For the past few nites, I have lost reception to NBC - FOX - WB. Before that, I was getting between 70 - 85% reception. I have not yet readjusted my antenna. Is anybody else experiencing this?

André

Recently bought the 190 "range' antenna from radioshack. It's a combo UHF/VHF antenna claiming up to 190 mile range flat surface, 100 miles range otherwise. I live abour 45-50 miles NorthEast of philly in Easton, which is in the Lehigh Valley. I have a 20-25db gain booster. This all goes into my Sony HDTV with built in Tuner. I get about 50-60% on all channels. ABC comes in the best. Problem is, once it drops to 50%, the tv cuts out on the signal. Is there anything i can do to boost the signal more? I see Radioshack has a 30db gain booster, will that make "that much" of a difference? Is there anything higher. I feel if i can just get the signal 60-75% i'd have a pretty consistant time with it. Any suggestions would help...thanks!

I don't know, but try this...

I haven't gotten WWHY (12-1) for at least 4 days
Last night, during the oscars, I was flipping back and forth
to fox (29-1), and by the end of the night, fox was gone.
Also noticed flickering on ABC (6-1) whenever the oscars
weren't on.

Anyone experience any of this????

FYI - as of yesterday, CAU & WHY were the only 2 I didn't get,
till last night, when Fox was added to the list.

Had LOTS of trouble with WPVI 6.1 during "Good Will Hunting" on Saturday night. They caused my Sony HD200 to reboot every 5 minutes or so for the last 90 minutes of the movie.

I finally had to give up and watch the SD version.

WPVI - get your act together! Your programming has been nothing but trouble since you started broadcasting 6.2!

Originally posted by Aceman
I don't know, but try this...

I haven't gotten WWHY (12-1) for at least 4 days
Last night, during the oscars, I was flipping back and forth
to fox (29-1), and by the end of the night, fox was gone.
Also noticed flickering on ABC (6-1) whenever the oscars
weren't on.

Anyone experience any of this????

FYI - as of yesterday, CAU & WHY were the only 2 I didn't get,
till last night, when Fox was added to the list.

I had the "flickering" as well just when it was a commericial or if it appeared they were broadcasting any non HD images. Very annoying. Worse last night than usual with ABC with this. Integrated Mits.

Originally posted by baeverly
I had the "flickering" as well just when it was a commericial or if it appeared they were broadcasting any non HD images. Very annoying. Worse last night than usual with ABC with this. Integrated Mits.

Count me in for a "flicker" or 30 :D

Thought it was my Toshiba 50hdx82...but after I changed channels I saw it was only on 6-1. Some black lines as well---faint, but they were there...like you say mostly when it was a "movie clip" playback or a commercial or a NON live HD feed.

I'm in Central NJ and can't seem to get a solid lock on 29-1 Fox. I can't even get a blip anymore on 17-1 either for the last week or so.

10-1 WCAU is still dead as a door nail. By chance are all three of these stations on the same tower/exact same tower location? 6-1, 57-1, 3-1 come in with NO problems for the most part.

I cannot get 12-1 at all. I'm going to tweak the antenna since I added a rotor over the weekend....once I get some time:mad:

Was just curious....

Jaypb:

Havee you tried this site

http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.asp

The ground level map is great. Get a good compass and "gotoit"!
Dave

Originally posted by Dave Korey
Jaypb:

Havee you tried this site

http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.asp

The ground level map is great. Get a good compass and "gotoit"!
Dave

Oh but of course! It is in chapter 1 of the "How to watch HDTV OTA" manual I received after sending in my dues :p

Actually, one of the fellas over in the Central NJ thread posted this link to a site he created (not sure if he posted in here as well). Pretty cool:

http://www.2150.com/broadcast/

I'm going to try some fine tuning with regards to scanning the horizon in the "Philly area" now that I've got my rotor hooked up. I'm wondering if a bit of Multipath may be the reason I'm not seeing any signal (or not much) out of WPHL or WCAU.

Hi everyone ,I like too know if anyone has any comments on the Zenith HDV420 (good, bad or is there something better?) I just bought one at circuit city over the weekend and set my OTA up and everything.Boy that was the best weekend I ever had watching tv. Also I was wondering when I was at antennaweb I was looking at the phila tv listings and what is the deal (for an example) why does it say like channel 6 ABC and 64 ABC. And I only get 6-1, 6-2?How come the HD is not on 64 which I think is suppose to be or I just don't know.But I have everything set up right 1080i.

Originally posted by superb77
Also I was wondering when I was at antennaweb I was looking at the phila tv listings and what is the deal (for an example) why does it say like channel 6 ABC and 64 ABC. And I only get 6-1, 6-2?How come the HD is not on 64 which I think is suppose to be or I just don't know.But I have everything set up right 1080i.

The receivers all "map" the channels to their analog number, it less confusing that way. For example since KYW is channel 3 it MAPS its digital station 26 to 3.01. That way since it is channel 3 it still appears to be channel 3. Your tuner actually is receiving KYW on channel 26. Channel 3 is analog and you cannot receive an analog channel with your Zenith HDV420 unless it has an input for it.

That makes perfect sense.I kind of thought it worked something like that but it wasn't to sure.Do you have any thoughts about the HDV420?Bye the way thanks for the info.

Here's some real good info on PSIP. The "virtual channel" feature is what you were experiencing.

SteveD

PSIP Is Key To DTV Implementation
Virtually Every Transport Stream Of Terrestrial Transmission Is Affected
By Jerry Whitaker

Sometimes misunderstood, sometimes ignored, the program and system information protocol (PSIP) is one of the keys to effective use of the digital TV system. PSIP is a collection of tables designed to operate within every transport stream of terrestrial digital TV. The purpose of the protocol, described in ATSC document A/65, is to specify the information at the system and event levels for all virtual channels carried in a particular transport stream.

Additionally, information for analog channels -- as well as digital channels from other transport streams -- may be incorporated. The typical 6-MHz channel used for analog broadcast supports about 19 Mbps throughput. Because program signals with standard resolution can be compressed using MPEG-2 to sustainable rates of approximately 6 Mbps, three or four standard definition (SD) Digital TV channels can be safely supported within a single physical channel.

Moreover, enough bandwidth remains within the same transport stream to provide several additional low bandwidth nonconventional services, such as:
• Weather reports
• Stock reports
• Headline news
•Software download (for games or enhanced applications)
• Home shopping
• Pay-per-view information

It is therefore practical to anticipate that in the near future the list of services (virtual channels) carried in a physical transmission channel (6 MHz of bandwidth for the United States) may easily reach 10 or more. Furthermore, the number and types of services may also change continuously, thus becoming a dynamic medium for entertainment, information, and commerce.

An important feature of terrestrial broadcasting is that sources follow a distributed information model rather than a centralized one. Unlike cable or satellite, terrestrial service providers are geographically distributed and have no interaction with respect to data unification or even synchronization. It is, therefore, necessary to develop a protocol for describing system information and events that are followed by every organization in charge of a physical transmission channel. System information allows navigation of and access to each of the channels within the transport stream, whereas event descriptions give the user content information for browsing and selection.

Elements Of PSIP STET
PSIP is a collection of hierarchically associated tables, each of which describes particular elements of typical Digital TV services. The packets of the base tables are all labeled with a base PID (base_PID). The base tables are:
•System time table (STT)
• Master guide table (MGT)
• Virtual channel table (VCT)

The event information tables (EIT) are a second set of tables whose packet identifiers are defined in the master guide table (MGT). The extended text tables (ETT) are a third set of tables, and, similarly, their PIDs are defined in the MGT. The system time table is a small data structure that fits in one packet and serves as a reference for time-of-day functions. Receivers can use this table to manage various operations and scheduled events. Transmission syntax for the United States voluntary program rating system is included in the ATSC PSIP Standard. The rating region table has been designed to transmit the rating standard in use for each country using the system. Provisions also have been made for multi-country regions.
The MGT provides general information about all of the other tables that constitute the PSIP standard. It defines table sizes necessary for memory allocation during decoding, defines version numbers to identify those tables that need to be updated, and generates the packet identifiers that label the tables.
The VCT, also referred to as the terrestrial VCT (TVCT), contains a list of all the channels that are or will be online, plus their attributes. Among the attributes given are the channel name, navigation identifiers, and stream components and types.
As part of PSIP, there are several event information tables, each of which describes the events or television programs associated with each of the virtual channels listed in the VCT. Each EIT is valid for a time interval of three hours. Because the total number of EITs is 128, up to 16 days of programming may be advertised in advance. At minimum, the first four EITs must always be present in every transport stream.
As the name implies, the purpose of the extended text table is to carry text messages. For example, for channels in the VCT, the messages can describe channel information, cost, coming attractions, and other related data. Similarly, for an event such as a movie listed in the EIT, the typical message would be a short paragraph that describes the movie itself. Extended text tables are optional in the ATSC system.

A/65 Technical Corrigendum And Amendment
Since the original PSIP Standard was released, various amendments have been developed that add supporting information and/or describe new features. One such informative annex describes how PSIP can be used over cable systems. PSIP was designed, as much as possible, to be independent of the physical system used to deliver the MPEG-2 multiplex stream. Therefore, the STT, MGT, VCT, and EITs and extended text tables are generally applicable equally well to cable as to terrestrial broadcast delivery methods.

Use of the program guide portion of PSIP (EIT and ETT) for cable is considered optional, while it is mandatory when PSIP is used for terrestrial broadcasting. Cable operators are free to not provide any program guide data at all if they so choose, or provide the data in a format other than PSIP if they do support an EPG.

Channel Numbers
When PSIP is used for terrestrial broadcast, care must be taken in the assignment of major and minor channel numbers to avoid conflicts. For example, the PSIP Standard indicates that for the United States and its possessions, a terrestrial broadcaster with an existing NTSC license must use a major channel number for digital services that corresponds to the NTSC RF channel number in present use for the analog signal. For cable, such restrictions are technically unnecessary. For terrestrial broadcast, the major channel number is limited to the range 1 to 99 for ATSC Digital TV or audio services. For cable, major channel numbers can range from 1 to 999.

Continuing Work On The PSIP Standard
The most recent addition to the PSIP standard was to include an amendment that provides functionality known as Directed Channel Change (DCC). This feature allows broadcasters to tailor programming or advertising based upon viewer demographics. For example, viewers who enter location information, such as their zip code, into a DCC-equipped receiver can receive commercials that provide specific information about retail stores in their neighborhood. Segments of newscasts, such as weather reports, can also be customized based upon this location information.

A channel change may also be based upon the subject matter of the content of the program. Nearly 140 categories of subject matter have been tabulated that can be assigned to describe the content of a program. A broadcaster can use this category of DCC request switching to direct a viewer to a program based upon the viewer's desire to receive content of that subject matter.

Work continues today to further improve the capabilities of PSIP. One of the major challenges, however, is education. The system has an array of capabilities that are not fully understood by many television station operators. This challenge is being addressed with seminars on PSIP implementation, sponsored by ATSC, ITS, SBE, NAB, and others.

Jerry C. Whitaker is technical director of the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC). He is the author and editor of such texts as The Standard Handbook of Video and Television Engineering and DTV: A Revolution in Digital Video.

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

Originally posted by superb77

.......why does it say like channel 6 ABC and 64 ABC. And I only get 6-1, 6-2?How come the HD is not on 64 .........

Started picking up WPVI-DT 6-1 in Freehold I finally found the right position with my antennas am getting a good lock with a 48 signal strenth with no drop outs.

I've been using the Zenith 420 since I decided I couldn't live without CBS anymore, which was around the AFC Playoff games. I've had great luck with it, and with a modest set top antenna I receive CBS, ABC, WB, UPN, NBC, FOX, PBS and occasionally Telmundo. My only two complaints are that when I rescan, the box loses memory of any logos I've mapped to a channel, so I don't even bother anymore, and the box loses time/date info if you shut it down. Over all I'm very pleased.

Anybody else notice that 12-4 was broadcasting the HD Demo Loop last night (same as 12-1) instead of the test pattern?

Well, I watched a lot on WPVI 6.1 ABC last night, and had no reboots.

I do still see a small problem, though. During graphics intensive credits with dark backgrounds, I see random lines of green popping up on the screen. This was most noticable during the credits for "Life with Bonnie", which has a black background.

