Actually, the channel line up changes have been listed on Ch. 18 for at least three weeks now, if you can sit through that channel long enough for them to roll around. I don't know if they put a note in with the latest bills or not, but that would be another good way let people know about the changes. I know I just tagged a MHD spot that should be running on the analog channels telling folks where that channel is, but they didn't have me do any other sort of Channel Change or New HDTV Channels sort of spot.

... 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...
I had seen the notes on Ch18, only because RockyF let us know they were there, but I also got an automated phone call saying things had changed. Then the box had a message light, which said to read the details on InDemand (which I couldn't find) All in all, I guess they tried to let me know.

It used to be these changes happened in the wee hours and it was all done when we got up. They must have downloaded something new into the box overnight cause it locked it up and my wife had to figure out how to switch to the TV's analog input to see her FoxNewsChannel. Once I saw what she had done, I powered the box off/on and it came back up. Didn't have to unplug it from the wall to reset it this time.

I suspect they are trying to save money by not stuffing the billing envelope with the changes. They spent all their extra money on promotions at the new ballpark!

Is comscat going to force everyone in LR to go digital, like they are in the process of doing in Chicago (http://www.suntimes.com/business/330445,CST-FIN-cable06.article)?

After contacting KATV about lack of HD last night, I got a response from Program Director, Richard Farrester, who explained..."Tuesday evening ABC informed stations there was a problem with the network distribution system and they would be unable to provide any of the evening’s programming in high definition. As a result, all of ABC’s Tuesday programming was upconverted SD programming. We apologize for the problem and any inconvenience it may have caused. Regarding ABC HD programming that reverts to SD, the cause has been isolated to a faulty switch that does not always detect the correct network video source. We have discovered there is a problem with our local equipment that does not always respond correctly to ABC’s HD signal. This sometimes results in the network source going to the old SD source, instead of the correct HD source. We are upgrading our switching equipment to display HD programming correctly. In the meanwhile, we have instructed operators to more closely monitor ABC HD programming."

It is good to know they are working on their technical problems, as it is very frustrating when they (or any other LR station) goes to sleep at the switch...

After contacting KATV about lack of HD last night, I got a response from Program Director, Richard Farrester, who explained..."Tuesday evening ABC informed stations there was a problem with the network distribution system and they would be unable to provide any of the evening’s programming in high definition. As a result, all of ABC’s Tuesday programming was upconverted SD programming. We apologize for the problem and any inconvenience it may have caused. Regarding ABC HD programming that reverts to SD, the cause has been isolated to a faulty switch that does not always detect the correct network video source. We have discovered there is a problem with our local equipment that does not always respond correctly to ABC’s HD signal. This sometimes results in the network source going to the old SD source, instead of the correct HD source. We are upgrading our switching equipment to display HD programming correctly. In the meanwhile, we have instructed operators to more closely monitor ABC HD programming."

It is good to know they are working on their technical problems, as it is very frustrating when they (or any other LR station) goes to sleep at the switch...

It is good to know that they are working on the technical problems but why did not KATV run an apology in the form of a crawl informing the viewers like you and me of the problem so we would not stay glued to the show and thinking it might return to HD at any minute. Oh wait, I think I just answered my own question. They wanted to keep the viewers, HD or not.

This is something that should be corrected by management in the future. I know that it was nice of the PM to answer you question but it shows a lack of concern for the viewer for not running the apology about technical difficulties. The FCC has dropped their requirements years ago and they won't be back.

Yep, I checked on WABC at the time and they were not in HD either.

The last 20 minutes of LOST tonight wasn't in HD unfortunately. I e-mailed asking if it was a network problem again or a human error and if it was human error if there was a number I could call to alert the operator next time it occurs. I probably will get the same response or something close to it above but it would be nice if there was a number to call that was automated and flashed in the control room or wherever for the operator to check and make sure it's in HD...

Can anyone offer some assistance please? Just moved from Littel Rock to Benton. I was getting ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX in HD OTA in Benton until I did new search for stations and now I am unable to get CBS at all. I still get the others. Can't figure it out.

What antenna are you using? KTHV-DT (cbs) is in the VHF band and is sometimes difficult to receive with many UHF antennas.

Can anyone offer some assistance please? Just moved from Littel Rock to Benton. I was getting ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX in HD OTA in Benton until I did new search for stations and now I am unable to get CBS at all. I still get the others. Can't figure it out.


Sounds as if the HD TV set has been instructed for some reason to omit the KTHV frequency. Is there a way to check your unti for channels and frequencies that have been "hidden" or blocked? I assume you were in Benton and receiving 11.1 HD (KTHV) on the current antennae BEFORE you ran the scan and that you were in Benton when you ran the scan again.

D* HD local is now available in OK City and Tulsa. Any word or date on Little Rock? Everything I've read says coming soon but I've seen that for awhile.

Thanks!

I am using the cm 4228 and did not have a problem with it in Little Rock. And yes I was receiving 11.1 HD in Benton before I ran scan and then lost it after scan. Not sure if I can check for hidden or blocked frequencies.

I am using the cm 4228 and did not have a problem with it in Little Rock. And yes I was receiving 11.1 HD in Benton before I ran scan and then lost it after scan. Not sure if I can check for hidden or blocked frequencies.

First, try rebooting your set, i.e. turn off and unplug the HDTV unit. Then, re-scan. If this doesn't work go the the menu and look for "channel delete", "hide channel/show channel" (or some such option that varies depending on the TV set). I suspect something caused your set to block or hide the channel. I would choose "manual scan" rather than "automatic scan" if that is an option.
Good luck

Also try manually tuning to 12-1, the frequency KTHV-DT is broadcasting on. Some tuners allow tuning to the physical channel a station is on, in addition to any virutal channel number(s) they may be using.

aw man, a tornado watch until 10. I hope KATV is smart with their weather graphics. I'd be alright if they put it on during commercials if it's just a watch. If there's no warnings, I don't want the graphic on the screen. Maybe they'll pull back the watch before LOST starts...

I know this isn't exactly the correct forum to ask this question in, but since this one is regionally based I would be curious to find out the answer to some questions.

I am currently a basic cable subscriber (white county video) and access my local HD channels via a OTA (thanks in large part to this forum). I have reconciled myself to the fact that I in order to pull in more HD channels (specifically ESPN, ESPN2 & TNT) I will have to subscribe to one of the satellite services because our local cable company are dragging their feet.

Here are my questions:
1) What service do you use?
2) If satellite, what specific satellites are you pulling in? One dish or two?
3) What are your signal strengths?
4) Do you run your OTA through your satellite receiver or keep seperate? Do you subscribe to the local channels to get the program information in the guide?

I'm just trying to be prepared as I can be before I decide what service to call, and know what to ask for when I do make that call.

Thanks in advance!

I know this isn't exactly the correct forum to ask this question in, but since this one is regionally based I would be curious to find out the answer to some questions.

I am currently a basic cable subscriber (white county video) and access my local HD channels via a OTA (thanks in large part to this forum). I have reconciled myself to the fact that I in order to pull in more HD channels (specifically ESPN, ESPN2 & TNT) I will have to subscribe to one of the satellite services because our local cable company are dragging their feet.

Here are my questions:
1) What service do you use?
2) If satellite, what specific satellites are you pulling in? One dish or two?
3) What are your signal strengths?
4) Do you run your OTA through your satellite receiver or keep seperate? Do you subscribe to the local channels to get the program information in the guide?

I'm just trying to be prepared as I can be before I decide what service to call, and know what to ask for when I do make that call.

Thanks in advance!
1) Dish Network
2) 110, 119, and another I can't recall. I don't keep up with that stuff. I have the Dish 1000 that can point at 3 orbital positions at the same time. It's my understanding that this is necessary to receive regular channels, locals, and HD.
3) 70's and 80's in the summer, 90's in the winter.
4) I run OTA through the satellite receiver and it works just fine. With dish network you do have to subscribe to locals to get the program data for OTA channels.

Here are my questions:
1) What service do you use?
2) If satellite, what specific satellites are you pulling in? One dish or two?
3) What are your signal strengths?
4) Do you run your OTA through your satellite receiver or keep seperate? Do you subscribe to the local channels to get the program information in the guide?
1) DirecTV
2) One triple LNB dish. A 5LNB dish is the default install now, and will be needed when LR HD locals get on D*. OKC was just added and LR HD locals will be added, probably by summer. Last I heard, KARK (Nexstar) was the holdout with D* on reaching a retrans agreement.
3. Depends on the channel and what transponder it's on. Most are in the upper 90s with a couple of 100s, and the LR locals are only in the 60s. But I live in the Ozarks, near the MO border, and am actually outside the LR spot beam coverage area. I *rarely* get rain fade, and when I do, it's very brief during a torrential downpour. It's it's usually lightning at that time, so I turn the TV off. Both sat providers have improved rain fade resistance significantly.
4.) I use the DirecTV's built in OTA tuners instead of tv tuners, for a seamless program guide and tuning without having to switch inputs, etc. I also have a D* HD DVR, with 2 sat/OTA tuners. Neither sat service requires a local channel subscription to get the locals guide data.

When LR HD local channels are added on D* in the next few months, they will be free unless you have opted out of receiving local channels.

4.) I use the DirecTV's built in OTA tuners instead of tv tuners, for a seamless program guide and tuning without having to switch inputs, etc. I also have a D* HD DVR, with 2 sat/OTA tuners. Neither sat service requires a local channel subscription to get the locals guide data.

When LR HD local channels are added on D* in the next few months, they will be free unless you have opted out of receiving local channels.

It was my understanding from reading both the D* and E* forums that if you do not subscribe to locals (SD or HD), that the guide data would be unavailable to program the DVR. I have read lots of entries where users have subscribed to SD locals even though they have HD locals via OTA, just to get the guide data. ????? Am I misinformed?

With latest D* HD DVR, the guide that is downloaded is based on two things:
The channels you get from DirecTV.
Any channels you get OTA, based on the ZIP Codes (up to two) you enter in the antenna setup menu.

Does anyone know what's going on with ABC during some evenings recently? They've been airing infomercials starting at 7pm instead of the regularly scheduled programming. I noticed it a couple of nights ago and my wife said she's noticed it before then.

Any idea?

thanks

Are you referring to ABC, or KATV, the local affiliate in LR?

It was my understanding from reading both the D* and E* forums that if you do not subscribe to locals (SD or HD), that the guide data would be unavailable to program the DVR. I have read lots of entries where users have subscribed to SD locals even though they have HD locals via OTA, just to get the guide data. ????? Am I misinformed?
This is true, at least with my experience with E*. A few months ago I decided to dump my satellite locals since I rarely use them. To my chagrin, the guide information disappeared. You could use manual timers to record programs, but I decided it was more trouble than it was worth.

KATV had all sorts of issues last night. First there was the audio problems, sound suddenly dropping out for a couple of seconds at intemittent periods, then the last 3rd of Grays Anatomy and half of October Road was in SD because somebody fell asleep at the switch again.

I still marvel at how a broadcast station can be so poorly managed!!!

Does this stuff happen only with the OTA signal, or do folks that get the KATV HD feed through Comcast experience these same issues?

It takes place at the station, before it gets out OTA or to the cableco.

Does anyone know what's going on with ABC during some evenings recently? They've been airing infomercials starting at 7pm instead of the regularly scheduled programming. I noticed it a couple of nights ago and my wife said she's noticed it before then.

Any idea?

thanks

When a station's sales department can't make enough revenue they resort to running these informercials to make up for lost revenue. When local stations run promos in their news shows it means they can't sell the time in those shows. All the stations in the LR market are doing it. They are money makers. You have to remember that the stations don't run programs that you want to see, they run programs that sponsors want. After all, the sposors are paying the bills.

Sales is the bread and butter of a broadcast station. All other departments are necessary evils.

I don't know what program bit the dust for the infomercial because I seldom watch KATV or ABC.

Hi everyone,

I finally got around to installing my rooftop antenna today, and I am decidedly unimpressed. Here's the bullet points.

-Prior to this I was actually using a set of indoor rabbit ears outside. Considering the overall lousiness of the solution, the results were surprisingly good. I would get all 5 LR network affiliates (NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, CW), but there were some consistency problems which is why I decided to put up the rooftop antenna.

-With no adjustment of the positioning, Fox improved pretty substantially (was ~60% now ~85%), CW and CBS also improved, but not quite as much (were ~75% now ~85%). NBC and ABC were much worse (both were ~75% now ~30%). After rotating for NBC, I got it to 100% with no degradation in the other 3, but still no ABC. And the NBC signal is highly directional.

So I guess my question is this, does this make any sense? I go from a pair of tiny unamplified rabbit ears sitting on the ground to a 40" rooftop antenna 20' higher and the ABC performance is worse? I know that NBC and ABC are at different locations, but shouldn't I see similar performance with ABC and CW and similar performance for NBC and Fox, as well?

FWIW, I'm in Otter Creek, so I'm not terribly far from any of the transmitters. Trees are certainly an issue, but I would think they would be more of an issue for the rabbit ears than the rooftop antenna.

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

Are you referring to ABC, or KATV, the local affiliate in LR?

KATV -OTA

Hi everyone,

I finally got around to installing my rooftop antenna today, and I am decidedly unimpressed...

So I guess my question is this, does this make any sense? I go from a pair of tiny unamplified rabbit ears sitting on the ground to a 40" rooftop antenna 20' higher and the ABC performance is worse? I know that NBC and ABC are at different locations, but shouldn't I see similar performance with ABC and CW and similar performance for NBC and Fox, as well?

FWIW, I'm in Otter Creek...

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.


Did you install a yagi UHF antenna? It should get both KATV and KARK since it sounds as if your location is about 180 degrees of separation.

orphd,
What make/model antenna did you install?

What make/model antenna did you install?
I'm too embarrassed to say :o :)

Actually It's a UR-75 from the Rat Shack. Basically, when I saw the decent reception I was getting with the rabbit ears on the ground, and considering my relative proximity to the towers, I figured I didn't need a fancy solution. And of course if the LR stations had all put their transmitters on the same tower, it probably would have been fine.

