Does anyone have an old DirecTV activation card that i may use ?

The April issue of PC World has an insert called Digital World which has a very interesting article about the current state of HDTV. When I finished reading it, it seems that we have one of the best cable HDTV deals going with TW. They put the mag in a plastic bag so you will have to buy it!

Unless you scan the article and post it as a PDF :)

That would be in violation of copyright laws and since my wife is an author and my daughter is also I believe very strongly in copyright laws. You could buy the magazine.

Originally posted by dolemite77
what is cablecard? And how can you tune 77.4 on digi cable?

CableCard is a technology, that allows you to decode encrypted cable via a digital tuner. A lot of newer HD sets have CableCard slots. As I understand it, you get a card from your cable co. which plugs in a slot on the set that talks to the digital tuner. Then your QAM digital tuner can tune in and decrypt encrypted digital cable stations. Basically digital cable without the box. My set has a QAM digital tuner but no CableCard, and most cable companies will allow tuning of network retransmission freely, but all of their other digitial signals are encrypted.

Originally posted by r.jones
Do a rescan of your digital cable, my provider has the networks available in clear QAM (minus NBC) even Fox.

I will try tonight.

Kudos to WCSC for the multicast today.

You can get Fox HD on Comcast channel 77.4 with TV with a built-in QAM digital tuner - no CableCard required. Just have the TV auto scan the cable signal,

You can also get
PBS-HD 77.3
ABC-HD 116.1
CBS-HD on 116.2

They may just be re-transmissions of OTA, but look/sound great to me.
The official digital channels are 190, 180, 182 respectively - for the Digital Cable subscribers.

NASCAR and the current NCAA games look great

Fox is back on 181 on comcast now.

And now for the bad news. It looks like i celebrated a bit prematurely in regards to my tv and the convergence issue. I turned it on today and it was screwed again. So i unplugged it for about 10 minutes or so, then plugged it back in and turned it on. It was perfect again! But it only lasted for about 20-30 minutes, then I watched as the colors slowly slid away from each other, and now the covergence is all off again. I unplug, wait, turn it on again, it's gone, but then comes back. What is up with this CRAP???

Originally posted by dolemite77
Fox is back on 181 on comcast now.

And now for the bad news. It looks like i celebrated a bit prematurely in regards to my tv and the convergence issue. I turned it on today and it was screwed again. So i unplugged it for about 10 minutes or so, then plugged it back in and turned it on. It was perfect again! But it only lasted for about 20-30 minutes, then I watched as the colors slowly slid away from each other, and now the covergence is all off again. I unplug, wait, turn it on again, it's gone, but then comes back. What is up with this CRAP???

Time to call a technician.

Originally posted by dolemite77
Fox is back on 181 on comcast now.

And now for the bad news. It looks like i celebrated a bit prematurely in regards to my tv and the convergence issue. I turned it on today and it was screwed again. So i unplugged it for about 10 minutes or so, then plugged it back in and turned it on. It was perfect again! But it only lasted for about 20-30 minutes, then I watched as the colors slowly slid away from each other, and now the covergence is all off again. I unplug, wait, turn it on again, it's gone, but then comes back. What is up with this CRAP???

Sorry to hear about that especially this time of year.

Agreed, time to call a technician, but at least two positive things. You have a observable, reproduceable problem, and it sounds like it is the convergence board. Not sure about the Apex, but in the Toshiba, I am pretty sure it is swapable and not overly expensive, to replace. Have you looked in HometheaterSpot.com. They have Manufacturer's forums and I have learned a lot about my set in the Toshiba forum. There may be an Apex forum, check it out.

Turned on the TV this morning and whadya know......
ABC HD is now being carried on Knology!!
So, we now get Fox, CBS and ABC as well as ESPN, DISC, and PBS !!!!
Life is getting better!

tom

Just would like to add my thanks to WCSC for a great job last night with the HD games on the digital side regardless of the analog carry. I hope they keep it up, it actually gives you a choice of game, if the HD is a blowout, but the pics are great. Just reading some of the comments in the HDTV programming section about last night, is a good reminder that we have it good, very good actually, with WCSC, and their handling of HD material and apparent concern for their viewers. Thanks, again, the other stations should look and learn.

Also appreciate the excellent HD coverage; thanks WCSC-DT! (Watching in G'town via TWC).

Any way to find out which games WCSC-DT will air tonight? The WCSC web site links you to Titan TV for their schedule, and SD ch 5 shows Duke-Delaware and Ga Tech-GWU, but the DT just show the generic first round list of possibles.

I have a neighbor who is keen to see Syracuse, and that's only one of the possibles for tonight...

Tnx,

Mike

Originally posted by starwtchr

NASCAR and the current NCAA games look great

I have to envy you...I wish I could see NASCAR in HD for myself...I am stuck with "behind the times" TWC; I wish they would get with the program. Or, maybe WTAT will increase thier OTA power; heck, maybe monkeys will fly...well you know the rest of that one! :D Seriously, if anyone at TWC monitors this forum, I hope they are providing feedback to thier upper management as to our disatisfaction (feedback on thier website goes ignored, or at least unanswered).

RFrank, I see that you have the same antenna as I do. And, looking at the map(http://www.markuyak.com/schdtv/ota/LowcountryOTA.htm), I see you are relatively the same distance from the Fox tower as lancer1991 and me and we both can get Fox(and he's got a Silver Sensor). I couldn't pick up Fox until I got a Channel Master amp, so you could give that a shot. But if you want to wait to see what shakes out with Sinclair carriage agreements, I totally understand. It might be a waste of money for you at this point. I, on the other hand, am very glad to get OTA since I'm designing an HTPC with a MyHD130 card to record HD and want to be able to schedule recordings through TitanTV. But those left turns on Sunday are certainly a sight to behold in HD.:)

Thanks, I suppose I will give that amp a shot and see what happens (where would I find one around these parts?). I would really like to see NASCAR in HD. Last year, TWC added TNT HD, and when the season switched to NBC/TNT, I was looking forward to NASCAR in HD...but no luck both the NBC and TNT broadcasts were SD (although TNT tried to make it look HD).

...Rob

RFrank, Wholesale Industrial Electronics at 515 E.Bay. Call 'em first to order(722-2634) since they have to order it from Channel Master in NC. They're great and it's also a great shop for any electircal/home theater needs.
(Geez, I sound like a commercial.:p )

RFrank,

Check out Lowes, I bought a Channel Master amp there last year.

NCAA Games Thursday and Friday carried by WCSC

Thursday, 03/24/05
7:27PM Illinois vs Wisconsin-Milwaukee (HDTV)
9:57PM Oklahoma State vs Arizona (HDTV)

Friday 03/25/05
7:10PM Duke vs Michigan State (HDTV)
9:57PM North Carolina vs Villanova (HDTV)

Any recommendations for good sports bars in the Charleston area that have HDTV's? The wife and I are going to be visiting Charleston the last weekend of this month, which as it turns out is the weekend of the NCAA final four. Assuming our beloved Tar Heels (no flaming, please) make it out of Syracuse, we'd love to find an HD bar in Charleston to watch the semi-finals.

Thanks.

Originally posted by RFrank
I have to envy you...I wish I could see NASCAR in HD for myself...I am stuck with "behind the times" TWC; I wish they would get with the program. Or, maybe WTAT will increase thier OTA power; heck, maybe monkeys will fly...well you know the rest of that one! :D Seriously, if anyone at TWC monitors this forum, I hope they are providing feedback to thier upper management as to our disatisfaction (feedback on thier website goes ignored, or at least unanswered).

Sorry to have been absent for so long gang. A head cold and very hectic work week have kept me out of the loop for a bit.

RFrank - we absolutely provide continual feedback to our Programming group that our customers are dissatisfied with the fact that there are some channels out there that we have not yet signed an HD Retransmission agreement yet. We will continue to do so and as soon as the deal for WTAT is signed we will get it on the air.

I am concerned about your comment about website feedback - I monitor all our on-line CSSR correspondence and I do know they respond to a great many emails from customers each and every day. Please feel free to post any questions you have here or at my customer email address twcscnews@twcable.com

Diana,

I hate to respond for RFrank, but I believe he was referring to WTAT not responding.

Now, I'm not a TW customer (Comcast), but either way it is good to see that the local cable companies are monitoring these message boards and providing all the info you guys do to help things go smoothly. Always good to know you have a friend on the inside. Keep the info coming.

I'm sorry if I happened to take your e-mail incorrectly.

Did anyone notice a little worse than normal reception on NBC this evening? It seemed as though during West Wing the picture froze up every 5 minutes or so. Sometimes briefly and once for a couple of minutes while the audio kept in check. It's really wierd since I looked at my signal strength and I get either full bars or one short, then all of a sudden it would drop to about 25% or so and then back to full.

Originally posted by lancer1991
Diana,

I hate to respond for RFrank, but I believe he was referring to WTAT not responding.

Now, I'm not a TW customer (Comcast), but either way it is good to see that the local cable companies are monitoring these message boards and providing all the info you guys do to help things go smoothly. Always good to know you have a friend on the inside. Keep the info coming.

I'm sorry if I happened to take your e-mail incorrectly.

Thanks - I know my answers aren't always the ones that customers want, but I do believe its better than not getting an answer at all.

Did anyone notice a little worse than normal reception on NBC this evening? It seemed as though during West Wing the picture froze up every 5 minutes or so. Sometimes briefly and once for a couple of minutes while the audio kept in check. It's really wierd since I looked at my signal strength and I get either full bars or one short, then all of a sudden it would drop to about 25% or so and then back to full.

I also had variable reception last night, at least during L&O. Since WTAT is on Comcast now, I reoriented my antenna for a better WCBD signal. Even though I get some of the strongest readings I've seen (~95% by my estimate), I still had occasional drops.

This antenna stuff is somewhat confusing to me. When I was using it for WTAT, I got a pretty good signal (~80% and solid), yet had frequent audio dropouts. While it might be a national problem, I also read it has something to do with sync signals, and I'm wondering if it might be a tuner flaw. When I switched over to Comcast last week for WTAT, the dropouts disappeared. Maybe Comcast has a better tuner?

I also played with the QAM tuning last night, which got me about 8 channels, 2 of which disappeared after 11pm. There was no information attached, so I wasn't quite sure which channel was which (you get funky numbers like 82.1). It didn't add anything for me, so I went back to my original arrangement - Comcast 8000HD for most stuff, Radio-Shack Terk HD antenna (looks like a Silver Sensor) for WCBD-DT OTA, tuned with a Sanyo HD30744.
-JFS

I have had my SS mounted outside under my eave for sometime now with good results. However, last weekend, by chance with the tournament starting, started to get bad dropouts on WCSC, yes WCSC. Frustrated, I cursed at the wind and watched Friday's game in SD.
Monday, the wife and I are on the back porch when she notices something missing from our neighbors yard. A TREE !!!!!!!!!!! Turns out, my SS had been pointing directly at the tree, and now with it gone, multipath or overload. Go figure.
So now, my SS sits proudly on an aluminum ladder in the middle of my backyard until the tournament is over, free of dropouts, even though it is somewhat of a lightning rod now.

Okay, I know we've discussed this before but can anyone confirm the price they are paying for Comcast with HD, internet, and that added HBO package? I pay 103.86 right now before taxes and that includes the HD box (no DVR), and internet. Someone had said that the combined backage was about $4 more or so. I just called Comcast and they are saying my before tax rate would be $114 for the next month or so and then would jump to $116 after their rate hike. I believe she said it was all the HBO's and either Cinemax or Showtime.

Thanks.

Repeated from one of my earlier posts:
My bill is 111.40 before taxes each month I have the Comcast Advantage (Gold?) Package which is Preferred Basic+Digital Cable+HBO+Cinemax(or Showtime)+Cable Internet+1 STB which is $108.40/month. I also rent a modem for $3/month making it $111.40+taxes. HD is an extra $5/month I think(unless it changes with next month's rate hike).
I had the damn pamphlet that they give you at Comcast that had projected rate hikes for next month, but "SHE" threw it away! ARGH! (I told her I wanted to keep it, but does she listen? Nooooo!) I think my rate hike was going to be $116.something or other just for my service. With modem=$119.??. I'll be dumping the modem charge soon and will also gettin' HD.
Then again, without that damn pamphlet, I might be wrong with my rate hike number. (She drives me crazy, but I love her.:D )

Originally posted by Hatfield
Repeated from one of my earlier posts:
My bill is 111.40 before taxes each month I have the Comcast Advantage (Gold?) Package which is Preferred Basic+Digital Cable+HBO+Cinemax(or Showtime)+Cable Internet+1 STB which is $108.40/month. I also rent a modem for $3/month making it $111.40+taxes. HD is an extra $5/month I think(unless it changes with next month's rate hike).
I had the damn pamphlet that they give you at Comcast that had projected rate hikes for next month, but "SHE" threw it away! ARGH! (I told her I wanted to keep it, but does she listen? Nooooo!) I think my rate hike was going to be $116.something or other just for my service. With modem=$119.??. I'll be dumping the modem charge soon and will also gettin' HD.
Then again, without that damn pamphlet, I might be wrong with my rate hike number. (She drives me crazy, but I love her.:D )

That's too funny. You know that saying "you love to hate em" (or something along those lines), but it's hard to live without them.



So, actually it seems that the pricing I was given today would be about right with the HD box thrown in for $5.

Okay, I picked up the DVR today. How come it is so different then the regular HD box? I know can't get my TV to control the stretching on non HD channels. I have a Sony and I like their Wide Zoom function. I know the cable box has a stretch mode, but it also stretches the HD stuff, at least on ESPN when they are showing a HD broadcast their side bars aren't there with stretch on. I have done the "guide and info" button and have tried all the configurations from all the signals on, to just the widescreen, to just the standard and non seem to work. I think it has something to do with the initial setup of "hold down the select, vol. down and then select your output" which I put to 1080. If you select anything but 1080 or 720 all the HD has horizontal bars.

Originally posted by DianaTWCSC
Sorry to have been absent for so long gang. A head cold and very hectic work week have kept me out of the loop for a bit.

RFrank - we absolutely provide continual feedback to our Programming group that our customers are dissatisfied with the fact that there are some channels out there that we have not yet signed an HD Retransmission agreement yet. We will continue to do so and as soon as the deal for WTAT is signed we will get it on the air.

I am concerned about your comment about website feedback - I monitor all our on-line CSSR correspondence and I do know they respond to a great many emails from customers each and every day. Please feel free to post any questions you have here or at my customer email address twcscnews@twcable.com

I did mean TWCSC...I have submitted several feedback items that went unanswered in the past. Unfortunately I cannot remember which ones they were and when (probably one within the last 6 months)...not like I overloaded y'all will feedback items, but periodically I had tried to get feedback about new HD programming (specifically about network channels like FOX and NBC), and not a word back. I have given up asking those questions...

Oh, and although I did not mean WTAT, but no, they don't respond either.

I'm sorry RFrank, I was thinking you meant WTAT since it seems everyone has commented on sending them e-mails regarding their broadcast power with no responses back (now that's some good customer service).

I was thinking, someone had asked the question, I think, about WB being a local broadcast. Does anyone know if they do have local stations in the south? I came down from Southwestern CT where WB broadcasted out of NYC and it made me think they where just a NYC station. Not that I watch much WB programs, but would be nice to get some more HD content. It's just so hard to watch SD content. Especially when my non digital channels don't come through perfect to begin with. I think I need to look into the additional wiring I did and try to improve the signal. I did one of the no-nos and ran a splitter under the house after coming off the main feed splitter and of course I used the twist on connectors (which is actually the same thing my builder provided at all the boxes).

BTW, when talking with Comcast today the lady I spoke with didn't even know WTAT-DT was being broadcast on her system. She had said they tend to get a lot of their info from callers. Wouldn't you think they'd tell their CS staff to use as a selling point?

Originally posted by lancer1991

BTW, when talking with Comcast today the lady I spoke with didn't even know WTAT-DT was being broadcast on her system. She had said they tend to get a lot of their info from callers. Wouldn't you think they'd tell their CS staff to use as a selling point?

I betcha they did.... I know CSSRs not reading/comprehending information I provide them is one of my largest headaches. No matter who you are its very hard to staff the CS position - face it, you and I don't want that job...and its the hardest job in any business.

I will promise for Comcast and Knology and TWC that we will all continue to try to get the best information and training to our CS staff.

Speaking of RFrank, again I apologize if you didn't get a response. I do know that our On line CSSRs at twcservice@twcable.com answer requests about HD programming updates all the time as do I. Hopefully now that you have more options for your questions you will receive a more timely approach.


And - forgive me for being a bit off topic now - but Holy Cow and Go Illini!

IOriginally posted by RFrank
I am concerned about your comment about website feedback - I monitor all our on-line CSSR correspondence and I do know they respond to a great many emails from customers each and every day. Please feel free to post any questions you have here or at my customer email address twcscnews@twcable.com


Hello all, I am new here. I have been reviewing the posts and I would like to let the TWC rep know that I too have contacted them many times about Fox-HD and most of the time I did not receive a response. When I pressed the issue and stayed on the phone for hours I never received satisfaction. I feel the TWC could do much better with their responses. I am still not happy about not getting the Super Bowl in HD when my neighbors could on Knology. What is TWC's problem anyway? Will we have FoxHD by the next football season or not?


