff... It looks SUPER.... The Best I ever seen.... Looks like they are running demo loops... One of the demo loops was Fireworks... Almost brought tears to my eyes. That good.... I live in Hernando and my signal strength was 61.
I had no drops outs..... Hope this is not old news...



Monty :)

Originally posted by HDTV_Duffus
Interesting question with the sound on the Grammy's, I was watching and had both the TV and audio receiver going with no issues. Sounded great! Strange that some have good sound and others don't.

I emailed WMC about the "star" issue and the signal drop outs - no response. I'll let you folks know what I hear, if anything.

The sound would come in and out, causing a skipping effect...very irritating. It lasted for the first 20 minutes, followed by intermittent drops in signal (video & audio). After the first 45 minutes of the broadcast, all the problems went away. The picture quality was superb throughout the entire program.

My opinions from Mud Island using an RCA F38310 and Zenith SS antenna.

Originally posted by MontyZuma
Hello Memphians..

Good News, PBS is on-line at 80-3 (PBS1dt).
Monty :)

According to 100000watts.org, channel 10 DT should be on 29. What are you using to determine it is 80-3? I checked for it this morining (on 29) and could not get it - probably not broadcasting full time. I'll check again tonight. I did notice this morning that PAX ( Channel 50-1) shows up in the DirecTV guide. They were Signed Off when I checked. Antenna is on Appling just north of Stage (HWY 64).


Rick

Titantv lists tonights game between the Grizzlies and the 76ers on PAX as HD...I know Titantv is known for mistakes, but maybe worth checking out.

Rick

I have a Hitachi 57XWX20B and I can't manually add channels. Hitachi only lets me auto scan them. After a scan, it showed up in the selection of channels.
All the info I could gather is channel 80-3 and PBS1dtv. Don't know where it's coming from but sure looks good.

Can someone try this channel out?

I received an email from WKNO's engineering dept today. He said that they are having some difficulty with their tower/antenna combination and have had to have an antenna custom manufactured. The antenna won't be up until this fall. Obviously, they're not going to make the May deadline.

Daniel.

Since you seem to have a contact, can you find out when they will be testing again? I read about the HD loops that other PBS stations broadcast and would really like to see some for myself.

Thanks
Rick

They didn't mention any testing going on. Just the fact that they were having to have an antenna custom built made me think there would be no test signal out there.

Monty,

Did you happen to get any call signs on the PBS you were reciving??

I wonder if it could have been a signal skip from another area??

I just did a search on 1kw website and there's no ch80 DT listed anywhere in AR, TN, MS or LA. No telling, it could have been any PBS station testing with their channel mappings out of whack.

The closest PBS to Memphis that I'm aware of is ch36 out of Oxford, MS. They're supposed to be waiting on some remote control equipment and not on air yet. Key word, "supposed".

Well now I get "peacocks" instead of stars during local breakins, I think they know there's a problem at WMC.

The PBS broadcast you guys are getting is coming from the Mississippi ETV transmitter in Oxford. During the evening hours they are broadcasting the PBS HD loop remapped to 80.3, during day time they are multicasting remapping to 1.16, 1.17, 1.18 and 1.19 ! WMAV-DT is broadcasting on physical channel 36. This remapping change back and forth in the evening and mornings is annoying because I have to keep auto searching with my receiver to find them again.

wildcardseven, thanks for the info! Had to be somebody close...

Thanks wildcardseven

They must have a super duper Transmitter in Oxford. I'm a long ways from there and my Antenna is pointing toward Memphis.. too wild..

btw, I bet you have a Mits?

Their coverage maps show their signal available to the MS/TN stateline in the Memphis area. If you live NW of the Whitten road antenna farm, anyone may be able to pick it up.

I'll have to swing mine around this weekend and give it a try...