I did mess around with some different positions the other night. I finally found a direction where I can lock on KARK and KATV at the same time...but then CW drops considerably and Fox I lose altogether. I understand this is the nature of UHF: very directional. But I guess what's completely confusing me is why KATV and KASN are difficult to lock on simultaneously, and the same thing for KARK and KLRT.

Does anyone think going a foot or two (or five) higher would help much, or is this strictly a direction thing?

ORPhD, I'm probably not going to be any help, but for what it's worth, I live in Benton, and using a Rat Shack exterior antenna (not sure of the model #, but it was only about $40 or so 4 years ago) pointing toward Shinall, I can get all the major local channels including Ch. 2 in HD without any adjustments. My house is elevated somewhat over the surrounding area, but not by a great deal.

Actually It's a UR-75 from the Rat Shack. Basically, when I saw the decent reception I was getting with the rabbit ears on the ground, and considering my relative proximity to the towers, I figured I didn't need a fancy solution. And of course if the LR stations had all put their transmitters on the same tower, it probably would have been fine.There's nothing wrong with that antenna, if used where all the towers are in one direction and all stations are in the UHF band. It's a yagi antenna and they are nearly always directional. Not good for LR reception. And it's a UHF only, so KETS & KTHV would likely be problematic with it.

The rabbit ear antenna worked better for you because it's not very directional and it's VHF+UHF.

A less directional bowtie antenna would be a better choice. Like a CM 4221 bowtie (http://www.warrenelectronics.com/Antennas/4221.htm). Being a UHF antenna, it may have problems with VHF stations like KTHV. If it won't pick up KTHV, add a VHF antenna (http://www.warrenelectronics.com/antennas/cl_ant.htm) and combine the 2 with a V/U combiner, like a CM 0549 (http://www.warrenelectronics.com/Antennas/joiners.htm)

The central Ark. stations' trasmitter towers are in two different locations because of their cities of license:
Little Rock stations:
KARK 4-n
KTHV 11-n
KLRT 16-n

Pine Bluff stations:
KATV 7-n
KASN 38-n

The central Ark. stations' trasmitter towers are in two different locations because of their cities of license:
Little Rock stations:
KARK 4-n
KTHV 11-n
KLRT 16-n

Pine Bluff stations:
KATV 7-n
KASN 38-n[/QUOTE]

Isn't the KETS (AETN) transmitter still on KATV's tower near Pine Bluff? By the way, what is the OTA channel number for AETN digital channels?
Thanks,

KETS-TV analog 2 is on KATV's tower.
KETS-DT tower is currently on KASN's tower.
They are broadcasting digitally on Lowband VHF channel 5, and at only around 1 or 2 kW ERP.

When KETS-DT moves to channel SEVEN, post-analog, they may possibly reuse KATV's old analog 7 antenna. I'm sure KBoswell from AETN will post if he knows....

KETS-TV analog 2 is on KATV's tower.
KETS-DT tower is currently on KASN's tower.
They are broadcasting digitally on Lowband VHF channel 5, and at only around 1 or 2 kW ERP.

When KETS-DT moves to channel SEVEN, post-analog, they may possibly reuse KATV's old analog 7 antenna. I'm sure KBoswell from AETN will post if he knows....

Sam is right that KETS, analog 2, is on KATV's tower, and KETS-DT uses the RF envelope of channel 5. KETS-DT is licensed for 2.1KW, and we're operating at that level. In the future, we'll move to the channel 7 frequency but plan to use none of their equipment. We expect to remain on the tower we now use for DT.

This is the understanding I have as of now.
Hope this helps.

Kelly

Sam is right that KETS, analog 2, is on KATV's tower, and KETS-DT uses the RF envelope of channel 5. KETS-DT is licensed for 2.1KW, and we're operating at that level. In the future, we'll move to the channel 7 frequency but plan to use none of their equipment...

Kelly


Thanks to both for the info and update.

KBoswell, can you tell why the (few) AETN HD broadcasts are always disturbed on Comcast? There is either a complete picture freeze, pixelation, several skipped frames, and/or no audio on the main KETS comcast channel (201) and one of the other DT channels (202) is completely blank.

Is this a Comcast problem? I have to switch to the national PBS HD feed to watch them.

Thanks to both for the info and update.

KBoswell, can you tell why the (few) AETN HD broadcasts are always disturbed on Comcast? There is either a complete picture freeze, pixelation, several skipped frames, and/or no audio on the main KETS comcast channel (201) and one of the other DT channels (202) is completely blank.

Is this a Comcast problem? I have to switch to the national PBS HD feed to watch them.


Not sure.

When we transmit a program in HD, we shift bandwidth from substreams (2-2, 2-3, and 2-4) to provide more for the primary program (2-1). This is what you should get when you receive us over the air.

Wonder if the receiver at Comcast is trying unsuccessfully to convert the data from HD to SD.

Kelly

does comscat simply retransmit the OTA broadcast converted to QAM?

to Kelly or any other member who may know...

what PBS station should I be able to receive here in Benton? I've tried to manually add channel 2 (actually its frequency: 5) and done the same with the station in Arkadelphia to no avail. I only have an indoor antenna but I do ok with the big 4 if I move positions. In no position have I been able to receive any PBS. Am I too far away to receive with a simple indoor antenna?

thanks for your help

does comscat simply retransmit the OTA broadcast converted to QAM?


I think thats what they do. But, I don't know that for certain.

to Kelly or any other member who may know...

what PBS station should I be able to receive here in Benton? I've tried to manually add channel 2 (actually its frequency: 5) and done the same with the station in Arkadelphia to no avail. I only have an indoor antenna but I do ok with the big 4 if I move positions. In no position have I been able to receive any PBS. Am I too far away to receive with a simple indoor antenna?

thanks for your help

Yep. You'll probably need an outdoor antenna. (wondering if an attic antenna would suffice?)


As RockyF said in message#2783


ORPhD, I'm probably not going to be any help, but for what it's worth, I live in Benton, and using a Rat Shack exterior antenna (not sure of the model #, but it was only about $40 or so 4 years ago) pointing toward Shinall, I can get all the major local channels including Ch. 2 in HD without any adjustments. My house is elevated somewhat over the surrounding area, but not by a great deal.

__________________
Rocky


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

I think thats what they do. But, I don't know that for certain.
It's might be a comscat encoding problem when y'all switch from 480i to 10890i. OTOH, it might just be LOW-VHF interference causing dropouts.

It's might be a comscat encoding problem when y'all switch from 480i to 10890i. OTOH, it might just be LOW-VHF interference causing dropouts.


Encoder problems; probably.

Low-VHF interference problems; the occurances would not be limited to the HD programs.

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

to Kelly or any other member who may know...

what PBS station should I be able to receive here in Benton? I've tried to manually add channel 2 (actually its frequency: 5) and done the same with the station in Arkadelphia to no avail. I only have an indoor antenna but I do ok with the big 4 if I move positions. In no position have I been able to receive any PBS. Am I too far away to receive with a simple indoor antenna?

thanks for your help

I use an old RS-VU 190 @ 20ft AGL for KETS-DT 5 (its up mainly for ch 2-6 skip and FM (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-skip#Sporadic_E_propagation_.28E-skip.29) ). Seperate feedlines to a switch box then to the E* tuner.

KETS-DT receives about 85% here but the signal is directional N-NW and S-SE. Not sure how well it reaches the Benton-Bryant area. KETG-DT is on 13 but too weak here to decode 24/7.

It's might be a comscat encoding problem when y'all switch from 480i to 10890i. OTOH, it might just be LOW-VHF interference causing dropouts.

It acts like the comcast antenna is in a null and there isn't enough signal strength to keep a solid signal going. Some time ago I talked to the programming lady at AETN about the problem with their picture freezing all the time on Comcast. It was about like talking to a brick wall, so I gave up. Comcast carries the PBS HD feed fulltime (which aetn only uses a couple times a week) so I always go there if there is a program I want to watch. I don't know if the dishes carry the PBS feed, but it is a nice addition to the lineup. Plus you don't have to suffer through the beg-a-thons that plague the aetn lineup during the year.

Maybe it will all get resolved by the digital switchover.

Comcast carries the PBS HD feed fulltime (which aetn only uses a couple times a week) so I always go there if there is a program I want to watch. I don't know if the dishes carry the PBS feed, but it is a nice addition to the lineup. Plus you don't have to suffer through the beg-a-thons that plague the aetn lineup during the year.

My question is how did comcrap get the exclusive deal on PBS-HD. Other PBS stations surrounding Arkansas (except for OETA) carry the PBS HD channel, albit at a reduced quaility due to mulitcasting the main analog channel and/or other PBS services (Create, etc). I'm glad that AETN turns off the extra channels during HD, but please show more than one HD show or two a month (and show the west coast PBS national SD feed at night instead of AETN Kids--what children are watching TV after 10pm anyway!).

I do wish analog would go away, so I could get MPB (http://www.mpbonline.org/about_us/coverage/index.htm) in HD occasionally.

is KATV's digital tower down or something? I get absolutely no signal (0dB) on KATV but decent signals on the others (so it's not my hardware). I saw some storms near where the tower is, perhaps it's out? I hope they get it fixed before 9!

At least the analog is still on E* but that's my last resort. Gotta have my LOST in HD!

It acts like the comcast antenna is in a null and there isn't enough signal strength to keep a solid signal going...
Maybe it will all get resolved by the digital switchover.

I am trying to watch KETS DT HD broadcast (8:00pm) on Comcast. Once again, even though Comcast has moved the main KETS DT to Comcast channel 201, the audio is clear, but the video is like watching a slide show...

Just as Kelly said the 202, 203,etc are blank.

Do folks with OTA reception of KETS HD broadcasts have this problem?

now I'm at least getting a lower-powered signal, it's not completely gone but definitely not receivable (3-6dB instead of the minimum 20dB). Maybe they're operating at lower power while they fix it? I hope they get it back soon...

edit: picking up the analog 7 decently. definitely good enough signal to be ok for the digital signal if they originate from the same tower

I am trying to watch KETS DT HD broadcast (8:00pm) on Comcast. Once again, even though Comcast has moved the main KETS DT to Comcast channel 201, the audio is clear, but the video is like watching a slide show...

Just as Kelly said the 202, 203,etc are blank.

Do folks with OTA reception of KETS HD broadcasts have this problem?

I don't watch a lot of KETS HD, but what I have watched has always looked very good. I have noticed in the past the channel would lock up when switching from HD back to SD, but I really have only noticed that on my old Samsung reciever, I don't recall seeing it happen on my Sony HD-DVR. I don't know if that could be related to the issue Comcast is having.

kevincburns, were you able to watch Lost in HD last night? It was fine for me, with just a couple of very brief dropouts.

My question is how did comcrap get the exclusive deal on PBS-HD.
I recall an industry newspiece that said comcast signed a national agreement with PBS for dedicated feed of the PBS-HD in exchange for carrying ALL digital channels of the local public broadcast station. I also recall seeing that some public broadcast digital stations feed the entire PBS-HD stream, but that could change once analog goes away and they revert to the educational component on their main digital channel.

Funny how the people way out in front promoting the digital conversion were the educational TV folks cause they loved the idea of multicasting, but many of them have fallen short in the implementation due to lack of funds from the state level and (around here) faulty engineering/management decisions.

Low-VHF interference problems; the occurances would not be limited to the HD programs.True.

That being said, VHF digital channels are the only ones that are plagued with dropouts during lightning, even lightning some distance from the receiver. The most annoying part of digital dropouts is when you miss several seconds of audio. Digital in lowband-VHF is worse, but it happens with VHF-HI, too. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/images/icons/icon9.gif

I recall an industry newspiece that said comcast signed a national agreement with PBS for dedicated feed of the PBS-HD in exchange for carrying ALL digital channels of the local public broadcast station. I also recall seeing that some public broadcast digital stations feed the entire PBS-HD stream, but that could change once analog goes away and they revert to the educational component on their main digital channel.

Funny how the people way out in front promoting the digital conversion were the educational TV folks cause they loved the idea of multicasting, but many of them have fallen short in the implementation due to lack of funds from the state level and (around here) faulty engineering/management decisions.


Here's your chance.

https://www.ark.org/arstatejobs/index.php?ARStateJobsPub=1a74697e242f272c52173461d5f4f523&ina_sec_csrf=60e71b58d2c77d0db01d174e007d43df&

Position#22082218
=============

kevincburns, were you able to watch Lost in HD last night? It was fine for me, with just a couple of very brief dropouts.

nope, watched it on E* SD. The signal gradually strengthened to about 14dB by 10:4 (in the same position). I don't know how that happened but I could see it go up a little bit every once in awhile, 1 dB at a time. I haven't checked it this morning but if it kept increasing, it should be good. I'm interested in watching the Traveler advance preview in HD (explosions in HD are cool :) ).

I am trying to watch KETS DT HD broadcast (8:00pm) on Comcast. Once again, even though Comcast has moved the main KETS DT to Comcast channel 201, the audio is clear, but the video is like watching a slide show...

Just as Kelly said the 202, 203,etc are blank.

Do folks with OTA reception of KETS HD broadcasts have this problem?


Curious as to what Comcast said. Have you asked them about this?
Kelly
===========================

Curious as to what Comcast said. Have you asked them about this?
Kelly
===========================


Everytime I call Comcast, I get a vociferous, "DUH, UH, WHAT?"

They are clueless and won't turn me over to technical people (this is not restricted to the engineering staff, just try to talk to the management to complain. Forget it). Bottomline is that I do not have a way to ask Comcast, or even to complain. Their email "contact" website is a joke, and telephone calls are fruitless.

If anyone has a contact number, or knows someone at Comcast engineering, I will be more than happy to contact them to ask WHAT'S UP with the lousy rebroadcast of AETN HiDef programs?

At 6:49 p.m. KATV-DT has still not switched Wheel Of Fortune to HD. WABC-DT, New York, is broadcasting this program in HD. Is someone asleep at KATV-DT? I seldom watch this station and am just wondering if this is standard practice at KATV-DT to not switch.

I wasn't aware that katv had HD time-shift equipment yet. Do they?