As for WTAT. Right before the Superbowl, I contacted WTAT and they patched me through to the HD engineer. Being a RF tech myself, I was able to communicate with him on a tech level and learned a lot about their transmissions. I was unable to get anywhere with the TWC issue however. They always claim TWC is the problem.

I personally do not care if TWC or WTAT is at fault. I know I pay A LOT of money for cable and HD. Thankfully, most of my favorite programs come on CBS and ABC. I do look forward to watching NFC Football in HD this year. It is my hope the WTAT and TWC can get together and make it happen.

TWC wants us to post questions.... how about this. When will we get Fox, NBC, and WB in HD? Are they going to raise our rates to get them? What can we do to expedite the HD additions before football season?

BTW, responding "to a great many emails from customers" does not mean responding to all of them. I have never received email feedback from TWC. The only time I get anywhere with TWC is when I call on the phone and insist on someone talking to me. Of course, they never know anything. Big help there. I hope TWC listens to their customers soon and puts our requests first. We do not want or need these way out there channels and other crap. We need, want, demand, and deserve quality programming for the money we pay. Remove the junk channels that at most one or two people watch and put up the HD channels that are available. By doing so, you will get more customers and keep the ones you have. If not, many will start to migrate to the Satellite HD options.

Thanks for your time.
Sincerely Frustrated,
Tom

Thank you for the information. I will do my best to provide answers for all your questions:

“Hello all, I am new here. I have been reviewing the posts and I would like to let the TWC rep know that I too have contacted them many times about Fox-HD and most of the time I did not receive a response. When I pressed the issue and stayed on the phone for hours I never received satisfaction. I feel the TWC could do much better with their responses. I am still not happy about not getting the Super Bowl in HD when my neighbors could on Knology. What is TWC's problem anyway? Will we have FoxHD by the next football season or not?”


I also feel we could do better in our responses; we certainly strive to continue to do so. We do regret the FOX HD deal was not done prior to the Super Bowl, but it wasn’t for lack of trying on our part. That is not meant to blame to make you feel any better about missing the event. It is simply meant as a statement of fact; TWC and Sinclair have been in negotiations for HD carriage for a very, very long time. I am not privy to the negotiations so I do not know what the sticking points are or what other cable operators have agreed to. I do not know when the deal will be completed, nor can I project if it will be prior to the next football season.

“As for WTAT. Right before the Superbowl, I contacted WTAT and they patched me through to the HD engineer. Being a RF tech myself, I was able to communicate with him on a tech level and learned a lot about their transmissions. I was unable to get anywhere with the TWC issue however. They always claim TWC is the problem.”

There are two sides to this negotiation. I don’t believe there is a ‘problem’ on either side, simply a negotiation in which two business are working to support their own business plan. Negotiations with Sinclair are done at the Corporate level by company attorneys on each side. They do not provide us with updates on the process. Given that I am the Marketing Director for TWC in South Carolina and I’m not given any specific information on the process, I hope can understand why a CSSR may not be able to provide you a satisfactory answer. It is simply an answer none of us have at the local level.

Now, when the deal is signed, we will turn it around on the air as fast as possible, so in a sense a timeline is not necessary because we don’t add HD channels on a schedule. We just add them as soon as we can.

”I personally do not care if TWC or WTAT is at fault. I know I pay A LOT of money for cable and HD. Thankfully, most of my favorite programs come on CBS and ABC. I do look forward to watching NFC Football in HD this year. It is my hope the WTAT and TWC can get together and make it happen.”


As stated above the negotiation are continuing and we put it on the air as soon as we get the contract signed.

“TWC wants us to post questions.... how about this. When will we get Fox, NBC, and WB in HD? Are they going to raise our rates to get them? What can we do to expedite the HD additions before football season?”


Again, I can’t give a date for any HD launch because no one at the South Carolina Division is privy that the status of negotiations.

The rates WILL NOT be raised – HD Broadcast Channels are provided Free with the HD Converter and the HD DVR. We will not charge for them.

I don’t know of anything beyond what you are already doing to expedite the situation.


“BTW, responding "to a great many emails from customers" does not mean responding to all of them. I have never received email feedback from TWC.”

I’m sure your correct. I don’t know how many emails we get per day, but I do know I review around 500 a week that we respond to. I had made the assumption this was most if not all that had been sent in. I absolutely could be incorrect in this assumption. Your comment has certainly aroused my curiosity to find out the percentage of emails that go un-answered though and why that would happen.

Thanks for your quick response Diana. As you can tell, for months I have been through this with TWC. I have been given every explanation there is. I understand that negotiations are handled on a corprate level. I know the legal red tape that has to be gone through. I just find it very interesting the TWC is the only one in Charleston that can't seem to resolve the issue.

From the posts that I have read from you, it seems that you truly care about your customers... are rare thing indeed in these times. I feel it is very necessary for the people in charge to hear the complaints, demands, and wishes of their customers. If they loose touch, then the customers are the ones to suffer. I hope that your superiors realize your commitment and reward you for such.

One thing is for sure. As a TWCSC - Summerville customer, I intend on continuing my quest to obtain FoxHD before football season. I believe there are many more customers that feel the same way. I have become spoiled with the picture quality, sound, and features. I eagerly await the arrival of more HD programming.

One more thing, many times I have contacted your customer service / tech. service about poor sound quality on your local analog stations. Specifically, 2, 4, and 5. If these channels are viewed with a good sound system you will hear a low hum. Sometimes worse than others. Before adding ABCHD to the line up, I could not even watch Monday Night Football on the analog signal. The hum was to bad. I went as far as to tell your tech.s what control they needed to adjust on their processor but they insisted that the problem was in my system. Of course, that is not the case. Your tech. service refused to look into that. It is now showing up more and more on NBC. Your tech.s should look into it.

Back on topic.... I look forward to continued HD reception with TWC. Do you have any word on WB-HD?

Thanks again,
Tom

Originally posted by Darthtom
I

Hello all, I am new here. I have been reviewing the posts and I would like to let the TWC rep know that I too have contacted them many times about Fox-HD and most of the time I did not receive a response. When I pressed the issue and stayed on the phone for hours I never received satisfaction. I feel the TWC could do much better with their responses. I am still not happy about not getting the Super Bowl in HD when my neighbors could on Knology. What is TWC's problem anyway? Will we have FoxHD by the next football season or not?


As for WTAT. Right before the Superbowl, I contacted WTAT and they patched me through to the HD engineer. Being a RF tech myself, I was able to communicate with him on a tech level and learned a lot about their transmissions. I was unable to get anywhere with the TWC issue however. They always claim TWC is the problem.

I personally do not care if TWC or WTAT is at fault. I know I pay A LOT of money for cable and HD. Thankfully, most of my favorite programs come on CBS and ABC. I do look forward to watching NFC Football in HD this year. It is my hope the WTAT and TWC can get together and make it happen.

TWC wants us to post questions.... how about this. When will we get Fox, NBC, and WB in HD? Are they going to raise our rates to get them? What can we do to expedite the HD additions before football season?

BTW, responding "to a great many emails from customers" does not mean responding to all of them. I have never received email feedback from TWC. The only time I get anywhere with TWC is when I call on the phone and insist on someone talking to me. Of course, they never know anything. Big help there. I hope TWC listens to their customers soon and puts our requests first. We do not want or need these way out there channels and other crap. We need, want, demand, and deserve quality programming for the money we pay. Remove the junk channels that at most one or two people watch and put up the HD channels that are available. By doing so, you will get more customers and keep the ones you have. If not, many will start to migrate to the Satellite HD options.

Thanks for your time.
Sincerely Frustrated,
Tom

Amen brother :D

BTW, did WTAT tell you why they are transmitting their OTA signal at such low power? It is almost impossible to get here in Summerville as far as I have been able to work it anyway. If we could get some of these last few stations to crank up a little power, we would have an option to TWCSC ;)

Anyone else not have WCIV 4.1 OTA right now? Anyone have a contact number for 4.1 so I can see if they care about their HD signal?

Called Master control and they are looking into it. My wife's going to hate watching Desperate Housewives in analog!!!

Originally posted by Darthtom

One more thing, many times I have contacted your customer service / tech. service about poor sound quality on your local analog stations. Specifically, 2, 4, and 5. If these channels are viewed with a good sound system you will hear a low hum. Sometimes worse than others. Before adding ABCHD to the line up, I could not even watch Monday Night Football on the analog signal. The hum was to bad. I went as far as to tell your tech.s what control they needed to adjust on their processor but they insisted that the problem was in my system. Of course, that is not the case. Your tech. service refused to look into that. It is now showing up more and more on NBC. Your tech.s should look into it.

Back on topic.... I look forward to continued HD reception with TWC. Do you have any word on WB-HD?

Thanks again,
Tom

The problem on 2, 4 and 5 is a known issue, but I haven't re-visited it for a while, so I will get an update from Engineering as soon as I can and get back with you. If you PM me your phone number and around the time (date/month) the call was made I can find out who mishandled the call and provide them with appropriate feedback as well.

And, I have no word on any HD ahead of any contract - Really, I'm telling the absolute truth. If we don't have an HD signal on the air its because we don't have a deal for the signal. I find out about signed HD contracts about a nanosecond before I post to you that we are launching. We know HD channels are important and we just don't sit on them - Promise, Cross My Heat - needle in the eye and everything.

Originally posted by RFrank
Amen brother :D

BTW, did WTAT tell you why they are transmitting their OTA signal at such low power? It is almost impossible to get here in Summerville as far as I have been able to work it anyway. If we could get some of these last few stations to crank up a little power, we would have an option to TWCSC ;)

It has been a couple of months since I talked to them. They were supposed to be close to working out their problems. 24 and 2 are on the same towers in Awendale and there seems to be problems with the conversion. I have been informed that they are very close to getting both up. They were unable or unwilling to give me a time line on going full power. I heard a rumor that they will be up within a week or so... of course, I will believe that when I see it.

I live outside of Summerville also. I have tried to get them OTA. My subdivision frowns on outside antenna's. If not for that, I have the knowledge and ability to get the reception... it is not easy nor cheap however. Of course, with the money I have in my system already, a little more wouldn't hurt. Hopefully 2 and 24 will go full power very soon and TWC can work out the details.

Originally posted by DianaTWCSC
The problem on 2, 4 and 5 is a known issue, but I haven't re-visited it for a while, so I will get an update from Engineering as soon as I can and get back with you. If you PM me your phone number and around the time (date/month) the call was made I can find out who mishandled the call and provide them with appropriate feedback as well.

And, I have no word on any HD ahead of any contract - Really, I'm telling the absolute truth. If we don't have an HD signal on the air its because we don't have a deal for the signal. I find out about signed HD contracts about a nanosecond before I post to you that we are launching. We know HD channels are important and we just don't sit on them - Promise, Cross My Heat - needle in the eye and everything.

There have been many calls concerning this issue. I can not give you exact dates. I can tell you that I installed a high end theater system in September. Before that, I had noticed the audio issues but it was not to annoying. After the new TV and surround sound (and many thousands of dollars) the audio was obviously a problem. After a few calls, emails, and web comments I gave up. The techs kept telling me the same things... when they responded at all. Like I said earlier, I even told them what to adjust. They did not seem interested in correcting any problems. I have complained every time I talked to TWC about this issue. I will email you direct with my number so you may look into it if you wish. As long as my shows are on ABCHD or CBSHD I can survive. Of course, all of the other customers out there may not be as blessed as I am.

I do believe you about the contract status and HD programming. I have delt with cable companies for years. They have historically not been very forthcoming with information, even with their own employees. That is one reason many (including myself) do not trust them. Bottom line is that there is a demand for a service. This demand has gone unresolved for a long time. When questioned, I get different answers. I was even informed on the weekend of the superbowl that TWC had signed a contract and that FOXHD was going online that weekend on many of the TWC systems, but not here. They said, "very soon." I assume that the FoxHD channels that came up were not sinclair stations.

Thanks again Diana, for your time and commitment to this forum. It is refreshing to see an employee take there own time to read and respond to concerns. I have noticed that I do not see any comments from Knology or Comcast here. That says a lot about you. I would love to have a few committed people like you working for me. They are truly a rare find.

MTFBWY :)
Tom

Im in my first year of being a subscriber to TWC and their customer service has always been a smoothe and enjoyable experience. Diana has been a big reason why.

Darthtom, do you have "exclusive use or control" over any part of your owned or rented property? If so, and your "subdivision frowns on outside antennas," print out this FCC document http://ftp.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/consumerdish.html , put up your antenna, and tell 'em ta pucker up and kiss it.:p They are your (public)airwaves as an American citizen. If it's an apartment building, there can be problems though.
More detailed: http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html

Thanks for the information about the antenna's. I was a satellite installer for many years and I am aware of the ways around such restrictions. I will however be checking into your links to update my information.

I have not installed my OTA antenna yet due to the hassles that it would bring. I have not really needed to. If TWC does not have FoxHD by the start of football season, I will be installing my antennas, amps, and all of the other stuff that I need to get it. Neighborhood associations beware!

On another topic, has anyone tried the Voom satellite? I am wondering if all of the hype from them is true.

Originally posted by Darthtom
On another topic, has anyone tried the Voom satellite? I am wondering if all of the hype from them is true.

Having a HDTV without Voom is like having a $3000.00 stove and only cooking beenie weenies.

All kidding aside, I have had all types of programming/providers (D*, E*, cable) and nothing compares to Voom. Give 'em a try, it's only a dollar.

Darthtom,

Ok - the electrical hum in 2, 4 and 5 'were' known issues until we completed the fiber connection from their towers to our headend. I apologize for mis-stating that it was still a known issue.

I spoke with my Senior Engineer and we had the humbar for these channels checked in the headend and there was no discernible signal issue. My Engineers suggest that in all likelihood, there is something ungrounded in your home resulting in the hum - he has seen any number of electronic items that can cause it: hot-water heater, door bell, cordless phone. We will be happy to help you work through this. Please PM me your home number and a convenient time to call and I will have the Tech Ops Manager for Summerville call you directly to get this worked out.

untill Voom has a DVR and a way record locals NO WAY

Voom's days may be numbered:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?threadid=515000&highlight=voom
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/article/ds19620.html
http://www.tvpredictions.com/voom030404.html
So you may have to deal with the beenie weenies.

Originally posted by Hatfield
Voom's days may be numbered:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?threadid=515000&highlight=voom
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/article/ds19620.html
http://www.tvpredictions.com/voom030404.html
So you may have to deal with the beenie weenies.

How long has this been speculated? Charles Dolan has a knack for taking what others have called Chicken Sh*t and turning it into Chicken Salad.
Remember cable TV, HBO and Playboy channel? No one thought these ventures would pan out either.

Everyone on this forum has invested thousands of dollars in their Home Theater System. Feed your HDTV with high octane instead of watered down unleaded. It's only a buck for up to three room install.
I have the basic package on two HDTVs and get 28 HD channels plus all the cable favorites and it's cheaper than all the providers that I've had in the past.

PQ and sound is the best out there.

No locals, no DVR, no deal.

I get my locals with Voom and the DVR is slated for June/July release.

You get your locals OTA.

Originally posted by Gary J
You get your locals OTA.

You are correct, OTA through the Voom STB with EPG.
I don't understand your point.

The point is plenty of people with Voom can not get locals.

How do you get your locals?

If your address shows up on www.antennaweb.org as being able to receive DTV broadcasts, Voom will put up the antenna that is required to receive them.

Cable. I am in the Charleston DMA. You will not see an antenna here or anywhere in the Myrtle Beach area. Anyone considering VOOM can not assume they will or can receive locals with it.

I didn't realize MB lacked local TV. Voom does have Super DMA which will allow you to receive stations from different DMAs for those that live in between areas. It probably wouldn't do MB residents any good since you're stll 60 to 70 miles from towers.

Most could consider this alternative. Voom plus bottom line basic cable for locals. I kept basic cable when I started with DBS for back up. It's about $10.00/month. If your cable company has digital HD locals and you have a clear QAM receiver, you won't need their HD box.

BTW Awesome HT setup you have.

I think Voom goes by what antenna web says as far as locals go.
For my address ant.web says 1 DTV station (bull) they do not list anything past 40 miles. I know a Voom cust near here that only gets on DTV station from Sav Ga. Voom would only put up the wing ant. which is crap.
We could get 3 stations with a $25 R/S U75 and 5 stations with a 4228 Voom would not pay for or install anything but the wing thing

Gary I would try a CM 4228 ant and CM9521 rotor, that should get WCSC and PBS and maybe more, you should also get stations from Florence. You are under 50 miles from WCSC tower and 60 from Florence. I am 71 miles from WCSC and it is solid from here

Many people in this area have tried and failed. I get all four networks in HD on TWC so it is all good.