Monty, I have Sony's first generation HD-100 receiver. Just for the heck of it I put the coordinates of the Oxford transmitter in my GPS. I drove up there last year to see it they had started work on the tower. It was way the heck in the middle of nowhere on a high ridge, nearly got stuck on what looked like a logging road leading to it. when I got there I got out of my vehicle and looked straight up, that tower is so tall I couldn't see the top of it! I thought to myself, "I sure would hate to be the guy that has to climb this thing!".

I'm not sure how accurate they are, but titantv.com is now listing WKNO's date to come online as Sept 15, 2003. Just a week ago it was indicating May 01, 2003. :(

Originally posted by radarme
I'm not sure how accurate they are, but titantv.com is now listing WKNO's date to come online as Sept 15, 2003. Just a week ago it was indicating May 01, 2003. :(

Probably got it from this thread!! LOL!!! :D :D :D

Anyone else getting a constant popping in the audio on ch28??? I had to change the channel, couldn't stand it this evening...

Dan

Channel 3 is poping here also, but it comes and goes

Yep... Same here Dan. I went over the SD for CSI. HATE IT WHEN THAT HAPPENS.

I wouldnt call my audio problem popping, more like a pixelation of the audio......not really drop-outs(long silent passages) more like the clipping of words........

Although that may be what is being refferd to as popping.......

Any one having troulbe with 52(NBC)? Am getting low signal strength and major dropouts on a regular basis......

I agree with dirk1483 about channel 52, but at least no stars now.

Originally posted by dirk1843
I wouldnt call my audio problem popping, more like a pixelation of the audio......not really drop-outs(long silent passages) more like the clipping of words........

You have a better description here than popping. In any case, it made it unwatchable and I have to go to analog.

Ch52 was fine for me last night but I do have a Radio Shack VU190 up on the roof too.

Using RS vu190 also........wish I had a larger UHF only antenna.......actually would like an antenna "array" consisting of seperate UHF, VHF, FM, and a little "join-tenna" for channel 9 when they go online..............but I think I may wait for HD over cable....lol

For the past several days, 52-1 just shows a black screen, even though signal strength indicates 69%...what gives?

Anyone else having a similar experience?

28-1 and 51-1 are the only HDTV signal I can get now.

I have a Samsung T-160 and a Radio Shack __75 on a rotor.

Help!

I too have got no picture from 52-1, but I havent checked signal strength yet, just figured they are having one of their many problems...............

52-2 has audio tonight with no picture. Signal is coming in at around 65%.

Down on the river tonight I was getting the blank screen on 52-1 with no audio and signal strength readings over 80. It's been several days since I saw a picture on 52-1. Fortunately 24-1, 28-1, 30-1 and 50-1 all seem fine when they are on the air.

Tim

Same on this side of the river.............

Looks like ch52 is back up. Audio and video; Friends is on in SD with black bars on the sides. We'll see if they run ER in HD this evening. Hopefully, they'll stay on the air...

Thanks for the heads up!!

BTW..........have you guys noticed this is turning into one of the best(and longest) threads on this section?!

Lets keep up the good work...........

I think the Denver HDTV tower thread has this thread waxed!

Yeah well that's why I put the "one of" discalmer in my post............

Product liabilty..........the future of EVERYTHING!! :)

Hi guys,
I just read through all this thread and let me say, I thought I knew a thing or 2 about HDTV, but am I humbled. Right now I am having problems getting local channels in HDTV. I have a Hughes E86 receiver with DirecTV connected to a Mitsubishi WT-A42. I just bought a Terk-TV55, and then a 35 because the Terk website said I needed a 35 for my area. I live 3 miles north of the Wolfchase area on Germantown. When I plug the antenna cable in to the receiver, and I scan for channels, all the channels come up as analog and then when I tune to them, they are either snowy or there is no picture just zigzag lines. When I hook them up to my tv directly, the 35 gives better lower channels, and the 55 gives better higher channels. So there is no advantage. Also on the Hughes, they are not shown as ##-1. So it appears that for both antennas, the pictures aren’t coming thru in digital. I have them hooked up (one at a time) in my attic in a 2-story house. My first question is what is a recommended antenna, not too pricy, to hookup to my receiver to be able to get the local channels in HD? I prefer one that I can put up in my attic. But if one is recommended that I can sit on top of the receiver, I have no problem with that. Second, once I do hook it up, when I scan will the ##-1 channels show up again?
Last, short of getting an 8 port multi-switch for an HD satellite, does anyone know of equipment that I can use that has an input for each satellite and antenna with an output of the combined lines? Kinda like a reverse diplex.
I am hoping to have this up and running so I can get the NCAA finals with the Tigers in it.