Here's your chance.

[url]https://www.ark.org/arstatejobs/index.php?url]

Position#22082218
=============
Salary Range: $37,840.00 - $49,986.00 per year
That pretty much explains a whole lot.

I hope I don't get in trouble for posting this in this forum, but felt it would obtain the best exposure & results.

As many of you know, trying to find a company or individual that is ISF certified to do calibrations in the Little Rock area is pretty much a futile exercise.

I live in Heber Springs and am wanting a calibration done on my RPTV, so let me get to the point.

I spoke with Doug Weil this afternoon. Doug was very informative not only about my inquiry regarding the calibration of my RPTV but I also had many other questions that he was able to provide informative answers to as well.

Doug is a member of the Lion Audio/Video Consultant Team based out of St. Louis, MO. Doug would be willing to do a calibration tour of the Little Rock area if there is enough participants. He said that a radius of 50 miles of Little Rock would be acceptable to him for the tour.

Here is Doug's bio on the Lion web site:
http://www.lionav.com/mdougweil.php

This is a preliminary inquiry to see if there is enough interest to proceed, if you are, please reply here so we can see if we should proceed. Dates and times have not entered into the conversation yet, we have to see if there is interest.

Thanks for your time, now back to your regularly scheduled... ;)

Have you tried Icon Communications (http://www.imagingscience.com/isf_results.cfm?temp=3&Country1=none&State1=AR&dlr_status=CAL)?
I have absolutely no idea if this company is still even in business, but you can try contacting them....

Have you tried Icon Communications (http://www.imagingscience.com/isf_results.cfm?temp=3&Country1=none&State1=AR&dlr_status=CAL)?
I have absolutely no idea if this company is still even in business, but you can try contacting them....

Called them today. They have no idea why they are listed, they are in the telecom business.

Tried the other listing in and around the Little Rock area started calling yesterday tried again today, no returned calls. :(

At 6:49 p.m. KATV-DT has still not switched Wheel Of Fortune to HD. WABC-DT, New York, is broadcasting this program in HD. Is someone asleep at KATV-DT? I seldom watch this station and am just wondering if this is standard practice at KATV-DT to not switch.

Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy are syndicated shows, and none of the LR stations have the equipment yet to record and playback HD material, just network content. If WABC-DT happens to play Wheel at the same time as KATV, that is just coincidence. It might be a while before we see syndicated HD here.

FWIW, neither KFSM-DT in Ft. Smith nor KYTV-DT in Springfield, MO broadcast WOF in HD. Very few stations do, outside of NY.

Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy are syndicated shows, and none of the LR stations have the equipment yet to record and playback HD material, just network content. If WABC-DT happens to play Wheel at the same time as KATV, that is just coincidence. It might be a while before we see syndicated HD here.

Thanks, RockyF. I did not know that the shows were syndicated. Which station do you think will be first with syndicated HD in the LR area. My guess is KLRT as they seem to have been the leader so far in HD OTA programming.

Thanks, RockyF. I did not know that the shows were syndicated. Which station do you think will be first with syndicated HD in the LR area. My guess is KLRT as they seem to have been the leader so far in HD OTA programming.

but what do they have to show that's syndicated? KATV has WOF and Jeopardy too don't they?

I hope KATV gets the tech soon for when they show college basketball games and delay LOST thus can't show it in HD (happened twice in February)

Pretty much all the stations have some sydicated programming. Oprah, Regis & Kelly, Rachel Ray and the most of the other daytime talkshows are syndicated. The View is of course the exception, and is also in HD. Of those syndie shows, I'd say Oprah would be the first to go HD, in fact, I believe I've heard that her studio is HD ready, but I don't really pay that close attention to that. I agree that KLRT/KASN will be the first to get the gear first, I know that errett has been looking at it for a while, but I haven't talked to him in a while to get an update. I'm hoping that they have it by the time CBS Paramount start providing the HD versions of the original Star Trek remasters.
Oh, and we were lucky this year that ABC moved Lost back to 9 pm this season. For the last two years we missed several HD episodes of Lost (and Alias) due to basketball, and they reaired them in the middle of the night.

Sblasl,

Sent you a PM.


Jeff

I would be interested. I have been trying to find someone with ISF training, unsuccessfully, for quite some time.

[QUOTE=sblasl]

As many of you know, trying to find a company or individual that is ISF certified to do calibrations in the Little Rock area is pretty much a futile exercise.

--------edited-----

QUOTE]

Okay, I am relatively new and not as savvy as many on this list. What is RP TV? What is the advantage to getting your HD unit "calibrated"? Is it done in home?

Thanks.

Salary Range: $37,840.00 - $49,986.00 per year
That pretty much explains a whole lot.

Yet, we provide more responsive customer service than does the private sector.
Kelly
==================

I would be interested. I have been trying to find someone with ISF training, unsuccessfully, for quite some time.

OK, So far it looks like we have 3 interested parties for having calibrations done in the Little Rock, Arkansas area. If we can get about 3 more interested parties, I think we might just be able to get a tour here!

I don't know what the cost would be yet or the time frame. We needed to see if there was enough interest first.

Hopefully by the end of the week we might be able to start putting more specifics together.

Thanks for the replies & interest.

Scott

OK, So far it looks like we have 3 interested parties for having calibrations done in the Little Rock, Arkansas area. If we can get about 3 more interested parties, I think we might just be able to get a tour here!

I don't know what the cost would be yet or the time frame. We needed to see if there was enough interest first.

Hopefully by the end of the week we might be able to start putting more specifics together.

Thanks for the replies & interest.

Scott

What type of calibration are you speaking of?

What type of calibration are you speaking of?

I hope I don't get in trouble for posting this in this forum, but felt it would obtain the best exposure & results.

As many of you know, trying to find a company or individual that is ISF certified to do calibrations in the Little Rock area is pretty much a futile exercise.

I live in Heber Springs and am wanting a calibration done on my RPTV, so let me get to the point.

I spoke with Doug Weil this afternoon. Doug was very informative not only about my inquiry regarding the calibration of my RPTV but I also had many other questions that he was able to provide informative answers to as well.

Doug is a member of the Lion Audio/Video Consultant Team based out of St. Louis, MO. Doug would be willing to do a calibration tour of the Little Rock area if there is enough participants. He said that a radius of 50 miles of Little Rock would be acceptable to him for the tour.

Here is Doug's bio on the Lion web site:
http://www.lionav.com/mdougweil.php

This is a preliminary inquiry to see if there is enough interest to proceed, if you are, please reply here so we can see if we should proceed. Dates and times have not entered into the conversation yet, we have to see if there is interest.

Thanks for your time, now back to your regularly scheduled...

I was able to get through to the technical staff at LR Comcast re: the problem of poor HD quality of AETN programming. The Comcast person was very friendly and cooperative.

It turns out Comcast is rebroadcasting AETN ONLY in SD, so the HD pass-through is not being decoded in HD formats. I got the impression that once they go completely digital they may put all channels with a HD signal on a frequency that handles the additional bandwidth. Who knows when that will happen (i.e. before Feb 09 or not). So, the problem is with Comcast, and not AETN. The Comcast person said one has to go to the HD PBS channel (440) for HD PBS programs.

I recently helped my parents set up their new TV (SDTV w/QAM). When I scanned QAM channels this is what I found on Pine Bluff Cable (WEHCO) in the clear.

80-1 unknown outdoor type channel w/no audio (SD)
80-2 unknown channel (again SD w/no audio)
80-3 Outdoor Life 2 HD
88-1 KETS-DT (//KETS 2-1) Main AETN channel
88-2 AETN Create
88-3 AETN Scholar
88-4 AETN Kids
88-5 KTHV-DT (HD)
88-6 THV 2
89-1 KATV-DT (HD)
89-2 7 News Now
89-3 KARK-DT (HD)

Absent from the PBC/WEHCO lineup is KLRT-DT and KASN-DT. I assume that WEHCO didn't get an agreement (payment?) from Clear Channel to carry these stations. Since the TV I helped set up isn't HD, I cannot judge PQ compared to OTA though.

I would be interested in a calibration depending on cost. You can PM me with any details. I'm only about 20 miles from Little Rock so I'm well within the mileage radius.

What is being "calibrated?"

I believe calibration for a HDTV is to get the colors and lighting and such perfect. Maybe I'm wrong.

I have a HDTV tuner for my laptop and it looks fine on my LCD so I don't need calibration. I just have to adjust the lighting sometimes.

Did you follow the link (http://www.lionav.com/reviews.php) and check out his site ?? Basically it's a super tune-up and lets your HD produce the best High Definition picture your set can produce.

No offense, but it looks a little "pricey" to me. My vision is not that great anyway.

I believe calibration for a HDTV is to get the colors and lighting and such perfect. Maybe I'm wrong.

I have a HDTV tuner for my laptop and it looks fine on my LCD so I don't need calibration. I just have to adjust the lighting sometimes.

Kevin,

I've noticed the PQ on my laptop screen when using the GT is brighter than what I'm used to on a normal HDTV. I really wish the GT software would allow us to adjust picture settings a little better... changing the brightness level helps a bit, but I guess nothing can look as good as a real HDTV. The PQ with the GT looks very good, though. The only complaint I have is the brightness levels. I still stand by my opinion that purchasing the GT was the best money I've spent all year.

At this time, KATV-DT is airing the re-start of the Indy 500 in HD. WABC-DT is not. Way to go and thanks, KATV-DT.

Huh? WABC-DT on D* is showing the Indy 500. Guide says otherwise, though....

What happened was the race was postponed due to rain. When the race resumed, WABC was not showing the race in HD. They later switched back to HD after about twenty minutes. KATV showed the entire race in HD.

The guide did not match the programming due to the race being resumed past its alloted time and into local news, paid programming, etc.

Just a note...WAPT-TV in Jackson is now running Jeopardy! (and Wheel, I assume) in HD as of Friday. I read this from a post on the Jackson boards by the CE of WAPT. Wanted to pass it along to all the LR viewers that don't have access to WABC, and must rely on KATV for their favorite game shows in SD. I don't know why I'm posting this news.. the only thing it will do is depress OTA viewers on KATV even more :(

For those D* subs w/ WABC.....did they pass 5.1 audio with the Indy 500 or was it 2.0 as was reported on a couple of boards. ABC's coverage overall seemed lifeless compared to the Busch race Saturday Night on ESPN2-HD. And that was with KATV's audio issues not being considred.

I watched the green flag drop on the Charlotte (aka Coke) 600 and switched between it and Indy's conclusion and back to NASCAR after seeing Ashley Judd going over the wall.

Without a doubt, this year's coverage of the Indy 500 was the worst I have seen in years.

Not only did the coverage suck but it was a race decided by weather conditions and not talent and stragety.

Truly, the highpoint of the entire show was Ashley Judd going over the wall.

the Indy 500 was not available in 5.1 according to the thread in the HDTV Programming forum. Local stations may have had it flagged as 5.1 but no sound came out of the rear speakers.

KWBF-DT transmits World Music Awards (MNTV) in HDTV (well, sort of). It looked awful soft and the two other subchannels (42-2, and 42-3) didn't help things and just like KATV, no 5.1 audio. I came in the shack and verified that it was showing a "HD" signal (my "dx" box has an indicator that shows a HD signal being transmitted regardless of display).

The bad news, its still an Equity station. When I received 42-1 friday night, that awful late night talk show was shown in TNT-HD style stretch-o-vision. Since its moderately low power, KWBF-DT still functions well as a propagation beacon and little else :confused:

Disclaimer: the screen cap is only 480i but it does indicate psip info and verifies a HDTV signal beign sent

Without a doubt, this year's coverage of the Indy 500 was the worst I have seen in years.

Not only did the coverage suck but it was a race decided by weather conditions and not talent and stragety.

Truly, the highpoint of the entire show was Ashley Judd going over the wall.


The worst HDTV sporting event since that Razorback game (the Texting Bowl) in Orlando on New Years Day. ABC/ESPN/Disney didn't even spring for 5.1 sound (according to reports), curious if this was a decision by the network and/or Tony George/IMS. Camera shots flat out sucked and very few closeups. Attention seemed to be on the leaders....and Danica. The announcing/commentary was sleep inducing and more suitable for figure skating. None of the excellent coverage I've seen from a Fox NASCAR (Nextel Cup) race.

You gotta admit though, Ashley looked great in that dress and shoes. :D

What do you expect? It's a car race. A bunch of guys drive around in circles for a few hours. It's pretty tough to make that exciting, or even mildly interesting for that matter. What would make me watch NASCAR or the like is if they made it 10 laps instead of the mind-numbing 400+, gave them guns, and put obstacles in the road.

Caught a cards game in HD on 42-1 a couple days ago too. I had to do a double take.

a Cardinals game in HD? that would be nice. Seems like every time the Cardinals are on FOX, Boston and/or New York are playing and thus get the HD crew. Though the widescreen SD looks better than 4:3.

didn't know that KSDK (parent station of the network, St. Louis; they do news in HD :) ) was transmitting it in HD. I knew they'd have it locally but I gotta say I'm impressed that they're sending it out and KWBF is showing it in HD. Can't wait to get my laptop back to use my HD tuner (it's killing me missing the opps. to see the Stanley Cup Finals and NBA Finals in HD.

I did a rescan on my tuner last night, and was able to get 9.1-9.4 and 42.1-42.3. It appeared that everything on 42.1 was stretched to 16x9. I caught a few minutes of the game this afternoon, and just assumed it was stretched, although I did think it looked pretty good. Of course, I didn't think to record it, so I have no way to double check, is there anyway to confirm that it was truly HD?

Monday night, the "World Music Awards" were on MNTV in HD via KWBF. I was shocked at first, and had to check against my E* feed of WWOR (SD) to see if it was actually 16x9 or stretched (I watched about 10 minutes in passing).

Of course, it wouldn't take much to "improve" on last fall's MNTV program schedule.

Monday night, the "World Music Awards" were on MNTV in HD via KWBF. I was shocked at first, and had to check against my E* feed of WWOR (SD) to see if it was actually 16x9 or stretched (I watched about 10 minutes in passing).

