TNT-HD for South Jersey??? Any info?

Since they ignore our market consistently and they will raise rate AGAIN, I am seriously thinking to switch to D*, if D* can deliver YES HD w/o problems.

You can get HDtivos relatively cheap now :)

only if someone on your cable line is watching, you might pick that up.

I pick up OnDemand shows others are watching w/ my 5667W tuner, even stuff that isn't free on OnDemand!

You can get HDtivos relatively cheap now :)
Right, that's the problem. But I heard D* will offer monthly rental program for all HD equipments. Don't know it's true or not.

didnt hey recently put up a new satellite in the philadelphia market which in turn will bring in more HD channels? The only reason I dont go to dish right now is because of comcast sportsnet. I love my flyers and sixers and would hate to give that up for D*

didnt hey recently put up a new satellite in the philadelphia market which in turn will bring in more HD channels? The only reason I dont go to dish right now is because of comcast sportsnet. I love my flyers and sixers and would hate to give that up for D*

The only new HD channels on DTV are the locals (rolled out nationwide based on marketing areas), which are compressed mpeg4. I haven't seen them but do know that OTA are much better than the DTV mpeg2.

Now..there 'may' be plans for other stuff down the road. But that's all those new birds have up now.

WCAU-DT HD signal is off, who forgot to flip the switch!?!?! It was working fine for the 8:00 hour.

I hate NBC10 and their chimp engineers.

NBC is by far the worst when it comes to HD.

NBC is by far the worst when it comes to HD.

Agreed. Especially their touted ND football game. Not even close to CBS' college football primetime coverage.

What is the farthest point that people are receiving OTA HD from Philadelphia?

Local? Miles????

I used to get analog 60 miles away. I'm trying evaluate my changes with digital.

What is the farthest point that people are receiving OTA HD from Philadelphia?

Local? Miles????

I used to get analog 60 miles away. I'm trying evaluate my changes with digital.

Getting it fine in Oxford, Pa @43 miles, using CM4228 mounted halfway up house.

Just got my Samsung HL-R6768W ( 67"1080p) on Saturday. Unbelievable picture. This is the first display I have used that has support for TV guide. It downloaded the OTA guide just fine and everything is working great.

Using a UHF only Channelmaster yagi / preamp, about 40 mi NE of Roxborough. I'm in direct line of sight between a lot of trees and the Roxborough towers and there's not much I can do about multipath (problem solved by using ComCast). If there's no multipath, reception is just fine. The Samsung 6768 OTA tuner has a built-in LNA. I get WNJS and a couple of the Philly low power UHF stations which I didn't get before.

OTA reception is very unreliable due to a severe multipath problem, yet it downloaded the guide info just fine. I'm guessing that there must be an extremely robust error detection and correction scheme here. Part of MPEG-2 transport stream? Can someone point me to the details on how this works (physical layer encoding, interleaving, etc.)?

Which station(s) are transmitting the guide info in the Philly area? I'm UHF only here.

Engineering level specs, etc. are no problem for me (I work in this field for a living). I just don't know how it's done. Thanks.

I can only get KYW reliably due to severe terrain issues. However, I can get channels from reading, Allentown and Scranton with no trouble at all using a CM eightbay mounted on the roof. I believe the Scranton towers are about 90 miles away.

Has anyone else been noticing a problem with DD audio on WPVI-DT? Recent episodes of Lost and Invasion seemed to have very loud audio with distortion. Non DD sounds fine.

GeekGirl;

I also get TV Guide (TVGOS) via my Sharp with Comcast & WHYY. Comcast is all digital now EXCEPT a broadcast of WHYY which comes in digitally on 12 & another for HD. A third is broadcast (channel 78?) via analog.

Are you picking up a PBS channel? Most likely your source for TVGOS data. If you do a search for TVGOS in the hardware forum, you may find the technical info.

GeekGirl;

I also get TV Guide (TVGOS) via my Sharp with Comcast & WHYY. Comcast is all digital now EXCEPT a broadcast of WHYY which comes in digitally on 12 & another for HD. A third is broadcast (channel 78?) via analog.

Are you picking up a PBS channel? Most likely your source for TVGOS data. If you do a search for TVGOS in the hardware forum, you may find the technical info.


Carl,

Which STB do you have if any. I live in Newtown and have the new 3412 and channels 2-100 are so crappy. Seems as if they are still coming in as analog however this particular box is all digital. Maybe I should call comcast and tell them to change a setting at there end but which setting so that these channels look better. I had the 6412 box and everything looked great.

Carl,

Which STB do you have if any. I live in Newtown and have the new 3412 and channels 2-100 are so crappy. Seems as if they are still coming in as analog however this particular box is all digital. Maybe I should call comcast and tell them to change a setting at there end but which setting so that these channels look better. I had the 6412 box and everything looked great.

I have the 6412 on my Pio plasma & 2-100 are much better now that they are digital. I have a CC on my Sharp LCD & 2-100 are OK as well. JWhip has the newer STB perhaps he can describe any differences he sees vs. the 6412.

I have received preliminarey word that Comcast has struck deals to carry ESPN2HD and Universal HD as well as MTV HD. I do not have an ETA yet but it should be fairly soon, bandwidth permitting.

Cool... bandwidth permitting sucks though. Sure be nice if we got TNTHD in Jersey, and a program guide that wasn't from 1992. ;)

Actually, I don't want "M"TV wasting bandwidth.

I do not think that they had much of an option with MTV with their master contract with Viacom. I have been told that the bandwidth should be OK here in Pa. Don't know about NJ.

We just signed up for Verizon FIOS. Part of the sales pitch is they are going to start offering 'cable tv' in the spring. This will come via FIOS not D* (according to the sales person). They also claim Comcast will be forced to release CSN so they will too have the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies. Have any of you heard anything else WRT channel offerings or Comcast having to release CSN?

I do not think that they had much of an option with MTV with their master contract with Viacom. I have been told that the bandwidth should be OK here in Pa. Don't know about NJ.

JWhip-
We had to remove 15 digitals just to get TNT-HD recently in DE and PA. How would we still have room for 3 more HD channels? Just curious...

it does not take the removal of 15 digitals for one HD channel. Comcast has been working on the bandwidth issue for awhile. As to FIOS, unless Congress acts to amend existing law, Comcast does NOT have to offer CSN to FIOS or anyone else. It is solely up to them.

it does not take the removal of 15 digitals for one HD channel. Comcast has been working on the bandwidth issue for awhile. As to FIOS, unless Congress acts to amend existing law, Comcast does NOT have to offer CSN to FIOS or anyone else. It is solely up to them.

Very good! Thanks for the update.

JWhip-

Have you heard anything about NJ getting TNT-HD?

I have received preliminarey word that Comcast has struck deals to carry ESPN2HD and Universal HD as well as MTV HD. I do not have an ETA yet but it should be fairly soon, bandwidth permitting.


That would be awesome news considering prices are being jacked up what is it 6% from comcast? I dont mind the price going up as long as they continue to add more HD content.

JWhip-

Have you heard anything about NJ getting TNT-HD?
Nope.

can someone tell me why the west coast feeds have not been removed here so TNT could be added, i guess we won't be getting espn2 or universsal either, this is BS

We just signed up for Verizon FIOS. Part of the sales pitch is they are going to start offering 'cable tv' in the spring. This will come via FIOS not D* (according to the sales person). They also claim Comcast will be forced to release CSN so they will too have the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies. Have any of you heard anything else WRT channel offerings or Comcast having to release CSN?


What made you sign up for Verizon FIOS? What is the deal they are offering to make you want to switch from Comcast? Does the Verizon package have comparable number of HD networks? INHD & INHD2? A comparable selection of free "On-Demand" programs such as Comcast offers?

Just curious...

Right now the Sixers game on CSN HD is probably the best live HD I've ever seen (at least in a long time). They seem to be zooming the cameras in much more then they ever have. Very Very excellent.

It's a shame I don't get my set calibrated until tomorrow night.

can someone tell me why the west coast feeds have not been removed here so TNT could be added, i guess we won't be getting espn2 or universsal either, this is BS

I agree...in addition to the West Coast feeds there is plenty of other garbage that could be dropped to make room for TNTHD along with ESPN2HD, Universal, etc...the 6% increase wouldn't bother me as long as we see progress in the HD programming department, but here in SJ it appears that all progress has halted.

Chris :mad:

GeekGirl;

I also get TV Guide (TVGOS) via my Sharp with Comcast & WHYY. Comcast is all digital now EXCEPT a broadcast of WHYY which comes in digitally on 12 & another for HD. A third is broadcast (channel 78?) via analog.

Are you picking up a PBS channel? Most likely your source for TVGOS data. If you do a search for TVGOS in the hardware forum, you may find the technical info.

Carl - Thanks for the help. I am getting WHYY, but have to figure out if my Sammy can tell me what channel it's using (for the HL-Rxxx8W Owner's thread).

The hardware forum didn't go to the technical level I wanted. I found what I was looking for on the Tektronix web site (broadcast test equipment manufacturer). The EPG (Electronic Programming Guide) is actually one of many data types allowed in the ATSC standard. It's how logos, PSIP and other data get inserted into the data streams for broadcast. A lot of hardware, monitoring, and control software is involved. Gives you an appreciation for the amount of work that the broadcast engineers have to go through to get to get everything to work correctly. So, when there's a problem, cut these guys some slack. They really have a lot to do.

Right now the Sixers game on CSN HD is probably the best live HD I've ever seen (at least in a long time). They seem to be zooming the cameras in much more then they ever have. Very Very excellent.

It's a shame I don't get my set calibrated until tomorrow night.

drhill - The Flyers are on tomorrow night. I thought that Tuesday's Flyers game on CSN HD was as good as the Sixers. Check out the ice level cameras as they follow the players around the boards. A fast-moving black puck on a white background is a great test for edge resolution.

I was seeing some jerkiness and motion blur when the Sixers camera was panning across the court. Not sure if this is my "digital" display or from the source. Previous display was CRT, so still getting used to things.

12/7/05 tonight during show Alias 10-11pm:
abc wpvi 6.1 ota in philly changed from HD to SD 45 minutes in on 12/7/05 to run a tag about "snow" stay tuned for local news...- BAst%^$%% the snow isn't forcasted till 3am frid morn & its wed at 1045// WTF???
Even after commercial break,.. they came back SD 4:3

drhill - The Flyers are on tomorrow night. I thought that Tuesday's Flyers game on CSN HD was as good as the Sixers. Check out the ice level cameras as they follow the players around the boards. A fast-moving black puck on a white background is a great test for edge resolution.

I was seeing some jerkiness and motion blur when the Sixers camera was panning across the court. Not sure if this is my "digital" display or from the source. Previous display was CRT, so still getting used to things.
I didn't catch the flyers on tuesday.

I didn't notice any motion blur last night though, I have an SXRD so it is digital, but the refreash rate is less then 4ms.

JWhip-
We had to remove 15 digitals just to get TNT-HD recently in DE and PA. How would we still have room for 3 more HD channels? Just curious...
? What was removed?

12/7/05 tonight during show Alias 10-11pm:
abc wpvi 6.1 ota in philly changed from HD to SD 45 minutes in on 12/7/05 to run a tag about "snow" stay tuned for local news...- BAst%^$%% the snow isn't forcasted till 3am frid morn & its wed at 1045// WTF???
Even after commercial break,.. they came back SD 4:3


Yea I noticed that as well. At least we got to see rachel in her bra in HD early in the episode.

Carl - Thanks for the help. I am getting WHYY, but have to figure out if my Sammy can tell me what channel it's using (for the HL-Rxxx8W Owner's thread).

The hardware forum didn't go to the technical level I wanted. I found what I was looking for on the Tektronix web site (broadcast test equipment manufacturer). The EPG (Electronic Programming Guide) is actually one of many data types allowed in the ATSC standard. It's how logos, PSIP and other data get inserted into the data streams for broadcast. A lot of hardware, monitoring, and control software is involved. Gives you an appreciation for the amount of work that the broadcast engineers have to go through to get to get everything to work correctly. So, when there's a problem, cut these guys some slack. They really have a lot to do.

My Sharp goes right to channel 98 (WHYY). When I turn it on, regardless of last channel viewed, it's on channel 98. Glad to hear you found the technical info you were looking for.

