You may want to visite www.antennaweb.org, too.

They'll give you compasss bearings to the DTV towers and recommended antenna models based on your address. It's pretty cool.

well, unfortunately Alan still communicates with me through "glitches" but then through email from time to time....sorry folks but I can't see any changes yet if they implemented any. I'm still hopping doe, maybe he will accept one of our invitations to visit us at home one day to experience the pro. I would be glad to help. It's all in the art of troubleshooting...
oh, as we speak, they just started running their 5.1 channels tests live (21:07), good luck guys up there.

Thanks for all your feedback.

I had been to antennaweb.org and had gotten a recommendation. It only required a yellow small small-directional, but I wanted to reduce the possibility for multi-path so I went for a directional. The 3016 is really overkill, but since I'm going to put it in my attic, I wanted a good antenna. Is it possible to have too much antenna.

I'd never really paid much attention before but tonight I discovered I can see the red lights on the towers from the top of the street say about 50 feet higher in elevation.

Does anyone know if there is anyway I can prove I'm getting a signal from my antenna. I guess I could buy an OTA receiver, but then that would be a hassle to return. Or I can buy their recommended antenna and when that doesn't work, get them to come out and replace equipment. Then I have to return that.

Bullfrog: Buy the OTA unit. Return is as easy as CC depicts in their ads. I got the Zenith 420, just for the heck of seeing what I could pull in. I have it hooked to the Silver Sensor and need to attenuate the heck out of the signal (10dB in-line and a variable RS patched in) as I am in direct line of sight of the towers. I'm on the north side of Bull Mtn. looking right down on them. The signal is far too strong in my location and results in severe multipathing. In fact, I need to point the SS toward the floor for best reception. Right now I have it sitting on the floor between my RPTV and the fireplace, fully out of sight (wife loves that!), but not in the attic or on the roof (and I love that!). Compass bearings vary from 11 to 16 degrees for most stations from my location, per antennaweb, so the directional SS works for me.

1500P: The new show on KATU, Brotherhood ... is looking real good - no stutters, etc. I think Alan got it fixed - at least for now. Let's hope it holds. Thanks again, Alan!

Bob

How about just tuning in the regular KOIN station on a portable TV directly connected to the antenna cable? I'll bet you get a signal. That'd show that the 8vsb OTA module should be receiving something.

JimProuty-

I have to laugh about the compass directions. I recently wanted to be sure my roof top antenna was dead on to the towers so I went out and bought two compasses. One is a floating ball type meant for the car, the other a flat configuration with lines and arrows and stuff to be used on a map. I pulled out the big portland map which I had marked the towers on and my home and did the math to determine where the antenna should be pointing. This was all straight forward and simple. Now for the weirdness. No matter where in my livingroom, deck or yard could I get two readings the same, (using only one of the compasses). The readings varied by over 100 degrees. This is insanity. On my dining room table things were even worse. the compass was picking up the bolts that hold the legs on and reminded me of a oiygi (never could spell that) board. Bottom line is I always had plenty of signal so it really didn't matter.

On another note, nice to see West Wing in full HD last night. Someone should really pluck the chin whiskers off the first lady though.

Lew

A friend went to the Comcast office on Sandy Blvd yesterday and was told that Comcast will start broadcasting HDTV on Oct 8th.

They also said the HD will be "free" at first just to see how much interest there is. Don't know what the fee will be when they start charging.

The same friend happened to bump into a Comcast installer a couple of days earlier and the installer didn't have any knowledge of the HD on Comcast but he (the installer) would go with Dish network.
:D

Did anyone tune into ABC last night after 9pm, it was showing an ABC engineering HDTV test loop. Must have gone on for 45 minutes before they switched back to whatever reality show was on. Very odd it would go on for so long, guess it is the old 'wrong tape' issue. On the plus side the Monsters Inc trailer looked great and one of their test patterns looked very fancy.

Actually caught it when things went bad. First there was the normal program, followed by something goofy like from a bad sci-fi movie - various test bars, and hacking/virus message, saying something like "bet you can't code this".

Anyway, after a slight pause, the promo HDTV loop showing the Good Morning America set started playing.

Perhaps some new equipment had some buggy software...I don't think it was a wrong tape issue at all.

Mike

1500P: The new show on KATU, Brotherhood ... is looking real good - no stutters, etc. I think Alan got it fixed - at least for now. Let's hope it holds. Thanks again, Alan!Don't be thanking him too soon here. Perhaps the reason Brotherhood came in so good for you is that it's on KOIN, not KATU... Maybe you should thank Lee Wood instead :). I still have the same old glitches on ABC. Interesting though, first time in two years I remember seeing that HD loop they showed for a while last night. In between glitches it looked pretty good. At least maybe this will get them hotter on the troubleshooting mode and find what the real problem is. Seems like they haven't really isolated it yet.

Yes it was good to see WW in HD but just like ER last year, the quality was dismal for me at least. I pulled out a 19" set to compare the SD feed and it looks like they may have been doing a little zoom and cropping as the HD feed was a bit truncated top and bottom. That would also account for the less than stellar PQ.

ron

Ron: Oops, my mistake about Brotherhood. I guess I got so caught up switching back and forth from the KATU HD loop with the lip sync clapboard, et al, that I lost track of where I was. In any event, I thought Brotherhood was beautiful to watch, regardless of who broadcast it. Thanks, Lee.

Bob

I've always thought that you needed line of sight to the towers to get HD via OTA? But some of you guys are saying that "small hills" shouldn't make a difference. Unfortunately, I think that I have more than a "small" hill issue (in Happy Valley - right behind Mt. Scott in Clackamas). In fact, when I first moved into my house a few years ago, I tried a big Radio Shack antenna in my attic just to try to pick up SD OTA, but could not get very good reception (fuzzy on some stations, nothing on others). Given that fact, do you guys think I have any chance of getting HD via OTA?

I have been patiently waiting for Comcast HD, but I'd rather not abandon Directv altogether (and having a tough time thinking about how to justify paying for both). If I thought that I could get local HD via OTA, then maybe I should think about going out and buying a Directv receiver w/ OTA? Although the tought of plopping down $400+ for a satellite HD receiver doesn't thrill me (compared to renting one from Comcast) ... especially with how much you guys complain about broadcast glitches via OTA (realizing that Comcast might be just the same - but at least I wouldn't be making a big capital investment, only to be disappointed).

Any thoughts?

(FYI - I'd be watching on an Infocus X1 projector, which I realize doesn't do "true" HD ... but I've heard it looks VERY nice. Anyone with experience with the X1 and HD?)

I am in eastern Vancouver and can get OTA HD just fine. I usually get (aside from PBS) signal strength from 80 to 90% on my Dish 6000. Until recently I thought ABC breakups were due to signal strength(or multipath) issues. Good thing we have a forum to share info!

BTW, are there any repeater antennas for the Vancouver area? Seems like pretty good reception for being so far away.

KATU-DT is still screwed up. Alan Batdorf replied to one of my messages with this: Thanks, considerable work was done at the transmitter to get things
equalized properly. I still see problems on my DTC as well. The EQ process
on our existing driver, the other is at the factory for evaluation, was not
100% successful.
which I am assuming he would not mind my quoting.

I recorded about 45 minutes of the test material they were running last night and then ran a test program (ec.exe) on it. It gave about the same results as from a few weeks ago: an average of 4 continuity errors per minute. In contrast, KOPB-DT gave zero errors in 30 minutes.

The error checking program is here:
http://www-personal.engin.umich.edu/%7Ebalazer/ec/

WooHoo! Threat Matrix did not have one single glitch during the entire hour! Way to go, Alan, I am going to shoot him an email right now.

Yes !!!! I've also sent Alan a congrats email. First time I've been watching any ABC show clean of glitches. Seems like a little pressure (Comcast upcoming HD service) helped.

49 seems to be messed up and I was wondering if anyone else is having problems. I have a SIRT151 and whenever I change channels to 49, it seems to cycle between green and red attempting to lock it, but never does. The remote won't work, it's almost like it is hanging- cycling between green and red. The only way for me to get it out is to disconnect the antenna, then it comes up with the "no signal" and will let me flip to another channel. This began last night. Any ideas? Thanks.

Originally posted by Marissadad
WooHoo! Threat Matrix did not have one single glitch during the entire hour! Way to go, Alan, I am going to shoot him an email right now. Same here. I'm looking forward to Sunday and the Alias debut!

Starbuck, I have a Dish 6000 and just tried tuning in 49 and it was OK.

In Milwaukie last night, there were plenty of audio dropotu on "Threat Matrix".
The audio drop outs were not as bad as in the recent past. The problem made the MNF Dallas @ Giants (9/15) almost unwatchable. I used to work for Fisher, onwers of KATU. They have had money troubles and I wouldn't be surprised if the DT audio problem doesn't continue for a while.

Didn't really have time to watch any shows on KATU last night but checked in during commercials and what little I saw looked good to me to!! Didn't hear any audio drops either. 1500, I've been wondering about that too. If it is the case then it's a good sign for everybody. As a matter of fact, in watching CSI last night I noticed the PQ seemed pretty clean with only very minor, infrequent pixelation on the most demanding scenes. Checked 6-3 and it was black :). Every bit of bandwidth helps and even the little slice they were giving to that traffic cam was definitely taking away from the HD feed. Hopefully it wasn't just a temporary thing (fingers crossed).

ron

Yes, it looks like KATU-DT is fixed. Here is message I sent to Alan this morning:FYI, I ran the error checking program (ec) on a half hour recording taken
this morning starting at about 10:35 and got zero errors.
and his replyWe believe we have actually fixed the problem. I received reports of no
errors during the Threat Matrix HD movie last night, too! So far, since
changing an encoder setting, a transport stream device setting, and
re-equalizing our transmitter, we have been clean.

Thanks for the good report.

For some reason I can't find the post that points at Alan's email address. I would like to thank him via email.

Originally posted by ridgefamus
Bullfrog: Buy the OTA unit. Return is as easy as CC depicts in their ads. I got the Zenith 420, just for the heck of seeing what I could pull in. I have it hooked to the Silver Sensor and need to attenuate the heck out of the signal (10dB in-line and a variable RS patched in) as I am in direct line of sight of the towers. I'm on the north side of Bull Mtn. looking right down on them. The signal is far too strong in my location and results in severe multipathing. In fact, I need to point the SS toward the floor for best reception. Right now I have it sitting on the floor between my RPTV and the fireplace, fully out of sight (wife loves that!), but not in the attic or on the roof (and I love that!). Compass bearings vary from 11 to 16 degrees for most stations from my location, per antennaweb, so the directional SS works for me.
Bob

Bought the Zenith last night and much to my dismay could not get any DTV channels. Signal strength meter doesn't have % just BAD/NORMAL/GOOD. Signal fluctuated between BAD and NORMAL. Fiddled with the antenna some and got it to stay in the NORMAL range, but the scan picked up no DTV channels. I guess I'm just not getting a strong enough signal. Didn't think it would be a problem as I've been watching analog with just rabbit ears.

I'm located couple miles East of Washington Square. I do not have direct line of sight to towers from my house, but I can see them from up the street. My house is in a little valley with a small treed hill between me and the towers. Looking at a topo map I'm at about 220 ft, the hill peaks out at 260 ft about 1/4 mile from my home. Based on my calculations I don't think that the land mass is between me and the 2000 ft towers 5 to 6 miles away, but the trees are. I guess the trees are preventing me from getting a strong enough signal. Since I get such good analog reception I thought getting a digital signal wouldn't be a problem. I guess Digital requires a much stronger signal.

I guess my next step is to try to move the antenna higher on my roof and/or maybe I'll try one of those 4 bay bowtie Channel Master antenna's.

Thanks to everyone for your help.

Bullfrog: I am certainly not an HD guru and my simple setup has been helped along by some of the good folks on this thread. At first I thought I was in the same boat as you, i.e. not fixing on the signal (although I couldn't understand why, due to my primo location) with my SS directional antenna. Then, as if by some magic a few hours into letting the 420 "warm up" I started pulling in the KGW demo loop on 8-1 but I was getting lots of breaks in audio and video. Then I was able to latch onto the other digital channels but again with frequent, bothersome breakups.

The advice I got was that it was multipathing due to a super-strong signal. So I went out and bought a RS variable attenuator. I went back to the pkg of leftovers from the 420, and what do you know - there was a 10dB attenuator in it that I had forgotten about. I hooked that in line and it helped tremendously. Now I am fooling around with the variable also in line, but so far I haven't cranked it up past the minimum setting. I am getting good, steady signals, for the most part. I say that because with the problems KATU was having, one never knows whether it's you or "them". I am also wary of the multicasting problems that can affect the stability of the signals we receive, as others have reported here.

Bottom line, I think you should be able to get something with your current set up. Have you tried tuning in directly to the 40-1, 43-1 and 46-1 channels?

Bob

Bullfrog:

I live in Hillsboro near Orenco. I received my 6000u with 8vsb module this afternoon and I am having no problems receiving the local HD stations with a very cheap indoor antena sitting on top of my RPTV.

Originally posted by ridgefamus
The advice I got was that it was multipathing due to a super-strong signal. So I went out and bought a RS variable attenuator. I went back to the pkg of leftovers from the 420, and what do you know - there was a 10dB attenuator in it that I had forgotten about. I hooked that in line and it helped tremendously. Bob

Bingo!

Hooked up the attenuator to the 420 and like magic I could pull in the digital channels. All the time I was concerned about not having a strong enough signal and in fact the signal was too strong. Thanks Bob.

Still getting nothing from the E* 6000 receiver, but now at least I know I am receiving the signal and can get those jokers to come back out and replace the receiver or module.

Thanks to everyone for your help. This is a great forum.

Don

I've been looking through this thread and everyone talks about getting KPTV and KPDX, but I've never had either of those channels come in on my Panny. I get KATU, KGW, KOIN and the PBS just fine with rabbit ears on my tv. I live in Hillsboro, in between Baseline and TV Hway. I can see the towers on Sylvan Hill just fine, but are the other ones in a location where I would have a lot more trouble? Thanks in advance for the help.

For some reason I can't find the post that points at Alan's email address. I would like to thank him via email.

