If I recall correctly,

For Comcast, KARK, KATV, KATV2, KTHV, and THV2 and KLRT are all like very low, like 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Then PBS and CW are in like the 80s or some randomly high range. I don't have a QAM TV at home, I can't check for you.

But if you can't find most of the important stations in the low range, something is wrong.

I did a re-scan this weekend and found the four majors (already had PBS and CW)
KTHV-DT 1.1
KATV-DT 2.1
KARK-DT 3.1
KLRT.DT 4.1

All is well now. If anyone has a complete list of Comcast channels I would appreciate it. The listings on the Comcast web sites seems to have the listing that gets mapped to a cable box. As it stands right now, I have promised my MIL that I will manually create a spreadsheet for her so that she knows what her channels are. Any help would be appreciated.

The least KATV could do if they are going to delay Lost is to invest in HD time-shifting equipment... at least then it wouldn't be quite as bad!

In the Program Director's e-mail, he said:

None of the Little Rock television stations have the equipment necessary for recording and playing back HD material. “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy” are first syndicated programs offered to stations in both HD and SD versions. The latest figures I have show about 100 of the nearly 1,700 commercial television stations in the United States have the capability to record and broadcast syndicated or local programming in HD.

KATV is beginning a multi-step process of upgrading our facilities to accommodate HD. The first step is the studio/transmitter link which will allow us to get an HD signal to the new digital transmitter. Next we will be upgrading/replacing studio infrastructure and equipment to record and playback network and syndicated HD programming. The final steps will be the installation of HD studio cameras. Along the way we will also be upgrading newsroom operations to the new HD standards. We anticipate it will be a couple of years before HD programming can originate from KATV’s studios.

By the time everything is set up, I'll probably be off to college. Oh well...

Program Director of KATV:
"None of the Little Rock television stations have the equipment necessary for recording and playing back HD material.
TRANSLATION: Don't expect katv to be the first to do anything. KATV was late to the dance for color, stereo sound, digital and HDTV.

"...We anticipate it will be a couple of years before HD programming can originate from KATV’s studios.
TRANSLATION: It will be a couple of years after all the other LR stations have HD time shift capabilities before katv does.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/images/icons/icon10.gif

arxaw,

that's what I was thinking. Who was the first in Little Rock to broadcast a digital signal? First to broadcast HD?

No need to be ahead of the curve if no one else in the area is. :-D

I thought KTHV was the first to do HD, but I could be wrong.... Sam, am I right?

If you asked me I would say you are correct. We signed on April 26, 2002 during the Price is Right.


KLRT followed us with their DTV signal few days later.

And this topic started in October 2003 when KATV started their DTV signal.

alisonf: do you have a timetable for the complete rollout of HDTV at Today's THV? Are the steps similar to KATV's?

Any timetable cannot be shared. It is competitive information I am afraid. Our strategies will most likely be different that KATV's; we tend to be more agressive. I am sure Mr Farrester is a nice guy but does not speak for us or the other stations and probably doesn't actually know the HD abilities the stations have in this market.

Any timetable cannot be shared. It is competitive information I am afraid. Our strategies will most likely be different that KATV's; we tend to be more agressive. I am sure Mr Farrester is a nice guy but does not speak for us or the other stations and probably doesn't actually know the HD abilities the stations have in this market.

ok, thanks for your help

Alison,
Good to see you on the forum.

Thanks Sam!

Did anyone else have signal issues with KTHV last night. All my TV would display was a message stating "Poor Signal Quality", but the signal meter registered 98%. ?????

MB

I only briefly switched to KTHV during the SOTU, but it looked fine to me.

My problem with KTHV is an audio video sync problem where the audio lags behind the video. I have a Dish 622 receiver. This only happens OTA in HDTV. Only on KTHV. Is this a known issue? Could you address this AlisonF. Thanks Kev

My problem with KTHV is an audio video sync problem where the audio lags behind the video. I have a Dish 622 receiver. This only happens OTA in HDTV. Only on KTHV. Is this a known issue? Could you address this AlisonF. Thanks Kev

Yes I can. We do not have a lip sync problem on either DTV channel or the analog channel for that matter. I watched the President at my house last night and he looked and sounded fine. I use a Dish receiver at home.

alison,

It's great to have you back on here! Where have you been?

And this topic started in October 2003 when KATV started their DTV signal.This thread replaced an earlier thread that went back before 10/03. It had a vague title and was not being posted in.

Thanks for the quick response Alison. My lipsync problem only shows up when I am watching DTV from the antenna. No problem with SD over the dish. Can you duplicate this type of setup? Thanks again, Kev

alison,

It's great to have you back on here! Where have you been?


Thanks for missing me! I have always been there, just hanging around in the background.

As for keve with your Dish receiver sync problem...I haven't had that same problem with my receiver. Mine is an old 921. When it goes haywire it stretches the display for no reason. It gets a reboot occasionally. I have heard of folks with set top boxes from Comcast that had lip sync problems. It doesn't suprise me when any any new piece of DTV equipment has sync problems.... audio and video streams may be split up and take different paths within the unit and not end up at the same place at the same time. Broadcast control rooms frequently have timing problems because audio and video can be routed on separate systems. I noticed the Extra show we had on today at 6:30 had lip sync problems and came to us that way from the syndicator. Nothing we can do but wait it out. One disadvantage of our new digital world is the complexity it brings.

If you have rebooted the receiver that may be all you do other than replace it. Have you tried beating on it?? Just kidding..

Hi All,

I just noticed that KTWN-18 has started broadcasting a low power (15 kW) digital signal from their tower just north of Cabot. They are listed at the FCC as a Searcy station.

Known as MyTownTV they are broadcasting 4 digital channels (18.1-18.4). They appear to be a FamilyNet affiliate. At least that is the logo I have been seeing most of the evening. However, they also taut some local programming such as news, Jacksonville Red Devil basketball, dirt track racing and White County District Court coverage on their webpage at:

http://www.mytowntv.net/

One of their channels is running "Scanner Night" with police scanner audio in the background.

The FCC shows the coverage area to barely reach Little Rock so it will be interesting to see who all can get this station. It's coming in nearly maxed out from the backside of my antenna here about 15 miles north of Little Rock but their tower is only about 6 or 7 miles away.

Anyone else tuned in yet?

dmatch

Hey everyone, been lurking and reading on here for some time now. Hopefully someone can help me with antenna selection. I've been running the "Star Trek" rabbit ears set on one tv with good success getting all digital channels but I'm having problems getting all the digital channels on my new tv with rabbit ears due to it's location in the house. I'm going to go ahead and put on up outdoors. I see the Channel Master 4221 UHF rated highly on this thread and others. I'm in the Sherwood area, 72120, so the two main tower sites are about 70-80 degrees apart. That is a bit of a stretch plus I want to keep getting AETN wich is a low VHF. I see that the 4221 does OK with the upper VHFs, like KTHV. Just wondering what some of you around me are using and what you think of my area and that antenna. I could use a VHF and a combiner but I'm afraid that I'd lose KTHV since it's VHF signal is at the other tower site from AETN. I see Channel Master also has the CM 2001 multi-directional VHF/UHF but I may be to far away for it. Any advice will be appreciated.

Hi, aarkie, welcome to the thread. I live in Benton, so I don't know how much I can help, but I can tell you I've had very good results with a relatively cheap ($40 or so I think) Radio Shack UHF/VHF combo outdoor antenna. The WLR and Redfield stations are almost 90 degrees apart for me, and I get everything very strongly with the antenna pointed towards WLR. I recently moved, and had planned on getting a larger, better antenna, but I decided to just try moving the one I had, and I am very happy with the results, so I'm glad I didn't go and spend extra money. I only moved a few blocks from my previous location, but I am at a slightly higher elevation, so that probably accounts for the better reception. I guess my point in saying all that is to say that elevation helps, so the higher you can get an outdoor antenna, the better.

Hope this helps a little.

Hey aarkie, I also live in Benton. I purchased two winegard HD7078 antennas and a winegard antenna joiner. I put them in my attic about 40 feet apart. One is aimed at chenal (16 miles away) the other redfield (22 miles away). I am getting 78 % to 100 % signal strength on all the local DTV signals. I am surrounded by alot of large trees so this may change with the spring foliage. Attic installs cut the signal by 30 to 40 % from what I have read. May have to mount outside if I lose signal. Very happy at the moment. Kev

I did a re-scan this weekend and found the four majors (already had PBS and CW)
KTHV-DT 1.1
KATV-DT 2.1
KARK-DT 3.1
KLRT.DT 4.1

All is well now. If anyone has a complete list of Comcast channels I would appreciate it. The listings on the Comcast web sites seems to have the listing that gets mapped to a cable box. As it stands right now, I have promised my MIL that I will manually create a spreadsheet for her so that she knows what her channels are. Any help would be appreciated.

I keep forgetting, but your PBS-HD and CW-HD is in the low 100s, I believe. Try around the 120s, perhaps. If you go though the 80s you will find alot of On-Demand "junk." I will get back to you next time I am in front of another HD-TV with QAM.

Sorry to break up this OTA party everyone is having ;-)

But I wanted to drop a quick update about the local Comcast office and CableCards.

It's a total fiasco over there. I started calling last week, just for info. Once I was ready to place the order, everything went "paws up." So if anyone ever attempts to do this, you will need extreme patience.

My objective is to upgrade service from Preferred Basic cable and get Digital Basic, the HD pack, and a CableCard. All agents are consistant on the price for the first two, but are all over the board on the cable card. And each one puts me on hold to ask their "Supervisor."

Call #1: $9.95 for CableCard (thanks, hung up)
Call #2: $6.95 for CableCard (almost pulled trigger)
Call #3: $12.95 for CableCard (hung up)
Call #4: Told I can't get HD with a CableCard. Need Box. (Obviously I Hung Up.)

Other threads in the AVSForum dealing w/ (other market) Comcasts put the first cable card as free with a technician install charge. But I can't even get a consistant PRICE at the moment. So I keep calling back each day. Kinda like playing Yatzee until I get the roll I want.

I don't really hate Comcast and don't want this to trigger another "Comcast Sucks" flameathon from the AntennaHeads, DishHeads, and folks outside pulaski county. All big corporations are like this and I have my expectations properly set before each call. I have alot more important things to do in my life than fly-off the handle because a few wage-slaves can't get the price of a cablecard correct. (Actually, I probably don't. But hopefully some of you do!)

I posted this in hopes of helping others see it the same way.

KTHV-DT has a problem with audio being ahead of video on their OTA broadcast. KARK-DT did for a while but worked it out; KLRT-DT did the same. There are no timing problems with locals on D*.

Audio levels are still not being properly controlled on KTHV-DT when switching between one commercial and another, and commercials and studio on their local news blocks and cut-ins during network programs.

KTHV-DT has a problem with audio being ahead of video on their OTA broadcast. KARK-DT did for a while but worked it out; KLRT-DT did the same. There are no timing problems with locals on D*.No timing problems on D* but KTHV really needs to fix the LOUD audio on D*. Several times louder than any other station.

If it's a D* problem, KTHV should work with them to find the source of the problem. Playing the blame-shift game tells the viewer that KTHV doesn't care about getting the problem corrected...

Doesn't D* pick up these stations OTA though some local listening post?

[QUOTE=BelElDel]KTHV-DT has a problem with audio being ahead of video on their OTA broadcast. KARK-DT did for a while but worked it out; KLRT-DT did the same. There are no timing problems with locals on D*.

I think the video feed is running ahead of the audio. I could be wrong as I have looked at it so long I am cross eyed. My wife has also tried to figure it out but has decided it is just screwed up! What type of receiver are you running Bel. Mine is a Dish 622. Wish we could get more input from simular setups. This is only happening on over the air antenna and only on KTHV-DT. Nothing like a great HD picture and Hong Kong Kung Fu sound! Kev

I have seen the KTHV lip sync problem on ALL of my HD receivers\TVs

Samsung 47" DLP
DTiVo HR10-250
DirecTv DVR HR20-700

All OTA

There is a problem.

[QUOTE=BelElDel]KTHV-DT has a problem with audio being ahead of video on their OTA broadcast. KARK-DT did for a while but worked it out; KLRT-DT did the same. There are no timing problems with locals on D*.

I think the video feed is running ahead of the audio. I could be wrong as I have looked at it so long I am cross eyed. My wife has also tried to figure it out but has decided it is just screwed up! What type of receiver are you running Bel. Mine is a Dish 622. Wish we could get more input from simular setups. This is only happening on over the air antenna and only on KTHV-DT. Nothing like a great HD picture and Hong Kong Kung Fu sound! Kev

Kev, I am running a DirecTv HR20-700 HD DVR, into a Sony 34" widescreen. I am getting my OTA signal off a log periodic pointed toward Shinall (due to the wide range of freqs there) and a cut, tuned Yagi toward Redfield.

This problem has gone on for a long time. Apparently the FCC does not have as much control over broadcasters as they did thirty years ago.

I think we have a real problem with the OTA signal with KTHV-DT. I wonder who one would contact about this? Sounds like a local engineering problem since it shows up on both Dish and Direct TV receivers. Alison could you tell us who to contact at KTHV about correcting this?

I think Alison is the one to contact at KTHV about correcting it :) If there's anything that can be done about it, she will no doubt find the problem...if it's on their end, anyway.

I think Alison is the one to contact at KTHV about correcting it :) If there's anything that can be done about it, she will no doubt find the problem...if it's on their end, anyway.

Is she the station manager? Looks like as long as this has been going on the station manager should be told about the problem.

KTHV had lip sync problems during Letterman tonight on both my Dish 211 receiver and my Samsung TV tuner. Even my wife noticed it.

One other note (which if it's already been mentioned I apoligize in advance for the redundancy) but does anybody else find the gray bars on THV as annoying as I do? Every other channel-including the other local and the national ones-uses black bars and local breaks look seemless. The gray bars give the local content a 'confined' look.

Just my $0.02...

