Mike
Have you looked at the Tivo web site, they have some good info but need more info on mod # to get into. I have only worked with one with Direct TV built in.
Jim

I did look at the TiVo website...no specific info regarding the HIRD-E86. customer support is on the west coast...they just opened shop at 11AM our time. Ill give them a call...thanks for taking the time to help.

Mike

Mike
Sounds like an input setting, will check with a friend when he gets home tonight.
Jim

im wondering if the problem may be with the diplexer. Thanks Again

Mike
can you get Direct TV on TV at all?

What is the TIVO model #?

TCD230040

Shuttermaker:

I found some info on your DirecTV receiver but not much on your TIVO. But I think I know the problem. For one thing the TIVO more than likely doesn't have component inputs, only composite or s-video. The other problem is from your Directv owners manual:
TV Resolution
The TV Resolution menu option lets you set the output format of the HD receiver. By default the
TV Resolution is set to 1080i for a High Definition monitor or television. If you have a Standard
Definition monitor or television, you should choose 480i. If you change this setting, the onscreen
menu will disappear from view. You need to change the TV’s input to match the new
output setting. Switching between HD and SD can also be done by using the remote control.
Press the key once, then press the key, followed by the key.
Note: The HD receiver will output HD video through the Component Video (Y,
Pr, Pb) connectors or SD video through the OUT TO TV/VIDEO/S-VIDEO
connectors, but it will not output both formats simultaneously. Please refer to
Chapter 2 “Setting Up Your HD Receiver” for instructions on connecting
your type of monitor or television.
SAT ACTION INPUT[COLOR=purple]

It seems to me that you need to have your D* box connected to your TV with component cables and then use S-Video to your TIVO and then from TIVO to TV using a different TV input. Then you have to select which output from the D* box you want to use. 1080i for TV or 480i for TIVO

Mike
The diplexer should have 2 out put, 1 for ant, 1 for Sat The 1 for sat should go to Sat box. 1 for ant should got to RF in on Tvio. DO not feed ant to Sat.

LUVThatHDTV has some very good info. I found the hook up info on the Tivo site and it only has S and composite input. You need to feed sat to TV with component and sat to Tivo with composite/S

oljim and LuvThatHDTV: Id like to put you two on my Christmas card list...thanks so very much for the help...everythings up and running perfectly.

Good did you get an ant working for OTA HDTV

A question about OTA HD. When CBS broadcasts CSI tomorrow nite, i assume that i am to turn the channel on my TV to 47...is there a signal on channel 47 all the time or is there only a signal when an HD broadcast is TX?

Also...Do I need to run a seperate coax (via splitter) from the OTA antenna to my satellite receiver to decode HD broadcasts. My current and only coax form the OTA antenna runs straight to my Tivo (tivo doesnt TX HD).

The DTV is on all the time, 5-1 will be same as ch 5 but CSI will be HD, you will need to feed the OTA to the Sat to get the HDTV from WCSC. I would use a splitter to feed Sat and Tvio. If you need an ant. the Rat Shack 15-2160 is only $22 and I can get 5-1/5-2 down here in Beaufort and I am over 70 miles from tower. I do get drop outs when it rains, going to try one that is 100 in long soon as the weather gives me a brake.

I live 10 miles from WCSC(5) and (5-1) ...comes in perfect. I live 16 miles from FOX/UPN on Arco Lane and dont get any HD signal(36-1) or (24-1) from them. Maybe I need to get my antenna higher. Its only about 12 feet high right now. Anyone have any comments on an OTA antenna amplifier?

Some amps do not work well with HDTV, what ant do you have

VU-90XR VHF / UHF / FM Outdoor Antenna from Radio Shack

Why is it that I can pick up channel 2 but not 2-1 or 24 but not 24-1 or 36 abut not 36-1 ?

2-1 is not on yet 24 and 36 are low power and not at same tower as 5=1. I would get ant up as high as you can and you may need to turn some to get 24 and 36

shuttermaker:
No problem, glad to be able to help. Can't help much with antennas though. I only have a cheap set of rabbit-ears on TV. They work great for 5-1 and 5-2 and pretty good for SD OTA. I have a radio-shack cable/antenna amplifier that works well with the SD OTA and has basically no efffect on HD. It has an "FM Trap" switch which must be some type of filter. With the FM Trap on I can't get HD through it, but with it off it works fine. But I don't get 24-1 or 36-1. And my homeowners association frowns on outdoor antennas; so I'll just wait til all the broadcasts go full power in Awendaw and the rabbit ears should work just fine for me.

I think my last resort will be to go up another 10 or 12 feet. Probably wont help to get 24-1 or 36-1 but I expect the worst hope for the best. Are all of the stations going to eventually broadcast from Awendaw?

If I have my PJ ISF calibrated and then change bulbs was the calibration for nil? Just how much difference will a bulb make?

Any one have problems with Ch 4 and Ch 5 analog signals the last few nights? In St. George, we lost Ch 4 for a while Tues night, and lost both Ch 4 and Ch 5 analog last night. Was able to get the HD signal from Ch5 while unable to get the analog. Not just my setup, as others in this area had the same issues.

I sent a note to Elden, but I know he is busy, and thought I might get a quicker answer here.

Thanks!

Daryal.

I lost them as well, 4 for quite a while Wednesday night and both off and on last night. I have Knology cable on and thought they were losing the feed from the stations. 5-1 was available when 5 was out. Did anyone notice buzz on analog 5 Wednesday night. It was gone last night but Wednesday it was quite audible. Again digital was fine.

On another note, I had a lot of dropouts last night on 5-1 when I was watching Letterman. Is this just the weather. I initally had >95% signal on my TS-160 for 5-1 last Thursday, and recently ~ 77%, I think the antenna moved a little in the attic. But last night I would have the signal and then total loss quite a few times. I will readjust the antenna tonight before CSI.

Andy

I third those same lost analog signals on 4 and 5, but digital was making it through. Didn't watch it so don't know about the dropouts.

However I do know that I was getting a video dropout every 15 minutes (or so) during the basketball games, but audio was fine. I saw KTROUT's thread about it, but no good info back yet.

Noob question about HD reception...
I just got a Hughes DirecTV HD receiver and rabbit ears (RCA powered ant.). I don't have the dish up yet, but am testing the HD and analog signals here in Mount Pleasant (Park West area).

I initially got 5-1 to show up... intermittantly, but then it went blank. I tested the signal strength for it, and got >90 for a while, but the screen was still blank. (Time was 7:30-7:50pm).

Do the channels stop broadcasting at certain times, or should I be able to pick up content 24/7??

Any clarifying info would be great!

I know that 5-1 is transmitted all the time but only certain broadcasts are in HD. I cant get 2-1 24-1 or 36-1...yet

5-1 was blank around 2-3 PM but 5-2 was ok, had some drop out tues when JAG was on

I had a number of drop outs during CSI tonight. Looks like 77% still tonight. I moved my antenna a little, but I will try to optimize with some help tomorrow. Anyone else have signal drops during CSI. Maybe it is still wet trees affecting the signal.

Andy

No dropouts here. Is that because im so close to the station...even though im far far from Awendaw tower?

