Since starting this thread four years ago, things have changed a bit. I unfortunately don't live in the 'Burgh anymore (thanks U.S. Airways), but someone who does has thoughtfully provided a new update.

As far as WYTV, I believe they're up and running at full power 24 hrs. although I cannot receive their signal here in Washington County. All Youngstown stations are up and running but I can only receive WKBN-DT's signal. WFMJ's signal is blocked here by a stupid idiotic low power signal on analog channel 20 by WBGN-TV. WKBN-DT is multicasting with a FOX feed on 27-2. Picture quatlity on 27-1 is good, but 27-2 is mediocre.

WQED-DT is only operating on channel 13-1 as a full time full service HD outlet. I denote no simulcasting here. WQED-DT has awesome PQ.

KDKA-DT and WPXI-DT are operating full time with full power with HD programming. WPXI-DT is multicasting with NBC's Weather Plus (worthless to me, I'd rather see a full time doppler radar) on 11-2. Both are utilizing Dolby 5.1 technology. Both got great picture quality although the audio on 2-1 (KDKA-DT) is too loud.

WPGH-DT is up and running 24/7 with a multicast. 53-1 is HD and 53-2 is SD. 53-1 has great PQ.

WTAE-DT is up and running 24/7 with full power. I have absolutely no problem receiving thier signal here in Washington County (South Strabane Twp.). Thier PQ on HD broadcasts is 720P and is great. Their PQ on all other (upconverted 420) broadcasts leaves a lot to be desired. Very smeary looking. I have been quite disappointed with thier non-HD quality for a long time, but it doesn't look like they're going to do anything to correct it.


WCWB-DT is also up and running full time. As with WPGH-DT, their PQ on HD broadcasts is great. WCWB-DT is multicasting a music channel (I believe "The Tube") on 22-2.


WNPA (analog channel 19) is STILL waiting for FCC approval to go digital. Their allocation on channel 49 is used by a low-power outlet in Indiana County and the owner of that station is single-handedly blocking their firing up digitally. They've also asked the FCC for permission to use channel 30 but thus far to no avail.

Hope this helps.


There are some new developments here in the 'Burgh, and I thought it might be nice to have one spot to gather everything together.

The Good:
WYTV, the ABC affiliate in Youngstown, is on the air. For everyone on the North side of town who can't get WTAE (and that includes just about everyone), this is awesome news. They're not yet on 24/7, but they've been lighting up the transmitter when ABC has HDTV programming. I've been able to pull it in using my less that perfect attic antenna setup, so a good percentage of us should now get ABC in HDTV and DD 5.1. Can you say Super Bowl?

Also, WQED is playing with their setup. As noted in another thread, they've been multicasting on 13.3, 13.4, 13.5. and 13.6 during the day. The plan is to use the full datastream for PBS HD programming. The demo loop appears to be history already.

KDKA and WPXI continue to put out quality, high-power signals. KDKA should be DD 5.1 sometime next year.

The Bad:
WPGH-DT is up and running of course, but at 480i. No HDTV here anytime soon.

The Ugly:
WTAE is at flea power, and will stay that way for years. Now that I can get WYTV, I really don't care. :)

WCWB (WB22) is also at flea power. Another Sinclair-owned station pushing the digital transition.

WNPA (UPN19) is currently awaiting FCC approval on a proposal to change the original DTV channel allocation and move the transmitter closer to the city. The application has been at the FCC for a year and a half, but they haven't yet heard anything. Once a construction permit is granted, it will take several months worth of work to get up and running, but Viacom has budgeted the money to make it happen.

I spoke to Kurt Hoss at WTAE the other day. He maintains they are at "full" power..."max" power some time next year. I can pick up this signal with effort.

Great job on the post!

Current Pittsburgh HDTV Status link:

http://www.broadcast.net/~sbe20/HDTVNews/hdtvstatus.html

I'm not sure what he meant by "full" power, but a number of web sites currently peg them at 145 kw. Suffice it to say that nobody further than about 20 miles from the transmitter can get a reliable signal. I do hope they up the power next year, but the last time I talked to anyone there I was told it would be 2 or 3 years before that happened. We'll see.

I edited the original post to include some updated info on UPN 19 and KDKA.

WTAE's original construction permit called for a 1000kw station but they were issued a license for 145kw, it is not even a temporary, so that must be all they need to satisfy the fcc's formula for coverage.

That's always puzzled me. How can a 145 kw signal satisfy the FCC's coverage requirements? It just doesn't make any sense. I was resigned to no ABC HD until cable came along, but the Youngstown station has changed everything.

Free OTA digital TV rocks...

Their tower is in Elizabeth which adds to the mystery. There are more people in other states picking up 51 than here in PGH???

Originally posted by kaa1954
There are more people in other states picking up 51 than here in PGH???

I don't know if I'd go that far, but where I live, WTAE-DT might as well be on Mars.

Dave,

QED is still broadcasting their HiDef Demo loop. I rather enjoy the broadcast, very relaxing..

I noticed that it was back on yesterday. I'll have to give Paul Byers a call this week and see if there's a schedule yet. I actually think they're doing the right thing with multicasting if they do it during the day when there's no HD content.

Hey Dave,

I don't live to far from you with hilly terrain also. I'm useing a 10 year old radio shack roof top antenna and I get a good signal from 51. Set top box is Sony hd 200. Do you have a rotor ? I also have a amplifier on the antenna. This improved my signal at least 25%:)

Colin

My antenna is in the attic, so there's no chance for me on WTAE. I haven't heard of anyone in my neck of the woods that's picking it up, but you're just a tad further south and it looks like that's all it takes.

As for WTAE...I realize some of you that follow this Forum know of my many problems won't believe it but...thanks to Greg...I was able to get WTAE no problemo...full time...UNTIL about a week ago. Now nothing...not even a flicker...

Any explanation? I figured with the leaves about off, my signal strength would only get better.

And Dave...as for WYTV...are you saying their Ch. 36 will ONLY come on when the ABC network is broadcasting in HD?

FWIW,

I live in Morgantown, WV and receive all of the above with RatShack Double Bowtie. I do have an unobstructed view of the 'Burgh and channels 25 and 51 are pegged on the myHD card. Channel 42,43 and 38 are weaker, but acceptable even during the day.

I would recommend that you try moving your antennas around. I found that a move of a few inches makes a big difference in signal strength. To get all the channels with the small antenna, it takes a friend and a six-pack for adjustment.

Jim

:cool:

When I lived in Allison Park (north hills), I was able to get ABC/NBC/CBS pretty reliably - I forget the signal strengths. This was with a Radio Shack Double bowtie sitting on my front porch.

I moved to Coraopolis, and I can get all the channels pretty well with the Double Bowtie sitting on my back porch. I do have some troubles getting both WB and ABC (or maybe it was NBC, I forget which) at the same time, so for now I'm getting ABC, but if I turn the antenna a bit I can get WB, just nothing worth watching on there since, like Fox, its 480i.

QED sometimes gives me problems. Sometimes I get a nice healthy signal, othertimes I get a lot of fadeouts. ABC/CBS/NBC/Fox are all rock-solid though.

Originally posted by Blitzburgh
And Dave...as for WYTV...are you saying their Ch. 36 will ONLY come on when the ABC network is broadcasting in HD?

That was the case during the testing phase, but now they're up 24/7.
The only network I can't get now is WB, but since Sinclair owns that station it will probably be awhile before they pass the HD programming or turn up the power, so I'm not really missing anything.

Sorry about WTAE, Blitz. Do you have a rotator? Maybe you'd have a shot at WYTV.

Dave...I have the Panny TUHDS20 receiver...as such, I am clueless as to what my signal strength is since it has no such meter.

Anyhow...it was odd concerning WYTV in that when I first tried tuning it in, all I got was message at the bottom saying: Channel Not Available

As of about a week ago, I get alot of snow...like you would from an analog signal. I didn't, and still don't, understand why.

Which is why I had asked you the question as I was thinking perhaps when ABC was broadcasting in HD it might "kick in" a picture. From your explanation that this channel is now on 24/7, it would appear this will not be the case.

I was hoping WYTV would work for me here in Cranberry since WTAE is so unreliable. I had even started the topic on this channel in Youngstown about a month ago as I had spoke with their engineer.

Anyhow...could you even fathom a guess as to why Ch. 36 is coming in like an anolog channel? I'm clueless...

Blitz,
There is a PBS station (WGPT) in Oakland, MD that is the likely culprit. Unfortunately, it looks like that station is too far away for reception but close enough to cause interference. Do you have a rotor so you can point your antenna at Youngstown? You probably won't have any chance of getting WYTV unless you can.

Dave...I don't have a rotar. Any idea how much one would cost? Is this something that I could use from the inside to turn the antenna? What type/brand name/model of rotar would you recommend?

My antenna is a CM Yagi...

Blitz,
You'll need either a rotor or another antenna pointed at Youngstown. Rotors are mounted outside on the mast, and you can get one that's remote controlled. Channelmaster.com should give you some ideas, and they seem to be quite popular. Since I'm using an attic setup and don't have room to rotate the antenna I have pointed at Pittsburgh, I pointed a second antenna at Youngstown and bought a $29 remote controlled A/B switch from Rat Shack to switch between the two.

Before you spend another dime on hardware, take your current antenna and point it toward Youngstown to see if you get WYTV. Then you can decide whether to spring on a rotor.

So which is better...to have two antenna's on the roof or a single rotar? I can make the obvious assumption here but have learned to stop doing that when it comes to HD...LOL!

Pros and cons...

Rotor pros: A single line of coax, no signal gain degradation from splitters or A/B boxes, and generally a cleaner, stronger signal.

Cons: you have to wait while the rotor turns the antenna to tune a station in a different direction.


Separate antenna pros: instant channel tuning

Cons: combining two antennas can be either very simple or a big pain in the arse. Sometimes a $5 splitter/combiner is all you need, and sometimes you need a Channelmaster Jointenna that's specifically tuned to the one channel you're trying to pick up (36 in your case.) I was not able to use a generic combiner; when I tried that I lost WQED. Check out this (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=185697) thread to see what you might be getting into with the separate antenna option.

I'd personally go with the rotor.

One of the cons of a rotor is that you need to run a control line from the rotor to the control pannel in your theater. Another con is if you plan to add another HDTV in your home, you run into fights on who can use the antenna this time for reception. :eek:

I guess it really all depends on your particular situation and preferences. For me, the separate antenna option was really the only option. Blitz could probably go one way just as easily as the other, particularly since 36 in Youngstown is likely the only station he'll need in that direction.

hey did anyone loose wpgh digital recently?

burghman: I can still get 43 at 88 strength.

Still good here.

I am in the Salem area and am jumping head first into HDTV. Will be getting a 36xbr800 and the hd-100 tuner. What type of antenna will I need to just get them main 3 (abc, cbs, nbc)? Can I get away with a nice indoor antenna? I'm in an apartment and don't really feel like paying for an antenna that I can't really bring with me when I do leave. I live on the first floor of a 2-story home with pretty-much nothing big and obstructive anywhere near the house. ANY help would be greatly appreciated in this. I don't wanna buy the wrong antenna and want to get this setup as fast as possible so the significant other doesn't have any ammo if you know what I mean......