Originally posted by MSmith
Well, I watched a lot on WPVI 6.1 ABC last night, and had no reboots.

I do still see a small problem, though. During graphics intensive credits with dark backgrounds, I see random lines of green popping up on the screen. This was most noticable during the credits for "Life with Bonnie", which has a black background.

I saw it too, so it's not your setup! :D

I saw those green lines at commercial spots during the Oscars and the first couple of minutes of the Super Bowl, never at any other time. I thought it might be a pattern with live telecasts in 720p, but there's something else going on, maybe a 6ABC problem?

After the Oscars, 6.1 stayed with the ABC (in black) for a minute or so, then ABC played a trailer from Monsters Inc. in HD. It was spectacular! except 'PVI cut out of it when Action News started, someone asleep at the digital wheel on City Line ave. Did anyone else (in Philly) see this?

I've been seeing those green lines on ABC during credits/promos (the black & yellow stuff) since they started broadcasting in HD, on at least 3 receivers (Unity Motion, Dish, and now Comcast HD200 sdecar). I can't remember anymore if I saw them on ABC-HD direct from C/Ku-band satellite - I don't think so, but I'm not sure.

I have seen the green lines during commercials and promos on ABC for years with every type of STB and now through Comcast cable. Its not the box and not cables' fault. It has to be ABC.

To all those viewers experiencing dropouts of philly stations I ask you are you using a rotor. I live 50 miles north of the towers with hilly terrain in between using winegard directional and find myself rotating the antenna as much as 8-10 degrees to receive the strongest signal even though the compass orientation for most of the stations is 188 degrees from my home. Doesn't make much sense but it works and dropouts are few and far between. For me a rotor is a must and may be for some that are experiencing frequent dropouts.

KYW-DT (26) 60%
WPHL-DT (54) 60%
WPVI-DT (64) 60%+
WTXF-DT (42) 60%
WLYH-DT (23) 70%+ (Lancaster)(UPN)
WCAU-DT (67) HAVE NOT HAD A TRACE OF A SIGNAL EVER

Greg

SUDS, SUDS AND MORE SUDS

could those green lines be genereated by the tv?

i have the mits stb and a tosh 56x81 and see the green lines.

the tv upconverts everything in hd to 1080i.

abc is 720p.
could it be a converting problem?

I read some time ago that when the mpeg bit stream is received with errors, if they are all one's then it displays green and if it are all zero's it displays pink, or vice versa. But the bottom line is the HDTV receiver is receiving data with errors, probably from a weak signal.

I have been having trouble for the past 2-3 weeks with my reception of ABC. It has been very low on my DTC100 like 28 (weak signal msg) whereas it had been up in the 70's before. So ABC(64) joins FOX(42) and NBC(67) on my list of no reception. On the other hand I get CBS(26), UPN(32), and WB(54) all in the 60 and 70s and the PBS(43) out of Trenton in the 70s. I am hoping ABC, FOX and NBC get their tower and power issues resolved now that spring weather is here (he says at it snows outside;-)). I live in the NE corner of Hunterdon Cty, NJ

I've seen those green lines on WPVI-DT for over a year now. I told them about it when I visited them, and they pooh-poohed it. It seems to have gotten worse over time, and lots of people noticed it during the Oscar telecast.

My guess is that it is being generated either in the HDSDI output of their sat gear or the HDSDI "receiver" in the equipment it feeds. Local programs appear to be OK. It used to occur only in dark scenes, but now it happens a lot more.

Glad someone else noticed it.

I've been receiving WPVI-DT for over 3 years, and I always have had these sync errors (that's what they are). The problem occurs when the station broadcasts 720p material, and is especially a problem when showing 480p material during commercials.

After all these years you would think that the WPVI engineers would have fixed the problem. They haven't...

Brian.
:confused:

Originally posted by briandx
I've been receiving WPVI-DT for over 3 years, and I always have had these sync errors (that's what they are). The problem occurs when the station broadcasts 720p material, and is especially a problem when showing 480p material during commercials.

After all these years you would think that the WPVI engineers would have fixed the problem. They haven't...

Brian.
:confused:

Speaking of WPVI (6-1) anyone having reception problems tonight? I'm in Central NJ and this is the first time I've had big time drop outs/pixelations since I started receiving a steady signal when I hooked up my pre-amp. I'm using a rotor and can't seem to fine tune the signal AT ALL to keep it steady. I'm seeing fluctuations on my E86's signal meter from 28 all the way up to 86. Meanwhile, UPN (57-1), CBS (3-1) and PBS (43-1/2) are solid 100 with NO fluctuations.

Odd. Hoping it's just weather related.

Regarding Channel 6 -

The reception has been solid for me tonight. I don't think I have had any problems with Channel 6 in quite a while. Now if they would just show something I could watch.

The green lines have been around for at least 18 months and occur on dark scenes during HD feeds. I rarely see these lines during the program but sometimes on the before/after break messages.

Originally posted by JWhip
regarding CBS and Comcast, J. Takiff in the Philly Daily news has an interesting note in which one can gleam that the problem is CBS asking to get paid to carry the signal. Cable reprs believe that since the networks are getting thier spectrum for free, they should not ask to be paid for cable retransmission. This will seem to confirm what I have always been told be insiders that the problem with KYW-DT not being on Comcast was the fact that CBS wants payment. Do not expect KYW-DT on Comcast any time in the forseeable future.

Why is it that CBS HD is on satellite? I think I remover seeing a DirectTV lineup. It had ONLY CBS in HD, no NBC or ABC. Is DirectTV paying them?

Jim Chase, help please, the CBS lineup last night was again like watching a Godzilla movie. The audio delay on King of Queens makes my wife question why we bought this TV. Monday's are the worst night for this. Was this caught last night or am I the only one with this issue (the sound delay, not the HDTV questioning wife)?

Are you receiving KYW OTA? I get CBSHD thru Dish (WCBS) and had no problems with audio. Must be a local problem.

CBS KYW issue was OTA reception

Originally posted by JSWHDTV
CBS KYW issue was OTA reception

I noticed it more during "King of Queens" than the other shows last night on CBS. I find myself now watching MOST of , if not ALL of the Monday night lineup now because of HD.

Except for those 4:3 commercials :D

I also continue to see the lip sync problem on CBS out of Philly on my Zenith 420. HDTV is a treat to the eyes but I really don't like showing anyone what HDTV looks like on CBS when the lip sync thing happens. They scratch their head and just wonder. Hope they resolve this issue soon. (from my corner of Warren County, NJ by the Musconetcong River)
Bill

I get KYW-CBS over the air with an antenna on my Hitachi TV with built-in tuner. I have also noticed that bad lip sync problems have returned. I do not have this problem with any other channel. This is unfortunate, because KYW's HD video is by far the best of the Philly stations.

Anyone else getting WCAU-DT this AM or last night who DIDN'T get it for....um...EVER before??? :p

I had it last night (Leno/Dateline) and I still have it this AM....did they move to the new tower? Did they up their power....or did I just get lucky? This is THE first time since I put my antenna up over a month ago that I've seen...ANYTHING from 10-1.

I'm in Central NJ BTW...

thanks!

Originally posted by jaypb
Anyone else getting WCAU-DT this AM or last night who DIDN'T get it for....um...EVER before??? :p

I had it last night (Leno/Dateline) and I still have it this AM....did they move to the new tower? Did they up their power....or did I just get lucky? This is THE first time since I put my antenna up over a month ago that I've seen...ANYTHING from 10-1.

I'm in Central NJ BTW...

thanks!

This has happened to me a couple of times (out of many months) that I receive WCAU at such a strength were I can actually WATCH something! ;) We're not too far from each other. Normally I get less than 20%. Last night was special in that I was getting FOX pretty well, as I normally get significant dropouts from them as well. Must have been the fog! :D

Originally posted by Calabs
This has happened to me a couple of times (out of many months) that I receive WCAU at such a strength were I can actually WATCH something! ;) We're not too far from each other. Normally I get less than 20%. Last night was special in that I was getting FOX pretty well, as I normally get significant dropouts from them as well. Must have been the fog! :D

WCAU10 must be directional. I rarely have a problem receiving it here in Southern Delaware County just north of Delaware State Line. I use an indoor Silver Sensor Antenna.

Watched JAG on KYW-DT last night on my Sony HD200 (upgraded firmware yesterday). No lip-sync problems that I could see.

Originally posted by Calabs
This has happened to me a couple of times (out of many months) that I receive WCAU at such a strength were I can actually WATCH something! ;) We're not too far from each other. Normally I get less than 20%. Last night was special in that I was getting FOX pretty well, as I normally get significant dropouts from them as well. Must have been the fog! :D

Calabs,

Yes, I also had a decent lock on WTXF-DT last night without having to fine tune my rotor. Found that odd as well...then I just happened to go by 10-1 and voila!

Want to see if it holds up tonight as Law and Order is supposed to be on..and I *believe* NBC has started re-transmiiting their HD feeds so...

Crossing my Fingers...
:confused:

Originally posted by baeverly
WCAU10 must be directional. I rarely have a problem receiving it here in Southern Delaware County just north of Delaware State Line. I use an indoor Silver Sensor Antenna.

I believe WCAU has their tower on the side of their building, which could indeed make it directional if you live on the "blind" side. ;)

JWhip or anyone else - Can you confirm this?

As far as I know, 10 has not yet moved.

Originally posted by JWhip
As far as I know, 10 has not yet moved.

Thanks - The question I was asking was......is the current WCAU tower on the side of their building, or is it atop some tower farm?

side of the building

Originally posted by JWhip
side of the building

:D

And, out of curiousity, which direction is the transmitter facing?

Well, with a lot of luck, maybe those of us currently outside of the WCAU's pathetic transmission range will be able to pick up WCAU-DT just in time for the 2004 Olympic games.

Brother, what a way to run a railroad... This new transmitter is almost a year past when it was supposed to be up and transmitting.

jaypb

I also started picking up WTXF-DT and WPVI-DT although with WPVI-DT it would not map to 6-1 and the subchannel had no audio.

Originally posted by wward
jaypb


I also started picking up WTXF-DT and WPVI-DT although with WPVI-DT it would not map to 6-1 and the subchannel had no audio.

Wward,

Was this just as of last night? I picked up 29-1 pretty steady last night without having to re-orient using the rotor. Did you get any life out of 10-1? I too have NO audio on 6-2...but my E86 maps it to 6-1/2 and I have a 64-1...but NOT a 64-2. Odd.

Also, my STB is mapping 29-1 to 42-1 as well.

Odd.
:confused:

jaypb

Yes this started last night when I got home around 11pm I turned on the TV and did a quick scan I ran across about 15 additional channels WTXF-DT being one of them. No I didnt have any luck with WCAU-DT I also noticed that WTXF-DT was not mapped to 29-1.

I have not been able to receive WHYY 12.4 for a few weeks. I am using a Sony HD100. Is any one else having the same problem?

I have also just noticed that the sound is back on WPVI 6.2 tonight. Will it last?

Originally posted by MarkGinz
I have not been able to receive WHYY 12.4 for a few weeks. I am using a Sony HD100. Is any one else having the same problem?

I have also just noticed that the sound is back on WPVI 6.2 tonight. Will it last?

I too noticed that 6.2 is back with sound.

I've NEVER been able to pick up WHYY where I am in Central NJ.

Got this today from WHYY:
-------
We have been notified by our tower owner and WPHL that Channel 17 needs to check for nitrogen leaks on their transmission lines. On Monday April 7, 2003 between the hours of 1AM and 5AM WPHL will need to have riggers climb the tower.

Since this involves climbing past our transmit antennas WHYY TV, Radio and DTV will need to leave the air for as long as it takes between 0100-0455 AM. This will be the first attempt.

As before. this is weather dependent and can be canceled at any time or take less time then anticipated. Because of the importance of fixing this problem, if canceled due to weather it will be rescheduled for another morning.
-------

I suspect that this means EVERYBODY on the tower will be down for the same period.

Just wondering if anyone else is getting green lines flashing across the screen on WPVI DT Channel 64 during the movie Atlantis ? If I remember it was also happening on the Oscars a few weeks ago. Thanks

yep.
it happens alot from 6 abc.