I personally have always liked the black sidebars when a station is broadcasting a 4:3 program... the gray bars are distracting, and just plain ugly! I'm curious as to why all stations don't have a uniform standard when it comes to this...maybe it's only on stations that started doing HD early in the game, because now that I think about it, KTBS in Shreveport has the same gray bars, and they've been doing HD for about 4 years now. Oh well, there is nothing we can do about it, I'm afraid :(

Is she the station manager? Looks like as long as this has been going on the station manager should be told about the problem.


I'm not too sure if the station manager would really do anything to fix the situation, but I guess you could always try and email him! How long has the lip sync problem been going on? And how many seconds off is it? KTVE-HD in El Dorado has had it's share of problems since going to HD, and the weird thing is that I notice a slight lip sync problem when watching them on my H20 D* receiver, but when I use the built in OTA tuner on my TV, the problem doesn't exist... why would that be?

I don't know why, Keith, but maybe someone should ask KLRT-DT to "share" some badly-needed technical info with KTHV-DT on solving the problems that KTHV-DT doesn't admit having. The folks at KLRT-DT have apparently solved their problems as has KARK-DT.

Makes me glad I can receive WCBS-DT and get away from the sync problem via a waiver that was denied by KTHV-DT.

Yeah I have to admit, having the HD networks on DNS is a lifesaver. I'm still trying to decide what to do when the LR locals go up on D*...... What do you plan on doing once they take away the NY feeds?

I have a Dish 622 receiver. I am receiving OTA digital signals with a Terk HDTVs outdoor antenna. Sound goes to my Onkyo receiver via toslink, and video goes to my 32" Westinghouse LCD via an hdmi cable and an hdmi switch. With video and audio going their separate ways in my setup, you'd think I'd be ripe for having audio sync problems, but I've never had the sync problems all of you are experiencing on any channel, including KTHV.

Thats interesting obuengineer, You think it may be the hdmi cable. I am running toslink to a Sony receiver and component to a Tosiba 42" 1080i RPTV. Thinking about running composite from the 622 to the display and bypassing the receiver but havent tried it yet. I have tried two different a/v receivers with the same results. I suppose you are using the toslink because the hdmi on the 622 doesnt support dolby yet? The common sync problem is audio running ahead of the video because of all the conversion going on with the video signal. I still think this is the other way around. Video ahead of the audio. In our Google world this seems to be very rare. Kev

... I'm still trying to decide what to do when the LR locals go up on D*...... Keith,
You may be able to keep HD DNS if you uh, "don't have any suitable place to install a 5LNB dish."

If you want a 5LNB dish at some point for upcoming MPEG4 HD channels, don't order it from D*. Just pay a local D* dealer to install one.

Doesn't D* pick up these stations OTA though some local listening post?Aren't the local stations received/uplinked to D* at the uplink facility on Colonel Glenn Rd.?

Aren't the local stations received/uplinked to D* at the uplink facility on Colonel Glenn Rd.?


Yes they are for both D* and E*, which makes it nice for Clear Channel because they can fiber feed both KLRT and KASN along with making some cash for leasing out tower space.

I think we have a real problem with the OTA signal with KTHV-DT. I wonder who one would contact about this? Sounds like a local engineering problem since it shows up on both Dish and Direct TV receivers.I have to have my finger on the MUTE/VOL DN buttons when flipping to KTHV on D*.

Alison, why don't y'all want to get to the bottom of this? Regardless of where the problem originates, it's affecting your viewers.

Yeah I have to admit, having the HD networks on DNS is a lifesaver. I'm still trying to decide what to do when the LR locals go up on D*...... What do you plan on doing once they take away the NY feeds?

Well, I don't fall into the DMA of Little Rock, so I would imagine I will have the DNS for a while even after the local HD channels are offered by D*.

A person can live with the snyc problem if they get a smaller tv screen, or sit further back from the tv, or watch a station(s) that does not have the problem.

It will probably be years before the LR channels will be able to broadcast their local news and other shows in HD as WNBC does now.

Well, I don't fall into the DMA of Little Rock, so I would imagine I will have the DNS for a while even after the local HD channels are offered by D*.

A person can live with the snyc problem if they get a smaller tv screen, or sit further back from the tv, or watch a station(s) that does not have the problem.

It will probably be years before the LR channels will be able to broadcast their local news and other shows in HD as WNBC does now.


Which DMA do you fall in? I just figured you were in the LR DMA since your location is listed as LR.

Oh I can imagine it will be a long while before the local news is in HD. I read an article a while back that some of the anchors in the LR market wanted a plastic surgery budget in preparation for HDTV. I couldn't find the full article, but I found a quote from the section that mentioned LR. It was in the Atlanta Journal..

"I can certainly understand the concern because it is so clear," said Reg Griffin, vice president of communication for Comcast Cable, which provides cable television to 700,000 customers in metro Atlanta. "If there's someone out there concerned about that, whether it is a newscaster or an actor, I think that concern is valid."

Griffin said one Little Rock network affiliate got a request from the on-air staff to include a budget for plastic surgery and dermabrasion along with the cash for hi-def cameras.

Keith,
You may be able to keep HD DNS if you uh, "don't have any suitable place to install a 5LNB dish."

If you want a 5LNB dish at some point for upcoming MPEG4 HD channels, don't order it from D*. Just pay a local D* dealer to install one.

Are they suppose to contact us whenever they are ready to install the 5LNB? To be honest, I don't think I have a suitable place for it...and as far as local installers go, they have a bunch of "Bubbas" around here :rolleyes:

Thats interesting obuengineer, You think it may be the hdmi cable. I am running toslink to a Sony receiver and component to a Tosiba 42" 1080i RPTV. Thinking about running composite from the 622 to the display and bypassing the receiver but havent tried it yet. I have tried two different a/v receivers with the same results. I suppose you are using the toslink because the hdmi on the 622 doesnt support dolby yet? The common sync problem is audio running ahead of the video because of all the conversion going on with the video signal. I still think this is the other way around. Video ahead of the audio. In our Google world this seems to be very rare. Kev
I use toslink because my receiver doesn't switch hdmi. I was using component video until recently with no sync problems.

Which DMA do you fall in? I just figured you were in the LR DMA since your location is listed as LR.[/I]

I was in the LR area when I signed on this board. I am now in a twilight zone in the Quachita Mountains.

Are they suppose to contact us whenever they are ready to install the 5LNB? Yes, and they will have to upgrade any non MPEG4 HD receivers when they do the dish upgrade. I don't think they can force you to accept the MPEG4 receivers or the 5LNB dish. And certainly not the 5LNB dish, if you don't have a suitable place to install the larger 5LNB dish.

Visiting a friend in WLR this weekend, I discovered he had no OTA HD yet because he didn't want an outdoor antenna. Out of curiosity, we stuck a short piece of wire in the ANT-IN jack of his Dish HD receiver (forgot the model #).

He's getting KASN-DT, katv-DT, KARK-DT, KVTN-DT & KLRT-DT. No KTHV-DT though. Too bad KTHV stayed behind in the VHF band, where bigger antennas are often needed....

Sam, thanks for the info on the 5LNB. I thought they were suppose to come out with the LR LIL at the first of the year?

Visiting a friend in WLR this weekend, I discovered he had no OTA HD yet because he didn't want an outdoor antenna. Out of curiosity, we stuck a short piece of wire in the ANT-IN jack of his Dish HD receiver (forgot the model #).

He's getting KASN-DT, katv-DT, KARK-DT, KVTN-DT & KLRT-DT. No KTHV-DT though. Too bad KTHV stayed behind in the VHF band, where bigger antennas are often needed....

...And also more prone to dropouts in fringe areas when thunderstorms are between the transmitter and the viewer's location. This was noticable last year when KARK and KLRT were steady, and KTHV was a pixelated mess.

This will be noticeable on rural local cable co's post NTSC transition that receive KETS, and KTHV OTA.

haley,
The weather-related dropouts are a problem here too, for KAFT-DT on RF channel 9. VHF digital seemed like a good idea at the time (less power consumption, etc.), but real world results so far are disappointing. It also complicates antenna selection for many.

Would higher transmitter ERPs than currently allowed help with weather-related dropouts on VHF?

... I thought they [D*] were suppose to come out with the LR LIL at the first of the year?AFAIK, they are still supposed to add HD LIL for central Ark. 1Q of '07.

AFAIK, they are still supposed to add HD LIL for central Ark. 1Q of '07.

Actually I had a lengthy conversation with several departments at D* on Friday and the official company line is now they are not shooting for LIL HD for Little Rock until end of '07. There are only 8 markets they are going to try to enable before the new sats are in orbit and we ain't one of them. Of course this is D* so that is information that is likely to change (several times before it actually happens).

haley,
The weather-related dropouts are a problem here too, for KAFT-DT on RF channel 9. VHF digital seemed like a good idea at the time (less power consumption, etc.), but real world results so far are disappointing. It also complicates antenna selection for many.

Would higher transmitter ERPs than currently allowed help with weather-related dropouts on VHF?

Arxaw,

Yes and no. To double the signal strengh the ERP would need to be increased 10 fold (this is not considering antenna height). Current power levels of three Arkansas VHF digitals are listed (source: FCC TV Query)

KTHV-DT (12) 55kw ERP @ 518.7m HAAT
KAFT-DT (9) 19kw ERP @ 501.1m HAAT
KAIT-DT (9) 18kw ERP @ 531.0 m HAAT

There are two options: a higher gain antenna or more transmitter output. Since VHF high gain antennas are restricted by their size then a larger transmit power would be required. Problem would be diminishing returns since the higher powered VHF station would have a slightly larger area before the cliff effect takes over, but that fringe area would still be subject to QRN (static, pulse interefernce) by thunderstorms, electrical appliances.

In plain english. KTHV and KAFT could double their ERP to 110kw and 38kw resepctively and it would only be a minimal improvement.

UHF is definitely better suited for DT. A couple examples for me at my current location.. KETZ-DT is finally working with my tuner, but it never gets above the 72-74% mark....and the channels pixelate at random. KNOE-DT, on CH 7, rarely makes it here, and when it does, the picture suffers from so much interference that you can't even tell what's on. I tihnk if they were on UHF, I would have problems. They're about 71 miles away. With Shreveport stations KTBS, KPXJ, and KMSS, I can lock them in the majority of the time now (in the evening) and they are 81 miles away. All are UHF @ 1000 KW. Just some personal observations.

Sam,

Regarding clear QAM. I plug the cable to the back of my tv, and it picks up some channels, but they are all encrypted. Suddenlink is suppose to have one HD local on their cable system, which is KNOE-DT (CBS), and I was hoping to get them, but everything is scrambled. I emailed Suddenlink about this, and they emailed me back saying I needed to subscribe to their digital services. I was going to email them back with documentation from the FCC about clear QAM, but I couldn't find any. What do you recommend? I have D* HD, and just basic Suddenlink cable CHS 2-13. I'm at a loss!

Two more VHFs:
KETZ-DT 12 7.2 kW
KETG-DT 13 7.3 kW

Bottom line, VHF sucks for DTV.

Keith,
I don't know what to tell you (other than dump cable).

Until recently, I thought cablecos were required to send HD locals in the clear. But I read on this forum that that is not the case, and only SD is must-carry. You'd think the stations could force must-carry unencrypted. They get to control everything else cablecos can or can't do with their signal.

In Fayetteville, Hearst-Argyle tried to force Cox cable to pay for HD retransmission of KHOG-DT, but it backfired on them. Had Hearst-Argyle gotten away with this strong arm tactic, it seems Cox would be within their rights to encrypt the channel, since they have to pay extra for it.

Fortunately, Cox told Hearst to stick it where they can't reach, and Cox now carries KTUL-DT (ABC-HD) from Tulsa. Greedy TV station owners got what they deserved.

Well so many kable companies carry the HD locals in the clear, one would think all of them would. Suddenlink must be cheapskates. Kable is krap (intentionally spelled incorrectly :))

Some cablecos still don't carry local HD channels at all. Cox in Eureka Springs doesn't. But that doesn't affect me because cable doesn't go out past the city limits and I have no use for it anyway.

Just in time for the winter storms. KASN drops the live radar from sister station KLRT on 38-2 and appears something called the Variety Channel. KASN's website (http://www.cwarkansas.com) has no mention of this network, but a CC owned FOX affliate in Florida (http://www.fox30online.com/content/vtv/default.aspx) has a page with info. Program schedule is part HGTV, part fillers (ie, Recipe TV ), and old-school classic tv much like the Family Channel/TV Land of old. And a ton of PSAs and no ads (for the 45min i've watched).

UPDATE @ 7:49pm--An ad appears, of the Direct Responce variety (no pun intended).

Another pristine HD channel down the drain in the name of multicasting


Screen capture is below

Yeah I haven't really watched any of the LR OTA DTV channels other than the big four because I have to adjust my little antenna for each station basically and I don't really care for the programming but I flipped by that today and wondered what that was.

Did 38-1's quality noticeably drop?

Did 38-1's quality noticeably drop?

Yes. Its HD lite, more so than KTHV even. Just checked PQ on the HD set. Not that I watch KASN much, since the CW has been disappointing so far (too much UPN carryover for my tastes, but thats MHO).

Good thing The CW doesn't carry sports.

Good thing The CW doesn't carry sports.


Ooh, you said it's worse than THV. Does THV increase quality during their sporting events? I only watch Survivor regularly on CBS so I haven't really seen it yet other than news. Is it a big deal or just a drop in quality that you don't notice unless you look for it?

Just in time for the winter storms. KASN drops the live radar from sister station KLRT on 38-2 and appears something called the Variety Channel. KASN's website (http://www.cwarkansas.com) has no mention of this network, but a CC owned FOX affliate in Florida (http://www.fox30online.com/content/vtv/default.aspx) has a page with info. Program schedule is part HGTV, part fillers (ie, Recipe TV ), and old-school classic tv much like the Family Channel/TV Land of old. And a ton of PSAs and no ads (for the 45min i've watched).

UPDATE @ 7:49pm--An ad appears, of the Direct Responce variety (no pun intended).