Originally posted by debennett2
I am in the Salem area and am jumping head first into HDTV. Will be getting a 36xbr800 and the hd-100 tuner. What type of antenna will I need to just get them main 3 (abc, cbs, nbc)? Can I get away with a nice indoor antenna? I'm in an apartment and don't really feel like paying for an antenna that I can't really bring with me when I do leave. I live on the first floor of a 2-story home with pretty-much nothing big and obstructive anywhere near the house. ANY help would be greatly appreciated in this. I don't wanna buy the wrong antenna and want to get this setup as fast as possible so the significant other doesn't have any ammo if you know what I mean......

DeBennett2...go to www.titantv.com and click on antenna selector. It's not the "end all" answer but will give you a good start. Good luck...

anyone try this antenna out?

As noted a while back, all of a sudden I was unable to lock on WTAE. Each day I would try again and again with no luck. Not even a flicker...

Today, I gave it another try and it came on immediately and has not disappeared.

Question...anyone know if they were doing any experiments over the past several weeks? Was anyone else experiencing any problems with Ch. 51 (4)?

I know it couldn't be that they cut back on the power since their lousy 50K watts already sucks. :mad:

Replies welcome...thanks.

PS I do have Greg C. coming over on Thursday to increase my mast height. I'm hoping this will give me better signal strength. :p

51 is the same strength for me, you could have run into a weather fluke. I got one once where it pushed the signal up to around 60-70 (it's normally at 35-40).

I have said it before, last winter i pulled in 51 on my hd100, then it dropped down to 41-50 signal and now i get nothing. im in the shadyside area

Anyone out there with a HD200 with channel mapping problems with the Johnstown, PA stations? I live in Kittanning, PA(about 50 miles northeast of Pittsburgh). I've been doing searches with 15904 zipcode, but nothing. I manually added channel 34 and locked in to 6.1 WJAC, which is very strong at my location. Did another auto scan and still no Johnstown DT stations. Might be the way they are sending the signal?

Searches with a Pittsburgh zip works fine. Get all exept 22.1.

gmc: I don't understand what you mean when you say you're searching with a zip code. Does the HD200 box somehow know what DTV channels are available in a given zip code (?!). I would say just autoscan and get what you can, or manually enter channels from Pittsburgh and Johnstown and see which ones you can receive.

agtiny,
You can enter up to two seperate zip codes to search for all over the air channels within the given zips. Even if the digital channel does not lock in, it is still entered on the channel list in the HD200, so all I have to do then is rotate my oudoor antenna for best strength. It makes it alot easier than entering one number and scanning, turning the antenna and rescanning for just that one channel. That's where my problem is.... I can enter lets say Clev. Ohio zip and the receiver will show all ota including digital for that location. Then all I do is rotate my antenna to get the strongest signal, I haven't been able to pull these in yet, but the Johnstown stations do not even get added to my channel list unless I add manually and that is only one. I think there are more up at this time than just WJAC-DT

Thanks for your quick reply

Interesting, that is one thing that annoys me about the DTC-100, that you can't check signal strength on a digital channel until it is first locked on (so I have no way of knowing how bad my signal is on 42 for example). Sounds like a neat feature!

It is a great feature, just can't figure out the Johnstown thing. Are you able to pull in anything besides Pittsburgh?

Nope I just get all Pgh stations except 42. I have an indoor antenna in an eastern window so there is no hope of receiving Youngstown 36 (180 deg. away) and Johnstown is like 80+ miles away.

As noted a while back, all of a sudden I was unable to lock on WTAE. Each day I would try again and again with no luck. Not even a flicker...
Today, I gave it another try and it came on immediately and has not disappeared.
Question...anyone know if they were doing any experiments over the past several weeks? Was anyone else experiencing any problems with Ch. 51 (4)?

Blitzburgh,

51 has been a mystery for me also. I lost it altogether in September. I added a seperate antenna pointed directly at Elizabeth to pick it up. Now it is not as reliable as it was on the second antenna, but it's showing up on my original antenna very solid.

38 is my current hemorrhoid.

Thought I would chime in,

Armstrong Cable services are going to be firing up there "Armstrong HD" on December 8th..per their advertisements. Anybody no what they are going to be broadcasting? Also, anybody see the QED (PBS) broadcast of "The Face", a 2 part series about Art and Jesus? Wonderful..

Also, anybody see the QED (PBS) broadcast of "The Face", a 2 part series about Art and Jesus? Wonderful..
jsnides,

My wife & I just got done watching this show. The part at the end with all the faces morphing gave us goosebumps. These are the times when all the antenna struggles make it worth it!

Also, I turned on my audio receiver & was shocked to see (hear) that it was being broadcast in DD5.1. Has WQED been passing this signal all along or is this something new?

KAA,

I agree with the the 'gooses". I believe it depends on the individual broadcast that determines the 5.1 sound. Some have it others don't. I actually recorded the series with my HiPix card. Awesome..

Enjoy..

An answer to my earlier question,


Armstrong HD will be offering Discovery HD Theater, HBO HD, Showtime HD, CBS, ABC, NBC and PBS HD broadcasts. Projected date - very soon - per customer support. Cool..

Wow, that's great news for Armstrong customers! I'll never give up HDNet (and I can't get Armstrong anyway), but getting ABC without signal strength issues would be nice. Those WTAE *******s should just increase their power like they are required to. :)

agtiny,

why can't you receive Armstrongs Cable Services, Cranberry?

I live in the Laurelwood apts. and in his great wisdom, the owner runs his own phone and cable service. The only good thing about it is the cheap 2mbit SDSL, but the regular phone and cable service is terrible. They also try to prohibit satellite dishes but thanks to the FCC I have mine up. :)

Originally posted by agtiny
I live in the Laurelwood apts. and in his great wisdom, the owner runs his own phone and cable service. The only good thing about it is the cheap 2mbit SDSL, but the regular phone and cable service is terrible. They also try to prohibit satellite dishes but thanks to the FCC I have mine up. :)

agtiny...when I moved to Pittsburgh from Jacksonville, Fl back in late '91, I lived in the Villages of Laurelwood for a year. I can't believe old man West is still doing his own cable and phone.

I turned on "Ed" last night on 48 to find SD picture. Was there a good reason for non-HD or did they forget to flip the switch?

Do we need to light up the switchboard in the future to let them know we are out here?

Apparently it was a national problem...Check out this thread:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=200218

My problem (once I found out how to measure the strengths...duh) is that I get about 70 SS for channel 36 out of Youngstown, OH (I live in Salem, OH) if the doublebowtie is perfectly placed...most positions..almost all...leave about a 2 for SS peaked. I have also repointed the antenna towards Cleveland and was able to get a SS of about 70 or so as well for channel 31 in Cleveland. Neither are viewable though. Just video and audio every few seconds for a split second. Any ideas what I can do?
Here's my scenario: I live in a 2-story apartment..We have the bottom floor and basement to our disposal and can pretty-much do whatver we need to as long as we aren't destructive to the property (ie we have aluminum siding so I mounted our Directv dish on a pole that I put in the ground to save from damaging the home. Anyhow, the TV and receiver are at the extreme NW corner of the house with 3 windows starting at that corner and continuing side-by-side on the north side of that corner..those windows lead to a large open front porch that I thought if the antenna wire was longer I could run to the porch for reception. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

So I reset my receiver and hit the auto scan early this morning. This evening, I went to the "guide" to see what was on and I see Channel 6-1. Yeah, I know there's a Channel 6 out of J-town so I turned on 6-1 and I get their digital channel...cool. :cool:

Here's the rub though...now I don't know where the "tower" for this channel is but surely its got to be in a worse location for reception to me in Cranberry then WTAE in the 'burgh.

WTAE should be ashamed of themselves. Anyone know what the other digital channels are for J-town? Like ABC?

Hey has anyone else been seeing the dropouts on KDKA lately? It's like a complete dropout for several seconds...I get dumped to the "weak signal" message. I see it at least a few times during every hourly show I watch and it's been happening for about the last week.

Originally posted by agtiny
Hey has anyone else been seeing the dropouts on KDKA lately? It's like a complete dropout for several seconds...I get dumped to the "weak signal" message. I see it at least a few times during every hourly show I watch and it's been happening for about the last week.

AGTINY...in case you were wondering if it was you...NO, you're not alone. Same thing on my end too. :(

Hey, yunz guys! I'm here in the North Hills and wondering where you purchased your HDTV and receiver. I can't believe anybody pays the full-retail prices Listening Post and Let's Make Music are charging. Anyhow, I'm itching to get HD but am hesitant to buy over the internet. Any suggestions would be appreaciated. TIA

I bought my TV at Best Buy. I probably wouldn't do that again though, but I already knew what model I wanted so I didn't have to put up with too much of the salesman's stupidity. Next time I'll probably buy from an online dealer, check the Hardware forum for advice maybe. I got my DTC-100 used on ebay. You'll probably want to purchase a newer generation receiver though. Again, read through some of the stuff in the Hardware forum. Good luck and welcome!

Originally posted by ex007
Hey, yunz guys! I'm here in the North Hills and wondering where you purchased your HDTV and receiver. I can't believe anybody pays the full-retail prices Listening Post and Let's Make Music are charging. Anyhow, I'm itching to get HD but am hesitant to buy over the internet. Any suggestions would be appreaciated. TIA

Shopping for HDTV's, receiver's, home theatre sound systems, etc.? First things first...DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Understand that the high tech world of HD requires caveman technology to recieve the picture, specifically, and usually for optimal reception...a rooftop antenna. The question is then which is not the best but the RIGHT one for you. For me it was a YAGI with a preamp boost while for others it may be only necessary to get rabbit ears on top of your TV. Depends on where you live and the line of direction you have to the Pittsburgh TV digital towers.

Anyhow...once educated...and trust me, it takes a while and just when you think you know it all you learn something new...still, as for me...some of you may not believe this but I bought what my education told me was the best HD Monitor out there...Pioneer Elite...no, not just Pioneer but Pioneer Elite.

That's my opinion and you're sure to get many. Runner up was the Mitzubisi and third was the top of the line Sony.

Oh, what you may not believe is I bought my 58" Elite on eBay. Now mind you...I'm a very experienced eBayer and know to ask all the right questions, secure serial numbers and verify through the manufacturer as to remaining warranties and to insure it's not hot. A year ago my Pro610 was selling for $7500 and I got one that was less than a year old for just $2200. The picture is magnificent to say the least.

But I'll tell you...you must be very careful if you're shopping eBay and if you are and know what you're doing...you can snap up some unbelievable bargains. While the old saying "you get what you pay for" is true...I still think if you really know what you're doing you can achieve the best if that's your goal.

If you're not aware of my Simon for comparison shopping purposes, here's the link: http://www.mysimon.com/index.jhtml Once again though, know the vendor...call the manufacturer to see if they're an authorized dealer to sell. If not, that shouldn't necessarily stop you from buying from one of them...just means you have to be a bit more careful.

Anyhow...good luck and if I can give you any tips from my experience I'll be happy to do so but just remember...in the end, your decisions are yours. If you want real peace of mind...buy from Best Buy. Then again, I bought a computer from them and to get service I had to jump through more hoops then I care to explain.

Point is in my opinion, the profit margins in most, if not all, high tech "stuff" is so thin that the service from most companies suck. Which is, again, why I bought the Pioneer Elite. Ask repairmen who they think is the easiest manufacturer for them to work with. Nearly all I first talked to said Pioneer.