Any help would be very appreciated. Thanks a bunch.

mx6bfast,

Try scanning channels again tonight after 9:00. CSi:Miami should be on Channel 3 and in HD.

Part of the difficulty when scanning channels for the first time is that all of the local channels are not continuously broadcasting digitally. You probably won't get channel 5 until they move to the tower. I've heard that they will move it to the tower farm on Whitten road but antennaweb shows that it will be on the tower close to Lakeland with channels 24 and 30 (analog and digital). Channel 13 is more off than on (I think). Channel 24 wasn't broadcasting digitally last night during Alias and Channel 30 is off and on. Channel 10 may start in Sept.

Hope you could take the 55 back for a refund. I haven't read anything good about them. I don't know anything about the 35 except it looks more like a regular antenna. Is the 35 a UHF only antenna?

If your attic has heat/AC ductwork in it, you will have difficulty getting signals if you install the antenna there. An outside antenna would be best.

Based on the antennaweb map, it appears that all of the towers may be SE to ESE of you with the exception of 24-1, 30-1. I live about 3 miles from you close to Wolfchase.

All of the local channels will be UHF for HD. If you want analog and HD now, then you need a UHF and VHF antenna. Either combo or 2 frequency specific separate ones. Everyone says the 4221 is a great UHF antenna. I currently have a combo that does pretty well but I am afraid that it will not work when Channel 10 goes live. The Channel 10 tower is more S than the others from my location and I don't want to put a rotor on the antenna.

Hope this helps.

Rick

mx6bfast,
On the Hughes, there are two menu settings that you need to check. First make sure your zip code is entered for local digital channels. Second make sure you have the correct antenna input selected. The E-86 can take a combined sat/anteanna signal through the sat input or an antenna only input through the antenna input.

-Robert

After trying the above things, sit down tonight during prime time, and MANUALLY tune to the ATSC channels........in other words if your E86 doesnt automatically pick up on them (which it should) try to enter them by channel number, first the virtual channel 3-1, then if that doesnt work, try the actual channel 28.

You should be able to get CBS any time after 7:00 pm. The other channels are spotty in their broadcast strenght, but CBS is ususally right on the money.

BTW after you get your E86 set to your ZIP code, the APG will list the ATSC stations and their status (on or off air) for each hour in the guide.....

Thanks for the info. I will do all this tonight. I currently do get local channels thru DirecTV, but since they aren't broadcast in HD, that's why I am trying to get the local channels in HD.
Rick-the 35 is a VHF/UHF antenna which on the American Satellite website says is optimized for HD, but there is no mention of it on the Terk website or CC(where I purchased it). I found a Zenith UHF HD antenna at BB, do you think that would be worth looking into?

Thanks,
Dennis

I think (im not Rick, but hey nobody's perfect) that if at all possible, get up on your roof and put up an antenna.......

Im not for sure how far you are from the towers, but I would bet you dont have to be that high.......

From my experince, all the "optimized for HD" talk is a bunch of bunk, any quality UHF antenna of the proper size will get all the HD channels from Memphis.

mx6bfast,

The "HD Optimized" phrase is strictly a marketing gimmick to play off of HDTV and digital signals. All HD in our area is braodcast over standard UHF (some other stations around the country have a VHF channel for HD).