OK thanks for your reply thought it might be something on my end.

Originally posted by supercomando
Just wondering if anyone else is getting green lines flashing across the screen on WPVI DT Channel 64 during the movie Atlantis ? If I remember it was also happening on the Oscars a few weeks ago. Thanks

Glad I wasn't the only one! It's *somewhat* embarrasing trying to explain to folks the beauty of all that is HD....and you put on 6-1 to show them 780 lines of resolution....only to have green/white flashing lines and the like.

I figured it wasn't just me and my setup as it was only happening on 6-1...with all my other HD/Digital channels being OK and my signal strength on my E86 showing a 93.

I am kind of new to HDTV, only had my set for a couple of weeks. I was watching Law & Order Criminal Intent tonight and I was glad to see that it was in full wide screen HD broadcast. Towards the end of the program, the picture switched to regular 4:3 format and lost resolution. Are they doing this on purpose or is somebody asleep at the switch at the WCAU studio?

Originally posted by jaypb
Glad I wasn't the only one! It's *somewhat* embarrasing trying to explain to folks the beauty of all that is HD....and you put on 6-1 to show them 780 lines of resolution....only to have green/white flashing lines and the like.

I figured it wasn't just me and my setup as it was only happening on 6-1...with all my other HD/Digital channels being OK and my signal strength on my E86 showing a 93.

I too had the same problem with green lines also at times it would appear as if a prior frame of the movie was stuck on the screen.

Question though i thought 780 produced black bars left and right?
I thought this was being shown in 1080 filling my screen completely. And im pretty sure my tv doesnt up convert. Maybe im wrong being very new to HDTV equipment.

Originally posted by webboy10169
I too had the same problem with green lines also at times it would appear as if a prior frame of the movie was stuck on the screen.

Question though i thought 780 produced black bars left and right?
I thought this was being shown in 1080 filling my screen completely. And im pretty sure my tv doesnt up convert. Maybe im wrong being very new to HDTV equipment.

If I remember correctly, you said you have an E86 right? The E86 will "upconvert" everything (be it 480, 780 or 1080). AFA the black bars on left/right---you'll ONLY see that on NON-HD material on the OTA channels. At least that's my evaluation. IOW's when I'm watching CBS/ABC/FOX/UPN/WB---anything that's NOT in HD (or Fox Widescreen 480) comes across on my Toshiba/Hughes setup with black bars.

Hey---did your E86 handle the daylight savings time oK? Mine, as of this AM, was STILL an hour behind. Even AFTER rebooting/hard booting the set up.

:mad:

Originally posted by jaypb
If I remember correctly, you said you have an E86 right? The E86 will "upconvert" everything (be it 480, 780 or 1080). AFA the black bars on left/right---you'll ONLY see that on NON-HD material on the OTA channels. At least that's my evaluation. IOW's when I'm watching CBS/ABC/FOX/UPN/WB---anything that's NOT in HD (or Fox Widescreen 480) comes across on my Toshiba/Hughes setup with black bars.

Hey---did your E86 handle the daylight savings time oK? Mine, as of this AM, was STILL an hour behind. Even AFTER rebooting/hard booting the set up.

:mad:

Interesting ill have to hook back up the Panny HSTV receiver to see if it up converts content.

No problem with the E86 at all.

If anyone is having a problem with the yes network being blacked out drop me an email i may be able to help you must reside with in Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Somerset or Ocean.

I will be posting more info on this along with a link to a petition.

quote: webboy10169
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by jaypb
Question though i thought 780 produced black bars left and right?
I thought this was being shown in 1080 filling my screen completely. And im pretty sure my tv doesnt up convert. Maybe im wrong being very new to HDTV equipment

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is incorrect. There are several digital TV resolutions but here are the main ones:

640x480i: (NTSC, SDTV, 480i) 4:3 ratio which creates your right and left bars-- same format that has been used for 70 years

720x480p: (480p): 16:9 ratio; native resolution for almost all DVD's (almost all players output a letterboxed 640x480p signal), same resolution as "Fox Widescreen"

1280x720p: (720p): 16:9 ratio; what is used on ABC, some xbox games

1920x1080i: (1080i): 16:9 ratio; most common true hd format

So to answer your question, native 720p has a 16:9 ratio and does not create bars on the left and right. When a receiver or TV upconverts to 1080i, it is creating more pixels to achieve a 1920x1080 resolution, and interlacing the video. When it upconverts 480i, it is adding more pixels, interlacing, as well as adding those bars or stretching to get a 16:9 ratio from a 4:3 source.

Most TV's upconvert to 1080i or downconvert 1080i to 720p if their native resolutions are 720p (many plasma's true resolutions are 1280x720).

Of course these are not the only resolutions that exist; however these are by far the most commonly used. For example, almost all set-top dvd players will take the 16:9 ratio and insert this in a 640x480 frame with blackbars at top and bottom. This is one of the reasons HTPC's are becoming popular because some resolution is lost.

Does anyone know if CSN will be covering the Flyers vs. Leafs game in HD??

Bill

Bill,

According to the CSN website, YES. Games 1 and 2 will be CSN HD.
http://philadelphia.comcastsportsnet.com/ - Then scroll down to the schedule at the bottom of the page.

Go Flyers!

SWEET!!! LET'S GO FLYERS!

***New Channel Broadcasting***

PBS station WYBE is now broadcasting their digital channel on 34

Its amazing that a small PBS station like WYBE I can easily pick up, but still cannot receive WCAU a major network affiliate of NBC!

Originally posted by trailblazer
Its amazing that a small PBS station like WYBE I can easily pick up, but still cannot receive WCAU a major network affiliate of NBC!

Don't get me started!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;)

Originally posted by eafenyes
I am kind of new to HDTV, only had my set for a couple of weeks. I was watching Law & Order Criminal Intent tonight and I was glad to see that it was in full wide screen HD broadcast. Towards the end of the program, the picture switched to regular 4:3 format and lost resolution. Are they doing this on purpose or is somebody asleep at the switch at the WCAU studio?

I'm not sure why, but I've seen this on both WCAU (NBC) and WPVI (ABC) when they come back to the last segments of their HD broadcasts. I'm not sure if it's an auto-switching problem or what. But it is annoyingly common between the two.

JIM CHASE -- KYW-HD Sound Mis-timed:

I'm still noticing that the sound on KYW-HD is mis-timed with the video. Some nights it is really bad, others not so bad. It has become a consistent issue, however, that detracts from your otherwise fine HD broadcasts.
fyi -- I don't experience this problem on any other channels.

Thanks for looking into this.

Originally posted by ResultsOriented
JIM CHASE -- KYW-HD Sound Mis-timed:

I'm still noticing that the sound on KYW-HD is mis-timed with the video. Some nights it is really bad, others not so bad. It has become a consistent issue, however, that detracts from your otherwise fine HD broadcasts.
fyi -- I don't experience this problem on any other channels.

Thanks for looking into this.

Have you posted this on the Philly thread? Jim checks that thread occasionally. He has addressed this on several occasions there.

OOOPPPPSSS!!! Sorry! I got my threads mixed up. This IS the Philly thread (duh!). I though it was the Central Jersey thread. :confused:

Philly Sports in HD!

Wow, what a week!

GAME 7! Flyers vs. Maple Leafs TONIGHT at 7pm

GAME 2! Sixers vs. Hornets WEDNESDAY, 4/23 at 7pm

Phillies vs. Rockies THURSDAY, 4/24 at 3pm

All games live on CSN-HD on channel 172.

GO FLYERS!

No doubt, Q!
Hopefully a taste of things to come, when the FU Center and Phils' Ballpark have full-time HD production facilities, rather than having to share the mobile production unit with CSN-Baltimore/Washington.
One question, if the Flyers/Sixers can get through Round I (fingers crossed for tonight), does CSN get rights to any Round II home games? I'm going to be bummed after this tease of HD playoffs!

I have heard that *when* the Flyers win tonight, some Round 2 home games will be available on CSN and yes, be available in HD. More details will be announced from the NHL, Flyers and CSN tomorrow.

When the Flyers win and if they play Thursday, then the Phillies game will not be in HD and will probably move to Comcast's other cable channel CN8.

JIM CHASE - KYW

Audio was very delayed last night during JAG on my Sony HD200 viewing KYW-DT OTA on a Silver Sensor antenna in Hamilton, NJ.

The delay was as much as 1/2 second. It looked like a Godzilla movie.

I don't have the problem on other digital channels.

MSmith
I wanted to tell everyone that I am no longer the BO&E Director at KYW-TV. I have moved on to a corporate job with the Viacom / CBS Television Stations Group. Rich Paleski is the new BO&E Director at KYW-TV /WPSG-TV and is aware of the problem.
Since my move I honestly have lost track of the stations efforts to correct this problem. I know Rich monitors this forum and is aware of your comments. I will check with him today and let you know what progress he is making.
CUL Jim

Originally posted by MSmith
JIM CHASE - KYW

Audio was very delayed last night during JAG on my Sony HD200 viewing KYW-DT OTA on a Silver Sensor antenna in Hamilton, NJ.

The delay was as much as 1/2 second. It looked like a Godzilla movie.

I don't have the problem on other digital channels.

I saw the same delay last night on JAG and have seen the same (or similar) audio delay on KYW-DT for a long time now on many (if not all) HDTV programming.

The delay was worse last night than before. It was unwatchable.

I do not see this delay on HDTV programming on other Networks.

I use a Samsung T-151 set-top box (and roof-top antenna) to receive digital programming.

Flyers and Sixers Playoffs in HDTV - What a dream!

Here is the HD schedule of games from Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia.

Flyers vs. Ottawa
GAME 3: Tuesday, 4/29 @ 7pm at Philadelphia (CSN- HD)
*GAME 6: Monday, 5/5 @ 7pm at Philadelphia (CSN-HD)

*if necessary

Sixers vs. Hornets
GAME 2: Wednesday, 4/23 7pm at Philadelphia (CSN-HD)
*GAME 5: Wednesday, 4/30 @ Time TBA at Philadelphia (CSN-HD)
*GAME 7: Sunday, 5/4 @ Time TBA at Philadelphia (CSN-HD)

* if necessary

As if you didn't already know, Comcast SportsNet HD is available on channel 172.

GO FLYERS!

Jim,

Thanks, and congratulations.

Jim,

Corporate Job at Viacom ehh??? Maybe you could speak to some of your buddies about the little Comcast/CBS situation....wink wink.....;)

JIM CHASE: Congratulations on your new job at Viacom. Thanks for your active participation in this forum.

RICH PALESKI: If you're checking this forum, we'd love to hear from you. Many of us are grateful for the amount of HD programming provided by KYW, but baffled as to why it seems to be the only Philly digital station with an ongoing audio timing problem. Any update from you would be most appreciated. Thanks.

Anyone here having sync issues with a Panasonic STB? I have a Panasonic STB and rarely if ever notice a lip sync issue with KYW. while others have with other boxes.

I don't understand why KYW-HD's lip synch problem would be worse on some configurations than others. Those of us complaining seem to have no problems with other Philly digital stations, but fairly consistent problems with KYW-DT. Anyone have any theories? Thanks.

(I have a Hitachi 65XWX20B with built-in HD tuner)

I have a Samsung Set top box and an Accessdtv card and both experience the lip sync issues with KYW only. This has been going on for months. You would think they would know what the hell they are doing by now. Everybody is being reasonably nice about this, but after this amount of time it's simply pathetic.

Bob

I watched KYW last night very carefully and sound and video were perfectly synched. PBS had a similar problem a couple of years ago when they tested some STB's and noticed that some STB's had perfect synch and others did not with the same signal. Just a thought.

This is messed up. I watched CSI last night and the opening scene was dead on, then the sound was badly off again for the first 10-15 minutes of the episode. Seemed to clear up again, then off by just a hair, then okay at the end. I figured they were playing with it.

I'm using a Zenith 420.

It was 100% perfect for me last night all the way through. Believe me, my wife is picky about this! I am beginning to wonder what the issue is here between the various stb's!

Originally posted by JWhip
It was 100% perfect for me last night all the way through. Believe me, my wife is picky about this! I am beginning to wonder what the issue is here between the various stb's!

What set-top box do you use? Or what other equipment to receive HDTV?