In my case, when I set up my TV it appeared a bit out of focus to me. I called Pioneer and they sent someone out right away...NO CHARGE. That person "somewhat" agreed with me but because I wasn't happy...long story short...Pioneer ended up replacing video boards AND the three CRT's...all at NO CHARGE. In effect...I got a brand new TV...all for just $2200 :D

Anyhow...best of luck.

PS...My sound system is the Sony 555ES receiver with Atlantic Technology speakers. My HD receiver is the Panasonic (sucks, but gets the job done)...go with the top of the line Zenith. My DVD player is also a top of the line Panny...forget the model number.

PPS...My next goal is to build a home theatre room though I'm having to deal with the "wife factor" :mad:

Keep you posted...

Thanks for the info. I probably should have explained a little more: I'm fairly well versed in HD hardware and know what I want. I was hoping that somebody knew of a local store who would deal. Best Buy and CC are out because they don't carry the model of TV or STB I want. I'm so jealous of those who live near a Tweeter's or Good Guys. I guess the internet is the way to go. This is one of those times when I regret living in the 'burgh.

ex007, I bought my HDTV at R W Mc Donald & Sons in Butler. Great guys and good prices. The cheapest I could find around.

Merry Christmas folks!!

Has anyone tried getting in touch with WPXI engineering to find out what's up with the dropouts?

Has anyone tried getting in touch with WPXI engineering to find out what's up with the dropouts?

Dave,
I hope you're talking about what I think is happening to me... up here in Ohio, I get KDKA big time and WQED, but WPXI is flaky over the last couple of days. Sometimes I get it, sometimes I don't. (Like Friday night it was fine until about 10:30, then gone, but yesterday seemed pretty good all day).

I've had NO problems with 11-1...but I can't even get a "kick in" remap of 51-1 anymore. There goes my Super Bowl in HD...

Hi there,
Very new to HDTV. Just got my Toshiba 50H82. Want to get OTA HDTV. I am living in Wexford. what kind ant. and HDTV receiver should I get?
Thanks in advance

Z. Chen

Originally posted by zfc6e
Hi there,
Very new to HDTV. Just got my Toshiba 50H82. Want to get OTA HDTV. I am living in Wexford. what kind ant. and HDTV receiver should I get?
Thanks in advance

Z. Chen

Z. Chen...if you're new to HD then you need to be sure you've checked out www.titantv.com. It was a very painful year for me here in Cranberry to gain any reception OTA...mainly due to my ignorance and an inability to find a person or company that really knew what they were doing.

I found one and as I said in another post: "should anyone need Greg for antenna work or full Home Theatre installations...please contact him at 412-362-1273 at Pittsburgh Custom Home Theater."

So, to answer your question on OTA antennas and what's best for you....call Greg.

Z. Chen,

Greg will no doubt give you a turnkey operation. If you want to do it yourself, start at www.antennaweb.org to get an idea of what kind of antenna you'll need and what direction to point it. You should be able to get all the local digitals from Wexford, but as Blitz can attest, there are a few holes in the North Hills.

The receiver you want will depend on whether you also want DBS satellite reception. Check out the FAQ in the hardware forum for specifics.

Thanks all for your inform. Do you know if there will be any HDTV cable available in the near future?

Happy Holiday

Z. Chen

Z Chen,

I live in Cranberry. I use the ratshack $19.99 UHF antenna with a electric rotor mounted outside on my roof, pointing South-South East. I installed it myself. I receive all Pittsburgh's Digital stations, though the WB is a little jerky sometimes. Good Luck.

Armstrong Cable services will be offering Armstrong HD the first of the year. It includes Discovery HD, HBO, Showtime and Pittsburgh locals HD. In April they will also offer ESPN HD.

JSnides, will you need a separate box or can your cable go right into your STB in order to do this? Happy New Year to all!

Most likely the cable will be using their own encoding and it won't be ATSC 8VSB standard. I believe all cable companies so far offering HD just rent you a separate STB for a few bucks a month.

I wonder how long before ATT/Comcast steps to the plate. I've had cable modem service here for over a year, so the bandwidth is there.

Anyone care to hazard a guess?

Mark,

You will have to rent one of their boxes. I believe they are going to charge around $10 a month, plus the HD programming charges..oh well.

Anyone else getting audio dropouts on KDKA-25. Picture is fine and stable with signal strength of 85+. However, every once in a while (seconds to minutes apart) the audio will drop out for about 1/10 second. This may repeat a few times that are say 15 to 30 seconds apart and then it may be a few minutes before happens again. Seems to happen more often on network feed but will also happen with local commercials from time to time. Also much more likely on KDKA than on WQED 38. Have watched the signal strength meter and while is moves around every second or so in the range of say 80 to 90 it never seems to go below 80.

Is this audio dropout a symptom of: multipath problems or would the picture, which seems perfect, also be affected? Thing that bugs me most is that it is mostly on KDKA but I have noticed it on other channels from time to time. Again it is always the audio that momentarily drops out while the picture remains fine.

Is this me or have others noticed the same thing.

BTW: Have recently delivered Hitachi 65xwx in 15237 zip code with Winegard PR-4400 antenna and rotor. View to towers is south and am on the west side of a hill behind me. Can get 25, 38, 43, and 48. Was getting 51 but not today as signal strength back down to 30. Was in 70's before. Perhaps the rain. Should also note that I tried the Channel Master UHF-only top-of-the-line amp in the basement (about 50 ft from antenna and 25 feet after amp to TV). Did nothing for signal strength or audio dropouts.

Unless others have similar problem indicating station problem, next step is going to have to be the 8-bay Winegard (want to stay away from yagi as would need to use rotor more and would likely be more sensitive to multipath). If I do this will likely tilt the antenna 10 degrees above horizon which I think I should have done when I first installed it. But am not all that enthusiastic about climbing a 35 foot ladder to play with the antenna again. Oh well!!

I have never seen this type of audio problem on any channel. KDKA did have some complete dropouts a few weeks back but I think they are gone now.

Originally posted by dickmc
Anyone else getting audio dropouts on KDKA-25. Picture is fine and stable with signal strength of 85+. However, every once in a while (seconds to minutes apart) the audio will drop out for about 1/10 second...

If you're using a Sony HD200 or Zenith HD520, the tallest antenna on the planet won't help. Check out this (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=197395) thread if you happen to be using one of these units.

Originally posted by Dave McWilliams
If you're using a Sony HD200 or Zenith HD520, the tallest antenna on the planet won't help. Check out this (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=197395) thread if you happen to be using one of these units.

Dave...just caught this. Greg was telling me the 520 Zenith is the best out there, hands down. I respect/value his opinion a great deal. As such, am likely to buy one...UNTIL...

I caught your post above and as I respect/value your opinion as well was taken a bit by surprise of your post. Can you give me the down and dirty on the 520 and if you have any experience with it...good, bad or indifferent?

Thanks...

It just occured to me that the last time i pulled in wtae was right before i added 53 and 22 to my hd100

would a 520 improve my chances. what about the superbowl.....

Blitz,

I've got the Sony HD200 which is virtually identical. The thread I referred to in the previous post relates to audio dropouts on the Dolby Digital optical output. Certain processors have no problems with it, but many (like my B&K Reference 50) have constant dropouts. Sony and LG are working on a fix, but it will probably be a long time coming. They've promised to give me my money back if it's not taken care of to my satisfaction.

It's a great box otherwise. Pulls in weak stations much better than my old Tosh unit, and SD picture quality is also much improved. You'll want to take the time to read through that thread before you take the plunge.

The past couple of days I have lost WTAE-DT reception. I have gotten it close to two years now. Anybody else loss it and know why?

I use to have email of Engineer at station but have misplaced it. Anybody got that?

Jim

lost it saturday or sunday........south park area.......was always strong on my samsung 151

I had my ReplayTV 5040 installed. Only problem is the IR blaster code isn't recognized by the Samsung 160. Anyone out there know the code? And, yes...I called Replay (they're clueless), called Samsung and spoke to the chief engineer who said no codes are yet established thereby making the products incompatible.

So, I go to the ReplayTV topic area here on the old Forum. Am getting useful info but, bottom line, am learning that some folks with the 160 Sammy are finding their units compatible and others, like me, are not.

For anyone up on this...my unit does show the code number of 7110, 7110A, 7111 and 7111A to test though none work. These are, apparently, the "latest" codes.

Any help here, as in WHAT ARE THE FREAKIN' CODES, would be appreciated. Thanks...

Anybody watching CSI tonight? I'm getting serious video/audio breakups. Lots of horizontal mpeg blocks, and audio skipping/popping. Is it just me or is anyone else having problems?

Looked fine to me...but no HD for ER tonight, someone at WPXI is sleeping

they woke up

So you haven't seen any audio or video dropouts on KDKA lately? Sometime tonight they turned off their orange KDKA-DT logo which I've never seen them do before, and it might mean they are bypassing their intermediate encoder, but I'm still seeing dropouts.

Hey guys. Is there a site that tells what format (full or wide;1080i or upconverted) each network program is (ie what format can I expect "Ed" to be in for example)? Thanks.

agtiny, mine has been solid for as much as I've watched tonight...maybe snow was causing you problems?

Hmm, I get a solid 94 signal. I hope my new preamp isn't causing problems. I don't really know what the symptoms are if you have too strong of a signal...I hope this isn't it. :(

probably not, mine is near 100 on my HD200 with no troubles.

I'm moving to Gibsonia in a few months... Armstrong cable boasts HD over cable. Anyone know anything about this? (Because they sure don't)

ArmStrong's Web Site (http://www.armstrongcable.com)

Hi there,
I live just off the wexfrod run rd, wexford, Pa. I just try my Samsung 151 with a RS amplfied indoor antenna. I only can get two channels, WPGHDT 43 and WPXIDT 48. Any suggestion for antennas , indoor or outdoor for more channels. Thanks a lot.

Z. Chen

Find yourself a radioshack double-bowtie antenna if you want something somewhat indoor. I am in Salem, OH. Pointing in the general direction of Pitt I get NBC (14 I believe) and ABC out of Youngstown without any tweaking or moving the antenna to optimize. I guess a rooftop would be the optimal way to go if it is an option....which it is not for me. Hope this helps a little.

I'm just curious to know how many of us ARE using a rooftop antenna (I am using a silver senor on top of my set)

I was watching CSI Saturday night and also noticed the orange DT logo in lower left corner was gone, which is a good thing. But I have been getting many audio dropouts as agtiny with a good strong 94 signal with no pre-amp.

Any one else in the Burgh getting any audio dropouts?

OK at least I'm not insane or having hardware problems! I hope that orange logo is gone for good though!

During the District, I actually lost the whole damn signal twice.

Interestingly enough, never during the 'It's all here' HD commercials:D

Not as bad during the Agency, but still a few. Maybe they're having problems there.

Didn't notice about the orange bug being gone. Will look this evening during the game.

Does the 480i digital picture of WB or any other 'digital' station look better than the same analog channel? Is this signal upconverted in the stb to 720p/1080i output to display? I am using a front projector onto a 100"diagonal screen.
joe

Yeah it looks better than analog because you get a perfect picture; no snow or ghosting.

Hey guys. Is there a site that tells what format (full or wide;1080i or upconverted) each network program is (ie what format can I expect "Ed" to be in for example)? Thanks

www.hdtvgalaxy.com lists the resolution for all shows.

Anyone know how HD reception would generally be in the Oakmont area, assuming an indoor or in-attic antenna installation?