Another pristine HD channel down the drain in the name of multicasting


Screen capture is below

Just to clarify, the bit rate for 38-1 has not changed at all. We are still pushing the same data rate for 38-1 as we have been for over a year. There has been no change in the quality of the primary KASN channel. We are also running a static mux, so there is no fluctuation in the image quality.

Sorry guys, but absolutely nothing has changed with the us except we added a second channel.

I watch Veronica Mars and Smallville on the CW, and have noticed a bit of macroblocking occasionally, but I see that on NBC as well, I've just assumed it was a network problem. I have noticed (although not on those two shows) that they are getting bad at not "flipping the switch." Gilmore Girls didn't go to HD until halfway through the show this week.

I watch Veronica Mars and Smallville on the CW, and have noticed a bit of macroblocking occasionally, but I see that on NBC as well, I've just assumed it was a network problem. I have noticed (although not on those two shows) that they are getting bad at not "flipping the switch." Gilmore Girls didn't go to HD until halfway through the show this week.

Good to know Rocky, I appreciate the heads up. That will be addressed tomorrow. (It actually is my department.)

E

Just to clarify, the bit rate for 38-1 has not changed at all. We are still pushing the same data rate for 38-1 as we have been for over a year. There has been no change in the quality of the primary KASN channel. We are also running a static mux, so there is no fluctuation in the image quality.

Sorry guys, but absolutely nothing has changed with the us except we added a second channel.

Thanks for your help. Is VarietyTV the permanent (at least a year) choice or a temporary fill for something else?

Thanks e, like I said, my main shows haven't been affected, but I hate to flip across and catch something in SD I know is supposed to be in HD, and I know you well enough to know that between all the HD you get from Dish, plus HD DVD and PS3, that you don't have time to just sit and watch 16.1 and 38.1 all evening. :)

Had to get up EARLY this morning.. but I had a question I wanted to go ahead and ask while I'm thinking about it... I downloaded a program that tells what the bitrate for an HD channel is (TSReader). Yesterday I decided to check out KTVE-DT to see what they were sending out on their HD channel. It said 14.7 mps! They had 3mps going to their radar channel, and 750kps in null data. That's not very good, is it? No wonder the picture doesn't look much better than WNBC on D*. Should this be brought to the attention of the station? Would they even do anything about it?

Thanks for your help. Is VarietyTV the permanent (at least a year) choice or a temporary fill for something else?


Hey kevin, I noticed you have an hd tuner for your laptop. Do you have the GT? I got mine yesterday in the mail and I love it! Has to be the best invention and the best money I've spent lately. Do you have a problem with the brightness being too high? I have tried adjusting the picture settings, but I didn't really notice a difference.

Had to get up EARLY this morning.. but I had a question I wanted to go ahead and ask while I'm thinking about it... I downloaded a program that tells what the bitrate for an HD channel is (TSReader). Yesterday I decided to check out KTVE-DT to see what they were sending out on their HD channel. It said 14.7 mps! They had 3mps going to their radar channel, and 750kps in null data. That's not very good, is it? No wonder the picture doesn't look much better than WNBC on D*. Should this be brought to the attention of the station? Would they even do anything about it?

14.7 out of 19.2 (?) isn't going to get alot of people worked up. It's not the best, but about what you'd expect for a multicast station.

Try and watch a football game at that bitrate. Looks like crap.

Ooh, you said it's worse than THV. Does THV increase quality during their sporting events? I only watch Survivor regularly on CBS so I haven't really seen it yet other than news. Is it a big deal or just a drop in quality that you don't notice unless you look for it?It's noticeable on a BIG screen that can resolve full 1920x1080i.

You won't notice a difference on a laptop screen.

Sorry guys, but absolutely nothing has changed with the us except we added a second channel.

Errett, I too am disappointed in 38.2. Having an all radar channel seems to be what multicasting is best suited for, if it's going to happen at all. No one will be watching what's on there now, but lots of people would have used the radar.

Station owners don't care if it's useful.

Hey kevin, I noticed you have an hd tuner for your laptop. Do you have the GT? I got mine yesterday in the mail and I love it! Has to be the best invention and the best money I've spent lately. Do you have a problem with the brightness being too high? I have tried adjusting the picture settings, but I didn't really notice a difference.

yeah, I got my GT last Wednesday and I love it as well. My reception in my room is very touchy but if I got an antenna other than the included one it might be better. Right now I just have to move the antenna for each channel just a little.

As for brightness, I haven't had any problems. you could post in the GT thread here at AVS Forum: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=695589&page=33&pp=30

That starts at page 33 which I think is the most recent page.

Anyways, I love it. I haven't decided if I'm going to get another antenna. As long as I can regularly get ABC and NBC and CBS I'm alright and they seem to be ok.

I tried it out on the road near Memphis and near St. Louis and while your car is moving, it has some trouble with the digital signal. Might be better to try analog in a moving vehicle. But when we were parked, the signal was beautiful. It was sweet to watch the news sitting in my car.

-Anyways back to the topic, does anyone else have problems with KARK's 4:3 signal sometimes. I noticed it on my recording of Heroes on Monday night. For Deal or No Deal, there were little pixels across the top but when Heroes came on in widescreen HD, there was no problems. I've attached a screenshot of the news today, I'll try to get a HD screenshot later to show the difference. But if you look at the very top, there are little bars (cropped from full resolution, no zoom, actual size) (look for them above "Weatherbug" and "Your..."). I thought it might be my tuner or laptop but this doesn't happen on other channels. Just a few little pixels. It's not a big deal, just wondering...

Those dots at the top of the screen are scan line #21 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_21) in the Vertical Blanking Interval. It's info used for closed captioning and EDS on NTSC. The station can tweak it out of the ATSC image if they know how. Or you can possibly do same w/ your computer.

Try and watch a football game at that bitrate. Looks like crap.

I'm not going to sit here and defend the station.

But 14.7 out of a maximum of 19.39 is not the end of the world. Do a little google research and you'll see some affiliates aren't even hitting double-digits with their flagship HD channel.

And no, at 14.7mbps, game doesn't look like crap, even at 1080i. You could do alot worse (or ~4mbps better, too.)

Bottomline is that complaining probably isn't going to get that radar channel taken away, but you might be able to convince the engineer to shave off some bandwidth(?)

Tonight's 5pm newscast on KTHV-DT was proof positive that no one or no thing is in control of the audio levels at that station. When going from the newsreader to the weather man, the audio was so loud that I had to turn it down, then, when going back to the newsreader, had to turn it up again. Then, when going to commercial, had to turn it back down again. You would think that this would be an easy fix, much more so than the audio/video sync problem that the station has had since day one.

Does anyone there in management ever watch their own station?

Errett, I too am disappointed in 38.2. Having an all radar channel seems to be what multicasting is best suited for, if it's going to happen at all. No one will be watching what's on there now, but lots of people would have used the radar.

The radar was inserted as a placeholder while we were getting everything ready for The Variety Channel to come online. As for a lot of people using the radar, that possibly could have happened. I doubt it though, because outside of these forums most folks have no idea what multicasting is, let alone know how to view it.

No one can definitively say what shape or form of multicasting will prove to be the one that works out best, and to each their own. We as a station have chosen VTV as our first dance at the multicasting ball and we have done it without altering the HD signal we all care so much about. Do I worry about taking bandwidth away from the HD channel to support an SD stream? Absolutely. Did we take precautions to make sure we could add an SD stream without jeopardizing the HD stream? Yes, we tested for over a year before the SD stream came online. Did we alter the HD stream when we brought the SD stream online? Nope, because we had done so much testing the HD stream was not altered at all when the SD stream came online.

E

I tried it out on the road near Memphis and near St. Louis and while your car is moving, it has some trouble with the digital signal. Might be better to try analog in a moving vehicle. But when we were parked, the signal was beautiful. It was sweet to watch the news sitting in my car.



Yeah, I was thinking about how well a digital signal would do while in a car.. the thing about analog in a moving car though is that, for me, the picture flickers all the time and won't stay still! This must be due to the high rate of speed the car is going. The picture in a car television is watchable when there is an antenna mounted on the outside of the car but it still flickers. A digital signal probably doesn't flicker while moving, but I bet it drops out a lot, especially when you're out in the middle of no where :( Oh well, I guess I shouldn't be watching TV while driving anyway....lol :eek:

I'm not going to sit here and defend the station.

But 14.7 out of a maximum of 19.39 is not the end of the world. Do a little google research and you'll see some affiliates aren't even hitting double-digits with their flagship HD channel.

And no, at 14.7mbps, game doesn't look like crap, even at 1080i. You could do alot worse (or ~4mbps better, too.)

Bottomline is that complaining probably isn't going to get that radar channel taken away, but you might be able to convince the engineer to shave off some bandwidth(?)


Well I wasn't putting down the station, I'm happy they are even doing HD, but I thought I read on the Memphis board a while back that 14 mps wasn't too good.. someone over there posted some screens from WREG-DT during a football game, and they were horrible... and they were @ around the same bandwidth.

I have to agree though, by looking at some HD stations with three subs or more, I'm thankful I don't have to worry about that! And I think a radar channel is a great idea... I wouldn't expect them to take it off, but they could probably stop giving that sub 3 mps... and do away with the null data being sent. I checked the signal tonight during ER, and They were sending out 14.3 mps for the main channel, 3.3 for the radar, and over 1mps worth of null data. I might email the engineer over there and see if there's anything he can do...

Anyways, I love it. I haven't decided if I'm going to get another antenna. As long as I can regularly get ABC and NBC and CBS I'm alright and they seem to be ok.



Also re: another antenna... that little 12 1/2 inch one that came with the GT was disappointing for me, so to remedy that, I just removed a 36" dipole from a rabbit ears, and put that in the place of the 12 1/2 inch one. It works a lot better. You can get replacement rod antennas from radio shack for dirt cheap, so you might want to think about replacing that little one. It would probably get you FOX and CW... even MYNetTV...lol. It certainly wouldn't hurt anything to try it out.

Well I wasn't putting down the station, I'm happy they are even doing HD, but I thought I read on the Memphis board a while back that 14 mps wasn't too good.. someone over there posted some screens from WREG-DT during a football game, and they were horrible... and they were @ around the same bandwidth.

I have to agree though, by looking at some HD stations with three subs or more, I'm thankful I don't have to worry about that! And I think a radar channel is a great idea... I wouldn't expect them to take it off, but they could probably stop giving that sub 3 mps... and do away with the null data being sent. I checked the signal tonight during ER, and They were sending out 14.3 mps for the main channel, 3.3 for the radar, and over 1mps worth of null data. I might email the engineer over there and see if there's anything he can do...

Put down the station all you want :-) I'm just putting 14.7 in context.

I've slept since the day I configured a Triveni PSIP computer to interface with a LogicInnovations multiplexer, but I think that "null data" you are referring to is probably metadata such as program guide, etc.

I know multicasting is a favorite whipping boy of HD enthusiasts (which I consider myself a card carrying member). but I also see the beauty in being able to offer multiple channels of content. Too bad we don't have MPEG4 instead of MPEG2. Things might be more interesting.

Yeah, I was thinking about how well a digital signal would do while in a car.. the thing about analog in a moving car though is that, for me, the picture flickers all the time and won't stay still! This must be due to the high rate of speed the car is going. The picture in a car television is watchable when there is an antenna mounted on the outside of the car but it still flickers. A digital signal probably doesn't flicker while moving, but I bet it drops out a lot, especially when you're out in the middle of no where :( Oh well, I guess I shouldn't be watching TV while driving anyway....lol :eek:

Samsung is working on AVSB (which Europe is already using), which in testing is working well with getting a digital signal to a moving vehicle. Drop Samsung AVSB into Google and you can read more about it.

E

Sorry to interrupt the current conversation, but I was wondering if somebody could answer a question for me regarding diplexing.

This situation actually involves my father-in-laws set up. He is a Dish subscriber (SD only) utilizing thier two tuner DVR box (625) and he has a Sony Bravia LCD TV connected to the TV2 connection via coaxial cable. After seeing my setup utilizing a 4228 antenna and CM7777 preamp to pull in HD locals, he was blown away by the clarity of the HD picture and now wants to replicate that at his house on his Sony. The problem is that the Sony only has a single coaxial input.

By my figuring he has two options. 1) Run the OTA cable into the coxial input on the TV and run a composite cable from the DISH box to the TV as a different input source. 2) Take the OTA cable and diplex into the DISH cable. Is that feasible?

Sorry to interrupt the current conversation, but I was wondering if somebody could answer a question for me regarding diplexing.

This situation actually involves my father-in-laws set up. He is a Dish subscriber (SD only) utilizing thier two tuner DVR box (625) and he has a Sony Bravia LCD TV connected to the TV2 connection via coaxial cable. After seeing my setup utilizing a 4228 antenna and CM7777 preamp to pull in HD locals, he was blown away by the clarity of the HD picture and now wants to replicate that at his house on his Sony. The problem is that the Sony only has a single coaxial input.

By my figuring he has two options. 1) Run the OTA cable into the coxial input on the TV and run a composite cable from the DISH box to the TV as a different input source. 2) Take the OTA cable and diplex into the DISH cable. Is that feasible?

Its a no brainer: go with #1. If the Dish (SD) box has S-Video out (which I would assume) use it instead of composite.

He will quit watching the E* locals the minute an antenna is connected to the Bravia directly :D

Put down the station all you want :-) I'm just putting 14.7 in context.

I've slept since the day I configured a Triveni PSIP computer to interface with a LogicInnovations multiplexer, but I think that "null data" you are referring to is probably metadata such as program guide, etc.

I know multicasting is a favorite whipping boy of HD enthusiasts (which I consider myself a card carrying member). but I also see the beauty in being able to offer multiple channels of content. Too bad we don't have MPEG4 instead of MPEG2. Things might be more interesting.

I like the idea of multicasting as well. That is one thing I like about KTBS in Shreveport. They have a 24/7 radar on 3.2, and they air repeats of their recent newscast on 3.3. I see nothing wrong with a station that multicasts when their HD channel is 720p.. they can afford to have one or two. I get kind of concerned when a station does 1080i HD and they have two subs. That's when problems can develop! IMHO, of course.