Of course, it wouldn't take much to "improve" on last fall's MNTV program schedule.


Well, all that is on NBC this week is Hockey... but hey, at least it'll be in HD :) Knowing KTVE, though, they'll send it in 4:3 SD :rolleyes:

Well, my eyes told me it was HD:) Actually, watching the game you could tell because coming back from local commercial break you could watch them switch as well as the network cooercials were 4:3 not stretched.

Well, all that is on NBC this week is Hockey... but hey, at least it'll be in HD :) Knowing KTVE, though, they'll send it in 4:3 SD :rolleyes:

Dang it Keith, you just jinxed them! KTVE is showing the Stanley Cup in glorious 4x3 SD. At least KARK is flipping the switch ;)

KTVE needs some serious help.... they're taking up space on the airwaves... they should allow those airwaves to be put to better use... I'm tired of the constant technical problems.. not to mention their entire anchor team looks like the just got out of rehab :rolleyes:

I got a card in the mail from Comcast that states: "As a Comcast Digital subscriber, you will now receive 100% Pure Digital picture and sound on all Channels!"

To my eyes, the analog channels now look worse, as if they are being transmitted via streaming, with non-fluid movement (sometimes like a slideshow), and very grainy video, especially on dark scenes. Could it be they are converting the analog channels to digit and that picture quality is suffering as a result of these conversions?

Why would Comcast want to advertise and brag about being "100% Pure Digital"?

I got a card in the mail from Comcast that states: "As a Comcast Digital subscriber, you will now receive 100% Pure Digital picture and sound on all Channels!"

To my eyes, the analog channels now look worse, as if they are being transmitted via streaming, with non-fluid movement (sometimes like a slideshow), and very grainy video, especially on dark scenes. Could it be they are converting the analog channels to digit and that picture quality is suffering as a result of these conversions?

Why would Comcast want to advertise and brag about being "100% Pure Digital"?

Which channels are you seeing this on, all the analogs or just certain ones? I am here at work, and flipping through I don't see anything like that. I would like to pass this info on to the tech guys.

Which channels are you seeing this on, all the analogs or just certain ones? I am here at work, and flipping through I don't see anything like that. I would like to pass this info on to the tech guys.

The deteriorated video quality is on the analog channels 2 - 98. No change in Digital channels.

Thanks

RE: Comcast Digitalizing analog channels. Last night and this morning the analog channels 2 - 98 looked good, i.e. as good as an analog conversion can look I suppose in 480i. There remains a slight graininess in dark scenes and on the upper tier (62 - 98), but not the near-jerking movements two-three days earlier.

Somehow, I suspect the changes are related to the upcoming July 1 deadline requiring cable companies to provide cable cards, etc that would allow third parties to sell set top boxes without being forced to rent one of the clunker boxes from the cable companies.

Hello KTHV. Please, please install an audio limiter or sta-level on your digital channel (11.1)or hire and train someone to ride the levels. Some commercials have got to be pegging the needles on your VU meters and the next is so low as not to be airable and your head sports guy yells into the mic. If I were a sponsor I would not pay for my spot to be run at a much lower level than the previous. Whomever is in charge of your Technology (Engineering) department has made great strides since they took over. The switching is good. Thanks.

While they're at it, they can fix the LOUD audio on the DirecTV feed.

I have to ride the volume control on the HT RX, when 'THV is tuned in.

Good thing there are no inside cats. :eek:

Very strong tropo this morning from Dallas-Fort Worth and North Texas.

Several religious and spanish-speaking digital stations. TBN's full power station in DFW has 5 subchannels. When the Little Rock TBN relayer (ch34) flash cuts, the same thing will happen here.

Oh for those that remember cable in the early 80's, KTVT and KXTX were independent stations that were carried on the Little Rock area and Pine Bluff cable systems. KTVT is the current CBS station in Dallas while KXTX is a Telemundo affiliate.

that's amazing that you can pick those up and they're still clear.

the amount of channels in the DFW area is amazing too. many of them are Spanish but still, there are tons of OTA channels to watch

As long as you can get a solid lock on the signal, it will be as clear as a local digital channel.

Looks like there is some fairly good tropo weather lately:
http://www.dxinfocentre.com/tropo.html

Here are a couple of Tulsa stations that were coming in yesterday. I get these fairly often, especially in summer.

http://i12.tinypic.com/63s05ja.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KJRH)

http://i19.tinypic.com/6euwq45.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KOTV)

yeah I realized that after I had posted. what equipment do you use haley-SEA?

yeah I realized that after I had posted. what equipment do you use haley-SEA?

Antenna is a Channel Master 4228 for UHF. VHF is a small 4 element log-periodic (mainly for KETS-DT, although it works well--with a preamp--for KTHV-DT).
CM 7777 Preamp
Rotor (control is in hamshack) 4 outlet 2.1 GHz rated passive splitter

DXing (where all the strange signals come...): PC (low end Dell 2.4Ghz w/ 17 LCD monitor) running Windows XP Home
WinTVGo (NTSC only)/Radio Shack Accurian HDTV STB d/c to 480i
DScaler 4.1.15 (software for tuning analog, viewing and still captures)
my old vcr gets used for timeshifting analog e-skip, and older Panny DVD-r for recording airchecks from digital dx stations.

I do have a HDTV display/HT sound in the living room, but I don't DX there....just normal viewing

The deteriorated video quality is on the analog channels 2 - 98. No change in Digital channels.

I would also like to chime in on this problem. I am a digital/HD subscriber, but I also have a computer in my office that I have a couple of tuner cards in for the analog channels. I have noticed a BIG decrease in video quality on ALL the analog channels.

The biggest pain in the rear I see is on channel 96 (I think it is) where you guys are broadcasting FSN Midwest for the Cardinal games. When I am trying to watch a Cardinals game like last night and tonight, its just like I am trying to watch it through a snow storm or a screen door. I just cannot tell at all where the ball is at some points. I mean, this video is AWEFUL! Okay, well maybe I am exaggerating about the "snow storm", but it is pretty bad. Its definitely like watching it through a screen door or very small linked chain link fence. Its bad enough to be a problem. :)

RockyF, have you made any strides in checking with the tech people about what is causing this crap? I mean, I shouldn't have to get another box for this "tv" if I only want the analog channels, right?

And on that note, what channels are broadcast in clear-QAM that we should be able to get with a tv tuner card that supports such technology? My new HVR-1600 that I have supports clear-QAM, but so far I have only been able to find the music choice channels and ABC and the CW channel that I can see easily. I was just hoping I could find a list of clear channels that I could count on being able to see.

Actually, I've been on vacation in Orlando this week, so sorry, but this has been the last thing on my mind. :) I'll see if I can get an answer Monday, this stuff is really out of my department, but I'll pass the word along and see if I can get an answer.

So I've got Comcast Limited Basic service (about 20 analog channels, no box, $10.99/month) and I just got a Philips DVDR3575H/37 HD DVR w/160HD & DVD write capabilities. I ran the Channel Scan and "HELLO", now I'm a digital cable receiver of sorts. I suspected as much.

The new DVR's built-in ATSC tuner picked up about 50 HD channels plus the digital music channel range. Warning about this DVR, though...it keeps dropping my channel lineup and making me re-scan, and sometimes the scan works, sometimes it doesn't find anything.

Anyway, my question is where do I find a listing of the Comcast DTV lineup in xxx.xx format? Comcast only publishes the XXX format numbers (cuz they want me to rent their digital cable box), so I'm looking for a cross-reference list or just a list as they appear to my tuner. I'm not finding that list on this thread (at least not complete).

Finally, another question. I'd like to ditch Comcast altogether, so I bought an RCA ANT1251 antenna. I'm in a sort of a valley in WLR, so I can't seem to get 4.1 KARK-HD with that. Any suggestions for better OTA reception?

I'd like to ditch Comcast altogether, so I bought an RCA ANT1251 antenna. I'm in a sort of a valley in WLR, so I can't seem to get 4.1 KARK-HD with that. Any suggestions for better OTA reception?Get an outdoor antenna. Do NOT get a TERK brand. They are mostly junk.

I am really getting tired of complaining to KTHV about the poor quality audio control on their digital program channel. They bill themself as the high definition leader and are proving to be the basic television tail dragger.

Tonight, during their 6 pm news, at least half of the commercials were so much louder than the others and studio audio that the remote never left my hand during the show.

Starting tonight, I have decided that except to view CBS, OTA digital HD programming that I will not tune to KTHV in any shape, form or fashion during any of their local, live programs until this problem is corrected.

As far as I can tell, KTHV is the only station in the LR market with this problem.

Tell you what I am getting tired of, being shafted by Comcast every month with huge bills and little real results from the programming I get. I mean, its little stuff like not carrying Sci-Fi in HD yet (cause I know its available cause I download torrents of their shows in HD all the time and it says Sci-Fi on them and they are HD format).

There is also the fact that when using my tv tuners with the analog cable connection with my computer, channel 96, which carries all the Cardinals games, its like watching massive amounts of noise along with the channel. I mean, I can't even begin to tell where the baseball is when it is hit most of the time, thats how bad the picture is.

I don't see why they can't at least fix the picture problem on channel 96. If there is anyone from Comcast in Little Rock that reads this forum, I can upload some example video to them so they can see the crap I have to watch. I shouldn't have to rent a digital tuner box and not use half of my tuner card to be able to watch programming I want to watch that I pay for.

Wow, if cable is that bad, I would have it disconnected. Come to think of it, I did have it disconnected when I lived there. The poor service wasn't worth the high cost.

stevenken, I work at Comcast in Little Rock, well technically I work at Comcast Spotlight, which is the advertising sales and production dept., and so I don't have anything to do with service or PQ, however I will pass word along about your problem and the other complaints that have been brought up around here lately. There has been a bit of grumbling around our office as well lately, there are a lot of issues with the transition to an all digital system.

BTW, SciFi is NOT available in HD yet, not sure where these torrents you're getting are from, but it's being discussed quite a bit over on the programming forum that there should be SciFi HD by the end of the year. A bit of their programming is available UHD however.

There has been a bit of grumbling around our office as well lately, there are a lot of issues with the transition to an all digital system.

Ok, one big question I think everyone would love to know (even though you probably won't know the answer since you aren't on the technical side of things, but I am asking anyway) that has tv tuner cards in their computers.....

Is there going to be a point when we can't use these analog tuner computer cards and have to get set top boxes (stb's) to attach to the cards to keep getting service? Or will there always be the analog portion of service going for people with older, non-digital tuner tv's to continue subscribing to cable without needing stb's?

I only ask this because I have two tuner cards in my computer that work off of analog signals and I would just hate to either have to get rid of them or use stb's to get a signal. I like the windows media center interface and all the other added features of using my computer as a tv and would be very disappointed if I had to use a stb to get service.

So, if you happen to have any clue as to the future of the analog signal comcast provides, I would love to know.

Well, the short answer to the question is yes, EVENTUALLY, there will be an analog shutoff. However, I don't think anyone here (especially in my dept.) knows for sure how long that might be. I know that the official stance further up the food chain is that they would prefer that every subscriber has a digital STB, but I personally have trouble seeing that happen.

Well, the short answer to the question is yes, EVENTUALLY, there will be an analog shutoff. However, I don't think anyone here (especially in my dept.) knows for sure how long that might be. I know that the official stance further up the food chain is that they would prefer that every subscriber has a digital STB, but I personally have trouble seeing that happen.

Dang, that sucks.....oh well, hope I get enough use out of my card that I purchased recently that its not a complete waste of money. Since I have two cards in my system, I would need two STB's to continue working at least a little like I currently do.

Yeah, I see that forcing everyone go to a digital box being a problem to implement as well. I really really really don't want a STB. I don't really like the HD DVR STB I have in the living room. I do understand that it is about the best and only way to get digital/HD content delivered, but some people just don't want the ugly ass box beside their setup. :)

Anyway, thanks for the replies.

Here is another great questions.....has anyone heard any updates on Direct or Dish carrying Little Rock locals in HD.

If all goes as planned, look for a ton of new HD channels on DirecTV (aka D*) by this fall, including LRAR local HD channels. D*'s new HD satellite is scheduled to launch this Saturday. If you have D* you can watch the launch live on channel 570. More info HERE (http://admin.ilslaunch.com/zmedia/newsarchives/newsreleases/rec51/).

AFAIK, Echostar Dish Network (aka E*) does not have LRAR on its list of future local HD channels.

If all goes as planned, look for a ton of new HD channels on DirecTV (aka D*) by this fall, including LRAR local HD channels. D*'s new HD satellite is scheduled to launch this Saturday. If you have D* you can watch the launch live on channel 570. More info HERE (http://admin.ilslaunch.com/zmedia/newsarchives/newsreleases/rec51/).

AFAIK, Echostar Dish Network (aka E*) does not have LRAR on its list of future local HD channels.

This is a very interesting post. Thank you for the info. I am sure that many will be watching the launch, our local weather permitting.

... I am sure that many will be watching the launch, our local weather permitting.Our local weather permitting? Do you still get rain fade? We rarely ever get it any more with the new receivers. When we do, it's during a very intense rainfall, and seldom lasts over a minute or so.

Our local weather permitting? Do you still get rain fade? We rarely ever get it any more with the new receivers. When we do, it's during a very intense rainfall, and seldom lasts over a minute or so.

As you say, only during the most intense storms. Usually those topping above 40k. The fading problem was helped with the newer equipment. I am looking forward to viewing the launch.

BelElDel,

If you want to watch the DirecTV HD satellite launch online, go to:
http://streamvox.streamos.com/vyvx/ils070607

Live launch time in the Central US is tentatively scheduled for 7:50pm CDT FRIDAY.

If all goes as planned, look for a ton of new HD channels on DirecTV (aka D*) by this fall, including LRAR local HD channels. D*'s new HD satellite is scheduled to launch this Saturday. If you have D* you can watch the launch live on channel 570. More info HERE (http://admin.ilslaunch.com/zmedia/newsarchives/newsreleases/rec51/).

AFAIK, Echostar Dish Network (aka E*) does not have LRAR on its list of future local HD channels.