I had 1 or 2 last night during CSI, It was windy and have a lot of wet trees.
Most of the time I have drop outs I go to 5-2 and see lots of green and yellow stuff between here and the tower. I have had more this week with all the rain.
Jim

Post From A New Addition to Charleston from San Francisco. We are renting in West Ashley while our house is being built, and my first priority after getting us a washer & dryer (wifes priority, not mine)) was to get my HT set up. Audio side was moved from our house in the Bay Area, and TV purchased was the Samsung HLM507W, with the Sammy SIR-TS160 STB. Well to my surprise, after receiving all the stuff Thursday and hooking it all up, I attached an old rabbit ear antenna to the Sammy STB, and 5-1 was there, along with the FOX & UPN digital channels. And CSI was flawless last night. The Directv dish is being installed today for their HD suite, and looking forward to the Masters today. And BTW, the 507 is a really decent set, but I am just now entering the SM to begin tweaking it. Well, just wanted to introduce myself to what appears to be an active, and growing HD community !!
-rick

I have been silently following all of your posts since early January. You guys have provided fantastic information. Back in January I purchased a Sony KF60XBR800 LCD projection unit. It's been wasted until last night,
when I was able to watch CSI in full High Def. Truly an amazing experience. I live in the Summerville area and picked up my STB from Time-Warner on Wednesday (Scientific Atlanta 3100HD) and got it hooked up. Unfortunately CBS had no HD programming that night so I knashed my teeth until last night and CSI. All I can receive so far is Channel 5 but TWC will be adding HBOHD soon. Just wanted to let you guys know what's happening in the cable world and to thank you for all the great info.

YUK cable
Do you get 5-1 and 5-2 on TW how about 24 and 36.?

Just 5-1. Nothing else yet. I know most people hate cable, as do I sometimes. My problem is kids that want their own TV etc.. so cable is the best option overall.

5-2 is live radar. Hope to see 2-1 I think it was starting today.

Masters is on 5-1 in HD

Originally posted by oljim
Masters is on 5-1 in HD


And looks wonderful !

I am a newbie here, and listen, thanks so much for the great info here, you guys and gals do a great job in keeping us up to date! My apolos for being long here so here I go- Want desperately to dive in HD, need a quick answer. I purchased a Sony XBR 40 (4:3) last year and looking into STB's and antenna. Will HD material that I view be in 16x9 and if so, will I be able to get a STB that will "zoom" or at least fill up most of the screen? Thanx in advance.

I've been busy and haven't been keeping up much... Is 2.1 broadcasting yet? I check my TV earlier and didn't have a signal, and haven't seen a signal there yet.

Thanks!

I have not found any sig yet for 2-1 (50)
loadams my Samsung T151 can out put 4:3 or 16x9 and has settings for zoom, full or pillbox??? DD5.1 coax and optical.

I'm not getting a signal for 2.1 either.. Anybody heard from them today?

Thankx oljim. Look forward to getting started.

Welcome to all the new members that have just signed on to AVSFORUM and logged into the Charleston DTV thread! It was great that your first post was on this forum. This is a real positive because with more HD viewers documented, we can hopefully get access to more programming in HD. It might be in the form of Cable, or OTA locally, or maybe the Dish providers will step up to the plate (ESPN-HD) since HD is catching on at a rapid pace now. Again WELCOME, this group from the Lowcountry are a helpful bunch! So ask away -- if you have newbie questions! We probably had the same question at one time.

Just got back in town and tried Channel 50 with no luck. Didn't know if they were transmitting and I wasn't getting it, or they just weren't transmitting at all. Seems you guys have answered that for me. I e-mailed that guy that told me they'd be up and asked whats up.

pcm19:
Welcome! I e-mailed TWC here quite a while ago and never heard back from them so I figured they were ignoring HD. Couple of questions, are you getting Channel 5 HD through TWC or does the 3100 box allow you to bring in OTA signals? If through TWC how long has that been available? I find this great news!!! It puts a little heat on Comcast and increases the number of people in the community with access to HD material.

GRC:
glad you made it from SF.

jcvader99:
i'm in PW as well, and save for the occasional unexplained video drop out you should get a signal strength 90 and above and programming on 5-1 and 5-2 all day long. the engineers at the station are battling with these video dropouts and they most likely don't have anything to do with your gear. Now if you're losing audio as well, you might have something wrong .....

loadams:
check your private messages box.

Another quick update............ I pinged someone that is in charge of East Coast programming for CBS inquiring about when WCSC was scheduled to receive the decoder and encoder boxes for 5.1 audio without too much success. Basically just heard back that there was a rollout plan in place and that an exact date wasn't know. Gotta find another source.

Did anyone check out any of the Master's coverage on DirecTV and compare it to the OTA stuff? I'm looking forward to the Masters this afternoon!!!!

That's enough for now. Have a good weekend.

The DIRECTV feed was in 5.1 which made a world a difference. Needless to say I kept my TV on 198. I only wish WCSC had their decoder, 5.1 really added to the Masters HD experience.

Can't wait to see the third round this afternoon even without 5.1.

Ktrout
One afternoon this week, 5-1 was blank (black) no picture or sound, signal was normal, and 5-2 was ok. I think it was 2-3 PM. I cut down some trees today will take the wood to build a fire under 2-1 to get them going. LOL
Jim

Good night for DX, now have 10-1 Tampa FL

[
pcm19:
Welcome! I e-mailed TWC here quite a while ago and never heard back from them so I figured they were ignoring HD. Couple of questions, are you getting Channel 5 HD through TWC or does the 3100 box allow you to bring in OTA signals? If through TWC how long has that been available? I find this great news!!! It puts a little heat on Comcast and increases the number of people in the community with access to HD material.


Ktrout:

I have been calling and emailing TWC since Jan, I even went by the office a couple of times bugging them to get on the stick. The HD in Summerville was turned on very recently. I picked up my 3100HD on Wednesday (and was terribly disapointed that CBS had nothing on in HD). TWC has channel 5 HD on channel 810 and their reply to my most recent email indicated they will add the locals as each begins broadcasting in HD, HBO HD and Showtime HD will be added soon as well. They didn't provide a manual for the 3100 HD so i don't know if it will receive OTA but the connection panel suggests that it will not. I was shocked however when the guy in the office handed me a package that included component video and audio cables. Not the same caliber as the ones out on the market but, freebies from a cable company? Who could imagine it!

The Masters yesterday was incredible, even my wife the skeptic was impressed. Looking forward to this afternoon.

Why is The Masters coverage not in HD?

Is it just me or did WCSC switch back to SD for the Masters?

I can breath once again, Masters is back in HD

Ktrout...

Thanks for the info... finally figured out that my rabbit ears were causing some issues. Strange really... you have to plug them in to get a digital signal, but I also have to turn the amplification down to absolute minimum. Anything more than that cancels the reception!!??

Anyhow, I've got 100 signal from 5-1, 5-2 all day long. Can't seem to get 24 or 36 here though... Is the signal for those receivable in PW?

Been watching the Masters all weekend... the image is amazing!

Last item... Has anyone tried the Terk TV55 antenna? I can't put up any outdoor antennas that can be seen from the street, but the Terk TV55 could lay right on my roof and never be noticed. I just don't want to go to the trouble of buying/installing and then have a crappy reception. I'm trying my best to get off of cable (Comcast), but my wife "HAS" to have local channels, so I need to prove I can get them OTA without having rabbit ears in the den. Otherwise my new Hughes DirecTV HD receiver and Triple LNB dish are going back to Best Buy... :'(

Any suggestions on permanent antennas (for analog & digital) would greatly help the cause!!!

Forget the Terk, over priced junk. Why not put up an outside ant?

any small VHF/UHF ant should work where you are.

I'd like to get a little more scientific with these video drop outs by sampling those here on the forum to see if these drop outs happen at the same time for all of us, or if at different times......

During the Masters coverage today I noticed two specific times when the drop outs occurred and would like some feedback........both of these were near the end of the telecast.....