Samsung is working on AVSB (which Europe is already using), which in testing is working well with getting a digital signal to a moving vehicle. Drop Samsung AVSB into Google and you can read more about it.

E


Thanks for the info, errett. I run read up on some of the info....it's too bad that it might be a little while before this new technology comes out :( But it looks like it could be out by the time Feb. 2009 rolls around..I guess we'll see :o

Misbehaving,

What haley said. Except substitute S-video cable for composite, if the Dish box has S-video OUT. Getting rid of the RF connection between the Dish box and that nice TV will improve the picture quality of the SD channels and give him stereo sound. AFAIK, the Dish RF OUT connector does not pass stereo audio.

To simplify the Bravia, disable (hide) all the extra unused inputs. That will make cycling through all the inputs simpler for your FIL. BTW, the Bravia TVs have excellent OTA tuners.

Avoid diplexing.

Tonight's 5pm newscast on KTHV-DT was proof positive that no one or no thing is in control of the audio levels at that station....

Does anyone there in management ever watch their own station?
No, but some of them read this blog (http://arkansastvnewswatch.blogspot.com/), where anyone can post comments - registration not required.

Also re: another antenna... that little 12 1/2 inch one that came with the GT was disappointing for me, so to remedy that, I just removed a 36" dipole from a rabbit ears, and put that in the place of the 12 1/2 inch one. It works a lot better. You can get replacement rod antennas from radio shack for dirt cheap, so you might want to think about replacing that little one. It would probably get you FOX and CW... even MYNetTV...lol. It certainly wouldn't hurt anything to try it out.

I tried that but my old rabbit ear was too big at the bottom (the part that gets screwed in). But I'll check Radio Shack.

I tried bare copper as an antenna and got great signals but the copper had no structure an flopped around everywhere and it couldn't pick up all the stations anyways.

Does anybody here run their OTA through a DISH VIP622? Do you lose any picture quality going that route? Does it have a good tuner?

I'm a basic cable / OTA user who is interested in DISH, specifically the VIP622 because of its dual tuners, DVR, and ability to PIP. Curious to see what the opinions of this box are from the local HD channel perspective is.

Does anybody here run their OTA through a DISH VIP622? Do you lose any picture quality going that route? Does it have a good tuner?

I'm a basic cable / OTA user who is interested in DISH, specifically the VIP622 because of its dual tuners, DVR, and ability to PIP. Curious to see what the opinions of this box are from the local HD channel perspective is.

I bought the ViP622 right when it was released and have been very happy with it. We constantly record HD OTA and have no issues. The tuner is much better than the tuner in the Dish 811.

I cannot comment on the PIP, because I have never used it.

Does anybody here run their OTA through a DISH VIP622? Do you lose any picture quality going that route? Does it have a good tuner?

I'm a basic cable / OTA user who is interested in DISH, specifically the VIP622 because of its dual tuners, DVR, and ability to PIP. Curious to see what the opinions of this box are from the local HD channel perspective is.

I concur with Erret. I'm very happen with OTA reception via the 622. I've used PIP, but only on sat channels. It works well.

I bought the ViP622 right when it was released and have been very happy with it. We constantly record HD OTA and have no issues.

Have you found a way to utilize the DVR functionality without having the program guide information for the local channels via OTA?

I like the idea of multicasting as well. That is one thing I like about KTBS in Shreveport. They have a 24/7 radar on 3.2, and they air repeats of their recent newscast on 3.3. I see nothing wrong with a station that multicasts when their HD channel is 720p.. they can afford to have one or two. I get kind of concerned when a station does 1080i HD and they have two subs. That's when problems can develop! IMHO, of course.

I would take it a step further and say that maybe they should go dark on their multicast during primetime, for example.

Though this obviously wouldn't work if FCC ever requires cable companies to carry the multicast channels.

Have you found a way to utilize the DVR functionality without having the program guide information for the local channels via OTA?

The program guide for the primary digital channel mimics the SD guide from Dish, so there is no problem scheduling the HD recordings. The 622 is a great DVR, in my opinion. I wish I could do the same stuff with a Tivo, but the 622 is a fine substitute.

E

Also re: another antenna... that little 12 1/2 inch one that came with the GT was disappointing for me, so to remedy that, I just removed a 36" dipole from a rabbit ears, and put that in the place of the 12 1/2 inch one. It works a lot better. You can get replacement rod antennas from radio shack for dirt cheap, so you might want to think about replacing that little one. It would probably get you FOX and CW... even MYNetTV...lol. It certainly wouldn't hurt anything to try it out.

I bought a 30" replacement rod at Radio Shack. Originally the guy was trying to sell me a $10.00 replacement antenna for parts but I said that was too much and told him I saw one for $4.00 on the website and he thought those were only for cordless phone systems.

But it works good. It's still directional and has to be adjusted for channel clusters (ABC and CW one way, to the south) and the other channels toward west Little Rock.

But I am getting good signals when it's turned the right way.

As for multicasting, I like the news and radar channels. As for VTV, I'm not really interested in that channel so I don't really have an opinion about it. And I don't watch The CW so I don't have an opinion on that either.

Multicasting on a whole is pretty cool but I understand the concerns, especially with 1080i quality.

I am moving to Little Rock and moving DirecTV service. I have arranged for the DirecTV mover's program installation including OTA antenna in early March hopefully. Any suggestion for an antenna I should insist on? I will be at zip 72212 in a two story house elevated somewhat and hope to pick up ever digital station. It will be west of I430 and just off Rodney Parham.

Chris

I bought a 30" replacement rod at Radio Shack. Originally the guy was trying to sell me a $10.00 replacement antenna for parts but I said that was too much and told him I saw one for $4.00 on the website and he thought those were only for cordless phone systems.

But it works good. It's still directional and has to be adjusted for channel clusters (ABC and CW one way, to the south) and the other channels toward west Little Rock.

But I am getting good signals when it's turned the right way.

As for multicasting, I like the news and radar channels. As for VTV, I'm not really interested in that channel so I don't really have an opinion about it. And I don't watch The CW so I don't have an opinion on that either.

Multicasting on a whole is pretty cool but I understand the concerns, especially with 1080i quality.

Well that's good that you got the replacement... that tiny one that came with the GT is about like a paperclip! When I'm using that antenna, I don't extend it out all the way, because it weighs the device down a little. I have to say I'm impressed with the picture quality. I don't care if people say a laptop is too small for HD, it just makes the PQ that much better! I'd rather have this little gadget than an 80" screen any day :)

I am moving to Little Rock and moving DirecTV service. I have arranged for the DirecTV mover's program installation including OTA antenna in early March hopefully. Any suggestion for an antenna I should insist on? I will be at zip 72212 in a two story house elevated somewhat and hope to pick up ever digital station. It will be west of I430 and just off Rodney Parham.

Chris

Some of the people that live in the LR area should reply soon, and I think a lot of people have had good luck with the Channel Master 4228. With your close distance to the towers, a paperclip would probably suffice! I hope you enjoy LR... it's a great place.

I would take it a step further and say that maybe they should go dark on their multicast during primetime, for example.

Yes I agree with this 100%. One thing I like about AETN...they have four subchannels, but they shut down the multicasting during HD programming. And definitely during special events like the Superbowl. Wouldn't it be nice if KTHV shut down THV2 for the Superbowl?

Well that's good that you got the replacement... that tiny one that came with the GT is about like a paperclip! When I'm using that antenna, I don't extend it out all the way, because it weighs the device down a little. I have to say I'm impressed with the picture quality. I don't care if people say a laptop is too small for HD, it just makes the PQ that much better! I'd rather have this little gadget than an 80" screen any day :)

and I like the ability to take HD programming I've recorded on the road, make screenshots, IM people while watching a show, etc. And HDTVs are too far out of my price range right now.

I am moving to Little Rock and moving DirecTV service. I have arranged for the DirecTV mover's program installation including OTA antenna in early March hopefully. Any suggestion for an antenna I should insist on? I will be at zip 72212 in a two story house elevated somewhat and hope to pick up ever digital station. It will be west of I430 and just off Rodney Parham.Can you post your 9-digit zip or your antennaweb results for your exact address? WLR is so hilly, antenna needs vary significantly, depending on what side of the hill you're on.

http://www.antennaweb.org

(make sure you get the H20-600 receiver from D*)

Can anyone confirm if Conway Corporation broadcasts network HD channels unencrypted? I am about to buy another TV and would make sure it has a QAM capable tuner to pick these up. I have called a couple times and got mixed responses, everything from absolutely no to just plug it in and it will work... According to an FCC mandate they are required to send the network channels unencrypted, but I guess they do send the analog channels so that probably meets the requirement.

The program guide for the primary digital channel mimics the SD guide from Dish, so there is no problem scheduling the HD recordings. The 622 is a great DVR, in my opinion. I wish I could do the same stuff with a Tivo, but the 622 is a fine substitute.

E

This only works if you subscribe to SD locals from E*. If you don't, you get no program info for locals.

Can you post your 9-digit zip or your antennaweb results for your exact address? WLR is so hilly, antenna needs vary significantly, depending on what side of the hill you're on.

http://www.antennaweb.org

(make sure you get the H20-600 receiver from D*)

Thanks, I have not paid any attention to the various non-TiVo DVRs from DirecTV. Is that what that is? I was told DirecTV would not allow me to move my 2 HR10-250 TiVos, guess because it will soon be obsolete with DirecTV and they want a two year commitment with the mover's program this time. Pretty hard to enforce that provision if they make my equipment quit working in a few months. They did not tell me what the two TiVos were being replaced with, but if I have a choice, I want something that works. Works as well as TiVo isn't a possibility, I am sure.

Antennaweb.org shows all colors through violet.

Chris

Thanks, I have not paid any attention to the various non-TiVo DVRs from DirecTV. Is that what that is?No, the H20-600 is an HD receiver, not a DVR. The DVR is model HR20-700. From what I hear, it has advantages and tradeoffs of the model you now have. Read the HR20 DVR thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=704067) to learn more. If you're out of contract with D*, you might want to consider changing TV providers, if you can't live without a Tivo brand DVR.

Another option is pay a local sat installer outright to setup a new dish and connect your existing receivers. Then, just change your billing address with D* online and leave everything else as is.

Antennaweb.org shows all colors through violet.Not good. You'll need a fringe antenna and a good low noise preamp. And possibly a rotor.

The CM 4228 antenna (http://warrenelectronics.com/antennas/4228.htm) and CM 7777 low noise preamp (http://warrenelectronics.com/antennas/7777.htm) work well for a lot of people with weak signal reception. Another good antenna is the Antennas Direct 91XG (http://www.antennasdirect.com/91XG_HDTV_antenna.html). Both of these antennas are sold as UHF antennas, but will usually work well for highband VHF chs 7 thru 13, too.

Might call the head of ConCorp electronics section-- Glenn King 548-3055. When I asked him last month about concorp using QAM on their cable, I understood him to say that *everything* they carried would be encrypted; over-the-air channels included.

hope this helps,


Can anyone confirm if Conway Corporation broadcasts network HD channels unencrypted? I am about to buy another TV and would make sure it has a QAM capable tuner to pick these up. I have called a couple times and got mixed responses, everything from absolutely no to just plug it in and it will work... According to an FCC mandate they are required to send the network channels unencrypted, but I guess they do send the analog channels so that probably meets the requirement.

Might call the head of ConCorp electronics section-- Glenn King 548-3055. When I asked him last month about concorp using QAM on their cable, I understood him to say that *everything* they carried would be encrypted; over-the-air channels included.

hope this helps,

i don't care who you talk to, there is no substitute for testing for yourself. never know what these 2nd tier cable companies have going on "behind the scenes."

KBoswell,

Being a station employee, what's your take on digital must carry? Are HDTV locals supposed to be "in the clear?" Or, just DTV standard def. Or, can cablecos encrypt everything and require a STB?

colebert;

You make a good point about actually testing the signal for yourself. That will be only way to truly know.

However, I don't understand your term "2nd tier cable companies". Conway Corporation is our city-owned utility established in the early 1900's to provide electricity (and now water, sewer, cabletv and internet) to the residents inside the city limits of Conway. With that in mind, I stand by my advice of checking with Glenn. He is the manager of the electronics division and therefore the one who should know. Is there something specific I've overlooked --as regards ConCorp, which was the original poster's (wirechild73) question?

KBoswell


i don't care who you talk to, there is no substitute for testing for yourself. never know what these 2nd tier cable companies have going on "behind the scenes."

I'm a big fan of Conway Corp. I know they're great. They just aren't in the same "category" as Comcast. Both when it comes to advantages AND disadvantages. It's not necessarily a bad thing. In my depraved and confused mind, I "tier" the companies based on their resources and size. Not based on quality. When it comes to companies, Conway Corp is 'top shelf.' I know this first-hand.

I actually think you're more likely to find something "cool" hiding behind the QAM curtain on a second tier cable company.

I would consider Resort Cable a "2nd tier" cable company, too.

arxaw;

My understanding (and that's ALL it is), is that cable co's must carry EITHER the digital or the analog signal from an over-the-air TV station. They are not required to carry BOTH signals. And I don't think they have to carry HD digital, just the SD.

As for locals being carried "in the clear", I feel they SHOULD be. But, from what little I've read of part 76, I didn't see anything that requires the *digital* ota signals to be in the clear. Only that ota stations are to be included in the most basic tier of channels the cableco offers, and that they retain everything germain to the image presented --closed captioning, v-chip, S.A.P, etc. Whether they can encrypt everything and requre a STB I don't know. (I'll gladly defer to someone more knowledgeable on that).


We've had a good relationship over the years with the local cable (ConCorp). Years ago they began backhauling our signal from our studios to their headend because it was, of course, more clear than trying to receive our transmitter several miles away. They now use a fiber-optic to carry our 4 SD streams, plus PBS HD, and AETN kids, all on their digital tier. On their analog tier they take our primary stream (2.1). They carry ALL of these continuously.