As I understand it, these new birds aren't for locals. just national channels.

I was told it was for both national and local channels.

Last evening, Thursday, July 05, 2007, I was noticing that KARK DT 32 was apparently having transmission problems. The signal would go from 100% down to 35% and then completely drop out. All the other stations were at their normal signal levels at my location.

Does KARK not monitor their digital signal off the air and were/are they aware of the problem? The problem is still occuring at 6:30 a.m. this morning, Friday, July 06, 2007.

As far as the satellite launch is concerned, it is my understanding that the new satellite(s) will be for LR and other markets local, HD transmissions that will be available later this year.

Oh my god! Tonight beats all. I am of course talking about "channel" 96. I say channel in quotes because I might as well be trying to get the Cardinals baseball game from rabbit ears off the back of my TV here in Little Rock from a TV station in St. Louis.

The video quality is so sh**ty tonight that it literally looks like I am watching an old TV with rabbit ears in a blinding snow storm. Occasionally I can make out shapes, but other than that, nothing. This is the WORST quality video I have ever seen on something I am paying for!

RockyF, I really hope you can cause even more hell for the technical side of Comcast come Monday morning. I would call and complain, but it would do no good. I would be told to get a converter box. They just really need to get their sh** together up there. I am soooo tempted to go back to DirecTV and put up with the leased equipment. At least there I can get all the FSN channels I want for a lower fee than Comcast for their so called Sports package.

We all need to boycott Comcast until they lower rates or increase customer service and offerings!

Re: DirecTV, I don't see any advantage to owning vs leasing their equipment. The monthly cost is the same for both (first box free, each add'l box is $5/mo). And if a leased box quits working, just call 'em and they'll FedEx a new box to you with a prepaid return label for the defective one. If you owned the equipment, you'd have to pay for replacement.

In the past there was some advantage to owning D* equipment because of the variety of boxes from different manufacturers and the different features offered by each brand. But now, all new equipment has basically the same GUI and features. Less choice, but easier for D* CSRs and tech support to deal with...

I left comscat in 1995 and would never go back to their poor customer service, even if they were available where I live now. YMMV.

... I am sure that many will be watching the launch...BelElDel,
The DirecTV10 satellite launch was successful. News article HERE (http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=127160&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1023344&highlight=).

Oh my god! Tonight beats all. I am of course talking about "channel" 96. I say channel in quotes because I might as well be trying to get the Cardinals baseball game from rabbit ears off the back of my TV here in Little Rock from a TV station in St. Louis.


I just looked at that channel to see what my system does. Direct input from cable into ntsc jack shows a nice clean picture. Switched to the VCR tuner to see what it did. Same clean picture.

I accidently tuned 96 on the old upstairs tv some time ago and I recall it was kind of snowy. But that tuner is 25 years old and they didn't do much in the way of highband then.

I'd suspect a defective tuner on your system. If someone has a realtively new small tv that can tune that high, you could plug it in and see if the problem is still there. Also the cable co could have a trap on the line if the problem continues with a newer tv set tuner.

I just looked at that channel to see what my system does. Direct input from cable into ntsc jack shows a nice clean picture. Switched to the VCR tuner to see what it did. Same clean picture.

I accidently tuned 96 on the old upstairs tv some time ago and I recall it was kind of snowy. But that tuner is 25 years old and they didn't do much in the way of highband then.

I'd suspect a defective tuner on your system. If someone has a realtively new small tv that can tune that high, you could plug it in and see if the problem is still there. Also the cable co could have a trap on the line if the problem continues with a newer tv set tuner.

This is on a brand new PVR-150 NTSC TV tuner card as well as a brand new HVR-1600 ATSC/NTSC tuner card in a computer. Every single channel around it is perfectly clear. 98 is perfectly clear, 77 is perfectly clear, even 116 is clear for whatever that does with its oscilloscope looking screen. ONLY channel 96 is messed up. So, I don't think its a defective tuner and there isn't a trap in the line or else I wouldn't get any other channel.

It is strictly that one channel. I would think it might be my coax that I have going into those two cards or the tuner cards themselves if other channels were screwed up, but its only that one channel for some reason. So, that is the reason I think its Comcraps fault. Sometime the signal is relatively clear, sometimes its so god awful that it is completely unwatchable. I just checked the recording of the Cardinals game from tonight and it looked almost clear except for a mild layer of interference over it which would make it hard to see stuff at times.

I will check it on my 27" Philips/Magnavox TV in the bedroom the next time I see any content on it as it is the only other TV in the house not hooked up to the HD DVR that I have in the living room (that one is naturally going to be crystal clear because its receiving the channel digitally since they switched over to all digital channels for anyone with a box).

I just don't think its anything on my side or else I would see garbage like that on other channels, not just one isolated one.

*EDIT*
Just as an update to this, I turned it on this morning and see the slides that Comcast throws up for the schedules of games. Those slides look clear right now. They look just like the other channels do. It is definitely only when they pull in the FSN Midwest content to show to us that I see the interference. Has anyone ever watched a Cardinal game on 96 through a regular TV with no STB hooked up? If you have, have you noticed the crap all over the picture? I wouldn't complain about this if the interference didn't prevent me from being able to see the ball when its flying through the air. I can't tell where it is in the shot, but I do know when it is caught or hit or thrown.

Re: DirecTV, I don't see any advantage to owning vs leasing their equipment. The monthly cost is the same for both (first box free, each add'l box is $5/mo). And if a leased box quits working, just call 'em and they'll FedEx a new box to you with a prepaid return label for the defective one. If you owned the equipment, you'd have to pay for replacement.

D* shows an "HD access service fee (9.99/month)" (i presume) for the leased box. If you use a box you own, you don't pay that.

I'm still using my owned zenith HD box, and i don't pay that fee (or a rental fee).

That $9.99 fee is for the HD channels package, NOT receiver rental.
When HD locals become available, you do NOT have to have the HD channels package to get HD locals. They are included at no charge unless you prefer to use antenna and have opted to not receive any local channels by satellite. Your Zenith HD receiver is MPEG2 only. It will not receive the HD locals or any new HD channels added this fall, because they will all be MPEG4.

D*'s monthly rate for owning your own equipment vs using theirs is always the same:
No charge for the first box (receiver or DVR).
$4.99 for each additional box (receiver or DVR).
One $5.99 for DVR service (regardless of how many DVRs you have, either ones you own or theirs).

D*'s monthly rate for owning your own equipment vs using theirs is always the same:
No charge for the first box (receiver or DVR).
$4.99 for each additional box (receiver or DVR).
One $5.99 for DVR service (regardless of how many DVRs you have, either ones you own or theirs).

By always the same, you mean now? The last time i checked into it (a few months ago), I was looking at $99 (if i recall right) to get the new HD box (not to be confused with the "always free" non-hd box), or $199 for the DVR variant. So they've dropped the $99 fee now? What about the 5-sat dish - is that upgrade free too (because i have the 3-sat dish)?

BTW, D* says $199 charge for the HD DVR box - i just checked.

I'm ready for the HD locals; my antenna (inside or out) continues to prove unreliable.

Also, what's the latest on all the competitors output resolutions? I know D* outputs 1280x1024, aka HD-lite, is that going to continue with the changes in the fall? Is Dish Network also outputting 1280x1024? How about comcast? Basically, which is giving the best picture in the even that you have a 1080p LCD?

Your Zenith HD receiver is MPEG2 only. It will not receive the HD locals or any new HD channels added this fall, because they will all be MPEG4.

Yeah, i was waiting until i was forced to upgrade for cost reasons (which you're telling me isnt an issue now), and to ensure i had the latest box when i needed it. Who knows... they might release an improved box in the next 2 months.

Azanon

Azanon, by no charge, I was referring to no monthly charge.

There is no up front extra charge for HD receivers for new customers, but there is an up front charge for an HD DVR. If existing customers call customer retention, they can often get an upgrade to an MPEG4 receiver and 5LNB dish at no up front charge. I have no way of knowing what specials they will offer this fall

Call customer retention and ask them about deals. Mention you're thinking of switching to cable and don't want to pay any up front costs. Or switch to cable if you're so dissatisfied. :)

ok thanks.

What problems are you having with your antenna setup? Thought it was working pretty well? Also, where did the info come from that says Direct tv is outputting 1280 x 1024? That's not a widescreen format. My box manual says 1920 x 1080 interlaced which my tv converts to 1080p. Just curious. Can't beat the HR20. I have a 750 gb external drive plugged in mine for a whopping 100 hrs of HD storage, for about $250.

D* downrezzes MPEG2 HD channels from 1920x1080i to 1280x1088i. They do not downrez 720p channels (ABC, FOX, ESPN, ESPN2 etc.) or MPEG4 channels.

What problems are you having with your antenna setup? Thought it was working pretty well? Also, where did the info come from that says Direct tv is outputting 1280 x 1024? That's not a widescreen format. My box manual says 1920 x 1080 interlaced which my tv converts to 1080p. Just curious. Can't beat the HR20. I have a 750 gb external drive plugged in mine for a whopping 100 hrs of HD storage, for about $250.

Hi Dave, its great to hear from you bud!

>Well lately, for a few months now, I just don't get KARK much at all. Its either no picture or barely coming in. I get all other digital channels though with it (including KTHV). But lately a lot of what I've wanted to see has been on KARK so i have to swap to an indoor to watch it. Of course i get the ugly D* version of KARK, but who wants to watch that? ;-)

I will admit my Zenith STB isn't helping the matter because if i swap the antenna to my Sony LCD tuner, I "usually" get KARK ok. But I hate not having the locals on the D* menu AND having to swap video back and forth.

> *The concensus in the "HDTV Programming" forum (here at AVS) is that D* effectively outputs 1280x1088 max resolution to the end user. In that forum, they've even coined a term for it; "HD-lite". The concensus reason they do that is because they just don't have the bandwidth to pump out a full-sized HD signal. Unfortunately, its probable they are going to use all of the new upcoming bandwidth on just more channels and not on increasing the output res from 1280x1088. (*corrected per arxaw, 1280x1088)

Yeah, you're correct that is a 5:4 resolution and offhand, I don't recall seeing the explanation for that. When i get more time, i'll see if i can link a specific thread stating all this. They gripe about it all the time.

I don't see too many articles on Dish or Comcast there though so I'm not sure if they have similar limitations.

> I think your box is probably starting the upconverting process to 1080i, then your set finishes the upconversion to 1080p. As i understand it, a "1080p" set is going to upconvert to its native resolution regardless. My set works the same way; in the end it will convert to its resolution (1366x768), but that doesn't make the source material that good or better.

They do not downrez 720p channels (ABC, FOX, ESPN, ESPN2 etc.) or MPEG4 channels.

I wish i could say I'm not annoyed now. (the key word starts with a "w" ;-) ) Remember, 1280x1088 is a higher resolution than 720p anyway.

>What mpeg4 channels? If the ones that aren't out yet, lets wait and see.

Sorry to hear about your KARK-DT problem. I have the same problem with Katv.
Ok, I understand what you are saying, they are just throwing out one pixel for each two they send on the horizontal plane. Guess that's better than cutting the bitrate further which is much more noticable. Probably a good 60 percent of subscribers have 1280 x 720 sets and would never notice the difference.

If you like the menu's and all, you should get the H20 receiver for $99 at Best Buy. Its got a killer tuner in it. Then you can call D* and con em into giving you a free dish upgrade and install to the 5 lnb job. Its a great little receiver. I use mine when both tuners on the dvr are recording or when I want to watch thv2 which the dvr tuner has trouble locking onto.

Azanon,
Davenlr is right. OTA tuners have improved tremendously since your D* box was manufacturered. However, there are two different H20 receivers. The H20-600 made by LG and the H20-100, made by RCA. I've had both and the tuner in the LG box runs circles around the H20-100. Living 45 to 70 miles from the stations I receive, I had to try really hard to find an antenna position where the H20-600 wouldn't pick 'em all up.

If you want to get a better receiver, call D* customer retention and ask for a billing credit to offset your MPEG4 receiver cost, then go find an H20-600 at a local retail store. If they ship one to you, it may either be a -100 or a -600. You should also be able to get them to install a 5LNB dish for you, too because you'll have to have both to get the fall HD lineup. Your monthly bill will not go up by switching to the lease plan, and you can keep your old Zenith box, which can still be used for OTA-only on a second set or computer monitor.

I now have the HR20-700 DVR made by Pace. I really like the features on it, but the OTA tuners in it are no where nearly as good as the H20-600s. Its tuners are probably about on par with your Zenith box.

Re resolution, on a smallish TV with only 1366x768 resolution, you won't see any PQ difference on the downrezzed D* channels. And from reports on another forum, the MPEG4 HD local channels on D* look identical in PQ to OTA stuff, even on TVs with 1920x1080p resolution. Initially, there were PQ problems with MPEG4 encoding, but not any more.

arxaw, Live close to Eureka ??? I love it in that area... Do You get a lot of HD in the area ? My friends in the area are mad at Direct TV because some have watched Mo. stations & I think they have got the Ft. Smith market... I think they sould be able to pick & soon I think for local You should get all markets in Your State You live.

G.B. I live on a hill about 5 mi west of Eureka, and I get tons of OTA HD with a CM 4228 antenna, with the screen removed to make it bi-directional.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1417/800257847_bb3ec94ffe_o.jpg
With all the hills here, it's either feast or famine as far as TV reception goes. Most people on ridgetops have antennas and still use them to get in-state TV. Currently on satellite, Carroll County is stuck in the Springfield DMA and D* & E* are forced to offer Springfield TV here. It's not D* or E* fault, it's the law. However, If you're down in a holler, you almost always qualify for NY HD networks on D* (at no charge if you opt for local chs).

ZIP Code 72632 is in both Benton and Carroll counties. If you tell D* you're in Benton (they always ask which one), they give you Fayetteville channels. If you say Carroll, you get Springfield TV. E* is more strict - they base the channels on your specific service address, not what county you tell them you're in. Hopefully, this law will soon change. But it really doesn't affect me.