? What was removed?

Carl-
A few months ago they removed 15 West Coast feeds of Premium channels..

Like, Showtime West, Starz West, etc.

What made you sign up for Verizon FIOS? What is the deal they are offering to make you want to switch from Comcast? Does the Verizon package have comparable number of HD networks? INHD & INHD2? A comparable selection of free "On-Demand" programs such as Comcast offers?

Just curious...

The cable channels are a future offering. My reasoning for going from Comcast internet to FIOS was I am paying $42.95 for 6MBs down and 2MBs up. FIOS has 15MBs down and 2MBs up. I dont host a site, so the up speed doesnt effect me as much. I have several friends who have made the switch to FIOS and prefer it to Comcast internet.

My question here was intended to see if anyone knew of their channel offerings. My experience with Verizon in the past has not been good WRT CSR. They are not very well informed. This salesperson knew they were comming out with channels, claimed they were going to cary the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies.

They also had a TV demo. The demo included an 'On Demand' interface. They also seemed to view the TV as a media center. Such that in their model, the TV was networked. Therefore you could pull video and pictures from your computer and display it on the TV. The internet was also availible on the TV.

Drhill, who is doing your set calibration and if you dont mind me asking, how much do they charge?

Anyone else in the Philly/Main Line area have a set calibration done? If so, any recommendations. I know this is a bit off topic, but with the money I am being refunded from Comcast due to my HD channels being screwy for two months now, I can afford it.

Anyone else on the Delco or Radnor system still seeing pixelation on WPSGD or Fox-D?

I had my Panasonic 50PHD7UY calibrated by Gregg Loewen at Lionav. Well worth the money. Absolutely awesome PQ. However, he is not cheap and takes awhile to get to you as he does national tours. However, he is one of the best out there and does all the calibrations for Consumer Reports.

I've used Gregg as well. He charged $450 & calibrated two HDMI, two component, & firewire for me. Took about 1/2 a day.

GeekGirl;
I also get TV Guide (TVGOS) via my Sharp with Comcast & WHYY. Comcast is all digital now EXCEPT a broadcast of WHYY which comes in digitally on 12 & another for HD. A third is broadcast (channel 78?) via analog. Are you picking up a PBS channel? Most likely your source for TVGOS data. If you do a search for TVGOS in the hardware forum, you may find the technical info.
Carl Jones - An update for you. I had an answer over on the Samsung owner's thread on how to access the TV Guide system / diagnostics menus.

Diagnostics reports: Host Chan 1:0-29, VBI Chan 1:0-29.
The host channel is where the guide was found. VBI channel means that there was guide info found in the Vertical Blanking Interval (VBI).

Interpretation of "1:0-29": '1' is the input, '0' means analog, '29' is the channel. This means that it's getting the guide in the Vertical Blanking Interval of FOX 29 WTXF analog (see the thread for more info).

Here's how to access the diagnostic screen (copied from the TVGOS thread):
Open the TV Guide screen, go to setup, and highlight Change System Settings. While this is highlighted press "753159852" this will get you into a series of menus. You can navigate through the menus with the UP, DOWN, LEFT, and RIGHT arrow keys. There doesn't seem to be anything you can change here so I wouldn't worry about screwing anything up.
The TVGOS thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=510125&page=31&pp=30

Why would my channels be OK in the morning but not later in the day? I spent the past 2 mornings aiming in my attic since outside didn't seem to get the height I needed. I got 4 networks in OK then trying to get the last 2 (ch 42 and 54), got them to an acceptable 60s range. Around 3 this afternoon i checked and those 2 were unwatchable.

no amount of aiming at the same location would get those channels back.

Thanks GeekGirl. My info now seems to be coming from CSPAN??

Why would my channels be OK in the morning but not later in the day? I spent the past 2 mornings aiming in my attic since outside didn't seem to get the height I needed. I got 4 networks in OK then trying to get the last 2 (ch 42 and 54), got them to an acceptable 60s range. Around 3 this afternoon i checked and those 2 were unwatchable. no amount of aiming at the same location would get those channels back.

Until I got a good preamp I found that the number of stations I received was very dependent on the weather. Even now I sometimes can get Salisbury, Maryland here in Chester County when conditions are right. I now consistently get 10 stations. Digital stations are pretty much "all or nothing" reception.

Until I got a good preamp I found that the number of stations I received was very dependent on the weather. Even now I sometimes can get Salisbury, Maryland here in Chester County when conditions are right. I now consistently get 10 stations. Digital stations are pretty much "all or nothing" reception.

newsposter / BrentHD. Search this thread for "multipath". You'll find a lot of discussion about this type of problem. This is a complicated topic involving geometry and RF propagation effects (weather)- the amount and angle of reflection of the transmitted signal is changing in real-time. There's no guarantee that the best reception comes from the line-of-sight path, sometimes the reflected paths are better. The bottom line is that you need to have a high-gain directional antenna (with rotator) that can follow the changing signals. It's quite possible that the difference is not between morning and afternoon but between snow and sun (snow melted).

I'm using a UHF only Channelmaster high-gain Yagi antenna / preamp on a mast / rotator. Right now, the snow cover is providing a constant reflection of the transmitted signal to my antenna so I can tune to a steady RF signal. I just peak for best reception. As soon as it melts, the reflections will be all over the place due to the wind, trees, etc. and I'll be back watching on Comcast.

Hint: Turn the antenna while tuned to an analog channel and watch for the "ghosting" (the ghosts are the delayed reflections of the signal which is the definition of multipath).

Why can't we get HD Net again? Universal HD seems like a really crappy version of that.

http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?state=PA&call=&arn=&city=philadelphia&chan=&cha2=69&serv=&type=0&facid=&list=1&dist=&dlat2=&mlat2=&slat2=&dlon2=&mlon2=&slon2=&size=9

I'm having a hard time getting fox and WB and only mild luck with abc/nbc with 70s signals at the moment.....am interpreting this info right?

1. fox will be building a 1000kw tower at 280m? If so, when will it be done?

2. nbc is going to change to channel 34 but reduce power on their (same)antenna from 560 to 325? When will it be done?

I guess i'm screwed with WB but if nbc was stronger, I could get WB and ABC in better. It's just for some reason nbc tosses it all out of whack. If I get a 90 signal on nbc, it makes abc in the 60s and even the strong cbs go down to 70s and also WB unwatchable. So if nbc moved to 34, and presumably I'd get it in better then, I'd be relatively set..i think.

I am a newbie to OTA DTV and have been experimenting with a Zenith Silver Sensor using a Samsung SIR-T451 tuner. With the antenna indoors, I can get a lot of channels, but have to keep re-positioning. Outdoors, I get about 12 channels (not counting the sub-channels). They are not reliable and I feel that I must go the next step to a larger antenna.

My question is whether the antenna should be the non-directional (bow-tie) or directional (Yagi) type. I do not want to use a rotor and I am about 20 miles from the Roxborough transmitters. My preference for the next step is to try mounting it in the attic. I have heard that the non-directional could have ghosting and multipath problems, whereas the directional might be too directional and need rotating.

I would appreciate advice from anyone with reception experience in the Mount Laurel or Medford NJ area. Also, anyone's opinion on the directional vs. non-directional would also be appreciated.

Hanker - If you have a directional antenna, you need a rotator. In theory, if you point the antenna towards the transmitters, then that's all you need to do. Unfortunately, mother nature tends to add a lot more "corrections" to the theory. The problem is something called "multipath". Search this thread and you'll find it's a hot topic.

It's not your location that's causing the problem. There are a lot of factors: obstructions, reflections from buildings, height above ground, trees, wind, rain, etc. All of these "corrections" vary in real time and there's not much you can do about it.

You are correct about the non-directional antennas having ghosting and multipath problems (ghosting is the same as multipath). The directional antenna reduces this problem by simply not "seeing" the reflections outside it's beamwidth. The difference between analog and digital channels is that you can see the multipath degradation in analog, where the digital channels just drop out all in one shot.

To answer your question, a larger non-directional antenna will have nearly the same gain as a smaller non-directional antenna (I'm simplifying here - there's a difference in efficiency). A larger directional antenna will have higher gain (more elements), but will need to be pointed more accurately.

Sounds like your indoor location is better than your outdoor location. If you get more channels indoors than outdoors, and you have the room, why not try a directional antenna / rotator indoors? You can always take it outdoors if it doesn't help and you already have the hardware. Be sure to use a good quality coax, not twin lead, in any case.

abc wpvi 6.1 ota in philly changed from HD to SD 45 minutes in on 12/7/05 to run a tag about "snow" stay tuned for local news...- BAst%^$%% the snow isn't forcasted till 3am frid morn & its wed at 1045// WTF???

and now 1 wk later -12/14/05 they did it again! ~ 45 minutes in tag line with the scrolling action news van grafic-stay tuned for the news & the weather forecast. It was shown SD 4:3 with black pillar bars. It stayed SD even after commercial break. WTF !!!!!!!!!!!!!

*******Please everybody call "Jim Gilbert" VP of engineering at WPVI & please complain*********215-581-4542***********

THis crap they can do to any show if we don't make our point know!

Is anybody else having problems with NBC HD? It seems to freeze ever so slightly every minute or so. It is more of a hiccup. It happens when watching both live and recorded shows on a 6412. On both of mine actually....

Egg Harbor Twp, NJ - Pleasantville system.

I have the 6412.

It freezes up a lot, so I have to unplug it. However, when I do that, the MY DVR functionality never comes back (even after a day). I eventually have to call Comcast, which also rarely brings it back. I then unplug it AGAIN, and sometimes it is back.

Is this normal?

And Question #2 -- why isn't that functionality built into the box? It's so dumb to make someone wait hours for it to download.



Old Lower Bucks Cablevision System

I am considering switching to Comcast cable (philadelphia). I have been with D* for about 5 years. Prior to D* i had Comcast but switched due to poor picture quality with Comcast. I am considering Comcast again mainly because of CSN for Sixers and Flyers. I have 2 HD tvs. A couple questions, in Phila area are all the analog channels simucast in digital? And, if I switch what equipment (receivers) should i look for?

I am considering switching to Comcast cable (philadelphia). I have been with D* for about 5 years. Prior to D* i had Comcast but switched due to poor picture quality with Comcast. I am considering Comcast again mainly because of CSN for Sixers and Flyers. I have 2 HD tvs. A couple questions, in Phila area are all the analog channels simucast in digital? And, if I switch what equipment (receivers) should i look for?

I did the same thing a few months back.

You'll probably want the 6412, which is a dual-tuner DVR.

I think the simulcast question is on a system-by-system basis, but someone with more knowledge than me can chime in.

Tell them you are switching from D*. They gave me a great rate on a ton of stuff -- I am saving about $800 this first year. It's call "Ditch the Dish" or something like that.

Basically, all of the analog channels in Philadelphia now have digital counterparts. If you subscribe to digital cable, that is all your box will see. It will not "see" the analog channels. Ask either for a 6412 DVR or the newer 3412 which has HDMI. The 6412 has a DVI output. If you do not want to spend the extra for the DVR, the box provided will be a 6200.


Yardleybill, you should swap out your box. It should NOT be doing what yours is doing.

While it isn't HD - word has it that we'll be seeing the women's network Oxygen added to the digital lineup in the Philly demo next week (12/20).

Not sure if any other additions are tagging along with this one.

Tell your wives and/or girlfriends! Lol. :)

While it isn't HD - word has it that we'll be seeing the women's network Oxygen added to the digital lineup in the Philly demo next week (12/20).


How about TNTHD for South Jersey first? Any idea at all if or when it is coming?

Basically, all of the analog channels in Philadelphia now have digital counterparts. If you subscribe to digital cable, that is all your box will see. It will not "see" the analog channels. Ask either for a 6412 DVR or the newer 3412 which has HDMI. The 6412 has a DVI output. If you do not want to spend the extra for the DVR, the box provided will be a 6200.
IIRC, the 6412 Phases I and II have DVI, and Phase III has HDMI.

Yardleybill, you should swap out your box. It should NOT be doing what yours is doing.

OK, thanks.

This is my SECOND box already.

What the heck is going on with these boxes?

How about TNTHD for South Jersey first? Any idea at all if or when it is coming?