Kelly
========================

KBoswell,

Being a station employee, what's your take on digital must carry? Are HDTV locals supposed to be "in the clear?" Or, just DTV standard def. Or, can cablecos encrypt everything and require a STB?

Hi Kelly,

Did you ever solve that problem with the Texarkana cable company trying to receive KETG's digital signal on 13? If so, what did the problem turn out to be?

One never knows what any cable companies have going on "behind the scenes," regardless of size.

Hi Keith;

No, haven't heard back from them. That was (is?) a *strange* problem. Thanks for reminding me Keith. I'll check with the other engineers about it.
Kelly
============================

Hi Kelly,

Did you ever solve that problem with the Texarkana cable company trying to receive KETG's digital signal on 13? If so, what did the problem turn out to be?

As for locals being carried "in the clear", I feel they SHOULD be... I agree. Only exception would be where a local station requires the cableco to pay them for retrans. In that case, the cableco should have the right to encrypt it.

I concur, Sam. I considered going into the whole must carry vs. pay-to-carry scenario, but decided against it.

I agree. Only exception would be where a local station requires the cableco to pay them for retrans. In that case, the cableco should have the right to encrypt it.

Hi folks,

I need some help.

Some viewers have contacted us (AETN) saying our closed captioning displays as gibberish. All these viewers use local-into-local satellite service. (I can check only DirecTV for the Fayetteville market. sigh No means to check Dish.) Can someone check the AETN lil signal in the Little Rock market.

thanks,

Kelly

Kelly,

I'm checking KETS on Directv right now, and it's displaying captions, but a lot of the words are misspelled and not spaced correctly.

Thanks, Keith.

Any body on Dish seeing this problem?

Kelly
=======================

Kelly,

I'm checking KETS on Directv right now, and it's displaying captions, but a lot of the words are misspelled and not spaced correctly.

Thanks, Keith.

Any body on Dish seeing this problem?

Kelly
=======================

I'm watching KETS on DISH Network. The captions aren't "gibberish" to me though there usually is a missing letter or two per caption making some words difficult to decipher. "it ce from over there" showed up for "it came from over there". Some words don't show up at all, just an extra space between words.

And I checked ESPN just to make sure it wasn't my TV (we had a TV that was bad at displaying captions correctly) and ESPN's captions are fine.

Hi Kelly,

I have seen closed captioning on KETS on Dishnet. It appears like it is similar to DirectTV from what was said earlier in this thread. About half of the captions have some sort of error in them. Stuff like parts of words, no space between words or both are rather common. I have seen similar errors on other channels but not to the extent as on KETS.

As you probably know, OTA KETS (both analog and digital) does not have this problem.

I wouldn't call it complete gibberish, just partial gibberish.

Hope this helps,

dmatch

arxaw;

Sam, I need to correct something I said in an earlier post. :(

I was wrong about digital must carry. I'm told that must-carry applies ONLY to analog stations, not digital.

This comes about from a difference of perspectives from the two industies; broadcasters, and the cableco's. The cableco's stance is that they will carry one program stream from an ota station. The broadcaster, of course, wants EVERYTHING (all 4 or 6 substreams) from their signal to be carried. In the analog world, Cableco's used a "processor" to convert ota from one frequency to another without actually demodulating the signal into it's baseband component parts. With DTV, that is not possible because cablecos don't use ATSC modulation . I think they mostly use some variant of QAM (64 or 256). Therefore, they can't just "pass-through" the 6 MHz of signal from the ota stations, intact. Which brings to the two industries to loggerheads.

Hope I have this correct now, and have stated it properly.
sorry for my earlier error,

Kelly
=============================================

[QUOTE=KBoswell]arxaw;

My understanding (and that's ALL it is), is that cable co's must carry EITHER the digital or the analog signal from an over-the-air TV station. They are not required to carry BOTH signals. And I don't think they have to carry HD digital, just the SD.

<snipped for brevity>

Kelly,
Thanks for the clarification!

--
Sam

Thanks for the information and I have confirmed that ConwayCorp does not and has no plans to carry digital channels unencrypted. Guess I need to pay for another receiver.

By the way, I love Conway Corp and didn't mean to indicate they are a bad provider for not carrying the networks in the clear. I was mostly trying to decide if I should pay the extra dollars to get tuners on my next TV when I mostly only watch Fox, CBS and NBC in the game room.

Also, I think PBSHD on Conwaycorp is one of the best pictures we get. It is always consistent and never has any audio issues.

Thanks, wirechild73.

We have a dedicated sat receiver PBSHD to feed ConCorp. It is literally a pass-through. Glad you enjoy it.

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



<snipped for brevity>

Also, I think PBSHD on Conwaycorp is one of the best pictures we get. It is always consistent and never has any audio issues.

Finally heard back from an engineer at Dish. Says he adjusted his equipment and "captioning is fine now". To quote a former president, "trust but verify". I'd like to confirm that the problem REALLY is resolved.

Thanks everyone for your help,
Kelly
==================================

Hi Kelly,

I have seen closed captioning on KETS on Dishnet. It appears like it is similar to DirectTV from what was said earlier in this thread. About half of the captions have some sort of error in them. Stuff like parts of words, no space between words or both are rather common. I have seen similar errors on other channels but not to the extent as on KETS.

As you probably know, OTA KETS (both analog and digital) does not have this problem.

I wouldn't call it complete gibberish, just partial gibberish.

Hope this helps,

dmatch

Hi Kelly,

I finally got a look at Dishnet again and the CC looks to be fine on KETS now.

Although, we do not use CC in our household, your attention to things like this is encouraging and appreciated. OTA KETS-DT (especially Create) is one of the most watched, if not the most watched, channel(s) for us.

dmatch

Kelly, we appreciate the Create channel, too. But the fact that y'all turn off multicasting during HD programs and do HD the way HD should be done, is even more appreciated. I get PBS from two markets and the superior picture quality is very noticeable on AETN's PBS-HD programs, vs the multicast PBS-HD Lite I get from Ozarks Public Television (KOZK-DT) from Springfield.

Hey Guys, I have had a new Dish setup running a couple of months now and have noticed my installer did not ground my dish. Is this a shabby install or nothing to worry about. The dish is on my roof right above my electric service and ground. I think I spyed a red arrow on the dish mount. Is this the ground location? Thanks for any imput.

Call Dish Network or your local install company and report that your dish was not grounded to meet codes, and insist that they come back out. If they balk, report them to your city inspection dept. It must be grounded to the main electrical power ground.

If lightning hit the dish and it wasn't grounded, it's possible that your insurance may try to get out of paying a claim, if your house was damaged.

Hey aarkie, I also live in Benton. I purchased two winegard HD7078 antennas and a winegard antenna joiner. I put them in my attic about 40 feet apart. One is aimed at chenal (16 miles away) the other redfield (22 miles away). I am getting 78 % to 100 % signal strength on all the local DTV signals. I am surrounded by alot of large trees so this may change with the spring foliage. Attic installs cut the signal by 30 to 40 % from what I have read. May have to mount outside if I lose signal. Very happy at the moment. Kev


Just wanted to offer my experience. I bought an Antennas Direct DB8 (from Solid Signal) and mounted it in my attic. It stands about eight feet from the attic floor. I have it aimed a bit between Chenal and Redfield, and I get all of the major networks (KTHV, KATV, KARK, KLRT) crystal clear. I was worried about getting ABC, but it comes in great. Watching LOST in HD was a wonderful experience :D . My signal strength hovers from 87 to 93%.

[QUOTE=keve]

Kev, I am running a DirecTv HR20-700 HD DVR, into a Sony 34" widescreen. I am getting my OTA signal off a log periodic pointed toward Shinall (due to the wide range of freqs there) and a cut, tuned Yagi toward Redfield.

This problem has gone on for a long time. Apparently the FCC does not have as much control over broadcasters as they did thirty years ago.
By Shinall, do you mean Chenal?

No, he means Shinall. As in Shinall Mountain (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=shinall+mountain).

It was there long before developers decided to buid a suburb of a different spelling (Chenal).

grrr, all the listings said the Dallas Stars' game against Colorado would be on KARK but it's Tampa and New Jersey. Maybe the Stars haven't started yet?

I was looking forward to seeing one of my favorite teams in HD for the first time, not two Eastern conference teams...

As anyone heard when Dish will have the locals in HD in the Little Rock area? I idiotically upgraded my Dish to HD and assumed that the local stuff would be in HD, too (not the local news and such, but the network stuff, like Letterman, prime time shows, etc). My wife is not happy about this turn of events.

Also, this is more of a technical question than programming, but has anyone else noticed the picture quality on the "2nd" television of the HD DVR not being as clear? I had a regular DVR on this particular television that had a good picture, but now that I'm sharing with the new HD DVR, the picture is noticeably worse.

I currently am using a Terk HDTVs outdoor antenna with no preamp to get OTA locals in North Little Rock. I can get everything except PBS. What type of solution would you guys recommend for me to be able to get PBS? Should I add an antenna? Replace it? Add a preamp? I'm open to suggestions, but I don't want to spend a lot of money.

Don't hold your breath for either Dish Network (or DirecTV) to add LR big 4 networks in HD. Apparently, this has become back burner for now, at least at DirecTV. And Dish hasn't even announced this market yet. And they nearly always announce new channels long before they become available - sooner than DirecTV does. If you have Dish, just connect a suitable antenna to the ANT-IN jack on the back of the receiver. Go into the setup menu and scan for local digital channels.

WRT the poor picture quality of your "2nd" TV connected to the DVR. What connection did they use between the 2nd TV to the DVR?

After my father-in-law saw my OTA setup (4228 & CM7777) and the awesome HD locals I was pulling in he wanted me to do the same for him. I ordered him the same equipment, but Warrens was backordered on the 7777 so I switched to an AP-8275.

He lives just five miles from me, up on a hill with a clear view towards Little Rock (we live in Searcy). We put up his antenna and installed everything, but the best signal we can get for KTHV is 70% (I average 77%) and the picture has severe digital breakup.

There are only two differences between his setup and mine. 1) His antenna does not clear the top of the roof. Because the signals we are trying to pull in are from the south we saw no need to try and clear the top of the house. Is this a factor? 2) The AP-8275 pre-amp. I was told this was comparable to the CM7777, but was I misled?

Any help will once again be appreciated.

Thanks, Sam. It's always nice to hear the appreciation. I'll pass that on to the decision-makers, and with a bit of a rib toward those here who *formerly* worked at KOZK.

Kelly
========================

Kelly, we appreciate the Create channel, too. But the fact that y'all turn off multicasting during HD programs and do HD the way HD should be done, is even more appreciated. I get PBS from two markets and the superior picture quality is very noticeable on AETN's PBS-HD programs, vs the multicast PBS-HD Lite I get from Ozarks Public Television (KOZK-DT) from Springfield.

Hi Shag;

I don't think they will. When I talked with their engineering support guy last week (about the closed captioning problem), he indicated that they carry the analogue transmitters from the over-the-air local stations--NOT the digital.

I encouraged him to check into changing that, and the IMMEDIATELY began trying to shuffle the issue over to their liason/legal-type people. Even refusing to give me the name of such person, stating only that we already had her contact info on file. etc etc etc. (SHEESH he was really protective of that.)


[fact stops here, my opinion begins here]
In short, they don't WANT to carry the digital. And as we've discussed before, any must-carry rule now in effect applies ONLY to analog. I think they are afraid *IF* they carry a digital signal, the will be forced in some way to carry ALL the individual program streams from that signal --each of which on separate channels to their viewers.

hope this helps,
Kelly



As anyone heard when Dish will have the locals in HD in the Little Rock area? I idiotically upgraded my Dish to HD and assumed that the local stuff would be in HD, too (not the local news and such, but the network stuff, like Letterman, prime time shows, etc). My wife is not happy about this turn of events.

Also, this is more of a technical question than programming, but has anyone else noticed the picture quality on the "2nd" television of the HD DVR not being as clear? I had a regular DVR on this particular television that had a good picture, but now that I'm sharing with the new HD DVR, the picture is noticeably worse.

Obuengineer;

I'll gladly defer to others here with more experience. But, keep in mind that the PBS transmitters for central Arkansas are low-band VHF, (both analog and digital). And both are near Redfield. So, plan on the antenna being large enough to be resonant on those lower frequencies for *that* distance.

hope this helps,
Kelly

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

I currently am using a Terk HDTVs outdoor antenna with no preamp to get OTA locals in North Little Rock. I can get everything except PBS. What type of solution would you guys recommend for me to be able to get PBS? Should I add an antenna? Replace it? Add a preamp? I'm open to suggestions, but I don't want to spend a lot of money.

...He lives just five miles from me, up on a hill with a clear view towards Little Rock (we live in Searcy). We put up his antenna and installed everything, but the best signal we can get for KTHV is 70% (I average 77%) and the picture has severe digital breakup.

There are only two differences between his setup and mine. 1) His antenna does not clear the top of the roof. Because the signals we are trying to pull in are from the south we saw no need to try and clear the top of the house. Is this a factor? 2) The AP-8275 pre-amp. I was told this was comparable to the CM7777, but was I misled?The AP-8275 has more gain, but at the expense of more noise. According to this archived thread at satguys (http://www.satelliteguys.us/archive/index.php/t-60285.html), lower noise is important for LD reception, so the 7777 may be a better choice.

His main problem though is probably not enough height, especially if his roof is between the antenna and the location of the problem TV tower! At 50 miles or more away, elevation becomes very important.

There are only two differences between his setup and mine. 1) His antenna does not clear the top of the roof. Because the signals we are trying to pull in are from the south we saw no need to try and clear the top of the house. Is this a factor? 2) The AP-8275 pre-amp. I was told this was comparable to the CM7777, but was I misled?

Any help will once again be appreciated.

1) If the antenna is on the south side, then except for the height in general (usually the higher the better), I don't think the house would cause a problem.

2) Unless the AP-8275 is a new and better offering from Winegard that is better than the AP-2880 then according to:

http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/basics.html

(a little past half-way thru the document)

the AP-8275 is not as good as the CM7777.