You might try Radio Shack at Wolfchase or in Bartlett. I have heard that RS is closing out their large UHF/VHF antennas. A lot of posts say that Channelmaster and Winegard are better and maybe they are. But RS was closing them out for <$5 for antennas that list for >$50. Worth a shot. I doubt they are returnable but for $5??


If you still have trouble later in the week, pm me.

Rick

I am using a large RS antenna the VU190............it has over a 10' boom length. I need this kind of size as I am in Akansas, about 60 miles from the towers.

The surprising thing about my reception to me is the lack of height required.

I am only 30' from the ground, I know the terrain is flat, but many I talked to felt I would have line-of-sight issues without going very high.....

Hey guys,
Thanks for all the info. With it I finally got the problem fixed. First thing I did was put my zip code back into the receiver, and that was the magical touch. This is what I got after scanning the channels and the results of the pictures (as of 10:40):
3: ME3 3: WREG-brighter picture 3-1: Sign off, nothing
5: ME5 5: WMC-brighter picture, but a little snowy 5-1: Late show on title, but nothing
10: ME 10 10: zigzag vertical lines, but brighter picture
13: ME13 13: WHBQ- brighter picture 13-1: Friends title but nothing
18: title but nothing
24: ME24 24: WPTY-shadows, brighter picture 24-1: Sign off, but the best of both other 24’s.
30: ME30 30: WLMT-title but nothing 30-1: Sign off, nothing
31: Local channel, nothing
40: Title, sound, but RYG zigzag vertical lines
50: WPXX 50-1: Sign off, nothing
51: Local channel, nothing

Is this pretty much what everyone else has? I am using this with the Terk TV35 antenna. The 55 is crap and I’m taking it back. I went to RS and they just ran out of an antenna that I am going to get Thursday which might be cheaper, so I will let yall know how that works out if better. It's apparently a newer antenna that they just got in. If you know what the model # it is, please let me know so I will know what to look for. I didn’t get the chance to test the antenna strength, but will do that later this week. I take it when yall mention “someone forgot to flip the switch” it means that the feeds aren’t coming thru the DT channels? If I'm wrong about that please let me know.
Once again thanks for all the help.

Dennis

mx6bfast,

Have you gone to www.antennaweb.org? You can type your address in and it will give you a picture showing the location of the towers from your house. As I stated earlier, 24 and 30 are in a different direction than the others and 10 is more South than 3, 5, & 13.


The RS antenna you mention, is it their new indoor HDTV antenna? If so, it is $$ for what you get. I thought they were getting out of the outdoor antenna market which is why I'm wondering if you're waiting on an indoor model. I'd call (or have a local store check other stores) for the VU-160 or their next smaller version. It is a VHF/UHF outdoor antenna and should be <$5. It has a yagi on the front and will be somewhat directional. There are at least 7 RS stores in the area.

If you will still get locals through DirecTV and only want the antenna for HD, then you might try the Channelmaster 4221 or Winegard PR-4400. These are outdoor antenna's with 4 bowties. They are not available locally that I could find. The 4221 can be found for about $30 shipped online. They are UHF only.

Keep us informed.

Rick

Dennis,

The channels that start with ME are the Memphis locals off the spot beam D* satellite........they are not ATSC(HD).

The channels that have a sub channel, ie. "-1" are the HD channels.

The channel 31 is a glitch with either/or the E86 and UPN. For some reason the APG recognizes 30-1 as the ATSC virtual channel for 30 but when tuning to 31 manually, there is no auto retrun to 30-1. Same channel.

I bought a Samsung 151 OTA and a Silver Sensor last night at Best Buy. Unfortunately I got home too late to try out hd, but I did have enough time to realise that the SS sucked at my location (right next to St Francis). Today I returned the SS for an RCA Amplified indoor antenna and can pick up abc so far with 9 bars. It's 5:26, shouldn't I be able to pick up more channels than abc by now?