I am confident that by the turn of the century we will either get a reply from someone that knows or it will be added by then

OK, thanks. This is my SECOND box already. What the heck is going on with these boxes?

YardleyBill - I have Lower Bucks Cablevision and the Motorola 6208 (no DVR). I have been experiencing a total loss of my digital channels for a few minutes several times last week. No explanation and the times were random. This week is OK. I always blame the the cable distribution system - With On-Demand and internet running on the same coax, I would think it's entirely possible that the dynamic traffic on the coax would overload the capacity of the system and it just can't handle it for a short period of time.

Let's troubleshoot here. The analog channels are available without your box. What's the signal quality like for analog? Your STB can help you diagnose the problem- do you know how to access the diagnostics menu and check AGC level and error count (Power Off, then Select within 5 S)? Did you change anything between the outside pole and your TV, like install an amplifier?

from reading the posts it seems some people have both STB & antenna. Why get an antenna if you have a STB? I have a computer with a fusion hdtv card and i'm wondering if I should get an antenna for it in addition to the STB.

thanks

South Jersey - -

I have Comca$$t "enhanced analog" and when I connected by Sony Bravia XBR (with the built in QAM tuner) I found that in addition to all the analogs, all of their digital counterparts are there, though on subchannels. The OTA HD channels were there too.

I stopped in at the local Comcast office to find out how I can get the INHD channels and DiscoveryHD. I was told that would cost me $20 per month more with a regular HD STB (30 for the video recorder version). Of course, they didn't have the CableCard - unless I had a tech bring it out - go figure. Is that right? $20/month to just get 4 or 5 HD channels? They tell me I would be getting the Digital Plus package (yes I'd get more channels - 90% of whicih I'd never watch)... can't wait for Verizon to bring their TV offerings to my area.

Also, does anybody know how private your viewing choices are with the DVR box. Do they send back any info on what you've watched/recorded? I think the Replay and Tivo boxes do.

I am confident that by the turn of the century we will either get a reply from someone that knows or it will be added by then
What is annoying is that obviously someone at Comcast knows exactly the situation with TNT HD in South Jersey. But call for information and you get zero. It is Sargent Schultz from Hogan's Heroes. I know nothing.

Back in the olden days of Garden State Cable they actually had a local show called, I believe, Meet the Managers. It was presented once a month or so and you could call in and ask questions of the local GSCTV brass and, heaven forbid, actually get answers (When are we going to get more than 32 channels?). They may not have always been the answers we wanted, but they were answers. Today Comcast behaves like the CIA. Customers are provided information on a "need to know" basis, and Comcast thinks we never need to know. No company has more ways to communicate with its customers than Comcast and no company communicates less.

I am actually pretty pleased with Comcast in most ways. But communications is not one of those ways. I guess we'll know that TNT HD is coming on when it shows up on the guide.

What is annoying is that obviously someone at Comcast knows exactly the situation with TNT HD in South Jersey. But call for information and you get zero. It is Sargent Schultz from Hagan's Heroes. I know nothing.

Back in the olden days of Garden State Cable they actually had a local show called, I believe, Meet the Managers. It was presented once a month or so and you could call in and ask questions of the local GSCTV brass and, heaven forbid, actually get answers (When are we going to get more than 32 channels?). They may not have always been the answers we wanted, but they were answers. Today Comcast behaves like the CIA. Customers are provided information on a "need to know" basis, and Comcast thinks we never need to know. No company has more ways to communicate with its customers than Comcast and no company communicates less.

I am actually pretty pleased with Comcast in most ways. But communications is not one of those ways. I guess we'll know that TNT HD is coming on when it shows up on the guide.Dish Network has a show like that. I think it's once a week or once a month where Charlie Ergen, the CEO of DN answers your questions and comments. Pretty informative show. There's a reason why DN (and DTV) was rated tops with JD Power and Associates (http://consumercenter.jdpower.com/cc/rd/cc/telecom/ratings/cable_satellite/index.asp). Comcast is on the bottom end of the ratings according to this site.

from reading the posts it seems some people have both STB & antenna. Why get an antenna if you have a STB? I have a computer with a fusion hdtv card and i'm wondering if I should get an antenna for it in addition to the STB.


I have both because I like the idea of a "backup" if anything goes wrong. I need cable because 1) my OTA reception is unreliable and 2) ComCast has the monopoly on Philly sports, which is a priority for me.

The tuners in PC cards generally don't have the same front-end sensitivity as the tuners in dedicated TVs. In other words, you may not be able to receive same the quantity and quality of signals as a TV without going to some extra effort (LNA, high gain antenna).

I know that they are out of the psot-season, but is there any reason that the Eagles/Rams is being shown in SD? TitanTv says it should be HD (720p). :confused:

I know that they are out of the psot-season, but is there any reason that the Eagles/Rams is being shown in SD? TitanTv says it should be HD (720p). :confused:

Nevermind :o

Has anyone else been noticing a problem with DD audio on WPVI-DT? Recent episodes of Lost and Invasion seemed to have very loud audio with distortion. Non DD sounds fine.
i have, and have posted it in the past but no one ever responds so it must not be a big problem.

I thought this game was the best all season. Thought it really looked great in HD.

Let's troubleshoot here.

Same old setup.

The first box just flat out died -- would not come back on.

This one just won't pick up the DVR functionality. Everything else works good.

They are coming out tomorrow with a new box. (Hopefully...)

Again, why this isn't built into the box, I have no idea...

I live in South Philadelphia and although this maybe off topic, I know most people here are in the Philadelphia area. So that is why I ask here before I get Flamed.

I believe I have the Motorola 6208 box and seemlingly not able to record HD from firewire. Does anyone here know if I trade in my box for the 6412 or 3412 if I will be able to Record HD from Firewire?

Thanks

see curtis, recording is deemed evil, by the RIAA, MPA and who ever controls TV
so the short answer is NO
long answer, you should be able to record the basic channels via firewire
ie. ABC, NBC, CBS...

prob that will be taken away eventually too

but most of the content is protected by 5C copyprotection
basicly i cant think of any real reason to record anything on tv any more
the last thing i recorded was last years superbowl... and see how that turned out!

mitch

basicly i cant think of any real reason to record anything on tv any more
the last thing i recorded was last years superbowl... and see how that turned out!


Agree absolutely. Just like in a song, 500 channels and nothing's on. :D

You can record via firewire from a 6208 to a DVHS. The firewire ports are activated. Try unplugging your DVHS machine so that it can resync with the 6208.

There is plentry on to record. I time shift stuff all the time like Letterman. I enjoy being able to fast forward through the commercials.

There is plentry on to record. I time shift stuff all the time like Letterman. I enjoy being able to fast forward through the commercials.
Better yet, I enjoy skipping commercials. :cool:

Yeah, there is a big difference between recording and archiving. I record everything we watch, but only until we watch it! I archive almost nothing. And I don't watch ads. I edit them out and we watch HD dramas straight through like movies - with the lights out and without touching the remote... Can't go back now, totaly spoiled...

Z

Is any one else having this problem with WHYY 12.1 & 12.2?

Only in the evening when WHYY is multicasting HiDef on 12.1 and Std Def on 12.2 the signal drops out of either channel, what is on the other channel appears for a few moments. To further explain, when I am watching 12.1 HD the signal drops out and then the 12.2 SD program appears for a few moments and then corrects itself. The same happens when watching 12.2 SD, 12.1 HD programming appears for a few moments and then corrects itself. Back and forth it goes making viewing impossable.

During the day when they are broadcasting SD on both channels I have no problem. The multicasting seems to be the issue, not signal strength. I am using a Sony HD-100 with a roof antenna and a preamp. The signal strenth meter indicates 92. All of the other stations have the same high signal strength and no problems. Satellite reception is without problems.

I suspect WHYY has changed something in the last week or so that is causing this problem as I have not had any problems before.

Any input is appreciated.

~ 2 wks ago I had problem. Called whyy- got the security office that routed me to control room. Their encoders were having problems. The sound went out on 12.2 & the vid went out on 12.1 They ran a test screen for a while & then programing came back on but all chopped off. I had to shut off tv & turn back on for it to "re-sync" to proper 16x9.

Ongoing saga of wpvi messing up the HD feed...
This time it was again that magical time of 10:45pm during Santa Clause ( the Tim Allen one) last week..( just watched the dvhs)
this time no graphic scroll or storm warning..just the last 15 min. changing back to SD 4:3. Nice way to mess up my tape of SANTA!

You will have to wait to Feb. 2009 for WPVI to get their act together I am afraid. I no longer even bother with them unless the Eagles are on in HD.

Anyone have an e-mail or contact for Fox 29? I got them fine over the summer and beginning of fall. The last couple months, I can't get a digital signal from them. Well, I do, but nothing strong enough to lock on to. I get their analog signal just fine.

has anyone noticed a few(at least 2) new channels showing up in the grid?

oxygen and tvone.
never heard of tvone it looks like a clone of tvl;and, old tv shows as programming.

neither channel is working yet just a not authorized pop up.

has anyone noticed a few(at least 2) new channels showing up in the grid?

oxygen and tvone.
never heard of tvone it looks like a clone of tvl;and, old tv shows as programming.

neither channel is working yet just a not authorized pop up.

In Montgomery County we got 4 new channels today: Hallmark, Oxygen, TVOne, and Great American Country.

TVOne is owned by comcast, supposed to compete with BET, thats what I remember when it started a year or two ago.

I live in South Philadelphia and although this maybe off topic, I know most people here are in the Philadelphia area. So that is why I ask here before I get Flamed.
I believe I have the Motorola 6208 box and seemlingly not able to record HD from firewire. Does anyone here know if I trade in my box for the 6412 or 3412 if I will be able to Record HD from Firewire? Thanks

curtis104: To answer your original question, I'm using a Motorola 6208 via Firewire to my PC. Drivers, software (CAPDVHS.exe), etc. in a very nice thread at: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=403695 (How to record via IEEE 1394 (Firewire) to Windows XP)

The only restrictions are when the 5C (copy protection) flag is set, which is on any premium channel. You may be trying to record a premium HD channel, such as INHD. No can do. Try the broadcast HD channels.

what channel numbers are the channels on? just want to see if they are even here in south jersey.

Neeshu-

Great American Country - 147
TV One - 173
Oxygen - 186

Here in DE we had Hallmark on Analog - but some areas that didn't now have it on Channel 137 on the Digital Tier.

You will have to wait to Feb. 2009 for WPVI to get their act together I am afraid. I no longer even bother with them unless the Eagles are on in HD.

I know what that date is but what does it mandate? More power? Higher tower? that's all that would help me 40 miles out. Especially with fox down at a 20 signal for me.

That is the date that all stations will have to turn off their analog transmitters. That is when WPVI will actually pay attention to and have pride in thier digital signal. Until then, they could care less. They only pay attention to their analog one now.

Nope, those stations weren't added to South Jersey.

I am sorry to be a party pooper, but could you please keep this on topic? These new channels added are not HD channels. The subject of this forum is "Local HDTV Info and Reception." Perhaps starting a new thread elsewhere would suffice for talking about these channels??

The addition of these new channels is relevant to HD as it deals with bandwidth issues. The fact that SJ does not have TNT-HD and did not get the new SD offerings either is interesting and noteworthy and impacts the availability of new HD offerings via Comcast in SJ..

The addition of these new channels is relevant to HD as it deals with bandwidth issues. The fact that SJ does not have TNT-HD and did not get the new SD offerings either is interesting and noteworthy and impacts the availability of new HD offerings via Comcast in SJ..

Anyone have any insight as to why any progress in both the SD and HD offerings in SJ have ceased...is the network infrastructure that different in SJ that would prevent this region from progressing the way the surrounding service areas appear to be? Just trying to get a grip on whether there are technical roadblocks or this is a management issue in the SJ region.

Chris.

South jersey still has all the channels that were removed everywhere else, that does not make any sense

The addition of these new channels is relevant to HD as it deals with bandwidth issues. The fact that SJ does not have TNT-HD and did not get the new SD offerings either is interesting and noteworthy and impacts the availability of new HD offerings via Comcast in SJ..

I agree JWhip - thank you for agreeing! New SD channels being added are important especially with the pending possible addition of new HD's.

Did SJ get rid of the West Coast premium feeds yet? That could be part of your problem they eliminated them in Central New Jersey as of December 1st.