Thanks,
Tarek

Life was grand watchin' the Raiders/Titans game in HD...but, I have a question. My picture was GREAT the whole way through but the sound kept going off for a second or two about every 5 minutes or so...and it would make a "pop"-like sound each time it went off as well as when it came back on.

Anyone else have that problem?

Yep if you look in the official game thread some people on other stations were hearing it too, but a lot of people had no problems. I don't know what causes it but we're not alone.

Thanks for the sound problem confirmation...I know I didn't have to put up with that for last weeks game.

That also make me feel somewhat better. I was afraid the PCM output of my HD200 was going bad, too.

Are audio droputs an ongoing problem with KDKA and/or CBS? I've been going nuts trying to watch the CBS HD feed on KDKA too ... lots of audio dropouts, but no pattern that I can figure out (as mentioned earlier, the audio dropouts seem to occur, on average, about every five minutes but can be more frequent (on Monday night, the longest I went during CSI was nine minutes without a dropout [wow]). I've tried calling the station for the last couple of days, but only get voice mail. Usually they've been pretty good about calling back, but haven't heard anything yet. Anyone else with this problem?

Yep it's an ongoing problem. :(

Originally posted by agtiny
Yep it's an ongoing problem. :(

Talked to a KDKA engineer on Friday who, while interested in the problem, could not account for the audio dropouts that a few of us are hearing. He said he was watching for quite awhile on Thursday night and heard no problems from his RCA DTC-100 (agtiny - isn't that what you use?).

But -- and here's the interesting part -- he did say that a firmware upgrade was installed recently (via CBS) in order to carry the Grammys in Dobly Digital 5.1. So, something did change about the time the dropouts started. But ... I still have no clue as to why they're happening and why only a few of us seem to be affected ... :(

Yeah I have a DTC-100. That is pretty strange that he could not hear the problems and we could, but it is probably related to the firmware upgrade. Hopefully he'll be able to look into it now. Did you tell him about this thread?

On another thread, someone said it had something to do with those programming schedule update transmissions that various networks transmit. Had some acronym initials for the transmission that I don't recall.

Have noticed it only on KDKA and much more frequent during those pauses in football games when announcers have a logo on the screen that discusses what shows are on later.

Has also been speculation elsewhere that some HDTV tuners are more sensitive to it than others.

I think it would be helpful to have a series of posts on whether or not you notice it on KDKA and what kind of tuner you are using.

I'll start:
I definitely notice it.
Have Hitachi 65XWX (a few month's old) with Hitachi's built in tuner.

I am seeing audio dropouts too. Have SONY HD100 and XBR2

Watched Presidio Med last night....There were audio dropouts similar to the playoff game last week. Also, I noticed slight video freezing, I'm talking very slight here & not related to reception. It was almost as if the frame jumped ahead slightly. I am not sure if the 2 issues are related.

I am using the Toshiba DST-3000.

Thanks to all for re-confirmation of this on going problem.

Originally posted by dickmc
I think it would be helpful to have a series of posts on whether or not you notice it on KDKA and what kind of tuner you are using.

I'll start:
I definitely notice it.
Have Hitachi 65XWX (a few month's old) with Hitachi's built in tuner.

Equipment: Samsung TS160 HD receiver; Sony 555ES Audio receiver; Atlantic Technology speakers; Pioneer Elite Pro610; ReplayTV 5040.

As initially reported, I noticed the audio dropouts just prior to last week's playoff game. Haven't noticed it since but then, admittedly, haven't watch much CBS lately.

Yo Dave...how 'bout calling KDKA and finding out IF they are aware of the problem and when it'll be resolved. Thanks...

I'm having audio dropouts too...

KDKA has been fine for me up until the Titans/Raiders AFC Championship game...
I had lot's of audio droputs the entire game.
Then Monday for King of Queens, Yes Dear, Raymond - more audio dropouts... haven't watched anything since...

I have an RCA-DTC100

Originally posted by Jantzen
I'm having audio dropouts too...

KDKA has been fine for me up until the Titans/Raiders AFC Championship game...
I had lot's of audio droputs the entire game.
Then Monday for King of Queens, Yes Dear, Raymond - more audio dropouts... haven't watched anything since...

I have an RCA-DTC100

So here I sit watching WTAE 4-1...thank God I got rid of my Panny TUHDS 20 and got the Samsung TS 160 because, once again, I can get WTAE and, hopefully, the Super Bowl in HD today.

Only problem is...with this weather I suspect...I'm experiencing the audio "snap, crackle and pops" and some video "drops". It's not too bad...yet...

C'mon weather...COOPERATE!!

Blitzburgh,

What area are you in that pulling in TAE is feasible? Just curious. In a little bit I'm going to be hauling my antenna out of its usual perch and pointing it at where WTAE is supposed to be and praying for the best. I'm in Oakland so getting most of the other stations was rather easy: point my indoor Radioshack antenna out the window and 90s across the board for everything near me.

Originally posted by agtiny
Yeah I have a DTC-100. That is pretty strange that he could not hear the problems and we could, but it is probably related to the firmware upgrade. Hopefully he'll be able to look into it now. Did you tell him about this thread?

Yes, I emailed the thread to him ... and I'll send another message on Monday noting the activity this weekend!
Equipment: Samsung T-165; Onkyo 595 receiver

Originally posted by Namlemez
Blitzburgh,

What area are you in that pulling in TAE is feasible? Just curious. In a little bit I'm going to be hauling my antenna out of its usual perch and pointing it at where WTAE is supposed to be and praying for the best. I'm in Oakland so getting most of the other stations was rather easy: point my indoor Radioshack antenna out the window and 90s across the board for everything near me.

Cal...am in Cranberry Township...and in a valley with a big hill between me and the digital towers. My signal strength is only 20% but the one thing I like about this Samsung TS 160 is it locks and holds a picture better than most.

Funny though...with my Panny TUHDS 20 and my top of the line Hughes HD receiver I was able to pull in J-Town's WJAC TV Ch. 6-1 but rarely WTAE. Now I can't get WJAC but have little difficulties with WTAE with my Sammy.

Go figure...

I have a DTC-100 and also have been having audio dropouts on CBS.

I live in the South Hills, I am using a Samsung T151 Tuner with a Radio Shack Double Bow Tie Antenna. I am getting WTAE 51.

Has anyone had an outdoor antenna installed? If yes, by who and how much.

Also, I was considering exchanging the Samsung for the Zenith HDV 420. Does anyone have any experience with the Zenith?

Originally posted by rbecker
I live in the South Hills, I am using a Samsung T151 Tuner with a Radio Shack Double Bow Tie Antenna. I am getting WTAE 51.

Has anyone had an outdoor antenna installed? If yes, by who and how much.

Also, I was considering exchanging the Samsung for the Zenith HDV 420. Does anyone have any experience with the Zenith?

If you're looking for some professional help with an outside antenna, I'd recommend you call Greg Calvimontes of Pittsburgh Custom Home Theater at 412-362-1273. He did a great job for me after I went through many "so-called" experts, i.e.; Radio Shack, Digital Visions, etc. PLUS his charges were more than fair.

Before hooking up with Greg, I was only able to get KDKA with any consistency. Now I get KD, 11-1 and 4-1.

As to type of antenna, I think it really depends on where you live and the "shot" you have to the towers. That said, I think the Channel Master Yagi with a 7775 pre amp can't be beat. Remember, the HD signal comes out via UHF and that's what a yagi is made for...UHF.

Anyhow...give Greg a call.

As for receiver, Greg liked the Zenith 520 slightly better than the Samsung TS 160 but told me the latter was far more compatible with my new ReplayTV 5040. As stated earlier, I'm extremely pleased with the Sammy and credit it with pulling in a consistent picture from WTAE.

As for the Super Bowl tonight, aside from early on audio/picture dropouts, the game was great in HD. There was one point in the game that I had a picture dropout for a good minute or so. Seemed like it eminated from the network itself. Clearly, to me...CBS did a much better job with HD than did ABC.

Question...I noticed that there was a sound delay and it almost seemed that Al Michaels/John Madden appeared to be "lip syncing". Did anyone else notice that?

Sound delay was a network ABC problem (they have had sound sync problems as long as I've been watching, over a year!) The complete dropout seems to have been a local issue because I didn't see anyone mentioning it in the main Superbowl thread. I switched to split-screen with the DirecTV feed and it came right back. :)

Heh ABC is really desperate for people to watch Alias, look at this first scene ... talk about gratuitous LOL.

After spending and hour adjusting the antenna in my attic , I was able to get a signal above 50 for WTAE. Watching the game I had few drop outs.

I'm not a sports fan, so I was watching for the commercials. But my brother-in-law is a die-hard sports fan. The movie Trailers really got my attention, all in HD. We had the video problem too, great audio but no video. I missed the Matrix trailer, was that in HD?

After the game, I was watching WQED which had a short segment on Pennsylvania that had a lot of Pittsburgh locations. WPSX in state college produced it, (why hasen't WQED done something?).

I've ordered the Sony VPL-HS10 to replace my 400Q. I'm expecting it this week. If you want a demo, send me some mail.

JAM

recently added a rs $40 preamp to my rs yagi chimney mount.......now i pull in all pgh channels plus the wjacdt and wwcpdt on my samsung 151.........yagis pointed towards 10 degees or so, seem to be getting a reflected signal of wtae,wjac,and wwcp off the siding on the house.......if i would raise the yagi up above the house i loose all the channels from the 100 degree direction

also with espn hd coming soon does anyone know if the recently merged att/comcast deal will bring high def cable soon

Originally posted by burghman
also with espn hd coming soon does anyone know if the recently merged att/comcast deal will bring high def cable soon

And will ESPN HD be on DirecTV?

In contact with KDKA engineering today about the audio dropouts, where an engineer said he finally heard the problem. He said they have ordered equipment that should take care of the problem.

I gather the dropouts may be an issue at other CBS stations also. I got the impression that CBS is aware of it and is taking steps to correct the issue ...

Hope it works. Those d op uts are annoying!

:)

Sweet, thanks for the info and contacting the engineer! You might want to post that info in a new thread for the benefit of other CBS viewers who might have also been having problems if it's a general receiver issue.

I have to wonder how on earth some of you guys are picking up WTAE with indoor antennas in Cranberry, which is roughly eight light years away from the TAE tower. I'm in Oakland and when I put my antenna in a place that actually has a line of sight directly to the south, I still only get a very tempramental and undependable signal. Any word on when AT&T/Comcast may come around? Perhaps we should be making some phone calls.


Dan

I don't know either, I guess it's just luck and a good amp. I found the sweet spot with only a little trial and error (and a 50-foot cable). I think being downtown you might just be having multipath problems due to all the tall buildings. There aren't really any tall buildings up here and only a few hills that don't really seem to be a problem.

rpeduzzi: Next time you talk to the guy from KDKA, can you ask him about his thoughts about getting rid of the constant KDKA logo? We are all well aware what channel we're watching and it doesn't need to be on all the time. Maybe they could just flash it on for a few seconds once in a while like WTAE does with their DT logo.

rpeduzzi,

Did KDKA Engineering have and ETA for when they expect to get the audio dropouts fixed?

Thanks for tracking this issue down with them...