"Batdorf, Alan" <ABatdorf@katu.com>

Originally posted by kliffy
I've been looking through this thread and everyone talks about getting KPTV and KPDX, but I've never had either of those channels come in on my Panny. I get KATU, KGW, KOIN and the PBS just fine with rabbit ears on my tv. I live in Hillsboro, in between Baseline and TV Hway. I can see the towers on Sylvan Hill just fine, but are the other ones in a location where I would have a lot more trouble? Thanks in advance for the help. Check antennaweb.org, pick "choose an antenna". Enter your address, and it'll tell you the direction of all the towers. As far from Sylvan as you are, they should all be in basically the same direction.

The towers are bunched up together in two spots on Sylvan hill. In some cases, two stations share a tower. I blew a little time this morning and mapped them all out:

http://bbauer.gomen.org/pdxdtv.htm

BB

Kliffy: one other thing, don't worry too much about antennaweb's antenna recommendation. It tends to recommend the same antenna to everyone, from what I've seen. Certainly rabbit ears is a bad choice, as these are all UHF. A directional UHF antenna would be better, since everything's in roughly the same direction from you. I'd recommend a Silver Sensor (which you can pick up at Circuit City, its what I use), or an outdoor directional UHF would be even better..

Hey anyone: Did KATU-DT go off the air about 1/2 hour ago. I've been switching between the Ducks and the HD SEC game on KOIN and lost the digital Ducks. Must admit I'm not missing much but was wondering if KATU is having problems again - or is it me?

BTW - I've been emailing Alan Batdorf at alanb@katu.com :-)

Bob

It about 7:25...about 5-minutes ago KATU's began breaking up. I thought they fixed it! This audio problem is giving this viewer in Milwaukie fits!:mad:

Its been flawless all through the first half MNF for me. Can't exactly say the same for the Bears.:rolleyes:

Originally posted by hd-head
It about 7:25...about 5-minutes ago KATU's began breaking up. I thought they fixed it! This audio problem is giving this viewer in Milwaukie fits!:mad: Video and audio were nearly flawless here in Beaverton for the entire MNF game! Color me happy:D

My wife is thinking about sending a six-pack to Alan...

My wife is thinking about sending a six-pack to Alan...
Forget that, let's all pitch in and get him a kegger!

I was getting lots of audio breakup on KOIN tonight on CSI Miami and such. Only on the 6.1 HD channel, the 6.2 SD feed seemed to have good audio. Anyone else notice this??

Lots of audio breakups for me too on CSI Miami. Very annoying.

It was the same old audio stuttering problem they have periodically. It seems like it's very easy for them to fix it usually, like a minor reset or something. It is disappointing it keeps occurring though isn't it? Oh how nice it would be if they all had nice shiny new DTV equipment that wasn't all patched together...

ron

Agreed, MNF was flawless last night. Kudos to Alan and crew! Count me in for the kegger. Didn't check out KOIN or other HD last night as we have become mezmerized by The Blues on OPB. Not HD but WS and masterfully presented. After 9pm this week, HD will take a back seat.

Now, who/how do we lobby for KOIN to carry on analog this Sun. the Miami/NY Giants game so we can get their HD feed? Their schedule shows they will air Broncos/Chiefs, which is not HD. Not sure I can do without CBS NFL in HD 2 weeks running. (Too cheap to sign up for ST - need to save $ for the keg.)

Bob

Yes, MNF was perfect. In addition to watching it live via my DTC100, I also recorded 4 hours starting at 6PM and then ran the ec.exe error checker program on the files. Not a single error where before it averaged about 4 per minute.

I submitted my plea to KOIN for carriage on their analog channel of the game CBS does in HD. No chance for this coming weekend as it is set in stone, but got this reply:

"I have good news for you. KOIN 6 TV will be carrying the Pittsburgh @ Denver NFL game on October 12th.

Thank you for watching KOIN 6 TV,


Nichole Mehegan
KOIN 6 TV Programming Coordinator"

FYI, the Pitt/Denver game is the CBS HD broadcast that week.

Bob

Comcast now has HDTV available on their site. Orders started yesterday with availability 10/8. Go to "what's available in my area" to see the information...Offering is very limited but hopefully will improve (ABC/PBS). I think I'll go to cable since I am sick of all the issues with trying to use a PC based capture card. But I'll wait till this thread turns positive...who is going to be our first adopter?

====================================================

Monthly Price: $5 more, with any digital package.
HDTV Tuner: Motorola DCT-5100
Availability: October 8th, 2003
To order: Call 888-824-8264 (after 9/29)


Portland, Milwaukie, Salem, St. Helens, Vancouver, Tualatin Valley, McMinnville, Salem, Linn County, and associated service areas:
Display Channel Service More Information
704 KATU/HD (ABC) katu.com
710 KOPB/HD (PBS) opb.org
751 HBO/HD hbo.com
776 Showtime/HD showtimeonline.com
788 inHD inhd.com
789 inHD2 inhd.com



Eugene, Corvallis, and associated service areas:
Display Channel Service More Information
703 KMTR/HD (NBC) kmtr.com
709 KEZI/HD (ABC) kezi.com
710 KOPB/HD (PBS) opb.org
713 KVAL (CBS) kval.com
751 HBO/HD hbo.com
776 Showtime/HD showtimeonline.com
788 inHD inhd.com
789 inHD2 inhd.com


© 2003 Comcast Cable Communications
1-888-824-8264
www.comcast.com
Last Update: 29-SEP-2003

Why cant KOIN have the HD football game on their digital channel, and a different one on the analog?

gangrew: It's an NFL must-carry rule. Go to: http://www.koin.com/koin/hdtvnews.shtml
for their explanation.

Bob

well that sucks, stupid lawyers

jmv: Thanks for the information. I need to see ESPNHD and maybe HDNET added before I'll sign up, and I'll let Comcast know that. For now, OTA is doing it for me. I sure don't need the lame lineup of INHD and I've gone without HBO or Showtime this long.

Bob

I had an audio sync problem when watching Navy NCIS,,, really bad at first, better later, but not perfect. I was using my old Panasonic TU-DST50 since my 6000 was busy with another channel. Did any one else have this problem, or was it just my old Panasonic tuner?

FYI ... according to multiple CSR's that I've talked to, Comcast will have NBC (KGW) and ESPNHD in Portland at launch (in addition to the stations listed on their website). Why they would've been excluded on the website, who knows. But hopefully they will be there next week. As for HDNet, I think that Comcast is now the only major carrier (amongst satellite and the major cable players) to NOT carry the station. Bummer, but hopefully it will happen soon.

I wonder why Comcast doesn't have FOX (KPTV) and CBS (KOIN)? I know that very few CBS affiliates are carried on any cable systems, but hopefully they will at least get FOX soon (for the Fox widescreen NFL games).

marshdom, I think you're right about KGW and ESPN from what I've heard too. I wouldn't be surprised to see KPTV added soon as well, probably still negotiating the details. As far as CBS goes, there's been a stalemate with Comcast and CBS for whatever reason. I think CBS is holding out for more money. Hopefully that will finally be resolved in the near future but there hasn't seemed to be any budging on either side so far. I wonder about that listing including HBO-HD and SHO-HD. The way the thing reads it kinda makes it sound like they are included in the minor "extra" charge, but I'd be extremely surprised if they didn't require the regular HBO and SHO subs to get them.

ron

ron - I'm 99.9% sure that you are correct about needing to subscribe to the regular HBO and Showtime packages to get the HD versions of those channels.

Another forum member (SonomaSearcher) was nice enough to send me a link to a site that shows the ownership of local affiliates (www.pbs.org/newshour/media/conglomeration/map_low.php?dma=23#map). I admittedly don't know a lot about the situation, but the fact that our FOX and CBS affiliates are not owned by either their parent networks or other cable co's (like Cox), I would think is a positive ... in terms of our chances to get those stations via Comcast cable sooner rather than later (since it should just be a local negotiation).

As an FYI to others interested in Portland Comcast, a good source to check out is the Seattle Comcast HD thread. Since they just got HD a few months ago and are also a legacy AT&T system, I think that their experience has probably been close to what we should expect. That thread also has an active participant (Jeremy) who is a knowledgeable Comcast CSR in Seattle and another guy with a lot of knowledge about the Motorola STB (5100) that Comcast is using (and the upcoming 6208 HD PVR).

Following on my thoughts from my previous post (regarding our chances of getting FOX and CBS soon via Comcast - in addition to ABC, NBC, and PBS at launch), I just got a private mail from SonomaSearcher (don't think he'd mind me sharing his thoughts) saying:

"Yes, as far as CBS, it definitely helps that your station is not owned by Viacom. Comcast is carrying the local CBS HD signals just about everywhere that the local station is independently owned. The only exceptions I think are Seattle (where it's owned by Cox) and Sacramento (where it's owned by Sinclair, which unlike all other independent owners is demanding Comcast pay it significant money to carry Sinclair's digital signals). So you have reason to be optimistic.

One thing you can check on is the extent to which your CBS station's owner owns other stations, in particular other CBS, ABC, NBC or Fox stations which transmit digital signals in other Comcast HD areas. If Comcast is already carrying one or more of those stations, then it has already reached a deal in another area with that owner which makes it much more likely they will be able to reach deals in other areas, including Portland."

As best as I can tell, Meredith (FOX/KPTV & UPN/KPDX) only has affiliates in two other Comcast markets. In Atlanta, its CBS station IS on Comcast; but in Nashville, the only reference I've seen to its NBC station is that it is supposed to be on by early next year. As far as Emmis (CBS/KOIN) goes, I haven't found that any of their other stations are in Comcast markets (for that matter, I don't think any of them are in areas with HD over/via any cable operator). So the good news is that there is precedence for Meredith to let Comcast pick up their stations, and at least there isn't precedence for Emmis to not allow it. (BTW, my searches of other markets was pretty quick - using other threads here ... so I'm not positive on my accuracy.)

One might guess that you're excited about HD cable coming to PDX :D. I sincerely hope there are many, many more like you out there in the Metro area. Thanks for all the info.

ron

Guilty as charged! :p

That's what living behind a big hill (Mt. Scott) will do to a guy.

Comcast said they will install the Motorola DCT5100 box in my house in SW portland this Friday! This is earlier than their )ct.8 date, but who's complaining?!. It requires you subscribe to a digital cable package (I already do) and is only an extra $5 a month (no equipment purchase necessary)! Oh yeah, $19.95 installation charge (even if you do it yourself). I'll post a review here this weekend.

Originally posted by vince2
Comcast said they will install the Motorola DCT5100 box in my house in SW portland this Friday! This is earlier than their )ct.8 date, but who's complaining?!. It requires you subscribe to a digital cable package (I already do) and is only an extra $5 a month (no equipment purchase necessary)! Oh yeah, $19.95 installation charge (even if you do it yourself). I'll post a review here this weekend. I remember reading in the Seattle thread that you don't need to subscribe to digital cable to get HD IF you forgo the built-in guide.

Has anyone heard whether this is true in PDX, or do I have to go and actually pick up a telephone?:D

I started asking about this awhile ago and when I had my cable installed last week, they said Oct. 1. So, I called this morning and the guy said it's only on the first for the southern are. He did reiterate that NBC and ESPN are going to be available. The fee he quoted me for installation was 15.99, but the good news is that the box will be free until the beginning of the year. This should offset the cost. I can't wait to stop relying on my antenna.

Is it available yet? Should I wait? Will the upgrade the unit later?


Here is the blurp from Motorola:
Motorola DCT6200. The DCT6200 is the next generation of Motorola’s popular DCT5100 platform. Motorola has enhanced this set-top with an 800 MIPS internal processor – an upgrade of over 150 percent. Additionally, the Motorola DCT6200 includes an “Entertainment Package,” which enables a direct digital connection to consumer audio and video devices via 1394-DTV and DVI interfaces.

All DCT6200 outputs (both analog and digital) are available, which facilitate consumer interaction in multiple DTV interface configurations. The DCT6200 includes an MPEG encoder, making the set-top “PVR-capable” with the addition of an external 1394 hard disk drive. These enhancements provide an even more compelling, easy-to-use, HDTV and PVR experience for the cable customer

vince2 - you are a lucky dog. I have probably called in 3 or 4 times over the past few days (just trying to get a straight story), and it seems that the party line at Comcast is that both signups and installations won't start until 10/8. I look forward to your review!

So far, all of the CSRs have told me that you MUST subscribe to digital cable in Portland. It could be that they just don't know, because in Seattle there is no requirement for signing up for any certain level of programming (even digital) - it just effects which channels you get in HD (i.e. - you must subscribe to a package that has the non-HD version of a channel to get the HD version also).

I'm pretty sure that we will get the M5100 box here at launch and will be able to upgrade to the M6208 PVR when it becomes available. Since it is just a rental box, I don't think that upgrading will be a problem.

hpiatek, there are a number of threads in the HD Hardware forum regarding the Moto boxes. It seems to me from skimming some of them that generally the DVI and firewire outputs are present on the box but at least the firewire is not enabled as of yet? IIRC, it sounded like the HD PVR was not actually going to be available until later this spring maybe, and when it's released it will carry a monthly charge along the lines of D* and their Tivo units (~ $10-12).

ron

Re: Whether KOIN will be in the Comcast "locals" offer. I remember how long it took for D* to get KOIN added to its PDX locals list, which was long after the others were on board. So local/indi ownership may not be a positive in our case. But, perhaps the D* experience for KOIN will be a good precedent.

Bob

Can't see switching from my Sammy 165 to Comcast quite yet, not into sports enough to do it just for ESPN-HD. Don't think I'd watch enough HBO & SHO to make it worth while.

One question: Has anyone ever heard of other cable channels moving towards HD, such as SciFi, TBS, Fx etc. That would start to cinch the deal for me to go to Comcast. Never heard a peep about anyone outside the major 6 broadcasters. Thanks

[QUOTE]Originally posted by marshdom
[B]vince2 - you are a lucky dog. I have probably called in 3 or 4 times over the past few days (just trying to get a straight story), and it seems that the party line at Comcast is that both signups and installations won't start until 10/8. I look forward to your review!

Well, we'll see. Last month I asked for a box that had component outputs so I could hook up my projector. They said I could wait for the HDTV boxes in October or get the special "home theater" version of their existing boxes that has these outputs. Despite a $50 installation charge, I went ahead and ordered the HT box for the interim after talking with 5 people (1 sales, 2 technicians, a technical manager, and an installer) to be sure it had component outputs. The wife was home for the install, and when I got home, sure enough, no component outputs (they just left a dangling S-video cable). Needless to say I got my $50 back and have been waiting ever since. Now tomorrow, I'll be surprised if what I get is actually the correct box, which I assume will be the 5100.