If you take a look at the Phila area I believe Comcast performed the following before TNT HD and other channels were added:

1)Complete DS
2)Remove Premium channels from 2-99
3) Eliminate West Coast Feeds
4) Added TNT-HD

If they continue this path than I believe that Central Jersey will be getting TNT - HD in January

If you take a look at the Phila area I believe Comcast performed the following before TNT HD and other channels were added:

1)Complete DS
2)Remove Premium channels from 2-99
3) Eliminate West Coast Feeds
4) Added TNT-HD
Not here, in the Willow Grove, PA system; the Analog tier still has two Premiums on five channels.

Five Analog channels could yield how many HD channels?

QZ1 - And you have TNT -HD? Well I was just trying to determine if Comcast had a structured plan in place for the North East. Well I tried to make sense of it all so I'll just throw my hands up and say"what are you doing" If chaos rules at Comcast than they are doomed and will be replaced as the #1 content provider to an organization that has a vision and a plan!

After following this thread for a while I just have to ask. As a non TNT watcher, I dont see why the big deal about getting tnt HD. Can someone give me a rundown of what's on there that you enjoy seeing? We all do have different tastes and I'm sure some of you could care less about getting sci fi or some other channels I like in HD. In any case I hope you all have DVRs because I could never even watch something on sci fi live with 5-6 minutes of commercials each break!

We want to see Charles Barkley's face on a fat white guy dancing with the face of a bull shaved in his back hair in HD. Don't you?

NBA

After following this thread for a while I just have to ask. As a non TNT watcher, I dont see why the big deal about getting tnt HD. Can someone give me a rundown of what's on there that you enjoy seeing? We all do have different tastes and I'm sure some of you could care less about getting sci fi or some other channels I like in HD. In any case I hope you all have DVRs because I could never even watch something on sci fi live with 5-6 minutes of commercials each break!

Excuse me but isn't this like saying, 'well, we've already got 3 good looking girls in this office - why add more?'

There's no such thing as too much HD content when we're starved for it.

I am considering getting either the TOSHIBA - 72MX195 72-IN 1080p HD DLP Projection TV or the SONY 70" XBR® Grand WEGA™ 3LCD Rear Projection HDTV
KDF-70XBR950.
If you own or seen either of the above, please help me with your opinion.
Thanks Fellas

Excuse me but isn't this like saying, 'well, we've already got 3 good looking girls in this office - why add more?'

There's no such thing as too much HD content when we're starved for it.

Fabulous...Couldn't have said it better myself!

Excuse me but isn't this like saying, 'well, we've already got 3 good looking girls in this office - why add more?'

There's no such thing as too much HD content when we're starved for it.
I was asking about TNT specifically since I dont watch it. Wondered what I've been missing. I dont see anyone clamoring for sci fi, foodtv etc so figured everyone was hot about tnt and not any other channel since I never see requests on here for anything but 'when's tnt coming to my area?"

QZ1 - And you have TNT -HD? Well I was just trying to determine if Comcast had a structured plan in place for the North East. Well I tried to make sense of it all so I'll just throw my hands up and say"what are you doing" If chaos rules at Comcast than they are doomed and will be replaced as the #1 content provider to an organization that has a vision and a plan!
Yes, I thought that went without saying. ;)
We have DS, they removed all, AFAIK, West Coast feed Premiums, and then we got TNT-HD.

I was asking about TNT specifically since I dont watch it. Wondered what I've been missing. I dont see anyone clamoring for sci fi, foodtv etc so figured everyone was hot about tnt and not any other channel since I never see requests on here for anything but 'when's tnt coming to my area?"

NBA has to be the only reason that TNT even has HD since all the shows and movies I've ever watched where just 4:3 stretched out in a higher resolution.

^^^ agreed. There's nothing of value on TNT-HD, unless you are a fan of the NBA in HD. I've had it for a while with DN. For those in S. Jersey, you aren't missing much.

IIRC, Lord of the Rings 1 & 2 were in HD.

I know the NFL has goofy rules about broadcasting 2 games consecutively if one is a home game in that team's market, so why isn't the Giants/Redskins games on local Philly FOX when Eagles are in Arizona as the late game?

I'm getting spoiled watching football games in HD.

CBS has the national doubleheader this weekend. It alternates every weekend. Fox had it last weekend.

This is why I get the NFL Sunday Ticket!

CBS has the national doubleheader this weekend. It alternates every weekend. Fox had it last weekend.

Thanks, newsman. I've watched football on sundays for many years, but I never noticed that alternating sunday rule.

Oh well, I ended up forgetting to dvr the Eagles game, but I don't think I missed much!

All I can say is wow..

Was visiting the folks the past 3 days for Christmas - and got to sample HD Net, HD Net Movies, and Universal HD for the 1st time (bought them an HD set for the holidays) on Service Electric cable.

All I can say is the variety on HD Net and HD Movies is years ahead of what INHD shows. And Universal HD had some cool shows on it as well.

Instead of watching a documentary on the katydid like we do on INHD or 6 replays of Hanson in concert, I caught a couple movies (current ones too) and some decent music. I think it's time for Comcast to pony up some $$$ to Mr. Cuban and get these added to our lineup!

E-mail them and let them know.

All I can say is wow..

I think it's time for Comcast to pony up some $$$ to Mr. Cuban and get these added to our lineup!

Hear, hear! - but I'm not holding my breath waiting for this to happen..

This is my most wanted HD station. I look at the HDNet movie listing schedule and drool!

FWIW, I've e-mailed Comcast a number of times expressing my interest in HDNet.

I'm hoping that we'll see Verizon FIOS in our area this year!

Dennis

(who doesn't care a bit about TNTHD - just what we need: another station with
cropped movies, commercials, and over-sized unceasing logos!)

...I think it's time for Comcast to pony up some $$$ to Mr. Cuban and get these added to our lineup!

Absolutely!! And while they are ponying up the cash, maybe they can rid us of some of the other garbage eating up bandwidth so these HD channels can actually be added...I don't care if TNTHD is good or bad, if its available I want to get it along with any other HD thats available...but here in SJ that continues to be a big problem.

Chris

NBC10HD has finally improved its picture quality. . . It has been off the air on Comcast in SJ for the last several hours, along with the digital simulcast weather channel. Has anyone else noticed this?

I don't understand why Comcast opted for TNT HD over Universal HD. Based on experience, I'm sure Comcast will come to their senses and pick up UHD just as soon as the new Battlestar Galactica, one of my favorite shows, goes off the air. :rolleyes:

I also don't understand why TNT HD broadcasts those goofy cropped and stretched movies on a digital HD channel. I mean, I myself can go to my local BB and buy some 3-year-old or more movie for $10 on DVD, and a network is digitally broadcasting it in inferior quality? Did they only purchase the standard def. rights to the movie? Is there a significant difference in cost? If they don't have the rights to anything but a 4:3 version, then why the hell don't they broadcast it in 4:3 unmolested?

On a side note, I'm going to smack the next person who complains about OAR movies along with standard def leaving black bars on thier 16X9 HDTV. I think these bellyachers are the ones responsible for this cropping/stretching crap on TNT HD. Let these people crop/stretch their movies on their own TV's, so I don't have to watch what looks to be a "mini-me" clone of Antonio Banderas battling the Lollypop Guild in Legend of Zorro.

the main reaso they picked up TNT was because people were complaining about the NBA Playoffs. If there's something you're dying to watch, complain about it. It doesnt even matter if they pick up UHD, because it takes them about a year to spread a channel accross the country. Here in South Jersey, we still havent gotten TNT. To tell you the truth, I'm not that excited about TNT, but it's better than nothing. I'd much rather have UHD for the olympics, but I know I'm going to have niether.

Is anyone having problems with the reception on some of the HD channels..specifically the broadcast channels (ABC, NBC, CBS, etc.)?

On my brand new Sony HDTV there is a white flickering line at the top of the pic on these channels....it is very noticeable and very annoying....

Any ideas?

If it's coming on all of the channels, it must be your own equipment or reception. It's not very likely all the channels have this white line

If it is a white almost dotted line at the very top of your screen, it sounds like a time code which all channels do have. You need to adjust your overscan to eliminate this and in particular, your vertical size setting until it disappears.

I would like to get a Comcast DVR and Digital service for my parents. (I already have a DVR, so I know how to check the diagnostic menu, and connecting it is easy.) I already installed HSI for them, so I can see their signal power and SNR are fine, and I have optimized their splitter config.

I have read that those with a Digital or HD STB can exchange or pick it up themselves; does the same apply if one has HSI already? If not, who could I ask about making an exception?

The reason I ask, is not to avoid the install fee, (although that would be nice :) ), rather because my mother is chronically ill, she can't move at will all the time, so to not be disturbed, she would having her out of her room for the four hour appt. window, and that would be difficult on her.

The 3412 has an active HDMI output. If you want to record HD, the 3412 is the way to go unless your TV has a built in DVR. Otherwise, the cable card is just fine.

The 3412 has an active HDMI output. If you want to record HD, the 3412 is the way to go unless your TV has a built in DVR. Otherwise, the cable card is just fine.

I thought the current generation of CableCard did not support on-demand.

This is another "feature" of CableCard that may be a concern.

I am not up to date on all the CC issues. I have three commercial displays and none have CC capability. Seems like another reason to get a box, although I am sure that future CC will support On Demand.

I was told the cable cards were one way only. I took this to mean no On Demand and no interactive guide. I'd still consider it though for something like a clean on wall plasma install.

Anyone got a DCT3412 from Comcast Philly?
Comcast's DCT3412 has an active working HDMI output?

Anyone using a cable card plugged into their HDTV?
Would I be better off with a DCT3412 or a cable card into my HDTV?

Depends what you want. If I had only one TV for HDTV, I would go with the 3412. That way you get a dual tuner DVR, on demand and the guide.

You dont' get any of that with the cable card.

However, I have 2 HDTVs. My main home theater TV has the 3412. My second HDTV (for more casual viewing), has a cable card.

There is one significant problem with at least Panasonic TVs (and perhaps other brands) and the feed that Comcast provides with a cable card. The flags that Comcast is broadcasting is causing digital audio out to be disabled on all channels, except for the broadcast HDTV channels.

In other words, 5.1 surround works on CBS-HDTV, FOX-HDTV, etc. But on every other channel (like INHD, Discovery HD, Encore, etc.), only analog audio out works.

What is happening is that my TV, a Pansonic plasma (th-50px50u), is taking the broadcast flags being sent in the digital stream by Comcast and disabling digital audio out on all channels, other than the broadcast digital/HDTV channels.

I am working with a Comcast engineer (who is a vice president of digital engineering) to have them fix this from the head-end, but I havent' been successful yet.

He said "we are taking this seriously", but I havent' heard back from him in almost a month. And no response to my last 2 emails. So I'm getting concerned.

Otherwise, the cable card is great. Much better picture on the analog stations (than with the 3412).

For much more on the cable card digital audio out issue, go here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=605490&highlight=caesar1

I am not up to date on all the CC issues. I have three commercial displays and none have CC capability. Seems like another reason to get a box, although I am sure that future CC will support On Demand.

2 way cable cards are due out in 2006. But the TVs must support them as well.

Current cable card TVs will be able to use the new 2 way cable cards, but will still only work one way (thus no on-demand, guide etc).

In other words, you need a TV that both supports a 2 way cable card, and the new 2 way cable cards (when they come out).

I am trying to get OTA of HDTV.

I have a samsung TV with a built-in tuner. A ~120inch antenna with a channelmaster 7777 pre-amp. The FM trap is switched on.

I am having various results receiving HD in one direction. some stations are good. A couple are ok if I tweak the antenna direction and some are missing altogether or pixalated 70% or more of the time.

I think the problem is multipath or FM interference because I get good reception on a number of channels in the other direction, even though they are further away.

Some large buildings are directly in the direction of the problem channels, and one has the broadcast antenna for a college FM radio station. The problem channels may be coming in with some strong signals anywhere from 2-9 on the strength meter. Often times the meter is fluctuating, 6 or 8 bars for 5 seconds then 0, or the last bar or 2 are off-on. Some times I have no picture and no signal indication, then move the antenna a few degrees and have a 9! The good channels are in the same direction, and I think on the same broadcast antenna.