Ok, I adjusted the antenna a bit, and I'm getting CBS 28-1 (survivor) and News Channel 3 on 28-2(?), ABC 24-1, and PAX. Where is NBC? I can't seem to get it, and I'd assume that if I can get pax I should be able to get NBC. This OTA hd stuff is a pain in the ass :( .

Hrmm I tuned to 52, and it turned to 52-1 and then transferred to 2-1, and I thought I was about to get something, and then it went back to no signal :(.

Ok I got NBC to show up, but it is all pixelly and keeps going and coming back. I don't know if it's a signal issue or not, when I get a lock on the channel, the siganl is very strong according to the meter (about 8 bars). Do I need a more powerful antenna or is NBC having problems?

After CBS went offline at 10, NBC came in 100% perfect. Must be multipath issues between cbs and nbc.

I was experiencing the same problems too. Since I am new to getting the local dt channels I need a little help on this. Again I have a Hughes E86. I never got the feed for fox 13-1(which i saw yall complaining abou tit earlier posts, so i assumed that was normal), nbc 5-1 was doing good until right around 10 which is what Boston just mentioned is sometimes distorting. cbs 3-1 was coming in very pixely at first and then started coming on strong until it went offline. I maybe got wlmt 30-1 for a little bit, but then lost it around 9. abc 24-1 was coming in good until 9 also and I got nothing. pax 50-1 came in until around 9:15, but it was very pixely also. Here come my questions for those who have been getting local dt channels for a while: 1) is this type of activity normal?? 2)how often/long are the channels broadcast is dt per day?? 3) and are there any antennas out there that are digital that automatically adjust to the direction for a specific channel?? I ask that because I have tried different antennas, and I now have a Terk TV35 and a RS VU-12XR hooked up thru a diplexer and pointing in different directions(got different results each by trial-n-error and hooking them up seems best) I would like to simplfiy life and get 1 antenna that could maybe adjust for me.

Leno looks incredible, but I don't know if this was really worth the almost $500 I spent on the receiver and antenna.

Rick,

I will try to help answer your questions..........

1. as far as I can tell there is no "normal" for ATSC, from Memphis anyway. We are still in the early stages of the technology, and there are bugs to be worked out.

2. The last I saw, as in on my own TV, CBS was prime time only, NBC was pretty much all day, not sure about the over-night. Fox for me still is a no-show. ABC is prime time only, along with UPN. PAX seems to have no reason to their schedule, almost as if they forget to "throw the switch" quite often. With that all being said, Titantv now has all day schedules listed for most Memphis stations, but I have yet to be able to confirm.

3. You are killing your reception with 2 antennas diplexed together. Doing this will cause serious multipath and signal loss. I can link you to threads that discuss this in great detail if you like, but rest assured you need to seperate those feeds. If you must have 2 antennas in differnet directions, I would use an A/B switch. It would be clumsy, but would solve some of the problems you have now. I dont think anyone makes an automatic antenna. The closest thing would be to get a rotator, which would adjust the antenna to a setting you chose for the best reception of a given channel.

Have Fun!!

I emailed our cbs affiliate, and starting April 1 CBS digital feed will be on 10:35am to 10:35pm.

Dirk,
What would be a good rotator that you would recommend? How much are they? And last, where can I pick that up? Like at Radio Shack?

Thanks,
Dennis

Weird, today I started picking up cbs at around 1pm and it's now 6:19 and I can't get anything but cbs. Strange.

CBS is broadcasting on the .1 and .2 subchannels. They haven't been doing that lately...

Yeah it's strange. I am picking up PAX now. I just called WMC and they said they were having problems or something at the tower and that it should be up at 7 which is in 4 minutes.

I must admit I havent purchased a rotator, but the general notion is that channel master makes some of the best. Lowes carries that brand. I belive it is around 100 dollars.