I get strong digital OTA (100% signal strength) full time from both Fayetteville and Springfield markets.
3-1 Springfield NBC(1080i)
3-2 Springfield CW
3-3 Springfield NBC WeatherPlus
5-1 Ft Smith/Fay CBS-HD
10-1 Springfield CBS-HD
13-1 Fayetteville PBS
13-2 Fayetteville PBS
13-3 Fayetteville PBS
13-4 Fayetteville PBS
21-1 Springfield PBS
21-2 Springfield PBS (720p)
21-3 Springfield PBS
27-1 Springfield FOX-HD
29-1 Fayetteville ABC-HD
51-1 Fayetteville NBC-HD
51-2 Ft Smith FOX-SD

I sometimes get HD from Tulsa, usually mornings or evenings. Mostly KJRH-DT, KOTV-DT and KTUL-DT. Joplin stations are all still low power, so I only get analog from them, which I never watch.

Anybody else notice the considerably smaller screen on the CW last night. I swtched over to watch Supernatural at 8:00, so I don't know what was going on before then, but the shrunk screen was present the entire hour.

MB

arxaw , Sent You a PM

Anybody else notice the considerably smaller screen on the CW last night. I swtched over to watch Supernatural at 8:00, so I don't know what was going on before then, but the shrunk screen was present the entire hour.

MB

I didn't watch any CW last night, but I have noticed them forgetting to switch to HD on occasion, and a few weeks ago I did see Supernatural like that. Usually Supernatural is not letterboxed in SD, but that is what it looked like. I have contacted errett over there on occasion when I've seen that during the regular season, but it seems like somebody over there isn't paying attention now that everything is in reruns.

Re resolution, on a smallish TV with only 1366x768 resolution, you won't see any PQ difference on the downrezzed D* channels. And from reports on another forum, the MPEG4 HD local channels on D* look identical in PQ to OTA stuff, even on TVs with 1920x1080p resolution. Initially, there were PQ problems with MPEG4 encoding, but not any more.

... yeah, but that's one of the reasons I'm not upgrading to the newer 40" Sony that does 1080p (and supports 1920x1080 as a result).

Thanks for the advice on the STBs!

......

Yeah Dave, I believe when i upgrade my STB to one with a better tuner, KARK is likely to come in fine with my outdoor OTA antenna.

Anybody else notice the considerably smaller screen on the CW last night. I swtched over to watch Supernatural at 8:00, so I don't know what was going on before then, but the shrunk screen was present the entire hour.

MB

The only thing i can always count on noticing on the CW is that big a$$ logo in the lower right corner. Err, well that's the problem, its not exactly IN the corner.

..I believe when i upgrade my STB to one with a better tuner, KARK is likely to come in fine with my outdoor OTA antenna.I would almost bet money on it. If you're still in a hilly location, you've probably got significant multipath issues. The H20-600 is not bothered by multipath.

If my HR20 had as good a tuner as my H20 I could significantly reduce the amount of metal on my roof :)

Davenlr,
You could probably reduce the amount of metal, and/or move it to the attic. Or just use an indoor antenna. I could pick up KNWA-DT here (9 crowfly mi away) with a short piece of wire stuck in the ANT-IN Jack.

Actually, I can pick up all the LR stations except PBS low power ch 5 with an indoor ant on the H20 but still have to turn the loop to get both transmitter directions.

I called customer retention and they're going to give me a HR20, 5-sat dish, and install free so I guess I'll go with that. The tuner may not be as good on the HR20, but its hard to turn down that free DVR box. Maybe its tuner will be enough of an improvement over my Zenith considering even my Sony LCD tuner can get KARK.

That's super. You will like the HR20. I use the heck out of mine. Make sure the hook it up with HDMI, the PQ is better and that cable is expensive to do it yourself later.

Yep, the HR20 comes with an HDMI cable. Make sure they give it to you at the time of install.

You'll like the HR20. When you get it, expect possible performance problems initially until after it has updated the original software that comes with it. It should update within 24 hours. If not, PM me on how to force an update to the latest software.

They are constantly tweaking this DVR and sending out optional beta software updates at least once a month. The beta software must be force-downloaded using a special code. There is a "go back" option to revert to the original software. You can read about the beta software over at dbstalk.com (http://www.dbstalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=118)

Is D* shipping you the DVR directly, or is a local dealer bringing it at the time of install?
If a local dealer brings it, there are two models they can obtain.
The HR20-700 is silver in color and is made by Pace. It's the default model that is usually installed.
The HR20-100 comes in silver or black and is made by RCA. So if you order a black one, you'll get the RCA model. I have NO info on the RCA or which one has better OTA tuners. I do know that the Pace model only has one ANT input and splits the signal in half inside the box and routes it to each tuner. It's possilbe that the RCA is configured the same way.

I have the HR20-100 and the OTA works fairly well, considering I have the antenna coax split to 4 outlets in the house (a total of 5 tuners connected, counting the 2 in the DVR).

You can record 2 satellite channels at the same time, but only if they run an additional coax to the DVR. Each D* tuner requires a home run coax. you can use it with one, but you lose some functionality. You only need 1 OTA coax running to the DVR.

There are tons of HR20 tips & tricks on this thread (http://dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=72648).

> I'll mention something to them about running the second coax then for that functionality.
> They're bringing me an HR20 of their choosing, so I guess it will be a tossup on what I get.

>To tell you the truth, I'm hoping the component HDTV connectors on the HR20 produce a comparable picture (like they do with my Zenith), because my Sony Bravia's one HDMI connector is being used by my Oppo 971 DVD player. I watch a lot of DVD movies, so i like the improved picture that the oppo can produce with its 720p upconversion and its DCDi by Faroudja technology - both of which require using an HDMI connection.

I did once compare the DVI vs component on the Zenith and, to the best of my abilities, I couldnt tell a difference. Both produce stunning HD, especially after tweaking the TV parameter settings. The DVI to HDMI cable shouldn't be degrading the video since I'm told its a pin-for-pin, digital conversion of the video.

Eventually, I'll either upgrade my receiver to one with HDMI switching or get a new LCD with 2 or more HDMI jacks.

>I'll probably swap my DVD player to another connection type right before they come so they don't decline me an HDMI cable because I lack an extra jack.

Has anyone notice any fluctuation in KARK-DT's (channel 32) OTA signal lately?

I am to close. I'm getting 100 percent.

Has anyone notice any fluctuation in KARK-DT's (channel 32) OTA signal lately?

I haven't checked signal strengths, but I did notice a couple of drop outs the few times I've watched KARK-DT lately. Once was actually my recording of Live Earth from last Saturday. I didn't watch it until Thursday, and I can't remember what the weather was like when it was recorded.

> I'll mention something to them about running the second coax then for that functionality.
> They're bringing me an HR20 of their choosing, so I guess it will be a tossup on what I get.

>To tell you the truth, I'm hoping the component HDTV connectors on the HR20 produce a comparable picture (like they do with my Zenith), because my Sony Bravia's one HDMI connector is being used by my Oppo 971 DVD player. I watch a lot of DVD movies, so i like the improved picture that the oppo can produce with its 720p upconversion and its DCDi by Faroudja technology - both of which require using an HDMI connection.

I did once compare the DVI vs component on the Zenith and, to the best of my abilities, I couldnt tell a difference. Both produce stunning HD, especially after tweaking the TV parameter settings. The DVI to HDMI cable shouldn't be degrading the video since I'm told its a pin-for-pin, digital conversion of the video.

Eventually, I'll either upgrade my receiver to one with HDMI switching or get a new LCD with 2 or more HDMI jacks.

>I'll probably swap my DVD player to another connection type right before they come so they don't decline me an HDMI cable because I lack an extra jack.
You can get very low cost HDMI cables and switches at monoprice.com. I spent about $25 and got two 0.5 m HDMI cables and a manual 2x1 switch. You can spend a little more money and get automatic switches with more inputs. I've heard many HDTV experts recommend monoprice and say that there's no need to spend big bucks on brand name cables. My personal experience backs that up.

...I'm hoping the component HDTV connectors on the HR20 produce a comparable picture (like they do with my Zenith)They both produce an excellent picture. You may also notice improved SD picture quality. The newest D* boxes also have excellent scalers, so you may want to turn Native output off and let the box output everything to either 720p or 1080i. It depends on which connection you use, the type of TV you have and which scaler is better - either your TV or the DVR...

On my LCD TV, the component connection looks slightly better on 1080i and the HDMI connection looks slightly better with 720p. Both connections produce much better pictures with this box than older generation HD receivers I've had. YMMV. As always, let your own eyes be the judge of what inputs and resolutions to use.

Refresh my memory... what type of display do you have: LCD, DLP, CRT?

I haven't checked signal strengths, but I did notice a couple of drop outs the few times I've watched KARK-DT lately. Once was actually my recording of Live Earth from last Saturday. I didn't watch it until Thursday, and I can't remember what the weather was like when it was recorded.

I normally receive KARK-DT at 90-100%. Approximately two weeks ago, the signal would fluctuate between 90 and 35% and then drop completely out, leaving me with a message on my screen, "searching for signal on Off the Air antenna." This has happened about every three or four days and at different times of the day. The weather was clear to partly cloudy at all times while this was happening.

All other transmitters located on Shinall are normal in signal strength. I don't know why channel 30 (KLRT) and channel 12 (KTHV) would be unchanged and channel 32 (KARK-DT) would be to the point of dropping completely out or down to a very low signal level. All are being received on the same antenna that has not been moved.

Any thoughts from anyone.

Maybe KARK-DT reduced their power.

The Nexstar-managed stations in NWA (KFTA-DT and KNWA-DT) are frequently running at low power. I and others up here have reason to believe KFTA-DT has been on reduced power ever since a few days after they went on the air with their new transmitter. Initially, they were at 100% signal strength for many viewers inside their coverage area. After a few days, they disappeared for many viewers. Not even a blip on the SS meter.

Refresh my memory... what type of display do you have: LCD, DLP, CRT?

I have a flat panel LCD: Sony KDL-40S2000 40" Bravia

Re KARK, I'm usually no signal strengh most of the time, and just barely coming in on rare occasions. In the past, I got much better than that (it usually came in). I just assumed it was because of the spring then summer leaves on the trees around my house. All other stations in the LR area I have basically no dropout on my Zenith.

You probably wouldn't notice any difference in the HDMI vs the component connections on that size TV. Nice set, BTW.

People are always talking about leaves bothering reception, but I don't have that problem. My reception is from two directions. In one direction the antenna looks right into tall oak trees and the transmitters are 70 mi past there. The other direction is right through big ol' pine trees, with the towers ~45 mi away..

People are always talking about leaves bothering reception, but I don't have that problem. My reception is from two directions. In one direction the antenna looks right into tall oak trees and the transmitters are 70 mi past there. The other direction is right through big ol' pine trees, with the towers ~45 mi away..
I think leaves can effect reception if the transmitter is putting out a low power signal. I'm in NLR, and my reception of KATV was always worse in the spring and summer before they increased their power last fall.

I suspect that KARK-DT is having power level problems with their transmitter that they don't know how to correct. Also, soon after their signal level came back to normal this last time, there was about a two second sync difference in the audio and video.

It is hard to believe that KARK-DT would be fluctuating so much and KLRT-DT would not if the problem were leaves on the trees, rain, etc., since the freqs are so close to each other.

KTHV-DT did not fluctuate during the time KARK-DT did and even KATV-DT's signal level was normal for me.

BelElDel, you are probably correct. The nexstar managed stations in both Springfield and Fayetteville constantly have technical problems that go on for days or weeks before they get somebody in there that can figure out what's wrong.

boy am i glad someone else sees the sync problem with kark-dt i thought i was going nuts. :)

As I have said before, if I were a sponsor I would not pay for any commercial that dropped out or where the audio was off from the video. Looks like someone needs to call KLRT-DT and schedule a tech call to help them fix it (ain't gonna happen).

Will have to say that KTHV-DT has very few problems that I can spot. They, like KLRT-DT, are doing pretty well with their product. It appears to me that KLRT-DT has the best resolution with their studio shots of the LR three. Possibly because they aren't using a second channel.

The only problem that I have seen lately with KATV-DT was on a program about a week ago where, at the start of a network program, the switcher could not decide on what resolution to use. He/she finally decided on the lower of the two choices that they were switching back and forth from. Very disapointing. I don't watch KATV-DT very often.

I wonder how many homes there are that can receive the digital channels out of LR.

Ok what's going on with D* they seems to have updated or something and now all of the Little Rock dt postions are gone. What does that mean.

[what does "postions" mean?]

If you have missing channels, try unplugging your receiver and plugging it back in to reboot it.

Also check your guide. If you're using a custom guide, go into edit and see if you can add the missing channels. If you're using the "All Channels" guide and channels are missing, make sure your ZIP Code is correct in the dish and local setup areas.

I agree. I've had my D* receiver drop the -dt channels before. I had to reboot and rescan.

PBS also has great PQ here IF they switch. Noticed on HD Nova shows sometimes they switch and sometimes they just leave it in letterbox SD.

I am really surprised KLRT doesn't use 16:9 cameras in the studio. Their PQ is the best SD in the market. Can't watch the news live tho, to many commercial breaks. Gotta have my FF.

With KARK, the audio sync was only when the switcher was set on SD. When they switched to network HD feed, it was OK, so I don't see how it could be a transmitter problem, but who knows.

Azanon, when are they gonna install your system?

Dave, there's a software update for the HR20-700 available tonight only (Saturday 7/21), roughly between the hours of 10pm and 1am.

To force the update, hit the Red Button Reset.
When you see the blue restart screen immediately enter 0 2 4 6 8 on the remote.

If you don't see the "downloading software" screen in a few seconds, repeat the RBR + code again.

Details at http://www.dbstalk.com

Tried that once and just got the national release, but Ill try again tonight.

Dave, check your email

Tried it. Says downloading new software (0168) which is what I already had... ???

If you did the forced download during the window of time and got the national SW release, they canceled the CE download.

I didn't try to get this weekend's CE download, so I don't know if it was scrapped or not.....