I use a Samsung T-151 and have constantly noticed synch issues with CBS -- but no other digital station.

It is sometimes close and sometimes real bad.

Panansonic have had it for about three years now. THe onlt time I have ever noticed a problem with KTW-DT was when they would go from HD to the 11 p.m. news, but haven;t seen that for quite awhile. I know from experience with pbs techs in Herndon, VA that one box can have sync issued while another doesn't. I haver had no issues while a neighbor with a Mitsubishi box has had sync issues while we are watching the same program.

I have a Zenith 420 and am experiencing the same problems on CBS out of Philly. CSI was worse the other night than it has been in a while for me. It was like watching a dubbed movie. I thought the whole program was equally out of sync. Could it be the more distance you are from the transmitter the worse the lip sync problem? I'm in NorthWest NJ and the problem is awful.
Bill

Originally posted by Iron1
I have a Zenith 420 and am experiencing the same problems on CBS out of Philly. CSI was worse the other night than it has been in a while for me. It was like watching a dubbed movie. I thought the whole program was equally out of sync. Could it be the more distance you are from the transmitter the worse the lip sync problem? I'm in NorthWest NJ and the problem is awful.
Bill

I'm sure distance has nothing to do with it. I'm just 4 miles from the transmitters. I experience bad synch issues with KYW-DT.

A Neighbor has teh Zenith 520. He is getting his antenna installed this week. I will compare his reception with mine to see if we have different lip sync three houses away. WE have the same antenna so this should prove interesting.

This lip sync thing has really got me frustrated. The Agency and The District were were lousy because of this problem. Even commercials during the programs were off, not as bad as the program but still off. Last night I even noticed Forest Gump was a little off too and that was on a different network [ABC]. Does this problem plague all Zenith STBs. Anyone out there with a Zenith STB not have lip sync problems on CBS out of Philly? Who at the station can I complain to?

KYW-HD Lip synch Problem Chronic for me, too!

I really can't understand this situation. I'm glad that JWhip isn't experiencing problems with his Panasonic STB, but many of us with other STB's or built-in tuners feel like we are watching dubbed movies every time we tune to KYW-HD. In my case, I am pulling in 12 different digital stations via antenna from Philadelphia. Allentown, Lancaster, Harrisburg, and Scranton-Wilkes Barre. The ONLY station that typically has lip synch problems on my Hitachi 65XWX20B's built-in tuner is KYW-HD. What is different about KYW-HD that consistently causes the video to be noticeably ahead of the audio for most of us (but not apparently JWHip's Panasonic STB)? There must be an answer. I wish that Jim Chase's successor, Rich Paleski, would work with us to find a resolution. I'm sure that many of us would volunteer some time to help find the root cause of this problem and permanently resolve it .

ResultsOriented

Just wanted to chime in and say I have never noticed this problem on KYW-DT and I watch it quite a bit. I have the built in tuner in the RCA F38310.

wward

Thanks. So it seems that some built-in tuners have the problem and some don't, just like the set-top boxes. What puzzles me is why the mixed results only seem to occur with KYW-DT. My Hitachi works as reliably as your RCA on all other OTA digital stations that I receive (about 12).

Has anyone contacted Jim Chase's successor and if so what were the results?
Bill

I just installed the samsung 165 and have noticed the audio lag, I also noticed that I cannot receive closed captioning. I wonder if this is part of the problem.
I installed an antenna in my attic, and can receive all stations except for wpvi,wcau,and whyy. I guess it's time to partition the homeowners assocaiation to install an antenna on my roof.
As anyone had experience with this?
Marie

Last night 'Raymond" was REALLY bad! Just about unwatchable. It's a shame such a nice picture has to be tainted by lousy audio timing. :(

Originally posted by mprh
I guess it's time to partition the homeowners assocaiation to install an antenna on my roof.
As anyone had experience with this?
Marie


No need to petition or fear your Home Owner's Association. If it is your roof, you can absolutely put up a roof-top antenna per the Federal Communications Commission. Read this regarding roof-top antennas:


Antenna Rules (http://www.keohi.com/keohihdtv/hdreception/fccrules.html)

Basically, if you own and control your roof (i.e, not an apartment
building), you CAN put an antenna up to receive broadcast TV (including
HDTV). Your Home Owner Association Rules can't override the FCC
regulations.

Here is the deal from the FCC's website regading restrictions on antennas:

What types of restrictions are prohibited?
A: The rule prohibits restrictions that impair a viewer's ability to
install, maintain, or use a video antenna. The rule applies to state or
local laws or regulations, including zoning, land-use or building
regulations, private covenants, homeowners' association rules, condominium
or cooperative association restrictions, lease restrictions, or similar
restrictions on property within the exclusive use or control of the antenna
user where the user has an ownership or leasehold interest in the property.
A restriction impairs if it: 1) unreasonably delays or prevents use of, 2)
unreasonably increases the cost of, or 3) precludes a viewer from receiving
an acceptable quality signal from, one of these antennas. The rule does not
prohibit legitimate safety restrictions or restrictions designed to preserve
designated or eligible historic or prehistoric properties, provided the
restriction is no more burdensome than necessary to accomplish the safety or
preservation purpose.

The rule applies to viewers who place video antennas on property that they
own and that is within their exclusive use or control, including condominium
owners and cooperative owners who have an area where they have exclusive
use, such as a balcony or patio, in which to install the antenna. The rule
applies to townhomes and manufactured homes, as well as to single family
homes.

For more information, go here:

FCC Rules (http://www.keohi.com/keohihdtv/hdreception/fccrules.html)

Don't worry, the FCC has your back.

Eric

I watched Raymond and CSI Miami and there was no audio lag that I noticed.

Ok, the weather has dramatically improved since the end of January, which was the LAST projected date for WCAU to get their new transmitter up and running on the new tower at 100%. It's now almost May, the season is almost over except for May sweeps, and STILL no WCAU-DT up here in the Lehigh Valley.

Does ANYONE have any updated information or a name/number/email where we can find out when they will FINALLY get their power up to an acceptable level where you don't have to live a block from the transmitter to be able to pick the damn thing up?

I am getting major audio lag on KYW-DT also with my Zenith 520, the only other time i saw it was on the WB 17 -DT on the show Reba I think.

iI just called KYW and was told they did not handle hdtv transmission that it comes from New York. Then I was told to call the transmitter building
at 215.483.2030. No answer but left a message.
Maybe if they get enough calls concerning audio lag, psip being off about 4 minutes, and no closed captioning they will correct their problems.
Marie

mprh

Someone handed you a load of non sense the problem is at the local affiliate not the network. Besides WCBS-DT out of New York does not have this problem if it were a netork problem evey stations in the network would have the same issue.

mprh

Someone handed you a load of non sense the problem is at the local affiliate not the network. Besides WCBS-DT out of New York does not have this problem if it were a netork problem evey stations in the network would have the same issue.

Has Channel 29 done anything to their transmission? I notice tonight
as I'm recording "24" on my MyHD card that the signal strength is fully
pegged out -- this on a station whose reception was previously flaky at
best.

Now if only Channel 10 can get their act together...

Has Channel 29 done anything to their transmission? I notice tonight
as I'm recording "24" on my MyHD card that the signal strength is fully
pegged out -- this on a station whose reception was previously flaky at
best.

Now if only Channel 10 can get their act together...

KYW audio lag

Last night during JAG, it seemed like it was bad at the beginning and got better by the end, but not perfect. The lag varied throughout the program. Overall, it was better than last week.

Originally posted by DTGallagher
Has Channel 29 done anything to their transmission? I notice tonight
as I'm recording "24" on my MyHD card that the signal strength is fully
pegged out -- this on a station whose reception was previously flaky at
best.

Now if only Channel 10 can get their act together...

I've been getting Channel 29-1 at above average signal strength these past couple of days. most likely due to the Tropo affect, as I actually got WCAU at 65% last night (normally, at best, it's 10-15%).

Originally posted by DTGallagher
Has Channel 29 done anything to their transmission? I notice tonight
as I'm recording "24" on my MyHD card that the signal strength is fully
pegged out -- this on a station whose reception was previously flaky at
best.

Now if only Channel 10 can get their act together...

Strangely enough, I was able to watch "24" last night as well--not a fan, but watched it because 29-1 ACTUALLY came in with minimal drop outs last night----about a 58 on my E86....by midnight it was up to 100...and still at a 93 this AM. Usually 29-1 comes in only when the Tropo is favorable....or Mars lines up with Jupiter :p

Odd part #2 was that I ACTUALLY got to see Leno in HD last night for about 10 minutes....67-1 was at a 58 for me until I fell asleep :mad: and when I woke up at 12:30 am it wasn't locking. Again, 10-1 NEVER comes in for other than the odd solar eclipse ;)

I was also about to get an "almost" lock (about a 50 on my E86) on 17-1...which I usually NEVER get.

I don't remember Tropo being "moderate to good" last night. Also---I'm in Central NJ and am using a Cm4228 with a Cm7775 pre-amp.

Anyone pick up more than usual last night??

Originally posted by Calabs
I've been getting Channel 29-1 at above average signal strength these past couple of days. most likely due to the Tropo affect, as I actually got WCAU at 65% last night (normally, at best, it's 10-15%).

I too was a WCAU viewer from about 11 to 12'ish last night. I also sent an e-mail to WCAU via their website yesterday asking (in more pleasant terms) WTF was up with their move to their new tower....I received a reply back saying the message was forwarded to their technical department...so...we'll see.

BTW---Digital Ch 27 is supposed to go "live" today (according to titantv.com) out of Burlington NJ I believe. Anyone seeing a signal there???

I spoke with a kyw engineer yesterday. He stated that kyw was aware of the audio lag and psip problem, and that engineers from New York were trying to solve the problem.
The psip was not solved last night because the time seemed to be off by 4 minutes, no hdtv programming last night, but tonight will be a good night to check if repairs were successful.
Marie

Originally posted by mprh
I spoke with a kyw engineer yesterday. He stated that kyw was aware of the audio lag and psip problem, and that engineers from New York were trying to solve the problem.
The psip was not solved last night because the time seemed to be off by 4 minutes, no hdtv programming last night, but tonight will be a good night to check if repairs were successful.
Marie

Thanks Maria - Let's hope CSI sounds as good as it looks tonight! ;)

jaypb

I had a pretty good tropo night last night here is the list of stations I picked up that I normally dont get.

44 CPTV PBS Conn.
59 WCTX UPN Conn.
28 MPTV PBS Maryland
20 WTXX WB Conn.
16 WBOC CBS Maryland
35 WYBE Phily PBS
45 WNUV Baltlimore WB
24 WUTB Baltimore UPN
30 ???? Conn. NBC

Originally posted by mprh
I spoke with a kyw engineer yesterday. He stated that kyw was aware of the audio lag and psip problem, and that engineers from New York were trying to solve the problem.
The psip was not solved last night because the time seemed to be off by 4 minutes, no hdtv programming last night, but tonight will be a good night to check if repairs were successful.
Marie
Looks like Rich at kyw came through, no audio lag and closed captioning is working. Now if Rich can get the psip corrected....
Marie

Auydio and video were perfecft last night for CSI and Without a Trace.

Originally posted by JWhip
Auydio and video were perfecft last night for CSI and Without a Trace.

I concur. Using a Hughes E86.

What is the Tropo effect?

Originally posted by bapenguin
What is the Tropo effect?

Go here.

http://www.globalserve.net/~hepburnw/tropo.html

It's how the troposphere affects the way you receive signals (in this case UHF).

Lost UPN last week during the Star Trek show and have not been able to tune it back in. Never a very strong signal but I got it.

UPN is on 32, the real channel they broadcast on. Channel 57-1 is their virtual channel. There PSIP is probably messed up that is why you can only get them on 32.

Hi, everyone! I haven't posted in this thread for a long time, but I've been checking and reading it often. Thanks to everyone for posting interesting things.

Does anyone know if there has been a change of status to the WCAU digital signal (10-1)? I've tried tuning in to channel 67 every week or so since I got my Toshiba digital HDTV tuner, without so much as a flicker of reception. Then, suddenly, starting last week, I was able to lock in on a signal. The signal is not very strong (and I get frequent dropouts and pixellization), so I suspect that this change may not be due to WCAU moving to the new tower and upping their signal to full strength. At least I HOPE I can still look forward to a better, more reliable reception from this channel. Does anyone know if there have been any changes on their end? Has anyone else experienced a small improvement from 10-1?