Originally posted by oljim
I think Voom goes by what antenna web says as far as locals go.
For my address ant.web says 1 DTV station (bull) they do not list anything past 40 miles. I know a Voom cust near here that only gets on DTV station from Sav Ga. Voom would only put up the wing ant. which is crap.
We could get 3 stations with a $25 R/S U75 and 5 stations with a 4228 Voom would not pay for or install anything but the wing thing

They do initially. If you call a Voom CSR and state your case an antenna upgrade is not difficult to get approved.

fairtomiddlin: I remember that you asked about Sports Bars here locally for viewing the NCAA games. I have not been to any here locally in a long long time. However, from an informal poll of co-workers, the King Street Grill supposively is a good place to see a game. They have 9 plasmas, but I could not confirm that they had HD. Bobby Hartins has at least one HD set. Shooters I think has a lot of HDTV's as I remember them advertising that fact a long time ago. Trayce's Time Out for Sports (or something like that) also has a lot of flatscreens but again I don't know for sure about HD.

Is there anyone else that could help a brother out?

West Wings (i've only been to once) has the largest front projection HD setup i've ever seen. Must be like 15-20 feet or so.

Originally posted by Gary J
Many people in this area have tried and failed. I get all four networks in HD on TWC so it is all good.

Which FOX and NBC affiliates are you receiving in HD thru TWC ?

I can second KTrout's suggestion of King Street Grill. Great place. And TVs TVs everywhere. A bunch of plasmas placed above and around the seating area and I think 3 behind the bar for those sitting there. There used to be a real cute bartender working there too. I think her name was Angel. Long, sandy-blond hair. Had a neat tatoo on the small of her back......<SMACK> Sorry, started to daydream. Gotta love those college girls though.:p

Originally posted by shuttermaker
Which FOX and NBC affiliates are you receiving in HD thru TWC ?

Gary lives in a very unusual / lucky place. It is the southern part of The Grand Strand, so he gets WIS from Columbia and WFXB from FMB based upon longstanding analog carriage arrangements of those signals in his area. He also gets ABC from WCIV Charleston, which in not available to persons in the Northern part of the Grand Strand.

Trust me, its confusing.... across the street neighbors can have a different lineup ..... I have a very detailed spreadsheet I have to consult prior to answering any questions about HD on The Grand Strand.

I really miss the NFL network from my days with DirecTV. Any rumors of future planning on the part of TWC to add some more HD channels.

I would think that they are gonna have to do something to at least try and keep up with the future plans of the satellite providers. Its my understanding that they are planning to increase their HD variety sometime this summer. I think they are gonna launch another satellite or something.

Originally posted by shuttermaker
I really miss the NFL network from my days with DirecTV. Any rumors of future planning on the part of TWC to add some more HD channels.

I would think that they are gonna have to do something to at least try and keep up with the future plans of the satellite providers. Its my understanding that they are planning to increase their HD variety sometime this summer. I think they are gonna launch another satellite or something.

That new DirecTV commercial is trying to say they will be adding something like 1500 = FIFTEEN HUNDRED High Def channels... We'll see about that...

I hear ya....and yeah that has to be a bit misleading. One can only hope.

Well they're launching 4 satellites between now and 2007 and converting over to MPEG-4 so you never know.

Do ya think they might start to offer HD locals over satellite instead of their customers having to put up antennas to receive these signals?

That would be a grand slam in my book

That is supposed to be their plan. They are supposed to start with the larger cities and then work their way down; like they did with the original local channels. They are supposed to broadcast the local HD channels in MPEG-4. Since the existing receivers aren't upgradeable, this will require replacing the receivers.
My guess is 2007-2008 before Charleston is upgraded.

Hmmm? 2007 - 2008? TWC and Sinclair might have an agreement by then as well ;)

Originally posted by DianaTWCSC
Gary lives in a very unusual / lucky place. It is the southern part of The Grand Strand, so he gets WIS from Columbia and WFXB from FMB based upon longstanding analog carriage arrangements of those signals in his area. He also gets ABC from WCIV Charleston, which in not available to persons in the Northern part of the Grand Strand.

Trust me, its confusing.... across the street neighbors can have a different lineup ..... I have a very detailed spreadsheet I have to consult prior to answering any questions about HD on The Grand Strand.
Almost correct. My ABC is WPDE - Myrtle Beach/Florence. Please don't take it away if I am not supposed to be getting it. :)

Gar-

Don't ruin a good thing! Both WPDE and WCIV are on the TWC cable feed in our area (I read them as QAM channels 100.004 and 118.025 respectively) but only WCIV maps to a TWC STB channel for us (comes up as 815). I like being able to compare the Florence and Charleston ABC HD feed, especially as to how they handle the 5.1 audio pass-through. And if one forgets to flip the switch, now rare, it's nice to have the other backup.

Speaking of which...

Diana: for a long time WCIV was on QAM 104.001 in our system, but a few days ago it disappeared. By doing a new search with the Pio Media Receiver, I was able to "find" it again, now on 118.025.

Why did it move? When I do a rescan with my QAM tuner, it blows away all the previously found channels, AND the favorites too, so every time TWC moves an in-the-clear QAM channel, I get to spend 35-45 minutes on a scan, then another hour or so deleting all the "blank" channels and resetting my favorites. Not fun.

Now of course I could just watch everything through the SA8000HD STB and avoid all this work, however I find a distinctly clearer picture on the channels I am able to demodulate directly. So for the really good HD stuff like the March Madness games on CBS, I've been watching direct, not through the 8000. I think I may have to try to get the 8300 to see if that's any better... And don't get me wrong, the HD video out of the 8000 is very good, but when I can A-B compare it to direct, it looks distinctly "soft" by comparison.

Thanks for listening...

Mike

Ok - let me try to catch up with all the questions over the past two days of posts.

Satellite - 1500 new HD channels across the country - not 1500 to every customer. Our guess that is the HD locals throughout the nation to total 1500ish.

Negotiations with both Sinclair and Media General are continuing in earnest. As well as NFL Network, ESPN2HD, Universal HD, etc.

Yes WPDE in South Strand, not WCIV - my misreading of my own spreadsheet

QAMs changed in Summerville because we are rearranging the entire analog lineup next Tuesday the 5th. We have a great deal of communications in the marketplace concerning this event.

Don't take this wrong Mike, but keeping channels on the same QAM tuner is not our priority. Our priority is setting up our bandwidth in a manner in which we can meet the strategic priorities for our system which results in advanced technology for our customers. I don't know why or when, but I can assure you channels will continue to change QAM in the future as needed. As long as you receive the channels on your HD Converter we are meeting our obligation to our HD customers.

I have a few questions for anyone wanting to answer.

1. What is the primary purpose of a QAM?

2. Can any cable subscriber benefit from using one in their home theater system ?

3. Does a QAM work in conjunction with a cable box ?

Shuttlemaker-
I'll take a stab at it...

Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) is the modulation type favored by CATV systems for carrying digital programming, including both SD and HD channels, to their customers. It comes in various flavors such as 64QAM and 256QAM, is very efficient in use of available bandwidth, and is better suited to a closed, wired distribution system. 8VSB (vestigial sideband) on the other hand is the modulation standard adopted by the FCC for over-the-air digital transmission. CATV digital STB's demodulate the QAM (and decrypt it if is is encoded for conditional access) and output video and audio for the user's TV.

Many new consumer HD sets (such as the Pioneer we bought) include inboard tuners which not only can demodulate traditional analog or NTSC television, but can also work with both 8VSB and QAM signals. In the latter case the tuner usually also can support a cable card, which eliminates the need for a STB, as the cable card can be enabled by the cable company to decrypt the signals for which you are paying. (You don't need a cable card however for the "off-air" HD signals while converted from 8VSB to QAM are not encrypted and can be demodulated directly by the set connected to a split of the cable feed.) The downside of the cable card approach is that it is "one way" so interactive services like pay-per-view, electronic program guide, and video on demand aren't supported.

In our case we wanted an HD PVR and the program guide function, so opted for the TWC Scientific Atlanta STB with the inboard hard drive rather than the cable card. But we still use the TV's QAM tuner for some of our HD-watching in real time, because it it just noticably sharper than using the STB. I think that in turn is because the PVR function is always writing to and reading from the hard drive, putting an extra encode-decode step in the path.

Hope that helps some...

Mike

OK... Now my turn to catch up. Diana, I went back and reviewed my reception on the analog channels. Since we have CBS and ABC in HD, I never watch the analog broadcast anymore. You are correct with the audio on those channels. They are now clear on my system. NBC (channel 2) does have a small hum on some shows. It is not nearly as noticeable as the others were. Some shows are worse than others.

I am quit sure the sound issues are not in my system. A little background on myself. I am an electronics tech by trade. I have worked on MATV, CATV, Satellite, and other RF systems for over 25 years. I am very familiar with what can cause interference and take steps to remove these problems. I have indeed checked my system and found it to be right in there. If the problem was at my home, in my system, it would not very between shows and would affect more than one channel most likely... also would likely effect the video from time to time. I have put a spectrum analyzer on my signal to verify there is no problems at home. I know most of the people who complain to you are average Joe's who can't even plug in their TV's without tech support but I assure you that I am not one of those people. (No attitude intended). I have waited two days to post this reply to insure that the problems were corrected. While the NBC audio is not up to par, it is not unwatchable as ABC once was. I rarely watch NBC anyway so it is basically a non-issue to me. If and when TWC gets NBCHD online, I may consider watching the channel.

I am glad to read that you are working on ESPN2HD, Universal HD, Sinclair, and others.

I look forward to continued upgrades and performance with TWC. Hopefully, we will not have to wait to long for these channels. Only about four months to football season you know. TWC better hurry. ;-)

Thanks again Diana for you commitment.

One thought - if the issue is not in the headend and its not at your home - could there perhaps be some electrical interference somewhere in the plant in between?

I hope this isn't a stupid question.

Sounds like a grounding problem to me.

Made the mistake to have my TV tuner search for digital stations around 10 PM tonight and pulled in all sorts of stations. Unfortunately it drowned out my locals. Was able to re-run it and get back local 2, 4, and 5 where I picked up CBS Greensboro on 2 and CBS Raleigh on 5. Still getting NBC out of Wilmington, NBC out of Columbia, ABC out of Raleigh, CBS out of Columbia and most likely PBS out of Columbia.

What I'm getting at though is I was getting a faint WACH signal which is FOX out of Columbia. Have any of you guys in Summerville tried to pull this in rather than WTAT or was it just one of those clear weather nights that lets you pull in a lot that you can't get during the day. Probably a clear weather night since I was able to get that Orlando station that one time, but that was while locating my Silver Sensor in the optimal spot for WTAT.

I've got a question for all you in the area regarding QAM. As you know, I've been designing a HTPC(on paper) capable of capturing HD. Now, there are PC cards able to capture "unencrypted" QAM. Cliif Watson, a fellow AVSer and a "head" beta tester of the MyHD card, lives in Augusta, GA and he can get HBO, some PPVs, and other "unencrypted" QAM channels over the basic cable line coming into his house with the MyHD MDP-130 card. I was wondering if any of you have a MyHD or Fusion card and get any unencrypted QAM channels here in the area or if you know if Comcast broadcast any?
Maybe, fbtcu could chime in. Any unencrypted QAM through Comcast whether broadcasr(ABC,CBS,NBC,etc) or "other"?

Hatfield-

In theory, the CATV provider should encrypt any program that needs conditional access, i.e. one for which there is a different fee structure. In practice, I suspect many up till now have relied on their set top boxes to provide access control, so any services you don't subscribe to just won't be authorized.

The very few subscribers who have their own QAM tuners have been such a minority, the random "unintentional" reception of the "in the clear" QAM channels probably hasn't been of much concern. I bet that will change over the next few years as TV's and HTPC's with QAM tuner cards proliferate. So, yeah, you might get "something for nothing" for a while but don't expect it to last.

On our TWC system, the only things in the clear (that I've found) are the OTA HD's, and a couple of freebies they throw in, like DiscoveryHD and a channel called "Special Events in HD", which is a repeat of INHD1 at the moment.

Does the MyHD card support a cable card? That would be a legal and technically better way to get the HD streams into your HTPC hard drive.

Mike

Originally posted by DianaTWCSC
One thought - if the issue is not in the headend and its not at your home - could there perhaps be some electrical interference somewhere in the plant in between?

I hope this isn't a stupid question.

That was a very good question. Just about anything is possible with electronics. I learned a long time ago to never say never because electronics will make a lier of you quickly.

I doubt there is any real problems in the field. It honestly sounds like a slight mis-adjustment on the processor for that channel. The hum could even be from the channel itself. At one time, ETV had a major problem with their channel 7 transmitter that caused a similar issue with all cable and OTA viewers. I happened to work for SCETV at the time, however, I was not part of the channel 7 transmitter group. I did work for the tech service department in Charleston and had to work with the poor audio. It always seemed worse on all cable systems... mostly due to the retransmissions. Anyway, the audio issues I now see are hardly worth mentioning anymore. Most of the time you rarely hear anything. At rare times, it is noticeable to those of us who demand the highest quality. I hear it but others almost never notice it. Nothing like the problems 4 had months ago.

I will have to connect a OTA antenna to my system and check channel 2's signal to see if it is them. I have not done that and it is a very real possibility they are the actual problem.

Like I said earlier, it is such a minor problem that it really has not been worth my time to go to far into the troubleshooting. Especially since I rarely watch that channel right now. If I get around to it, I will check into more and get back to you.

Take care!

To the best of my knowledge, all our Digital delivered channels (including ESPN HD, Discovery HD, HBO HD, etc) are encrypted. The only way to receive these digital signals is by subscribing to Digital service (either a HD set top box or Cable Card).

Frank Thomas
Comcast Cable

Hi There,

Wanted to let you know I'm leaving in the morning for St. Louis and the Final Four - won't be back in the office till Wednesday.

If you have an issue please call customer service at 866-892-7201.

GO ILLINI!!!

Whoops - Almost Forgot!

Daylight Savings Time Change and Potential Issues for your DVR


Daylight Savings Time takes place Sunday, April 3, 2005 at 2:00am. There are certain recordings that may be negatively impacted by the Daylight Savings Time. Please take note of the following trouble areas:


Scheduled Recordings – Those that you set up through your Interactive Program Guide

1. Scheduled recordings that end within one hour of the time change window (1:59am to 3:00am) may not end correctly.
2. Scheduled recordings that you schedule within one hour of the time change (between 1:00am and 3:00am), including instant recordings, may not schedule correctly.

Manual Recordings – Those you set up through the Preferences screen by manually specifying the channel, the start and stop time. [Press LIST, then the B key, then select “Schedule a new Manual Recording”].

1. Manual recordings that are scheduled for anytime on April 3rd, regardless of whether you schedule the recording before or on April 3rd, will start recording one hour earlier than they should, unless you schedule the recording to start one hour earlier than it appears in the programming grid. Although it may seem like you are scheduling a recording for the wrong program, the program that is scheduled to broadcast one hour later will be recorded.


The company that manufacturers our DRVs is committed to continue to work on eliminating these issues for future time changes.

Frank,

Does our local Comcast offer the 8300 box? I haven't called to ask, but just picked up a DVR last week and it's the 8000 and I can see the picture difference that other forums are talking about from the 3250(?) (can't remember the box number I had previously) box to the 8000 box.

Another difference I don't like from the non DVR box to this one is it not having the old passthrough settings. I can not for the life of me get 1080i and 480p to work right where it allows me to use my TV's stretch options. I get the anolog to work and the HD doesn't come through (has top and bottom bars) or I get HD to work and I have to use cable box to stretch analog. What's the deal? Seems as though some markets have a firmware upgrade to allow passthrough.

I live in Mount Pleasant and have been experimenting with a Silver Sensor placed in different positions in my living room. I can get digital ABC, NBC, CBS, and PBS on occasion, but all pretty sporadically. Some days channels come in fine, others not at all. It seems like the reception is worse when ever there's a big game on. It was amazing how the signal would go out just when shots were in the air during yesterdays game.

Anyway, I'm ready to try another option to improve reception. I saw that Oljim recommended the CM 4228 antenna and CM 9521 rotor on a previous post. Does that seem like a good option for me as well? I live in a two story house off Ben Sawyer Blvd. Also, would an attic installation work ok for me or should I mount rooftop on my chimney? TIA,

Frank

Go for the roof, attic can reduce signal by %50

nilknarf, I've got my 4228 up in the attic and I live near you behind Mama Brown's BBQ. I have a CM7775 amp too. I'm watchin' the end of Nascar in HD on Fox as I type. (Bristol. Not a big fan of short tracks.) I can usually get everything with the antenna pointed at Fox, but sometimes have to point the antenna towards Awendaw if I get breakup on those channels. A rotor would be nice, but I have the antenna set up right at the attic pull-down so I can get to it easily. There's not all that much I enjoy on Fox besides Nascar and 24 anyway. I had the antenna mounted on my second story porch, but the wind kept knocking it around which caused a lot of breakup and loss of signal. The 4228, although meshed, is quite large and flat and acted like a sail. Don't know if it's because I'm so close to the beach and port which caused those frequent gusts, but something to consider since you live in the same area. Good luck.

The 8300 DVR/HD converter box is still being tested by our corporate and local engineering teams. I have not heard of an estimated release date however.

I will have to ask about the pass thru on the 8000. I know it has the stetch/zoom options, but I must admit I'm not sure about passing 1080i etc. I will check into it and post what I find.