1) Between Weir's birdie and par putts on the 18th hole

2) After Weir hit his drive on the 10th hole, 1st hole of the playoff

How about letting me know if you remember these as times that they occurred or not. I'm getting some feedback from the forum that the signal might be overdriving my STB. Well I tried an attenuator as suggested and it didn't seem to have any affect. Therefore, I'd like to think that we are all experiencing these drop outs at the same time and it's more "source" related, maybe not from the transmitter but info being fed into it. If we are all seeing the drops at the same relative times, then that may be the case.

jdvader:
oljim is right about the terk. try this link, it's an article from home theatre magazine that gives alot of good information regarding antenna's etc. since we live less that 7 miles from the analog sites of all the stations around here it shouldn't be to hard to find something that will work for all channels required. trick will be to pull in WCBD-DT which will broadcast from downtown mt. pleasant. might be too large of a spread. Channels 24 and 36 are not possible with indoor, maybe outdoor.

http://www.hometheatermag.com/showarchives.cgi?156

i'm still not sure what i'm going to end up with antenna wise. was waiting for WCBD-DT to come online first.

oljim - Outside antenna not allowed by neighborhood Home-Owners-Association, was hoping the Terk 55 would work cause I can put it up on the roof, without being "visible". But since it isn't anygood I'll have to find something else.

Basically I've got 2 constraints to work with...
1) No visible antenna on or above roof of house (HOA rule)
2) No rabbit ears in the house (wife rule) ;-)

That leaves me with something in the attic, or something attached to the outside of the house or roof, that is not visible from the street or above the roofline of the house. Thanks for the warning on the Terk!

KTrout - Looking at your link now... thanks for the info. Let me know when/if you find a good solution, and I'll do the same.

Ktrout Drop outs could be the weather, did not watch the Masters but I had lots of drop outs on 5-1 tonight, but JAX Fl Orlando and Columbia are solid as a rock, I am watching CBS on 19-1 Columbia and it is better than 5-1 Funny thing is CBS is on 19-1 in Jax also, just turn my ant and get both.
Jim

A Fed law says they can NOT stop you from putting up an ant. if not more than 12 ft above the roof. If you need more info let me know.
Jim

KTrout,
I experienced dropouts several times during the Masters, including the times you mentioned. Also had a couple during CSI tonight.

I experienced dropouts at the above mentioned times as well

KTrout:
I had a few dropouts during the masters from around 5:30 until the end. I do remember 2 specific times but the audio continued and then the STB switched to no signal then came back as strong as before.

OlJim: I am about to Call BullSh** on Orlando and Tampa HD signals. However, if you are willing to show me or one of the regulars with more than 25 post on this forum, I will congratulate you and promptly look into buying a system like yours immediately. I am overnighting (I'm a pilot) in Savannah on Tuesday night then Orlando on thru the weekend. I hope you are getting those type of signals without a 100 foot tower and a starwars antenna system. I can't wait for you to prove me wrong! Thanks for your input in the local forum!

HDSC : Here is a pic of Jim's antenna here is a quote from an e-mail he sent me about it " Top of tower is CM 1160 w cm amp. on the side 20 ft up is a RS U 75. Rotor is a CM 9521 " .

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/demum/jimantenna.jpg

JeffD:
Thanks for the pic. Now if Oljim can really see all those stations, I will be impressed. Especially Tampa and Orlando!
HDSC

im suffering fron antenna envy...lol. I was just in Jax AND Orlando this weekend.

I just shot a short clip of radar from 6-2 Orlando, and station ID and guide from 41-1 UPN 65 Orlando, I will send it to Jeff. All for the unbeliever's
Jim

This Thursday I'm going to watch CSI and record at what time and the nature of any drop-outs experienced. It would be nice for a couple of other people to do the same. I'm going to alert Eldon and he could archive the transmissions from his end as well and then we can all compare notes.
Gotta start somewhere.

Please post if you could potentially help out. Don't miss your kids soccer game etc. to do this and get in trouble with the wife, but I think we'd all like to find and correct these annoying drops.

Just spoke with Jack at WCBD. He explained that they have been up with the video broadcast, during the day mostly. They ran into problems with the audio on the HD side and that is what is keeping it off the air full time right now.

Their studio is capable of passing through a 5.1 audio signal, but as you probably know NBC doesn't have any shows generating a 5.1. So they originally were trying to take audio and produce 5.1 from it, and it's apparently just a mess. They're now planning on providing regular audio with the HD until NBC starts passing 5.1.

He indicated it would probably be another two weeks before they go full time with broadcasts, want to get the sound issue corrected first. They are planning on broadcasting an 11kW signal from their studio antenna (~700'). He seemed interested in getting feedback and I told him there would be plenty of that from everyone here.
I even told him about oljim being in Beaufort, and he didn't think oljim would be able to get the signal until I told him about oljim getting something from Orlando....... his response "holy s***" :p I'm not counting oljim out.

Anyway, he indicated that there's typically not anyone there at night messing with the HD broadcasts, but it might not be a total waste of time to try it out once in awhile.

Ktrout
3-1/3-2 in Sav WSAV NBC has DD and the reg ch 3 is and has always been mono. The reg ch 3 sound like crap but 3-1/3-2 sounds WOW. J Leno sure sound like DD5.1
Will let you know about CSI drop outs. I can tell you 5-1 sound is better than 11-1 in Sav. 11-1 sound is 1/2 sec behind video, on all prime time network from 8-11 PM
Jim

Eldon just sent out a group e-mail, portion of it regarding dropouts follows:

"Second, our continuing battle with HD dropouts. We have not found anything here that is causing them, though we have some theories we are experimenting with. I have talked to several other CBS stations that have the same problem, and an unanswered question came up. Is it possibly something in CBS' signal and not the local station? Of course, it is possible that all the stations I talked to have the same problem, but I would like to ask your help in isolating this. Do we only have dropouts during CBS' HD programming, or are they also present in our upconverted local programming? I have only seen them during CBS' HD programming, but as I have said before, I don't have the time to sit and watch a lot of it. Also, for those who can get other CBS stations, do you see these same dropouts? Any feedback would be helpful."

So add checking upconverted programming drop-outs to your list of things to keep your eye on. (Oljim I let him know about your observations re: Columbia and JAX)

Thanks oljim. Might pepper NBC with sound issues once they get up and going. would rather have HD and stereo than SD and stereo at this point.

1/2 second delay seems pretty substantial. They know about it?

I'll try to document CSI on Thursday if I'm home...

Since NBC does not have any programs in DD 5.1, maybe we can get WCBD (Jack) to sell (or lease) the 5.1 equipment to Eldon??

:-)

Here is a link for people to download the video shot by Jim if anyone is interested . Please right click and save as .

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/demum/HDTV.WMV

Ill be watching CSI on Thursday and will take notes

Well between the first and second periods of tonights game, figured I would whip up a quick spreadsheet that would be useful in regards to keeping track of dropouts.

So attached to this message is a zipped EXCEL spreadsheet. If you fill it out then send it back to me via e-mail (rename file to screen name event log.xls for example) I'll consolidate them and forward them to Eldon (and anyone else trying to figure this out).

The more I think about it, I can't remember a time when the upconverted signal dropped out. Anyway, I appreciate everyone's responses to date.
The more the merrier.

I cant view excel sheets

Could not open your form

Just had a 10 sec drop out on CSI on 5-1

I didn't have any drops between during CSI- Miami on 5-1. However I must admit a little surfing early on watching some hockey. I stayed completely on 5-1 after oljim's dropout though at 10:35.

The switch back and forth between SD on the commercials and the HD CSI is very similar to the dropouts that I have seen in the past. Any chance the auto switch is causing the problem? Just a thought...

I had 2 drops during the CSI-Miami. One was during the SD Judging Amy commercial and one was right when the one kid was shown pictures of the dead body at the graveyard

I had one drop out at 10:41 during CSI (maybe this is the 10:35 dropout above). Just a short video freeze, audio continues, then the picture pixalates and the video starts again. No others, and we had been watching CBS most of the night during the sitcoms. I was in and out a little during the earlier shows, but I was thinking that there were no dropouts.