This weekend's CE was for the HR20-100. Look for 0x180 next week for the HR20 -700. It's going to be bigger than normal which may mean VOD.

Ok, figured it out. Had to turn off mobile display in control panel to get the links to subscribe to notifications. All set up now, and ready for 0180 as well as the next H20 CE, and think Ill grab the H15 dvr ce for my parents unit, since it tends to screw up quite often. Thanks all.

Back to topic, KYPX (44-2) is attempting to show the KC game but doesn't have enough bandwidth allocated. It looks worse than analog. Way to go equity!

Back to topic, KYPX (44-2) is attempting to show the KC game but doesn't have enough bandwidth allocated. It looks worse than analog. Way to go equity!

Oh, wait until you hear this bold move by Equity. Last week before work, I was flipping channels before 6am, and 42-3 (KLRA) which used to air Univision has changed networks to something called Lat TV. From what i've seen previously, LAT TV appears to be an upstart hispanic channel. Well, before 6am, the "fine" folks at Equity decided that English language INFORMERCIALS would fit in well with the channel's programming. :eek:

Strech-o-vision on the main channel, your reports of bit started baseball today, and informericals on 42-3 during the early morning hours. Combine that with the lowest power of any non-religioius UHF digital station, and it all adds up to a dungheap on the airwaves (/End rant).

Hmmm, 44-2 and 42-3? I hadn't known about these channels. Can anyone give me a good list of all the local digital channels there are so I can try to see if my windows media play isn't just not listing them? I would like to have all of them put in the list. A good, comprehensive list would help me out a lot.

Thanks,
Steve

RF 5 PBS Redfield, Ar
2-1 PBS Main , 2-2 , 2-3, 2-4

RF 12 CBS West LR
11-1 Todays THV, 11-2 THV2.com

RF 22 ABC Redfield, AR
7-1 KATV , 7-2 ABC NewsNow

RF 24 VTN Scott, Ar
25-1 KVTN

RF 30 FOX West LR
16-1 KLRT

RF 32 NBC West LR
4-1 KARK

RF 39 CW Redfield, Ar
38-1 KASN , 38-2 VTV

RF 44 MY West Little Rock
42-1 KWBF , 42-2 KYPX, 42-3 Uni

That's the LR metro list as I know it.

Maybe the infomercials had spanish CC :)

Strech-o-vision on the main channel, your reports of bit started baseball today, and informericals on 42-3 during the early morning hours. Combine that with the lowest power of any non-religioius UHF digital station, and it all adds up to a dungheap on the airwaves (/End rant).

The low power of KWBF-DT is aggrevating to me. Fortunately, according to the FCC, they have a construction permit for 1000 kW. They are apparently running at 587 kW right now.

On other matters of low power; Until recently KASN-DT has had fairly reliable reception (some dropouts) for me but in the last week they have been almost non-existent. Normally, KASN-DT and KATV-DT behave similarly for me but now I can get KATV-DT and not KASN-DT. Does anyone know if they have temporarily reduced power or do I need to lay hands on my antenna again? I would hate to spend a lot of time only to find out they had reduced power.

dmatch

Here's the more or less complete FCC list of both analog & digital TV in LR (http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?state=&call=&arn=&city=little+rock&chan=&cha2=69&serv=&type=0&facid=&list=2&dist=&dlat2=&mlat2=&slat2=&dlon2=&mlon2=&slon2=&size=9). KASN is not shown because it's city of license is Pine Bluff. There are other stations licensed to surrounding burgs that are not listed either. Enter the city name only HERE (http://www.fcc.gov/mb/video/tvq.html) for more towns.

The low power of KWBF-DT is aggrevating to me. Fortunately, according to the FCC, they have a construction permit for 1000 kW. They are apparently running at 587 kW right now.

On other matters of low power; Until recently KASN-DT has had fairly reliable reception (some dropouts) for me but in the last week they have been almost non-existent. Normally, KASN-DT and KATV-DT behave similarly for me but now I can get KATV-DT and not KASN-DT. Does anyone know if they have temporarily reduced power or do I need to lay hands on my antenna again? I would hate to spend a lot of time only to find out they had reduced power.

dmatch

I suspect that KASN-DT has reduced its power since I have not been able to receive them in a number of weeks. I was receiving them at 85%-90%. I am receiving KWBF-DT at about 90% constant, and all the other LR channels at 90%-100% except KATV-DT which I receive at 75%-85% constant. I have never received KVTN.

KARK-DT was coming in at 100% until it started to drop almost completely out around the 4th of July and the week following. I now see that they are back at 100% which leads me to believe they were having xmtr problems at the time. I was told by one of their "Engineers" that they had not had any problems with their xmtr power. Sorry, I don't believe that. I am also to understand that they do not monitor their DT off-air signal which is a big reason that they don't know when they are on, or off, the air.

My antennae has not moved this entire time.

Do stations have to fill out some sort of FCC reports if they are not transmitting at the authorized power?

Just curious.

We had to take transmitter power and status log entries every 8 hrs when I worked in Master control. Not sure if the same rules apply for -DT.

ok i have an hr20/100 as of 7-15-07 i had listed in the guide all of the little rock dt channels

on 7-16-07 d* did some kind of big system update since then i don't have any dt channes listed i unpluged the receiver and still nothing so are you all saying that you still have them listed in your D* guide

I suspect that KASN-DT has reduced its power since I have not been able to receive them in a number of weeks.
Thanks for the feedback. Perhaps we can compare notes on some other things as well.

Right now, for instance, KWBF-DT has its clock set somewhere in the year 2025. Apparently, this causes the EPG data to NOT show up. They were sending EPG data before their clock SNAFU and probably are now but with the date/time all messed up it does not show on my system. Does it show on yours? They also went about 3 days once with no sound until I called them and pointed it out to them.

Another problem that I have on my HDTV is that both KATV-DT and KTHV-DT seem to have implemented the "broadcast flag", known officially as the "Redistribution Control" flag and for some reason this appears to cause my TV to choke on the mapping of the 2 channels to their virtual channel numbers so that they do NOT scan as their "branded" channel numbers (7 and 11). The flag is the only obvious common element that is different on these 2 channels that I have found in their data streams. Also, it appears this causes the EPG NOT to be displayed on the TV. Do you experience this?

Then there is KETS-DT. It sure is a shame that they chose such a low frequency (channel 5) for digital transmission. That channel goes thru spells where it is unwatchable for me due to what appears to be inteference. The quality is usually high (80-90%) but it is prone to sudden dropouts so often it is useless to try to watch it much of the time. Are you experiencing anything like this?

dmatch

dmatch,
People are experiencing the "Low-VHF impulse noise & co-channel interference" problems virtually everywhere stations stubbornly stayed in that band. High VHF chs 7-13 also have impulse noise problems as well.

KETS-DT plans to move to high VHF ch 7 post-analog, but that's still a sucky channel choice for OTA digital TV. It also makes antenna selection more difficult for the average OTA viewer.

on 7-16-07 d* did some kind of big system update since then i don't have any dt channes listed i unpluged the receiver and still nothing so are you all saying that you still have them listed in your D* guideernestt40,
Check all your ZIP Codes in the setup menu.
There is a place for 1 ZIP Code in the Sat Setup menu
There is a place for 2 ZIP Codes in the Antenna Setup menu.

At least that's how the HR20-700 is. The -100 may be slightly different. The -700 does not do an actual antenna channel scan. But it's possible the -100 may. So you may have to re-scan for locals.

Also, are they missing from the "ALL Channels" guide, or are you looking at a Custom Guide?

dmatch,
People are experiencing the "Low-VHF impulse noise & co-channel interference" problems virtually everywhere stations stubbornly stayed in that band. High VHF chs 7-13 also have impulse noise problems as well.

KETS-DT plans to move to high VHF ch 7 post-analog, but that's still a sucky channel choice for OTA digital TV. It also makes antenna selection more difficult for the average OTA viewer.
It's no small wonder AETN's new advert says "Contact your cable provider" to receive their extra digital channels. They don't even mention that they could be received via OTA transmission on digital TVs. Now I know why. :mad:

dmatch

they are missing from the all channels guide

What ZIP Code is in your Dish Setup Menu?
What ZIP Code is in your OTA Setup Menu?

It's no small wonder AETN's new advert says "Contact your cable provider" to receive their extra digital channels. They don't even mention that they could be received via OTA transmission on digital TVs. Now I know why. :mad:

dmatch

The analog KETG-9 transmitter I receive 24/7 but the digital transmitter on ch 13 isn't equal power. For KETS-DT, I use a small 4 element VHF antenna under my 4228 with my preamp. Even at over 90+ signal strength distant thunderstorms and impulse noise causes issues here.

ok that was it thanks arxaw i wonder how it got changed

I suspect that KASN-DT has reduced its power since I have not been able to receive them in a number of weeks. I was receiving them at 85%-90%.

Just to let you guys know, we have not lowered the power on KASN-DT. I am still seeing it at 100% in Maumelle and the transmitter is running at full power. We did have a bump Sunday afternoon where one cabinet went down for a few minutes, but all is back to normal.

E

ok that was it thanks arxaw i wonder how it got changedSettings occasionally get corrupted during a major software update like the one that you recently received from D*.

Which zip code was missing; was it the one in the satellite setup menu or the OTA setup?

Just to let you guys know, we have not lowered the power on KASN-DT. I am still seeing it at 100% in Maumelle and the transmitter is running at full power. We did have a bump Sunday afternoon where one cabinet went down for a few minutes, but all is back to normal.

E
Guess I need to do some antenna tweeking....again. I had a long run of acceptable reception from KASN-DT until recently when something changed. There are so many variables involved with fringe reception (where I am) it is hard (for me) to know the cause and effect relationships. Heck it could even be the relative humidity/cloud cover decreasing lately that did it. I can't get KASN-DT with line-of-sight reception (trees/hills) so that complicates matters and is a big disadvantage.

Thanks for the information.

dmatch

Same here, only my antennae have not moved.

both were there but were wrong

ernestt40,
That's weird. Maybe it's a refurb box that reverted to a previously entered ZIP Code during the software update....

I was thinking it maybe reset it to where it thought i was. I live on the perry pulaski line it had a perry zip but i use a pulaski zip.

It has no way of "knowing" where it is, other than from the info manually entered into the sat & OTA setup menus.

Did you initially enter the ZIPs, or did an installer?

Wow. Tried to watch Cubs and Cards game on ESPN...Blacked out. Oh ok, its on KWBF.. well, frozen promo screens, same commercials over and over...17 minutes after 7 before they managed to get the game on, then a minute more to switch to HD :) Gotta love it. Hopefully it will stay on long enough to catch a couple innings. Blacking out a national network hd game so a two bit operation can try to make you watch it on their station pisses me off.

Is anyone having problems with AETN OTA this evening? I noticed they had the HD switch on most of the evening, but it was all pixelated, sound was garbled, and it was unwatchable. Even at 10:30 when they switched back to SD, the problems are still there. I'm getting a strong signal, so I don't know what the problem could be. It may just be the one transmitter (KETZ-DT 12) in El Dorado....but I just wanted to make sure.

I have never been able to get AETN OTA over here off of Kanis and Bowman in WLR. Nor KVTN, sometimes 42 if I tilt my antenna just right, and there is this KEMV-DT and KETG_DT that shows up in my Vista Media Center software that I have never heard of, but the others are okay. Oh yeah, and I run an indoor antenna with a tiny amp built into it. I know I am lucky to get anything at all, but I don't want to have to deal with the whole putting up of an antenna outside. Its just too much money. Unless someone has one that I can have for free? :) That would be really cool.

Thanks arxaw for the links. I will look at that later on today to see what I see.

Update: Wow, its amazing the number of stations that the search shows when you put in a radius of 35km from the Little Rock coordinates that the site gives you. There are some that are apparently really close to me, but they run low enough power I don't get them. Oh well, no biggie.

steveken,
What brand/model antenna are you using?

I have never been able to get AETN OTA over here off of Kanis and Bowman in WLR. Nor KVTN, sometimes 42 if I tilt my antenna just right, and there is this KEMV-DT and KETG_DT that shows up in my Vista Media Center software that I have never heard of, but the others are okay. Oh yeah, and I run an indoor antenna with a tiny amp built into it. I know I am lucky to get anything at all, but I don't want to have to deal with the whole putting up of an antenna outside. Its just too much money. Unless someone has one that I can have for free? :) That would be really cool.

Actually KEMVDT, and KETG-DT are AETN transmitters. KEMV is in Mountain View and broadcasts on Ch 13 digital and Ch 6 analog. KETG is for the Arkadelphia area (QTH is actually @ Gurdon) and also operates on Ch 13 digital and also Ch 9 analog. Some mornings with my current setup (small VHF antenna under my CM4228 with a 7777 preamp), I can receive KETG-DT such as this morning as this is being typed.

A small VHF only antenna would work for KETS-DT which broadcasts on Ch5. KETS-DT is low power and directional to protect WMC-5 analog Memphis, and KFSM-5 analog Fort Smith. A shame though that AETN didn't go with their original assingment of ch 47. Even though KETS-DT is near LOS for me (41 mi), and has a strong signal with my setup strong thunderstorms and electrical interference will cause anoying dropouts. So will severe sporatic E interference.

the installer

steveken,
What brand/model antenna are you using?

Just a cheap wal-mart bought philips/magnavox set top antenna with a supposed small like 20 or 30 db amp or so. just not good at all, lucky I get the major channels at all.

I think I have that same antenna. Got it yesterday. 32dB amp. Picks up all but the AETN of course. Have to use max. gain or close to it for CW and MNTV but now I can pick up all the channels without moving the antenna.

It said in the manual that using max. gain would hurt picture quality but it was referencing analog TV, does the same rule apply for DTV? My signal has gone from 20dB to around 30dB on NBC an haven't noticed any quality issues but do I need to use less than max. gain since it's not necessary to receive a good enough signal?

Is anyone having problems with AETN OTA this evening? I noticed they had the HD switch on most of the evening, but it was all pixelated, sound was garbled, and it was unwatchable. Even at 10:30 when they switched back to SD, the problems are still there. I'm getting a strong signal, so I don't know what the problem could be. It may just be the one transmitter (KETZ-DT 12) in El Dorado....but I just wanted to make sure.