Frank Thomas
Comcast Cable

Anyone else NOT getting audio on WCSC during OTA feed of NCAA title game? Very odd...Perfect sound in-game...commercials are quiet...which is not always a bad thing ;)

Originally posted by atp1313
commercials are quiet...which is not always a bad thing ;) Yes, they are everywhere you look.

I had no sound on the commercials also. I kept playing around with my receiver thinking it was the decoder, he he.

Overall, while I was pleased to watch my first NCAA Championship in HD, I was very disappointed with the - for lack of a better term - crappy audio. I realized during one of the replay montages that the element that was missing from this game that had been present in all games leading up to tonight was the "sound effects": the ball bouncing on the floor, dinking off the rim, and the swish of a beautiful basket. The crowd also sounded like they were canned or piped in. You never got the sense that the crowd was ever in the game or was a factor. There was no "6th Man" element. What a disappointment.

I was watching OTA (Voom), but checked my other satellite version (Dish Network) and the commercials had sound. But the same lack of sound quality was present there as well. I never bothered to check my cable (Comcast) sound quality. Can anyone comment on Comcast's sound quality?

Can anyone explain why the sound would be so "off"? Can anyone explain why one signal would have sound during commercials while another did not? Is this the fault of Channel 5 (WCSC)? Or was this a national feed issue?

When i watch the Masters this weekend, am I going to have the same problem? Will I be able to hear the roar of the crowd reacting to a great shot? Will I hear the "whack" of the club striking the ball? I hope not.

I know this is a lot of questions, but someone apparently fell asleep at the sound board. Someone needs a swift kick in the crotch!

Agreed ATP... I had a few friends over for the game last night, and while they were impressed w/ the HD, they commented on the poor audio. It was like being in a small room with just the announcers. The analog CBS channel had the all around audio we are used to - bouncing ball, squeaking shoes, etc... Oh well, CBS just got in the Dolby Digital game, i believe. Let's hope it's just growing pains.

OMG! Has anyone else noticed the poor signal quality on some channels like Sci-Fi (now on 58) since the channel change? I have checked the signal levels and all is good level wise but the pictures have a lot of noise in them. Tell me that I am not the only one.

:confused:

I didnt watch the sci-fi channel b4 the lineup changes but, since you mentioned it...yeah...looks like crap.

Speaking of the lineup changes...

in my honest opinion..what a complete waste of time. The jewelry channel?
CSPAN 2 ? uggh ..im sure those two hot additions will increase subscription rates....Im a firm believer in quality of quantity...and this just bolsters that belief.

TIVO does not recognize the new TWC changes. I've called TIVO and they're trying to contact TWC. Diana, can you HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Steve

Thanks for the reply. I am trying to contact them via phone.

I have to agree. The channel change didn't make much since. Not only that, but the channels they did add were not worth the trouble. What a waste of time. They took Sci-Fi and Spike and put them higher where the signals typically are worse. Hopefully they will listen to us and improve on their system and add more HD content and keep the junk off!

[QUOTE]Originally posted by shuttermaker
I didnt watch the sci-fi channel b4 the lineup changes but, since you mentioned it...yeah...looks like crap.

Speaking of the lineup changes...

in my honest opinion..what a complete waste of time. The jewelry channel?
CSPAN 2 ? uggh ..im sure those two hot additions will increase subscription rates....Im a firm believer in quality of quantity...and this just bolsters that belief. [QUOTE]

I have to believe that stations like the shopping networks and jewelry channel pay the cable cos. to be carried versus ESPN and such that charge the cable co. I may be wrong about that but it seems like it since there is no shortage of those channels, and I can't imagine anyone signing up for cable because they have the QVC and Jewelry .... Maybe Frank and Diana can correct me if I am wrong.

On the other hand there is talk in the Programming forum that Comcast is finalizing a deal for TNT-HD, hopefully they will be ready for the NBA playoffs and our local carries it.

Originally posted by fbtcu
The 8300 DVR/HD converter box is still being tested by our corporate and local engineering teams. I have not heard of an estimated release date however.

I will have to ask about the pass thru on the 8000. I know it has the stetch/zoom options, but I must admit I'm not sure about passing 1080i etc. I will check into it and post what I find.

Frank Thomas
Comcast Cable

Frank,

Thanks for the response. How can I get on the tested list if you guys decide to test with normal consumers?

I know about the stretch commands, but to be quite honest, they're horrible compared to what my TV can do, but the worst is it being so generic to that it applies to HD where my TV won't allow stretching 16:9. From what I've read, there is a firmware update for the passthrough to work on the 8000.

Originally posted by fbtcu
The 8300 DVR/HD converter box is still being tested by our corporate and local engineering teams. I have not heard of an estimated release date however.

I will have to ask about the pass thru on the 8000. I know it has the stetch/zoom options, but I must admit I'm not sure about passing 1080i etc. I will check into it and post what I find.

Frank Thomas
Comcast Cable

The pass-through on the 8000 has not been activated on other systems either, according to the Recording Forum here. I guess since the 8300 was introduced, SA didn't feel like they had to get either the DVI or the pass-through activated. But I agree the pass-through was great for me so my Toshiba could stretch the 480i picture for the SD. And now I think that the pass-through is going to be even more important because, with new LCD and DLP sets with 720p native, having pass-through would be better to allow the set to up/side convert between 720p and 1080i.

Is WCSC going to carry the CBS coverage of the Masters Golf tournament on the Time Warner Cable HD channel on Thursday and Friday?

CBS does not carry the Masterson Thursday and Friday -- USA does so no HD

CBS will carry an HD feed for those CBS locals that wish to carry it. So the question is still will WCSC carry it?

AUGUSTA NATIONAL GOLF CLUB AND CBS SPORTS TO PRESENT 18-HOLE COVERAGE OF 2005 MASTERS (r) IN HDTV WITH LARGEST HIGH DEFINITION GOLF PRODUCTION

For the third year, the standard analog and HDTV productions of the 2005 Mastersâ Tournament will be unified and will provide 18-hole coverage in HDTV's highest definition format with 5.1 Channel Surround Sound.

In the largest HDTV golf production, CBS Sports will utilize 42 high definition cameras and 10 hand-held 16x9 standard definition cameras. The unified productions will be produced in HDTV's highest definition format, 1080i, and downconverted for the CBS Television Network's analog broadcast. This production technique also produces a better quality analog picture. Whether watching in widescreen HD or traditional 4x3 analog, viewers will hear the same golf announcers and see the same camera angles, replays and graphics.

The 2000 Masters was the first golf tournament ever presented live in HDTV on network television. The 2003 Masters marked the first time that the standard and HDTV productions of the Tournament were unified.

CBS Sports will broadcast the 2005 Masters on the CBS Television HD Network on Thursday, April 7 and Friday, April 8 (4:00-7:00 PM, ET, each day) and Saturday, April 9 (3:30-7:00 PM, ET) and Sunday, April 10 (2:30-7:00 PM, ET) live from Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. The third and final rounds of the Masters will be broadcast simultaneously in standard definition by CBS Sports on the analog CBS Television Network.

Beginning in 1993 the Masters experimented with HDTV on a limited basis to discover how the new system could improve the presentation of the tournament to the television audience. The 2005 Masters broadcast will be presented in the highest form of HDTV with 1080 lines of resolution and over two million picture elements which makes it six times sharper than standard definition television.

One hundred and eighty-one of CBS's owned and affiliated stations are currently broadcasting in digital, covering approximately 97 percent of the nation.


Also, Universal HD will carry the USA Network HD coverage.
Thursday and Friday, April 7-8, 2005
4-7PM ET/1-4PM PT(LIVE on both coasts!)
8-11PM ET/5-8PM PT (Same Day Replay)

Originally posted by kjpjr
CBS does not carry the Masterson Thursday and Friday -- USA does so no HD

For those of us fortunate enough to have Voom, you can get Thursday and Friday coverage in HD on Universal HD (Channel 501). I am really looking forward to it!!

Originally posted by AndrewG

The pass-through on the 8000 has not been activated on other systems either, according to the Recording Forum here. I guess since the 8300 was introduced, SA didn't feel like they had to get either the DVI or the pass-through activated. But I agree the pass-through was great for me so my Toshiba could stretch the 480i picture for the SD. And now I think that the pass-through is going to be even more important because, with new LCD and DLP sets with 720p native, having pass-through would be better to allow the set to up/side convert between 720p and 1080i.

This was a respone I got off the "AVS Forum > HDTV > HDTV Recorders & Players" forum. Also, a previous poster said he has the 8000 box and he has passthrough also.


Originally posted by davehancock
Lancer,

I really agree with you that the 8000HD does a crappy job with stretching, or just plain upconverting 480i to 1080i and that the Sony does a MUCH better job.

Your problem may just be outmoded SARA SW. I no longer have an 8000HD but before I switched to an 8300HD last fall, the version of SARA here (1.83.4.10) did not have Passthrough. I believe that the 1.83.16.xx versions do have Passthrough. But, your best bet is to do whatever you need to do to get toyr cable company to switch you to the 8300HD. All versions of SW on this have passthrough, PQ on both HD & SD is better, S-Video out is active at all times, it is more reliable, HDMI is active, and (Most important) it has a SATA II connector for an external drive!

1st post, sorry if this question was covered previously but I looked back and didn't see it.

Has anybody been successful in receiving Fox (WTAT) in HD from the Summerville area using an over the air antenna?

I called them a few months ago, and they said the only areas that could pick it up were Downtown Charleston & West Ashley. For some reason I have a hard time believing this.

Any insight is very appreciated.

Diana,

In a previous post you replied:

"The rates WILL NOT be raised – HD Broadcast Channels are provided Free with the HD Converter and the HD DVR. We will not charge for them."

Um, how old is that information? We are being charged an extra 6 bucks a month here in Summerville.

Originally posted by furrypawz
Diana,

In a previous post you replied:

"The rates WILL NOT be raised – HD Broadcast Channels are provided Free with the HD Converter and the HD DVR. We will not charge for them."

Um, how old is that information? We are being charged an extra 6 bucks a month here in Summerville.

Diana was replying to me. You have to "rent" the HD box and once you rent the box, there are "free" channels that currently include CBS,ABC, TNT, ETV, and DiscoverHD. The other channels (INHD, HDnet, ESPNHD) are extra pay channels. I wanted to know when they put FoxHD up if they were going to raise out rates. Sinclair (the owner of our local Fox channel) wants cable companies to pay them about 50 cents per subscriber. TWC does not agree so they don't have it. Other companies in the area already have them up on their systems.

Nbc and Fox (2 & 24) share a tower in Awendale. There is some kind of problem there that has not been worked out. Therefore, these two channels are broadcasting there HD signals from alt locations at a very low power. I am supposed to be 7 miles from the Fox transmitter and can't get enough signal to stay locked in unless I add a good antenna outside with an amp. Something that I am avoiding until football season in hopes that TWC will get their act together and get FoxHD for us.

If you really want to get FoxHD now, you will have to go with a very good antenna (I recommend Channel Master) with an amplifier and a rotator if you want to be able to get other channels besides Fox in HD.

I hope that helps. I am sure when Diana returns she can answer any more of your questions.

furrypawz -

WTAT is reachable in Summerville, if you have a high tower and some amps. The problem with FOX is that they are only broadcasting with enough power to run a dishwasher. They are on a shared tower and will someday soon (maybe this year) be able to boost their signal to compete with WCSC and others.

Hang in there...relief will come someday...they are working on it.

Originally posted by Darthtom
Diana was replying to me. You have to "rent" the HD box and once you rent the box, there are "free" channels that currently include CBS,ABC, TNT, ETV, and DiscoverHD. The other channels (INHD, HDnet, ESPNHD) are extra pay channels.

Absolutely correct:

All converters are the same monthly rate - whether SD or HD

All broadcast channels in HD are free as is TNT HD and Discovery HD

The HD Tier is $6.95 per month including IN HD 1 and 2, HD Net, HD Net Movies and ESPN HD.

Originally posted by atp1313
only broadcasting with enough power to run a dishwasher.
Good one! I've been telling friends that FOX is running their antenna off a car battery when they ask.

Thank you Darthtom, atp & Diana.

This whole squabble between TWC & Sinclair(sp?) has me about ready to drop TWC. Missing the SuperBowl and the Daytona 500 in HD was pretty much the last straw.

I did some research and discovered that if I go with Bell South & DTV, my bill comes to about 60-100 (range due to hidden charges that I'll never see until the 1st bill) cheaper a month For HD, Phone & Internet.

The only problem was the Local HD channels. I'm guessing that CBS & ABC are good to go with an over the air antenna in Summerville right? So it just comes down to waiting for Fox & NBC to get whatever problem with the broadcast tower in Awendaw 'fixed'.

Wonder which will happen 1st? Tower Fixed or TWC & Sinclair agreement? With my luck as soon as I switch to DTV, TWC will reach an agreement! hehe

Darthtom,

Thanks for the recommendation on the Channel Master. I've been looking to see what they run, and it appears to be in the 50-100 dollar range. Does that sound about right? Low end being the Medium Directional (atp - don't know if that's gonna cut it to pick up Fox) so I might go with a Large Directional with hopes that will work.

Once again thanks. I think I found me a new home for HDTV talk :)

Originally posted by Gary J
Is WCSC going to carry the CBS coverage of the Masters Golf tournament on the Time Warner Cable HD channel on Thursday and Friday? Maybe not too many people care since my question went unanswered but it is on channel 810 in HD right now.

Originally posted by furrypawz
Thank you Darthtom, atp & Diana.

This whole squabble between TWC & Sinclair(sp?) has me about ready to drop TWC. Missing the SuperBowl and the Daytona 500 in HD was pretty much the last straw.

I did some research and discovered that if I go with Bell South & DTV, my bill comes to about 60-100 (range due to hidden charges that I'll never see until the 1st bill) cheaper a month For HD, Phone & Internet.

The only problem was the Local HD channels. I'm guessing that CBS & ABC are good to go with an over the air antenna in Summerville right? So it just comes down to waiting for Fox & NBC to get whatever problem with the broadcast tower in Awendaw 'fixed'.

Wonder which will happen 1st? Tower Fixed or TWC & Sinclair agreement? With my luck as soon as I switch to DTV, TWC will reach an agreement! hehe

Darthtom,

Thanks for the recommendation on the Channel Master. I've been looking to see what they run, and it appears to be in the 50-100 dollar range. Does that sound about right? Low end being the Medium Directional (atp - don't know if that's gonna cut it to pick up Fox) so I might go with a Large Directional with hopes that will work.

Once again thanks. I think I found me a new home for HDTV talk :)

I suggest the CM4228. It worked great for me on Johns Island, back when I used DirecTV.

Originally posted by Gary J
Maybe not too many people care since my question went unanswered but it is on channel 810 in HD right now.

I care, I was hoping we would hear from Eldon or Frank or Mark. Thanks for the info. But I assume 810 is WCSC-DT. Or is a special events channel, I am heading home to watch now.

Andy

2005 Braves in HD schedule - Available in the Columbia DMA. Summerville and Florence only.

http://www.timewarnercable.com/southcarolina/products/hdtvAvailableChannels.html

Then click the button for special events for the entire schedule.

Anyone else w/ Comcast High Speed internet experiencing problems. One minute, i can cruise the net as usual, the next, i'm completely down. Never had this before. (Comcast customer for about 3 years...)

Originally posted by atp1313
For those of us fortunate enough to have Voom, Uh, oh.

Anyone else w/ Comcast High Speed internet experiencing problems. One minute, i can cruise the net as usual, the next, i'm completely down. Never had this before. (Comcast customer for about 3 years...)

We experienced some intermittent server-based issues Thursday night. Our engineers identified the issue quickly and began resolving it right away. While they were working on the issue, there may have been some difficulty reaching the internet. We do apologize for any inconvenience.

Just to add to Diana's post, Braves HD is also available on the Comcast line up in Charleston on Digital Channel 172.

We experienced some intermittent server-based issues Thursday night. Our engineers identified the issue quickly and began resolving it right away. While they were working on the issue, there may have been some difficulty reaching the internet. We do apologize for any inconvenience.

I'm afraid that's my fault. I have been thinking about switching to Vonage VoIP service and finally bought an adapter Thursday and hooked it up. We were discussing it at work that day and someone asked what would happen if my broadband connection went out. I replied that I wasn't that worried about it since I could count on one hand the number of times my service has been out over the many years that I've had it. As you might expect, my service was out that night. :D

Diana,

Any word on the firmware update for the SA8000HD? Specifically the activation of the other outputs.

Thanks.

Troy

I understand that TWC and Comcast are purchasing Adelphia.....wonder if that might hurt, help, or expedite the negotiations with SBG concerning the FOX HD carriage

Originally posted by Troy LaMont
Diana,

Any word on the firmware update for the SA8000HD? Specifically the activation of the other outputs.

Thanks.

Troy

Nothing to report.

Furrypawz,

I don't live in Summerville but rather live on Seabrook Island which, I think, is further in airline miles from WTAT than most of S'ville and I am able to receive WTAT OTA in HD with pretty good regularity. I have used a single CM4228 antenna with CM7775 preamp and have gotten OK reception. But since I had nearly 30 folk coming to a Super Bowl party, I bought a second CM4228 antenna and wired it in parallel with the first and stacked both on single mast about 6 feet tall and used the CM7775 preamp and get very solid sigs now. My antenna(ae) are located in second story attic with two walls between it and clean air. In fact, I now receive all HD channels well (and I do not use a rotator) with the exception of 4-1 which for some reason is elusive. I bought both antennae and preamp off the web from solidsignal.com which has some of the best prices I found.