Radio Shack used to carry rotators. They may still, but many posts here metion radio shack trying to get out of the outdoor antenna business.

I figured out why the silver sensor wasn't working (it was too late/early to pick up a digital station), and the reception on my rca antenna sucked (bad multipath and multiple adjustments required just to change channels). So I went to best buy and exchanged the rca for another SS. I am getting the same signal I got with the rca, but with no multipath and no amplification. I can't wait to see if I can pick up nbc primetime.

fyi...I ended up taking the small antenna that i first bought and stuck that up in the attic and got very high signals later in the evening around 11 for the main channels that were on. So I don't have both antennas hooked up anymore. I just bought a new RS 15-1870 indoor antenna that will adjust to the strongest strength of a signal. But I noticed that there is a rj-59 cable coming out of it. If I still connect it to a rj-6 cable will I have that much of a noticable signal loss?

ABC is also broadcasting on sub-channels now........... -2.

My E86 wont pick up the sub-channels by using the remapped virtual channel. I have to enter the actual channel........ ie 28-2 or 25-2.

This afternoon CBS was stretched out to 16:9 and was subtitled on the -2.

BTW, Dennis for a short run I dont think that rg-59 will cause any problems.

So far the same feed on ABC -2.

no hd basketball on wreg! :X

Oh and with my silver sensor, I can get ABC, CBS, AND NBC now at 6:21p from the same position. This antenna certainly deserves it's praise. I just wish it wasn't so ugly and that it was a superhuman antenna that could pick up 24 in widescreen :( .

Does anyone have any contacts at WREG...to ask them to flip the switch.

I called wreg earlier and they said they weren't getting an HD feed :X .

So far WREG sucks, I've had my receiver for 3 days and haven't seen ANYTHING in HD from them.

BostonT: What is the number? State plays tonight and that would be my dream to see them in HD.

(901) 543-2111

Either ask the guy who answers or ask for engineering.

boston, what model # is the ss you have? Is it an indoor or outdoor?

When WREG comes in, does it have the black bars on the side for everyone else? Or pretty much for every channel. Should the feeds come in as widescreen?

I just called and the guy was nice and said they were working on it. I think the more people that call and let them know that most other cities are getting it, that will make it more likely they will get it done. I thnk they need a fire under them.

The silver sensor is an non amplified indoor antenna, I picked it up at best buy on winchester (they had like 4 more left). ABC and CBS 28-2 broadcast 4:3 stretched to 16:9. NBC and CBS 28-1 broadcast 4:3 signals with black bars on the sides.

I called also and was told that CBS informed WREG that they could not broadcast the game in HDTV.
I think they can find a better excuse than that.

3 different answers in 3 different calls should tell you something :) . Anyone else notice nbc completely pulled their schedule and is showing law and order ci and svu reruns instead of hd content?

I got home just in time to watch the end of the Maryland game and a few minutes after that before it went blank. Did anyone else hear any popping noises during the telecast? Also, please tell me that WPTY is not currently in digital. Looks more like the DirecTV feed.

wpty hasn't been hd all night.

I wonder is CBS has available bandwidth for HD since they are playing with their sub-channels for the first time.

I have seen some wierd things on the sub-channels so far......even some programs and comercials that were in spanish.

Hey guys,
What format is CBS broadcasting the games in? If its not HD is still looks damn good.

I notcied that 28-2 was coming in as Spanish also last week during the news rerun, but the commercials were english

No hd games today, they will be in hd tomorrow though.

Is anybody in the Memphis area seeing any HD? I haven't seen one shot in HD yet.

I'm watching the bball game in hd on wreg right now.

CBS/WREG remapped (or something) on my Sony HD-200 to 28.1. Beautiful 1080i picture for the Butler/Loiusville game. Check on 28.1....enter manually if it has not detected. I still haven't figured out exactly what 28.2 is....
ST