Does anyone know how I could diagnose this as multipath or FM, and if so, what should I do? Could it be anything else?

Any help is appreciated.

Dave

Does anyone have any contact information or mailing addresses for anyone at NBC10 or NBCUniversal that I can contact regarding the HD picture quality. I know that someone has contacted people at 6ABC but NBC10 proves more elusive. I had contacted them via email, but lately they do not respond. We need to keep some pressure on them with the winter olympics coming up or they will be as unwatchable as their other HD programs. It is hard to believe that nobody at an entire network would not care about it's HD picture quality, there has to be someone we can talk to.

Confused from discussion over here.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6824334#post6824334

Can we get HD local channels from comcast ( vs my OTA antenna) with just basic & stand service at $45 & not pay extra ? My tv has qam tuner but I receive no picture on the digitals that scaned in after I do the digital channel auto program on my sony.

Can we get HD local channels from comcast ( vs my OTA antenna) with just basic & stand service at $45 & not pay extra ?


I'm doing just that here in Southern NJ via a LG LST-3510A (Comcast in Turnersville, I subscribe to their "extended basic", plus HBO). Matter of fact I now get all of the "extended basic" channels via the LST-3510A but not HBO. It looks like all of the premium channels are scrambled.

Does your HDTV have a cable card slot?

Confused from discussion over here.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6824334#post6824334

Can we get HD local channels from comcast ( vs my OTA antenna) with just basic & stand service at $45 & not pay extra ? My tv has qam tuner but I receive no picture on the digitals that scaned in after I do the digital channel auto program on my sony.

The first month that I had my new Sony CRT HDTV I got all the local HD's with just the $8 basic package that came with my Internet. I used the Sony's internal QAM tuner and the locals all showed up between 109.1 and 119.1.

no cable card slot- I have qam tuner only.
Seems problem is the channels are all scrambled & need a box- misses the hole point of having basic & stand w/o box rental!!!!

you should be able to get them with ur qam tuner. Comcast advertises that their HDTV is absolutely free so they're either false advertising or doing something wrong on their end. If you call them, you should be able to sort it out and get the HD channels free without any equipment.

Called Comcast today 1-2-06- CSR is insisting that for "my area" ( delaware county, PA ) you need to rent box & not use the TV tuner. Can that be so???

Called Comcast today 1-2-06. CSR is insisting that for "my area" ( delaware county, PA ) you need to rent box & not use the TV tuner if you want the local HD ( abc, cbs, etc). She beleived they are scrambling everything. I tried to explain I was not trying to get espn, discovery, etc. that the locals should be avail w/o the box if I had a qam tuner.

Can that be so???

Hey Philly folks... I'm new. Just did a similar post in, I guess the general broadcast forum. I wrote a letter to Gerald Kolpan from fox 29 news and he's been in contact with me. He may be coming to my house tomorrow.

They're going to do a piece about how I am too cheap to pay for cable and can't get my HDTV, Tuner, and antenna to work. They may also play the angle of the Antenna installer profession has mostly gone away. I mostly want people to know that there is an alternative to comcast. BTW... have you seen what the new Comcast building will do the to the Philly Skyline? Website of the same name will take you there.

Anyone want to give me a quick education on DTV in philadelphia?

David

Called Comcast today 1-2-06. CSR is insisting that for "my area" ( delaware county, PA ) you need to rent box & not use the TV tuner if you want the local HD ( abc, cbs, etc). She beleived they are scrambling everything. I tried to explain I was not trying to get espn, discovery, etc. that the locals should be avail w/o the box if I had a qam tuner.Can that be so???
I have read that a few Comcast areas are encrypting HD Locals, but am not aware of any in this metro area. If you can get in contact with an engineer at Comcast, they should know. If you want to save the trouble, then simply say you want a CableCard (they must provide one) for the HD Locals, and see what they say, maybe then they will fix the problem or you indeed need a CC, but you don't need an STB.

the csr was to escalate to a supervisor. That person never got on line & never called back. I have the sony xbr 60'' model from 2 yrs ago- no cable card slot.
(does have 3 firewire & a dvi slot)

I bet it is encrypted & they just don't care that they srew the Qam tuner people.
I beleive comcast will insist that they don't charge for HD but they force you to get box & back door the CC & screw the Qam only people.

Just little annoying when you see global statements about how Comcast DOES provide but I am the unfortune one that can't atest to that it just isn't the case.

I may finally be getting somewhere at NBC10 regarding the HD picture quality. I have received an e mail from Tracy Davidson who is their consumer reporter. She promises me that she will involve the proper people regarding my complaint. If anyone else has had any contact at NBC10 please let me know so that I do not duplicate any efforts.

geez couldnt lock on to nbc at all last night...lost some parts of my shows....i can get abc up into the high 80s but then nbc stinks....70s and lower....and even when i didn't care about abc anymore, i couldn't get a reliable lock on nbc no matter what.

OTA whyy 12.1 & 12.2 doesn't appear to be showing all the proper guide info. Can others confirm? This may be locking up my stb.

My sony built in tuner shows "dtv" as a name but no show titles or descriptions like "rick steves's europe"

My sam t-165 STB is just locked on 12.1 & nothing happens. I need to disconnect antenna connection to unlock. All the other channels come in fine on the sam-t165- all other channels have good signal bars. My sony that does receives 12.1 from same antenna shows good signal strengh.- CONFUSED!

I called whyy master control tonight but she was unable to help. She stated she sees all the guide info on her end (although she never read out the show description nor confirmed the real time- just the show remaining time- & got smart saying We both know that it is rick steves show on now- after I said I can see show but no guide.) She suggested I call during day. Yeah but they don't broadcast HD during day...

How is it on COMCAST? ( I do not have digital cable)

Any Others experience this?

I thought corupted psip but can't confirm or convince them.
MY STB is still locked.

anyone watching the orange bowl.
looks more like foxs digital widescreen then normal true hi def.

Doesn't look too bad to me, but I'm watching on a 27" CRT squeezing down for 16x9.

GO STATE!!!

Penn State game not as bad as a fox broadcast but does seem to be missing something compared to abc monday night.

anyone watching the orange bowl.
looks more like foxs digital widescreen then normal true hi def.
Damn close to the crap fox puts out.

A reply from NBC 10's Jim Barger regarding their HD picture quality:

"You are correct on the bandwith needed for HD television. However the encoder plays a big part in the overall picture quality. Prior to the Olympics we at NBC 10 will be replacing the encoder to reduce the pixilation."

Will this help, does anyone have any thoughts?

Called Comcast today 1-2-06. CSR is insisting that for "my area" ( delaware county, PA ) you need to rent box & not use the TV tuner if you want the local HD ( abc, cbs, etc). She beleived they are scrambling everything. I tried to explain I was not trying to get espn, discovery, etc. that the locals should be avail w/o the box if I had a qam tuner.

Can that be so???

I'm not Del Co, but not far away in Bucks County(Lower Bucks, Bensalem) our locals are not encrypted at all, I pull them in fine with my QAM on my Sammy DLP.
I have the 6412 DVR w/ digi cable, but when I use the TV tuner I pull in the locals fine, from like 112.1-119.2 Many digital channels on the QAM tuner are scrambled, obviously these are all the regular digi cable channels and premiums.
Music Choice channels are NOT scrambled. They are all over, but I pull them in on the QAM tuner.

Howwen, my understanding is that the new encoder will offer an improvement in the pixelation but will not eliminate it. It will still be noticable, just not as noticable as before. The size of your screen also impacts this. The only way NBC will totally improve their HD PQ will be to turn off their subchannels and also improve their network plant which is contributing to the problem as well. The new encoder with NO subchannels should make for a fine picture. However, it does not seem that NBC has any interest. Send me a PM with Mr. Barger's e-mail so I can let him know my thoughts on this issue.

JWhip

can not send the pm, you are at your quota.

Will try later

Thanks, I didn't realize it was full! It is not any longer!

Does anyone have service electric birdsboro area? If you are willing to answer a few questions here or PM, I'd appreciate it. I'm most interested in HD quality. And if you know it, HD quality vs OTA. Directv wont be getting WB and UPN for a while, if at all, and i'm having problems with my OTA. I'm thinking about cable but didn't exhaust all my OTA options yet. Also curious how the moxi box is. (if you can compare to tivo that would be great). I"m also curious what outputs it has to burn my DVDs. I need S vid for my burner.

thanks for any input at all.

Looks like MTV HD will launch 1/16/2006.

Not sure if this is on Comcast's plan-list or not.

Looks like MTV HD will launch 1/16/2006.

Not sure if this is on Comcast's plan-list or not.

With Comcast, we'll be lucky to get it at all. We'll be lucky if we get it by the end of next year. I'm not having much hope.

is comcast getting boomerang?

i get email updates and one of them mentioned watching yogi bear on boomerang starting jan 16th but i couldnt tell if it was for on demand or the actual channel.

Anyone in Delaware County have the 6412 Phase III?

Does the HDMI work? I just got a new 61" Rear Projection JVC and I can't get the STB to work over HDMI. The Component works and looks pretty good, but I want use the HDMI port built into the STB.

Thanks,
Brian

BTW... Just got done watching Everybody Hates Chris on UPN in HD.

So far its the best content I've seen. Unbelievably sharp. Better than anything I've seen on ABC, NBC or CBS.

Still looking for info on using HDMI. ;-)

channelmaster 3020 VS DB8?
http://www.warrenelectronics.com/antennas/3020.htm

40 miles from towers with neighbors house in way....my channels and signals are:

26 90s (always solid)
32 mid 70s ( always solid )
42 20s (If i only aim for this channel, 60 is best signal then others are bad)
54 50s-60 (very unreliable)
64 low 80s (dips to mid 70s)
67 low 80s (dips to mid 70s)

64 and 67 only came in strong with my DB8 literally touching the inside of my roof ridge in the attic. It's Impossible to go 1 millimeter higher. 6 inches made the difference between unreliable readings (70ish with dropouts to 50s) and I just made that adjustment yesterday.

The 13 ft long CM3020 (locally 100 bucks so returnable) would take up the whole length of my attic but it's in a part i dont care about. Also note it would be about 3-4 feet lower than my DB8 is now to accomodate the 13 ft length because my roof is 'facing the wrong way' if you know what i mean. I'm also hoping the rear vertical portion of the antenna wouldn't make me have to lower it too much more.

so my question is: given the signal problems I've noted above, will the 3020 help me if i keep it inside? Or should I just pay for someone to mount the DB8 on the roof? It seems real fun to put together if it's just in a 5ft box now. Will it help get channel 42 in so it's watchable and will it make the other signals even better?

thank you for your input

edit not sure it matters but 64 is going back to 6vhf in 2009 but i'm not sure i should worry about that now

bconneen wrote: "Still looking for info on using HDMI."

As I recall you wanted to compare it to component cables. HDMI should be no worse than component, although a few posts over time say component looked better to some viewers.

As I understand it, an HDMI cable carries a digital signal (as does a DVI cable but only video). It is comparable to using a digital cable from a computer to a digital monitor instead of plugging into an older style video port in the back of a computer. When using a an older type of cable from your computer that plugs into a VGA port, and you have a digital monitor, I beleive that you are converting to an analog stream, which I believe is also the kind of signal that travels through RCA type connectors and component cables - an analog signal.

I don't know the physics of digital versus analog. I understand that digital signals take up a lot less room in the environment in which the signals travel - more data using less bandwith I guess in what you call it? Cell phones are now pretty much all digital. They used to be analog. HDTV is digital. So I guess it is some sense "better" not convert the signal to analog and then back to digital.

Also with HDMI, you are reducing five wires, 3 vid plus 2 audio, down to one.

But, if the overall picture looks better to you and yours, that is the important thing.

Maybe with some stations and sets, the conversion to analog makes the picture a little less detailed and hides some video noise, defects, artifacts or whatever they're called. Some posts say that some people prefer a "softer" HD picture versus a sharper one. For those familiar with DLP's, some people have observed that the older, HD3 chip in the 63 Samsungs are softer and that the later HD2+ chips are sharper, and that maybe the older chip has an advantage in being softer (at least I keep telling myself that because given how things looked for the Eagles in Sept of '04, I did not have the patience to wait for HD2+ or later chips and miss the season in HD).

One post a long time ago speculated that the analog conversion in component cables has a softening effect.