On another, related but as far as I can tell undiscussed issue. During Saturday's Masters I had a lot of audio drops with no loss of video. I would say that maybe every 5-10 minutes over the last 2 hours the sound would drop and my receiver would click because it was auto switching from the Digital 2.0 feed to analog. There was never sound on the analog switch, and a few seconds later it would click back to the DD 2.0. I haven't ever observed this before or since. The funny thing was, that after this started happening for the rest of the broadcast the sound was out of sync. You could sort of tell during putts when the crowd would roar, but you could see it during the interviews, when it looked like a badly dubbed film.

On Sunday, no DD 2.0, my STB passed PCM I assumed CBS or WCSC had a problem with the Dolby Digital and switched to analog audio.

Andy

I also noticed the drops at the judging amy commercial (so it is also during up conversion, Eldon, right?) and the dead body but that was the 10:41 drop I described above, i think.

Andy

I feel bad... Did I miss the dropouts? It is really hard for me not to surf but I thought I stayed on task for the second half of CSI..

I only caught the last 10 minutes of CSI-Miami and didn't notice any dropouts.

I know Eldon has passed along an ISF tech, but I would like to provide another option (supply vs. demand!!!)
Another ISF calibrator is coming to the South Carolina area and his name is Chuck Williams. He is a moderator at the HOMETHEATERSPOT and does an excellent job on many brands of TV's. If you would like to do some research on his work go to the HOMETHEATERSPOT.COM and do a search for his name. (Here is the posting --> http://www.hometheaterspot.com/htsthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB10&Number=397152&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1 )He is estimating being in this area late May, beginning of June timeframe. He does an ISF calibration for Mits, Toshiba, Hitachi, Panasonic, and Sony (as well as Runco or Vidikron) models. If you are interested in his services or have specific questions about his process, cost, etc., please email him at CMWTEK@AOL.COM and please also cc: me at MARKJOHNSON72@YAHOO.COM.

to all - sorry for the confusion, i meant for us to document this Thursday's CSI, forgot about CSI-Miami, oh well, it's still useful info

shuttermaker: see pdf attachment below if you want a copy of event log..

oljim: sorry i used winzip to create acceptable extension for file attachment. guess you could just use pdf above and scan/e-mail....

planenut: i was watching hockey as well.......

andrewg: i have not experienced the audio dropouts that you mention so i'm not quite sure what to make of that.
Eldon will have to clarify this, but the commercial for judging amy might not have been upconverted by WCSC but just SD source material from CBS. I think what WCSC does is when CBS's source material is not HD they simply upconvert their own analog signal. This keeps them from having to switch between CBS's feed and their own local commercials etc. The promotional stuff for CBS I think originates from CBS national.

I think it's somewhat encouraging that we seem to all have the same problems at the same time. It kind of eliminates airplanes and ice makers and all sorts of other things i've seen on the forum......

Also, Eldon confirmed that Time Warner is carrying their HD feed on 810.

ktrout,

Any chance Jack at WCBD would estimate times they might test in the daytime? We could give him feedback as to how the sound is on our end..

i just sent him an e-mail letting him know that we have people ready and willing to provide feedback during daytime hours as well. I'll let you know what he says.

KTrout
Your last form worked, have it printed and ready to go.
Tks for the info on 2-1, hope they get on the air soon.
I have a new ant I want to try out
Jim

oljim:
you freelance for the cia and this new antenna will allow you to monitor "conversations" in the middle east as well won't it? this interest in High Definition is just a cover right? :)

by the way i'm betting on you being able to pick up 2-1.

I lucked out and found a 8 1/2 ft UHF ant, going to try it at a friends then try on the top of my tower. So far nothing does better than the old CM 1160 that is no longer made.

I called Time Warner this afternoon and got some info on HD services.

Obviously right now all they've got is CBS (5-1). Premium services to include HBO-HD and Showtime HD (although pcm19 indicated that they weren't available yet). There's no HD package. They don't have HDNet or ESPN-HD and are in the proverbial negotiations.

Digital service is required, but there's not a premium for the HD box. If you are in the service area it's a monthly cost of $46.60. Additional costs for HBO and Showtime of course.

Forgot to ask about 5.1 but maybe pcm19 could answer that for us.

I plan to call Comcast and make sure they're aware that Time Warner is offering HD. Probably can't accelerate roll out schedule, but at least they'll know that we know. Besides I've been meaning to ask about moving ESPN from Channel 7 because of interference from SCETV.

If you called TWC at 871-7000 you talked to someone in a phone bank located in Columbia, which has had HD for several months. Their system has HBO etc.. but they are not that far along here at the local office. The only thing avail is still WCSC on 810. Would you believe I actually had to take my TV owner's manual down to the office to prove I had an HD capable unit. Otherwise they wouldn't have given me the 3100HD box. Their reasoning was that the units are in short supply and they didn't want to give them to someone who couldn't use it properly. I was blown away! If I couldn't us it I wouldn't be asking for it! Oh well, that's a monopoly for you. At least they're making progress, just not as quickly as I'd like.

Like everyone else I experienced the same picture only dropouts during CSI-Miami.

pcm19,

At least they are hoarding the HD boxes rather than giving them out to the next guy who walks through the door while telling those of us that are capable they don't have any boxes left... Maybe it is a good thing. just a thought.

planenut:
i agree with you, except i wish they would advertise their availability. there's strength in numbers. the CSR that i talked to had the attitude that there's not really any reason for people to get the box and an HDTV set since there's not that much HD material available. chicken and egg curse.


i've updated the website and it now has both EXCEL and PDF versions of the Event Log sheet available for download. Will Murphy strike us tomorrow night and we won't experience a single drop-out?

website link: http://www.markuyak.com/schdtv/schdtv.htm

You guys are right about them holding the info close. If I hadn't been calling and emailing I would still be without the HD box. They're pushing their DVR box instead of HD right now.

Any word on WCBD ?

JeffD:
I e-mailed Jack and let him know there were people available during the day for feedback and haven't heard anything. I don't really know what's going on. My "inside" guy (the one I've never met or talked to) didn't return an e-mail either, so........we wait

Is anyone else having problems with 5-1 right now...?

I just wanted you all to know I was watching the Masters in HD OTA from Charleston at a friends house nearby. We are about 15 miles south of Myrtle Beach in Pawleys Island. It was on a DLP projector. The picture was excellent but I must say Tiger's red shirt on Sunday Looked purple. In any case the signal range must be pretty good.

Wondering what to watch after you finish documenting CSI this evening???

Try 2-1!!! Jack e-mailed me back with the following:

"I am planning to broadcast "Law & Order" in high definition tonight at
10:00PM followed by our newsblock from 11:00-11:35PM in standard definition.
We will turn the transmitter on at approximately 9:58. We are still hooking
the automatic triggers up to switch between NBC HD and our local programming
in SD. My night engineer will be playing with this switching doing it
manually, so disregard any nasty break switching or clipped spots during the
NBC program. Let me know how it all looks. I am especially interested in the
look from our local studio, since it starts as digital and never gets into
the analog mode until the beam in your CRT hits the screen."

Please e-mail Jack @ jbecknell@wcbd.com with comments..... We've been asking to help them, so now the ball is in our court. Remember this is early on in progress, so lets try to keep any criticism constructive.

shuttermaker: just tried 5-1....when i first went to it using a "favorite" short-cut it came up with the doppler. i then went to 5-2 and back to 5-1 with menu scroll and Survivor came up. Don't bother asking me to explain it.

Gary:
Thanks for the input. We suspected that reception would be pretty good that way, but it's good to have a witness. The station engineer monitors this forum and will be happy to see that.

CSI left ch sound is all SSSSSSSSSS right ok. CBS from 11-1 Sav ok

Im having the same audio problems with 5-1.

anybody getting static for sound on CSI?