Hope that is useful.

Thought the Masters is suppose to be in 5.1 DD. Past two days haven't been. Maybe it will be tomorrow.

Gary J: Obviously, this is a useless message now, but WCSC has been carrying the Masters. I'm sorry that I didn't think to find out previously, but I've been really busy with designing a house.......

I noticed the Masters wasn't in 5.1 also. I'm thinking that WCSC might still not have their automatic switch perfect yet.

Back to the house.

Masters should be in 5.1 as of 4 pm on Saturday. Quick call to Master Control straightened it out. Thanks Master Control guy.

You are correct! It just switched. Good work.

For those who jump straight to this thread without reading the AVS front page:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=5449619#post5449619
Bye bye, Voom. Bye bye. RIP until there's a larger HD audience.

is their tower now up? I am in Mt P and before never recieved wcbd. But now I have it....

Off Topic, kind of...
*****************
I have a new (as of Christmas 04) 52" Rear Projection HD set, and I think I might be noticing the beginnings of "burn in". I realize and accept that this is not covered by warranty, but I have a couple of questions I was hoping some "more smarter" people on this forum could help me understand.

1 - Is the burn in happening on the screen or the lamps?
2 - If on the lamps, these are covered under warranty and can be replaced, couldn't they?
3 - If on the screen, can the screen be replaced? If so, are we talking about a cost equal to buying a new TV, or just a couple hundred, or less?
4 - Aside from the obvious answer of "don't freeze/pause images on the screen for so long", can anything be done to prevent/reduce the burn in?
5 - If this is a serviceable issue, can anyone recommend a local shop/repair man who could handle this, warranty or not?

I would appreciate any and all help on this...

Originally posted by atp1313
Off Topic, kind of...
*****************
I have a new (as of Christmas 04) 52" Rear Projection HD set, and I think I might be noticing the beginnings of "burn in". I realize and accept that this is not covered by warranty, but I have a couple of questions I was hoping some "more smarter" people on this forum could help me understand.

1 - Is the burn in happening on the screen or the lamps?
2 - If on the lamps, these are covered under warranty and can be replaced, couldn't they?
3 - If on the screen, can the screen be replaced? If so, are we talking about a cost equal to buying a new TV, or just a couple hundred, or less?
4 - Aside from the obvious answer of "don't freeze/pause images on the screen for so long", can anything be done to prevent/reduce the burn in?
5 - If this is a serviceable issue, can anyone recommend a local shop/repair man who could handle this, warranty or not?

I would appreciate any and all help on this...

In order to get burn in on a set, you have to leave things paused for a LONG time. What have you been doing that would cause burn in? Why do you think that you have burn in? That is not as common as they want you to believe. Gaming consoles are supposed to be the biggest culprit. If you keep the contrast or picture down, you should be OK on most games. That is, unless that is all that is done on it for hours and hours.

Burn in is where the phosphor on the picture tubes gets burned with a constant picture. You may have seen this in the old video games like Pac-Man. The screen had the same thing up day in and day out. This caused a burned or ghost-like image to be seen even when the unit was off. On a Projo unit, you will not see it when it is off of course, but you could when a still image is viewed mostly. It will appear as a ghostly image that does not change.

Most of the problems that I encountered with the rear projection sets were due to cigarette smoke. Smoke mixes with dust in the air and sticks to the lens and mirrors making things get fuzzy and sometimes distorted. It makes a thick, sticky, brown film that is quite disgusting. The heavier you smoke, the faster is hits. To correct this problem, you have to take the screen off and clean the screen (be VERY careful), mirrors, and lenses. Be very careful in doing this. You do not want to spill cleaner inside the unit.

If you are not a smoker, and/or do not allow smoke within the house, you may want to have a authorized service tech check the TV out. Make sure that the service tech is factory authorized for warranty repair of your brand.

I hope that helps. With the little information you gave, it is hard to be sure. PM me if you need any more answers on this subject.

Phosphorus burns. There is nothing you can do. The only thing I have heard of is airlines will display a constant bright white picture on their plasmas for 8 hours or so to somewhat mitigate the burned areas.

Thanks for the responses guys. Here are further answers and info...

I currently have Dish Network's DVR, and what I am seeing is on a bright (white or yellow or other pale color) portion on the bottom of the screen, such as following the flight of a golf ball across the bright blue sky above Augusta, the Dish "program play/pause meter". My wife and I watch a lot of time shifted programming, so everytime we hit play, the little play/pause bar appears for a few seconds. In the event of pressing pause, the bar is ALWAYS present, at least until we again hit play.

Since I noticed it the other day, and it has only been seen on HD so far, we are turning off the tv if we are going to be paused for any more than a few minutes.

As far as cleaning the lens, screen and mirror, is this something that I should really be messing with to begin with? And how would I clean burned phosphorus? Is this a Windex repair?

You can not clean the phosphor. It is inside the tubes... assuming you have tubes. You can clean the lens and mirrors with Windex. They make a screen cleaning kit to help with the screens. A lot of the TV's can be cleaned by the consumer but some require technical knowledge. It really depends on the TV.

Is your TV a DLP, LCD, or CRT projector? If you do not know, you can supply the make and model and I can look it up. That will affect the outcome of your search for a solution and our advise.

You mentioned that you only see it during HD content. Is that content always on the Dish or do you see it OTA HD as well? Is the discoloration always in the same place? Does it appear only where the OSD for the time slip is?

Depending on where you purchased your set, they may be willing to send a tech out for free to make sure you do not have a problem. Most places now adays will not do that. You can also ask a friend that has some technical knowledge on the subject to look at it. Last but not least, you could ask some of us that live close to look at it. Of course, you never know who or what you will get when you trust unknown people online. I am willing to look at it for you if you would like. I worked on consumer electronics for years (including projection TV's) and was even the in-home service manager for a repair center for a long time. I now manage a department in the Charleston area doing mostly commercial electronics but I still dabble in consumer stuff from time to time. If you need my help, you can PM me. I won't give much more information out via public forums.

Good luck with your set.

Hi HTrout,

I live in Summerville. I'm looking to get the 45 inch Sharp Aquos next month. I can't believe Comcast is being outdone by Time Warner. TW doesn't have many stations, but are supposed to add about three more during the summer. Good Luck.

atp1313:
Here are two websites that you can reference to help find specific information about your TV.
http://www.keohi.com/keohihdtv/
http://www.hometheaterspot.com/htsthreads/categories.php/Cat/

Both have manufacturers areas where you can find people that might have the same problem as you and sometimes even how they remedied the situation. It can be a lot of surfing, and be careful about going on tangents, but it might help you make a decision.

imagamecock:
I'm not sure if your message was directed at me or not. And I'm not really sure how COMCAST is being "outdone" by TW as you claim. But if you feel they are great. I'm just glad that you are yet another person getting into HD so that it's the norm and not the exception.

Originally posted by Darthtom
You can not clean the phosphor. It is inside the tubes... assuming you have tubes. You can clean the lens and mirrors with Windex. They make a screen cleaning kit to help with the screens. A lot of the TV's can be cleaned by the consumer but some require technical knowledge. It really depends on the TV.
Good luck with your set.

Be careful with Windex on some of these surfaces. I have heard a lot of horror stories of fogging of lenses (they often have a plastic coating) or removal of some kind of coating from mirrors and such. The ammonia in Windex is good a cleaning and cutting grease, but may be too aggressive on other surfaces. Check out the web as much as possible, look on the Hometheater spot for manufacturers forums, they may have your TV's manufacturer, and a lot of folks with suggests on tuning and cleaning.
http://www.hometheaterspot.com/htsthreads/ubbthreads.php/Cat/Cat/C/5

Andy

DirecTV...the latest to come to another agreement (extension) with SBG.
Gotta think TWC should be close to some sort of a compromise.....least i hope so .
_____________________________________________________

BALTIMORE, April 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. announced today that it has entered into an extension of its retransmission consent agreement with DIRECTV, Inc.

Under the terms of the agreement, which extends the May 2000 agreement, DIRECTV will continue to carry the analog signals of stations which Sinclair owns and operates, programs or provides sales services in those markets where DIRECTV provides local-into-local service. In addition, Sinclair’s stations will participate in DIRECTV’s launch of local-into-local high definition digital service as DIRECTV rolls out this initiative to the Sinclair markets. Sinclair will continue to be compensated by DIRECTV for the retransmission of Sinclair’s stations under the agreement.

Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc., one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies, currently owns and operates, programs or provides sales services to 62 television stations in 39 markets. Sinclair’s television group reaches approximately 24% of U.S. television households and includes ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, WB, and UPN affiliates.

Originally posted by Darthtom
In order to get burn in on a set, you have to leave things paused for a LONG time. What have you been doing that would cause burn in? Why do you think that you have burn in? That is not as common as they want you to believe. Gaming consoles are supposed to be the biggest culprit. If you keep the contrast or picture down, you should be OK on most games. That is, unless that is all that is done on it for hours and hours.

Oh, it IS as common as you think. The news channels are the worst! Those banners can cause shadows in a matter of months...even if not watched all day. My wife insists on watching channel 5 (WCSC) news, mostly in the evening, and now I have a permanent "5" logo burned in. If anyone works at WCSC, can you tell me why y'all insist on this big bright problem causing logo? If you can't go to a "see through" (transparent) logo, how about moving it around on a regular basis for your broadcasts? Maybe a different spot each day? :confused:

Originally posted by bigdog77s
is their tower now up? I am in Mt P and before never recieved wcbd. But now I have it....

Didn't someone say WTAT (FOX) was sharing the tower with WCBD (NBC), and they both were having problems? If NBC is up...is FOX full power too?

What HD signals are we capable or recieving in the Mt Pleasant area??

[Closer to the Charleston National area in Park West which might be a new area to some.]


Thank you,
lof

Originally posted by Darthtom
...Is your TV a DLP, LCD, or CRT projector? If you do not know, you can supply the make and model and I can look it up. That will affect the outcome of your search for a solution and our advise.

You mentioned that you only see it during HD content. Is that content always on the Dish or do you see it OTA HD as well? Is the discoloration always in the same place? Does it appear only where the OSD for the time slip is?...

The TV is a GE 52" Rear Projection, Model# D52W25. I bought it at Best Buy...here is the link to the description (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=6980332&type=product&productCategoryId=cat03006&id=1099388906715)

As far as only really seeing the burned area while watching HD, I think this can be acocunted for by the simple fact that the images on screen are so much crisper and brighter than SD that it just stands out more. I am sure that if I am watching a bright image on SD, the burn would appear as well.

It always appears in the same spot, the bottom center where the play/pause time bar appears on Dish's DVR OSD. I think I might also be seeing a slight left/right shadowbox/letterbox discoloration. Or maybe I am just staring too much and too loing at the TV and i am just going insane.
:p

Again, thanks to all for advice and links...I will be surfing for a few hours tonight and hope to educate myself further.

What HD signals are we capable or recieving in the Mt Pleasant area??

We offer:

WCIV (ABC), WCSC (CBS), WITV (PBS), and WTAT (Fox) in HD

ESPN HD, Discovery Theater HD, InDemand HD 1&2, and Braves in HD

HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, and Starz HD

Frank Thomas
Comcast Cable

Originally posted by fbtcu
We offer:

WCIV (ABC), WCSC (CBS), WITV (PBS), and WTAT (Fox) in HD

ESPN HD, Discovery Theater HD, InDemand HD 1&2, and Braves in HD

HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, and Starz HD

Frank Thomas
Comcast Cable

This info is not shown on the Comcast website...is this new info? Have they finally worked out the FoxHD issue/negotiation? And what is the "Braves in HD"? Is that TurnerSouth in HD...or TBS in HD...or a "Special Events" channel that rebroadcasts the Braves regardless of originating channel?:)

The Braves in HD is shown on 172 on Comcast, and as far as I can tell it is TBS-HD for Brave games carried by them. Diana posted a link a few pages back to the TWC website and schedule, but the carried games are the same for TWC and Comcast. Most of the time the channel shows Braves HD in white floating on a black background.

This info is not shown on the Comcast website...is this new info? Have they finally worked out the FoxHD issue/negotiation? And what is the "Braves in HD"? Is that TurnerSouth in HD...or TBS in HD...or a "Special Events" channel that rebroadcasts the Braves regardless of originating channel?

WTAT HD is now available on our line up now (channel 183). It is not on the comcast.com website because it was recently (fairly recently) launched. I'm not sure about Braves in HD, I will have to check into why that is not showing and work on getting WTAT added.

AndrewG's explanation onthe Braves in HD is correct.

Frank Thomas
Comcast Cable

Thanks....now how about TNT-HD, UniversalHD, and ESPN2HD? ;)

Originally posted by shuttermaker
I understand that TWC and Comcast are purchasing Adelphia.....wonder if that might hurt, help, or expedite the negotiations with SBG concerning the FOX HD carriage

So, are Time Warner and Comcast "related?" Or are they each just buying half of Adelphia? If there is a partnership between TW and ComCast, then how come WTAT is on one system, but not the other????

:confused:

They are just devouring Adelphia as 2 separate companies. Any FOX HD stations that Comcast acquires that are owned by SBG will provide the TX to its customers.

TWC customers acquired in the deal continue to be s.o.l.

AVS Master Burn-In Thread:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?threadid=444258
Probably more info.

Diana,

Is Summerville part of the Columbia division? Just read this news article and wondered if we were included. Kind of a neat service to provide your customers,although id be happier if it were an agreement with SBG instead.

http://www.tvpredictions.com/visiware041205.html

Originally posted by fbtcu
We offer:

WCIV (ABC), WCSC (CBS), WITV (PBS), and WTAT (Fox) in HD

ESPN HD, Discovery Theater HD, InDemand HD 1&2, and Braves in HD

HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, and Starz HD

Frank Thomas
Comcast Cable

What about NBC? Are they not broadcasting an HD signal through Comcast? I am getting them OTA now, but when I switch to the Platinum Package w/ HD, will I lose ER, Jay Leno, and other HD shows? That would be a bummer... :(

What about NBC? Are they not broadcasting an HD signal through Comcast?

Comcast does not have a national carriage agreement with Media General for their HD channels. Media General is the ownership group for the local NBC affiliate in Charleston so we cannot retransmit the HD feed from WCBD at this time.

when I switch to the Platinum Package w/ HD, will I lose ER, Jay Leno, and other HD shows?

Adding Digital Platinum does not necessarily mean you would lose your OTA feed for NBC HD. Through our set top box, you would receive all the satellite and OTA delivered HD programming we currently offer with that package and still be able to use your antenna to receive NBC.

Frank Thomas
Comcast Cable

Originally posted by fbtcu
Adding Digital Platinum does not necessarily mean you would lose your OTA feed for NBC HD. Through our set top box, you would receive all the satellite and OTA delivered HD programming we currently offer with that package and still be able to use your antenna to receive NBC.

Frank Thomas
Comcast Cable [/B]

When I called to schedule upgrade, I asked about being able to use my existing antenna, and the CSR told me that the STB's were not capable of integrating an antenna signal.

Two points: 1. I should know better than to take the word of a CSR, who when I told her I was upgrading because Voom was going out of business, asked me who Voom was; 2. It makes perfect sense for a cable operator to restrict "free" OTA signals from being integrated into their boxes, or even being uttered in the same breath.

So are you saying that the STB's I will get will have a UHF In port? Or will I have to somehow diplex the cable and OTA signal into my TV?

Any idea on how long it might be before NBC-HD is rebroadcast? Are there negotiations ongoing? Or has someone p*ssed of the other party and walked away?

When I called to schedule upgrade, I asked about being able to use my existing antenna, and the CSR told me that the STB's were not capable of integrating an antenna signal.
That is correct. The set top box does not have a port for an antenna to be used.

Or will I have to somehow diplex the cable and OTA signal into my TV?

I'm sure someone on here could help explain it better or correct me if I'm wrong but to the best of my understanding, you would use one TV input for the set top box and a second TV input for the antenna. Just switch inputs when you want to watch NBC OTA.

Any idea on how long it might be before NBC-HD is rebroadcast? Are there negotiations ongoing?
Negotiations such as these are handled at the corporate level so I do not have any details on status or any potential time frame, if any.

Frank Thomas
Comcast Cable

Does your TV have a HDTV tuner?

Not built-in. And it is a base model (GE W52D25 52"), so it only has 1 componant IN, no DVI/HDMI, 2 S-Video and 2 RCA/Composite. So for "true" HD, I can only have one source connected.

Bummer, but you get what you pay for. I will have to hope and pray for the powers-that-be to pull their collective heads out of their colelctive a**es and get me an NBC-HD signal over cable! ;)

Originally posted by atp1313
So are you saying that the STB's I will get will have a UHF In port? Or will I have to somehow diplex the cable and OTA signal into my TV?


If your TV has a built-in digital HD tuner (HD built-in) you would run antenna lead to it. Your cable box would hook-up to your HDTV via component , DVI or HDMI, which ever your TV and cable box could support.