MrGonk,

I live in shadyside near qed and i get wtae with the silver sensor and the chanel master amp, indoors, my rooftop antenna did get it but doesnt anymore, it should have had a rotor for 1 degree tweeking.

if you get the sendos and a long enought cable im sure you can go signal hunting, its very hit or miss but with only glass in the way front and back out house (parallel to 5th ave) it works like a charm.... antenna points away from 5th towards bloomfield..

good luck

For you guys complaining about audio dropouts on KD, when this happens does the pic pixilate and drop out for a second too? I'm seeing both audio AND video dropouts many times during a one hour show. My signal strength never drops below 70% and is usually around 85%. I'm using a Dish 6000 for OTA.

When the audio drops out for me, the picture remains fine. It's good because we can pretty much figure out what we missed by reading lips. :)

Well, I can't read the lips because of the video drop outs :(. It usually happens when something extra important is being said too...

For you guys complaining about audio dropouts on KD, when this happens does the pic pixilate and drop out for a second too? I'm seeing both audio AND video dropouts many times during a one hour show. My signal strength never drops below 70% and is usually around 85%. I'm using a Dish 6000 for OTA.
I complained about this on a previous post on this thread:
Watched Presidio Med last night....There were audio dropouts similar to the playoff game last week. Also, I noticed slight video freezing, I'm talking very slight here & not related to reception. It was almost as if the frame jumped ahead slightly. I am not sure if the 2 issues are related.
At this point I am inclined to believe that they are related technically but do not occur at the same time. Another words, I hear the audio drop-outs at different times than when I see the video jerking. I agree that this occurs many times during a 1 hour show.

Both happens to me at the same time and can last up to 3-4 seconds. Maybe my 6000 has problems dealing with the audio problem and that causes it to drop some video.

Since we all are decoding these signals slightly different from one another, it makes sense that the problem is showing up differently also.
I am using the Toshiba DST-3000

Originally posted by Jantzen
rpeduzzi,

Did KDKA Engineering have and ETA for when they expect to get the audio dropouts fixed?

Thanks for tracking this issue down with them...
The KD engineer thought it would be a "couple of weeks" before the equipment would arrive and be installed ... hope they clear it up soon, though. I have to say last night on CSI, the dropouts really did seem to happen at inopportune moments (enough that my fiance and I just started laughing at a couple of points). You know, a character would say something like "well, here's the point" ... then all we'd see were lips moving.

As for video freezes/dropouts: haven't really noticed that with the samsung 165; I do see occasional part-frame hits (dropouts), but not nearly as bothersome as the audio problem.

Agtiny: if I talk with KDKA again, I'll pass along your request about the station logo ... but I doubt they'll do much about that ...

I made a comment about that bug a year or so ago in the HDTV Programing forum. I mentioned that I was concerned about burn in. Strangely enough, the bug disappeared a day or so later. It was gone for a few weeks but to my dismay it returned. I know some CBS folks were participating in the forum at the time and maybe they made them pull it to run some lumens? tests.

I spoke to Gandy over at KDKA master control today. He confirms all audio & video problems as discussed in this thread. They are working on the implementation of DD5.1 in time for the Grammy's. All problems are related to DD5.1 change over & he is hopeful they will be fixed by the end of the week.

That's good news. Thanks!

I almost forgot to post this... I saw a billboard for Armstrong HD on Route 19 south between Zelienople and Cranberry this weekend!

"Armstrong Digital HD / The Ultimate High Definition Experience" or something close to that. :)

Any word from ATT/Comcast HDTV cable for south of cranberry?

Nothing yet. My guess is that Pittsburgh won't see anything HD-wise until after Comcast assumes operational control here.

Does anyone know if Comcast hdtv in other markets offers 'boxes' with firewire out to timeshift hd to dvhs decks? If not then probably getting the ota samsung 165 with firewire would be my next move since I timeshift everything.
joe

My brother in law, who works for Comcast, says that HD should roll out in the 3rd qtr this year. They intend to use the Motorola 5100 box. I have no idea who will or will not be able to get it.

It's probably safe to say that if your area has not been rebuilt with fiber you won't be getting HD. Anything beyond that is a wild guess.

I was one of the first to get Armstrong HDTV, I've had the service for about 2 1/2 months now.

The PBS national feeds are unbelievable. NBC tonight show coming in second, followed by most programming on CBS.

ABC has some serious lip sync issues I called and they are aware of them, but said it was from the national feeds.

Discovery HD is coming as is HBO, after a contract deal.

so the stations available are CBS, ABC, NBC, PBS, Showtime. Showtime is so so right now.

I called and tried to cancel everything but HDTV but they will not do it. I have every station including cablemodem and bill is getting slightly high.

I am considering OTA but like the luxury of just tuning in cable HD.

oh, it costs $5.00 / month

It's good to know that with the terrible ABC reception issues up here way north of the city that we have an alternative in Armstrong if we need it. Blitz have you tried to see if you can get Armstrong?

svtdougie: I think they are prohibited from forcing you to subscribe to all other channels just to get HD channels. That new cable law just went into effect, check it out.

I had Armstrong years ago...until this thing called DirecTV came along...LOL. Anyhow, I'm a bit confused here. Can you cross pollenate DirecTV with Armstrong or is it one or the other...period? If so, could you get/pay for only the Armstrong HD channels and locals in HD? How much?

Have I lost my mind on all of this?

PS FWIW...I had a NIGHTMARE of an experience with ReplayTV and was ready to check into the goofy house. Thinking it was me...and after three ReplayTV units...I went back to BB and got the TiVo that has worked just fine though I am taking it back in favor of the DirecTiVo.

Gotta tell ya all though...as much as you folks here and elsewhere have been very helpful, the opposite was the case on the ReplayTV AVS thread. Dude, I'm tellin' ya'll...they're sharks in there. Because I told of my Replay problems and reported the bad "lot" as was told to me by SonicBlue...well, many (not all) made all sorts of false accusations against me. I came away from that thread knowing some of those folks are into it like a "cult" and that I, for sure, don't want to get that bad off myself. I mean...there is a life outside of A/V...right? LOL

Sure you could have both DirecTV and Armstrong but you'd have 2 STB's to deal with. Once Armstrong gets HBO the only channel DirecTV will have that you need is HDNet. But if Armstrong is only $5/mo to rent the box and you can find a way to subscribe to just the local HD without paying for a high tier of service maybe you could deal with an extra STB. :)

blitzburgh,

I also had the replay issues. was debating tivo but holding off for now. but since i missed kingpin last night my thoughts are changing.

I have called Armstrong 4 different times to try and only get HD and everytime they said I had to have standard cable so the signal could pass through.

I did hear about this law, but could someone post it so I can have proof when I call them back.

I might go 5.00 for HD and Dish networks for STB. Though, then my cable modem increases up to 50 from 40, so I don't know.

Blitz: how is D* picture quality compared to Armstrong? In my opnion, armstrong pictures looks phenomenal. most people think i have a dvd in, of course my line doubler on tv helps.

Doug

Originally posted by svtdougie
blitzburgh,

I also had the replay issues. was debating tivo but holding off for now. but since i missed kingpin last night my thoughts are changing.

I have called Armstrong 4 different times to try and only get HD and everytime they said I had to have standard cable so the signal could pass through.

I did hear about this law, but could someone post it so I can have proof when I call them back.

I might go 5.00 for HD and Dish networks for STB. Though, then my cable modem increases up to 50 from 40, so I don't know.

Blitz: how is D* picture quality compared to Armstrong? In my opnion, armstrong pictures looks phenomenal. most people think i have a dvd in, of course my line doubler on tv helps.

Doug

Doug...sorry for taking so long to get back with you. I was out in LA last week and got back, thankfully, last night...despite all the snow.

You ask: "how is D* picture quality compared to Armstrong?" Well, keep in mind I haven't been on Armstrong since '94. I would assume there have been improvements though I can tell you that when I'm at a neighbor's house watching their TV, the picture still has a "grainy" look to it. I will also tell you that when I was out in LA this past week, a friend of mine had their digital cable and the picture looked great.

I left Armstrong back in '94 for several reasons. 1.) They had limited channels then (about 32 as I recall). 2.) They offered NO pay-per-view. Pittsburgh's cable company had been offering that for years by '94. 3.) Service was crappy...the prevailing attitude was they were the only game in town and, until D* they were. 4.) As I'm always into having the newest "toys", D* was, indeed, just that.

Picture quality on D* is great...particularly HD. D* itself is great SO LONG as you don't have to deal with their personnel. After years of experience, however, I've learned the short cuts and know when I'm dealing with a moron to which I ask for their supervisor immediately.

Bottom-line...I'm more than happy with D*. I get all the locals/all the Premium Channels/plus I still get the East and West Coast networks/am having my DirecTiVo installed tomorrow. :D

Originally posted by Blitzburgh
I get all the locals/all the Premium Channels/plus I still get the East and West Coast networks/am having my DirecTiVo installed tomorrow. :D

How do you legally get all local channels plus east/west coast networks?

On another note, it looks like WPXI has reduced their stretched picture when showing 4:3 content! It still appears slightly wider than KDKA or WTAE and some words on the bottom of the screen appear cut in half, but it's sure better than the way it was!

Well, looks like KDKA is in 5.1 mode now, and I haven't heard any audio dropouts in 45 minutes of CSI. However, the only active channels are center and LFE. :confused:

Originally posted by agtiny
How do you legally get all local channels plus east/west coast networks?



I's gots connections...LOL!! ;)

OK. Dumb question...what channel is 25 (25.1 on my receiver?) the reason I ask is because I only get 33 (actually 36 on the tuner) out of Youngstown (ABC) and 11 (actually 48 on the tuner) out of Pittsburgh (NBC) with my RadioShack double bow-tie antenna sitting on my porch. I have ben getting a signal strength of around 80-90 for this channel 25 on my Sony HD100 but it remains "unlocked" and then occasionally the meter drops quickly and locks from time to time, Are there two different stations on that same freq? I have the station "locked" into my program guide so I can tweak it if neccessary, but, if it is not fox or nbc I do not want to waste any time. Are there any special "tweaks" I can do with my setup for a better performance. Like I said I already have nbc and abc very nicely coming in without moving the antenna, all I really want is cbs and possible a fox without moving it as well. I hope someone can help me out. Thanks. BTW the antenna is facing slightly Southeast )towards Pitt.

25 is KDKA/CBS. Salem is right between Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Have you tried getting Cleveland stations? I think they have as many channels as we do.

so have you ever seen this anomoly whre the signal meter says it is very high yet will not lock and then drops in short bursts THEN locks in? It would be awesome to find a way to get this station in as well as the 2 I already have in just fine. That would take care of 3 of 4 ..not bad.

I have tried Cleveland for a very brief period. The thing I noticed that keeps me shooting for Pitt is that when the antenna inpointed towards Cleveland, I can get some Cleveland but no Youngstown (Ytown is my local area) whereas when pointed towards Pittsburgh, I can get PXI clear as a bll as well as NBC out of Youngstown. I just wish I could decipher the channel 25 issue out of Pitt and I would be more than happy considering the antenna-type I am forced to use.

I have a DTC-100 so I haven't seen that particular issue. Check in the HDTV Hardware forum for other HD100 owners, it may be a common issue or something. Luckily for me KDKA is the strongest signal at 95+ and I never have any problems.

Originally posted by debennett2
so have you ever seen this anomoly whre the signal meter says it is very high yet will not lock and then drops in short bursts THEN locks in? It would be awesome to find a way to get this station in as well as the 2 I already have in just fine. That would take care of 3 of 4 ..not bad.

No question is a dumb question...but do let me offer a suggestion that may be deemed "dumb".