I just got in. and 5-1 has unbearable static.
Channel 5 via Comcast is OK.

audio on 5-1 is working good now

Quick question on 2-1 before it goes live. Is anyone able to see anything on 2-1 right now? I just get a black screen.

additionally, Sound is ok during commercial on 5-1 but returned to static out of rt. front speaker when HD came back...

ran upstairs to make sure i wasn't going crazy, same audio problems and then next door neighbor dropped by and i thought i heard audio get ok but now it's back to static......

2-1 won't be turned on until 9:58 per Jack's e-mail

Just stepped in for a sec to say the static is here also.....too unbearable to sit through to watch on 5-1.

Will definately tune into 2-1 and provide feedback. Gotta also backup Ktrout's comment about sending Jack an email. We are always so quick to send emails to Engineers and V.P.'s about when we are getting HD..let's help Jack out and get this rolling ASAP.

Thanks to all for your help.
Wondering if it will reach Beaufort!?!?!?!

Where is the physical location of the channel 2-1 antenna? my signal is jumping back and forth between 0-6...

planenut:
signal is from WCBD's main studio in Mt. Pleasant. I haven't gotten anything over a 6 either, but I'm indoor.......

anyone having any luck???

i dont get a signal at all...maybe i should rotate my antenna a little bit

My STB has a green led that comes on when it picks up signal, it has gone on and off but no sig lock so far.

Im able to get great reception of their analog signal. Does that mean that my antenna is pointed in a pretty good direction to receive the digital signal?

My signal strength is double zero! Got a clear black screen....something must have went wrong with the switch.

Goodnight, and hope I read something in the morning that says it came online.

Wasn't getting anything until I put a 20dB amplifier in-line and now can get signal strength of 60 or so...........however, still no video or audio even after re-scanning the area. i can get a higher signal but i have to string coax to the other side of the house and hold the antenna about 3' off the floor...... don't think wife will accept this configuration.

just got off the phone w/ engineer there at station and he's going to flip a few switches and see what happens.

don't give 10137two a hard time about going to bed early, he needs that beauty sleep......

shuttermaker:
no, unfortunately until the re-inforce their large antenna in awendaw the digital will originate from their station in Mt. P and the analog from awendaw.

Im off work tomorrow...will stay up a while and keep checking. Any idea how much i need to rotate my antenna to pick up the digital?

KTrout
Any chance you can get the wife to hold your ant outside, and turn slowly LOL
No luck down this way with 2-1
Jim

not a good night to try and document problems with CSI being a repeat and having the audio problem.... sorry guys. I'll post the video problems i witnessed but it won't be comprehensive because my neighbor stopped by and i came upstairs a few times to check the forum...

i would certainly understand if you didn't want to bother with the event logs, we probably ought to re-schedule.....

not a good night for HD, but I do appreciate the effort......

oljim: :)
i'm lucky the wife was working late at the office, she would have kicked my a** with all this coax and extension cords thrown about the place.... never mind that i would have been muttering to myself the whole time and not really even listened to anything she was saying.....

i don't think they were at power this evening.....not really sure what happened...time will tell.

shuttermaker:
the only thing i could suggest is that you turn it towards the cooper river bridge from where you live. again, i wouldn't worry about it too much because i don't think they were where they'll be when they figure it out.

boy that last sentence is rough, but it's late.

KTrout I recorded CSI, rev tape and saw 0 vid drop outs. MY SVHS vcr has meter for L and R audio right was pegged L had normal audio

i cant wait for the day when we have HD choices every nite of the week

oljim:
that was feed from WCSC? I had several vid drop outs....was your R audio "static"? I'll compile times for drop-outs sometime this weekend, have to go to bed now.

If you get in the Wire dog house, send her down here I have 4 Tv ant, 2 10 ft, 1 6 1/2 ft 1 6 ft, 1 3 ft, 1 18 in and ,1 20 in dishes. I C/KU sat rec 2 dish PVRs i Direct TV rec and 2 TVs in my room and 2 SVHS VCRs. And you think you have wires

R ch was static and much higher level than L ch. When I play back L ch sound was ok but kinda low, about 1/3 the level of R ch static

I had my inlaws in town for the weekend, and I was ready to impress them with CSI tonight, after watching analog NBC from 8-9. I had the same static in the right front speaker. Nice picture though. Of course it was unwatchable, I checked back around 9:30, normal audio during a commercial, but the static back during CSI.

Tried WCBD a couple of times between 10-11, I was watching on Knology in between. No signal on 2-1. Tried between 11 and 11:30 and still no signal here in West Ashley. I get between 86-95% on WCSC with my attic antenna. I guess I would have to move it more East to aim at the studios in Mt. Pleasant, but I assume that even at low power we should get it over here?

Look forward to hearing good news, since both the analog OTA and analog cable signal for 2 suffer from a lot of interference.

I did get my HD fix tonight however, in an unusual way. HDNet has two episodes of Hogan's Heroes on tonight in HD. Not sure how it was converted, but it looks great, especially considering it is 40 years old.

Andy

I'm surprised I'm the first one to post who had any success with 2-1 last night and this morning. I'm in Dunes West and using only an indoor antenna -- a rabbit-ear style that picks up 5-1 at a strength of about 88-94, usually. While my reception wasn't necessarily anything to celebrate (it bounced anywhere from no signal to a strength of about 80), it was definitely there and held for some long stretches.

FYI:

I checked for channel 2.1 on my Sony Directv receiver around 10:35 pm last night and there was no signal where 2.1 was supposed to be. I then used my TV DTV-Tuner and had it do an auto seek and it picked up 5.1, 5.2 and 2.1, with 2.1 showing up on DTV channel 50. Obviously Directv didn't think it was supposed to be at the channel because when I had the Directv receiver search for channels it also showed up on it's DTV tuner. Now my presets shows WCBD channel 2(analog), WCBD 2.1 and 2.1, only the latter 2.1 works.
I also had a harder time tuning in 2.1 than 5.1 but I got about 80% with rabbit ears and an antenna amplifier in Dunes West. I only watched about 10 minutes worth though, but it looked good.

Can anyone comment on the color of Tiger's red shirt in the Masters on Sunday? Did it appear red on your HDTV?

Just got another e-mail from Jack. They're going to go live again at 10pm and leave it on until 11:30.

He asked again for feedback. Remember antenna is at base of Cooper River bridge in Mt. Pleasant.

tthorsen:
i had signal strength as well, but no picture. did you have audio/video?

luvthathdtv:
perhaps my problem is DirecTV. so you saw programming? I did a seek as well w/out success. if you get a chance try to see if you can get programming w/out amplification. thanks.


gary:
sorry, didn't mean to ignore you. as best i can remember tiger's shirt was red. i didn't find anything unusual about it because i was expecting him to be wearing red, therefore i don't remember it being a nuclear red or offcolor at all, certainly not purple. Has the owner ever done any kind of calibration on the unit?

Here's my event log from last night, when you get a chance see how it compares to what you saw. Again, I didn't see the entire show, had a couple of distractions, and had to turn it w/ about 20 minutes left.

Thanks,

I saw nothing unusual about Tigers red shirt on Sunday. Will be trying to receive 2-1 tonight. Ive had no signal at all on 2-1 (Ch.50)

I had everything last night and again this morning. It was never constant, the longest I held the picture and audio was probably 10-15 seconds. It was good enough to watch, but not good enough to pay close attention to, if that makes any sense.

My signal strength also flucuated pretty wildly. If I watched only the signal strength for a minute or so, it would bounce from nothing to the 20s, 40s, 60s and even as high as 80. It didn't have an obvious pattern, though. It seemed a little stronger this morning during the Today show, but I wouldn't want to swear to that.