If your HDTV is HD Ready (it doesn't have a built in tuner) you will need a external HDTV receiver (Set top Box). Your cable box would hook-up to your HDTV via component , DVI or HDMI, which ever your TV and cable box could support and so would your STB.

Originally posted by atp1313
When I called to schedule upgrade, I asked about being able to use my existing antenna, and the CSR told me that the STB's were not capable of integrating an antenna signal.

Two points: 1. I should know better than to take the word of a CSR, who when I told her I was upgrading because Voom was going out of business, asked me who Voom was; 2. It makes perfect sense for a cable operator to restrict "free" OTA signals from being integrated into their boxes, or even being uttered in the same breath.

So are you saying that the STB's I will get will have a UHF In port? Or will I have to somehow diplex the cable and OTA signal into my TV?

If I understand you are either getting OTA now via your VOOM box or through a tuner in your set, but it sounds like you are using your VOOM. When you get Comcast, you will get all the signals from cable through that box and out to your set through component cables. You will still need another tuner for OTA (NBC).
If your only tuner is through the VOOM box (no tuner in the TV) then you leave your antenna hooked up to the VOOM box and watch NBC through that source. Presumably, the VOOM box is connected via component cables as well, and you have to switch to that input on the TV. Where this may be a problem is that your set probably has only two component inputs and you have a DVD player in one.
Maybe the VOOM box has DVI output? The Comcast box (the 8000HD DVR) has a DVI port that is not active, if it was then this wouldn't be a problem. They are supposedly introducing the 8300HD DVR in the near future (see post a few pages ago from Frank, that they are testing) and as I understand it, that box has HDMI (DVI compatible) output on.

So this is what was meant by using the OTA signal but not through the Comcast box.

Boy, those replies came fast, I was writing mine, when two appear. So my suggestions are somewhat moot. I know they have Component video switchers available that range from ~$60-300. That would solve your problems, try a Google search on it and see.

Got one, $50:

http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/comp-vid-sw.html#3x1

It requires manual switching the input, but on the box, more money buys you one you can set to a remote control.

Got the other, $150:

http://www.digitalconnection.com/products/video/1154a.asp

Andy

Originally posted by AndrewG
Boy, those replies came fast, I was writing mine, when two appear. So my suggestions are somewhat moot. I know they have Component video switchers available that range from ~$60-300. That would solve your problems, try a Google search on it and see.

Yes, these responses are coming in quite nice. I appreciate all the input. I will be looking for the switching boxes since I only have one component IN, and no DVI/HDMI. I will have to find a switch box without my wife finding out about it... ;)

Wife issues... sounds familiar. My wife has also become addicted to HD so I can get pretty much whatever I want... finally! :) I will be looking into a switcher as well for a friend who has ran out of inputs. If I see one that will work for little money, I'll let you know.

Originally posted by shuttermaker
They are just devouring Adelphia as 2 separate companies. Any FOX HD stations that Comcast acquires that are owned by SBG will provide the TX to its customers.

TWC customers acquired in the deal continue to be s.o.l.

Ok - here's the Reader's Digest Version - I am just providing my understanding of the deal as I have read about it - PUBLIC DISCLAIMER "I am not providing an official TWC position on the deal or its potential outcome"

Per an earlier acquisition (circa late 90's) ComCast owns close to 25% of TWC - although the two Cable Companies have never been run together. There has always been a requirement for ComCast to divest itself of the TWC stock it owns. The Adelphia deal provides the solution. TWC buys Adelphia debt and gives ComCast approximately 2.5 million subs. In the end both TWC and ComCast will be better clustered and no one knows yet which systems will end up under which management when all is said and done at the end of the day.

All programming deals and retains agreements will be worked through on an individual basis after the dust settles.

FYI - Cablevision is still trying to outbid TWC/ComCast, so the sale isn't even final yet.

The one linked to by AndrewG above (http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/comp-vid-sw.html#3x1) looks pretty easy and solid. Only drawback is manual switching...but come on. For a quick easy OTA solution, this is not all bad. It may be a moot point if Voom comes knocking for their STB. My wife loves the HD and I might be able to justify $50 for a 2/1 or 3/1 switcher, but a whole new STB...ummmm...can you say "couch time"? ;)

Originally posted by shuttermaker
Diana,

Is Summerville part of the Columbia division? Just read this news article and wondered if we were included. Kind of a neat service to provide your customers,although id be happier if it were an agreement with SBG instead.

http://www.tvpredictions.com/visiware041205.html

Columbia and Summerville are both systems within The South Carolina Division (everything TWC in the state is under our bailiwick)

We will launch in the Columbia system and then roll out to the rest of the systems in our Division, but I don't have a time line yet as the launch of this service is dependent upon some software resolutions for other ITV applications that must be completed before the games can be launched. It should be sometime this summer...

Scientific Atlanta 8300 HD/DVR Converter Box


I am pleased to announce that the Scientific Atlanta 8300 HD/DVR Converter Boxes will be available in Charleston beginning Monday April 18, 2005.

Because these boxes are just being deployed, I cannot say how many will be available in our local Cable Stores at any given time. So if you want to exchange your existing 8000 for an 8300 as soon as possible, please send me an email and I will make sure that I reserve one for you.

All I will need is the name on the account, service address and/or home phone number and which Cable Store you would prefer to go to (North Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Goose Creek, John's Island). Or if you prefer, I can schedule a truck roll.

Frank Thomas
Comcast Cable

Frank_Thomas@cable.comcast.com

Re: ESPN vs INHD (Yanks at Sox tonight)

This game is on right now on both ESPN-HD and INHD1 (via TWC). Looks like there are two mobile units because the home plate shots look slightly different (side by side position in the outfield?)

More interesting would be if the ESPN coverage is in their std native 720p and the INHD (which may well be rebranded Yes feed) in in 1080i native? Anybody know any technical details about the coverage tonight that can confirm this or not?

Both feeds are great but I prefer INHD as they don't clutter the screen with all those graphics. (lol)

Mike

Answering my own question, from posts in reply to my inquiry over on the HD Programming forum:

There were THREE broadcasters covering the game in Boston, all doing it in HD: ESPN with a full 720p mobile unit, NESN with a full 1080i unit, and YES. INHD aprently took a clean feed from NESN and branded it with their graphics etc. YES apparently had a smaller broadcast van and a few unilateral cameras, and used pooled 1080i cameras from NESN.

I spent a while trying to see PQ or motion artifacts differences between the ESPN 720p and INHD 1080i feeds and could not discern any visible advantage of one over the other. Set is Pio PRO-1120 pasma, progressive, fed by TWC SA8000 STB. Yes I tried the SA8000 in both native and cross convert modes for both feeds, i.e. making either the STB or Pio do the format conversion, and still saw no difference.

Ultimately, the better camera framing, DD5.1 sound, and absence of commercials and annoying graphics made the INHD feed much more enjoyable for me, so after a while I stopped fretting about technical issues and just enjoyed a good game, at least up until the outfield fan incident.

It's rare that we get a chance to see and A-B compare a live high-motion televised event in both HD standards at once like last night. But I learned a lesson: the production values and director's choices are more important than line rates and technical specs in making "good television".

Mike

Mike,

Interesting post.
Thanks.

Well darn. I am pretty sure that the spring foliage must affect HD signal reception. If ya'll remember, I have my CM4228 up in the attic and I usually keep it pointed towards FOX. Up until the last month or so, I was able to receive all HD channels this way without having to adjust its direction. Nowadays though with the above setup, I get a bunch of breakup and signal loss on ABC, CBS, and PBS(NBC and FOX still come in beautifully). Now I have to go adjust the antenna depending on which show I want to watch. A PITA, but I guess it won't be long until I just have to aim at Awendaw. The only thing I can think of that could be interferring are the new leaves blooming. I just wanted to voice my theory. Anyone have an opinion? Ya' think leaves are "strong enough" to hinder HD? Anyone wanna make a "chainsaw raid" throughout the Charleston area?:p

I can tell ya for a fact spring foliage and also wet oak trees will adversely effect HD reception. I used the 4228 when i was on Johns Island...it was a battle till late in the fall when the trees became bare again.

Originally posted by Hatfield
Well darn. I am pretty sure that the spring foliage must affect HD signal reception. If ya'll remember, I have my CM4228 up in the attic and I usually keep it pointed towards FOX. Up until the last month or so, I was able to receive all HD channels this way without having to adjust its direction. Nowadays though with the above setup, I get a bunch of breakup and signal loss on ABC, CBS, and PBS(NBC and FOX still come in beautifully). Now I have to go adjust the antenna depending on which show I want to watch. A PITA, but I guess it won't be long until I just have to aim at Awendaw. The only thing I can think of that could be interferring are the new leaves blooming. I just wanted to voice my theory. Anyone have an opinion? Ya' think leaves are "strong enough" to hinder HD? Anyone wanna make a "chainsaw raid" throughout the Charleston area?:p

You are correct about the leaves and trees. TV reception is affected by the seasons. Typically, in the late fall and winter as the leaves and temp. fall, the reception improves. With the return of spring and higher temp.s, it worsens. Wood is a natural attenuator of RF signals. The wetter the wood, the more attenuation. Also, RF travels better in cooler temps. Leaves, buildings, trees, and other things reflect the signals in different directions also weakening the signal. So as summer approaches, you loose signals. With each year the trees around you grow more and more. Buildings go up and come down. Things change. Basically, each year is a little different than the year before. On strong stations, it is not an issue. On those running on partial power, it is obvious. Usually, the change is slight from year to year and you do not notice much. Eventually, everything is so different than it used to be that you have to repoint you antenna or replace it with a bigger one or add an amp.

In a nut shell, those of us in the outskirts of town will have to hope and pray that Fox and NBC gets their problems resolved in Awendale or the cable companies get their issues resolved so we can watch Football this year.

Yeah, I figured as much. Well, I think we should do something about it. Just as we're writing letters to Comcast, TWC, Sinclair, and WTAT, we should write Mother Nature. "No more leaves, rain, Spring, or Summer here in Chucktown! Summer's are too darn hot and humid here anyway! We want our HD, Mama N!" Think it could work? Oh well, still fun to dream about.:D
The chainsaw idea might work, but we'd probably all end up in a new jail cell on Lockwood.
"Mother Nature's come to arms. She's in a fighting mood!" -WP(Greta)

Is there a thread on this forum dedicated to discussing possible enhancements to existing cable-supplied equipment? If so, I would love to share my $0.02 on my recent addition of two SA8000's. Not so much complaints...just a side by side comparison to other DVR's I have had and suggestions on future software/hardware upgrades...within reason, of course.

Originally posted by atp1313
Is there a thread on this forum dedicated to discussing possible enhancements to existing cable-supplied equipment? If so, I would love to share my $0.02 on my recent addition of two SA8000's. Not so much complaints...just a side by side comparison to other DVR's I have had and suggestions on future software/hardware upgrades...within reason, of course.

COMCAST is releasing the 8300 soon. Did you put your name on the list ??
rick

I did request one, however from looking at the details, it seems that there is not a big difference between 8000 and 8300.

Here are things I would like to have on a DVR, or things that bug me about how they are set up now:

1. If I decide to start watching a program while it is still being recorded (say I start watching at 8:45pm when it started at 8:00pm), I would like the option to start viewing the show from the beginning, instead of automatically being taken to the "live" point. If it is a game that I am watching, I don't want to see the score at the end of the game before i have had a chance to watch anything.

2. To continue point #1...I would like the DVR to NOT switch to live programming if I have been watching a show before it was done recording. Example: I am watching a baseball game which will eventually go to extra innings. I am in the eighth inning, 45 minutes behind "live", and the recording reaches the end of it scheduled length. All of a sudden, I am zapped to SportsCenter, where they are showing the highlights of the game I am watching. No sense in watching the rest of the recording...Especially since...

3. ...When the 8000 stops recording and sends you "live", if you have been watching it while it was recording, you have to now start from the beginning of the recording. Again, the example being, I am watching a game about 45 minutes behind "live", the recording stops, I am sent to the beginning of the recording. Can they not make an option for "Resume from last/recent point", or something like that.

4. A time mark on the playback/pause bar - When you are watching a long recording, it might be nice to see the relative time when you hit the pause button.

5. Any chance of having a 30-second skip forward button? Dish Network has one on their DVR...

6. Filtering channels on the guide - Any way we can get the ability to show/hide/delete certain channels from my guide? Maybe have more than one set of favorites, since my wife and I have different choices for favorites. And besides, if we want to scroll through the guide, there is no way to JUST show our favorites. I know that some people like religious and shopping networks, but they just junk up my guide.

Personally, I like the feature found on titantv.com where you can choose to SHOW / HIDE / DELETE. This would make surfing the guide so much easier, especially since I have like 500 channels now.

7. Is the 8000 (or the 8300, for that matter) smart enough to automatically change the time of a recording if it is scheduled for a new/special night or time? For example, if Firends is showing a special 1 hour episode, does the DVR automatically record the whole hour, or only the first 1/2 hour?

I have more, but these are the bigger concerns...If the 8300 is better in some of these regards, then great. If not, I will shut up and be happy with what I have because it is better than nothing. Is the Motorola DCT 6412 any better in these regards? If so, can I arrange to get one of those?

The 8300, from what I have read, and comments from a friend in Philly, has a better PQ. It also has the ability to expand HD space by mounting external drives. Both are reasons enough for me to switch.
rick

atp1313

I will forward your feedback to Scientific Atlanta. It is always good to hear about improvements that can be made to the SA DVR platform because they are good suggestions and examples.

As for the guide question, the interactive guide is managed thru Tribune Media Services, not SA, so I will forward that suggestion to my contact there.
I can give you a tip, in case you haven't used this before. If you are on channel 3 and want to move to a higher channel, say in the 150's or higher, just hold down the Arrow Down button (right below Select). After about 2 scrolls, it will move very quickly which will allow you bypass the channels that you are not as interested in. This isn't perfect, but it will allow you to navigate from the analog channels to the Digital Premiums faster.

I am not familiar enough with the Motorolla DVR boxes to say if they have those features or not. If they do however, we are not able to provide Motorolla boxes in Charleston at this time because the our system is SA based. All our headend equipment and boxes in the field are SA. It would be a massive undertaking to move to another system.

Frank Thomas
Comcast Cable

Originally posted by atp1313
I did request one, however from looking at the details, it seems that there is not a big difference between 8000 and 8300.

Here are things I would like to have on a DVR, or things that bug me about how they are set up now:

1. If I decide to start watching a program while it is still being recorded (say I start watching at 8:45pm when it started at 8:00pm), I would like the option to start viewing the show from the beginning, instead of automatically being taken to the "live" point. If it is a game that I am watching, I don't want to see the score at the end of the game before i have had a chance to watch anything.

2. To continue point #1...I would like the DVR to NOT switch to live programming if I have been watching a show before it was done recording. Example: I am watching a baseball game which will eventually go to extra innings. I am in the eighth inning, 45 minutes behind "live", and the recording reaches the end of it scheduled length. All of a sudden, I am zapped to SportsCenter, where they are showing the highlights of the game I am watching. No sense in watching the rest of the recording...Especially since...

3. ...When the 8000 stops recording and sends you "live", if you have been watching it while it was recording, you have to now start from the beginning of the recording. Again, the example being, I am watching a game about 45 minutes behind "live", the recording stops, I am sent to the beginning of the recording. Can they not make an option for "Resume from last/recent point", or something like that.

4. A time mark on the playback/pause bar - When you are watching a long recording, it might be nice to see the relative time when you hit the pause button.

5. Any chance of having a 30-second skip forward button? Dish Network has one on their DVR...

6. Filtering channels on the guide - Any way we can get the ability to show/hide/delete certain channels from my guide? Maybe have more than one set of favorites, since my wife and I have different choices for favorites. And besides, if we want to scroll through the guide, there is no way to JUST show our favorites. I know that some people like religious and shopping networks, but they just junk up my guide.

Personally, I like the feature found on titantv.com where you can choose to SHOW / HIDE / DELETE. This would make surfing the guide so much easier, especially since I have like 500 channels now.

7. Is the 8000 (or the 8300, for that matter) smart enough to automatically change the time of a recording if it is scheduled for a new/special night or time? For example, if Firends is showing a special 1 hour episode, does the DVR automatically record the whole hour, or only the first 1/2 hour?

I have more, but these are the bigger concerns...If the 8300 is better in some of these regards, then great. If not, I will shut up and be happy with what I have because it is better than nothing. Is the Motorola DCT 6412 any better in these regards? If so, can I arrange to get one of those?

Hi There - I have had a beta 8300 in my home since March of 2004. The DVR functionality of the 8000 v the 8300 is absolutely identical. The BEST reason to switch is the enhanced PQ - I find even the compressed picture on the IPG to be striking - and per an earlier post, the HD setup procedure for the two converters is different.

As for your wish list - they are universal desired by every customer I have had the privilege to speaking with on the topic (there are pages and pages of suggested guide improvements on the Columbia Thread from last summer).

I have sat with the SA team on several occasions discussing future software upgrades. I have repeatedly told their R&D team that your #1, 2 and 3 are absolutely essential just as soon as they can develop the software upgrade. After that, personalized guides and guides for all family members (and FAVORITES just don't cut it as a personalized guide). I do not have an up-to-date report on when these updates may come about.