If the TV or STB tuner is different from yours then that could be a factor too.

Also, the RF field is not necessarily homogenous and there can be hot and cold spots in the reception field. You may be in a hot spot at your place and he may be in a cold spot. These hot and cold spots can be very small in dimension depending on the frequency being received and physical factors to do with the reception environment (trees, hills etc.). I have one channel that if I move the end of my Yagi/corner reflector UHF antenna only about 6 inches I will loose reception lock.

Even the antenna moving in the wind can cause reception problems.

On top of all this then there is a matter of multi-path problems that may effect him and you differently.

There is a very good description (IMHO) of this kind of stuff at the same site referenced above:

http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ISSUES/erecting_antenna.html

Hope this helps,

dmatch

<rant>
Obuengineer's & Misbehaving's father in law's problems are exactly why VHF (and low VHF in particular) should have been abandoned for OTA DTV. The antenna size needed the average viewer on low VHF is ridiculous. And then, there's all the co-channel tropo and impulse noise interference VHF suffers from.

Is KETS-DT really going to move to another VHF ch (7) in '09? They should've kept channel 47 they were originally given. Even KATV was smart enough to drop VHF.
</rant>

...If the TV or STB tuner is different from yours then that could be a factor too.True.

Also, the RF field is not necessarily homogenous and there can be hot and cold spots in the reception field. You may be in a hot spot at your place and he may be in a cold spot. True. Sometimes, just moving the antenna location just a few feet from where it is can make a huge difference in reception.

This is similar to a cellphone with poor reception in a dead spot. Walk a foot or two away and the reception improves.

<rant>
Obuengineer's & Misbehaving's father in law's problems are exactly why VHF (and low VHF in particular) should have been abandoned for OTA DTV. The antenna size needed the average viewer on low VHF is ridiculous. And then, there's all the co-channel tropo and impulse noise interference VHF suffers from.

Is KETS-DT really going to move to another VHF ch (7) in '09? They should've kept channel 47 they were originally given. Even KATV was smart enough to drop VHF.
</rant>


re: KETS-DT moving to Ch7 frequency. My understanding is, YES!, that is what will happen. Not sure of the timeline, but it can't be until *after* katv turns off their analog.

Another factor in the reception of KTHV-DT (Channel 12) in Misbehaving's case (mentioned earlier) might be that the CM4228 UHF antenna, although generally acceptable for High VHF reception, seems to have a sort of blind spot that might, depending on a specific antenna, include channel 12.

From the graph shown here (Under "Using a UHF Antenna for VHF"):

http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/comparing.html

it appears that there is a huge drop in gain starting about channel 11 and continuing thru the start of channel 13.

I wonder if you could add an element to the CM4228 tuned for channel 12 to eliminate some (or hopefully all) of the drop-out? Has anyone tried this or know of this being tried?

Would it work if you just pig-tailed to a stiff copper wire dipole tuned for channel 12? I suppose one could calculate the optimum length for the dipole. I am thinking about using a CM4228 but this hole in the gain at/near channel 12 has me wondering.

dmatch

Watching THV HD OTA and find that the audio sync is off. Judging by the posts in this forum, I am not the first to observe this condition. Dave Letterman just isn't as funny when his lips move and his voice is 1/10th of a second behind. Saw it last night on the grammy's too. Is there something that I am doing wrong that could be causing this? Haven't seen it on any other OTA HD channels.

dmatch,
Using a 4228+7777 I get the following VHF channels:
KAFT 9 ATSC Fayetteville 45 mi 100% signal strength
KOLR 10 NTSC Springfield 70 mi "great" picture for NTSC.
KODE 12 NTSC Joplin ~60 mi quite watchable, but occasional snow.
KAFT 13 NTSC Fayetteville 45 mi "great" picture for NTSC.

I cannot get KOAM 7 NTSC Pittsburg, KS/Joplin, MO very well (it is snowy). But I'm also not in the coverage area for that station either.

That being said, I never watch NTSC.

Watching THV HD OTA and find that the audio sync is off. Judging by the posts in this forum, I am not the first to observe this condition. Dave Letterman just isn't as funny when his lips move and his voice is 1/10th of a second behind. Saw it last night on the grammy's too. Is there something that I am doing wrong that could be causing this? Haven't seen it on any other OTA HD channels.

This is an ongoing problem with "Today's THV-HD" that apparently won't attempt to solve or, for that matter, even admit having. While the other LR HD channels have had this problem at one time or another, they (the other LR channels) have solved the problem in their shops.

Another issue that you will see on addressed this site is the wide range of audio levels coming out of that station. That, too, is apparently not much of a concern for their management.

I would imagine as DT becomes more popular, the sponsors will demand a "fix" for these issues before airing a commercial on that station.

Actually, I would expect more from a Gannett-owned station.

What BelElDel said.

THV is defintely plagued with marked higher audio levels, I have to turn my volume almost to mute while watching them (this is with Directv). All other LR locals are okay.

The sync problem on KTHV DT is the only reason not to go HD in the Little Rock market! While the volume problem is annoying it is easy to correct with the volume control. I have found no way to correct the sync problem other than watching in SD. We have tried to relay this problem to Alison, a THV employee who visits this thread and even posts on occassion. She wants to blame this on the Dish receiver. What service and receiver are you running vaneps?

I am receiving THV via the OTA broadcast. The audio and video are out of sync every time I watch that channel. It would seem like a sync problem could be resolved without too much effort.

I am receiving THV via the OTA broadcast. The audio and video are out of sync every time I watch that channel. It would seem like a sync problem could be resolved without too much effort.

This may very well be a receiver dependent issue or some come and go problem. Right now I am watching "Live With Regis and Kelly" and see/hear no problem. Can you check and see if you have audio sync problems?

dmatch

I am seeing lip-sync problems on the "Presidential Special Report" that is on right now. Different feed, different result?

edited to add: On OTA KTHV-DT 11.1 audio out of sync. When I was able to get a look at Dishnet KTHV on same "Special Report" there was no sync problem. When I got back there was still sync problem on OTA KTHV-DT. Never saw a problem on OTA NTSC KTHV-TV.

OTA KARK-DT and OTA KATV-DT had no audio sync problems on the same "Special Report".

dmatch

I am using the OnAir GT on my laptop to receive KTHV OTA and have not noticed any audio sync problems. My program has a way to correct audio sync so it's not a big deal for me but I can understand it being very frustrating to those with no way to correct it. How far off is the sync? I'll pay closer attention next time...

The sync problem on KTHV DT is the only reason not to go HD in the Little Rock market! While the volume problem is annoying it is easy to correct with the volume control. I have found no way to correct the sync problem other than watching in SD. We have tried to relay this problem to Alison, a THV employee who visits this thread and even posts on occassion. She wants to blame this on the Dish receiver. What service and receiver are you running vaneps?

Granted, that the volume problem is easily corrected with the volume control. But, why should the viewer have to correct something that is the broadcaster's responsibility in the first place?

As I stated earlier, it may be that one person is doing the job of three at that station as far as button punching goes. The audio problems, both sync and gain, are not the fault of anyone at that station other than management.

No, he means Shinall. As in Shinall Mountain (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=shinall+mountain).

It was there long before developers decided to buid a suburb of a different spelling (Chenal).

You learn something new every day. Thanks! :)

What can someone running plain Jane Comcast in Little Rock expect to receive when they get an HDTV with a QAM tuner? Meaning HDTV channels in the open, if any. Anyone know the channel mappings?

I have a friend on the verge of getting a new HDTV and I'm not sure if she should have Comcast upgrade her to an HD package now so she can have it when the TV arrives or wait to see what is available QAM. She doesn't watch much TV so if locals or anything else are available without upgrading to the HD package she might want to save the money.

I've been on DirecTV for nine years so I'm not much help when it comes to Comcast.

I have Comcast and the QAM tuner without the "digital" subscription package will provide the following "free" channels (as of Feb 20, 2007):

KARK DT (NBC); KATV DT (ABC) KATV - 2 (Weather Radar, etc); KTHV DT (CBS)
THV-2 (News & Weather); KLRT DT (Fox); KETS (PBS); AETN 2; AETN Kids, etc.
KASN DT (CW); and KTVN (Religious)

GTS

Here's the approx map from my tv. QAM blocks are mostly 12 subch, with the hd up to 4 subch.

scrambled blocks 35,37,38,39,78,79,80 (up to 12 subchannels in each)
81.02-09 scr. 81.10 some cartoon channel
81.01,82.01, 83.01, 84.01 movie previews rest of block scrambled
87.01, 87.02 NBA preview, rest scrambled or no sound
88,89 blocks scrambled
90.03 KARK D
90.04 KLRT (16)
91,92 block scrambled
93.01 to .11 All broadcast SD channels
94, 99, 100, 102 blocks scrambled (100.03 is Disney no sound)
103.01-103.04 all aetn channels
104 block most scrambled. a couple video but no sound
105 block scrambled
106.03 CW HD, 106.05 PBS HD
107 through 113 blocks scrambled
114.01 KTHV HD
114.02 KATV HD
114.05 kthv2
114.06 ch7 sd
115, 117 scrambled
118.01-.10 cable box instr.

You'll have to create your own list map depending uponhow your tv decodes and remaps the QAM channels. If you get a cable box with HD you get 2 tuner DVR capability plus access to video on demand which has some HD content as well.

Thanks y'all. Sounds like she would get quite a bit via QAM. At least enough to get an idea before dropping the big bucks on the HD package.

One thing I didn't cover in my listing of the comcast mapping was that the PBS channel is broadcast in the clear and is not the same as the AETN HD channel. I tried to watch aetn HD on the cable for a while and gave up since the signal quality was so bad. The PBS feed is the downlink from the satellite and is full time HD. As long as that is there I don't bother to watch any HD on aetn. The PBS feed to cable was part of the agreement to carry all the aetn subchannels.

Also, if your friend decides to add the DVR capability with a box, make sure they get it before the FCC mandated cutoff they are imposing on cable boxes. I think it is this summer sometime. After that you'll have to use a cable card with a box and the card technology isn't anywhere close to the same capability you get in the present do-it-all set top boxes. They are trying to incorporate two-way into the cards, but not fully proven yet, and they don't have program menu capability built into the cable card yet. Makes timeshifting a bit dicey without a program menu. I saw where Comcast had filed for a waiver on the box mandate, but don't know how that will fare with the FCC.

I guess when they have to put storm graphics on the screen, THV (and all others?) has to put the signal in standard definition? Is this because they don't have HD graphics capability? Are we stuck with this until the day HD news comes to the stations?

Kind of disappointed the Texas Tech game isn't in HD but I understand. Hopefully we won't have storms during March Madness...

Apparently KTHV-DT does not have the technology or ability to broadcast in HD while a storm is in the state. I am like you, Kevin, how long will it be before the LR locals will be able to show us true HD programs.

THV does deserve credit, they turned off the graphic and returned to HD for the last six minutes of the first game (Texas Tech and Oklahoma State). It would be nice to be able to put the graphics on HD broadcasts because there's plenty of room on the sides (where the scoreboard ends) because of the protection for 4:3 TVs. So there's room to put the radar graphic and info along the bottom without covering the scoreboard and a lot of the court. But I'm sure graphics on HD is expensive.

The thing that bugs me more is the switching after the commercial breaks end. It happens more often than it should. I've seen it for entire segments of shows on KATV (LOST) and KARK (The Office). They get it right most of the time but the times they don't are incredibly frustrating. You don't realize how good HD is until you've seen the switch between SD and HD during a show.

I guess when they have to put storm graphics on the screen, THV (and all others?) has to put the signal in standard definition? Is this because they don't have HD graphics capability? Yes.

Some Springfield, MO stations are doing HD weather bugs, crawls and station ID bugs, but they've only been HD for a couple of months, and have newer studio equipment than the LR locals. They do not have HD local news capability yet.

I was reading in the HDTV Programming forum on here that some CBS stations broadcast their local March Madness game in HD and one or more of the other games in SD on subchannels. Does anyone know if THV has done this before or if they're going to do it this year? It's not a huge deal for me since I've signed up for March Madness on Demand on cbssportsline.com to watch the out-of-market games on my computer but I was wondering. It mostly pertains to the first two days, though I think days 3 and 4 have two games at once (maybe?).

THV has had at least 2 games on at a time during March Madness the last couple of years, I don't remember if they added any additional subchannels, but I don't think they did. I don't know for sure if they are going to do it again this year, but I don't see why they wouldn't.

I was reading in the HDTV Programming forum on here that some CBS stations broadcast their local March Madness game in HD and one or more of the other games in SD on subchannels. Does anyone know if THV has done this before or if they're going to do it this year?KTHV-DT has multicast extra games in the past. Don't know if they'll do it this year. If they do that and if they're smart, they'll take down thv2.

i noticed something odd the last two weeks with thv and was wondering if any others are experiencing the same.

at my house (hensley, ar....taking the HD signal OTA) here is what happens:

when thv switches to the network HD signal with 5:1 the center channel disappears. when it's switched back to locally programming the center channel reappears. this doesn't happen with kark or fox16.

i have tested my system and everything is working fine. only thv is affected. and it's a shame since their HD broadcast to far superior to the others. the center channel dialogue now comes through the fronts, and while it still sounds good , it doesn;t sound as good as before.

i sent an email to the station and they are looking into it.

jm

KTHV-DT has multicast extra games in the past. Don't know if they'll do it this year. If they do that and if they're smart, they'll take down thv2.

Hopefully KTHV will air the additional games, especially since the Razorbacks are "out of contention"

If you have a DirecTV H20 (non-DVR) receiver, there is a window tonight and tomorrow night to manually download an update for your receiver. This update supposedly has some bug fixes and adds the DirecTV interactive features found on other receivers.

This is not a national update and is AYOR. Details and instructions over at DBSTalk dot com, HERE (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=81338).