My question now relates to the signal strength, or lack thereof. Will WCBD be boosting their strength, or will the signal strength remain the same until they are transmitting from Awendaw?

tthorsen:
i don't know. i'm not sure if they were broadcasting at the full 11kW last night or not. unfortunately they probably were. 5-1 is broadcast at 1000kW.

i don't think they intend to broadcast at more than 11kW until the tower modifications are done at Awendaw.

Gary,

I hate to tell you but if I had to bet it would be on the Projector calibration. I know mine could use an isf calibration. I did the best I could with the AVIA disk but it just isn't quite right..

on another note... I just noticed my 110 degree sat. signal is only about 69-70. All three are usually in the 92 range. Anyone else notice this or did my dish move a little?

Planning on going on the roof at 10:00 pm to point the antenna for 2-1.

Im at 98 on 110

Why is Frasier (an NBC show) on CBS 5-1?

What station is 59-1 ?

Thanks shutterman, re 110 sat.

Don't know about 59-1. Oljim will if anyone does...

Im getting a signal of 87 on 5-1 . Its never been higher than 37 before tonite.

shuttermaker:
59 was the channel originally designated for WCBD before they requested a channel change to 50. My STB is seeing 2-1 as 59 which is I think why I'm not getting programming.

All the stations in the area put in a request because the FCC is planning on re-acquiring the bandwith after a while so they would have had to purchase new transmitting equipment.

Funny thing is......I just re-downloaded the program guide from DirecTV...now 59-1 is an "unavailable channel"

turned my antenna from 90 degrees to 150 degrees and get a 100 for signal on 2-1 but still not picture. Scanning again to see if that makes a difference. 5-1 dropped to about 69 on signal strength so we'll have to see how that holds up.

ktrout,

That kinda makes sense. I have a 100 signal so I expect a picture but no luck..

24-1 and 36-1 are not present either now

Ktrout: I just messed with antenna and removed the amplifier and only got spotty reception with it removed; signal was jumping around and dropping out. With amp it was between 60-80% and not dropping out. But that was at best; I had to tweak it alot to get to 80%. My rabbit ears have an 8 position switch; 4 for UHF and 4 for VHF. And I only get good signal with switch in one position for 2.1. But 7 out of 8 work for 5.1.
Also DirecTv is looking for 2.1 to be on 59, and it's actually on 50. It found the 2.1 with a local channel scan but doesn't display station info for 2.1 on channel 50; but it kept the 2.1 on channel 59 and shows channel info there

is anyone getting video or audeo on 2-1?

Both right now

No video ..no audio...no signal at all

shuttermaker: have you tried letting your directv box search for local over the air DTV signals? Not the directv setup, but adding local channels; where it searches cable, analog antenna and digital antenna?

I have not...let me try and will report back :)

Well good luck, I'm going to bed (work tomorrow). I had to do that search to get 2.1 to work. Directv is looking for Ch.59 when 2.1 is on 50

i think it's DirecTV's fault. LuvThatHDTV is able to get picture and sound because he's not using DirecTV box for OTA reception, using built-in tuner.
DirecTV has OTA channel programmed incorrectly. I tried to explain this to a CSR at DirecTV a few minutes ago, but she was worthless. Kept trying to explain to me that OTA signals did not come from DirecTV.

LuvThatHDTV: Am I correct in saying you were not able to get picture w/ your DirecTV STB????

I see 2.1 on TV tuner and STB
I got it on directv only after letting STB do a search of local channels, which is different than initial setup where you tell box where you live. And I think you can also manually add a channel, but I didn't get it to work that way.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm no expert when it comes to this, so here goes:

I'm using DirecTV and having no problems accessing 2-1. I've got an RCA F38310, with the DTV tuner built-in. Instead of doing a channel scan to find 2-1, I just manually to to channel 50. The tuner then automatically sends me to 2-1.

Again, I have NO IDEA if this is even appropriate to the discussion, just throwing it out there. Please don't kill me. LOL.

If I am getting a 100 signal, then the signal is reaching Hanahan ok and it is not a strength problem... Correct?

so I tend to agree with ktrout. there is not manual add on my Hughes E86 so I am unable to change the 2-1 settings that it has. I ran the scan several times to no avail.

Do you think Jack would have any other way to contact Directv for changing 59 to 50?

I have the Hughes E86 as well...i concur on the manual add option

Guys, Find a DirecTV remote and punch in 50-1, it will then revert to 2-1, but it's the real 2-1, not the one pre-programmed by DirecTV.

My problem was that I was using my programmable remote and totally forgot about the ability to enter the dash on the DirecTV remote.

Have my wife to thank, she said "where's the other remote"?

this is gonna sound stupid but...how do you punch in 50-1 ? i can do the 50 but how do you complete the -1 ?

Well Law and Order looked good in Goose Creek ! I had about 70% signal strength through the whole program and not one drop out ! It felt good to watch a whole HD program and not have a single drop out .

Also on my Zenith HD420 I had to type in 50-1 then it changed it to 2-1 .

shuttermaker:
on my DirecTV remote, the dash is to the right of the zero, and then just 1. Unfortunately, I believe they pulled the plug so it would be inconclusive at this point.

if you don't have the - there, let us know and we'll try to figure it out.

anyone know why 5-1 has arsenio hall on right now instead of the news???

I am beginning to think that Johns Island is just S.O.L when it comes to 2-1 at least untill the antenna is moved to awendawe:(

im an idiot..i found the dash DUH

shuttermaker:
oljim knows more about these than i do, however, you should consider purchasing an in-line amplifier. i just checked and radio shack has a 10dB model for $30. oljim will most likely know better models and better places to get one.
I do know that Wholesale industrial Electronics on East Bay Street reps blonder tongue, channel master, and about 5 different amplifiers.......

http://www.wieinc.com/

again, ask oljim before you decide anything.

ktrout,

You are the man.....

50-1 worked!! and pic is great
shows as dolby 2.0

wish I had known during law and order :(

planenut: what side of town are you on?

Just checked e-mail and Eldon answered the question regarding the audio problem the other night...... one of the audio processing boxes locked up the other night and needed to be re-booted.

I'm glad to hear that was an easy fix. If only we could find the drop-out bandit.

shutermaker,

I am in Hanahan so probably about 10 miles from the antenna.. I have a CM 4228 on a 20' mast on top of a two story house. Unfortunately, I don't have a rotator and have to turn the antenna between cbs and nbc...

Im on Johns Island in the middle of what seems to be a forrest of 40 ft trees...my antenna is only about 22 feet up...i have no rotator as well

Just for heads up for everyone I'm in Goose Creek and have a small indoor atenna known as the Silver Sensor made by Zenith . That's it sitting atop my digital cable box .

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/demum/new.JPG

shuttermaker:
from Keohi's HDTV website -

"You may need a rotor if you are near other large metro broadcast centers. The Channel Master CM 9521 rotator with remote control is very good.

If the signal is weak at the output end of the antenna, you may need a preamp. The Channel master 7775, 7777 are good. Winegard AP-4700 (16db) is good and so is the higher gain AP-4800."

KTrout: Thanks for the info..ill check it out

Hay guys I am in NC for the weekend. All the STBs do not add new ch the same way, some can be fun. all the amps KTrout listed are good and I can get some real cheap. same for the CM 9521. Will post more info when I get back mon or tues.
Jim

Hey guys, www.titan tv .com says wciv is suppose to go live May 1st. Has anyone heard any more info?

mheyward1 : Welcome to the forum

I really enjoy coming to this forum. You give really good info and like reading the comments all the partcipatents give.

for any Hughes E86 owners... I called Hughes and reported the channel 2 problem. strong signal of 100 but no audio/video. Channel shows up on guide but doesn't work. Explained the possibility of the physical channel change from 59 to 50. He had no solutions except to rescan or change zip code which did nothing. He also said there was s PBS station in FL that the Hughes was not working with and it had been several months and still no fix.. Didn't make me very happy about the hughes especially w/out the manual add channel feature.