For those who might be curious, I live in Center City Philadelphia and get my signals from a rooftop antenna. All of the other channels come in very clear and strong (with some dropouts when the weather is really bad).

Has everyone notice that we are now getting digital broadcasts of Spanish language programming on 66-1 and 66-2? Probably everyone knows that WYBE 35 (public broadcasting) is now also broadcasting digitally on channel 34.

I also can't understand why 57-1 does not fix their PSIP settings. This station has been mapped to channel 32 for weeks now. All I can say is, Jim Chase would never had left this go on for so long!

Happy TV watching!

--Philly Tim

Hey Tim:

I have been learning SPanish for around 5 weeks now on 66-1 and 66-2.

I echo everything else you note save no problems on 10-1. I have 2 setups in Doylestown (Panny TU-HDS20 and a HiPix DTV-200 based HTPC on a second HD set).

A

There are plenty of Internet vendors, of course, but can anyone suggest a Philadelphia-area dealer who has a good selection of antennas, preamps, and other accessories suitable for an HDTV setup? Any place within an hour or so of Center City Philadelphia would be fine.

I'm thinking about adding a UHF-only antenna to my rooftop, which I would feed directly to my HDTV tuner. Currently, I have a VHS/UHF antenna, split to several different components (HDTV tuner, VCR, receiver). I feel certain I would get a better signal with a separate UHF antenna, now that most of the channels I care about have digital broadcasts in the UHF range. I don't think I will miss channel 7. :p

If anyone has a favorite UHF-only model antenna to recommend, I would appreciate it (but if that's off-topic for this thread, I understand).

--Philly Tim

P.S. Sorry about accidentally posting the one-letter reply above -- I hit the wrong button! :( Perhaps a moderator could just delete it.

Check out these guys.... They're on State Rd. a mile north of the Tacony-Palmyra bridge. They carry Channel Master products.
http://www.hbfelectronics.com/index.php?action=contact_info

KYW audio delay:

I think that this is now fixed. I've watched several programs over the last week or so with no complaints on my Sony HD200.

Originally posted by MSmith
KYW audio delay:

I think that this is now fixed. I've watched several programs over the last week or so with no complaints on my Sony HD200.

I concur. Using an SAT520 (same beast as the Sony), my delay problems are no more! And it took the "new guy" to get it resolved shortly after he started! Great job!

Anyone have any info on WXTF or FOX? I pretty much get every channel fairly well except FOX.

Calabas
The audio delay problem was a tough one. We finally had the HD gurus from CBS come down and help us straighten it out. Turns out we had several things set up wrong, but the major problem was a new version of software we put into the encoder. You know how software upgrades fix three things and break one. Well, this one broke more than it fixed. In addition to the audio delay there were also problems with the program descriptions. We had for weeks been putting in program guide information and I had lost it at home. Both the guide and audio delay problems were caused by that unfortunate upgrade. Check out the guide and let me know how you like it. Needless to say, all new versions of encoder software will be checked out at the CBS labs before we install it.

James M. Chase
Director Software Integration
Viacom Television Stations Group
101 South Independence Mall East
Philadelphia, PA. 19106
chase@kyw.com

Originally posted by Jim Chase
Calabas
The audio delay problem was a tough one. We finally had the HD gurus from CBS come down and help us straighten it out. Turns out we had several things set up wrong, but the major problem was a new version of software we put into the encoder. You know how software upgrades fix three things and break one. Well, this one broke more than it fixed. In addition to the audio delay there were also problems with the program descriptions. We had for weeks been putting in program guide information and I had lost it at home. Both the guide and audio delay problems were caused by that unfortunate upgrade. Check out the guide and let me know how you like it. Needless to say, all new versions of encoder software will be checked out at the CBS labs before we install it.

James M. Chase
Director Software Integration
Viacom Television Stations Group
101 South Independence Mall East
Philadelphia, PA. 19106
chase@kyw.com

Thanks for the detailed explanation Jim. I'm glad to see things got resolved. Now that beautiful picture on KYW is complemented by synchronized sound! Excellent!

Philly Tim
Just noticed your post about the WPSG-DT major channel not working correctly. I just went downstairs and checked the PSIP computer on WPSG and the major channel and TSID are set correctly. Everything should be working correctly. Let me know if it isn't.
CUL Jim

Calabs
I will keep an eye on the forum but if anything comes up in the future that doesn't look right on either KYW-DT, or WPSG-DT, drop me an e-mail. My new duties will sometimes keep me from accessing the forum as often as I might want, but I always check my e-mail.
CUL Jim

chase@kyw.com

Thanks Jim,
You're now in my address book.

ralph_calabria@merck.com

Does anyone know if there has been a change of status to the WCAU digital signal (10-1)? I've tried tuning in to channel 67 every week or so since I got my Toshiba digital HDTV tuner, without so much as a flicker of reception. Then, suddenly, starting last week, I was able to lock in on a signal.
*************
I'm having the exact OPPOSITE problem. I also live in cc Phila and have SAT 520. Lately, WCAU has been unwatchable b/c of diminished signal.

Jim Chase:

Thanks for checking on the PSIP for WPSG-DT. I don't understand why, but my digital tuner (Samsung SIR-T165) is still interpreting that station's digital signal as 32-1. I tried deleting the channel and then reloading it, but it does not remap to 57-1.

How about other people? Is your digital tuner displaying the local UPN affiliate station as 57-1 or 32-1? And what device are you using to tune it in?

Jim, thanks for your continued interest in being in touch with the digital viewers of your stations. Oh, by the way, the program information is lovely!!! Good sleuthing to figure out the causes of these headaches. 'Tisn't easy being a pioneer, is it?

======

Tyro:

No one has volunteered any information about changes at WCAU. Usually, at least JWhip weighs in with whatever info he can pry out of his WCAU contact.

I'm still getting 10-1 regularly, but the signal drops out every minute or two, making it too frustrating to watch. Encouraged by getting THIS much of a lock onto 10-1, I have ordered a UHF-only antenna, which I will feed solely to my digital tuner via a separate coax cable from the antenna mast on my roof. I'll let you know how much of a difference I notice. I'll probably get the new antenna up on Sunday at the earliest (weather permitting).

--Philly Tim

Oh, Jim Chase, I forgot to ask!

A while back you told us that WPSG-DT would eventually be set up to broadcast HDTV programming, but you could not predict exactly when. If I remember correctly (I'm too lazy to search back in this thread for the exact details), there was a series of HDTV films being broadcast on WPSG-DT.

Can you or your successor give us some idea on how that is going? What might be the first HDTV film broadcast on WPSG-DT?

Thanks again!

--Philly Tim

Originally posted by Philly Tim
Jim Chase:

Thanks for checking on the PSIP for WPSG-DT. I don't understand why, but my digital tuner (Samsung SIR-T165) is still interpreting that station's digital signal as 32-1. I tried deleting the channel and then reloading it, but it does not remap to 57-1.

How about other people? Is your digital tuner displaying the local UPN affiliate station as 57-1 or 32-1? And what device are you using to tune it in?

--Philly Tim

My DISH 6000 receiver is also now displaying UPN as 32-1 instead of the 57-1 that it used to show. I also tried deleting it and rescanning and it still comes up as 32-1.

Bob

I'm confused. I just got my first HDTV receiver, a Zenith 520 and I cannot get it to see UPN's digital feed AT ALL. It shows 57 OTA (standard feed) and 57 from DirecTV but no 57.1.

I guess it could also be showing up as 32.1 as others have seen. I'll check that. I also hear Enterprise will be in HDTV next season.

I have an HD100 and UPN is mapped to 32-1 instead of 57-1.

Dan

Philly Tim
We, uh, they, are getting real close. Now that I'm not with the station I gotta watch the "we" stuff. The Master Control switcher is installed and the automation system is complete. I heard Rich say there is some software issue with the switcher which will be updated soon. When all that is complete we will be able to do HD from tape. Network distribution is another matter. I don't know when that will happen.

There IS something wrong with the PSIP. I looked last night and my rreciever isn't mapping 57-1. I checked again this morning and the major channel and TSID are set correctly, so something else is wrong. Don't know what, but were looking at it.
CUL Jim

Originally posted by SoundOff
I have an HD100 and UPN is mapped to 32-1 instead of 57-1.



Nope. No 32.1, no 57.1. Any ideas?

Originally posted by Agrajag
Nope. No 32.1, no 57.1. Any ideas?

Have you EVER picked up UPN out of Philly before? Perhaps you're out of their eliptical pattern. :(

My reciever has never mapped UPN. It is the only channel that does not map on my receiver. I don't know much about this so please excuse my ingorance but I would assume UPN is not including that info in the stream.

Here's another vote for the WCAU ghost signal. I have never recieved it. Not even a blip. Every other channel works just fine here in Northern Gloucester County but WCAU.

Zolzar

There is some kind of PSIP problem with WPSG-DT the mapping has been screwed up for at least a month and a half. The only way to receive it is to punch in 32-1.

I have no problems recieving WPSG-DT. I should have been clearer with my previous statement.

Anybody have any idea as to when the WCAU-DT signal quality might catch up with the rest of the digital Philly world?

Originally posted by Zolzar
Anybody have any idea as to when the WCAU-DT signal quality might catch up with the rest of the digital Philly world?

I get WCAU with no touble in Collingswood... Avg. signal in the mid 80's.

Originally posted by Ratman
I get WCAU with no touble in Collingswood... Avg. signal in the mid 80's.

Show-off! :D

Hey Ratman - What about the REST of central NJ, and northern PA? They keep saying that they are working on the new tower, but it just keeps getting pushed back. At this rate, WNBC will be live before the upgrade!

Originally posted by Calabs
Show-off! :D

Hey Ratman - What about the REST of central NJ, and northern PA? They keep saying that they are working on the new tower, but it just keeps getting pushed back. At this rate, WNBC will be live before the upgrade!

I always find it supremely ironic that I'm able to get UPN 57-1 at a 100%, yet I can't get 10-1 if my life was hanging in the balance. A station that can't yet transmit an HD signal, can pump out a digital signal to me....but a major network like NBC can't.

How cruel....:(

Originally posted by Calabs
Show-off! :D

Tee-hee! Ain't I a little stinker? :D

Was WCAU coming through particularly well for others last night? Yesterday was the first time I was able to reliably get ALL Philly stations (except 55) 42 miles away in Bethlehem, PA... WCAU was in the high 60's :) (I usually get a pretty solid picture in the high 40's with CAU) WTXF, WYBE were in the high 70's (TXF is usually in the 20's, no pic...), PVI and KYW were pegged. etc, etc, etc... This has never happened before. I am using a DST-3000, which was just firmware upgraded from 5046 to 5104. I'm trying to figure out if that had anything to do with it... Add in WLVT (Lehigh Valley PBS) and I was getting signals from 9 separate stations (26, 32, 42, 34, 54, 62, 64, 67, and the Univision/Telemundo station - which I don't watch)... Am I going to be disappointed tonight when everything is back to normal, or am I going to be the luckiest HDTV guy in the Lehigh Valley? (BTW, I'm using a DAT-75, hung from the ceiling in my attic with about 70ft. of RG-6, no preamp)

Is this possible?

Originally posted by mjr
Was WCAU coming through particularly well for others last night? Yesterday was the first time I was able to reliably get ALL Philly stations (except 55) 42 miles away in Bethlehem, PA... WCAU was in the high 60's :) (I usually get a pretty solid picture in the high 40's with CAU) WTXF, WYBE were in the high 70's (TXF is usually in the 20's, no pic...), PVI and KYW were pegged. etc, etc, etc... This has never happened before. I am using a DST-3000, which was just firmware upgraded from 5046 to 5104. I'm trying to figure out if that had anything to do with it... Add in WLVT (Lehigh Valley PBS) and I was getting signals from 9 separate stations (26, 32, 42, 34, 54, 62, 64, 67, and the Univision/Telemundo station - which I don't watch)... Am I going to be disappointed tonight when everything is back to normal, or am I going to be the luckiest HDTV guy in the Lehigh Valley? (BTW, I'm using a DAT-75, hung from the ceiling in my attic with about 70ft. of RG-6, no preamp)

Is this possible?