I'm not sure where else to ask this, and I know many here are using antennas. I'm currently in the process of acquiring the necessary parts to do a roof mounted antenna, and I'm wondering about the proper grounding procedures. Searching has been only somewhat helpful.

I'm using the cable installation's hookup, so I already have the grounding block for the connection leading into the house. I also know the antenna itself also needs a grounding wire running from it. So I guess the primary questions are...

-How do I attach the wire to the antenna/mast properly? (it's a Radio Shack U75R if that matters) Is there hardware for this or is there a DIY way?

-Am I right in assuming that that wire then needs to run down to the grounding block?

Thanks in advance.

I hammered an 8 foot grounding rod into the ground (not easy in Little Rock), and clamped the ground wire from it to a ground block. I clamped a ground wire on the antenna mast and ran it to the ground block. I also connected the grounds from the coax to the ground block. I’m sure someone will chime in if this is not correct, but I believe it is the correct way to do it.

If you drive a separate ground rod, it must also be connected (aka "bonded") to the main electrical power ground for your house; typically located directly below the meter box. This is to prevent a voltage difference that may occur between grounds in two different locations, which in some cases can damage equipment. This voltage difference is called a "ground loop (http://www.google.com/search?q=ground+loop+equipment+damage)".

Here's a diagram showing how to ground an antenna or dish:
http://i16.tinypic.com/2dbp21h.gif

Various ground clamps are available at Radio Shaft, Homey Despot, etc.

The main purpose of grounding an antenna is to reduce static charge buildup on the antenna from wind blowing across it. This charge can attract lightning strikes. Grounding will not protect the antenna or your equipment from a direct lightning hit.

Did anyone else have no audio on 11-1 during CSI last night?

Both HD-DVRs and my Samsung TV had no audio except for local market commercials.

good luck getting kthv to fix it.

Did anyone else have no audio on 11-1 during CSI last night?

Both HD-DVRs and my Samsung TV had no audio except for local market commercials.


Yeah I notice that also, finally about 10 minutes into the next show 'Shark' audio came back but if wasn't HD.

Just a heads up for Comcast customers, A&E HD, Universal HD, MHD and National Geographic HD will be added to the HD lineup on April 5th. The HD tier will move from the 200's to the 400's on that day as well.

good luck getting kthv to fix it.

Good luck getting THV "The High Definition Leader" to even admit to having a problem at their shop.

From the looks and sound of their OTA, HD product, management apparently never monitors any newscast or programming on their digital channels. THV 2 is a waste but they are selling airtime on it and that is all that matters.

An action that would help solve one of their problems is the "button punchers" at THV should increase the setup on their studio cameras to bring the black level down to the 7.5 line. Then, the studio shots would not looks so "washed out."

Looks like KLRT-DT has them all bested. Fox has certainly put a lot of money and effort into their station by hiring and training knowledgeable employees and it shows in their OTA quality.

Just a heads up for Comcast customers, A&E HD, Universal HD, MHD and National Geographic HD will be added to the HD lineup on April 5th. The HD tier will move from the 200's to the 400's on that day as well.

]This is good news, unless they are removing other HD channels. How did you learn of this change?

gtsouheaver,
Can you leave your text color on default? People who use AVS-White background (lower left corner of every page) can't see your yellow text posts. They look like this:
http://i17.tinypic.com/4hiox2b.jpg

Thanks!

Just in the slim hope that someone from KKYK 42.2 (Equity Broadcasting) might read this:

You have no sound on your NASCAR Busch Series broadcast currently underway. Bummer!

Analog 20 has sound but it is very snowy picture for me.

42.1 (KWBF) has sound.

dmatch

gtsouheaver,

I work at Comcast, so I got the info from an internal e-mail, but they have the info in the rotation on Ch. 18. And no channels are going to be removed.

Watching the games on THV and, well, after all the promos and hype it looks like Today's THV "The High Def Leader" will only show the games in high def on only one of their digital channels, 12-1. The resolution of the game shown on 12.2 appears to be that of standard definition. Why don't they just devote all their space to one, good HD channel and do away with the 12-2? Oh, I forgot, they can SELL it

Watching the games on THV and, well, after all the promos and hype it looks like Today's THV "The High Def Leader" will only show the games in high def on only one of their digital channels, 12-1. The resolution of the game shown on 12.2 appears to be that of standard definition. Why don't they just devote all their space to one, good HD channel and do away with the 12-2? Oh, I forgot, they can SELL it

Personally, I think this is one of the few times where multicasting is really beneficial. What better way to use that bandwidth than to show multiple games of the NCAA basketball tournament at the same time? Who cares if the HD feed is ever so slightly degraded? It's a poor man's version of what Directv offers. It's not like they are trying to broadcast 2 HD feeds at once. That would really look bad.

There are two examples of multicasting gone wild up here in the Ozarks. KYTV-DT and KOZK-DT out of Springfield run TWO SD subchannels while attempting to run "HD" on a third subchannel. It makes DirecTV HD Lite look pristine in comparison.

Watching the games on THV and, well, after all the promos and hype it looks like Today's THV "The High Def Leader" will only show the games in high def on only one of their digital channels, 12-1. The resolution of the game shown on 12.2 appears to be that of standard definition. Why don't they just devote all their space to one, good HD channel and do away with the 12-2? Oh, I forgot, they can SELL it

KTHV might have been the "High Def Leader"---in 2003.

I'll have to agree with OBU on this one, this is what the multicasting (when done right) is good for. Did notice the afternoon games (while home for lunch hour) were 3 of the 4 offered by CBS. 11-1's audio as usual was cranked up to 11.

i sent an email to thv early last week complaining about the lack of a center channel during HD broadcasts. i received a reply from their director of technology . they were not aware there was a problem. the director also explained the lack of sound during CSI last week. here is the reply.



"Thanks for the email. Our theory on the first problem, loss of center channel, was due to the software on our PSIP locking up. It needed more than a restart though. To make a long story short a lot of computer work transpired.

On the no sound issue during CSI we had a separate problem. When the Daylight Savings Time patch was applied to the encoding gear the Dolby part didn’t take. So you had sound during network stereo commercials but when the program audio in Dolby came on our gear wouldn’t switch. That had to be redone also. It was no saving grace that the clock was right if you have no sound. Sorry for the issues and appreciate your patience. "


as someone stated earlier i don;t think they are aware of their OTA signal.

i also sent a note to KARK when 'the italian job' was broadcast last saturday in SD. they also respnded rather quickly. here is that reply.

"There are several ways this could have happened. One is the automatic switch witch controls the HD master control did not take. However, this never happens for an entire show. My bet would be that someone either at NBC or in our local station messed up and did not tell the automation the show was in HD. Sorry for the inconvenience. We will watch it more closely. Thanks for watching. We really appreciate it."

anyway everything is working at my house now.

jeff mitchell
hensley, arkansas

Have y'all ever noticed that when the HD switch usually forgets to get flipped, it nearly always happens on the weekends?

Have y'all ever noticed that when the HD switch usually forgets to get flipped, it nearly always happens on the weekends?

.....and KTHV's 5.1 surround problems are "fixed" just prior to Razorback games?

.....and KTHV's 5.1 surround problems are "fixed" just prior to Razorback games?

I am hearing a rumor that KTHV now has a person in charge of their "Technology" department that knows something about television. Maybe that is why things are starting to get fixed there. Stay tuned . . .

I am hearing a rumor that KTHV now has a person in charge of their "Technology" department that knows something about television. Maybe that is why things are starting to get fixed there. Stay tuned . . .


Lol.... y'all are mean ;)

Some people consider KTHV "mean" for not addressing their glaring audio problems, both OTA and on DBS.

Their CE could start by reading this site from Dolby Labs (http://www.dolby.com/professional/pro_audio_engineering/solutions_broadcastloudness.html) (scroll 1/2 way down the page)

And this .pdf:
http://www.dolby.com/assets/pdf/tech_library/AES5900.pdf

The audio video sync problem on KTHV DT seems to be much better in the last few weeks. On my setup anyway. Hope the fix is in on that problem.

Some people consider KTHV "mean" for not addressing their glaring audio problems, both OTA and on DBS.

Their CE could start by reading this site from Dolby Labs (http://www.dolby.com/professional/pro_audio_engineering/solutions_broadcastloudness.html) (scroll 1/2 way down the page)

And this .pdf:
http://www.dolby.com/assets/pdf/tech_library/AES5900.pdf

KTHV is on the downslide, it seems. They're more money hungry than Nex$tar. I have to give Nex$tar credit though, they are at least trying to get full power upgrades for most of the stations they own. Still though, KTAL in Shreveport has been at full power for over a month, and they are still in SD.

yet another sign of Little Rock Television's Race to the Bottom....

That should have read: Assoc of Ham Radio Operators. BTW, I was at the comittee meeting and recorded the newscast (6pm). Seems the quality gap between the Old Guard (KATV, KTHV, etc) and the bottom feeders (ie Equity/KWBF) is shrinking, but not in the right direction.

Hey guys, I recently got on board with HD and OTA. First off I live in north little rock (park hill). I have a terk low profile antenna that I am currently using, and it seems to work well. I very seldom have to adjust it, and it very seldom cuts out. That said, I recently upgraded my D* and got a HR20. So now, I split the signal coming off the antenna, and run it straight into my TV and into the HR20. I still get a good signal on my TV, but the HR20 does not hardly pick up the HD locals OTA hardly at all. I did a little research on antennas and I have noticed the DB2 seems to be a pretty good indoor antenna. I was thinking of picking one of these up and putting it in the attic to help reception. Also if I split the signal coming from the antenna, is there a special splitter that I need? Should I amplify the signal coming off the antenna? Thanks for any help.

Jeff

You may not be able to get the following two VHF stations with the DB2 UHF antenna:
KETS-DT 2-n (PBS) broadcasting on VHF channel 5.
KTHV-DT 11-n (CBS) broadcasting on VHF channel 12.

The HR20 has two tuners and splits the signal to the two inside the box. Combine this with the inferior tuners they have, and you may not get reliable reception.

If you want to try a preamp (amplifier at the antenna) get a good one. Don't waste your money on noisy amps from walmart or radio shaft. A CM 7777 (http://www.warrenelectronics.com/antennas/7777.htm) is a high gain/low noise VHF/UHF preamp that works well for many people on AVSForum.

Read someone else's anectotal comparison of cheap amps vs a CM 7777 HERE (http://www.dbstalk.com/showpost.php?p=870155&postcount=5).

1. What is the signal strength using the Terk antenna on some channels using your current setup?

2. What is the signal strength if the antenna is run straight into the HR20's tuners (and not split off to the TV)?

Is the signal steady, or bouncing around?

You may not be able to get the following two VHF stations with the DB2 UHF antenna:
KETS-DT 2-n (PBS) broadcasting on VHF channel 11.
KTHV-DT 11-n (CBS) broadcasting on VHF channel 12.


While you are correct about these being VHF, I thought I would point out that KETS-DT is broadcasting on channel 5 VHF. Of course, that does not change the main point of your observation.

dmatch

You may not be able to get the following two VHF stations with the DB2 UHF antenna:
KETS-DT 2-n (PBS) broadcasting on VHF channel 11.
KTHV-DT 11-n (CBS) broadcasting on VHF channel 12.


Will the DB4 allow me to be pointing in two directions? That would be good since Shinall mt and redfield are not the same direction away from me.


The HR20 has two tuners and splits the signal to the two inside the box. Combine this with the inferior tuners they have, and you may not get reliable reception.

If you want to try a preamp (amplifier at the antenna) get a good one. Don't waste your money on noisy amps from walmart or radio shaft. A CM 7777 (http://www.warrenelectronics.com/antennas/7777.htm) is a high gain/low noise VHF/UHF preamp that works well for many people on AVSForum.


Is there any reason why I shouldnt use a preamp? Can it hurt the signal?


1. What is the signal strength using the Terk antenna on some channels using your current setup?


My TV doesnt tell me, but I assume the HR20 will? I havent checked that yet.


2. What is the signal strength if the antenna is run straight into the HR20's tuners (and not split off to the TV)? Is the signal steady, or bouncing around?


I also havent tried this yet either. I'll try both of these tonight.
Thanks for your help.

While you are correct about these being VHF, I thought I would point out that KETS-DT is broadcasting on channel 5 VHF. Of course, that does not change the main point of your observation.

dmatchSorry for the typo! It's been corrected above (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10082243&&#post10082243)....

Will the DB4 allow me to be pointing in two directions? That would be good since Shinall mt and redfield are not the same direction away from me.If you're in NLR, you might be able to point the DB4 between Shinall & Redfield, if you're lucky enough to find a sweet spot between the two. It has a fairly wide beam spread. But all bets are off on the VHF channels KETS-DT (RF ch 5) and KTHV-DT (RF ch 12), as the smaller UHF antennas don't usually fare too well for VHF. You may luck out though.

To find the best compass direction to aim between Shinall & Redfield, take the compass readings of KTHV-DT and KATV-DT from the results for your address at http://antennaweb.org (http://www.antennaweb.org). Add them together and divide the total by 2. It may be a number around 220° or so. That's where you should start aiming the antenna.

Is there any reason why I shouldnt use a preamp?Main reasons are signal overload and noise (mainly from cheap noisy amps), but overload usually occurs on VHF channels. I don't think that would be a problem with that antenna. In fact, you would need VHF amplification if you were using trying to use that antenna to get KTHV-DT. I don't think it would work at all for KETS-DT. Just don't waste your money on a cheap noisy amp from rat shack or wallyworld. Get a Channel Master or Winegard model recommended on AVSFourm, but add one only if you need it.

My TV doesnt tell me, but I assume the HR20 will?Yes, the HR20 has signal strength meters for both internal OTA tuners. Go into the Setup menu and in the Sat/OTA area, go into EDIT local channels. Then click Signal Strength Meter. You can check SS of all your local OTA channels there.