According to Eric Dausman the Head of Engineering at KGW, Emmis who owns KOIN can't seem to come to an agreement with Comcast to pass the HD signal. There is some bad blood between these two companies.

Also, KGW is about two months away from being able to get their HD signal over to Comcast. Comcast was late in deciding their HD format. The fiber line is there but the encoder needed to change KGW's 310m format to Comcast's ASI format hasn't been ordered yet. The box is about $4000.

Some History:

- many years ago, KOIN was selected for DISH's CBS-W national feed; I remember the articles talking about upgrading the sets, and what-not.

- KOIN/Emmis were quite late in getting on DirecTV's local offering, due to greed; it defies logic as to why KOIN/Emmis would prefer that viewers watch OTA instead of the satellite! Instead, they shot themselves in the foot - satellite viewers simply didn't watch. As I understand things, the fiber link was present, so the dispute was probably who was going to pay what to whom. I don't deny that providing the fiber link and equipement did cost someone, something. It wasn't until the congressional legislation requiring carrying local channels went into effect that KOIN finally appeared on DirecTV. See archives at DBS Forum for the gory details.

- Emmis/KOIN likely wants someone to foot the bill for the HD effort. Their view is probably: since Comcast is getting paid to provide the service, then Comcast should pay Emmis/KOIN for the trouble and the equipment. Comcast view is probably: look at all the viewers we will be bringing to you

And so it goes. Someone has to pay, it's just a question of who and how much. In the meantime, the viewer and KOIN/Emmis "suffers", as there are other viewing alternatives.

Though I've got HDTV capability for OTA, I am a holdout on doing anything until HD TiVo or something equivalent is available. I am so spoiled, as is my whole family.

Just my two cents...

Mike

scottcorinna - that is a bummer ... no NBC/KGW at launch for Comcast. I was afraid of that, since Comcast's website does not lost KGW (even though all 4 or 5 CSR's I've spoken to have said that they'd have NBC at launch). That means ABC/KATU will be the only of the 4 major networks for now. Again ... bummer.

vince2 - did the install happen today, as scheduled? Can you confirm the lack of KGW?

mmihalik - your quote: "Their view is probably: since Comcast is getting paid to provide the service, then Comcast should pay Emmis/KOIN for the trouble and the equipment." Not to nitpick (and I appreciate your insights), but I think Comcast's argument might be that they are NOT getting paid anything additional for providing HD to their customers. My understanding is that the only extra charge to me is $5 or so for a box rental.

Well, somewhat as expected, Comcast screwed up. I was scheduled for HDTV box installation today at noon, and just got a call from the installer saying he could'nt hook me up because they won't have the equipment until Oct.8th. Duh! I called the sales office and asked them why they scheduled me today and they apologized and said it should not have happened. Duh again! Well, they rescheduled me for next Wednesday (8th)and said they would waive the installation fee (which now appears to be $15.99) and they also credited me for half of this months bill. Not too bad, but I did take the day off for this so I probably let them off easy. If they screw up next week (which they might because today's sales lady thought the HDTV roll-out was not until the 14th), then I will definately switch to DirecTV. One can take only sooooooo much incompetence!

Originally posted by marshdom
[... I think Comcast's argument might be that they are NOT getting paid anything additional for providing HD to their customers. My understanding is that the only extra charge to me is $5 or so for a box rental. [/B]

I sort of agree, but KOIN/Emmis probably look at the overall larger fees Comcast are collecting, since you cannot subscribe only to HD.

On the otherhand, KOIN have the CBS exclusive rights. Also, by law, KOIN required by law to provide HD programming OTA, regardless of their costs to provide. This in return for their exclusive use of the spectrum.

Neither the cable companies, nor the satellite companies are required to provide any HD programming.

I still think KOIN/Emmis is out of line. They'd rather not have the viewers if they can't squeeze a nickel from the cable and satellite companies. I have no argument against KOIN/Emmis to cover specific costs to providing the programming link - i.e. fiber or microwave, or whatever. It's not like Comcast is trying to provide the programming out of market.

Mike

IMHO, KOIN and the other stations should pay the sat and cable companies rather than the other way around. After all they are advertiser supported and depend on eyeballs for their income. They spend large sums of money on electricty to get their signal out -- why shouldn't they pay those who provide this service?

sounds like many of you are excited about comcast delivering HDTV. I asked comcast if their box had a DVI connection, they replied no. Is their a way around this? I mean is it better to go with an OTA receiver or should I just wait until comcast updates their equipment?

Originally posted by Larry Hutchinson
IMHO, KOIN and the other stations should pay the sat and cable companies rather than the other way around. After all they are advertiser supported and depend on eyeballs for their income. They spend large sums of money on electricty to get their signal out -- why shouldn't they pay those who provide this service?

In other words you think the Cable companies should be allowed to double dip.

Make the consumer pay and the broadcaster pay to.

I just found out that Comcast is going to take KGW's off air signal and some how convert it to it's ASI format and rebroadcast it. This is until KGW installs the ASI format converter that will feed the fiber line to Comcast.

Comcasts head honcho's are not happy that local Comcast isn't ready for prime time. They even offered to loan KGW the $4k to buy the ASI converter to send the signal over the fiber line.

I don't know when or if Comcast is doing this with the other stations but it doesn't seem like they have it together.

Thanks for the info, Scott. Sounds like you have (or are?) an insider at KGW and/or Comcast?

I'm not sure that I understand the implications of the ASI format, rebroadcasting, etc. (feel free to educate me/us) ... but I am happy that we'll be getting KGW at launch.

Anyone heard of changes to the first signup and/or install date? The latest (pushed back) date I had heard was tomorrow (10/8) for both signups and installs to begin, but a CSR told me this morning that installs and signups are now scheduled to begin Friday (10/10). Hope that's wrong ... as I was hoping to have it for this weekend's Sunday and Monday night football games!

Vince2 ... you better check to make sure that your install is still scheduled for tomorrow!

Marshdom: You'll probably be SOL on any Sunday game from CBS (as well as their SEC Sat. game) as KOIN is not in the Comcast package. That leaves you with the MNF game, only, from Comcast. From that standpoint I can live with OTA for those network games and wait for ESPN HD and HDNET to be included in the Comcast offering before I jump in. I think we all need to let Comcast know that offering network programming that is available OTA is not a compelling reason for those of us who forked out for OTA to add Comcast now.

Bob

[QUOTE vince2]One can take only sooooooo much incompetence!

I agree Vince. It seems like the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing at comcast. I recently switched to Directtv because I was fed-up with poor picture quality and cancelled only the digital cable television service (I also have cable internet service). I told that CSR three times during the conversation that I wanted to keep the internet service but a week later ALL lines to my house were disconnected. I called the national number for support (after hours) and they did not know what was wrong. I The following day I called the CSR and they could not figure it out. It was not until a service person came to my house a few days later that he found the disconnect. Frustrating to say the least.

Originally posted by marshdom
Thanks for the info, Scott. Sounds like you have (or are?) an insider at KGW and/or Comcast?

I'm not sure that I understand the implications of the ASI format, rebroadcasting, etc. (feel free to educate me/us) ... but I am happy that we'll be getting KGW at launch.


I'm not sure that KGW will be up at launch. I don't think Comcast has purchased the off air receiver(s) yet.

ASI is just a different delivery format. Something like 8vsb. I'm sure there is a reason Comcast went this route but I don't know what it is.

Comcast will have to convert the off air 8vsb to their ASI format. My guess is that the signal won't be as good as when KGW gets its ASI encoder at their end. ie: Feeding the digital signal directly to Comcast over fiber.

I sure hope that NBC/KGW is ready at launch ... the CSR's keep saying it will be, but the website doesn't list it. The comcast website also does not list ESPN-HD, but all of the CSR's swear it will be available at launch. So I'll be very happy to get Sunday & Monday night football. It would be great to have CBS & Fox (widescreen) for the other Sunday games, but anything will be an improvement over nothing (living in the shadow of Mt. Scott).

I asked before and got a "no" answer ... but I'm thinking we might want to start a Portland Comcast thread? I have a feeling that Comcast related posts are going to become more plentiful. Doesn't bother me to share a thread for OTA & Cable, but I don't want to bug you OTA guys. It sure would be cool to get a Comcast employee on this board like the Seattle Comcast thread.

One other FYI/note along those lines, the Seattle Comcast guy posted a message earlier today with a link to an article that made it sound pretty hopeful that Comcast would pick up NBA-TV - possibly before the season starts. I think they show a fair number of NBA games in HD every week, but as I recall you might have to sign up for the NBA package?

My vote is still to keep all the PDX stuff in one thread.

Does Comcast even have an NBA package? I think they are talking about carrying NBA TV as a stand alone channel. IIRC, they are scheduled to air about 100 games this season and David Stern was quoted as saying approx half would be HD this season. I think he also said the goal was 100% HD for the '04-'05 season. The few I caught on D* last year looked quite nice. And Steve Jones was one of their color commentators last season too.

ron

If you want to start up a PDX Comcast thread, go ahead. Most of us will just be monitoring this thread, though. If you do decide to start a separate thread, I'd suggest you make the first post like some of Ken's, which are just a status of what is available now. You can edit it as channels become available.

Well, apparently Comcast is taking orders for HD in the Portland area now. I just signed up and scheduled an install for Sunday afternoon. The earliest date they offered me was Saturday (I have a conflict), and I got the feeling that today thru Friday they are going to be working on people they had previously scheduled (before they were ready ... like vince2's experience). I will, of course, post a review once I'm up and working. I just hope it goes as planned so that I can enjoy the good Sunday night game in HD this weekend!

I've only had my MyHD card for a few weeks, so I've only been playing around for a little bit. A few pages back on this thread, it said that Fox was in widescreen. All this time, when I tune into channel 32, it only let me see 30-1, which was regular 480i. I turned off "virtual channels" and now I can see 30-2, but its still 480i, but in 16:9. Is this correct? I was hoping to see the baseball playoff games in 480p. What is the deal with Fox?

ABC, CBS, PBS, NBC all look great. I'm so glad they've fixed ABC. I've never really paid attention to which station most of the shows I watch are on. Until that is, one of the stations has glitches, which make watching it in HD unbearable.

Rob

I vote to keep all the PDX stuff here, Comcast successes/disappointments included.

Marshdom: I am extremely anxious for you to report the veracity of the ESPN HD availability with your install. I would also love to get the Sunday night games. Now all we need to do is work on getting KOIN on board and then to get them to always show the Sunday CBS HD game on their analog (and thus, HD) channels :-)

rbonzer: I don't recall what the FOX 16:9 resolution should be but I think it's in the HDTV Programming thread. I don't believe it is shown in WS always, only selected shows. Are you getting WS for all 30-2 programs?

While watching the baseball games on FOX the past 3 nights I have noticed a slight sound sync delay on 30-2 that is not present on 30-1. Since it's baseball, it doesn't become as annoying as trying to watch people speak, but it is disturbing to see the batter hit the ball and then hear the bat crack. The effect has persisted all 3 nights, but not on 30-1. Anyone know why - is it local? Also, I think I read somewhere that only the WS games will be in widescreen. Sad that MLB did not sell this year's games to an HD-capable network. Next year?

Bob

The card said that the channel was 16:9, but the baseball game was only a 4:3 broadcast framed at the sides. I haven't seen any widescreen shows yet on fox. I'm guessing that I'll have to wait until the playoffs are over, because it seems that all the prime time programming on fox is preempted for the games. 24 better be in widescreen when it finally starts.

I haven't watched a football game on TV for years. That is until Monday. And what a game to watch! The picture is mesmerizing. I'm sure it'll wear off, but I'm hooked!

Also, I think I read somewhere that only the WS games will be in widescreen.I think this is a pretty good bet :D. I believe that now the majority of the FOX primetime shows (sitcoms and dramas) are being done in WS. The resolution is 480p. Only selected football and NASCAR? sporting events have been done in their WS to this point. 24 is definitely WS. All this should change next fall when FOX is scheduled to begin HD transmission (720p) in place of the WS (and assuming KPTV gets the proper equipment set up which Ed has said they plan to do next summer).

ron

So, I must have a problem, or am confused. On the on screen display, it says that 30-2 is 480i and 16:9. I'm definitely seeing it as widescreen, since I get the bars on the side. I'll have to check further to see why its saying 480i instead of 480p. Is there anyone else with a MyHD around here that shows it as 480p?

Rob

Comcast is now taking installation requests for HDTV. I'm scheduled for Tuesday morning. I'll report my first impressions.

rbonzer: IMHO, I've never seen MyHD, but if you get bars on sides it's not widescreen. Bars top and bottom, maybe.
Bob

Is anyone else having lip sync problems on KWBP DTV33? I'm using a Dish 6000 and a MyHD card, both have the same sync problem. Is this problem being worked on? It's been like this for at least several weeks. It's bad enough that I can't stand to watch it, I switch to the analog station instead.

Any additional info on when KWBP will go to HD?

Cris

Unbelievable! Comcast cancelled my HDTV installation today again because of a lack of equipment. I give up on them. I'm cancelling and going with DirectTV. Comcast surpassed even my lowest expectations. Is ANYONE in charge over there?

Now a question for the board...is there a significant difference between DirectTV and Dish HDTV offerings?

Vince2: I'm under the impression that the satellite Dish uses for HDTV is too low to the horizon to be effective in Portland. Or have they solved this? When I made an appointment for installation next Tuesday today, the guy said this was the first day they were able to make appointments. If they cancel mine, I'll report it here.

Originally posted by ridgefamus
rbonzer: IMHO, I've never seen MyHD, but if you get bars on sides it's not widescreen. Bars top and bottom, maybe.
Bob

I believe I'm getting bars on the sides, because the broadcast format is widescreen, but the content is not. I'm just going to play more with it tonight. Thanks.

Dish is currently using 61.5, 148 satellites and 110 to carry HD content. HD content on 61.5 is mirrored on 148(except the demo channel). The 148 sat is plenty high enough in the horizon for the Northwest. They will be using a new dish (superdish) that will be able to "see" three satellites. I believe it has been said that they will end up dropping the 61.5 and 148 sats for HD once they have migrated most people to superdish.