Maybe a good HD picture does not depend on just sharpness, but on the whole mix of screen size, contrast ratios and brilliance of color. Given the contrast and the brilliance and the size, maybe a little less sharpness makes the experience better, and maybe component cables give that in some setups. The switch to HD made me realize that the directors of baseball broadcasts do too darn many closeups of players faces when what you really want to see are how the other players are changing position for each batter, etc. I just don't need to know which players had bad acne in high school. I guess people whose TV sets have really sharp pictures get even more information about skin features of the present and past.

Comcast's office in West Chester gave me an HDMI to DVI cable for free (they did not have HDMI in stock). My favorite electronics store claims that their expensive HDMI cables are better than Comcast's. On the other hand, Comcast gave me really nice component cables. If you do use the freebies, maybe the good component cables are better than the middling HDMI to DVI cables.

My favorite electronics store takes things back as a rule without really long lines(versus its competitor, whose return lines sometimes are absurdly long). If your store tells you that an HDMI cable is returnable and it's not too far, you could try out theirs, and try Comcast's, if you use their service, and see if it looks better enough to spend the money on CC, or if the component cables look better.

SO Tivo is previewing their series 3 HD TIvo at CES :

http://www.livejournal.com/community/tivolovers/tag/series3

http://www.engadget.com/2006/01/05/tivo-announces-series-3-hd-tivo-due-this-year/

http://www.zatznotfunny.com/2006-01/tivos-series-3-lives/

Looks good: analog, digital & HD cable, OTA analog, OTA digital/HD, external expansion storage (SATA box), broadband, USB, two cable card slots (for two ver 1 cable card or 1 ver 2 cable card).

So can anyone explain to me the details of cable card as Comcast in Philadelphia implements it?

Any thoughts as to how this will affect the TiVo/COmcast partnership? If I'm already paying a monthly fee for the Motorola box & DVR features, plus they want to charge for TiVo software on the monthly box, I may just return that box and get the TiVo.

For those interested in 'Philadelphia, PA - OTA' discussion, please use this new thread:
url: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=620626

Hopefully, a Moderator will rename this thread, 'Philadelphia, PA- Comcast'.

anyone watching the orange bowl.
looks more like foxs digital widescreen then normal true hi def.
did channle 6 pump up the digital signal?

the skins/bucs game looks tons better the the orange bowl.

most noticable on the orange bowl was the graphics were very fuzzy.
this game looks the best abc hd game i've seen in a long time.

So can anyone explain to me the details of cable card as Comcast in Philadelphia implements it?

Any thoughts as to how this will affect the TiVo/COmcast partnership? If I'm already paying a monthly fee for the Motorola box & DVR features, plus they want to charge for TiVo software on the monthly box, I may just return that box and get the TiVo.

My thoughts exactly. I loathe the Comcast DVR box with a burning passion of a thousand white-hot suns. I'd rather retire one of my TiVos and replace it with a new HDTV-capable version than continue using the one I have.

That said, Comcast seems to work very hard to try and dissuade customers from using Cablecards. Look for the 'gee, it works' thread elsewhere on these boards for some examples. That, and many Comcast employees really don't understand what cablecards are to begin with, in my experience.

My thoughts exactly. I loathe the Comcast DVR box with a burning passion of a thousand white-hot suns. I'd rather retire one of my TiVos and replace it with a new HDTV-capable version than continue using the one I have.

That said, Comcast seems to work very hard to try and dissuade customers from using Cablecards. Look for the 'gee, it works' thread elsewhere on these boards for some examples. That, and many Comcast employees really don't understand what cablecards are to begin with, in my experience.

Comcast probably won't push CableCard until the 2-way version is available later this year when they can make on-demand money from it.

My thoughts exactly. I loathe the Comcast DVR box with a burning passion of a thousand white-hot suns. I'd rather retire one of my TiVos and replace it with a new HDTV-capable version than continue using the one I have.

That said, Comcast seems to work very hard to try and dissuade customers from using Cablecards. Look for the 'gee, it works' thread elsewhere on these boards for some examples. That, and many Comcast employees really don't understand what cablecards are to begin with, in my experience.

I have a cable card (and I'm with Comcast in the Philly suburbs).

My experience has been not that comcast tries to dissuade people from doing it, its just that the training to call-center employees is atrocious. So the answers they give about cable cards are just plain wrong sometimes.

I literally called 3 times, and got 3 different answers on pricing for my situation (where I already have a DVR box at one TV in my house, and wanted cable card on another TV).

I finally got them to no additional monthly charge for cable card, just a 1 time installation fee.

The installation issue I ran into was incompetence on the technicians on the other end. It took the installer 3 calls to get someone who knew what they were doing (they had to punch in the right authorization codes on the other end). Until then, I wasn't getting digital channels via cable card.

So it is more incompetence, then purposeful pushing towards boxes.

You should never call for pricing and get 3 different answers from any company -- ever.

Is there something we can do to get HD Net?

Is there something we can do to get HD Net?Switch to Dish Network. :rolleyes:

Sixers game looks like trash tonight. Colors are real off. The paint looks cartoony, but everything else looks dull. Like they lowered the contrast and boosted the brightness or something.

Looks better now. Screen went bright like a h-bomb for a second and then went back down. Glad to see they fixed it... now if only Billy King's good for nothing bum could fix the Sixers. Hire a full time coach for them sorry ass young big men.

Looks better now. Screen went bright like a h-bomb for a second and then went back down. Glad to see they fixed it... now if only Billy King's good for nothing bum could fix the Sixers. Hire a full time coach for them sorry ass young big men.

Haha you almost made me not watch the second half on my DVR... Thank god I decided to, you almost made me ignore a win.

I literally called 3 times, and got 3 different answers on pricing for my situation (where I already have a DVR box at one TV in my house, and wanted cable card on another TV).

This is exactly what happened to me. Eventually, when I FINALLY got an answer that going digital to get HDTV service wouldn't mess-up my analog TVs (and TiVos), I went with the Comcast DVR box (because taping shows like Lost and others in HDTV was worth it for me).

However, the DVR box from Comcast is so bad that I'll drop it in a heartbeat if I can find a suitable replacement. I don't relish paying an additional fee on top of the existing DVR fee to get TiVo...but I'll consider it, if there are no other alternatives...because the Motorola DVR box software is so hideously bad.

This is exactly what happened to me. Eventually, when I FINALLY got an answer that going digital to get HDTV service wouldn't mess-up my analog TVs (and TiVos), I went with the Comcast DVR box (because taping shows like Lost and others in HDTV was worth it for me).

However, the DVR box from Comcast is so bad that I'll drop it in a heartbeat if I can find a suitable replacement. I don't relish paying an additional fee on top of the existing DVR fee to get TiVo...but I'll consider it, if there are no other alternatives...because the Motorola DVR box software is so hideously bad.

Curious what you don't like about it?

I like my ReplayTV's better, but the comcast box, once I added the 30 second skip button, certainly has been usable with the software it has.

Of course I would like auto commercial skip like my replay's, but it was my understanding that new replays and Tivos no longer have this feature.

JT

Not to go too far OT, but check out the threads in the "HD Recorders and Players" thread for more specific info on the 6412 DVR, believe me you aren't the only one with problems! Most of them though more than one person has, so there are a lot of explainations/answers in those threads.

Curious what you don't like about it?

I like my ReplayTV's better, but the comcast box, once I added the 30 second skip button, certainly has been usable with the software it has.

Of course I would like auto commercial skip like my replay's, but it was my understanding that new replays and Tivos no longer have this feature.

How do you activate this on the Comcast DVR? I was unaware there was such a feature.

Things I don't like? Here's a few:

1) Poor Performance: sometimes the device just stops responding to commands from the remote. After 30 seconds to a minute, it catches up, executing the last two dozen keypresses (that you thought it didn't receive, so you kept pressing different buttons) and forcing to cope with that. Overall, the box is pretty slow to respond to any commands given to it.

2) Poor Guide interface: Navigating the guide on the comcast DVR is a chore, especially after TiVos intuitive navigation. Getting info about a show is difficult, and the info is much poorer that TiVos information. Accessing the DVR menu is unintuitive, and navigating the menus is a pain, as well, with things like a LAST button which sometimes moves you to the previous menu, and sometimes doesn't. TiVo, for example, prompts you with a simple icon on screen to hint what buttons you can use to jump out to your previous level. The Comcast guide doesn't do that. I see an envelope icon on the info guide....what does it mean? A new message, sure, but how do I read it? Why, press My DVR, of course, and then navigate down to a second screen (if you can figure out which key will get you there) then select System then Messages. Yikes.

3) Scheduling recording is much harder. Features like Season passes may be present, but I have no idea where.

4) Terrible Remote Design: How do you pause TV? Not with the Pause button, but with the up arrow on the directional pad. Why? How do you record? It can take significant effort. It feels like the keys were designed by someone who didn't actually have to use the system.

5) Live Recording is poorly executed. Press the record button, and then enjoy the large message box that is left on-screen for a solid minute telling you that your show is being recorded. Don't leave yet, though, because the large 'recording finished' box will show up for a minute at the end of the recording, too.

These are just some of the many things the box does that irritates me. It's not even close to a TiVo or ReplayTV box in terms of performance, interface design or ease of usage, for me.

How do you activate this on the Comcast DVR? I was unaware there was such a feature.

Never mind, I just googled it and found the information. Thanks.

Anyone know why is Comcast not showing Flyers road games not in HD when the original broadcast is done by CSN (of another city) is in HD???

This past weekend's game of Flyers vs the Washington Capitals was broadcast in HD on CSN Washington but it came through as the old cruddy 480 lines on CSN HD station.

They're the same freakin company! Why can't they do this? :mad:

Glenn
Exton PA

I don't remember what the reason was, but I'm pretty sure JWhip explained the lack of road HD some time ago in this thread. Early in the baseball season, CSN carried a road Phillies-Mets series in HD, which turned out to be a very cruel tease. CSN road HD broadcasts for Phillies-Sixers-Flyers would be a great addition, and something I personally look forward to even more than new HD channels in this marketplace.

It comes down to $$$$$$. It costs extra money for the HD fiber feed from the road. When I ask about this, the boys at CSN ask me if I want to pay for it!

I asked Jim Barger at NBC10 if they will be shutting of the WeatherPlus feed during Olympic coverage to help with bandwith issues. I got back a one word answer . . . No.

I asked Jim Barger at NBC10 if they will be shutting of the WeatherPlus feed during Olympic coverage to help with bandwith issues. I got back a one word answer . . . No.Of course they won't. They make some decent ad money with that channel. Plus, there are people who could careless about the Olympics (I am not one of these people), and care about what the forecast is the next day or 7 days. Olympic coverage on HD will become more significant when the analog channels are shut down. Until then, HD will be second fiddle to analog. Though, there are some exceptions like KUSA in Denver, which does ALL its news in HD, including the camera mounted to their chopper.

Not to be rude but do poor people actually care about the Olympics? I'm middle class and (no offense to an Olympic fans) I could care less. It always seemed like one of those high society type events that would catar to the people that have HD's and stuff like that. I just can't imagine that many people who have analog cable getting all excited for Diving competitions.

nadum, you may think like that, but the ratings are huge for the Olympics. I could care less about the luge, but I'd watch - even on analog. I am sure there are millions more like me.

I asked Jim Barger at NBC10 if they will be shutting of the WeatherPlus feed during Olympic coverage to help with bandwith issues. I got back a one word answer . . . No.

C'mon, NBC10 curtailing its weather coverage??? ("Let's go to Team Coverage at the Walmart, where latest word is snow shovels are almost sold out.") You have a beter chance asking them to start naming Winter Storms like hurricanes. Oh yeah, I forgot, they tried that.

C'mon, NBC10 curtailing its weather coverage??? ("Let's go to Team Coverage at the Walmart, where latest word is snow shovels are almost sold out.") You have a beter chance asking them to start naming Winter Storms like hurricanes. Oh yeah, I forgot, they tried that.It wouldn't be just channel 10 doing that, all the stations here go ga-ga for weather coverage for some odd reason, telling us that the local Acme is sold out of bread, milk, and eggs (do people make french toast at home when it snows????). I don't see how either station (channel 6 or 10) would take off their additional wx programming to satisfy just a few hearty souls (us). The rest of the HD viewing population, probably will be satisfied with the HD coverage of the Olympics.

are you people who are complaining about 10's signal on cable or OTA? When I do get a stable signal from my attic antenna the pic is flawless...if you are saying OTA can be better than this (ie improving 10s signal) then wow....that's all i can say

Not sure about OTA.