You are not going to get #5 because of the disdain Programmers have for automatically skipping commercials. Programming negotiations between MSOs and Programmers 'probably' go the other way. For instance, in order to get the programs you want - lets say ESPN2HD - MSOs would probably give up 30 second skip ahead in a heartbeat. (Simply my conjecture here - I'm not in the negotiation process and the executives who are don't feel the need to tell me all the details, so I'm not speaking for TWC just giving you my opinion)

#7 I don't know about Comcast, but all TWC DVRs received a software upgrade last summer that allows for this, but not in a way that you would probably appreciate. When you select to record a series and go to the next screen, select "record any time and any channel" and then you will be sure not to miss any special showings. But, you would get every repeat showing that might be on as well.

FYI - HD Net Movies (TWC Channel 931) will show "ENRON: The Smartest Guys in the Room" at 8pm and 11pm on Friday April 22nd. This is the same night the film premieres in theaters. The movie will not be available on HD NET Movies after Friday until it comes back around on the regular release windows.

I picked up the 8300 today (thanks Frank).

I haven't had much time to play with it but here are a few resons to get it.

1) runs faster - changing channels, using the guide, using the DVR menu
2) much better picture quality - component connections look great. haven't had a chance to get an HDMI->DVI cable to try that out

-brian

I picked up an 8300HD tonight as well. Thanks Frank as well.

I mainly was interested in the pass-through mode, but I have also noticed the improved picture quality.

I have one observation / problem with the pass-through mode, and I wonder if anyone else will/has noticed it. I have 1080i, 720p, and 480i enabled on the box, and the pass-through set for Picture Format. Some times when switching between HD channels using channel-up / -down a few times the picture would switch to 480i incorrectly instead of 1080i/720p. Switching away to another channel and then back using the number keys fixed the problem, but this is definitely a software glitch. Haven't seen it reported in the 8300 forum.

Andy

Diana,

Do you know when TWC will roll out the 8300? I think my 8000 is starting to go and really would like to upgrade.

Originally posted by AndrewG
I picked up an 8300HD tonight as well. Thanks Frank as well.

I mainly was interested in the pass-through mode, but I have also noticed the improved picture quality.

I have one observation / problem with the pass-through mode, and I wonder if anyone else will/has noticed it. I have 1080i, 720p, and 480i enabled on the box, and the pass-through set for Picture Format. Some times when switching between HD channels using channel-up / -down a few times the picture would switch to 480i incorrectly instead of 1080i/720p. Switching away to another channel and then back using the number keys fixed the problem, but this is definitely a software glitch. Haven't seen it reported in the 8300 forum.

Andy Try enabling 1080i and 720p only. It gave me the best PQ for SD.

Originally posted by Darthtom
Diana,

Do you know when TWC will roll out the 8300? I think my 8000 is starting to go and really would like to upgrade.

The 8300 is available now. Ive had mine about a month. I have an 8300 in the living room and an 8000 in the bedroom. Marked difference in PQ between the two.

In 2006 MNF switches to ESPN and, NBC of all stations will be broadcasting the Sunday night games. As we all know, NBC does not have an HD signal carried by TWC. It would be nice if TWC could focus more resources on the HD signals of both FOX and NBC instead of falling behind to satellite and and the other cable cos.

Originally posted by Darthtom
Diana,

Do you know when TWC will roll out the 8300? I think my 8000 is starting to go and really would like to upgrade.

We started rolling them out last Fall in other parts of the state beginning last Fall, but they are available now in Summerville.

You do have to go to the front counter and exchange your 8000 for an 8300 - THERE IS NO WAY TO CALL IN AND ESTABLISH A TRUCK ROLL FOR A SWITCH OUT. Unfortunately, there is no way to tell an 8000 from an 8300 in the billing system - they both are HD DVRs, so the CSR cannot set this up. If you order a switch out the Tech may or may not have an 8300 on his truck when he gets there. For the same reason, there is no way to call in to have an 8300 held for you.

Originally posted by DianaTWCSC
We started rolling them out last Fall in other parts of the state beginning last Fall, but they are available now in Summerville.

You do have to go to the front counter and exchange your 8000 for an 8300 - THERE IS NO WAY TO CALL IN AND ESTABLISH A TRUCK ROLL FOR A SWITCH OUT. Unfortunately, there is no way to tell an 8000 from an 8300 in the billing system - they both are HD DVRs, so the CSR cannot set this up. If you order a switch out the Tech may or may not have an 8300 on his truck when he gets there. For the same reason, there is no way to call in to have an 8300 held for you.

That was not the case for me... when i requested one...the office told me i COULD NOT come by and pick one up. I had to schedule a tech to come out and do the installation. This may be due to the fact that i was adding a second HDDVR (8300) to my bill instead of a simple switch.

Sorry - don't know why they would say that for any reason - and you got lucky because there is no way for a CSSR to identify an 8300 and guarantee a tech will have one on the truck.

I'm very glad it worked out for you.

Originally posted by DianaTWCSC
Sorry - don't know why they would say that for any reason - and you got lucky because there is no way for a CSSR to identify an 8300 and guarantee a tech will have one on the truck.

I'm very glad it worked out for you.

Just a guess, but maybe the fact that if nowhere else...the local office here wants proof that you actually have an HDTV before they will release the HD box. The fact that i was requesting a second one may have sent up a red flag as well. None of it was an inconvenience for me. Was just happy to get one :)

Originally posted by Gary J
Try enabling 1080i and 720p only. It gave me the best PQ for SD.

The problem with that solution, is that the 480i enabled allows auto switching when changing to SD sources and lets my TV stretch the picture and do the upconverting/deinterlacing, which it does very well. The old 3250 did this very well. My Toshiba is 1080i native so I was going to enable only 1080i and 480i, but it does a pretty good job of converting 720p.

Another vote for improved PQ w/ the 8300. Thanks Frank for the arrangement.
8300 also has SD video output "live" concurrent w/ Component output similar to 3250.

I would encourage those w/ 8000's to make the switch.

OK, I have lost track of something, what is "PQ"? Does that have to do with pass through? I have an 8000, and am having sound problems (with the box), so I don't know if I really need to worry about specifying an 8300, or just getting a guy to come fix it...I haven't really figured out what the difference would be...

Originally posted by KTrout:

I would encourage those w/ 8000's to make the switch.

Would love to but the way Diana describes the process for TWC customers, it sounds like a crap shoot. If I knew I could hand carry my 8000 into the local business office and walk out with an 8300, I'd do it tomorrow. I'd even give up the copy of Bikini Destinations that's been lurking on the hard drive since February!

But my TWC office is in the hinterlands and I don't think they even stock HD boxes. The tech who installed our 8000 was only a contract employee, and based in Columbia.

Diana: any advice on a practical, predictible way for me to upgrade top an 8300 in the forseeable future?

Thanks,

Mike

RFrank: Sorry, PQ is picture quality. The difference is most noticeable on the analog channels. Seems it does a better job of upconverting the analog signal.

Frank,

I called the main Comcast switchboard, hoping they could transfer me to the local (Goose Creek) business office so I could confirm that they had a 8300 available for swap. The CSR said she could not give out the number, as they do not accept inbound calls, but that she would check their inventory on the computer. She came back saying that this office does not have any in stock yet. Are they just saying this because there are so few, or can she clearly tell online which office has which boxes available?

Originally posted by Satori84
Originally posted by KTrout:

I would encourage those w/ 8000's to make the switch.

Would love to but the way Diana describes the process for TWC customers, it sounds like a crap shoot. If I knew I could hand carry my 8000 into the local business office and walk out with an 8300, I'd do it tomorrow. I'd even give up the copy of Bikini Destinations that's been lurking on the hard drive since February!

But my TWC office is in the hinterlands and I don't think they even stock HD boxes. The tech who installed our 8000 was only a contract employee, and based in Columbia.

Diana: any advice on a practical, predictible way for me to upgrade top an 8300 in the forseeable future?

Thanks,

Mike

HD Converters are in stock at the front counter location on Trolley Road. If you bring in a current HD Converter for switch out or your HD TV Manual you can receive one over the counter. (Anybody tells you otherwise, please drop my name and ask them to ask a supervisor to call me)

When I spoke with the Tech Ops Manager yesterday, he said there were some in stock currently.

Chances are you will be able to get one on your first try because all we have been receiving from SA for HD DVRs since last October is 8300's - so, unless everyone of the 8000 HD owners ran in and switched out, the 8300 is going to be more prevalent.

Its just I can't guarantee one will be in stock, so I want you to be aware there is some chance your trip may be for naught - just managing expectations.

atp1313

I made sure we had boxes in the cable stores for those that requested them from me. Deliveries have not been made to all cable stores at this time. We are still issuing 8000 boxes so the call center reps cannot guarantee a box will be in stock when you show up. I can make sure we have one for you this afternoon if you want to switch out your 8000.

Frank Thomas
Comcast Cable

"HD Converters are in stock at the front counter location on Trolley Road"

Well that location is near Summerville, 85 miles or over two hours away from my location. What can you say about HD STB's at the Frasier Street office in Georgetown, which is more like 5 miles/15 minutes away?

Thanks,

Mike

HD Converters are stocked at all TWC front counter locations. Sorry I wasn't thinking about those of you in the Charleston DMA, but located on the east side of the National Forest.

Originally posted by fbtcu
I made sure we had boxes in the cable stores for those that requested them from me. Deliveries have not been made to all cable stores at this time. We are still issuing 8000 boxes so the call center reps cannot guarantee a box will be in stock when you show up. I can make sure we have one for you this afternoon if you want to switch out your 8000.

Frank Thomas
Comcast Cable

Thanks Frank...it will be tomorrow before I get over there. Is that kosher?

TNT HD on Comcast

TNT HD is now available to all Comcast HD customers on channel 179.


Frank Thomas
Comcast Cable

YEAH! I just noticed...great job...just in time for the NBA playoffs! 40 Games in 40 Nights!!

Also, new 8300 is working out great...seems pretty darn smooth

Originally posted by fbtcu
TNT HD on Comcast

TNT HD is now available to all Comcast HD customers on channel 179.


One down, several to go... :D

Please follow through on adding ESPN2HD, UniversalHD, NBC (WCBD) HD, WB/UPN HD, and any other HD channels I may have missed. :)

Side Note: Anyone else with Comcast notice a decrease in volume on the HD feed of ABC tonight, namely during the news hour? I didn't really notice while I was watching the news, but when I changed the channel to another digital feed, I almost blew out my speakers! ;)

Keep 'em coming Frank! Universal HD, some of the Voom exclusives (Rave, Rush and Worldsport), HDNET and of course local NBC (really would love to see the remainder of the NASCAR schedule in HD) would be great additions.
Frank, thanks again for all your help and contributions to the forum.

On a side note - anyone with comcast lose DiscoveryHD? I'm getting a Not Authorized screen on 186.

Originally posted by r.jones
Keep 'em coming Frank! Universal HD, some of the Voom exclusives (Rave, Rush and Worldsport), HDNET and of course local NBC (really would love to see the remainder of the NASCAR schedule in HD) would be great additions.
Frank, thanks again for all your help and contributions to the forum.

On a side note - anyone with comcast lose DiscoveryHD? I'm getting a Not Authorized screen on 186.

Ditto on the Voom21 Exclusives. That would be stellar if we could buy into those again!

As for DiscoveryHD, I am watching and enjoying concert with pretty cellos and other assorted woodwinds.

Any Comcast customers notice an audio dropout during the Braves game tonight on HD? Checked compared to regular TBS feed, and that was fine. Just zero audio on the HD feed? Since this was to be my first time watching the BravesHD channel (172?), I am not sure if this normal. Also, the game was not in widescreen. Are there some games shown on this HD feed that are NOT in high def?

Either way, I turned the game off after the first inning since there was no sound...

Thanks Frank for the immediate update and appearance of TNTHD on our local system.

To those who are happy but are waiting for more and more, while I also want ESPN2, Universal, etc ASAP, remember that locally our Comcast has nothing to do to control broadcast of those stations. What they can control is having them available when national Comcast reaches an agreement. Take a stroll over to the Programming forum and you will see discussion of upcoming channels, with some reliable sources. The Comcast/TNTHD talks were discussed there over three weeks ago with a prediction of having a deal by the 24th (presumbly to coincide with the NBA playoffs), and that is what we saw.

If you read those forums you will see that we have it pretty good with our local Comcast, because alot of people won't be getting TNT-HD on their Comcast because of limited bandwidth, etc. So I don't want to sound like an ad for Comcast, it looks like when they get something hammered out nationally we get it right away.

Andy

Hi There,

I want to be very careful here. I recognize that my participation on this Forum is contingent upon my not inundating you with a whole bunch of sales talk.

With that in mind, for any VOOM customer’s out there about to lose their signal, we have created a special promotion just for you. Please go to www.twcsc.com for more info.

If I have crossed a line I would appreciate hearing from you so that I don’t make the same mistake in the future.

I wouldn't think you crossed the line. This forum is to help others and that's what your doing. I am soon to be an ex-voomer myself. I don't live in your service area but if I did I would appreciate the offer. You and Frank Thomas (at Comcast) are a great help to the forum.

Thanks - good luck with your new service!

Ditto what rjones said. I am in an exclusive Comcast area, so no real choice in the matter. I have been very pleased - thankfully - in Comcast so far. But I would certainly entertain other concepts and offers if I had a choice.

As a saddened Voomer, I am interested in the best spread of HD. So bottom-line, that is all I would look at...unless the one with more HD was charging out the a** for it.

After visiting the Trolley Rd office several times I was able to get an 8300HD. I kept the 8000HD to use with my wife's 20" LCD in the sewing room. I'm using an HDMI/DVI adapter running through the DVI cable left over from the 3250 to connect the 8300, I never tried the component cable. The picture is very sharp and clear, and the auto/HDMI switching allows my TV to do the conversions. I am very pleased with the 8300HD and my wife is enjoying the 8000HD, the best of both worlds!

Any word on Fox upgrading their signal strength? I still can't get them OTA in Summerville.

Phil

Greetings from a new Charleston resident (moved down from Columbia, SC)

I do miss my Time Warner cable which I thoroughly enjoyed while in Columbia ... and appreciated Diana's participating in the forum. Columbia was a test bench for TW and I did enjoy dabbling with technology that most others in the country could only wish for.

I am now in Comcast land in Mount Pleasant and hoping things will improve. I am glad to see a Comcast contact participating here .. thats make me feel good.

So here is my wish list (FWIW):

- West feeds of HBO HD and Showtime HD (just like TW does it) ... would expand our HD choices at any given time.

- HDNET

- Sensible channel lineup (based on theme) ... for instance ... here is a sample of the current channel lineup ...

25 CNN Headline News
26 Nickelodeon
27 The Discovery Channel
28 Turner South
29 Lifetime
30 C-SPAN
31 MSNBC
32 Fox News

If someone can sell me on the logic used to come up with this kind of lineup .. I will be grateful.

But all is not bad ... one of the most important things I notice with my signal is that the PQ is very good .. even the SD shows (through the 8000 and 8300HD) are exceptional when played on a 110-inch projector screen (infocus 4805). This was not so with the signal in Columbia.

Finally ... one question ... I bought a DVI cable about a month ago to hook the 8000HD ... and did not get any signal ... I assumed that it was not turned on and quietly gave up. Now the 8300HD has a HDMI port ... so I will need a converter .. should I bother ? Is the port turned on ?

Thank you to all for a very informative forum board.

Regards

Max

Originally posted by umenon
- Sensible channel lineup (based on theme) ... for instance ... here is a sample of the current channel lineup ...

25 CNN Headline News
26 Nickelodeon
27 The Discovery Channel
28 Turner South
29 Lifetime
30 C-SPAN
31 MSNBC
32 Fox News

If someone can sell me on the logic used to come up with this kind of lineup .. I will be grateful.

...

Regards

Max

Max, I agree that someone appears to have been drunk when assigning channel numbers. One thing I always enjoyed about my satellite service is they seemed to at least "try" to get thematic numbering: most sports/outdoors channels (not including RSN's) in a ten channel range; ALL movies channels within a 50-60 channel range; all news within 15 channels.

This all make sense. As it is, I have to scroll very slowly to make sure I don't miss something I might want mixed in with things I do not want. But to add to your wish list, I would love for ScientificAtlanta to release a software update that would allow me to remove/hide certain "unwanted" channels from my on screen guide.

Either way, welcome to the forum and enjoy your stay... :)

Originally posted by umenon
Greetings from a new Charleston resident (moved down from Columbia, SC)

I do miss my Time Warner cable which I thoroughly enjoyed while in Columbia ... and appreciated Diana's participating in the forum. Columbia was a test bench for TW and I did enjoy dabbling with technology that most others in the country could only wish for.

Finally ... one question ... I bought a DVI cable about a month ago to hook the 8000HD ... and did not get any signal ... I assumed that it was not turned on and quietly gave up. Now the 8300HD has a HDMI port ... so I will need a converter .. should I bother ? Is the port turned on ?

Thank you to all for a very informative forum board.

Regards

Max

I blush - thanks - can't tell you how many hours I have worked on our Network Neighborhood Analog and Digital lineups over the past 9 (holy cow I'm old) years.