Originally posted by rbonzer
I believe I'm getting bars on the sides, because the broadcast format is widescreen, but the content is not. I'm just going to play more with it tonight. Thanks. Rob,

For the time being KPTV is using 30-2 as their designated "widescreen" channel. I believe they just pass whatever FOX Network sends them on their "widescreen" feed. Most of the time when there's no WS programming available it just shows the test pattern, but recently I've noticed that sometimes they are sending some of their non-widescreen programming on it as well. The Chief Engineer there has told me that when that happens it is indeed 480i. It does look like a pretty clean feed to me though.

ron

Originally posted by R11
Rob,

For the time being KPTV is using 30-2 as their designated "widescreen" channel. I believe they just pass whatever FOX Network sends them on their "widescreen" feed. Most of the time when there's no WS programming available it just shows the test pattern, but recently I've noticed that sometimes they are sending some of their non-widescreen programming on it as well. The Chief Engineer there has told me that when that happens it is indeed 480i. It does look like a pretty clean feed to me though.

ron

Thanks. That is what I wanted to know.

Rob

All content on Dish's new HD Package is coming off the 110 satellite and will continue to do so until Spring of next year. That is their timeframe for deployment of the Superdish.

Cris, I've noticed the lip sync on DTV 33, it's like a couple of seconds off. I will email Pat and let him know about it and ask him about the status of the new HD gear.

totally off topic ... sorry ... but wanted to tap into some local knowledge ...

Anyone have an idea for me of where to go (locally) to buy reasonably priced cables and/or adapters? Specifically, here's a link to what I'm looking for:

http://www.pccables.com/cgi-bin/orders6.cgi?action=Showitem&id=ID1011081&partno=02137&search=ADAPTER&rsite=pccables.com&rcode=

They seem to go for a buck or so online, but they want $5 for them at Radio Shack. Not exactly an emergency ... but just wondered if anyone knew of a good place in town to buy this kind of stuff? (Need to buy them before I get my comcast HD this weekend ... and don't want to pay for overnight shipping.) Somewhere between Lake Oswego and Clackamas would be nice ... between where I work and live!

Again ... sorry for getting off topic.

Originally posted by vince2
Unbelievable! Comcast cancelled my HDTV installation today again because of a lack of equipment. I give up on them. I'm canceling and going with DirectTV. Comcast surpassed even my lowest expectations. Is ANYONE in charge over there?

Now a question for the board...is there a significant difference between DirectTV and Dish HDTV offerings?

Back on topic ...

vince2 ... it seems to me that the biggest reason to go with Comcast (despite the obvious longstanding warts of the cable company) is if you have trouble getting the locals OTA (like me). If I could get the locals OTA ... I'd stick with Directv for sure. As far as I can tell, the only edge cable HD has over satellite right now is the new InDemand HD stations (I don't think they're on satellite). I've read some complaints of quality issues with satellite HD (over-compressed ... blah, blah, blah), but maybe someone else can comment on that. Doesn't seem like locals over satellite is going to be an option any time soon ... so unless I move from out of behind a mountain, I stuck hoping that Comcast doesn't let me down.

Why would KOIN want to show the CBS premier game in HD. They know that everyone here wants to see the Chargers and Raiders week after week after week. I wish that they would just go with the national feed and not worry about regional. Fox takes care of the Seahawks, who are the closest team to us anyway. If they would just show the best game that is available. Like they did last week. Lasts weeks game was the best match-up of the week (and CBS did'nt cover it in HD). So who knows what is the best answer. I know..... all football games in HD. There that was easy. Hell lets make it all Sports, no, all everything! Don't listen to me I'm crazy or something.


Oh yeah. I am for keeping all HD related content in Portland in this thread.

Here's an update on WB from Pat:

Darrell,

I know the lip sync is way off but at this time, we can't do anything to
correct it. We have an audio delay box that is in line with the new HD
encoding equipment at our studio. I can't move the audio delay box to the
DTV site due to the different format of audio it works with so we just have
to live with the problem for now.

The good news is that today I finally got confirmation that the last
essential pieces for our HD plan are shipping Monday or Tuesday. When it all
arrives, we have to have some tower riggers install new microwave dishes at
our studio and the Sylvan site and we can then send true HD to the
transmitter.

Hang on for about three more weeks or so and you should see the WB in HD.

An interesting sidenote is that due to scheduling conflicts with the WB
satellite uplink, the Sunday night Everwood feed is not available in HD to
the Pacific time zone. Because of the fact that our new owners are so
dedicated to HD broadcasting, KTLA, our WB station in Los Angeles, is
recording an earlier HD feed of Everwood and then uplinking it at the
correct time on a different satellite for all of us on the West Coast. This
will be available only to the Tribune Broadcasting stations out here.

Pat

Wow, service above and beyond the call of duty :). We can only wish some of the other stations were so dedicated (at the corporate level anyway).

ron

Thanks for the update Marrisadad. Looking forward to Smallville in HD. The current lip sync problem doesn't seems important now. :-)

Cris

Marshdom...I checked into DirectTV. They said all you need is an unobstructed view out to the southwest. Well, that excludes me for sure. In any event, I called Comcast right after this and got in touch with their "retentions" department. They asked what they could do to keep me as a customer and I said "just get me HDTV by this weekend". Impossible they said. Then they hooked me up to the Beaverton office with a guy who actually knew what was going on. He bumped out a Friday noon install and put me in place. He swore they would come through this time. Well, I'm a sucker so I said OK and tomorrow we're back on (again). Either 3rd time is the charm or three strikes they're out! I know I'm being a bit impatient, but I've taken off from work to be at my house each time. They should'nt make promises they can't keep. Apparently only a handful of boxes were available on the roll-out date of the 8th. Also, these are the old DCT5100 boxes, not the latest 6100/6200 models, so supply shouldn't be an issue.

Originally posted by vince2
Marshdom...I checked into DirectTV. They said all you need is an unobstructed view out to the southwest. Well, that excludes me for sure. They're wrong, of course: you need an unobstructed view out to the south EAST. Damn east-coast mentality :rolleyes:

The azimuth for DirecTV is 133 degrees (0 being north, 90 being east, 180 being south).

http://www.satellitetech.com/install.html

Okay class, is 133 degrees "southwest"? No, I didn't think so...

vince - Jim is correct, you need a soutEAST view for directv. I know because I have directv right now. Hopefully I'll be replacing it with Comcast if all goes well with my install on Sunday. I'm glad you were able to get through to the local guys and get a Friday install ... I just feel bad for the poor chump who got bumped! And he'll probably get rescheduled for Sunday ... and bump me ... doh!

And, yes, they are installing the 5100 boxes. Apparently the 6208 HD-PVR boxes are being tested in a few markets and are supposed to be available here sometime in 1Q04.

BTW ... that was a great reply by Pat at the WB. Nice to have people who have contacts like that. Hopefully Comcast will pick them up soon (although I couldn't name one show on WB if I had to).

When I got my D* package in 1999, KOIN was unavailable. I got a waiver and now have CBS-NY and CBS-LA. I was also able to get a waiver from KATU and have the East and West feeds from ABC. If KOIN continues to balk at Comcast, maybe Comcast has the FCC authority to provide Portland area subscribers the CBS HD feed from both NY and LA.
I would have to think that KOIN would want its signal made available from as many places as possible, so those who take part in the Nielsen ratings can have a reason to say they watch KOIN-TV.

vince2 - looking forward to hearing about your Comcast install on Friday. Of course I want a description of the important details (quality, which HD channels, etc.), but I'd also be interested in some of the more mundane points (did the installer have any idea what he was doing, did he bring cables, etc.).

As you can tell, I'm looking forward to my Sunday install. Just hoping to get a bit of a sneak peak from you.

Yes, Comcast finally came through with ther HDTV install. To answer a few questions: Yes, it was the DCT5100 box. Firmware is v. 2.5. The HDTV channels are fantastic... They are in the 700's (channel 710, 735, etc..) I have the Showtime package and STHD looks great! I also watched the '03 US tennis open replay on INHD2 and was mesmurized by the picture. I'm looking at this thing through an Infocus projector onto a 100" Stewart Firehawk Filmscreen and didn't notice any lines, but did notice the sweat running across the player's brows. Combined with the 5.1 surround, it really sucked me into the game I must say. I've set the box at 1080i which appeared to be the default. The installer did'nt know jack, in fact this was his first HDTV box and he'd only been doing residential cable for 3 months. Thankfully, I had the 5100 FAQ printed out for us to follow. He said they had a crash course on the 5100 just this morning that only covered the basics....he still didn't know the difference between component ans S-video cable however. Fortunately I was there and he had radio contact with his super to walk him though it all. For whatever reason, I only got ESPNHD for a brief period...I don't know whether I have to upgrade my package or whether they are experiencing difficulties (they went to a new system 2 days ago and many digital subscribers still can't get the program info or menu bars to work). Anyways, a BIG thumbs up for my experience with Comcast HDTV thus far (about 4 hours).

One more thing...to answer the previous question, YES, my 5100 box does have a DVI output (though I'm not using it). Also has a digital optical output for audio (I AM using this). It also has two USB ports and a Cat5 port in the back, as well as a Smartcard slot in the front. Leaves me to believe more features coming in the future.

vince2 - thanks for the update. Hope you don't mind if I throw a bunch of questions at you ...

I'd be interested to know whether or not you're getting KGW/NBC or not. And, if so, how is the quality (noticeably different from, say, ABC)? Again, I won't pretend to understand the technical aspects, but someone posted here a few days ago that Comcast was not yet going to be getting the KGW feed delivered to them in an optimal manner.

I'm assuming that ABC/KATU, NBC/KGW, and PBS are the only locals in HD?

How do the non-HD stations look through the M5100 (I've read some mixed reviews)? Have you compared them to just the pure analog cable feed without the box?

Any update on the status of your ESPN-HD would be great. My install is on Sunday afternoon, and I am REALLY hoping that I'll be able to watch the Seahawks game in HD on Sunday night.

Finally, what model of InFocus projector are you using? I'm a projector newbie, so I've started with the X1. I understand that it doesn't do "true" HD, but almost all of the personal reviews I've read here at AVS say that most HD on it looks significantly better than DVD quality ... I can't even imagine!

Well ... I got my Comcast HD today as promised. So I'll answer some of my own questions to vince2 and give a brief review.

As someone (sorry, forgot who) pointed out a few days ago, KGW/NBC was not ready for launch (even though it was on a printout of HD stations the installer gave me). The installer was a contract employee, so he didn't know much, but hopefully KGW will be provided soon (even if the quality isn't perfect). As advertised, the other stations are: ABC/KATU, PBS, ESPN, HBO, Showtime, InDemandHD 1 & 2.

The quality is amazing! I haven't watched too much yet, but Sunday night football has been great so far (halftime is just ending ... need to make this quick!!!). The sound is also great, although my one complaint would be that the volume level seems to vary a fair amount from channel to channel.

My other minor complaint is that I haven't been able to get the video to work through the component outputs on anything but the HD channels. I'm not sure if this is just the way it is ... or if I have to work on my setup a bit more.

The non-HD stations look fine through the M5100 box, although I haven't really compared them to the analog stations without the box yet.

The installer was pretty good, although he admitted to having very little training on the 5100 (and they don't even provide them with manuals). I was surprised that he said he had never done an install for someone with a front projector. He did, however, have a full pack of cables to give me ... with everything from component cables to digital coax & optical cables.

Again ... the picture looks great ... even on my InFocus X1 projector, which doesn't technically do "true" HD. I've been saying all along that I'd be happy if the picture was just "as good" as DVD quality. I think that it is safe to say that it is at least that good ... and my first impression is that it is a fair amount better.

Marshdom: Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. Glad to see you were able to get installed before the game. Great game and picture eh? Regarding my projector, I'm using the Infocus Screenplay LS110 (It is HDTV compatible). Regarding the local stations, the HD versions show up on their 700 counterparts (e.g. std channel 4 = HD channel 704) only when there is a program broadcast in HD format. I get both versions just fine (my projector automatically detects the change from 1080i to 480i. You may have to manually set the X1, I don't know. However, when I turn the 480 override off on the 5100, I find the non-HD channels are scaled down dimentionally on the screen. Consequently, I've left it on (actually on 480p). I am experiencing the same frustration you are with the sound levels. I'm using the optical output on the 5100 into a Outlaw 950/7100 amp/preamp with a Onix Rocket 5.1 speaker system. The sound is not as good as DVD's, but the picture is as good, if not better in some cases. I have had problems with ESPNHD, sometimes when I go to it, it says I am not subscribed and I have to switch to another channel and then back again to get it in. Weird. However, I don't dare call the provider as I seem to be getting alot of channels I wasn't previously. Also, the 5100 box switches channels about 5 times faster than those lousy 2224 boxes.

Originally posted by vince2
However, I don't dare call the provider as I seem to be getting alot of channels I wasn't previously.

This seems to be standard practice for Comcast. I predict that you will lose those additional channels when the work order is closed out in a couple of days. This is what happened to me.

Originally posted by marshdom
My other minor complaint is that I haven't been able to get the video to work through the component outputs on anything but the HD channels. I'm not sure if this is just the way it is ... or if I have to work on my setup a bit more.


To answer my own question again ... I fixed the problem by setting the 5100's non-HD output setting to 480p.


Originally posted by vince2
the HD versions show up on their 700 counterparts (e.g. std channel 4 = HD channel 704) only when there is a program broadcast in HD format


Don't know exactly what you meant by this, but for clarification ... I actually get the 700 (HD) stations even when they are broadcasting non-HD material. This is actually quite nice, as I find that ABC/KATU looks MUCH better on 704 than the regular channel 4 (non-HD) broadcast, even with non-HD material. The only exception is the known issue with non-HD material on ESPNHD (see the HD programming board), which is that ESPN stretches its non-HD material for its watchers (instead of giving us the choice) ... and it is horrible.


Originally posted by vince2
I have had problems with ESPNHD, sometimes when I go to it, it says I am not subscribed and I have to switch to another channel and then back again to get it in. Weird.


I have had the same problem, too. Pretty annoying. Hopefully they'll get it fixed, because I'm going to be pretty unhappy the first time my TiVo records a "not subscribed" message!


All in all, I'm VERY happy to finally be in the HD world. The Sunday night football game was amazing on ESPN. Even the nature stuff (heck, even the pro "wrestling") on InDemandHD was awesome! The movies on InDemandHD and HBO-HD weren't anything special, but the picture and sound quality seemed to be as good or better than DVD to me (maybe I need to retire my 3-year-old non-progressive DVD player!!!).