Comcast cable digital simulcasts its WeatherPlus channel thus splitting the bandwith available for the HD signal.

Yes newsposter, a flawless picture if you enjoy pixelation and macroblocking galore.

Not to be rude but do poor people actually care about the Olympics? I'm middle class and (no offense to an Olympic fans) I could care less. It always seemed like one of those high society type events that would catar to the people that have HD's and stuff like that. I just can't imagine that many people who have analog cable getting all excited for Diving competitions.


Yeah, only rich people have that silly 'National Pride' thing... :rolleyes:

You may find it hard to believe, but many people, of all economic classes enjoy watching young athletes who compete for nothing but National Pride and the love of their sport...

I get the feeling from your post that there's alot of things you 'could care less' about.

Yes newsposter, a flawless picture if you enjoy pixelation and macroblocking galore.

you on cable? the only time I see anything bad is if it's superfast motion (like the camera scanning down the library book shelf real fast on Medium this week)

otherwise it's great as far as i'm concerned.

it sounds like i best work on my antenna if cable is that bad

JWhip, what is Comcast response to NESN's announcment of all road Red Sox (yuck) games in HD?

God I wish Comcast would start adding HD channels. They finally got rid of all those extra PPV channels we didn't need, though we still have the West Coast feeds of the premiums. It would be nice to watch TNTHD in SJ.

I get the feeling from your post that there's alot of things you 'could care less' about.

Kangeroo fighting is not one of them. When that becomes an Olympic sport, sign me up.

Newsposter, I have yet to see anything but mediocre HD on NBC10. The Notre Dame football was unwatchable as was the recent Elton John concert. Take a look at the Tonight Show vs. Letterman in terms of PQ. No contest there either. They are bit starving their HD signal for Weather Plus and it shows.

Drhill, I have asked and have not yet received a response.

Newsposter, I have yet to see anything but mediocre HD on NBC10. The Notre Dame football was unwatchable as was the recent Elton John concert. Take a look at the Tonight Show vs. Letterman in terms of PQ. No contest there either. They are bit starving their HD signal for Weather Plus and it shows.

Anyone who doubts this or never noticed it before needs to watch an episode of "Crossing Jordan". It's so grainy and blotchy every week you'd think it was an upconvert. I only watch 3 or 4 shows a week on NBC. The others are definitely softer than they should be, but for some reason they aren't as obvious as "Jordan".

I hate to beat the horse...but are the NBC problems you have over cable or OTA? All my prime time stuff always looks great since i've aimed my antenna better with 85ish signal. If you are stuck with a bad cable pic then that's terrible. They are always advertising to switch!

I have seen it on both cable and OTA and it is being seen all around the country. If YOU think it looks great, fine. I don't and have been watching HD since 1999.

huh, how can you see channel 10 from all over the country? aren't the people on here talking about either OTA, comcast, or directv problems with the signal? I had no idea the philly group was talking about the natl feeds.

I've read posts where the people say the signal is all over the place and assumed they were talking about multipath ota. And the cable postings..i thought they meant because comcast splits the bandwidth that the signal was bad.

I find it hard to believe i was mistaken. But if i was..oops

And except for signal dropouts, all my HD OTA does look really good.

newsposter, I am referring to NBC affiliates around the country that are doing just what NBC10 is doing, namely 1080i and Weather Plus on their digital channels. It is not two signals but one. NBC10 sends out their digital channel on UHF 67. In that data stream are 10.1 and 10.2. Comcast takes the same feed via fiber directly from the NBC10 plant before the signal is sent to the antenna for OTA transmission. The total digital stream including the PSIP information is 19.3 mbs. That is barely adequate and I mean barely, for a 1080i signal. However, NBC10 is taking bits away from the 1080i stream when they add the Weather Plus leaving a very clear adverse impact on the quality of the picture. You may think it looks good but it does not to me and many others. NBC and NBC10 in particular are not interested in maximizing their PQ and are trying to generate additional revenue with their Weather Plus channel which should only be streamed on the web.

I couldnt agree more, NBC10 is by far the worst when it comes to HD. The only think I remember that looked good was when it showed Shrek2. Other then that The past couple years I have had HD they have had the most problems with sound and what not. I record conan at night and they even have problems with his show, half of the show wont be in HD, once they get rid of the first guest they must remember to flip the switch. Letterman's PQ is far supperior to that of Leno's.

I hate to beat the horse...but are the NBC problems you have over cable or OTA? All my prime time stuff always looks great since i've aimed my antenna better with 85ish signal. If you are stuck with a bad cable pic then that's terrible. They are always advertising to switch!

If you are directing that question to me, I have tried watching NBC10 over both comcast and OTA and the picture is identical on each, lousy. If you like the PQ from NBC10, and it is good enough for you, then more power to you. But if you are trying to claim that the PQ of NBC10 is the same as CBS3, that is just not true.

I record conan at night and they even have problems with his show, half of the show wont be in HD, once they get rid of the first guest they must remember to flip the switch.It's automated. Their automated system screws up a lot it seems, and must be manually switched. Of course, at that time of the morning (after 1230AM), there isn't anyone there who is qualified to fix the problem.

If you are directing that question to me, I have tried watching NBC10 over both comcast and OTA and the picture is identical on each, lousy. If you like the PQ from NBC10, and it is good enough for you, then more power to you. But if you are trying to claim that the PQ of NBC10 is the same as CBS3, that is just not true.
Imagine how bad "Sunday Night Football" is going to look on NBC10 next season. :(

Shudder the thought! At least the PQ on the Sixers-Jazz game is back to normal tonight after the ESPNish colors Monday night!

Isn't the Flyers game on Channel 10 this weekend? Anyone know if it is in HD? You'll have a good comparison between that game in HD and Comcrap in HD.

It seems most people talk about sports on here. Maybe that's the problem since i watch virtually none. I have a relatively good eye. I may not know every technical term out there, but i do see stuff my wife doesn't. thursday nights have many nbc and cbs programs. I really dont see the difference. If you do, then i'm glad my eyes are that bad. The blood and guts on ER as well as on CSI all look pretty darn explicit to me.

I guess until someone is sitting next to me pointing this stuff out, i'll never see the bad in nbc.

Shudder the thought! At least the PQ on the Sixers-Jazz game is back to normal tonight after the ESPNish colors Monday night!
Yes, it looked great tonight.

I noticed a couple of weeks ago for the first half of the game whoever who was operating the mid court camera was zooming in much more then normal and it looked phenominal. They don't seem to be doing that anymore.

Isn't the Flyers game on Channel 10 this weekend? Anyone know if it is in HD? You'll have a good comparison between that game in HD and Comcrap in HD.

no indication on the guide.
it'll be interesting to see if it is hd.

Imagine how bad "Sunday Night Football" is going to look on NBC10 next season. :(

Well, I hadn't noticed the PQ difference until now. I recorded (Moto DVR) Surface and Medium and then compared them to the PQ quality of Criminal Minds and NCIS.

I thought NCIS looked a little grainy, but I dismissed that as the style of the show. However, I concluded that NBC clearly looked inferior to CBS. I also don't believe that the quality of the 720p crowd (ABC, ESPN, FOX) is up to CBS quality.

Of course, this is balanced by the complete ignorance of CBS in cancelling Threshold and replacing it with LOVE MONKEY!!! :mad:

I'm watching on a 34" SONY XBR TV. Do CRT (direct view) TV's soften the picture so that different formats (720p vs. 1080i) look similar? Just wondering.

Either way, now I'll never watch NBC shows without be critical of the PQ quality, although it sure beats SD TV.

Isn't the Flyers game on Channel 10 this weekend? Anyone know if it is in HD? You'll have a good comparison between that game in HD and Comcrap in HD.

I didn't think it was gonig to be in HD (it is on NBC). I thought that NBC was only broadcasting the national game in HD -- Detroit/NYR, I think. Don't know for sure, though. If anyone knows, please enlighten us.

Doesn't that figure? First home game in almost a month....and no HD. That blows.

The 34" Sony has a very good picture, does not soften things. Just small. I have had a 34" (a Panny) also since 1999 and now have 42" and 50" plasmas. The 34" really looks small now but the Sony XBR 34" has the best CRT pic out there.

Does anyone have the combination of Comcast (Garden State or others) and sat. service for HD. I am curious what the minimum Comcast package to still receive CSN and add sat for the HD channels that Comcast can't or won't add at this time. I am really bummed about all of the hockey for the Olympics being on UniversalHD and not being able to get it.

Thanks for any ideas.

The 34" Sony has a very good picture, does not soften things. Just small. I have had a 34" (a Panny) also since 1999 and now have 42" and 50" plasmas. The 34" really looks small now but the Sony XBR 34" has the best CRT pic out there.

Thanks, JWhip. I think the 34" XBR has a great picture. I too am thinking about replacing it with a 42" plasma in the near future. (I like the plasma vs. LCD).

Anybody want to buy a 206 lb. tv??

Anybody want to buy a 206 lb. tv??

Mine sits on a dolly in the entertainment center so I can roll it out when I have to fuss with wires.

welp i started watching for flaws in nbc's pic since it's supposed to be bad. If you are talking about things like when they are swinging the camera around (The Office is a good example), or there's a big fire scene, and you see the blocks , then yes i see that.

now i'll have to wait for a fast action show or fire on cbs to compare :)

After over a year of intermittent tiling/pixellation/drop outs on both 6412s (and their predecessors) in my house, and numerous service calls (new boxes, replacement of various cabling/connections in and around my house), the problem became very severe around the holidays, prompting me to call Executive Customer Service. This quickly resulted in outstanding service and follow-up from someone at corporate and a Lead Tech who appeared extremely competent and diligent. Yesterday, the Tech told me (forgive me if I'm not using the right jargon) that a bad node had been discovered that was affecting thousands of customers in the area (including those with standard digital boxes). He wasn't sure how quickly the node would be replaced, but it appears that it may have been, as I experienced no problems last night for the first time in over a month.

trickd,

Do you have that executive customer service number for comcast? I've been having the same sorts of problems for about 2 months now and I've been getting no help from the basic techs in diagnosing the problem. The first guy did nothing but check levels and replace the ends on every single coaxial cable in my house. Even the ones not related to the tv that's having the problems.

Thanks,
Eric

Eric,
The number is 215-665-1700. I emphasized the number of unsuccessful "standard" service calls I had. Good luck.

Does anyone have the combination of Comcast (Garden State or others) and sat. service for HD. I am curious what the minimum Comcast package to still receive CSN and add sat for the HD channels that Comcast can't or won't add at this time. I am really bummed about all of the hockey for the Olympics being on UniversalHD and not being able to get it.

Thanks for any ideas.


Well, not sure about the comcast part, but for the satellite--at least directv--part, watch out for the year-long commitment. I think if you get any kind of 'deal' on the equipment, you're required to commit to a year of service.

If you pay full price for the equipment, you may be able to activate service for just a month for the olympics, but then you may be paying out the ear for the equipment.

Well, not sure about the comcast part, but for the satellite--at least directv--part, watch out for the year-long commitment. I think if you get any kind of 'deal' on the equipment, you're required to commit to a year of service.

If you pay full price for the equipment, you may be able to activate service for just a month for the olympics, but then you may be paying out the ear for the equipment.Or, just stop by ebay and see what you can get. There are tons of receivers on ebay with access cards. Though, most of those receivers are SD.

What's the effect of fog on OTA? I'm 40 miles out with a DB8 and 125 ft run. Paid someone to put the antenna 10 ft up on the chimney this morning. Fox is 2 degrees off but all other stations are the same direction. However it appeared even though it was on the roof, I couldn't get in ch 64 and 67 in the high 80s like i did in the attic. My guess is the chimney was 5 ft to the right of the original spot inside and i guess that made the difference. But i didnt' want the hassle of a tripod.