But ktrout saved the day with the 50-1 input which forwards to 2-1 after a second or so. I'm not sure why this works with 50-1 but doesn't seem to work with 47-1. I had hoped that after he first time then 2-1 would work but it still doesn't and the prev. channel takes you back to 2-1 (the one that doesn't work) So there are some limitations to this fix.. Still happy to be getting another HD channel anyway I can.

I did a little searching for you E86 owners and found a little something, this is similar to the Sony STB. You have the initial Directv setup which uses the guide and sets up channels based on your location, but also should have a manual scan ability. see below for info right out of the owners manual:

Adding Terrestrial Antenna or Cable to Your
Satellite Connections
If you connected a terrestrial antenna or local cable TV
service to view local analog or digital channels, you
need to configure the HD receiver to receive those
broadcasts.
Highlighting the Local Area button on the
INSTALLATION screen and pressing the key
on the remote control will display the LOCAL AREA
screen shown at the right. Using the and , highlight
either the Local In 1 button if you connected your
terrestrial antenna or cable service to the jack labeled
IN FROM ANT, or highlight the Local In 2 button if
you connected the jack labeled SATELLITE IN and
used a Diplexer to combine your terrestrial antenna cable with the cable from the satellite dish
antenna. Then press the key on the remote control to display the Local In pop-up menu.
On the Local In pop-up menu, use the and keys to highlight the buttons for the type of
antenna or cable you connected to the HD receiver, and then press the key on the remote
control.
Local In Connection Options
The connection options found on the Local In 1 and
Local In 2 pop-up menus are:
None You are not connected to an antenna
or cable.
Antenna You have connected a standard
VHF/UHF indoor or outdoor
antenna.
Cable TV (STD) You have connected a cable service
that uses a standard type of cable
signal.
Cable TV (HRC) You have connected a cable service that uses the HRC type of cable signal.
Cable TV (IRC) You have connected a cable service that uses the IRC type of cable signal.
Note: Consult your cable company to find out what type of cable signal you have.
Note: Local In 1 and Local In 2 must have different input signal types. The receiver
does not support the simultaneous connection of two terrestrial antenna signals or two
cable signals.

The LOCAL AREA screen

Local In 1 pop-up menu
Hughes Model HIRD-E86 Platinum HD Receiver
After selecting your Local In connection and pressing the key on the remote control, the
LOCAL AREA screen will be displayed.
Clear
Remove all the check marked channel numbers from the local Area screen.
Scan Channels
This option will automatically scan through all of the possible channels and place the active
channel numbers into the Advanced Program Guide™ grid. NTSC (analog) channels will be
listed by their normal one- or two-digit Channel Number. ATSC (digital) channels will be listed
by the Channel Number followed by a hyphen and a number other than zero. An example of an
ATSC channel would be 23-1. At this time, the program information for local NTSC and ATSC
channels that is shown on the Advanced Program Guide™ will simply display “Regular
Schedule.” To receive accurate program information for these channels, you need to select a local
cable provider or enter area ZIP Code on the DISH SETUP screen.
Testing the Strength of the Terrestrial Digital Channels
The INSTALLATION screen will display the strengths
of signals from the terrestrial digital channels. The
screen displays a numerical strength indication and a
bar graph accompanied by an audible tone to indicate
signal strength. The higher the number, the greater the
amount of the bar graph occupied, or the faster the
beeping tone, the stronger the signal.
You should test the signal strength of each digital
channel by “physical” Channel Number, not by
“virtual” Channel Number. The “physical” Channel
Number is the channel number that the FCC uses to
identify the channel frequency, and it is a one-digit or
two-digit number. The “virtual” Channel Number is the number that a local broadcast station
wishes to use to identify itself. For instance, if the number for your local CBS analog channel is 2
(Channel 2), then that station may use 2-1 as a digital “virtual” Channel Number, even though the
“physical” number assigned by the FCC to that channel is 40.
To test the strength of terrestrial digital channel signals, highlighting the Source button on the
INSTALLATION screen and pressing the key on the remote control will display the
SOURCE pop-up menu. Using the and keys to highlight the Local Digital button on the popup
menu and pressing the key on the remote control will display the LOCAL DIGITAL
Signal Strength Screen. Use the and keys on the remote control to move to the column on the
left and use the and to highlight the Channel button. Press the key on the remote
control to display the CHANNEL pop-up menu.
If you know the “physical” numbers for your local channels, use the number buttons on the
remote control to select each channel number, and observe the signal strength. If you do not know
these “physical” channel numbers, use the and keys on the remote control to change the
channel one number at a time. Channels with a signal strength of less than 60 may require a better
antenna, adjustment of the antenna angle, or the antenna may be too far away from the signal
source."

thanks luvthathdtv,

I have read most of that. The scan feature it mentions takes several minutes as it looks at all the local 1 and local 2 channels 2-125. Unfortunately when I move the antenna, it may drop channel 5-1, 5-2 since it can not longer receive a signal with the antenna pointed in a new direction. When I move it toward the 5-1 antenna I may lose the programming info for 2-1, 24-1, 36-1 etc.. Somtimes I can move the antenna and go to a different menu that list channels and select one to show up that is not checked and it looks again at just that channel. That is the closest I have to manually adding a channel.

The scan function results in the STB seeing 2-1, but the zip code database still has the guide menu mapping 2-1 to 59.

I posted the question regarding incorrect local guide data on the Keohi HDTV forum and someone responded that this is actually a problem in a number of localities.

I don't believe the problem is with your STB, it's with the guide data provided by DirecTV. I called them last night twice and got so frustrated that I had to hang up. I am on the phone now and am about to go to a Level 3 technician.

DirecTV suggests that we enter 29406 as zip code information in both Area 1 and Area 2. Apparently it might be the "main" zip code for the Charleston area and updated more frequently. I tried it but WCBD is dead right now so I can't tell if it worked or not.

planenut:
try entering 50-1 as one of your nine favorites. it keeps you from having to punch it in everytime until we get the menu fixed.

anyone have time to check drop-outs with the event log I posted?

mheyward1:

welcome! so are you geared up or in the market for HD equipment?

WCIV has indicated that they will be on air before May 15th. I really hope it happens. I sent the engineer an e-mail 2 days ago thanking him for answering the questions regarding their start-up and let him know that we are really looking forward to seeing the Stanley Cup finals (Games 3 through 7, starting on May 31st) in HD on ABC. I hope it happens.

Please e-mail him and let him know you are new to High Definition and that you're looking forward to ABC's programming in HD.

His name is Tony and his e-mail address is tukrainzow@wciv.com

Ktrout,

Sorry, I spent all my time fooling around with channel 2-1 Thursday and Friday night so no info from me. plus the sound problem on Thursday made it unwatchable for me. Will keep trying.

However, I did have one dropout of video at 9:34:pm for about 2 seconds on Tuesday. The Guardian... Father was in a private meeting.

Ktrout:

I dont have Adobe Acrobat...just reader...so i cant fill in the event log...if you like i can email results to you or post them on the forum. Just let me know.

shuttermaker:

thanks. go ahead and post them in case others are curious as to what you witnessed.