The sound is also great, although my one complaint would be that the volume level seems to vary a fair amount from channel to channel.
It's like this on Dish with HDNET as well. The HDNET channels are much louder then the other DD 5.1 channels by about 10 db or so.

A question for those of you who can receive HDNET: Do you often see jerky movement on both channels? It' as if there is a frame being shown twice and then one frame being dropped and it comes and goes. Sometimes on HDNET it will occur during a break in the program and go away when the program resumes. I see it quite often and have called Dish at least 6 times and filed an Uncommon Trend report with them. They have nothing in their system on it yet, so if you are seeing it, please call and let them know.

Thanks.

This is actually quite nice, as I find that ABC/KATU looks MUCH better on 704 than the regular channel 4 (non-HD) broadcast, even with non-HD material.marshdom, KATU and KOIN both feed upconverted programming on their HD channel when their source is non-HD. With KATU they do a partial zoom/crop giving about a 14x9 image. KOIN leaves the image unaltered so you see it 4x3 (with side bars on a 16x9 set and windowboxed on a 4x3). KGW (when you get it) will show a HD demo loop continuously on their HD channel until primetime when they switch over to the "HD" feed from NBC network which contains the native HD shows and upconverted versions of the non-hd programming (also 4x3). Actually KOIN also uses a network "HD" feed as well except they do their own upconverting during the non-primetime hours. The quality of the upconversions from the network feeds is quite good. Personally, I really wish KGW would ditch the demo loop and just feed the regular programming upconverted during the non-primetime hours too.

ron

Sorry if this is a little off topic for this thread, but I believe that the people reading this thread will have an answer/opinion for me.

I need to have my RPTV calibrated, so I'm looking for names/numbers of local people who will do this. Please PM me, so that this thread doesn't stray from its intended purpose.

Thanks.
Rob

I also got my HDTV from Comcast installed yesterday. I had to use component cables from my DVD player, the installer said that they were out of them. He will bring them by later this week.

I really enjoyed the NFL game on ESPNHD. The picture on that and the INHD channels was amazing. I did have some problems though. I was not getting any sound on the HD broadcast of Alias on ABC. The show "10-8" at 8pm did have sound, so I know that the ABC HD channel is working. Also, the feed from PBS really sucks. I keeps flashing the picture off and on. It happens when you first turn to the channel. It almost seems like lag at some points. Just wanted to know if anyone is having problems with the PBS channel in HD.

The picture on the ABC HD was nowhere near the quality seen on the live broadcast of the NFL game on ESPN, or anything on the INHD channels. It kind of has the quality of a DVD at 480p. I know that my Motorola box is set to 1080i though, it must be the way and cameras used to shoot it. Hopefully the Monday Night Football game will look like the one on ESPN.

How do you get into the Menu were you can set the display modes for the DCT-5100? I would like to try to set the non-HD stations for 480p, and then let my TV do the upconversion for 1080i, rather than the Motorola box.

Thanks for your help. HDTV is finally here, and just getting started. Let's hope for more content.

rbonzer, you've got mail.

Just in case Lee Wood is lurking...

Tried to send the following to the address I have used in the past, lee_wood at KOIN dot COM (spelled out here to foil spam harvesters), but it bounced with "access denied:"

Lee,

During the HD football game today, there were many audio glitches
using either my DTC100 or my HiPix.

I analyzed some of the sound and found the problem was dropouts
lasting 27-30 ms at semi-random intervals of a few seconds.

P.S.: Noticed someone in the Programming forum in a different state also seeing this glitching. Must be a national CBS problem.

Larry, use his first initial of his first name and his entire last name with no spaces, that will work.

For Fifth Consecutive Year, CBS to Offer Majority Of Its Primetime Lineup,
Including All Scripted Comedies and Dramas, In HDTV
UPN to Offer First Time Ever HDTV Broadcasts of "Star Trek: Enterprise" And
"Jake 2.0" Beginning October 15

I assume there is ZERO chance of us getting Enterprise in HDTV here on the 15th?

Cris

Larry: Yes, those audio breakups on CBS (KOIN) yesterday were almost as annoying as Boomer Esiason butchering the English language.

Did anyone else besides me experience longer and more frequent breaks tonight in audio during halftime on MNF (KATU) and for several minutes into the 2nd half? I didn't catch the 1st 1 1/2 hrs of the broadcast so not sure if this was something that started earlier. Or if it was the national feed, local issue or my own problem.

Bob

A post in the current forum for tonight's MNF game makes me think the CBS audio problem yetserday was from the network and not a local problem. Good to know, if true.

Originally posted by FlipMoja
I also got my HDTV from Comcast installed yesterday.


Congrats! Glad vince2 and I are not alone. (Actually my installer said I was his 8th install on Sunday.)

>> I had to use component cables from my DVD player, the installer said that they were out of them. He will bring them by later this week.

Good luck with him actually following through and bringing them back! But seriously, my installer had a HUGE package of every cable imaginable, including component cables, as well as optical and coax digital audio cables.

>> I really enjoyed the NFL game on ESPNHD. The picture on that and the INHD channels was amazing. I did have some problems though.

ditto that

>> I was not getting any sound on the HD broadcast of Alias on ABC. The show "10-8" at 8pm did have sound, so I know that the ABC HD channel is working.

I noticed that last night, too, but I wasn't paying close enough attention to know how long the sound was out. Unfortunately, it happened again tonight during the 4Q of MNF ... and it is STILL out. I called Comcast to let them know and they said they'd send in a message to their techs.

I am having 2 other problems. The first is the one that vince2 already mentioned, which is the occasional "not available" message on ABC-HD, PBS-HD, and ESPNHD (which goes away if I go up and down the channels once or twice). The second happened for the first time tonight ... twice during MNF my box automatically (without me touching the remote) changed from channel 704 (ABC-HD) to channel 4 (ABC non-HD). Very weird ... hope I don't have a faulty box and/or a gremlin in my house.

>> Also, the feed from PBS really sucks. I keeps flashing the picture off and on. It happens when you first turn to the channel. It almost seems like lag at some points. Just wanted to know if anyone is having problems with the PBS channel in HD.

I haven't seen this, but I haven't paid too much attention to PBS since they don't seem to have much HD programming. They finally had a few HD shows tonight and the picture & sound were great ... especially the Peter Cetera w/ Amy Grant concert (Sound Stage?). I was surprised, however, that this show was only on PBS/OPB-HD (710) and not the non-HD OPB (10).

>> Hopefully the Monday Night Football game will look like the one on ESPN.

I thought it was almost as good, but not quite. It seemed to me that the "sky cam" camera was a bit out of focus (blurry), whereas it was very sharp on ESPN last night.

>> How do you get into the Menu were you can set the display modes for the DCT-5100?

Turn the 5100 box off with the remote, then press the "menu" button on the front of the box.

>>Let's hope for more content.

I'll second that. It sounds like Comcast is negotiating with HDnet, which would be cool. And hopefully NBC/KGW isn't far behind, since it was supposed to be available at launch.

Sorry for the length of the post!

I assume there is ZERO chance of us getting Enterprise in HDTV here on the 15th?That would be a good assumption. KPTV has no HD equipment. Ed Williams the Chief Engineer for KPDX and KPTV has said they plan on (hopefully) rebuilding their digital system this summer and looking at the upgrade to HD for both FOX and UPN. It will be a long season knowing other people are watching Enterprise in HD while we aren't huh? Now I know how those people in some of the other cities that haven't had HD feel. Even though our local broadcasters have had their issues, at least we've been lucky enough that for the most part they have all had the capability to send out what was available.

ron

Thanks for the info Marshdom. Yes, the sound did go out during the game last night. It was still out after the game was over. I think I will call too next time, this is the second night in a row for the sound going out on the KATUHD broadcast. Yes, my PBS still does that flashing in and out of picture. It's like the sound is still there, the picture just goes out. I got into the DCT-5100 menu, and switched the 4:3 override to 480p. I think that the picture is clearer now on non-HD stations.

I noticed that the cablebox has a DVI output on it. I asked the installer if it was working, but he said No. What does he know anyway, I'm the one who installed the box. He thought we could get HDTV using the S-video cable. When I told him that it wouldn't any we needed to use component cables, he suggested using the RCA composite ones. That's genius.

I was thinking that I would go to one of the electronic superstores (didn't mention name of store, don't know rules of this forum) and get a DVI cable. I am already using both of the component inputs on my TV for DVD and my XBOX, and would like to hook the cablebox up DVI. If the new DVI cable doesn't work, I can just take it back to the store. If anyone has already tried using the DVI output on the back of the Motorola DCT-5100, please let me know your results.

Thanks again

I noticed that the cablebox has a DVI output on it. I asked the installer if it was working, but he said No. What does he know anyway, I'm the one who installed the box.He may not know everything but he's right about the DVI output. None of the DVI outputs on the Moto boxes in the entire Comcast system are enabled yet. There are good threads in the HD Hardware forum regarding Comcast and their HD equipment on a national level you might want to check out for additional info.

ron

FlipMoja,

Here's 3 good links for reference regarding Comcast HD and the Motorola 5100 box.

miatasm (AVS Forum member) has set up a 5100 FAQ page:
http://cjhengineering.com/5100faq.htm

In the HDTV hardware form, there is a good ongoing thread regarding the 5100 (with recent discussion regarding the DVI):
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?threadid=194404&perpage=20&pagenumber=1

And I've found the Seattle Comcast thread to be helpful, especially due to one of the participants (Jeremyfr) being a CSR at Comcast (he has also set up his own Seattle/Comcast website that you can access from his signature on his posts):
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?threadid=253006


Hope that helps.

And, FYI, I just called into Comcast to ask them why we were promised NBC/KGW at launch but didn't get it. The CSR checked with his supervisor and was told that they have the signal and could be distributing it, but that they were still finalizing the contract. Said that it should be a matter of days, but I doubt that the CSR or his supervisor really knows. I hope that it is soon ... need more content!!!

Got some info from Lee Wood about the audio dropouts: The audio 'clicks' are incoming to us from CBS. We can even hear them in The Young and Restless. I've gotten no response from CBS about the problem, but it seemed to start when CBS changed their satellite audio system to support DD5.1. I suspect that if they ever send us the new receiver that supports 5.1 that the problem will go away. But that's just a guess at this point.

Also, with regard to MNF sound last night, I watched the whole game but switched to the baseball during the comercials and then during top of the 9th. I do not recal any audio glitches at all.

Comcast installed my HDTV service today. The installer was a fellow named Steve who said my installation was his first one. He proved to be very personable and knowledgable, and the installation was smooth as glass. I encouraged him to read this forum and perhaps contribute to it as a representative of Comcast.

My first reaction? I'm thrilled! All is perfect? No, PBS is messed up and I noticed some brief sound drop-outs on one of the INHD channels. I'm going to be watching a lot more TV now! I was happy to see that the HD channels go through the VCR and record just fine for time-shifting, in regular definition. Gotta go watch something!

Was in Video Only in Beaveron today to buy some component cables and the salesman told me that Comcast was in yesterday and bought 150 sets from them for HDTV installations.

Steve

Has any in Portland been able to subscribe to the HDTV local networks without requiring a digital cable package? I've heard of this being the case in D.C. and a couple other markets, but so far all I've heard is that in Portland they're requiring digital. The reason I inquire is because I've been a DirecTV subscriber for 8+ years with no intention of switching, I love it except the only HD feeds are HDNET, Discovery, ESPN, HBO & SHO. I'm most interested in getting the local networks. I already have to subscribe to Comcast's locals to get my cable internet access, so I'd prefer to just pay the additional $5 to rent the box.

According to Comcast's site (http://www.cmcsk.com/pressroom/cable_hdtv.cfm):
Pricing: Broadcast HDTV programming is available at no additional monthly charge*; ESPN HD programming is available at no additional monthly charge to Comcast Digital Cable customers; HBO HD and Showtime HD programming is available to Comcast Digital Cable customers at no additional monthly charge over the cost of subscriptions to those networks. A monthly equipment charge applies for an HD-enabled Digital Cable set-top box. Installation charges also may apply.

-Jeremy

Was in Video Only in Beaveron today to buy some component cables and the salesman told me that Comcast was in yesterday and bought 150 sets from them for HDTV installations.What? They're providing the TV's now too? :eek: Oh, you mean the cables ;). That's a good sign. Isn't their office just down the road from VO?
** For non-Digital Cable customers who wish to receive only broadcast HDTV signals, Comcast will provide a digital set-top box with an HDTV decoder at the published monthly equipment charge.
Jeremy, this qualifier at the bottom of the same page would seem to indicate that you can. I don't seem to find where it's actually tagged to in the body of the page though. I think you may also have to sub to their minimum analog lifeline service (just locals?) too. I'd give them a call and push it a little mentioning the note on their site to see what they say. IIRC, people in other cities have had to do the same thing. I think it may be a case of them having to offer the service, but not wanting to actually promote it (for obvious reasons). Let us know what you find out.

ron

For those that get The Oregonian, they have a story on Comcast's new HDTV service at the bottom of the front page. Interesting reading.

Thanks for the heads up Karl. I pulled the paper out of the box on my way to work this morning and didn't notice the article. Excellent piece. Here's a link to it on Oregonlive.com (www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/front_page/106621952925920.xml). I expect we'll start to see Comcast HDTV ads blasting off the screen as well as endless mailers soon. For once I won't even mind seeing them :).

ron

Cablevision announced today the start of a new service called VOOM:
http://www.voom.com/index.jsp
This is from Cablevision web page:
"VOOMsm," an Exclusive Package of 21 HD Channels From Rainbow Media, Will Be a Key Feature of the Service, Which Will Offer As Many As 39 HD Channels to Meet Demand for Programming From Fast-Growing HDTV Market.
Any one tried them before in this area ?

Voom just started, today actually. Their satellite is at 61.5, which should be too far east for us.

At my previous house in SE Salem I was able to receive a signal from Dishnetwork from their 61.5 degree sat. My dish looked like it was pointing at my backyard fence but it did come in, with a pretty decent signal if I remember correctly. I've never tried it at my new house though, it looks like I might have some obstructions from trees and/or hills.

So it might be worth a try if you have a clear, albeit low, view at 61.5? YMMV.

I get 61.5 no problem with Dish. I'm in Woodburn and have a clear shot to the sat. I installed a 24" dish to help guard against rainfade and it helps, the only time I lose the signal is if it is a downpour.