Just the opposite for me the last 2 nights---WCAU is unwatchable (as it normally is), and for some strange reason, I can't peg WPVI above a 30 or so since Monday night---when it hit 100%. I have an E86---I also received the upgrade and haven't notice ANY improvement in signals. I *believe* from reading over on the Hardware forum that 5104 was designed to improve the Hughes/Hughes clones for OTA reception in FLA. There's a thread or 2 devoted to it on the Hardware forum.

AFA WTXF-DT---yes, I have noticed a bit more consistent bump in strength with that channel. Still no WHYY_DT for me and WPHL-DT only comes in when WCAU does (Tropo events)??

I'm in Central NJ BTW---about the same distance as you from Philly...but I sometimes wonder just WHAT the digital signal's directional pattern is for certain stations. I couldve SWORN saw a site that had that info for the Philly transmitters---but, of course I didn't bookmark it.

Jaypb,
Notice I actually upgraded from 5046 to 5104... (I only connected my receiver to a borrowed dish this week just to get the upgrade. Mostly to take advantage of changes between 5046 and 5085/5099.)

As far as websites with useful information... It takes a little digging, but this has the most technical detail I've found (as it should...)
http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/audio/tvq.html

Type in the callsign (i.e. WCAU) Click on any of the links (in this case 4) that come up. There's some detail there... Click on Application List... There you can actually see some of the applications that have been filed electronically. Lookup WTXF... With a little digging, you can get a map of what looks like their current directionality pattern, as well as their proposed one...

- Mike

I'm confused. There is a great, circular WTFX pattern, and a South only pattern for digital TV. Where does it say which is which?

(Looks like a useful site, though.)

Originally posted by CKarras
I'm confused. There is a great, circular WTFX pattern, and a South only pattern for digital TV. Where does it say which is which?

(Looks like a useful site, though.)

You are talking about the polar plot right? THAT'S what I remembered seeing months ago----I assume that, for me at least, the reason I don't get WTXF too frequently is indeed because the transmitter seems to boom more southerly...than northeasterly where I am.

I'll have to check the other stations as well now that the link has been provided.

Thanks to MJR!

Use the FCC site in combination with http://100kwatts.tmi.net/ Put WTXF in there and see they're at 305kW, with an app for 1000kW. And put two and two together... The FCC site is a little trickier to figure out.. 100kwatts helps a lot.

- Mike

I am in Glen Mills Pa, last night I received ABC. Nothing on CBS and NBC.
I usually receive kyw , wybe, wtxf, upn and the wb. I have never been able to get whyy. Tomorrow I move my antenna[ Winegard HP 8200, with a pre amp } from the attic to the roof. I hope to receive a better signal.
Marie

Hello, I am off of RT 309 right next to the PA turnpike, about a half mile from exit 33. I can receive
KYW at almost 100 % signal, WPVI at about 90 to 95 % signal WCAU about 50 to 60 % signal but that one bounces around on some nights. I also can receive WHYY fairly good with some drop outs, WPHL WB 17 with 75 to 80 % signal, WTXF FOX 29 about 70 % signal. Also channel 57 UPN about 65 %, and all the local Lehigh Valley channels fairly well they drop some times because I have my Channel master 4228 pointed toward the Philadelphia stations with no rotor. I am using a Zenith 520 receiver.

any idea when fox's proposed upgrade from 305 KW to 1000 KW of power will be carried out? it would be nice to receive them rock solid all the time instead of the occasional dropouts I experience now. Hopefully, they will have the upgrade complete by the time football starts, 480p widescreen is still better than the crap analog signal I get from comcast.

With both OTA and Comcast provided HD feeds of WPVI-ABC, I was able to compare the two during the Pistons v. Nets game tonight. The Comcast feed was noticeably better than the OTA broadcast. I have a Samsung Sir-T151 for OTA, and a Motorola 5100 Comcast box, so equipment could be a factor, but the difference was too much to blame solely on equipment. I have a sneeky suspicion that Comcast is provided with the full bandwidth HD signal, while the OTA broadcast is limited bandwidth due to the multicast on 6-2. I guarantee everyone, if you saw the difference that I did and only have the OTA broadcast available to you, you would be outraged. Those with only OTA WPVI, call and complain, you are getting short handed HD quality due to the stations policy to multicast. Me thinks it's time to make some calls. :)

I just set up my new HDTV Thursday (Samsung WHN3097) and also watched the Nets-Pistons on WPVI. I thought the PQ was pretty good (outstanding when compared to the 480i signal I had been watching). I was puzzled by the broadcast though - I thought all ABC affiliate stations were broadcasting 720p, but I was only able to display 1080i on the Samsung display. My (SIRT150) tuner, when switched to 720p output, produced only a tearing fragmented picture. Is WPVI broadcasting 1080i or 720p (or is the Samsung only capable of 1080i or 480p)?

WPVI is broadcasting 720p which most likely your samsung is cinverting to 1080i.

Originally posted by FDAHLGREN
I thought all ABC affiliate stations were broadcasting 720p, but I was only able to display 1080i on the Samsung display. My (SIRT150) tuner, when switched to 720p output, produced only a tearing fragmented picture. Is WPVI broadcasting 1080i or 720p (or is the Samsung only capable of 1080i or 480p)?

The Samsung's switch converts whatever it receives to the respective output. You can only use the 720P setting if your TV is capable of using that signal. Most HDTVs only accept 1080i, 480i, and 480p. ABC is broadcasting in 720P but the Samsung box converts it to 1080i at that setting so your TV can use the signal. I understand that few HDTVs can handle native 720p input but it is supposed to be superior in many ways to 1080i.

NBC 10 pixelates with 50% signal strength on my SIR-T165. I have a arial antenna 20 feet above my house and a 26dB pre-amp from RS. What could be the issue?

What could be the issue?

...most likely the RS pre-amp. They are notoriously noisy which will give you the pixelization. The Samsung stb's are particularly good at locking lower=strength signals. On my TS-160, I can lock without pixelization on a strength of only 20%.

Channel Master pre-amps are excellent....high-gain....low-noise. I use a CM3041 most of the time. Started with a CM7775, but its slightly better gain rating did not translate into a more usable signal strength.

With NBC 10-1, the main problem is the low power of the signal as it originates from the transmitter. 10-1 is presumably still broadcasting at reduced power, and evidently still from their temporary antenna. No one has confirmed otherwise as far as I have noticed.

When NBC 10-1 finally begins transmissions from their new (permanent) transmitter tower at full strength, your signal problems will probably be ended.

It's anybody's guess when this transition will finally occur.

--Philly Tim

WCAU-DT has not moved to the new antenna and is still broadcasting at low power.

Anyone experiencing drop outs for 3-1 lately? This is usually rock solid for me, but lately I have had the signal strength jumping up and down.

Got a 5100 box installed in place of 2000+sidecar yesterday. Installer says CBS digital will be coming soon. Not sure how accurate this is, but interesting.

my installer said it is a fee issue, similar to the one ESPN HD has been facing. wouldnt count my chickens, but buy on OTA rx and $20 antenna to be sure.

I was watching some of the "Great Performances" program last night (8:00 pm to 10 pm), which was an HDTV record of the Broadway musical "Fosse!"

The show was pretty good, but I suddenly noticed that my receiver had its "Dolby Digital 5.1" indicator lit up. I think that is the first time I noticed DD 5.1 coming from WHYY.

Or has WHYY 12-1 broadcast a DD 5.1 signal before and I just had not noticed?

--Philly Tim

Originally posted by rgc101
Anyone experiencing drop outs for 3-1 lately? This is usually rock solid for me, but lately I have had the signal strength jumping up and down.

YES!!! Glad to know it's not just me... It was real bad during this week's prime-time price is right special (look of embarrassment) checked the signal strength shortly after, and it was pegged at 100... But the picture would freeze/lose sound for 1/2 to 2 seconds, during some time periods, every 10-15 seconds...

I'm using a DST-3000 with the 5104 (latest) firmware...

- Mike

Originally posted by Philly Tim
I was watching some of the "Great Performances" program last night (8:00 pm to 10 pm), which was an HDTV record of the Broadway musical "Fosse!"

The show was pretty good, but I suddenly noticed that my receiver had its "Dolby Digital 5.1" indicator lit up. I think that is the first time I noticed DD 5.1 coming from WHYY.

Or has WHYY 12-1 broadcast a DD 5.1 signal before and I just had not noticed?

--Philly Tim

They broadcast a show about Antarctica a few months ago that actually had DD5.1. So it's not the first time. I did flip this on for a few minutes the other day and was surprised to see it in DD.

I am relatively new to the Philly area and new to the HDTV all together. I took a drive yesterday down to Roxborough and it is impressive, but I have yet to see a 2000' tower. Even on the fcc site it has no mention of a 2000' tower. The first post in this thread mentions such tower, but I have yet to see it. There was a lot there about a dozen 1200' or so towers, but no 2000' tower?

Originally posted by tomp0624
I am relatively new to the Philly area and new to the HDTV all together. I took a drive yesterday down to Roxborough and it is impressive, but I have yet to see a 2000' tower. Even on the fcc site it has no mention of a 2000' tower. The first post in this thread mentions such tower, but I have yet to see it. There was a lot there about a dozen 1200' or so towers, but no 2000' tower?

I believe the newest (and maybe the 2000' tower) is the "candelabra" tower. By "candelabra", it has 4 or so projections sticking up around the top, that could be "candles" above the central tower. This is not just a straight tower. You'll know what I mean by candelabra when you see it. It looks different from the normal straight up and down tower.

Did you look at that one?

yes.....fcc site says 1200 something feet. There was no tower there that was rediculously higher than any other tower

Originally posted by tomp0624
yes.....fcc site says 1200 something feet. There was no tower there that was rediculously higher than any other tower

Well, welcome to Philly. I hope you did more in the area than look at the towers ; ) You were near Manayunk and Chestnut Hill -- good sections for dining/shopping.

By the way, I read in the article in the paper about some people in Roxborough who get certain radio stations through every applicance in their house (like the toaster, etc.) due to being so close to the towers.

These people have difficulty selling their homes too.

Originally posted by Philly Tim
...I suddenly noticed that my receiver had its "Dolby Digital 5.1" indicator lit up. I think that is the first time I noticed DD 5.1 coming from WHYY. Or has WHYY 12-1 broadcast a DD 5.1 signal before and I just had not noticed?
--Philly Tim

12-1 has broadcast in DD5.1 before but only rarely. I guess most of their source material is not 5.1. It really added to the enjoyment of the Fosse show. The audience clapping from the rear speakers made you feel like you were in the front row.

Originally posted by wward
WCAU-DT has not moved to the new antenna and is still broadcasting at low power.
Last Friday finally had my antenna moved from the attic to the roof, I am receiving all channels at about 60% strength. I have noticed that when it is raining I cannot lock into a signal on 10-1, is this normal?
Marie

I've seen heay rain affect digital signals (decrease in signal strength and increased multipath).

Originally posted by jaypb
Glad I wasn't the only one! It's *somewhat* embarrasing trying to explain to folks the beauty of all that is HD....and you put on 6-1 to show them 780 lines of resolution....only to have green/white flashing lines and the like.

I figured it wasn't just me and my setup as it was only happening on 6-1...with all my other HD/Digital channels being OK and my signal strength on my E86 showing a 93.

Has any one figured this green line issue out yet??? I still see it on 6-1 mostly during HD to SD switching (commercials).

Well I thought it was the rain, but right now it is clear and sunny and I am experiencing serious drop outs on 10-1. Is this because 10-NBC is transmitting at a low frequency or is it something else? All help will be appreciated.
Marie

NBC (WCAU) is low-power, so it's most likely to have problems.

As for ABC & green lines, that's been a problem with the ABC logo stuff since they put up their first HD feeds on big-dish satellite (I saw it first 3 years ago during the first superbowl when I got my HD set and big-dish plus OTA HD sat receiver (Unity Motion).)

I think it's caused by ABC national's logo/etc inserters.