Thanks, Keith, I 'll check into it; see what I can learn.

Anyone else have this same thing on AETN OTA last night (Wednesday)?

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

I think I have that same antenna. Got it yesterday. 32dB amp. Picks up all but the AETN of course. Have to use max. gain or close to it for CW and MNTV but now I can pick up all the channels without moving the antenna.

It said in the manual that using max. gain would hurt picture quality but it was referencing analog TV, does the same rule apply for DTV? My signal has gone from 20dB to around 30dB on NBC an haven't noticed any quality issues but do I need to use less than max. gain since it's not necessary to receive a good enough signal?

I don't think its the same. I think mine is a little bit older. I don't have a "max gain" on mine that I know of.

...It said in the manual that using max. gain would hurt picture quality but it was referencing analog TV, does the same rule apply for DTV? They are basically referring to analog, since OTA DTV is all or nothing. As long as the signal strength's over the noise threshold, you should get a perfect picture. Any stronger signal will not make the digital picture quality better. However, if you have too much amplification, it may overload many tuners, causing digital breakup or intermittent/no picture. So, in a way, it does refer to digital.

Just a cheap wal-mart bought philips/magnavox set top antenna with a supposed small like 20 or 30 db amp or so. just not good at all, lucky I get the major channels at all.With AETN's poor choice of TV bands, reception will seldom be acceptable without a good outdoor lowband VHF antenna. Lowband VHF antennas are big. The lower the channel number, the longer the elements need to be.

And even with a big outdoor VHF antenna, you'll still be plagued with impulse noise (lightning, electrical motors, light switches, etc.) interference, as well as co-channel interference from full power channel fives operating in Ft. Smith, Memphis and possibly Alexandria, La.

Thanks, Keith, I 'll check into it; see what I can learn.

Anyone else have this same thing on AETN OTA last night (Wednesday)?

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


Kelly, thanks for the reply. The problem seems to have gone away today.... I think it may have just been that my receiver needed to be rebooted. Thanks for the concern, though!

Kelly, thanks for the reply. The problem seems to have gone away today.... I think it may have just been that my receiver needed to be rebooted. Thanks for the concern, though!


Hope that cleared the problem.

Kelly

It sure is hard to watch a Cards game around here. Ch42 is at it again. I wish the fcc would just revoke their license.

Game starts... no audio. HD on. Switched to analog receiver for audio and synced the dvr to delay the video 5 seconds so I had HD video via 42-1 and audio via sat ch 42 analog...OK THEN in the 7th inning they decide to switch to the analog feed over 42-1 instead of fixing the audio, so no HD, strretchovision. I hate this station. Why can't they hire someone that knows something about broadcasting to run the thing?

I'm pretty ticked off at KATV right now. My computer and USB HD tuner are having problems anyways right now but I had it configured and it was working to record the Arena Bowl on ABC in HD, the only taste of the AFL in HD this year. But the EPG and TV listings say Paid Programming. The newspaper has it on KATV though so I thought it was a program listing error. So I go off to work and on break I called my family and asked them to check the status for me. For whatever reason, KATV did not air the AFL championship, championship. We even have an af2 team that draws 5-6k per game, isn't that a market for it? But KATV opted to air paid programming. As mentioned above, ch. 42 which isn't that great anyways, was showing the Cardinals (not Kansas City as listed in the newspaper) so the game ends up on KKYK, a digital subchannel on one of the worst stations in the market.

How does ABC justify letting their affiliates do this? ABC/ESPN has a stake in the AFL so they need all the exposure they can get. To have their affiliate do this, and the previous delays postponements of primetime programming for basketball is ridiculous. I'm going to find a phone number I can call and let ABC know what I think as well as give a call or e-mail to KATV.

Things need to be shaken up at the TV stations around here, well I guess just KATV and ch. 42. Mediocre isn't working.

What would end all this crap would be the fcc ending its policy of protecting the locals by prohibiting the providers from offering us alternative stations such as New York or LA. Katv would wake up if they discovered 3/4 of their audience defected to WABC to watch what they SHOULD have been showing in the first place. I'd watch nationals just to avoid the obnoxious weather maps always poping up on the screen for a county 150 miles away.

... I'd watch nationals just to avoid the obnoxious weather maps always poping up on the screen for a county 150 miles away.That's what I do.

I'm pretty ticked off at KATV right now....For whatever reason, KATV did not air the AFL championship, championship. We even have an af2 team that draws 5-6k per game, isn't that a market for it? But KATV opted to air paid programming. As mentioned above, ch. 42 which isn't that great anyways, was showing the Cardinals (not Kansas City as listed in the newspaper) so the game ends up on KKYK, a digital subchannel on one of the worst stations in the market...

Things need to be shaken up at the TV stations around here, well I guess just KATV and ch. 42. Mediocre isn't working.


Right now as this message is being typed, KATV is airing a Paid Religious Program that I ran across on KVTN this morning while checking propagation conditions.

I was at work today and personally missed this grand moment of Little Rock television and had I been at home , likely I would have watched the Brickyard 400 (on ESPN) instead of the AFL Championship. Still, that does not give KATV a beard to preempt HDTV progarmming for some damn paid program for a quick rich scheme, etc.

As of right now, KATV is dead to me unless its airing an ABC Network Program. There is little difference between modern day KATV and KWBF/Equity Broadcasting. In some respects, KATV is worse because of their "perceived" reputation by the sheeple.

I will also contact ABC concerning this matter.

I used ABC's Contact Us form (kind of pointless I think, only 500 characters and it had no category for affiliates just programming so I put it in Sports) and planetfeedback.com (pointless too?). Still searching for a phone number to call or a specific e-mail address.

I also e-mailed tv7@katv.com because that's the account that Mr. Farrester has e-mailed me from before. Here's what I had to say...

Mr. Farrester,

I am regretful that I must complain again but yesterday's programming decision upsets me. Before I left for work, I checked the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and it said Arena Bowl XXI would be airing on KATV at 2PM as it should have been. I set my HDTV tuner to record KATV for 3.5 hours starting at 2PM excited that I could see an arena football game in high definition for the first time. My family checked on the recording an hour or so into the game and found, not the Arena Bowl, but paid programming. The Arena Bowl had been moved to KKYK, a digital subchannel (a subchannel!) that I cannot pick up even with my amplified antenna. Recordings failed and I was unable to watch the pinnacle of arena football, the Arena Bowl.

I personally cannot understand why you would opt to air paid programming instead of ESPN on ABC's HD sports coverage of a sport that is growing and has a potential market in Little Rock (Arkansas Twisters' attendance averages 5-6,000 fans). What adds fuel to my fire is that this happens occasionally, more often than it ever should. Though I was not here during college football season last year, I believe I saw on your website that ABC's HD college football would often be moved to accommodate SD college football with often sub-par production quality (I have seen the college basketball the same group produces and was not impressed). Also, this happens during college basketball season, as I have written to you about before, moving ABC's programming into the early morning and/or out of high-definition.

But at this moment, right now, I want to know why paid programming was shown instead of the Arena Bowl. If KATV is not willing to show ABC's programming, in the whole, why should KATV be allowed affiliation?

I have already sent a complaint to ABC about this and intend to make certain they know what is happening. But this comes down to the local programmer and is up to you, Mr. Farrester. I hope you will re-consider moving ABC's programming to a poorly received station in the future. I personally believe it is the local affiliate's duty to air what they are affiliated for.

I would love to hear your reasons why you do this to further my understanding of the television industry and would listen respectfully to what you had to say.

Thank you for your time,
Kevin C. Burns

I'm afraid all of this will amount to nothing but it's worth a try to get this problem fixed. I wish I had a contact @ ABC or at least a reliable way to contact ABC.

What power does ABC hold over affiliates? I can't imagine they would hold much influence/power if they allow something like this to happen.

doing some searching I've found that ABC really can't do much if the contact with KATV is similar to the contract with another Allbritton-owned ABC affiliate in Lynchburg, West Virginia. They are allowed a specific number of preemptions (starred out in the filing) without penalty then charged a per-half-hour penalty if they go over. So we're stuck as long as KATV doesn't do this too much.

source: http://www.secinfo.com/dr4ab.1a.d.htm

That doesn't surprise me a bit. They did the same thing with the World Cup coverage this past year. The world's largest sporting event happens every 4 years and they sent it over to its sub-channel. The video quality was so bad you honestly couldn't see the ball. Whoever is in charge seems to have something against sporting events that he/she doesn't care to watch.

That doesn't surprise me a bit. They did the same thing with the World Cup coverage this past year. The world's largest sporting event happens every 4 years and they sent it over to its sub-channel. The video quality was so bad you honestly couldn't see the ball. Whoever is in charge seems to have something against sporting events that he/she doesn't care to watch.

KATV farmed out a couple of WC matches last summer to KWBF and used the excuse t hat airing them would not allow KATV to meet its E/I programming quota for the week.

Bollacks.

KATV did not want to preempt the local Daybreak Saturday show and the hour of informericals following (it runs ABC Kids programming out of pattern, delayed until 10am). I was able to tune into KTBS-DT and watch part of the match, but they were having issues with HDTV though.

What would end all this crap would be the fcc ending its policy of protecting the locals by prohibiting the providers from offering us alternative stations such as New York or LA.

I doubt politicians would ever allow a change in that law since they get tons of free exposure from broadcasters, and one tradeoff for the protection is the requirement that political ads be run at the lowest price AND the ads have to be run bumping all the obnoxious car ads.

It is heading that way by attrition. Look at the ratings. They have declined markedly over the past few years. Even local news is only a few points over cable offerings, athough the combined share is around 30%. It used to be around 75%.

Local tv used to be a way to print money, but not so much anymore. That's why so many owners and executives are stuffing the more limited profits in their pockets rather than putting it back into the station. That explains your on air quality and programming decisions. I was told once that religious programs are prepaid for the mostpart which means better cashflow which is better than waiting 90 days for the network/local split from network programming

Part of the problem is there are few locally-owned stations any more. As far as Allbritton, et al are concerned, Little Rock is not a place with real people. It is nothing more than DMA #57 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=453241).

I doubt politicians would ever allow a change in that law since they get tons of free exposure from broadcasters, and one tradeoff for the protection is the requirement that political ads be run at the lowest price AND the ads have to be run bumping all the obnoxious car ads....I was told once that religious programs are prepaid for the mostpart which means better cashflow which is better than waiting 90 days for the network/local split from network programming

Ironicly the first sighting of the Last Days of analog broadcasting occured on one of the VTN frequencies while DXing. Of course with all that cash flow, KVTN is still asking its sheep, er viewers to contribute to putting its digital broadcasts on-air before 2/09.

Giving the CM4228 a workout at this hour, WJTV-DT 52 and WMPN-DT 20 from Jackson, MS in.

Normally tropo occurs mornings and not past noon, this evening should be *interesting* :D

"Last Days" heheheh, too funny.

For those curious about DXing digital TV this may be the evening/night. As I am typing this message (2:48PM!), Shreveport DT's KTBS, KTAL, KPXJ, and KMSS are decoding at my location. Since its mid afternoon, nothing in HD.

Thanks for the heads up, haley! I checked a while a little while ago, and was decoding KTBS, KMSS, and KTAL. Maybe this evening will bring some results :)

Here's the predicted tropo forecast:
http://www.dxinfocentre.com/tropo.html

Today (thumbnail map at bottom of page) shows "Fair" tropo for much of Ark.

Well, conditions here have improved quite a bit since 5:00. All my usual Shreveport stations are coming in with a signal in the 30db range... signal is usually in the upper teens (db wise) at this time of the day. I'm even getting the analogs from East Texas, and Jackson, MS. LPB from Alexandria, LA is coming in very well, also. These conditions are a pleasant surprise, I must say :)

How would you all like to view 1080i content at 8.3 mps?

Take a look at this bitrate screencap of KALB-DT in Alexandria, LA.

http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/1989/kalbbitratenx4.th.jpg (http://img111.imageshack.us/my.php?image=kalbbitratenx4.jpg)

Yes, both KALB 5-1 (NBC) and KALB 5-2 (CBS) were being broadcasted in 1080i.

Leno was on 5-1 in NBC-1080i.
Letterman was on 5-2 in CBS-1080i.

I'd be curious to see what fast motion 1080i football would look like while being broadcasted on these two channels simultaneously. :eek:

So far ESPN's coverage of the Nextel Cup (NASCAR) has been disapointing. Especially on audio. Although its supposed to be 5.1, it sounds more like Pro-Logic compared to FOX.

Also noticed KATV once again preempted a network sports offering on Sunday the (SD) "X Games" broadcast, because I channel surfed during some caution laps and noticed informericals...a quick check showed an ABC logo on KKYK-CA (I get a very very weak signal with them from my location ). ADG printed listings showed KATV airing Women's Golf earlier, followed by 3 hours of "Paid Programming".

Cable and OTA viewers in Central Arkansas are going to have to deal with these guys in about 6 weeks for Cup Races. Be Warned!

the reply I got from Richard Farrester, the programming director of KATV, was a generic "not everyone is going to agree with our programming decisions" when I asked how paid programming has more value than a football championship even though it is arena football.

Not only is it hard to pick up KKYK-DT (for me), because it's a subchannel and shares bandwidth I could barely see the ball in the few minutes of the ArenaBowl I saw last week. It was compressed so much I couldn't have watched it.

I hope KATV doesn't preempt Tennessee v. Cal September 1. It's a night game so I have hope that the LFSports crap will be over with. I haven't been very impressed with LFSports' basketball coverage. First, it's SD which will never ever hold an advantage over HD for me. If I want to watch SD sports I'll watch satellite (I only have OTA abilities on my comp.). Second, the matchups weren't very good because they pick after ESPN and FSN and such I guess.

Does anyone remember how many games LFSports does a day in the football season? It's not a doubleheader is it? All the good SEC games will be on CBS anyways I just don't want some good matchups on ABC, in HD, totally ruined by an inept affiliate.