It looks like the Columbian was a day behind the Oregonian, they ran an article on the front page of today's business section on the Comcast HDTV rollout in Clark County. (Sorry, the system won't let me inlcude the URL, not enough posts under my belt)

Here is the URL for those interested

http://www.columbian.com/10162003/business/81979.html

I noticed the Columbian article states:

For a $15.99 one-time upgrade charge and $5 monthly fee, customers can receive high-definition signals through an HDTV converter box provided by Comcast, although customers must own a set capable of displaying high-definition programs.

The charge will be added to whatever level of service the subscriber is buying.
Reading this makes it appear as if I could start with the minimum $10/month local service and then add on HDTV for $5/month. (And since I get cable internet, qualify for the -$10/month savings on that bill.) Thus get HDTV for just $5.

I'm aware others have said you must subscribe to the the basic digital package in order to get HDTV. The digital package is far too expensive for me considering how horrible their standard digital images appear on HDTV monitors (I already put up with those standard signals for far cheaper with DishNetwork and get PVR). So can someone confirm that the Columbian article is in error?

Erik

As I understand it, Comcast will give you the local BROADCAST channels for $5 if you have minimum cable service. Right now that is only KATU and OPEB digital channels. To get the others you have to subscribe to one of the digital packages. You have to pay for Showtime to get Showtime HD and the same for HBO. Eventually, I think they plan to have a separate HDTV package.

Erik,


I think Rex is right, only the lifeline service is required before you can add the local HD for the $5 monthly. I would not be surprised that they decline your hope of the $10 internet discount though. I'll bet they say it doesn't apply to the lifeline-only service? I'm guessing they add the ESPN-HD and inHD I & II with any digital service. My understanding was also that the actual (SD) digital channels were of pretty decent quality.

ron

Hey guys! Comcast just installed my 5100 box today and i all i can say is that i'm pretty happy with the hd feed. I was talking to the installer and he said the DVI port is active. I have'nt checked as my tv does'nt have a DVI port but I will be getting one soon though. If anyone has a DVI on their tv that can check to see if it is active would be nice.

Success!

After several tries to subsribe to the new HDTV locals w/basic cable, I finally succeeded. It seems the sales reps are finally being trained correctly.

Initially the first guy said that it would require digital, I informed him differently, and explained that I knew of a couple people in town who had already been able to get HDTV w/o digital packages. Then he said "I'm not trying to get you to upgrade, but I've been specifically told by my supervisor that I can't sell the HDTV package to basic cable subscribers." He then offered to have me speak to another rep, so I said okay. After being on hold a while, a woman answered, I gave her my story, and she basically said that that's what she had been told as well, that I wouldn't be eligable. But she said "I can double-check for you if you wish" and then I was on hold for about 5 minutes. When she came back she said she was told she could sell it to me, and that it's just be the $5 a month for the box, but not until Jan.

And get this - she said it'd be a FREE install, not even the $15.99 I've heard others say and that's listed on their site. Maybe she just got confused, but it sounds good to me! They'll be here next weekend to install!

She said it'd be PBS, ABC & NBC initially - anyone receiving the NBC feed yet?

-Jeremy

Guys seriously - the quality of HD on Comcast is NOT great in this first week of my watching. ABC and PBS is quite compressed and grainy. I haven't seen any good pictures on HBO, but I hear that only some of them are awesome... I just haven't seen any yet. ESPN HD is a disappointment - everything is stretched. I hope this Sunday's NFL game is good.

INHD and INHD2 are the only "WOW" channels.

YoyoGi

YoyoGi, I don't know if you realize it, but this thread is related to Portland, OR Comcast and local digitals.

Is there an ESPNHD game today? I went through the guide on my 6000 all the way up to 11pm and there was no game listed for today.

Originally posted by EricQ
I was talking to the installer and he said the DVI port is active. I have'nt checked as my tv does'nt have a DVI port but I will be getting one soon though. If anyone has a DVI on their tv that can check to see if it is active would be nice.

I got my 5100 installed last week down here in Salem. My DVI port is not active at all. I tried to connect to a projector via DVI this weekend and no go.

For the most part the service is unwatchable. I can't beleive the amount of dropout I'm experiencing. The two INHD channels are pretty good, ESPN is sort of good but OPB, KGW and KATU are horrible. Of course, when the image is not breaking up and re-assembling itself it is stunning but I believe Comcast has a ways to go before they can call it acceptable.

I've tried different display devices, different sets of component cables (Belden 7710a w/Canare RCAP's, not a cable issue) and still tons of dropout. I'm hoping this is a short term issue. The installer was not too surprised about it, he did say it was a "temporary" issue that would be ironed out "soon".

EDIT: There was no installation charge and the box is free until January.

Dave

Did you have the analog service when they did the install? I've heard some people in Portland are being told they have to have digital cable in order to get the HD package. Others say you only need the basic analog service ($10 per month).

I have the basic analog service and if the installation and box are free (and I don't need to subscribe to the digital package) I might try it.

Way to go Jeremy! You just have to be firm with those guys and not take the first two or three no's for an answer ;). I'm sure they hate having to provide them at no extra cost, but I don't think they have a choice. Seems like I've read that it has something to do with the local must-carry regulations and not being able to charge extra for them maybe.

In response to a few previous posts ...

You've probably figured this out already, but there was no Sunday night (ESPN) game this weekend (due to the World Series, I believe).

No NBC/KGW in the Portland area on Comcast yet. I can't believe (wait ... yes I can) that they are still telling people that NBC is available. Hopefully that means that it is coming soon. To be clear ... the southern Willamette Valley (don't know where the breakpoint is) is getting more locals via Comcast (NBC & CBS, I believe).

As for picture quality on Comcast, I have no complaints. Unfortunately, I am still having other problems. The audio on ABC/KATU seems to drop out every so often, fortunately just during commercials last night for MNF. Also, I'm still having the problem (and vince2 mentioned this previously, as well) where often when I switch to 704 (ABC/KATU) I get a "not available" message. If I channel up to 735 (ESPN) or 751 (HBO) and then come back down, then 704 comes in just fine (no message). Unfortunately, my TiVo doesn't know this "trick"!!!

I get the dropouts on KATU at the show/commercial swithovers as well (OTA). It appears they still have some lingering problems they need to attend to. At least they are not during the shows themselves...

ron

My OTA experience last night for MNF: there may have been an audio dropout a couple of times in commercial switchovers but I chalked that up to network glitches. Guess we need to monitor the analog production to see if they may be present there, as well. Since the actual game broadcast quality was, IMO, pretty much perfect, I am very happy with KATU's current feed. I noticed, however, a couple of times the producer or director chose to cut out the 5.1 audio in favor of letting the referee's call be heard - interesting. The replay lead-in/lead-out sound effects are awesome in 5.1.

Bob

I had a Comcast tech out yesterday to look at the dropout issue I was experiencing.
After replacing a few cables with no luck he put a 10 db pad, or attenuator, on the incoming signal. I have not seen any dropout since. Go figure, the incoming signal strength was too strong.

Here in Salem we are getting an NBC feed but most of it is actually just a HD "fluff" kind of loop originating in Seattle (King 5 maybe?) I've seen the same loop about a half a dozen times. Maybe some of the prime time programming is piped in but that seems to be about it.

The audio dropped out of the MNF game last night right at halftime. It came back on minutes before the second half kickoff. I did not experience any audio or image dropout during commercials at all. There were a few Ford commercials that came through *much* louder than everything else though.

Is that NBC feed in Salem KGW? That "fluff" :) loop is what they broadcast during the day on KGW-DT.

tacoma, thanks for checking the DVI port. I did'nt think it was active but the installer said it was *stupid cable guy*.

Is the HD feed messed up? My tv wont lock into full on the HD channels.

Anybody else lose the program info at the bottom of the screen on their HDTV DCT5100 box? Weird since my other digital cable box (2224) is showing the info just fine. The 5100's menu isn't working either. Marshdom or anybody...could you let me know whether you are experiencing such problems? I may need a new box.


Eric: My projector sometimes takes 20-30 seconds to lock into HDTV signals after switching from non-HDTV. Not sure what you are experiencing. Perhaps more specific infomation (e.g. equipment and cabling used) would allow someone to help.

Tacoma: It is very common to have too strong a signal coming into your house. When I bought a Leviton video distribution module, it came with a warning about this and instructed users to install a splitter between the incoming cable and the house to attenuate the signal. This actually worked for me (reduced amplifying noise).

Originally posted by vince2
Anybody else lose the program info at the bottom of the screen on their HDTV DCT5100 box? Weird since my other digital cable box (2224) is showing the info just fine. The 5100's menu isn't working either. Marshdom or anybody...could you let me know whether you are experiencing such problems? I may need a new box.


I was having the same problem. I'm using a standard television for most viewing and a projector part time for hi def viewing. The on-screen guide and 5100 menu's would not show on my standard def television but I could see them on the projector. Fix for me was, access the 5100's menu and change 4:3 Override to 480i. What are you using as a display device?

Dave

Originally posted by ridgefamus
My OTA experience last night for MNF: there may have been an audio dropout a couple of times in commercial switchovers but I chalked that up to network glitches. Guess we need to monitor the analog production to see if they may be present there, as well.

Bob

On the audio dropping out on KATU. I have the same issue with OTA on my Samsung and it also happens during commercials. When the audio drops off, all I have to do is switch the channel then switch back. Then the audio comes back. It seems to only happen when the audio is switching from a Dolby Digital 5.1 signal to a 2.0 signal and vice versa. The National Commercials are in 5.1 and the Local Commercials are 2.0. It's like my HD receiver doesn't know to switch between the two when the station changes. :confused: I'm connected to my Harmon Kardon receiver via a coaxial cable.

Bob and captmorgan09,

I also have a Samsung STB (T151) and experience the audio disappearance on ABC.

"I have to do is switch the channel then switch back. Then the audio comes back. It seems to only happen when the audio is switching from a Dolby Digital 5.1 signal to a 2.0 signal and vice versa. The National Commercials are in 5.1 and the Local Commercials are 2.0."

That is exactly what I do too. It does seem to be a bit better as of late, though. I can only remember having to cycle channels once or twice on Monday but I was channel surfing a bit so it may have happened more, I just didn't notice it.

Captmorgan09: I think our experiences may be different. BTW, I am using Zenith 420 STB. My MNF dropouts were not present throughout the game, only sporadic. Nor do I have similar problems with other ABC/KATU HD programs or other HD stations presenting 2.0 and 5.1. I was hoping to generate response from anyone who pulled in the game via Comcast's new service or who gets HD locals from satellite (E*? - marissadad?) to compare OTA with these. I find it so darned hard to discern whether I have an equipment or signal problem or whether there are external factors. That's why these forums are so valuable.

So one other question for the local group: does anyone else experience a sound delay during FOX's World Series WS broadcasts? It's only about 1/2 second but you can see the ball in the catcher's mitt before hearing it. I do not get any delay if I switch to 30-1, it's only apparent on 30-2, in my house.

Bob

I called Comcast tonight to sign up for the $5/month HDTV deal. The salesperson was completely useless.

He wasn't sure whether or not I could get this with my basic cable package or if I had to have digital (he finally decided that basic was okay).

Then, he couldn't tell me what jacks are on the converter, so I'm still not sure whether I will be able to hook it up to my projector (sony 1251). Do any of you know what the connections are (so I can buy needed cables before installer comes over tuesday)?

Also, I specifically asked whether they had all the same content that I would get from an antenna. He said yes. But, reading through the last couple of pages of this thread it appears this is far from true. Is there really no CBS content? Why is that? And NBC is limited?

I guess for $5/ month I'll still try it and see, but it's very aggrevating that the sales people are so clueless.

Beer is proof God loves us and wants us to be happy

poweda,

I guess then that Bridgeport IPA means that Oregonians are God's real Chosen People!

BarryO - spoken like a true hophead! Between that and Rogue Brutal Bitter (not to slight the many EXCELLENT local micros!) we must be in heaven!

Now theres an idea though - a local Home Theater Beer Club! We meet at various Brew Pubs quarterly to discuss HDTV and Home Theater!

My favorite is Full Sail Amber Ale. For me it just don't get any better. Although I do agree that there are several other excellent micro's in this great part of the country.

And we have quite a few decent HDTV channels as well, just to sort of stay on topic. ;)

Originally posted by ridgefamus
So one other question for the local group: does anyone else experience a sound delay during FOX's World Series WS broadcasts? It's only about 1/2 second but you can see the ball in the catcher's mitt before hearing it. I do not get any delay if I switch to 30-1, it's only apparent on 30-2, in my house.
Me too! It made Fox's WS effort fruitless :(

So one other question for the local group: does anyone else experience a sound delay during FOX's World Series WS broadcasts?

Next time this happens, try switching to a different digital channel (6-1 for example) and then back.

Larry: It's a constant thru the entire game. I channel-hop all the time during the game and there's been no difference when I get back to 30-2. I must say, though, the delay/sync problem was not as long in duration as it was the previous night. Maybe 1/4 sec. instead of 1/2 sec. I did note a huge sync problem on KWBP-DT, 33-1, last night during my surfing. That delay was unwatchable.

But thanks for the advice, I'll make it a more scientific study tonight.

Bob

sladewatts, all this stuff is somewhere in this thread, but I'll repost for you.

Do any of you know what the connections are (so I can buy needed cables before installer comes over tuesday)?

For analog, there's RF, Composite, and S-Video. For HD there's Component (Y/Pb/Pr) and DVI (not active). All connections output video all the time (e.g. you can hook up your Tivo/Replay to the S-Video out, and your HDTV to the Component out).

Also, I specifically asked whether they had all the same content that I would get from an antenna. He said yes. But, reading through the last couple of pages of this thread it appears this is far from true. Is there really no CBS content? Why is that? And NBC is limited?

The current HD line up is 704 (KATU - ABC), 710 (OPB - PBS), 735 (ESPN HD), 751 (HBO HD), 776 (Showtime HD), 788 (INHD 1), 789 (INHD 2). Comcast has yet to sign an HDTV deal with KGW - NBC and KOIN - CBS but KGW is coming soon I guess (next few weeks?)

Next up is KWBP - WB in early 2004.

Anyone with a Dish 6000 having problems with KOIN? My 6k rebooted 3 times while watching CSI last night and every time was associated with tuning into the channel.

Marissadad,

I got at least one big drop in signal during CSI. I was just about to switch to 6-2 to see if it was still on there when it finally popped back up. Seems like I've seen this happen a few times the last week or two.

ron

I noticed the big drop out when watching CSI last night.