Originally posted by mprh
Well I thought it was the rain, but right now it is clear and sunny and I am experiencing serious drop outs on 10-1. Is this because 10-NBC is transmitting at a low frequency or is it something else? All help will be appreciated.
Marie

Exactly I only receive 10-1 when the weather patterens change drastically(tropo's) Ive made the progression with my antenna from 1st, to 2nd floor and just recently the attic. I now can bick up bits and pieces from Fox Philly.
10-1 and 29-1 are totally dead for me at the moment also...

the two lowest watage stations right now... Ive given up of them for now and have settled with cbs, abc, upn, and wb

Originally posted by jesup
NBC (WCAU) is low-power, so it's most likely to have problems.

As for ABC & green lines, that's been a problem with the ABC logo stuff since they put up their first HD feeds on big-dish satellite (I saw it first 3 years ago during the first superbowl when I got my HD set and big-dish plus OTA HD sat receiver (Unity Motion).)

I think it's caused by ABC national's logo/etc inserters.

Id really like to get some clarity on this... Might even call them myself...

I actually researched it and found out what the deal is/was. It is not a 2000 foot tower. Originally it was (2) 1000 foot towers. One by American Tower and another by Philcom. The Philcom one got scrapped becuase guy wires would have had to go over the streets. The new tower is the Candelabra one and it is about 1200 feet and its owned by American Tower. WCAU is NOT on it yet. They are only about 850' at 137KW ERP up on an older tower. They will be at about 1200' and 560KW ERP once they move their antenna.

Originally posted by tomp0624
WCAU is NOT on it yet. They are only about 850' at 137KW ERP up on an older tower. They will be at about 1200' and 560KW ERP once they move their antenna.

*holding my breath*.....;)

Originally posted by tomp0624
I actually researched it and found out what the deal is/was. It is not a 2000 foot tower. Originally it was (2) 1000 foot towers. One by American Tower and another by Philcom. The Philcom one got scrapped becuase guy wires would have had to go over the streets. The new tower is the Candelabra one and it is about 1200 feet and its owned by American Tower. WCAU is NOT on it yet. They are only about 850' at 137KW ERP up on an older tower. They will be at about 1200' and 560KW ERP once they move their antenna.

I was under the impression that WCAU was going to be at 1Mwatt when they went to full power. Can anyone confirm this? JWhip?

WCAU.....once they move their antenna

When is this supposed to happen??

Originally posted by SteveK2
When is this supposed to happen??

Last September.......no wait.....Last October......no wait........ March.........no..............April..........no..........200 6........

oooooooooooooohhhhhh boy@!@

I get (or should I say don't) the picture!

thanks, calabs!

Originally posted by jesup

As for ABC & green lines, that's been a problem with the ABC logo stuff since they put up their first HD feeds on big-dish satellite (I saw it first 3 years ago during the first superbowl when I got my HD set and big-dish plus OTA HD sat receiver (Unity Motion).)

I think it's caused by ABC national's logo/etc inserters.
Nope. It's being caused by a glitch in the connection between the HD decoder WPVI uses to receive the HD feed and the rest of the HD switching gear at the station. It might even be a problem inside the HD decoder itself, because it's only seen on "network" programs, as far as I can tell. It's been there FOREVER but they don't seem to want to fix it.

Call 'em up and see if you get someone who can deal with it. Call during the day. That's when the bosses are in.

My apologies - you're right. It's been there on WPVI since day one, but now that you mention it I didn't see it on the big-dish direct network feeds (through my Unity Motion sat/8VSB receiver).

Memory failing....

Don't let this thread go away! Isn't there any news in the Philly market about HD. Surely there's a new rumor about NBC moving to the new tower! Okay...

<bullsh*t>Hey, I hear that NBC is moving to the new tower at the end of the month. Can anyone confirm?</bullsh*t>

Originally posted by RTrueman
Don't let this thread go away! Isn't there any news in the Philly market about HD. Surely there's a new rumor about NBC moving to the new tower! Okay...

<bullsh*t>Hey, I hear that NBC is moving to the new tower at the end of the month. Can anyone confirm?</bullsh*t>

The end of what month, and more importantly............WHAT YEAR!!!!????

This is probably old news for those of you who read around in all the different forums here, but there may be some (like me) who only check in on this thread periodically to see if there is any interesting local news.

I was very pleased to see this thread over on the "HDTV programming" forum, which announces that the FOX network will finally change over to true (720P) HDTV digital broadcasts instead of the widescreen 480P they currently use.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=273720

I am assuming that, since Philly is a major market, our local FOX affiliate will be among the first to be equipped for true HDTV. Does anyone know whether FOX 29 is owned by the network? How soon do you think we'll see true HDTV from FOX 29? Sounds like it could be as early as the last quarter of 2003, with the full rollout by Fall 2004.

--Philly Tim

I spoke with an engineer at wcau no date yet on moving the antenna.
For the second time in the last two weeks on wcau the first half hour was hd and the second half hour was sd, does anyone know whu that is?
Marie

WTXF is an O&O

I checked with WTXF's engineering department last week and they have the euipment in place already to pass 720p material. All they need to do is get in from the network. They need to do nothing else.

Originally posted by Calabs
The end of what month, and more importantly............WHAT YEAR!!!!????

WCAU-DTV isn't all that hard to receive in the Philly area. I can pull it in with a 19 inch whip antenna connected to the back of a Samsung SIRT-150, in my office about 22 miles from Roxborough.

The trick is to have the right antenna. Most antennas don't have much gain in the upper reaches of the UHF TV band, even UHF antennas.

At my house, WCAU-DTV is 30 dB above the noise floor with either roof or attic antennas, plus a low-noise preamp.

Of course, moving up the new American tower will surely help -- going from 800+ feet to 1200 feet ought to be good for another 2-3 dB, and upping power (last I heard, they were licensed for 800 kW ERP) should add another 6-7 dB, depending on the final antenna type and pattern.

I have seen WCAU's carrier (not receiveable) with a Channel Master 4308 and UHF preamp connected to a spectrum analyzer on the front lawn of a residence in Whiting, NJ. The antenna was on a 5'high camera tripod. KYW, WPVI, WPHL, WTXF, WYBE, WPSG, WWAC, WNJN, and WUVP were all receivable at this location, about 48 miles east of Roxborough.

For that matter, so was WCBS-56 from New York City.

Has anyone tried receiving the Phila stations from as far away as Reading, PA (about 55 miles to central phila)?

I've checked antennaweb.org and it reports needing a Blue (and also some green/yellow) type antenna pointed at 130 degrees. I hesitate to spend the money for the settop box and to put up an outdoor antenna if it isn't practical.

Any easy way to check?

Thanks in advance.

You should be fine with the exception of possibly channel 10 and 39 which may be problematic. I pick up 69-1 and 69-2 as well 39-1 with no trouble here. I think that you would be likewise successful getting philly stations.

The stations you will most likely be able to receive are KYW-26 (787 kW ERP), WPVI-64 (atop the same tower, about 500 kW ERP), WPHL-54 (over 500 kW ERP), WTXF-42 (around 300 kW ERP), and possibly WYBE-35, WUVP-66 (Univision) and WPSG-32.

WCAU might be problematic depending on their antenna pattern. WHYY runs only 87 kW ERP and favors the SW from their antenna.

Depending on your path to the SW, you might be able to pick up WGAL-58 out of Lancaster as well as the PBS station in Harrisburg on channel 36 (WITF).

Thanks all for the responses. Do installers carry equipment to do a "site check" of signal strength for the different stations I might get before actually installing the antenna?

I'm actually getting ABC and NBC digital/HD from Cable. I love several shows on CBS and was hoping it was available OTA. I really haven't used the extra channels on HD-HBO or showtime-HD which is the only reason I signed up for the premium package so if I could go OTA, would be nice to drop down some of the costs.

Wish comcast/cbs would work out the rebroadcast agreement or say they are not. The rumors are driving me crazy.

Again, thanks.
Adam

Here in Malvern we're picking up WWAC (usually) from Atlantic City (in line with the Roxsborough towers, and we're on top of a ridge with a clean line of sight to at least Roxsborough).

You should get CBS with no problems. An installer should have an analyzer which they will connect to the antenna and walk it around your roof to see where the best signal is and where the signal is not from a reflection. My people at Comcast tell me not to expect CBS any time in the forseeable future. There will be more channels added this year in addition to INHD and INHD2. Not sure what they are yet.

Originally posted by JWhip
There will be more channels added this year in addition to INHD and INHD2. Not sure what there are yet.

What's INHD and INHD2??

Originally posted by Calabs
What's INHD and INHD2??

It is InDemand in High Def. More info is here:
http://www.indemand.com/about/news/news042803HDChannel.jsp

There is a thread on this topic here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=268290&highlight=in+demand

Adam:
what I did in Doylestown (32 miles form towers) was to get an STB on trial and purchased a great antenna for $25 (Winegard PR-4400). I now have 2 permanently in my attic after positive results on two different STBs (a Panny Tu-HDS20 and an HTPC with Hipix tuner).

You risk only the cost of the antenna that way. this antenna is great (11 x 22 bowtie type) and has a much wider beamwidth than standard beam type UHF antennas.

PM me if you want to discuss more.

Just curious if anyone knows if tonight's Philly-Mets game is going to be on UPN 57 (32-1) in HD tonight....as titantv.com states. I know they are frequently wrong....but tonight's game IS at Shea...where there are HD cameras set up for WPIX's coverage...and it IS on WPIX out of NYC tonight in HD (supposedly---as I can't receive this channel in Central NJ where I am).

I haven't noticed one game in anything but 4:3 Digital on 32-1...and I'm not even sure if WPSG is capable of transmitting an HD feed yet.

Anyone?:confused:

Titan is wrong again, no HD on 57, I also have not seen anything in HD on 57. Last night's game was awsome on FSNY HD, no motion artifacts or grain, the best HD I've seen thus far. :cool:

Originally posted by Digidan
Titan is wrong again, no HD on 57, I also have not seen anything in HD on 57. HD broadcasts at Shea are only on MSG (Tuesdays and Wednesdays) and FSNY (the rest of the week), which sucks because 'PIX has tonight and Sunday's game, and Saturday's game is on FOX network (FOX widescreen maybe?). Last night's game was awsome on FSNY HD, no motion artifacts or grain, the best HD I've seen thus far. :cool:

Kind of figured Titan was wrong...it was just the 1st time I'd noticed an HD logo next to ANYTHING on UPN 57.

I thought PIX has broadcast HD Mets games in the recent past though? Could've sworn I read about it on this forum :confused:

I don't have cable so local FSN in HD isn't an option with D*.

I doubt this weekend's Fox Sports games will be in Widescreen...at least I haven't seen one yet out of Philly or NYC in Faux Widescreen ;)

Anyone notice a signal drop on 3-1? Recorded CSI and Without a Trace last night and they are unwatchable on my myhd. Only getting signal strength of 50 on my hd and 70 on dtc 100?? I alwas got 3-1 on the high 80s. Did they cut their power or something?

Originally posted by rgc101
Anyone notice a signal drop on 3-1? Recorded CSI and Without a Trace last night and they are unwatchable on my myhd. Only getting signal strength of 50 on my hd and 70 on dtc 100?? I alwas got 3-1 on the high 80s. Did they cut their power or something?
I had fine reception last night. As good as it ever was.

Digidan:

Just curious how you receive this in Hamilton...assume it must be through cable provider? is that Comcast? thanks

I also noticed that KYW's siganl strength was all over the map last night.

I get FSNY HD and MSG HD through Cablevision. Hamilton is one of few places in the Philly DMA that is not ruled by Comcast. I get Comcast Sportsnet as well, but not in HD.

Originally posted by rgc101
Anyone notice a signal drop on 3-1? Recorded CSI and Without a Trace last night and they are unwatchable on my myhd. Only getting signal strength of 50 on my hd and 70 on dtc 100?? I alwas got 3-1 on the high 80s. Did they cut their power or something?

I couldn't get 3-1 at all Thursday night. I had to goto 26-1 to get KYW.

Originally posted by jaypb
Kind of figured Titan was wrong...it was just the 1st time I'd noticed an HD logo next to ANYTHING on UPN 57.