I live in the same general area as jeff_aclin. I have the mediocre Terk HDTVs outdoor antenna, and I am able to point it between Shinall and Redfield and get NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, and CW. In fact, KATV is so strong that I can point the antenna directly at Shinall and still get KATV with only an occasional dropout. I would give up on PBS unless you are willing to buy a larger mast style of antenna.

obuengineer, what tuner are you using? Internal TV tuner, etc.?

obuengineer, what tuner are you using? Internal TV tuner, etc.?
I use the tuner in my Dish 622 receiver.

The 622 may have slightly better tuners than the HR20 jeff_aclin is dealing with. D* really dropped the ball on the OTA performance of the HR20.

I have a friend who lives on Belle Point in West LR (one of the highest points in LR area) and he gets PBS thru Mt View transmitter KEMV. He also gets three digital channels from a DTV station in Searcy (don't remember the call letters). He is using only non-amplified VHF-UHF rabbit ears. Anyone else pulaski co getting the KEMV signals?

I have a friend who lives on Belle Point in West LR (one of the highest points in LR area) and he gets PBS thru Mt View transmitter KEMV. He also gets three digital channels from a DTV station in Searcy (don't remember the call letters). He is using only non-amplified VHF-UHF rabbit ears. Anyone else pulaski co getting the KEMV signals?

This is from a DX'er (as well as HDTV viewer) in Lincoln county (w. of Star City)

Thats KEMV-DT on RF channel 13 (http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=DT1134244.html) . It has a directional pattern to protect channel 13 analogs KAFT (Fayetteville) and WHBQ (Memphis). Side note, KETG (near Gurdon in SW Arkansas) also operates on RF 13 (9-n). I can get analog 9 24/7 but due to KETG-DT's low power I only get it on occasion.
The Searcy station in question is KTWN-LD (http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?list=0&facid=12929) , and its low power SD only with 4 subchannels on RF channel 18. One of the subs (18-4) is a "police scanner audio" channel with a power-point like rogues gallery of sex-offender listings. the others are the main channel (18-1) a feed of mainly Family Net religous network, 18-2 local weather, and 18-3 the "real estate channel" showing paid ads from local realtors. In yet another case of COL not quite matching coverage area, the transmitter (QTH) is near *Cabot*. Coverage map is here (http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=LD1141878.html)
. Northern parts of Little Rock should be able to get KTWN if so desired. Screen shots from March 10th tropo-enhanced reception are listed below.

arxaw,

Sorry I didnt get a chance to test this stuff last night, but I have a 5 week old who pretty much dictates my schedule. But I wouldnt have it any other way. Any, so I unhooked the splitter and ran the terk straight into the hr20. I then went and checked my signal strength. The only channel out of the big 4 that I was able to get was ABC. It came in almost perfect. the others would show 25% and the go away. I played with the antenna some, but it didnt seem to make a difference. Right now, I have the terk sitting on top of my TV. If I was to pick up a DB4 and put it in the attic (on the south side of the house, which is closest to Shinall and Redfield, and not far from where the tv is) and then connect the channel master amp, would that give me a pretty good chance to pick up the big 4? Thanks again for your help and advice. Also, whats up with KTHV showing the same game on all channels. During the first two rounds, I was able to see a different game on 11-1, 11-2, and my local on d*.

Also, whats up with KTHV showing the same game on all channels. During the first two rounds, I was able to see a different game on 11-1, 11-2, and my local on d*.

Jeff,

You weren't the only one to notice that. I tuned in right before halftime of TAMU/Memphis and saw that. All three (analog 11 via E*, 11-1, and 11-2) were showing the same feed, the same cutaways (I checked every so often).

To KTHV and anyone else in the industry this is not the way to do mulitcasting, having a stalking horse subchannel rob the main HD feed of bandwidth. I can tolerate a bit of loss when another game is shown on 11-2, but last night having 11-2 // with 11-1 was even more useless than the ad-infested "THV2" normally shown. Even on a 26" tube TV, I know bit-started when I see it. There are those in Central Arkansas that follow the NCAA tournement regardless if Arkansas-Fayetteville is in it or not. Either show another game or better yet kill 11-2.

well I'll say I was pleased with the "tri-mul-casting" on THV last night. Allowed me to record Tennessee-Ohio State digitally instead of just on the analog. So the game was on the analog and on THV2, I guess that's because they have to do that? I think I had read that constant feeds are only in SD. I still would have liked to see UT-OSU in HD since it must have been the primary game here (since I'm guessing more people watch the analog feed than the digital one). Maybe next year...

... If I was to pick up a DB4 and put it in the attic (on the south side of the house, which is closest to Shinall and Redfield, and not far from where the tv is) and then connect the channel master amp, would that give me a pretty good chance to pick up the big 4?Assuming you don't have a metal roof, or metal ductwork in the attic, or metal siding, or foil backed wall insulation you can probably stick an antenna in the attic. Otherwise, outside is where it needs to be.

I have no experience w/ the DB4, but hear it is about par with a CM 4221 4bay bowtie (http://www.warrenelectronics.com/antennas/4221.htm), at 1/2 the cost. Since these UHF antennas are not designed for VHF and they are small, they don't work well for VHF. So, you should reasonably expect to get:
KARK-DT 4-n (NBC) on RF ch32 (UHF)
KATV-DT 7-n (ABC) on RF ch 22 (UHF)
KLRT-DT 16-n (FOX) on RF ch 30 (UHF)
KASN-DT 38-n (CW) on RF ch 39 (UHF)

If you're lucky, you may get:
KTHV-DT 11-n (CBS) on RF ch 12 (VHF)
(The CM 7777 VHF+UHF preamp (http://www.warrenelectronics.com/antennas/7777.htm) may help)

I doubt you would get:
KETS-DT 2-n (PBS) on RF ch 5 (lowband VHF)

For highband VHF (RF chs 7 thru 13), a bigger UHF antenna like a CM 4228 (http://www.warrenelectronics.com/antennas/4228.htm) sometimes works well. Or a combo VHF/UHF antenna or separate VHF antenna added to a small UHF antenna.

[These two stations really should've abandonded VHF for digital TV. It makes antenna selection and reception difficult for many.]

This is from a DX'er (as well as HDTV viewer) in Lincoln county (w. of Star City)

Thats KEMV-DT on RF channel 13[/URL] . It has a directional pattern to protect channel 13 analogs KAFT (Fayetteville) and WHBQ (Memphis). Side note, KETG (near Gurdon in SW Arkansas) also operates on RF 13 (9-n). I can get analog 9 24/7 but due to KETG-DT's low power I only get it on occasion.
The Searcy station in question is KTWN-LD , and its low power SD only with 4 subchannels on RF channel 18. .....edited....

Haley-SEA,

Thanks so much for the very detailed reply. I tried to get the Searcy(Cabot) KTWN on my amplified rabbit ears in W LR and could not get it and I have a clear north and northeast horizon (on mt slope off Chenal Prkway).

By the way, what is a "DX'er"?

... I tried to get the Searcy(Cabot) KTWN on my amplified rabbit ears in W LR and could not get it and I have a clear north and northeast horizon (on mt slope off Chenal Prkway).

By the way, what is a "DX'er"?

Your indoor antenna may be more sensitive to some channels than others. Also, an outdoor antenna will nearly always work better than indoor.

DXing is the reception of Distant radio & TV signals. When atmospheric conditions are favorable, radio & TV may be received from hundreds of miles away.
http://www.dxinfocentre.com/tropo.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV-FM_DX

(the following is posed by one of my cohorts. I am posting it here. I'll take your replies to him midweek.)

DishNetwork has recently switched receiving the AETN signal from channel 2 analog to channel 5 digital. They say that they have added back into that signal the second audio channel where the Radio Reading Service is found. If anyone watches TV in central Arkansas via DishNetwork, would you check this weekend or early next week and let me know if you can turn on the SAP (or second audio channel) on your TV and if you can hear the Radio Reading Service found on AETN? We need to report back to DishNetwork whether what they have done with that service is actually working or not. Thank you.

Thanks everyone,
Kelly
==================

Is D* also uplinking the digital OTA channel now, instead of the analog?

meanwhile while doing a scan this evening in the hamshack....

A third subchannel added to Equity's "flagship" station (KWBF-DT), being a relay of KLRA-LP (on 42-3) Univision.

At these are honest to God Telenovelas showing now, not the fake ones MNTV have been remaking. Not sure how informercial laden Univision/KLRA-LP is though since I've not seen it since leaving Little Rock almost three years ago (save for the very strong tropo).

Is D* also uplinking the digital OTA channel now, instead of the analog?


Yeah. From what I understand, Dish has changed which signal they backhaul. I do not know, but am presuming they are stripping out only the primary program stream (thought of as 2-1) instead of passing the full data. Therefore, the question from my cohort to see if they included Radio Reading Service.

Sorry, Sam. Not sure if that answered your question. Let me know if I misunderstood.

Kelly

Is D* also uplinking the digital OTA channel now, instead of the analog?


As for DirecTV, they still carry our analogue as far I know.
Kelly

(I know D* is shorthand, but in my coffee-laden brain it mean DSTAR, which coulnd't be right! hahaah) Since my first answer dealt with Dish, thought I'd add the answer regarding DirecTV.)

Kelly

On AVSForum:
D* = DirecTV
E* = Echostar Dish Network

What's DSTAR?

Thanks for the DirecTV info. I thought they may be using a digital signal for uplinking AETN because it is far and away the sharpest picture quality of all the LR SD local channels on D*. 4 & 7 look awful, compared to 2.

As for KETS alternate audio on D* my receiver says "Alternate Audio unavailable" when I hit the alternate audio button.

On AVSForum:
D* = DirecTV
E* = Echostar Dish Network

What's DSTAR?

Thanks for the DirecTV info. I thought they may be using a digital signal for uplinking AETN because it is far and away the sharpest picture quality of all the LR SD local channels on D*. 4 & 7 look awful, compared to 2.

As for KETS alternate audio on D* my receiver says "Alternate Audio unavailable" when I hit the alternate audio button.

Thanks for the info re: D* and E*. We think DirecTV may be using our digital signal, but they have not confirmed that for us. We're thinking they don't want to held to using it in case of must-carry rules, etc.

D-STAR is a digital communications system used by Icom-America. I've heard of it through their amateur radio division.

As for the "Alternate Audio unavailable", let me pass that word along to my coworker who posed the original question.

thanks,
Kelly
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I think if they were using analog 2, the picture would be the blurriest of all the LRAR locals on D*, with the problems of receiving a decent analog OTA VHF-LO signal. But it appears to be one of the sharpest SD channels on D*.

Of course, that's not saying much. All of D* SD locals look pretty blurry.

looks like Comcast is getting ready to realign some HD channels. got a little message in my motorola inbox that the PBS multicast channels are being moved to the area where ESPN-HDs are. It was very vague and referenced "OnDemand Local" for more information. But there wasn't anything there about it.

Hopefully we'll also be getting those new HD channels that the guys in the "Big Boy" comcast markets have already gotten. :-)

Cole, I posted in here a couple of weeks ago about the new HD channels, you're gonna get UHD, MHD, A&E HD, and NatGeo HD on April 5th. The HD tier will be moved up to the 400's and the music choice channels are going to the 800's. I don't have the exact channel listing with me, but there will be a little shuffling of the channels, like VS/Golf HD will move right behind the ESPN's.

Cole, I posted in here a couple of weeks ago about the new HD channels, you're gonna get UHD, MHD, A&E HD, and NatGeo HD on April 5th. The HD tier will be moved up to the 400's and the music choice channels are going to the 800's. I don't have the exact channel listing with me, but there will be a little shuffling of the channels, like VS/Golf HD will move right behind the ESPN's.

Sorry, Rock. I actually did read back through the entire last page of comments prior to posting. Didn't think I had missed that much.

I'll take anything I can get, but A&E is gonna be nasty stretch-o-vision a la TNT-HD in its early days. :mad:

I'll take anything I can get, but A&E is gonna be nasty stretch-o-vision a la TNT-HD in its early days. :mad:[/QUOTE]

Actually A&E HD on Dish isn't stretched, it's just pillarboxed when non-HD content is airing (which is most of the time).

So most of the time A&E HD is not HD content?

I don't watch A&E HD much, but every time I do it's in HD. They play a lot of CSI reruns.

Comcast HD Channel Changes

ESPN 403
ESPN2 404
VS/GLF 405 (versus golf HD)

TNT 407
INHD 408
UHD 409 (universal HD)
A&E 410
MHD 411 (mtv HD)
DISC 412 (discovery HD)
NGHD 413 (national geographic HD)

HBO 416
CNMX 417 (cinemax)
SHO 418 (showtime)
STARZ 419

KATV 431 (abc)
KARK 432 (nbc)
KTHV 433 (cbs)
KLRT 434 (fox)
KASN 435 (cw)

PBS 440

cole, check your pm.

as of 10am guide changes are reflected. all the new channels are "NOT AUTHORIZED" at this time, though. time for a reboot.

as of 10am guide changes are reflected. all the new channels are "NOT AUTHORIZED" at this time, though. time for a reboot.

How do you "reboot" the Comcast STB? Why can't they do this at their end?

I also have a cablecard in a couple of HDTV units, how do I "reboot" those units to get the new HD channels?

I am watching The Who Live at Isle of Wright on MHD, I didn't have to reboot anything, (of course, I'm in the office, don't know if that matters.) I really don't know about cablecard situations though.

reboot = unplug

i have a motorola cablebox, so i can't comment on cablecards at this time. perhaps they have yet to authorize users. i've got digital silver w/ the HD-DVR so I should already be good to go.

ok, now the channels are (finally) visable.

now if we could only get NFL-HD, Cartoon Network HD, CNN-HD, HDNet, TMC-HD, and FX-HD.

It turns out that the new HD channels and movement of the PBS stations to different channel numbers was accomplished by Comcast when I got home and without re-booting. Even the cablecards were reflecting the channel lineup changes. It would have been helpful if Comcast had invested a little more energy to inform customers instead of pulling it off in a semi-stealth manner...SURPRISE, you have new channels now find them !
This kind of lack of attention to details to improving their poor customer service, has become the hallmark of the Comcast product. In fairness, however, I suspect the same is true of other monopolies