Occasionally my 6000 will lock up when watching KOIN. I usually have to power it OFF/ON to get the signal back.

I'll be moving to the Salem area probably in early 2004. According to antennaweb.org, I'll be able to get all the Portland digital stations with a smaller antenna.

Can anyone tell me if the Portland and/or Salem HD is available on cable.
Also any info on the reliability of the Portland HD/Digital signals that reach Salem via OTA. I'm guessing that as close as Salem is to Portland that all Digital channels will be pretty reliable.

Also if I use an antenna will it have to be very far above the roof.

Basically just tell me about HD in Salem, please.

Thanks.

It all depends on where your house in Salem is located. Frankly that's a pretty good distance and you'll need a medium to large antenna in most cases. And if you are behind a hill, you'll be out of luck.


Originally posted by tsmit32
I'll be moving to the Salem area probably in early 2004. According to antennaweb.org, I'll be able to get all the Portland digital stations with a smaller antenna.

Anyone else in the PDX area experiencing audio stuttering on the CBS (KOIN) college football this afternoon? I've only been watching since 2nd half and there is this continual breakup, like a 78 record with a hugh scratch. Not home last weekend but I think this problem was evident the week before, too, and on their NFL game that Sunday.

I also caught the final race of the Breeder's Cup - was that HD??? In another thread I see where other parts of the country were getting HD but it didn't look to me that KGW was carrying HD, although it was on 8-1. But those sidebars and very inconsistent PQ were not what I would be looking for in HD.

Bob

Tom, I lived in Keizer for about 2 1/2 years and received OTA digitals just fine, and my antenna was mounted inside my attic. I use a combo Rat Shack 121" but you could use just the Yagi portion for the UHF.

Bob,

I experienced similar dropouts as well as a great deal of pixelation and video breakups during Sat. afternoon college football broadcast on KOIN. I live in S. Beaverton and have an attic antenna using a Sony SAT-HD200 for OTA HD reception.

Ditto on NBC's (KGW, 8-1) broadcast. It did not look to be HD.

Hormoz

Yes, the CBS football game was unwatchable (well, it was watchable but not listenable.)

Didn't notice any video problems but I only checked in a few time to see if the audio had been fixed.

Location: West Linn
Lead time: 1 week
HD Channels available: ABC, PBS, HBO, SHO, InHD 1 and 2
Picture Quality: Compression artifacts sometimes noticeable, otherwise B

Cable guy says HD monthly fee is to cover cost of component cables provided (????). HD Box cost itself is on par with a 'regular' cable box. Also claims that DVI port is active. No way to confirm this at this time as I don't have a DVI cable.

Suman

Your odds are pretty good of pulling in OTA HD from
Portland in Salem. I live 20-25 miles further down
the road in Albany, and I pull in ABC,NBC,CBS, and PBS
out of Portland. Fox out of Portland is a bit trickier
where I am, but you being closer may have better luck.

Also, you have the option of going for the Eugene
stations also! It is basically the same channels as
Portland (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, PBS). I don't believe
UPN or WB are running out of Eugene yet though.

I have a roof mounted antenna with rotor, just so
I can choose the Portland or Eugene market.

There is an Albany/Corvallis thread that discusses
reception in this area.

Shawn in Albany


Originally posted by tsmit32
I'll be moving to the Salem area probably in early 2004. According to antennaweb.org, I'll be able to get all the Portland digital stations with a smaller antenna.

Can anyone tell me if the Portland and/or Salem HD is available on cable.
Also any info on the reliability of the Portland HD/Digital signals that reach Salem via OTA. I'm guessing that as close as Salem is to Portland that all Digital channels will be pretty reliable.

Also if I use an antenna will it have to be very far above the roof.

Basically just tell me about HD in Salem, please.

Thanks.

Alias on KATU was not in HD tonight. Does anyone know why? It's like they forgot to switch it over or something. Or has KATU been having issues with their HD lately?

They must have had some kind of problem. 10-8 was also not in HD.

Pissed me off! I had a friend over for a day of HD watching and we capped it off with Alias and this is the first time I haven't seen it in HD.

has anyone been able to verify whether or not the DVI jack is active on the 5100 from comcast?

I had the installer out today, but didn't get a chance to buy any cables before hand. For now I'm just using s-video, but ordered a DVI jack (b/c I assume it will work for both the digital and analog stations and the component will not?).

I only have the most basic of cable packages (i.e. local stations only) but it appears that I do have ESPN and both INHD channels. But, I only had a couple of minutes to play with it before going to work, hopefully I'll figure out more tonight (I wish I would've ordered the cable sooner).

the installer was fairly clueless and useless. he didn't give me anything besides a box and remote (no cables--used my own s-video and no informatoin--like a channel guide or instrucitons).

Originally posted by sladewatts

For now I'm just using s-video, but ordered a DVI jack (b/c I assume it will work for both the digital and analog stations and the component will not?).


No reason the component output won't work for digital and analog, 480i, 480p and 1080i HD for that matter.

has anyone been able to verify whether or not the DVI jack is active on the 5100 from comcast?

I've tested it with my 507W. It is not active so I'm using component with 720p output.

I had the installer out today, but didn't get a chance to buy any cables before hand. For now I'm just using s-video, but ordered a DVI jack (b/c I assume it will work for both the digital and analog stations and the component will not?).

The component output can do 480i, 480p, 720p, and 1080i. The box also outputs video on every jack simultaneously (s-video, component, composite, RF).

Originally posted by sladewatts
I only have the most basic of cable packages (i.e. local stations only) but it appears that I do have ESPN and both INHD channels. But, I only had a couple of minutes to play with it before going to work, hopefully I'll figure out more tonight

sladewatts ... can you verify what you said here is true? You are signed up with the most basic cable package (stations 2-33 for ~$12/month?) and you get the ESPN and INHD HD stations? I thought you had to step up for the full analong (~30+/month) to get ESPNHD and digital cable ($40+) to get INHD and INHD2.

Anyone have any insights as to when NBC/KGW HD (708) is coming to Portland area Comcast? Thought it was supposed to be soon ...

Yes, last night I watched a few minutes of Playmakers (seems stupid) and some of both INHD and INHD2. I only have the bare bones ~$12/month package.

I have heard that sometimes they'll give you more when they make changes to your packages and then pare it back in a couple of days when they catch up with their paperwork or something. If I lose them, I'll let you know, otherwise you can assume it's true that I got these channels.

The cable installer said NBC would be onboard "in a couple of weeks or so." he didn't sound very optimistic, but he also wasn't the most knowledgable guy either.

Anyone else experience problems with the Fox OTA broadcast of 24. I experienced a number of drop outs or freeze ups, not really sure of the right terminology. The picture and sound would break up occasionally, sometimes freezing for a second and sometimes sort of like a broken record. This would only happen for a second or two, but occurred maybe 15 to 20 times during the show. I was getting about an 80% signal on my Dish 6000 receiver.

OTA widescreen 24 was perfect for me.

President Palmer - "It's going be another one of those days". Classic :D.

ron

Hillsboro Comcast install checking in.... I am utterly pleased.

1) The guy was exactly on time. I've never experienced that with an installer.

2) He hooked everything up quickly without screwing up my cable internet connection.

3) Samsung DLP user and this new motorola box punches out standard def programming in 480p, so I don't have to use a different component input, AND it looks great (compared to satellite feed)

4) WOW, what a beautiful picture.

My biggest complaint is an ugly amber clock on the front of it that glows too bright in the dark. If thats as bad as it gets, I'm a really happy camper.

The comments on the installers not knowing alot might be true. It seems they have had limited training in a rush to get stuff out to customers, but at least the guy that helped me was willing to look at the menus long enough to find the 480p toggle. Being hard on the installer seems a bit like shooting the messenger.

Now I'm hungry for the rest of the networks to be onboard and I find myself looking forward to a Monday.... night, anyway.

J

Originally posted by bennutt

My biggest complaint is an ugly amber clock on the front of it that glows too bright in the dark. If thats as bad as it gets, I'm a really happy camper.
J

If there is no way to dim the display from the menus or software, you might try the simple trick of putting a little piece of window tint over the display. You can get a sample piece from almost any tint shop that will be big enough to do the job - try some 35% stuff as a start.

Anyone experiencing problems with KOPB-DT? I know they only broadcast 8-11... is that every night? Or only when they have HD material?

I'm pretty new to HDTV. I live in Tigard, have an antenna on the roof and a Samsung SIR-TS160. I can get KOIN, KGW, KATU, KPDX, and a couple others in digital, but I can't seem to find KOPB at all (except the analog channel, of course). Signal strength on the channels I've checked is high (according to the meter in the box). Anyone got any suggestions?

OPB broadcasts on the DTV channel 24 hours a day, its just in the evenings that they have some specific programming that might be HDTV. The stations' towers are all near each other, and OPB is on digital channel 27. For more info, see: .http://bbauer.gomen.org/pdxdtv.htm

I don't believe 10-1 (the HD channel) is on full time is it?

ron

Originally posted by bdb
OPB broadcasts on the DTV channel 24 hours a day, its just in the evenings that they have some specific programming that might be HDTV. The stations' towers are all near each other, and OPB is on digital channel 27. For more info, see:

According to that, KGW and OPB are broadcasting from the same site. I can get KGW with 93-100% signal strength, but my receiver finds no signal at all for OPB. Are they broadcasting at significantly less power?

I'm on the Tigard/Beaverton border, and I had a hard time getting PBS to come in. It took a while to position my antenna just right to get all the channels. Its there, keep trying. Good luck.

ceccacci,
Good point, I'd really like to get power in that table on my page. Looking at http://www.fcc.gov/mb/video/tvq.html, it looks like it says KOBP has 381kW as of their most recent filing and KGW has 1000kW. I don't know if those filings have anything to do with what they're actually transmitting, though.

Is it me or is there no 5.1 sound on MNF - yet? PQ is great!

Bob

Never mind, it just came on. Thanks, KATU!

According to my reciever, MNF is coming in with dobly digital 5.1. You're right though, the picture quality is great. I haven't seen any glitches so far.

I'm still suffering the sporadic sound glitches with KATU. It is much less often than it used to be but still happened 3 or 4 times during the first half for me. It was always when the commercials switched over (local?) to DD 2.0 from DD 5.1 and back. I still have to switch channels and switch back to get sound back.

Is KATU ever going to fix this????

CSI:Miami had horrible audio problems again last night. Is this related to CBS experimenting with 5.1 audio or a local problem or both?

Chris,

This same garbled audio thing happens with KOIN periodically. Apparently it's easily fixed as it always seems to be back in order the next night. I do think it has been happening more often lately though.

ron

Just received my Samsung SIR-T151 today and am looking forward to checking out the local channels. I'm on the west side and have some rather large electrical towers in the path and get decent shadowing on UHF channels.

Do I have this right:

Stations with HD content: KOPB-DT (27/OPB), KOIN-DT (40/CBS), KATU-DT (43/ABC). KGW-DT (46/NBC),

Stations with SD content only: KNMT-DT (45/TBN), KPDX-DT (48/FOX)

So FOX is still SD-only and WB (channel 33) isn't yet on-the-air?

I'll report back with my experience...

See http://bbauer.gomen.org/pdxdtv.htm for stations.

In addition to what the chart at the bbauer site shows, KPTV appears to be broadcasting on virtual channel 12 (sorry, no idea what the true digital channel is as my receiver doesn't display it).

Watching Sunday night, and switching between 12-1 and 30-2, the same programming was shown, 4:3 on 12-1 and widescreen (but 480P) on 30-2. Also, 30-2 didn't carry local commercials, but just had a spinning Fox emblem on screen. Looked like a direct Fox feed.

Well, after a huge cabling exercise, I got the SIR-T151 integrated into my setup.

It appears I can receive every digital station transmitting! This is a relief since my analog reception on UHF channels hasn't been too good. Digital is certanily showing it's strengths here.

The HD displayed on the InFocus X1 is stunning. I normally never watch Leno's show, but it was mezmerizing to watch in HD.

I didn't note any problems with KATU (ABC), as have been reported. But I did notice lip sync issues on the WB channel - but only with some programming.

Have some of the virtual channels disappeared? I know a couple years ago, KOIN had traffic cams and such on a virtual channel.

Now to check out Enterprise tonight...

WB is always out of sync. It's due to the way they are sending the audio & video signals. Pat, the station engineer is aware of it but he can't fix it. Their new 1080i equipment should have been up and running by now, so it shouldn't be too long now.

Enterprise PQ totally sucks. I always blamed Dish for the overcompression but I watched it live a few weeks ago on KPDX digital and it was way overcompressed locally as well. All we can do is hope that our local affiliate upgrades to HD so we can get the upcoming HD feed of Enterprise.

Regarding FOX 480P widescreen football: I finally forced myself to watch a FOX football game (Seattle) this week and I noticed lots of what looked like "video smearing" in the shadows. Anyone else seeing this? It's only on live football games that I've noticed it. The smearing is very evident when the camera is panning and following the action.

Also regarding football: KATU was horrible Monday night. Anyone else have lots of blocking and breakups? Alias was flawless on Sunday night.

Yes, MNF pixelation was pretty distracting. See this thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?threadid=324168&goto=newpost

We're not alone. It was a feed problem from the source.

Bob

Enterprise PQ totally sucks. I always blamed Dish for the overcompression but I watched it live a few weeks ago on KPDX digital and it was way overcompressed locally as well. All we can do is hope that our local affiliate upgrades to HD so we can get the upcoming HD feed of Enterprise.I actually think KPDX looks a lot better now since they finally brought it back up a month or two ago than it did before it went down completely for that long period last summer They have said that they will probably look into an HD conversion next summer for both the KPDX and KPTV digital signals. We'll see.

ron

Ron, KPDX in general looks very good, Enterprise totally sucks. I don't know if you watch it, but you can see overcompression artifacts and "morphing" of faces when they move. It's really bad. Can't wait to see it in HD.

Marissadad, yeah I do watch Enterprise and I used to watch Buffy VS on UPN as well before it ended. And I know exactly what you mean about the "morphing" as objects would seem to just kind of phase about for no reason. But for whatever reason, on my system it seems much improved now. It used to be seriously distracting.

ron

well, I never could get the comcast box to work right with my CRT pj. It looks like I would have to buy a transcoder which would cost nearly $100 for a cheap one. So, instead I decided to go OTA and bougt a SIR-T150 off ebay for $150. (by the way I continue to get ESPN and both INDH channels with my ~$12/month cable package).