I thought PIX has broadcast HD Mets games in the recent past though? Could've sworn I read about it on this forum :confused:

I don't have cable so local FSN in HD isn't an option with D*.

I doubt this weekend's Fox Sports games will be in Widescreen...at least I haven't seen one yet out of Philly or NYC in Faux Widescreen ;)

I stand corrected, I've read from other posts that PIX does do Mets in HD.

Anyone else notice that WCBS-DT either drops power or just goes off the air between 1:30 and 2:00 am? I have noticed this for the past couple of weeks.

And WNYW's signal strength drops off quite a bit in addition to that while mucking around trying to figure out what was going on around 1;30 am I re-scanned and picked up WLIW-DT out of Long Island with a 65 signal strength. I have always been able to get the analog signal with some snow but nothing on the digital signal.

Also I was able to pick up WFTY-DT out of Long Island as well, I wonder if work is being performed and other stations are testing at the Empire State Building transmitter as I have been picking up errant signals most of the late evening. But WCBS-DT and for my purposes WNYN-DT are not on the air.

Originally posted by wward
I re-scanned and picked up WLIW-DT out of Long Island with a 65 signal strength. I have always been able to get the analog signal with some snow but nothing on the digital signal.


I've been picking this up as well, periodically. I believe it maps at 21-1? Got to watch the HD loop from that station.

WHYY-DT sent this letter today:
We are pleased to announce that in the Winter of 2004, (see below) PBS will replace the demo loop with a full service channel of HD and digital widescreen programming. In anticipation of this, we are requesting your assistance in being our "Eyes and Ears". Please take a minute to respond to the following questions. Your assistance is appreciated.

1. Your location.
2. Do your receive your signal over the air or as a Comcast Cable or Urban Cable customer?
3. Reception - good, fair, or poor?
4. Video and Audio quality.

In addition to the above, please feel free to add any comments you may have regarding our DTV channel.

Best Regards,
Dianne Chenault
Technology Services Coordinator

High-Definition Television

PBS will launch a new channel dedicated to high definition and digital widescreen programming in the winter of 2004 digital. The PBS HD channel represents a new service under our current PBS brand. It will draw from a growing library of up to 400 hours of digital NPS programming thanks to the support from national producers in clearing the rights for the PBS HD service. We believe that the launch of a 24X7 high definition and digital widescreen programming service to replace the HD Loop‚ will enable stations to signal the transition from demonstration to early deployment
of high definition television.


This is great news. That HD loop was making me loopy.

Be sure to send a reception report to Dianne Chenault <dchenault@whyy.org> so they know we're out here and watching. Don't forget to contribute to the station, too.

Brent,

I got the same thing from Dianne and had my response back to her in a flash.

It's about time they started to show something other than the loop.

Dan

This is great news from WHYY however I actually like the loop. It's a great way to demo HDTV because of the excellent quality of the source material.
I would like to see WHYY play the loop occasionally or possibly play it during overnight hours.

I'll shoot Diane an email asap.

Joe

How did you get the letter sent to you (subsribe to their website?)?

Just send Dianne a note that you want to be on the HDTV list, and she'll add you.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by wward
[B]Anyone else notice that WCBS-DT either drops power or just goes off the air between 1:30 and 2:00 am? I have noticed this for the past couple of weeks.
I have recorded Jay Leno and Law and Order, first half of the show in hd and the second hour in sd. Has anyone else noticed this?

I just found out what was causing that problem with WCBS-DT & WNYW-DT. This is from George Thompson from the NYC HD OTA Only thread.

"I don't remember if WNYW-DT is using the mast on the 84th floor parapit or the flat panel bolted to the side of a building down town but they are only running about 250W. The VHF's on ESB have to power down and use the parapit antenna at night since mast work is going on to put the analog antennas back on the mast. Later this year they will be up there too."

GT


__________________

so it appears that espd-hd is ahowing up in some cities on comcast dig cable.

any word for philly comcast as for when it will appear?

Can anyone tell us when WCAU (NBC 10) will be moving to the new antenna and increasing their power? This was originally supposed to happen last fall. What are the reasons for the delay?

I live in East Bradford Township, Chester County. With an attic antenna, if I tune to channel 67, I am more likely to receive the signal from the PBS station in Hagerstown, Md. than the signal from WCAU-DT. I am also receiving the signal from WBAL, 11-1 (59), NBC from Baltimore, once per week, which is one time more than I receive the signal from WCAU-DT.

I understand ESPN to charge a separate carriage fee like CBS, which is at an impasse with Comcast. Therefore, I wouldn't expect it soon or without another rate hike.

I am enjoying it (ESPN-HD) on Directv now in the Philly area. THe only HD value-add that Comcast provides is Flyers and Sixers. :)

Petersbar,

I expect your speculation is in-correct in both accounts. There are many Philly areas that currently have ESPN-HD and the rest will follow in a about a week, as for a rate increase, have not heard that one. It is amazing what can be worked out when both parties are willing to negotiate.

Originally posted by petersbar
I understand ESPN to charge a separate carriage fee like CBS, which is at an impasse with Comcast. Therefore, I wouldn't expect it soon or without another rate hike.

I am enjoying it (ESPN-HD) on Directv now in the Philly area. THe only HD value-add that Comcast provides is Flyers and Sixers. :)

Barry,

Comcast signed an agreement with ESPN sometime last week to carry ESPN-HD. In fact, many Comcast areas already have it up and running. Philly area should have it by mid-August, if not sooner.

Regarding pricing, what I have heard is that there will be NO EXTRA CHARGE, as long as you have Digital Classic ($9.95/mo) or Digital Plus ($14.95/mo).

David

Well, I am very glad i am wrong!! :)

I will look forward to the "pricing."

You can be sure that they are paying the carriage fee and its either being absorbed or passed on in another fashion.

Are they still far apart on CBS-HD? Then again, why pay anything for network HD when you can get it OTA.

Originally posted by StuSuss
I live in East Bradford Township, Chester County. With an attic antenna, if I tune to channel 67, I am more likely to receive the signal from the PBS station in Hagerstown, Md. than the signal from WCAU-DT. I am also receiving the signal from WBAL, 11-1 (59), NBC from Baltimore, once per week, which is one time more than I receive the signal from WCAU-DT.

I moved from East Bradford to Malvern a year ago. In East Bradford (Skelp Level Rd, up on the hill near the East Caln border) I was also using an attic antenna. I had no real problems receiving WCAU if it was aimed properly and I used a good UHF amp (not radioshack - Channelmaster 7777 I think). Also I replaced the old RG59 cable with a new quad-shield RG-6 cable, which helped as well).

Sounds like your attic antenna is non-directional. Switch to a directional antenna (as directional as possible) and it should help a lot. It will mean losing the MD stations unless you put a rotator up there. If you only use it for digital, you could go with a UHF-only small 4-bay vertical array like the 3023(?) from channelmaster. Not too expensive either, and far smaller than directional UHF/VHF antennas (or even UHF yagi's).

In Malvern, with a directional and the preamp, and with a direct line of sight to the towers, I get them all well, and often get WWAC from Atlantic City (!) cleanly. Must be at least 80 miles, maybe 100. (I am on top of a ridge at Valley Forge).

Randell,

Thank you for your helpful information.

However, before I invest in a new antenna or cables or in the labor needed to install it, I would like to find out the answer to my original question. When is WCAU planning to go on the new tower and increase their power?

If, after the new tower is in play, I still cannot receive WCAU, then it will be time for other solutions.

So, everyone, what is the current story with WCAU and the tower?

Thanks, Stu

Originally posted by StuSuss
However, before I invest in a new antenna or cables or in the labor needed to install it, I would like to find out the answer to my original question. When is WCAU planning to go on the new tower and increase their power?

If, after the new tower is in play, I still cannot receive WCAU, then it will be time for other solutions.

So, everyone, what is the current story with WCAU and the tower?

Thanks, Stu

I've been trying to contact WCAU's enginner (Tim O-Sullivan), but have been unsuccessful thus far. I sent him an e-mail yesterday. I'll report back if I get a response.

Got up this morning and there was a channel 173. SportsCenter was on stretched to widescreen. There was no channel name and all the listings were To Be Announced. But finally ESPN-HD!

Comcast - Norriston system in Montgomery County

Originally posted by jankm
Got up this morning and there was a channel 173. SportsCenter was on stretched to widescreen. There was no channel name and all the listings were To Be Announced. But finally ESPN-HD!

Comcast - Norriston system in Montgomery County


sure didn't look like HD....if it was -- it was very poor quality. I hope it gets better.

in Bucks County (outside philadelphia), the Comcast Sportsnet sounds has been strange....alot of sound/volume coming out of my rear speakers. Not true surround. It was fine about 1 week ago, then it changed. Has anyone else been experiencing this?

ESPN HD fills 16:9 on Directv as well. the actually 720p broadcasts are few and far between. next is Sunday night 8 pm baseball Giants vs Red Sox.

Their 720p for baseball is almost as good as HDNet's.

With today's news from CBS about their national game being HD I count 7 Eagles games that should be in HD. They would be:

8/11 8:00 ESPN-HD - at New Orleans (pre-season)
9/8 9:00 ABC - Tampa Bay
9/14 4:15 CBS - New England
10/25 4:15 CBS - Jets
11/10 9:00 ABC - at Green Bay
12/15 9:00 ABC - at Miami
12/27 8:30 ESPN-HD - at Washington

Of course this doesn't include the Super Bowl broadcast :D. The NFC playoffs will not be HD as they are on FOX. What a jump from the zero shown last season.

Originally posted by BrentHD
With today's news from CBS about their national game being HD I count 7 Eagles games that should be in HD. They would be:

8/11 8:00 ESPN-HD - at New Orleans (pre-season)
9/8 9:00 ABC - Tampa Bay
9/14 4:15 CBS - New England
10/25 4:15 CBS - Jets
11/10 9:00 ABC - at Green Bay
12/15 9:00 ABC - at Miami
12/27 8:30 ESPN-HD - at Washington

Of course this doesn't include the Super Bowl broadcast :D. The NFC playoffs will not be HD as they are on FOX. What a jump from the zero shown last season.

While not HD, there should be a few FOX widescreen games too for the Eagles too. Which is better than not widescreen (but not as good as HD of course).

Unfortunately, I'll miss most of these HD broadcasts as I'll be sitting in my Stadium Builder Licensed seat at Lincoln Financial Field. But at least they have two HDTV video screens at the new stadium :cool:

Now that we Comcast users finally have ESPN-HD, does anyone know what 2 channels are going to be added this fall? In the message Comcast sent to my box they wouldn't list the channels, only that they'd be added by 9/15 and to see their website for more info. The website has nothing of course but I suspect it's going to be CBS and Discovery which would both be great and actually make their HD package worth the money.

Let's hope anway!
Bill

Originally posted by Bill_B4
Now that we Comcast users finally have ESPN-HD, does anyone know what 2 channels are going to be added this fall? In the message Comcast sent to my box they wouldn't list the channels, only that they'd be added by 9/15 and to see their website for more info. The website has nothing of course but I suspect it's going to be CBS and Discovery which would both be great and actually make their HD package worth the money.

Let's hope anway!
Bill

I heard it will be two "In Demand" HD channels.

HD In Demand Press Release (http://www.inhd.com/press4_28_03.html)

No CBS or Discovery HD yet.

Well that sucks. Who the heck really cares about In-Demand HD? After all, it's not TRUE HD, just upconverted DVD quality that we'll have to pay for instead.

That's a lame teaser on Comcast's part if it's true.

Bill

According to the Comcast web site 2 INHD channels will be added on 9/15 on channels 174 & 175.

According to the inhd website they are not PPV channels. However I don't recognize anything on the schedule. At least its something.

Originally posted by ExpensiveWino
in Bucks County (outside philadelphia), the Comcast Sportsnet sounds has been strange....alot of sound/volume coming out of my rear speakers. Not true surround. It was fine about 1 week ago, then it changed. Has anyone else been experiencing this? i have the same thing.
it's as if my denon is outputting 5 channel stereo instead of DD 5.1.

also the volume is very low for CSN when i switch over to espn-hd or anyother channel i have to turn down sound.

anyone have trouble with 12-1 today?? no signal since mid-day on two different receivers...

12-1 has been coming in strong and clear all day here in Central NJ.