SA has not provided any MSO the upgrade to activate the DVI on the 8000 yet - although they promise they have not set it aside for 8300 advances and they still intend to provide the update before the end of this year.

The 8300 was released with the HDMI active, I don't know of any reason why Comcast wouldn't have it active, but I've been wrong before.

Max,

I'm using the 8300HD with an HDMI adapter I purchased on ebay for less than $20. My main reason for trying it was to free up a component input on my TV in order to use the progressive scan DVD player again along with an OTA receiver on the other component input. I have been very pleased with the PQ through the HDMI/DVI connection with the added benefit of signal passthrough. BTW, I'm on the TWC system in Summerville but from what I've read here the Comcast 8300 mirrors TWC functionality.

Phil

Phil,

Thank you ... I will purchase one asap.

Max

Hello - I know it seems I'm saying this a lot lately, but ...

Leaving this morning for a meeting in Charleston, will be back late Friday and will not have access to the forum until then. If you have an urgent issue, please call Customer Service at 866.892.7201.

D - I invite you to go ahead and call as Bob suggests or let me know if you want me to set something up upon my return.

Take Care,

A bit off topic, but I'm desperate. My 65" has been gone for over a MONTH and counting... The guys at the repair shop say they are waiting on a part (convergence board) from the manufacturer. To their credit, it is an APEX, and i hear they are hell to work with when it comes to repairs. But who's to say that my TV isn't already fixed, and someone from the shop has it at their house playing xbox on it all day?? Yea, maybe i'm a bit paranoid, but i want my TV back! I can't watch this 27" much longer! Does anyone have any tips/suggestions, or better yet, if you know someone who works at Patton & Young Electronics? They are located on Cross County Rd. Thanks!

I believe ive been to that repair shop b4 on an unrelated matter. Kinda looks like the place where old TVs go to die. If I remember correctly there wasnt much room to move for all the sets waiting for repair or to be picked up. If your concerned about your TV being liberated...why not just ask to see it. Chances are though, a 65 inch set isnt one they would choose to load up on a truck and borrow :)

I think anyone with TWC who truely wants FOX HD anytime soon should start looking for other sources. TWC and SBG are battling eachother over everything they can. To a point here they may never "work well together".

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/politics/3157580

Topic - External SATA Drives / 8300HD

8300HD - Great little unit !

I have placed an order for the SATA2-SATA1 cable ... I have my ext hard drive ready ... its a 250GB ... wonder how many more hours I will get.

Long overdue kudos to Comcast for inHD1 inHD2 and DiscoveryHD.

Now, if we could have National Geographic folks join the HD race ...

My 8yr old absorbs all the science stuff that comes in HD. He is turning into a mini encylopedia. We have saved the Arthur Ravenel (Cooper River) Bridge episode that came on DiscoveryHD ... and show it off to out of town visitors.

Thank you.

Max

Originally posted by dolemite77
A bit off topic, but I'm desperate. My 65" has been gone for over a MONTH and counting... The guys at the repair shop say they are waiting on a part (convergence board) from the manufacturer. To their credit, it is an APEX, and i hear they are hell to work with when it comes to repairs. But who's to say that my TV isn't already fixed, and someone from the shop has it at their house playing xbox on it all day?? Yea, maybe i'm a bit paranoid, but i want my TV back! I can't watch this 27" much longer! Does anyone have any tips/suggestions, or better yet, if you know someone who works at Patton & Young Electronics? They are located on Cross County Rd. Thanks!

I am a former TV repair tech. I worked in the upstate and of course repair all of my own stuff. When I moved to Charleston I checked into the local repair shops... Patton and Young being the biggest around. I was not impressed at all. I have heard very little good about them. That being said, Projection TV's are not always the easiest to repair. If they indeed did have to replace the convergence board, it could take a while to get one... especially from a off brand such as Apex. I am sure no one has taken your set anywhere. They are way to much trouble to move around. They would also get into a LOT of trouble if that happened.

If I had to guess, Apex is taking their sweet time in getting them the board. I wonder why the board has to be replaced anyway. Most manufactures require component level repair on such devices unless the board is fried by lightning. If they are not having trouble getting the board, they may have ran into other issues that they are having trouble figuring out.

Bottom line, you will have to continue to be patient and eventually you will get the set back. When I repaired units, I would have some in the shops for months (rarely but did happen) while the manufacturer back ordered a rare part. That could also be the problem. Anyway, be patient, ask questions like, " Do you have an ETA on the part?" or you can call Apex customer service. Usually Customer service can expedite the parts or even grant a new TV on rare occasions. Be firm and upset with Customer Service and you will get your way.

Good Luck

Attention TWCSC customers...

If you are like me, you really enjoy your HD and the programming the TWC offers but greatly miss the Fox and NBC HD feeds. I am a major Football fan and I am beginning to worry that we will not get FoxHD or NBCHD before the next season arrives. I have sent another email to TWC and will continue to do so weekly and eventually daily until I am heard. It is my opinion that if you want to change something, you must make your voice heard. The more voices, the faster change occurs. Please take a few minutes of your time and email TWC about your HD concerns. If enough of us bombard them with emails daily, they will be forced to listen. As August approaches, I will start a letter (snail mail) and phone campaign to attempt to be heard. Anyone else wanting to join in, please feel free to do so. We paid a lot of money for our HD setup and we pay a lot of money to watch HD on TWC. Let them know we want FoxHD and NBCHD. Let our voices be heard.

Diana, I appreciate all of the help and input you give. I know that you have no control over the programming. I do however believe that TWC can do more to get this issue resolved. Please forward our requests to the corporate level so we can be heard.

Thanks

PS.. Comcast and Knology guys, if you want as much programming as we have on TWC, I suggest you do the same thing.

Good luck!

Topic - Comcast HD Lineup as shown on Comcast.com

Its been out of date for a while.

It does not show FOXHD, STARZHD, TNT-HD and BRAVES-HD ... also the color codes do not show them as HD channels ... just a FYI for Frank. Not a big deal for us here ... but not good if you want to attract potential new subscribers.

Cheers.


Max

Thanks for the heads up Max. Someone pointed that out to me some time ago and it was updated. I cannot be sure, but it looks like the website reverted back to an older version. I've already sent a request to have it checked out.

Frank Thomas
Comcast Cable

On Patten and Young: I have a 9 year old Panasonic 52" with a "bad convergance board" that went back and forth 4 times before it was finally fixed. I don't know if that reflects on their workmanship or the difficulty of the repair, but I do know that they will NEVER touch my 60" Sony LCD HD!

This is not a TW problem. This is a Sinclair problem. Sinclair owns the fox station in Charleston. We have Fox HD in Myrtle Beach which is not Sinclair owned.

Sinclair will only sign a contract with TW if they agree to carry anything Sinclair wants to put on its broadband. So with Fox HD could come a whole bunch of other channels that Sinclair wants broadcast that they say TW must carry to the point where the signal of the regular Fox HD suffers so it isn't any good.

Sinclair is the "evil empire" spend some time with google and check them out. TW is not the bad guy in this deal they just are not caving into a bunch of demands that would really ruin our current TV cable if all the other stations did the same thing.

Sinclair is the place where your anger should be placed.

Originally posted by kjpjr
This is not a TW problem. This is a Sinclair problem. Sinclair owns the fox station in Charleston. We have Fox HD in Myrtle Beach which is not Sinclair owned.

Sinclair will only sign a contract with TW if they agree to carry anything Sinclair wants to put on its broadband. So with Fox HD could come a whole bunch of other channels that Sinclair wants broadcast that they say TW must carry to the point where the signal of the regular Fox HD suffers so it isn't any good.

Sinclair is the "evil empire" spend some time with google and check them out. TW is not the bad guy in this deal they just are not caving into a bunch of demands that would really ruin our current TV cable if all the other stations did the same thing.

Sinclair is the place where your anger should be placed.

Would any subs of Knology or Comcast like to share the PQ they are experiencing on FOX HD? Are those same Knology and Comcast companys being forced to transmit additional chanels? I think it takes two to tango. Neither TWC or SBG are budging on their stance in negotiations. If Comcast and Knology can hash out an agreement to carry the signal, TWC has no valid defense to satisfy my displeasure.

Originally posted by Darthtom
I am a former TV repair tech. I worked in the upstate and of course repair all of my own stuff. When I moved to Charleston I checked into the local repair shops... Patton and Young being the biggest around. I was not impressed at all. I have heard very little good about them. That being said, Projection TV's are not always the easiest to repair. If they indeed did have to replace the convergence board, it could take a while to get one... especially from a off brand such as Apex. I am sure no one has taken your set anywhere. They are way to much trouble to move around. They would also get into a LOT of trouble if that happened.

If I had to guess, Apex is taking their sweet time in getting them the board. I wonder why the board has to be replaced anyway. Most manufactures require component level repair on such devices unless the board is fried by lightning. If they are not having trouble getting the board, they may have ran into other issues that they are having trouble figuring out.

Bottom line, you will have to continue to be patient and eventually you will get the set back. When I repaired units, I would have some in the shops for months (rarely but did happen) while the manufacturer back ordered a rare part. That could also be the problem. Anyway, be patient, ask questions like, " Do you have an ETA on the part?" or you can call Apex customer service. Usually Customer service can expedite the parts or even grant a new TV on rare occasions. Be firm and upset with Customer Service and you will get your way.

Good Luck

Man, i wish i knew you before i sent my tv in. I could be paying you the >$550 that they are charging me for this "convergence board". Tell me what you think Darthtom... Here's the problem. My tv's picture was fine and beautiful for about 20-30 minutes. Then the colors shifted slighty, about a half an inch,. Turns out, if i turned the tv off and let it 'cool down', when i turn it back on it would be fine again. I researched on the internet, and it seemed like it was either a cold solder joint, or just an IC or two that needed replacement. Of course, P&Y calls with the worst new. "I'm afraid we have to order this entire new board. Gonna cost ya $500." As a consumer with little electronics knowledge, you are at their mercy, and they know it. I just think i'm gettin screwed. What do you think, Sith Lord of HDTV?

Originally posted by shuttermaker
I think anyone with TWC who truely wants FOX HD anytime soon should start looking for other sources. TWC and SBG are battling eachother over everything they can. To a point here they may never "work well together".

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/politics/3157580

I went to the article...different company I think...SBC, not SBG...from what I can tell they are primarily a phone company in Texas and elsewhere.

But, that still doesn't make me confident of the FOX (sinclair) and TWC deal...someone said it best in another post, "takes two to tango." I haven't heard any complaints about the Comcast or Knowlodgy broadcasts...sounds like a couple of bulls in a china shop going at it (and we are the china). Both companies need to get it straight, and do it ASAP.

As soon as WTAT goes full power, I will get all the networks OTA...may be time to jump the TWC ship and look at DISH.

I got the 8300 the other day...not much of a difference...if any. Do you only see the difference with the HDMI connection? My TV is a few years old and only has the component inputs.

Can anyone give me insight on the "pass through," or other functions this box may have an advantage with?

Oh, one compaint...the box is silver...doesn't go well with my black components.

Sinclair insists on a deal for all of its stations for all of TWC, not just TWCSC. They own fifty-some stations across the country. Don't hold your breath.

Originally posted by shuttermaker
Would any subs of Knology or Comcast like to share the PQ they are experiencing on FOX HD? Are those same Knology and Comcast companys being forced to transmit additional chanels?

I am a Comcast sub and the PQ quality is not diminished yet because Sinclair is not currently broadcasting additional channels. But this is an important issue and I think that it is one the cable cos should take a reasonably tough stand on. I don't know whether Comcast's final agreement was to carry everything or if it is a money thing, but the future could look very poor if this stations begin to multicast. It will affect, reduce, restrict, etc. the bandwidth and quality of HD signals.

Obviously, if these stations were multicasting but the cables cos only carried the major signal or the ones they were interested in, then it would not be practical for he stations since only OTA people would get the sub channels (WCSC's Doppler subchannel is only OTA) and most of the market would be lost. So if Comcast/TWC/Knology carry what ever is broadcast regardless of quality of material or signal Sinclair/Media General, etc would be encouraged to do so at the expense of quality of HD or inplace of a HD signal.

Originally posted by AndrewG
I am a Comcast sub and the PQ quality is not diminished yet because Sinclair is not currently broadcasting additional channels. But this is an important issue and I think that it is one the cable cos should take a reasonably tough stand on. I don't know whether Comcast's final agreement was to carry everything or if it is a money thing, but the future could look very poor if this stations begin to multicast. It will affect, reduce, restrict, etc. the bandwidth and quality of HD signals.

Obviously, if these stations were multicasting but the cables cos only carried the major signal or the ones they were interested in, then it would not be practical for he stations since only OTA people would get the sub channels (WCSC's Doppler subchannel is only OTA) and most of the market would be lost. So if Comcast/TWC/Knology carry what ever is broadcast regardless of quality of material or signal Sinclair/Media General, etc would be encouraged to do so at the expense of quality of HD or inplace of a HD signal.

TWC carries the Doppler subchannel, i dont think the PQ of the WCSC main channel is diminished. PBS on the other hand...the PQ is terrible. Arent they still broadcasting 3 HD signals?

However on a sidenote....I just heard on the WCSC 5pm newscast that they will be broadcasting at a reduced power tonight to allow continuing work on the new tower.

Originally posted by dolemite77
Man, i wish i knew you before i sent my tv in. I could be paying you the >$550 that they are charging me for this "convergence board". Tell me what you think Darthtom... Here's the problem. My tv's picture was fine and beautiful for about 20-30 minutes. Then the colors shifted slighty, about a half an inch,. Turns out, if i turned the tv off and let it 'cool down', when i turn it back on it would be fine again. I researched on the internet, and it seemed like it was either a cold solder joint, or just an IC or two that needed replacement. Of course, P&Y calls with the worst new. "I'm afraid we have to order this entire new board. Gonna cost ya $500." As a consumer with little electronics knowledge, you are at their mercy, and they know it. I just think i'm gettin screwed. What do you think, Sith Lord of HDTV?

Just listening to your description, I would say that you probably have a bad solder connection on the convergence board. It could probably be fixed in a matter of minutes with the proper tech or experience. That said, you could also have a problem called "Thermal Runaway." This is when an IC or transistor gets hot and messes up... this causes the device to get hotter and mess up more.... and on and on and on. Most of the time it is as simple to find and fix as spraying the devices with freeze spray to locate the problem then replacing the bad component. A solder joint can cause this problem because as the set runs, it heats and cools and will make and break the connection.

If the problem is a component device, the manufacturer may not have it available as a stand alone component. They may require a board change. That is not the norm but possible. Some companies set up proprietary parts to make sure they get money on the back side.

Several years ago Phillips (Phillips, Magnavox, and Sylvania) had a problem on their convergence boards. They used double sided boards and the feed through jumpers would break their connections when the boards would heat and cool. This would cause exactly what you saw. A quick re-solder of the boards would fix the problem for a long time (usually years). Most of the time, it would come back. I finally solved the problem on the sets I worked on by using a more "flexible" solder. After that, the set never came back.

I can not say for sure what Patton and Young is doing there. I have never heard a good review of them. I personally would not take anything to them. The one set I had to have a warranty repair done to (State owned product) I took to a TV shop on beside North Charleston High... Taylors TV I think... it has been a while. Anyway, I would ask to see the old board and have them show you exactly what is wrong with the board. If they refuse.... then get worried.

Originally posted by kjpjr
This is not a TW problem. This is a Sinclair problem. Sinclair owns the fox station in Charleston. We have Fox HD in Myrtle Beach which is not Sinclair owned.

Sinclair will only sign a contract with TW if they agree to carry anything Sinclair wants to put on its broadband. So with Fox HD could come a whole bunch of other channels that Sinclair wants broadcast that they say TW must carry to the point where the signal of the regular Fox HD suffers so it isn't any good.

Sinclair is the "evil empire" spend some time with google and check them out. TW is not the bad guy in this deal they just are not caving into a bunch of demands that would really ruin our current TV cable if all the other stations did the same thing.

Sinclair is the place where your anger should be placed.

You bring up a valid point. TWC is not the only problem. I should have been more clear. I am also writing WTAT and sinclair. Both sides needs to hear our frustration. WTAT is broadcasting on such a week signal that practically no one can get it. OTA people are not happy with them. TWC people are not happy with them. Of course, Knology and Comcast both get WTAT-HD so they are OK. Makes you wonder about TWC when you bring the up.

We have all concentrated on FoxHD but NBCHD is missing as well on TWC. Does Comcast and Knology in Charleston have those? They are also on low power and can be be easily obtained.

I like your "Empire" reference. I will take your advise and research Sinclair even more. As I do with most things I take on... I will have more information than I want shortly about this subject. I will keep everyone posted.

Thanks

Originally posted by Darthtom
I will take your advise and research Sinclair even more. As I do with most things I take on... I will have more information than I want shortly about this subject. I will keep everyone posted.

Thanks Begin your research here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=500356&highlight=Sinclair) where a Sinclair person participates in the discussion.

umenon: You might want to make sure the external drive feature is activated on the 8300 before you put your 250GB on it.

I can't seem to get an answer from WCBD on the status of their tower upgrade. No news is usually bad news.