So, I'm wondering what's the best antenna. I'm on top of the hill in Oregon City. According to antennaweb.org I only need a small multidirectional antenna for all the digital stations. thinking this a good sign I bought a $5 pair of bunny ears (with attached UHF loop). While they pick up most of the VHF channels, I only get static with the UHF channels.

Does this mean this antenna is not going to cut it? Do you think another pair of bunny ears, perhaps with an amplifier, will work? Or, do you think I need to step up to the silver sensor antenna ( http://www.silversensor.com/ )?

sladewatts, I wouldn't bother with rabbit ears if I were you (all you'll use for HDTV is the UHF loop anyway). I'm much closer to the towers, I have a direct shot at them, and couldn't get all the HDTV channels with a loop. Even if you get it to work, the signal will probably be weak and unreliable.

Get a decent UHF antenna. You can get a silver sensor at Circuit City & return it very easily; its worked quite well for me. Radio Shack also sells a (rather ugly) double bow-tie indoor antenna that is supposed to be pretty good, and is cheaper: http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&product%5Fid=930%2D0998

thanks, that's good to know. I think I'll order the silver sensor.

Is there any way to make a Yagi somewhat less directional? Portland stations come at me from two slightly different directions. I've found that Radio Shack's $20 Yagi solves a multpath problem I have whenever a bus or large vehicle passes below the antenna. Unfortunately aiming it directly between the two clusters of towers gives me weak signals on all stations. I've tried other kinds of less directional antennas but this is the only one that eliminates the multipath problem. Moving the antenna farther back from the street would be some work and I don't want to deal with rotators if I don't have to.

Well, watching Enterprise in SD was a huge improvement over the analog version - which had 2 or 3 distinct shadows (multipath, I presume?). It was great.

I didn't notice any "morphing" (BTW, based on my video experience, I think this is caused by lost P/B frames - delta frames that is) - perhaps badly coded ones would do it too.

A couple of us did notice some strange jitter during high motion. I haven't seen any other programming with lots of motion to try and determine the source of this. Presumably, if it was the InFocus X1 (DLP), I would have seen it on DVDs?

The West Wing in HD was fabulous. Just losing sync sometimes on the X1 during scene transitions - I've read there's a firmware upgrade for that, though.

BTW, my antenna is an in-attic yagi with a small UHF. In my location, based on previous tests, the Radio Shack bowtie was much better than the Silver Sensor - go figure. I wonder if anyone has a rotor for a bowtie? Perhaps a $5 remote control car mechanism? ;^)

Seriously, one thing I've seen done is to strip a piece of coax down and insert lengths of low-guage copper wire of particular lengths around the radius of the shielding, perpendicular to the coax. Presumably, one can make a multi-directional antenna this way? Or perhaps combining two bowties? Just a thought...

>>> Is there any way to make a Yagi somewhat less directional? Portland >>> stations come at me from two slightly different directions.

Move several of the front reflectors from the locked cross position back inline with boom of the antenna.

Maybe I should start with all of the reflectors inline and then open them one by one until it becomes just directional enough.

This was very easy. I put all the reflectors inline and pointed it directly between the two clusters of towers which I can clearly see on the West hills only five miles away from me. Naturally I got mediocre signals (50-70%) from the KATU/KOIN cluster but still excellent signals from the KGW/KPDX cluster (86-95%). Once I unfolded the first two elements, KATU and KOIN jumped to 82-86% and the rest stayed at 82-92%. The third element made no difference and the fourth decreased all signals. So I only needed two elements to get 82-92% signals from all stations which is not surprising since all the towers are close and line of sight.

Why am I using an outdoor antenna with such strong signals? I might be able to use an indoor antenna upstairs but downstairs the multipath and dropouts caused by buses and other massive vehicles was pretty bad. I could have put the antenna in the attic but mounting it outside on the balcony was easier than fiddling with it in a cramped crawlspace full of insulation.

Guys-
I'm thinking about going with Comcast, but I want to continue running all signals though my HTPC. I'm using an AccessDTV card, which can receive unencrypted QAM signals over cable. Does anyone know whether or not I can use this setup here in the Rip City?

Oh, and local beer is all about Hair of the Dog's Axel for me.

I haven't heard much from anyone subscribed to Comcast HD lately. How are you liking it so far? Any major issues? I have Dish Network, but was thinking of subscribing to Comcast basic cable plus the HD channels since there still hasn't been any news on the new Dish HD recievers. Any reports are welcome.

Oh, and local beer is all about Hair of the Dog's Axel for me.Before I quit drinking three years ago I thought Hair of the Dog's Fred was sublime!

ron

Originally posted by R11
Before I quit drinking three years ago I thought Hair of the Dog's Fred was sublime!

ron

There ain't nothing wrong with Fred!

I'd also like to mention my interest in a HT/HDTV brewhouse get together some time soon (I seem to remember the mention of one a while ago).

Originally posted by captmorgan09
I haven't heard much from anyone subscribed to Comcast HD lately. How are you liking it so far? Any major issues?

Mr. Rum,

I've been subscribed to Comcast HD since the first few days they offered it and I've been pretty happy so far. They seemed to have a few problems with losing audio from KATU at first, but I haven't noticed it lately. I don't have anything to compare the picture quality to (not having had HD ever before), but I couldn't be more happy.

At this point, I only have 2 sources of frustration: 1) lack of content ... they were supposed to have KGW at launch, but still don't have it (anyone have an update???) ... leaving me with just KATU, OPB, ESPN, INHD 1&2, HBO & SHO; and 2) I'm realizing how much I relied on my TiVo (can't stand having to watch live TV) ... and am anxiously awaiting Comcast's HD/PVR (the Motorola 6208 - which I understand is supposed to be available in early '04).

How much is Comcast charging for this?

I have had Comcast HD for over a month now. This is my first HD setup.

Content is a little weak. ABC, I still get audio drops on ABC almost every night. Some very short, and some up to 15 minutes or more. As posted before, a lot of the drops seem to happen around changing from program content to commercials and back. Picture is very good most of the time. There have been times I switch back to watch analog to get away from the audio drops. PBS is very good most of the time. ESPNHD is also very good most of the time. I do get HBO and almost all movies are excellent. INHD 1 and 2 also have excellent picture quality, but the content is weak.

The Comcast cable box is OK. Mine has some quirks. On power up no channel is displayed. As soon as I change channels the first time, I start seeing the numbers. The HD channels are in the 700 range as reported before. When I first got the box if I was watching abc and went down one channel (to 622 I think) then went back to ABC HD, it would say I wasn't authorized to watch. I would have to go back up to ESPN HD then down to ABC and I could again watch the picture. The Comcast solution to this was to add a new channel at 699? Now going down and up the ABC HD station works. However if I go directly to 622 then back to ABC HD, I get the not authorized screen. I have had the Comcast box lock up twice, both times when surfing. Once it recovered in about 5 minutes, once I had to remove the power to the box to get it back. In that case all "lights" on the Comcast box were flashing in a sequence. On the positive side, I have noticed that changing channels is much faster than the old Comcast box.

The picture has been excellent 99% of the time. I have only seen the lip sync issue a few times, and changing channels and going back to original channel seemed to fix this.

Cost is a plus, so far no charge. The person who came out to do the installation was finished in about 15 minutes, and everything worked.

new to this ive had comcast HD for a month no chage till after the first of the year then $5 a month there working on contracts for more station nbc and abc . also my one complant is that not eveything will play in 5.1 most of the movie chanels like starz and hbo only play in 2.o dolby and hbo w,e,hd will play in 5.1 when they first insatlled this evrything work fine .had repair out here twice and they say it fine must be the way there streeming the signal any one know i have digatalcable and HD thanks

Marshdom/xsqnt/sshooter,

Thanks for the info guys. I think I'm going to wait a bit longer and see if they get some more channels. I have an over the air reciever, but it's been a pain lately getting a good signal. As I said before, thanks.

captmorgan: Yeah, what is it about the variations in signals OTA? Last night I got all digital channels flawlessly, every single one of them. Today it's a real fight to be able to switch from one to another and get a good lock. It hasn't been raining THAT hard. Maybe its leaves flying through the air?

Bob

Hi all, I just found this thread and want to say a big hello from east Vancouver. Question about KATU-DT...does anyone see odd glitchy transitions between local and network programming on Ch 2.1?

It's pretty bad here, with momentary freezing, audio breakup etc. Then it re-syncs and all is OK till the next break or local commercial.

I don't see this behavior on any other local DTV signals.

My equipment:

Sony HD200 STB using standard Radio Shack OTA antenna and Directv triple LNB dish.

Mits 55411 RPTV.

Best regards,
Al Rovner, K7AR

I'm on the east side of Vancouver also and the only glitches that I notice on KATU during changes between local and network is the sound dropping off. If I change the channel and then change back, the sound is back to normal. The sound glitch seems to be the norm for most people, even some people using Comcast HD are reporting it.

Hi all,

I've just moved a bit closer to town and signed up for Comcast basic analog (no box) to save a few bucks on my cable modem deal. No kidding...cable modem+basic cable is cheaper than cable modem alone.

I have Directv coming to hook up all my satellite receivers, but I was mulling if I should buy/install an OTA antenna for HD signals, or if I as an analog subscriber can easily get and configure the $5 HD deal I've seen referenced here.

Would I need to get a comcast box for this, or is there some configuration of cable/convertors that I can feed into my cable/antenna feed of my HD200.

Can anyone clear the fog in my head? :)
Thanks,
Keith

i have comcast digital cable thats what i pay for when i called for HD they told me i would be five dollars a month more but not till after the first of the year i think the five bucks is for the HD box . did any you guys loose the audio on abc Hd last night after 11:00pm .still would like to know if anybody with comcast HD has audio trouble with everything playing in 2.0 and just a few in 5.1

There's really no reason to pay $5/month to Comcast for fewer channels than you can get for free OTA. That's the benefit to living in a digital city and you already own the HD200 which will accept OTA signals so all you need is an antenna. Depending upon where you live that could be a free piece of bare wire or a $35 Channel Master 4221. You can get 9 digital channels in Portland for free (5 which are currently offering HD programming) or you can pay $5 a month to Comcast for 3 HD channels.
~Ryan Goldade
Sellwood


Originally posted by fishferbrains
Hi all,

I've just moved a bit closer to town and signed up for Comcast basic analog (no box) to save a few bucks on my cable modem deal. No kidding...cable modem+basic cable is cheaper than cable modem alone.

I have Directv coming to hook up all my satellite receivers, but I was mulling if I should buy/install an OTA antenna for HD signals, or if I as an analog subscriber can easily get and configure the $5 HD deal I've seen referenced here.

Would I need to get a comcast box for this, or is there some configuration of cable/convertors that I can feed into my cable/antenna feed of my HD200.

Can anyone clear the fog in my head? :)
Thanks,
Keith

Howdy all,

I know this is a hardwear question but I know a few of you have a Samsung SIR-T165 and I thought I'd stay local. Had the unit for about 6 months and am very happy with it. Have heard of getting the latest firmwear downloads from Samsung. Has anyone done that? My moto is if it ain't broke don't fix it, so I am reluctant to change anything.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Chuck

PS: Talked to WB and they said their HD is 'any time now, cross fingers.

PS: Talked to WB and they said their HD is 'any time now, cross fingers.

They've been saying that for quiet a while. I hope it very soon too. The channel is pretty much unwatchable now because of the lip sync and drop out problems.

Originally posted by Cris Moore
They've been saying that for quiet a while. I hope it very soon too. The channel is pretty much unwatchable now because of the lip sync and drop out problems.
I just sent Pat an email to find out the status of the WB HD equipment, I'll post back when I get an answer.

Here's the latest from Pat at WB:

Darrell,

I think the equipment vendors have conspired against us. We finally received our microwave transmitters and receivers last week but we still don't have one of the dishes to go on the Sylvan tower. I keep gettting promises of delivery but it still hasn't shown up and without the dish, we have no way of getting the signal to the hill. I think everything else is in place. We have HD encoding happening in our master control but it has nowhere to go except a monitor. :(

Keep your fingers crossed and maybe someday soon, you'll be able to watch us in HD. Thanks for your patience.

Pat

Thanks for the update Darrell.

Well, with a bit of luck the 100th episode of Angel will be in HD...

My SIR-T150 came yesterday in the mail. I hooked it up to the silver sensor antenna and when I had it try to auto-locate the channels it came up with nothing. So, I'm guessing I'm going to have to get a bigger antenna.

I'm thinking the Channel Master 3010 is looking pretty good (according to antennaweb.com I can get all the portland stations with a medium multidirectional antenna). Any knowledge about this one or recommendations for another?

And, most importantly, anyone know a good place in the Portland area to buy an antenna like this?

thanks.

sladewatts: Before you go investing any more in antennas, try an attenuator on your SS line in. I, and a lot of others here in PDX, get super-strong signals that need to be reduced, especially when you use a highly directional antenna like the SS.

Bob

okay, I'll try that (I actually got one b/c the cable company had ot use one as well b/c their signal was too strong and causing problems).

thanks.

well, i tried everything I could think of to make the silver sensor work, but to no avail. The best I could get was a jarbled image with occassional audio blips.

So, I could still use some recommendations for a good place in town to buy an antenna.

thanks!

Home Depot or Radio Shack.

ron

Last nights Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was in HD, but not here in Portland. I had watched it earlier from the CBS East coast feed and it was in HD....

Bummer....

Originally posted by sladewatts
well, i tried everything I could think of to make the silver sensor work, but to no avail. The best I could get was a jarbled image with occassional audio blips.

So, I could still use some recommendations for a good place in town to buy an antenna.

thanks!

Got a ChannelMaster at Fry's. Currently getting every DTV station in town.

Of course, a bowtie might get them all to from where I am...

Originally posted by xsrsmithx
Last nights Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was in HD, but not here in Portland. I had watched it earlier from the CBS East coast feed and it was in HD....

Bummer....

I sent a complaint to KOIN this morning and got this reply from Lee Wood, which was nice of him to acknowledge:

"Unfortunately, CBS forgot to send Bob Ross's note to the affiliates. The last word we had was that it was NOT going to be in HD. So much for being in the communications business.

Lee"

FYI, Bob Ross is the CBS exec who began a thread yesterday to let AVS memberrs know the VS show would be in HD. Maybe next time we'll get it from KOIN.

Bob