On one of my receivers, the Hughes I believe, I too was getting a signal strength of 80+ for KDKADT-TV 25-1, but no picture. I couldn't figure it out until I plugged in my zip code and that "unlocked" it.

Perhaps you're having the same dilemma?

PS The other thing I noticed is that on my Panny TUHDS20 receiver, I'd have to punch in 25-1 and it would auto-convert to 2-1. On the Hughes I just put in 2-1...on the Sammy TS160 I got to plug in the 25-1.

Go figure...

Greetings all, from Cranberry.

After trying to schedule an install around my travel schedule since Thanksgiving, I'm finally up on Armstrong's HD as of today. No DiscoveryHD as was posted earlier in the thread - they said Discovery wanted $6/subscriber - but ESPN HD is coming at the end of March, and InDemand will start offering HD PPV in the spring. ABC/CBS/NBC/HBO/SHO all up and running

I was starting to look into antennae, DirectTV, etc., but I'm glad I waited. It was about 10 minutes to install (all with my own hands - the installed said it was the easiest one he ever did) and perfect signal on all channels. I got 5.1 on CBS's NCAA games today, so I'm looking forward to live 5.1 HD at the Grammys tomorrow.

Does anyone know of an ISF tech in the area that can do high-end calibrations?

Rich, check out The Home Theatre Spot (http://www.***************.com/) There is a guy in the Toshiba forum named Eliab that travels around and does this. He did mine last year and it made a huge difference in it. You don't say what type of set you have but there are others that do the Mits. etc.

Only one I'm sure of for sure is in Boardman/Youngstown in my area. Don't know if that helps at all but I thought I'd throw it out there. The store is caled "The Sound Shop". Real nice couple of guys work there. Really know their stuff as well.

Anyone watching JAG tonight? Lots of pixelation and dropouts, and even a couple of solid green screens. :( It seems that we only have problems when sound is in DD2.0 mode... the 5.1 and video on Sunday were perfect. Also last night's shows were perfect because the sound was in 5.1 mode (but spread to all channels).

agtiny,

You're not the only one. Many green screens, pixelation and audio dropouts. I guess after the Grammy's we got a little spoiled.

Same here :(. At least Mac still looks good!!

BigG - thanks for the reply. I'm a semi-regular at the Spot - that's actually how I found out about this place.

I have a Sony 57HW40. If anyone else has a Sony and is interested in a calibration let me know - I'm keeping my eyes out and offering up a handful of jobs may convince someone to take a tour through the 'Burgh

My brother in law, who works for Comcast, says that HD should roll out in the 3rd qtr this year. They intend to use the Motorola 5100 box. I have no idea who will or will not be able to get it.

Can you tell us any more? Does anyone here know what Comcast's typical HD package consists of and costs? It'd be great if we could get Discovery HD and ESPN-HD in time for football season.


Dan

That's all I know & I really don't even know that.:confused:

That's okay, a little unofficial word is better than nothing : )

By the way, I looked up the Mototorola 5000 series boxes that Comcast uses, and not only do both the 5100 and 5200 have firewire ports on them, the PDF for the 5200 model specifically states that the unit is a PVR and the firewire link is for adding hard drive storage (meaning you can probably dump your PVR HD's contents to a computer hard drive or DVHS deck. Cool stuff.

Let's hope Comcast comes through for us, and soon. I can't imagine an area much worse for terrestrial reception than our city, given the odd and dispersed locations of our antennas, the weak power of WTAE, WPGH, and WNPA, and all the hills and other obstructions around here. Pittsburgh desparately needs cable HD.


Dan

Can anyone tell me if I can get Armstrong to just give me HD channels and not have to subscribe to basic cable?

I want to can everything and just keep HD, I heard there was an FCC law I could quote.

Thanks,

Doug

Here's an article (http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/nov2002/tc2002116_0167.htm) about the law.

And here's the law (http://*******.com/3s2j).

I see the following:

"A cable operator may not require the subscription to any tier
other than the basic service tier required by paragraph (7) as
a condition of access to video programming offered on a per
channel or per program basis. A cable operator may not
discriminate between subscribers to the basic service tier and
other subscribers with regard to the rates charged for video
programming offered on a per channel or per program basis."

It doesn't say you don't have to subscribe to basic cable, it says you can't be required to subscribe to any tier *other than* basic cable. You still need the base package.

Second, HD is not offered on a "per-channel or per-program basis" - it's a package of channels/services. My read is that you cannot make an enhanced tier of service a requirement to get HBO/SHO/PPV/etc. I don't see it applying to HD at Armstrong.

I'd love to get basic cable, Speed, and HD only, but I don't think its' required by this law.

It never hurts to try though - let us know what you find.

Thanks guys. I'll call tomorrow and see what I can do!

A cable operator may not
discriminate between subscribers to the basic service tier and
other subscribers with regard to the rates charged for video
programming offered on a per channel or per program basis.

I know DirecTV is not affected by this law but I wonder if this means that their pricing of premium services at increasingly lower rates the more you have, would be against it. i.e. your first premium is $12, the 2nd one is $10, then $8, etc. Interesting...

I have a rather off-the-topic question for the group... What happens when HD becomes the standard several years down the road? Will that affect cable and satellite-only stations such as HBO? It would be nice to think that we won't run into watching a network broadcast show and between every show have a bunch of 4:3 SD commercials to throw us off. Very confusing and slightly expensive-sounding move.

In case you didn't see it, here's a new post about this topic with more info from the FCC:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=231846

KDKA was perfect tonight with 2.0 sound. :) Looks like they got the problem solved!

Just in time for the Boss tonight!:D

Using the Sliver Sensore antanna+RS inline amplfier, I was able to get WTAE 51 about 3 weeks ago. However, since early early this month, I got nothing from WTAE. DO you guys have any trouble with it?

Thanks

Samsung 151
Toshiba57H82

51's signal has "ghost" like qualities...one day it's here, the next day it's over there. I am sure that it being a low powered signal has a lot to do with this phenomenon. Dave McWilliams got me to thinking about adding a second antenna to handle special situations like this one. Now I can move around a second attic antenna for just these times. 38 is also elusive for me. I don't think WQED is at full power yet either. The point I am trying to make is that the signal is probably there somewhere....you just have to find it. A second antenna was the answer for me.

Hey all, just bought a house in Cranberry and I'm considering going to Armstrong. Here's a couple of questions for anyone on Armstrong. :)
1. How much do they charge for local HD, HBO, and basic digital cable?
2. Does the digital cable work through the same Motorola HD STB?
3. Do you have to subscribe to the full HBO package to get HBO-HD or do they allow you to get it as part of the "HD package"?
4. Do they charge for additional receivers for digital cable in other rooms, like DirecTV does?
5. Do you need a phone line like with DirecTV? We are going to try to not have local phone service and only use our cell phones.
6. How is the cable modem service? I can't find any good reviews on them at dslreports.com. Is it still good during peak hours?

Thanks!

This might be a dumb question but I'm new to HD viewing so bear with me a moment. I was watching Frasier last week on PXI I believe. The format was 16:9 on the tv. Yesterday, it was not 16:9 on the same channel...is that a regular thing? Also, I have noticed that none of the HD OTA sitcoms are really very good-looking. Does that vary from channel to channel or is this just the program itself? I'd like to watch Ed in HD tonight but wouldn't mind being able to see a significant difference between SD and HD. My girlfriend would actually rather watch the SD instead as it stand right now!

I think Frasier is a weird case, see this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=236908). Some HD OTA shows are great, check out Life With Bonnie on ABC, the PQ on this blew me away last night when I flipped by it! CBS's Monday-night sitcoms look pretty good too.

ABC here (33 out of Youngstown) are a bunch of morons so I don't know how soon it will be when I want to watch that station. SD or HD from that station has a ton of red tones coming from it. If you can receive that channel, check it out and you'll see what I mean. I still haven't been able to get a real lock on 25 out of Pitt yet for CBS. If I could I would be covering the 3 biggies (despite 33 being awful). Thanks.

Did anyone else get frequent breakups on WPXI Wednesday? L&O was so bad I had to switch to the SD feed. I also noticed that a number of shows on WYTV in Youngstown that are supposed to be HD have been upconverts recently.

"Ed" was SD for half the show & had many "black" screen moments when HD kicked in. It was usually right as a punch line was delivered.:(

NBC continues to work out the bugs that ABC & CBS have been working out for 2 years. IMO this is the big reason why HD has not been advertised by the broadcasters to it's fullest extent. We are all HD beta-testers.

1 - Basic = $39.60, Digital = $7.06, HD - they aren't charging anything while they work the bugs out - beginning in April it will be another $5-6. I don't have HBO or other premiums - HBO-HD is included if you have HBO. Same with SHO.

2 - Yes, a single Moto 5100 - coax and optical digital audio, component video (plus s-Video and composite video, analog audio, and an RF video pass-through). 60 analog, 6 HD, 32 digital cable, 43 premium, 65 PPV, and 45 DMX digital music channels all through the same box.

3 - HBO-HD is part of HBO package - 1 price gets both. I think it's the same price HBO was before HD, so it's a "freebie", but I can't verify that - I don't have it.

4 - When I first got digital, it was the same $7.06 for another digital box (Moto 2000), so I assume it would be an additional $12-13 for HD. I only have analog on my other sets.

5 - No need for Phone connection. All communiction for on-screen guides, PPV ordering, etc. are through the bi-directional cable.

6- I've had it for 4 yrs and have not noticed or measured any degradation. I've got a few benchmarking sites bookmarked for frequent use and have never seen any issues. The standard package ($40) is only 500/128 (usually measures 550-600). 1.5MB is $20 more.

Anyone else have Armstrong's HD service? If so,do you have problems:

Sound level - HD 4 (always) and 11 (sometimes) are 18-20db lower than HD 2, HD 13, and the analog channels.

Red tint to pictures - it's only on certain shows, and maybe it's just the different colorspace HD uses, but swapping HD and analog channels sometimes show a substantial difference.

Audio/Video synch.

I've heard the 1st two can be by-products of the 5100 box, and Armstrong acknowledges the synch as one of the things they continue to work on (and why they're not billing for HD). But they are now going to start billing as they have "fixed" the problem - I still have them.

Anyone else?


There have also been an extreme number of dropouts tonight - worse than every night to date combined.

Thanks Rich... it seems like they charge more than DirecTV, but the benefit of getting basic cable on every TV in the house for one price might be worth it. And it looks like the 5100 is way more advanced than my old DTC-100. :) Plus Armstrong will probably be a better bet to get all 3 HDNets and ESPN.

As for dropouts, it may not be 100% Armstrong's fault. We had massive dropouts on NBC tonight during L&O.

Hey, anybody here from the Mt Lebanon area? I just bought a STB off of ebay, and was hoping to find out what the reception is like in this area, and what type of antenna I am looking at needing

markam, wait until you get the STB and see what works. Start with the cheapest antenna you already have. You can find out the direction of all the broadcast towers on www.antennaweb.org. Point your antenna at the weakest tower (WTAE-DT 51) and see if you can find a spot where it comes in. If you can get 51 you should have no problem on any other channel.

Did anyone else get frequent breakups on WPXI Wednesday? L&O was so bad I had to switch to the SD feed.

I have noticed this several times in the past week or so. ER, I lost the signal entirely three or four times in the last half hour and the last two times, it reset my receiver (T151)!!!
Also did twice last night on Crossing Jordan. Switched to KDKA for the David Caruso wants to be Don Johnson show (CSI Miami) and had few if any problems.
Had no problems Sunday with Alias and Dragnet on WYTV at all.