Anyway, after over 1 hour of struggling aiming the antenna 1 millimeter at a time, and trying a pre amp from the guy (turns out my regular amp was better anyways), I've now gotten fox to be solid mid 60s and channel 67 and 64 seem to be solid 68ish or 72 ish. If everything stays as is, i'll be thrilled as I can record solid 60 signals. But I was wondering if the dense fog helped or hurt the aiming this morning? If all the channels die tonight after the fog is gone, i'll scream lol.

does anybody know if the Flyers game tomorrow on NBC will be in HD?

No it will not be. The HD game is the Rangers one. Flyers will be SD.

Darn....that's a bummber........but thanks for the feedback.

What's the effect of fog on OTA?
Please use the new 'Phila., PA- OTA' thread.
I have asked the Moderator to rename this thread 'Phila., PA- Comcast', hopefully it will be.

No it will not be. The HD game is the Rangers one. Flyers will be SD.


Darn, I suffered watching all the SD games during the longest Flyer road trip in history, was all excited they were finally home so I could see an HD game again, and the NBC deal goofs it up...

Please use the new 'Phila., PA- OTA' thread.
I have asked the Moderator to rename this thread 'Phila., PA- Comcast', hopefully it will be.

I'll use whatever forum I wish. Pretty rude to tell the mods to switch what they have deemed appropriate content. Let's see how well they listen to you.

Please use the new 'Phila., PA- OTA' thread.
I have asked the Moderator to rename this thread 'Phila., PA- Comcast', hopefully it will be.
Thought this was "Local HDTV Info and Reception" - I get both cable and OTA HDTV and I kinda like being able to see comments about both in here. What's your problem with OTA, anyway?

Same here. Keep it "Philly" for all reception modes. I like to compare OTA with ComCast all the time. I'd also compare against DirecTV local stations, but I couldn't stand the quality and dropped it.

Some areas prefer a single thread for all HDTV sources, and most prefer to break it up to keep the discussion more focused. It's up to you guys how you want to handle it - unless it reaches the point that one begins to completely dominate the discussion and questions from another source are left unanswered. Typically, it is the cable discussion that squeezes out the OTA discussion.

There's already separate threads for Blue Ridge cable, Central NJ-OTA and Delaware-HDTV within the Philly DMA, so eventually it would make sense to break this into OTA and cable. However, as I mentioned via PM, before making a split - I want to make sure that a majority of the area begins to use the Philadelphia OTA thread for OTA issues before forcing that split.

Keep in mind that the primary goal is that all information is readily available to members and that all question get answered. As an area grows in HDTV options (DBS is now also an option in Philadelphia) it becomes increasingly harder to address all those questions for all those sources. For instance, 20 cable posts within a couple hours can push an OTA question "off the page" before it gets seen by other OTA'ers. That's what we'll be looking at.

I was wondering why some things like the 6ers in hd take up the full screen but on other things that are listed as hd program still have letter boxes around them

I was wondering why some things like the 6ers in hd take up the full screen but on other things that are listed as hd program still have letter boxes around them


Could you be more specific? Some shows on HD channels are not shot in HD. These shows generally have thick grey or black bars on just the sides of the picture. Other shows that are shot in HD but have a thin black bar around all 4 sides are not being broadcast in HD, usually because an engineer screwed up. When that happens, it is usually referrred to around here as "someone forgot to flip the switch", usually coming out of a commercial break.

Could you be more specific? Some shows on HD channels are not shot in HD. These shows generally have thick grey or black bars on just the sides of the picture. Other shows that are shot in HD but have a thin black bar around all 4 sides are not being broadcast in HD, usually because an engineer screwed up. When that happens, it is usually referrred to around here as "someone forgot to flip the switch", usually coming out of a commercial break.

The other explanation is that the movie is being broadcast in its' "original aspect ratio", otherwise known as OAR. This is what you would see if a movie was being broadcast in 2.35:1 or 2.4:1 aspect ratio.

Same here. Keep it "Philly" for all reception modes. I like to compare OTA with ComCast all the time. I'd also compare against DirecTV local stations, but I couldn't stand the quality and dropped it.

Ditto. I already know my Directv signal bites and am using OTA but am very interested in comparisons with all methods of transmission and the talk of where people are and what they are doing is nice all in one place.

There's already separate threads for Blue Ridge cable, Central NJ-OTA and Delaware-HDTV within the Philly DMA, so eventually it would make sense to break this into OTA and cable. However, as I mentioned via PM, before making a split - I want to make sure that a majority of the area begins to use the Philadelphia OTA thread for OTA issues before forcing that split.




I use both OTA and Comcast for my HDTV, so naturally having one master thread makes the most sense to me. I'm guessing the main reason for a split is the "I don't have Comcast, I will never have Comcast, so why should I have to read posts about it" argument. I guess I can see why some people might think that is a valid reason. The problem is where do you stop? I live in an apartment and use an indoor antenna. Should I have to sift through lengthy discussions on amps, pre-amps and mast heights when I will never have any use for them? Following the previous logic, no I shouldn't, so you should break up Philadelphia OTA into 2 seperate threads: Phila-OTA- Outdoor Antennas and Phila-OTA-Indoor Antennas. And don't forget about the satellite subscribers. The Dish and DirecTV owners shouldn't have to share a thread either, so give them each their own threads. And judging from the latest PA/NJ TNT-HD debacle, we should probably split the proposed Philadelphia Comcast thread into 2 seperate threads, Comcast-PA and Comcast-So. Jersey. And FIOS is on the way, can't forget about them, let's give them their own thread. Where does it end?

I know some people have control issues, but is it really that big of a deal to just ignore the posts that don't apply to your specific situation and move on to the next one? This forum has more than enough subscription and notification tools available to its' members that anyone can make monitoring these threads as brief or as detailed as they like. I like the fact that this thread currently involves all aspects of Philly HDTV. I want to hear about Dish DirecTV and Verizon offerings, even though I don't use them now. If this thread gets renamed to Phila-Comcast and the Phila. -OTA stays the same, where will those topics be posted? As it stands now, DBS and FIOS would both be off-topic in either of these threads.

The bottom line is this, if the OTA'ers want their own thread, go right ahead and the best of luck to you. But don't limit the rest of us who want a broad range of posts by renaming this thread Phila-Comcast. That's my 2 cents anyway...

I'll use whatever forum I wish. Pretty rude to tell the mods to switch what they have deemed appropriate content. Let's see how well they listen to you.
Somebody has a chip on their shoulder. :rolleyes: I was trying to be helpful. Since there is a new OTA thread, it makes sense to post your message there. Since users have started many, if not all, of the Local threads, renaming the thread made sense to me, so I requested it. No need to get all huffy. :(

I use both OTA and Comcast for my HDTV, so naturally having one master thread makes the most sense to me.

I like the fact that this thread currently involves all aspects of Philly HDTV. I want to hear about Dish DirecTV and Verizon offerings, even though I don't use them now. If this thread gets renamed to Phila-Comcast and the Phila. -OTA stays the same, where will those topics be posted? As it stands now, DBS and FIOS would both be off-topic in either of these threads.
How about calling this thread 'Phila, PA- Cable, DBS, FIOS' ? :)
I know some of you will find a problem with that too, but that is an idea.
But, hey, if others are okay with an overlap of OTA threads, then so be it. :cool:

How about calling this thread 'Phila, PA- Cable, DBS, FIOS' ? :)
I know some of you will find a problem with that too, but that is an idea.
But, hey, if others are okay with an overlap of OTA threads, then so be it. :cool:

I have Comcast, and I can get Verizon FIOS. I don't feel like being "bleeding edge" with FIOS (plus I don't feel like rewiring my house just yet).

Anyway, what is DBS?

Anyway, what is DBS?DBS = Direct Broadcast Satellite, i.e. Dish Network and DirecTV.

I prefer one thread for all my local needs... I get OTA and Comcast, but if someone wants to talk about something unrelated to those or simply not of interest to me, I have the aptitude to skip to the next item. I also know how to use the search feature which comes in handy with unwieldy threads like this.

Ok my luck got bad, somehow I knew it would:

Note I want WB/UPN so waiting for the HDdvr with Directv doesn't help me right now.

local installer ($60 per hour) that I hired to put the DB8 that I previously bought on the chimney won't be back in the office until Monday so I wanted my options before then. I had it in the attic but couldn't get in fox (uhf 42) because it was 2 degrees off. I figured if I got 75-90 in the attic on the other nets, (except 54), that on the chimney would be a good compromise to get in fox because in theory the signal is stronger outside right?

Well after much fiddling, we got it to where ch 42/54/64/67 were all pretty solid 60-70. Thing is, even when he was fiddling outside, i never got 64/67 to as good a signal as I had in the attic. I guess this was more of a big deal than I thought at the time. Does it sound reasonable that because the chimney was actually 6-8 ft away from the site in my attic, that it may be the reason I never got in a good signal outside? I'm assuming the antenna is perfectly plumb but of course I have no way of telling. He did seem to take great care when he did the chimney mount.

So overnight we had a very bad thunder storm. however this morning all the channels were the same as yesterday. Then this afternoon the winds and rains kicked up and the channels were all unwatchable during the storm (going from zero up to 70 wildly). Even now that it's calmed down, i can't get back in ch 67 but the others are relatively ok. I'm assuming this means the antenna moved. I didn't think up high on a 10 ft pole was very stable but he assured me it was rock solid. Obviously this isn't true.

So i have to think of my options and it's frustrating

1. tell him the antenna moved and make them somehow shore it up. I'd assume they would have to do this free/reduced cost since it obviously moved. However the problem I have this this option is even at the time of install, i only got low 70s for a high signal when inside i was getting 80s. So this may be foolish to try and solidify an antenna in this relatively poor position.

2. maybe lower the antenna on the 10ft pole down a few feet to make it more stable? Or is this pointless given my 'weak' signals of 60-70?

3. I'm assuming you can do a tripod mount on the peak of any roof. (didn't ask him but i'd assume they can do that). I could have him stand near the spot where I had the good signals inside and try to find a good signal and I'd assume they should be the same/stronger on the roof at that point. Then we can determine how ch 42 will come in at that point. I'd assume they would do this as they are the pros and i dont see how else you could tell a good signal. Also if they can't get in all 6 networks, I may as well put the antenna back inside away from the elements.

4. try to lower the antenna for more stability and just aim for channel 42 then put another antenna back in the attic and get another antenna (though I know it's a 2 week wait for a jointenna unless I can do something like a reverse splitter? Of course then there's the cost for another antenna plus 30 for the jointenna. And now i'm really paranoid about outside mounts not being stable.

5. ask them what antenna they have for my area (I know the like wineguard) and ask him to do a test of it on the chimney mount.


I already spent 200 on friday. I dont know how much more I want to put into this. I definitely have to have him back here, even if just to take the antenna down, as I dont climb on roofs. My gut says have him use a tripod and at least try to move the antenna to a point where the signal is at least as strong as inside and get the antenna as low to the roof as possible to minimize wind problems. I guess the 6 ft to the one side made a big difference.

Somebody has a chip on their shoulder. :rolleyes: I was trying to be helpful. Since there is a new OTA thread, it makes sense to post your message there. Since users have started many, if not all, of the Local threads, renaming the thread made sense to me, so I requested it. No need to get all huffy. :(
It's all perspective. I thought someone telling me where to post and not post was rude you and you thought me telling you I didn't subscribe to that line of thinking was rude. We canceled each other out. And all is well.


I think it was more the fact you said 'please use the' (in essense telling me what to do) instead of something more like "hey maybe you'll get better response here".

Plus the fact is this thread gets so much more traffic.

Getting back to why we post here. . .

Has anyone on Comcast (South Jersey) noticed INHD and INHD2 PQ is down, pixellation and fast motion problems? I just saw the show on INHD2 about amusement parks and the PQ was terrible, last nights UFC (repeat) was unwatchable. Has PQ over Comcast come down in general over the last few days? Any thoughts or observations?

well he did say please, thats not a order, thats a request.

anyway that was the 6000th post .

anyone watch the flyers game on nbc today?
l
of course it looked awful as it was sd.
but about 3 minutes into the 2nd period they accidently switched to the hd rangers game.

that didnt look so great either.
i'm blaming it on nbc because of all the extra bw being used from the weather channel.and whatever else their issue is.

tons of pixilating and blocking.

anytime the camera moved quickly(alot) it just blurred everything.
closeup static shots looked brilliant though.