Anyone else having problems with WPXI and KDKA (KDKA I get a weird dropout that comes and goes, the picture is fine but the sound will back up about a second almost like an echo every so often).

This is just a heads up guys...I just got off the phone with MC at KDKA. They told me that since Pitt is the regional game it probably will not be seen on the digital side since they are taking that feed from NY. If there is war coverage tonight on the analog side, the Pitt game will be preempted. We will be able to pick up updates on the HD feed though. I hope this scenario doesn't play out or better yet that KD is able to show the regional game on 25. If anybody has better info....please post.

Well that was lame. Was all excited about watching the Pitt game in HD and they had some other crappo game on in its place. Still got to see the Pitt game on Dish though, but just not the same. :(

Hey guys, great thread!
Just wanted to let you know what I can receive here in the Wheeling area with a Zenith HDV420:

KDKA-25 By far the strongest signal almost off the scale.
WPXI-48 Just within the "Good" catagory.
WPGH-43 In the middle of "Normal".
WQED-38 On the low end of "Normal". This is suprising since they aren't up to full power and operating on an STA.
WCWB-42 Well, it's there, but 95% of the time won't lock on (I'm suprised I get that much with their STA power)

WTAE-51 doesn't even register a blip, this wasn't much of a suprise because of their low power and their analog channel has always been a problem to receive.

Amazingly I can't receive WTRF and it's piddly 4.5Kw STA at 5 miles from the tower, nor can I receive WTOV's 114Kw STA.

I'm rather satified with just 4 stations for now, but it will be even nicer when WCWB goes to full power and when WNPA starts up. As for WTAE, they lost a viewer because I can't pick it up with a UHF antenna. BTW the antenna I am using is the Winegard Platinum HD9095P (which is basically a Chromostar rebranded as an HDTV antenna).

Is anybody noticing the jerky video moments on all KDKA HD & network shows? It happens very briefly & is very annoying. I am using the Tosh DST 3100.

jerky video moments on all KDKA HD
I've noticed these too, they seem to come and go though (typically more during a crucial moment in whatever is on). Using a Samsung T151

Don't know if the aforementioned WPXI problem is still there, as no NBC HD in a while, so no watchie WPXI.

I don't have a problem with video on KDKA, but the audio keeps going in and out. The other stations are fine, so I assume that it is not my STB. Does anyone else have audio problems with KDKA?

Initial thoughts on my HDTV experience in Pittsburgh...

I live in a three story house in the East End of Pittsburgh, in Friendship, where Shadyside and Bloomfield meet. I have a NEC LT150 front projector projecting about a 100' 4:3 image.

I consider myself an early adopter. I bought my first hifi vcr in 1985 (can you say over a grand :eek: ), was an early home theater pro logic guy, used one of my first bonuses thirteen years ago to buy a powered sub, and had dvd and dolby digital before DD was even available on receivers.

All that said, I am disappointed in my first excursion in HDTV. I have been a E* customer for over seven years. My boss, who had both premium cable and E*, gave up on the DSS and sold me his DISH 6000 receiver for $50. I had considered buying one previously, but with the whole D*/E* merger thing, held off.

While nice enough, there just isn't enough programming to get excited about on E*. And that switching between SD and HD when you want to output for recording purposes... Plus the thought of having to pay extra for each HD channel doesn't thrill me.

So with free on my mind, I bought the 8VSB add in to pick up my locals from the DISH6000 and the in house radio shack antenna that looks like a rack for a toaster oven.

The locals also don't inspire me. I can pick up PXI, KDKA, QED, FOX and WB all with signal strengths close to 80%. Even so, I can't watch more that 5 minutes on any station without losing sounding, block artifacts or freeze ups. WTAE doesn't register anything at any time, regardless of antenna orientation. And, of the stations I can receive, do any other than PBS or KDKA broadcast anything in HDTV?

All in all, looks nice but seems to be a big hassle. The thought of installing an external antenna to get this minimal HDTV programming hardly seems worth it at this point. I may sell the 8vsb and get the comcast package when they come calling (but we've been waiting for the Pittsburgh cable upgrade in the east end for years already... :confused:

Jopa,
I tried that same RS bow-tie antenna also & got the same results. I guarantee you will experience better results with a better antenna. It doesn't have to be external as several of us have attic installs that work adequately. Check out the CM 4-bay & 8 bay models here:
http://www.warrenelectronics.com/antennas/chmaster_ant.htm

I have the 4 bay model and I think it works fine here in South Park. I don't know if you will pick up WTAE (I do) but I wouldn't be surprised if you did with the 8 bay unit.

One thing that I have learned from this journey is that antenna as well as antenna position can mean everything for reception in this area. Don't get me wrong, I have drop-outs on occasion also, but I find that fighting with the wife over it has decreased substantially since I figured out the antenna thing, thanks to the many good folks on this thread.

CBS,ABC,NBC & PBS are all broadcasting some OTA HD in Pgh. right now although NBC seems to be in a pause during the war. Some are reporting that they are about to resume HD soon.

As far as whether there is ample programming available, I think most of us would like to see more. There may never be enough to satisfy me totally. But for me all it takes is a Steeler playoff game, a Superbowl or a Grammy telecast in DD5.1 to make me thankful I have HD. You will have to decide that for yourself.

Best of luck to you.

markam,

I am also getting some audio dropouts. I hope this video problem is not STB related.

Hello,

I live in Morgantown, WV, a good hour south of Pittsburgh...

Any idea what antenna receiver combo I could possibly
use to pick up the HD Pitt stations ? Or even If I can
from this area ?

Thanks!

The CM 8 bay is rated at 60 miles.

heckman, Morgantown is quite a bit aways. What is your (or someone you know) current Analog reception like? Being on top of a mountain, hill, or flat area helps, but if you are in a valley you are probably going to be out of luck.

Generally for Morgantown I would go with this:

http://www.winegard.com/images/pdf/Pr-9032.pdf

You might be able to pick up something, WTAE is much closer to Morgantown than the other stations so you may actually pick it up.

Here are some coverage maps of the Digital Service Contours of the stations around Pittsburgh that everyone may be interested in.

http://wvjw.info/daily-news/Digital-TV.GIF

If anyone wants some of other stations let me know and I'll work on them.

If anyone is interested in an ISF calibration for their TV/monitor, I'm trying to arrange with the folks from Avical (www.avical.com) for an extension of their May Columbus, OH trip to our area. They tell me that they already had one other inquiry, and if I can round up "a few others" (3? 4?) they could tack it on to the end or set up a Pittsburgh-specific trip.

I'm not sure of their specialization, but they posted on the Samsung, Pioneer, Toshiba, and Mitsubishi forums. They also list testimonials from Hitachi, Sony, and Panasonic on their website.

Shoot me a message at spear@zbzoom.net if you are interested. The full menu of services are on their site - basic ISF calibration is $275 for direct view, $325 for rear projection, $375 for front projection, and they have a list of add-on services and a price list.

Contact them directly with questions about their service, specific models, etc. Once you read their site, you know as much as I do....

I emailed KDKA yesterday asking them to stop sending DD5.1 when they should be sending 2.0. I also asked if they could remove the logo and got this response. :(

The logo is here to stay until it becomes the principal channel, say 5 years from now. Then, we'll see.


No mention from them about fixing the 5.1 though.

All the stations need to do is put the ID/Logo bug in a timer that turns it on for 5 seconds at the top of the hour., but that would be far to easy.

Originally posted by bryan27
All the stations need to do is put the ID/Logo bug in a timer that turns it on for 5 seconds at the top of the hour., but that would be far to easy.

Since the Gulf War II started, we have removed our time & temp "bug" and used that piece of equipment to put a headline ticker at the bottom of the screen. We have received numerous calls complaining it's gone. I have spent the day making provisions to put it back in. I can tell you that for every 10 calls we get against something, well get 10 more for it. :D

Thanks Robert...Don't be a stranger.

The best example of how a logo should be done is WTAE-DT. They flash a small grey logo probably every 30 minutes, or whenever it's convenient during a commercial break.

Originally posted by agtiny
The best example of how a logo should be done is WTAE-DT. They flash a small grey logo probably every 30 minutes, or whenever it's convenient during a commercial break.

I find it hard to believe WTAE-DT can do anything right...but then, how would I or most of those not next door to them or those living on top of a mountain know since few can pick up their signal?

Ya think?

I haven't seen anything that explains the purpose of the logo bug and why it's necessary from a broadcaster's perspective, so here goes.
Back in the days when channel 2 on your TV was always KDKA, 4 was WTAE, and 11 was WIIC (am I dating myself?) There wasn't a problem with the viewers identifying stations they watch for the ratings book. People that could get more than one network affiliate (like Pittsburgh/Cleveland here in Youngstown) had no problem telling the difference between 3 and 11. Now with cable, it's a different story. On Warner Cable in Trumbull county in the Youngstown market, WFMJ - NBC - CH 21 is on channel 3 while WKYC - NBC - channel 3 is on channel 6. Not adjacnet, but darn close! Trumbull is north of Youngstown and because WKYC has significant viewership, they are allowed to be carried along with us. There is confusion among many of the viewers as to who they're watching. Similarly, I'm sure there are areas where KDKA and the CBS affiliate in Youngstown are both on cable systems. We brand our local programs continuously with a logo/time/temp bug that I receive an occasional complaint about. More often I get complaints when it's not on. I try to keep it as unobtrusive and see through as the marketing and promotion people let me, but as you can see from almost every cable and broadcast channel, "bugs" are here to stay. If you're really into "screen clutter" tune into Headline News. Kind of makes that bug in the corner invisible in comparison.

Originally posted by Blitzburgh
I find it hard to believe WTAE-DT can do anything right...but then, how would I or most of those not next door to them or those living on top of a mountain know since few can pick up their signal?

Ya think?

Hehe, sign up with Armstrong cable man. :) I'm going that route when I move.

Robert: Thanks for the info...I suppose stations have to "dumb it down" for the stupid users who can't tell what station they're watching and need a constant reminder.

Two weeks on, and things are going much better in the OTA world.

I can get all but WTAE reliably with the double bow tie in my home theater room, just turning the bow tie a little.

Last night, I took a long piece of coax and the double bow tie to my third floor window facing south/southeast. Voila!! WTAE with a signal strenght of 85%!

Which brings me to my question: does anyone know a good cost effective antenna guy in the East End. Not too keen on the ladder to the roof three flights up.

Atlantis looked and sounded amazing, although the volume seemed low compared to most other channels.

Rich in Pitt, I had Eliab do my set a little over a year ago. No complaints here. He did a great job. If any of you guys are on the fence about getting a calibration I highly recommend it. Especially if it's done by Avical!

Ntice this evening WTAE 51.1 and WPGH 53.1 are now remapped to 4.1 and 43.1 respectively. Additionally, WTAE is sending out program description in guide now.

I noticed a few people were having issues with video "stuttering" on KDKA (25-1). Are people still seeing this? Anyone talk to KDKA about it?

Not looking forward to the Masters and this annoyance :mad:

Lots of problems tonight during the first half of CSI.. dropouts, green screens (which still showed the KDKA logo interestingly), the usual stuttering video. We had to turn on closed-captions.

Yep, I noticed the major drop outs, green screens, etc... this evening. It got so bad that I went over to analog to watch it, and things have to get really bad to resort to that level (I'll watch pixilation first). I even tried WTRF, which seems to be working a little better today, but it was doing some kind of weird slow motion and voice sinc problems.

I found out what my reception problem is. It's the FM station next door. While they were off the air I hooked up an amplifier and wow I got the 2 local stations (32 & 57) and improved signal on 25,38,42,43, & 48, WTAE and WPCB started showing some signal (though not enough to lock). I tried swiching the FM block on that is on the power enjector, but when the station went back on I was just left with 25,38,48,43, and the in & out 42. Would adding an FM block before the pre-amp and turning on the one on the power enjector clear up the FM interference enough to get a constant signal on 42 and get 32-WTRF & 57-WTOV like I did when the station was off the air?

As far as the logos, guys...let me give you an example of how bad it can get..my finacee works for a CBS affiliate in Ft. Myers, FL that's assigned channel 11 OTA. However, on all of the cable systems there, they are assigned 5. So, they are now known as WINK5. Can you imagine how the few who are pulling that station in via OTA are confused when they see that? The same in Charlotte, the NBC affiliate is known as NBC6 for cable even though they are 36. (which actually is the station Ted Turner sold in the 1970's to help get start up funds for WTBS)

I spoke with George at the KDKA transmission tower this afternoon. We were both able to watch the Masters while on the phone together. He was able to see the "stuttering" video problems that we have been experiencing. He said the reason that they had not seen it before then was because "nobody down here looks at the picture long enough" to see something that happens that quickly. Anyway, the good news is that the problem has been confirmed by them & they will fix it.

Sounds good to me!

Cool, did he mention anything about the horrible breakups from last night? I assume they are gone now...

No.

Great news that they actually saw the video stutter problem - hopefully a fix won't take too, too long.

I'm trying to see if there's still an audio dropout problem with my HD200. It appears that the only problem I'm currently having is with KDKA, and several others have also reported problems with that station. Are those of you having audio dropouts on KDKA using something other than a Sony HD200/ZenithHD520? I'm just trying to make sure it's KDKA and not still a STB issue.

Hi all, I just got my equipment the other day to get OTA HDTV. I live in Elizabeth and get most of the channels the www.titantv.com said I would, but guess what channel I don't get.....thats right WTAE, their tower is in the township where I live, about 5-7 miles away. I put my antenna several places, on the roof, balcony, fence, and others, and still no WTAE. I turned the amp off, nothing, I turned the amp on and hooked up a 10dB attenuator, still WTAE is non existent, I turned the amp off with the attenuator. I'm starting to think that WTAE does not exist in HD. I get channels from much further away with %80+ signal strength. Not that I really care for ABC's programming it would be nice to get it just because it's free. I have Comcast cable and I don't see them picking up the HD ball anytime soon, they are too busy raising their rates.

Agent Fletcher, I think many of us will have to learn to live without ABC for a while. WTAE has a directional antenna, as does many DTV stations. There is hope though. WTAE has a Construction Permit to raise their power.

Basically what is the signal like? Is it steady or does it bounce around? If it bounces around the problem is severe multi-path (ghosting on analog). A ghost killer would probably help.

WPCB transmits from the same general area and I'm starting to receive some of their test transmissions, but still nothing but a small blip from WTAE.

Dave,

I also have audio problems with KDKA. I have an older Princeton Graphics receiver, and the other stations are fine. However, the audio on KDKA screws up every couple of minutes, and all the voice start sounding like Alvin and the chipmunks. It makes it impossible to watch CBS, even with the beautiful picture.

Thanks for the report. I didn't know that Princeton ever made an HD receiver. Is it OTA only or satellite?

There no signal on WTAE. Not on 51 or 4. I tried with the antenna in several different places with different power settings.

What channel is WPCB, guys?

I think it's 50.

WPCB is on 50. I haven't looked at them recently, but this morning they didn't have any audio. I don't think they are at their full power or on all the time while they are testing as the signal is only there in the morning. I wonder how they got anything up so fast since the FCC issued them an extension not more than 2 weeks ago to go on the air in July.

Now if the FCC will act on WNPA's apps!!!

Agent, is there anything between you and the tower (can you actually see the tower)? It sounds like something is in the way, like a hill. Is there an FM station near by? I have found that close FM stations will mess with the DTV signal.

I can't see the tower from my house, but I can see a few hundred yards up the street. The tower is on one the highest hills in the county, and the highest in the township, so there is nothing taller blocking reception.

Okay now I figured it out. The tower is about 3 miles from Elizabeth. This is effectively close enough to cause some areas near the tower to be outside the Vertical Plane of the transmitted signal (it is possible to be right under a tower and not receive the station), also I found some areas, though not as high as the transmitting antenna (the digital antenna is 200 feet lower on the tower than the analog) will effectively block the signal if near enough to them. Several of these are in the Blane Hill area. It appears you are experiencing a combination of both.

WTAE does have a Construction Permit to change their pattern so you may have better luck when they finish construction.

Blaine Hill is about a mile from my house, away from the tower. If WTAE ups their signal strength is there a chance I can get it, or should I be looking for an ABC tower farther away?

You could try CH.36 which is the DTV channel for WYTV the ABC station in Youngstown, they are currently on the air. From your location you would point a little west of the 2,11,22,53 cluster. But your about as far away as me from Youngstown and 36 just has a small blip.

There could be a chance you will get WTAE when they up their strength.

Hey, has anyone noticed that WPCB has better picture quality than the syndicated programming on WCWB and WPGH? Also there is no sound! My STB says that language choices are German and Spanish? There isn't much on WPCB I want to watch, but when there is nothing else on I'll watch a cooking or outdoor show on the station.

Any news on WQEX? I wish QED would just sell the thing get what they can from it instead of waiting for more money that it will never sell for.

Greetings all,

I have not noticed the no sound problem on DTV50 (WPCB). What I have noticed though is the sound is way out of sync. I guess that they still could be in a testing stage. Waiting for my CM4228 and 7777 amplifier to see if I can pull in the Youngstown or Stubenville stations here in Wexford. Should be here this week. I will reply with my results.

Great forum,

--Clint--

I get no audio on 50 at all with my HD-200. Odd...

Mark, that is indeed odd. I checked again this morning and I do have audio, although it's still out of sync. My system is an RCA F38310 HDTV with built in DirecTV.

--Clint--

Originally posted by c_perrone
Greetings all,

I have not noticed the no sound problem on DTV50 (WPCB). What I have noticed though is the sound is way out of sync. I guess that they still could be in a testing stage. Waiting for my CM4228 and 7777 amplifier to see if I can pull in the Youngstown or Stubenville stations here in Wexford. Should be here this week. I will reply with my results.

Great forum,

--Clint--

Hi Clint...I have the same, exact antenna and preamp here in Cranberry. I was always getting KDKA (like everyone else), then WPXI thanks to Greg C. fixing what another company screwed up on my antenna, and I was also getting WTAE with some semblance of regularity but not nearly as reliable as the previous two stations. I was also getting 53...seldom was I getting WQED but then, I didn't much care.

Now I'm unable to pull in WTAE at all...no surprise. I think the management of WTAE should get their collective heads out of their...well, sand. I even went so far as to call their "complaint" on air person to complain about them. That person, whose name I've forgotten, knew NOTHING about HD and tried to tell me I didn't know what I was talking about. As I realized I was dealing with ignorance, coupled with a busy life, I abandoned the cause though I still think it a good route to take. Any company, including the media, reacts to publicity...particularly of the unfavorable variety.

Ya think?

PS Good luck with your set up...

Last night the audio on WPCB did appear. The problem with WTAE is that they are licensed with lower wattage and transmit at location away from eveyone else. Complaints aren't going to help as they already have a construction permit to go to 1000Kw (this is the maximum allowable power). It takes time to build these things. Transmitters aren't mass produced and when you order one you have to wait till the manufacturer gets to yours.

c_perrone, good luck on trying to receive WTOV. They are using a half butterfly patern with the two lobes going North-West and South-West and their antenna is only 100 ft off the ground. WTOV is by far the worst digital station I have seen. The picture is usually fuzzy, the on screen bug is so huge it makes all other station bugs look tiny, and their HDTV transmissions are just awful. THe other night I thought I would watch Jay Leno on WTOV instead of WPXI. The WTOV signal actually had ghosting (the colors were out of sinc) a perfect transparent red to the right and a transparent blue to the left of the main image.

WTRF isn't too bad, although they stretch the image to fit 16:9 and it doesn't look right unless you squeeze the picture they are similar to WTAE in that they don't have an anoying 24/7 bug.

BTW since I installed an FM trap before the pre-amp everything comes in nicely. I have now added WTOV & WTRF along with KDKA, WPXI, WQED, WCWB, and WPGH (those 5 I was already getting), WPCB now comes in most of the time and WTAE comes in occasionally. Now in the future if I can get constant signal on WPCB, WTAE, and WNPA (whenever they get on the air) I'll drop my DBS service. 11 stations (when WQEX is sold) and a couple of them multicasting will be plenty for me.

Is anyone in PA able to receive WTOV-DT or WTRF-DT?

Hi all,

From what I have been reading in the forum, it appears that (especially in the north hills of Pittsburgh) that just few miles in any direction can have a great impact on the reception of WTAE. I would assume that I am on the
outer edge of WTAE's signal as I have really had no problem with reception here in Wexford. The signal is not great, but it always seems to be watchable without major interruptions. When I first received my HDTV I purchased a small Terk indoor antenna at the recommendation of the salesman at Best Buy. I took everything home the same day and a few hours later I was watching every local Pittsburgh DT station, although WTAE was at a signal strengh of about 35 with some dropouts.

After finding this forum and reading I purchased a Radio Shack 2160 antenna and their $50 preamp. So here are some results after six months or so of playing around with this...:)

Terk Indoor antenna:
Station Signal
KDKA-DT 85
WTAE-DT 30-35 if positioned just right with dropouts
WPXI-DT 85
WQED-DT 85
WCWB-DT 45-50 with pixelation
WPCB-DT was not on the air at this time
WPGH-DT 80

Radio Shack 2160 placed on my dresser in bedroom next to TV pointed in the general direction of Pittsburgh:
Station Signal W/O preamp Signal W preamp
KDKA-DT 85 85
WTAE-DT 40-45 50-60
WPXI-DT 85 85
WQED-DT 85 85
WCWB-DT 45-50 with pixelation 50-55
WPCB-DT 50-60 55-60
WPGH-DT 85 85

I also took the 2160 out on the deck of my townhouse and with a little bit a playing around I was able to get WTAE-DT up to about 70 on the signal meter with preamp installed. Also, not a blip from any other DT station with in 60 miles or so of Wexford. So, since this appears to be a very addictive hobby...:) I decided to get the Channel Master 4228 and a 7777 preamp just to play around. Although I really don't know what it's going to get me that I don't already receive, it should be fun trying.

I'll post back with more results later

Thanks again to all for this great forum,

--Clint--

I spoke to Paul Byers at WQED this morning. He told me they have applied for an extension for WQEX from the FCC. He also told me that WQED-38 is currently at around 250KW. He is hopeful that he will be able to tweak the power to attain 350-400KW later this summer. Full power of 712KW will not be reached for 1-2 years due to money constraints.

He also mentioned that they may have to insert multi-casting soon to satisfy FCC mandate. He is fully aware that nobody wants this but may be obligated to do so.