Monday 5-1 dropouts:

8:06 video dropout (black screen) for 3 seconds during King of Queens

8:35 video dropout (black screen) for 3 seconds during Yes,Dear

9:50 video digitizing and audio dropout lasted about 3 minutes during Everybody Loves Raymond

10:56 video dropout (black screen) for 3 secoonds during CSI: Miami

Hey Charleston HD-ers:
I have been out of town and just got back. I tried to pick up WCBD on HD with no luck. Are you saying that WCBD is on air or off air with their digital signal. Was this just a short term test? I know that Leno is broadcast in HD so I was hoping I could pick it up and see it in HD for the first time. Oh, well, maybe they will flip the switch soon or I can figure out what to do to fix my system! That is if they are transmitting their signal to me:)

HDSC:
WCBD is not on air full time yet. They are finishing with some permanent routing of audio cables. Two nights last week they went on air for about 1 1/2 hours in a testing type situation. I'm not sure when they will be on the air full time. We discovered there are some issues with getting the signal if you have a DirecTV STB. Go back a couple of pages and you'll see what I'm talking about.



CSI is new this Thursday. Let's document video drop-outs again.

Thanks Ktrout for the clarification about WCBD. If you hear about another test, let me know and I will try to tune them in.

I was mostly watching Hockey last night but I did catch the 10:56 video dropout on CSI Monday. No Video for a couple seconds.

Engineer at WCBD requested URL for forum this evening, so we may be joined by them here at AVS soon.

I told him that a nice first post would be "WCBD is now broadcasting full time on Channel 50" :p


3 Game 7's this evening, although this first one is pretty much over. Might take a nap and watch the late games......

I wish DirecTV would get on the ball and broadcast ESPNHD

I emailed Time Warner with that same question yesterday. They replied that ESPN-HD and Discovery-HD will be added to their system soon. I'm not a hockey guy but I can't wait for MLB and NFL games in HD!

On the dropout issue, I experience the same ones on cable that you OTA guys have.

Anyone have any word on when PBS might be getting their stuff together ?

pcm19: thanks for the info regarding drop outs w/ TWC.

JeffD:
from e-mail received on February 5th from SCETV Engineer.........
"Our building modifications and digital transmitter installation at the Charleston facility has been on hold for some time but will be resuming shortly. I anticipate that we will have it on the air this coming summer."

VP - Engineering
SCETV

They will utilize antenna at WCSC's Awendaw facility, so that piece of the puzzle is already there. However, on March 3rd they requested a six month extension with the FCC from their 5/1/2003 deadline. Bottom line, not sure.


In other news:
WCBD requested their STA on 4/22/03 w/ the FCC.

I'm planning on logging during CSI this evening. I'll post the form after I get info entered. I would appreciate anyone else either cross-checking and informing me of differences or posting their log.

Thanks.

I had a low signal on 5-1 all thru the nite last nite...will be taking notes again tonite

One drop out during CSI, at 9:49 on my VCR clock, during the discussion with the wife killer and his lawyer.

I believe I have fallen victim to the leaves of Spring. Cant get a signal any higher than 27 on my DirecTV STB. Damn Trees

Had the same drop out, 9.48.10 for 1 sec.

My signal strength was only 55%-60% during CSI so I am unsure if the audio dropouts were real or due to signal strength (if I was to guess I would say they were real but cannot be sure), howeer the video dropout was definately real. I tried to attach the log but AVS said I cannot attach an .XLS and I do not have ZIP software.

AUDIO:
Did not notice any from 9:00 to 9:40
9:40 - Just before the commercial
9:51 - During the playout of the drowning scene with the wife in the tub
9:53 - When the investigators were talking about coffee

VIDEO
9:49 - When the investigators were interrogating the husband and the investigator says "She WAS my wife"

The final dropout was at 9:56 when Bobcat was on stage and they gave him the red light and he changed personalities. I forgot to write if this was Audio or Video but if my memory is correct (which is probably not the case) it was Audio.

All dropouts were apporx. 1 second.

My only drop-out was the 9:49 video.
Noticed three drop outs during upconverted Survivor, so the theory about it being only HD source material is definitely not the case.

Thanks guys. I'll report to Eldon and ask if they tried anything different this evening.

just got back in town so I wasn't home to check CSI... Sorry

Same dropout at 9:48 as above.

I also have the springtime problem, I guess. Over the last month, my signal strength has gone from 94 down to 69%. A little rotation tonight has bumped it up to 77%. Would a preamp help my situation. I have a combo Radio Shack antenna in the attic. I was thinking of getting a UHF only "fringe" antenna from RS and seeing if that helps. Any other advice would be welcome.

Andy

Andy
I think you would have better luck with ant. than amp. For the price the R/S U75. 150-2160 $21.99 is hard to beat. They do not include the 300-75 ohm adp. so pick up one. Some amps do more harm than good. I am in the middle of 50000 oak trees and all the new green has has killed my Columbia signal. You could also move ant to an other location, use RG-6 and keep cable short as possible. Good luck
Jim

Before programming info.....Eldon e-mailed and indicated that they are only at half power right now, so all those experiencing reception issues wait before you think about cutting down trees and amplifying............they hope to be back at full power this evening.

PROGRAMMING

Original HD Programming created by WCSC (and others :)) will be shown at the following times:

Monday, April 28th @ 7:30pm - Charleston Aquarium
Tuesday, April 29th @ 7:30pm - "Over Charleston"

Monday, May5th @ 7:30pm - Charleston Aquarium
Tuesday, May 6th @ 7:30pm - "Over Charleston"



Some of you have seen these previously, either by accident or at the open house at the Awendaw facility. The "Over Charleston" is HD footage of areas around Charleston shot from a helicopter. Please spread the word.

Thanks to WCSC for altering their normal programming to broadcast these for us.

KTrout tks for info. What is story on 2-1 are they on now? I got back from NC a few days ago and have yet to pick up 2-1.
Jim

oljim:
As far as I know, they have not broadcast again since last Friday night. I checked last night and didn't see anything, but that was the only time I checked this week. I'm not sure if they're waiting on approval on their STA request or just waiting until 5/1/03, don't know. Maybe they'll read this and let us know.

Jim, Thanks I was thinking the antenna solution would be more effective. Can I put the R/S U75 in an attic? I actually think this may also help with a strange problem i have with my STB with analog OTA stations. Would the R/S U75 completely prevent VHF reception or could I use some kind of trap on the line?


Ktrout, thanks for the low power info, how long have they been at 1/2 power?

Andy

AndrewG:
He didn't say. I generally don't see any signal variation so I wasn't aware of it until I saw the posts last night.

Channel 47 is back to full power.

They managed to catch one of the dropouts in the studio. It originated from the equipment rack in the studio before the microwave path to the transmitter. Now that they know where the problem IS NOT, they hope to narrow it down and find a fix. He indicated that the event logs are no longer necessary now that they know the location of the problem.

Andy the U 75 does little on VHF or at least the lower ones, I have one at 20 ft and pointed at Sav Ga. ( 32 miles ) I can not get ch 3 on it and very little ch 11. The U 75 is only 3 ft long. If you go back a few pages you can see a picture of one on the side of my tower. or email me will send you a picture
Jim oljim@islc.net

Andy
You may have some FM trouble, I have not been able to get analog 2,3 or 4 for over a yr. A low power FM station killed me. I am useing 2 FM traps, one in amp and one inside. They took care of DTV but not low band VHF. See if you get lines on ch 7, 8 and 9
Jim

Does anyone have experience or an opinion on the Channel Master 4228?

KTrout: What is STA? As in " STA Request"? Thanks

shuttemaker
I had a cm 4228 at my camper a few yrs ago at Rocks Pond, worked good on reg UHF from Chas, Columbia and Florance. Planenut has one now.

shuttermaker,

I have a 4228. I get a 100 signal easily from Channel 5 and it is good about 20 degrees either side of the correct direction for same. For Channel 2 I also got a 100 signal but had to be within about 10 degrees either side. Remember channel 2 was a low power signal. It has a fairly small footpring windwise and I like it however it has no VHF so if you still need VHF for other TV's in your house you'll need a different or additional antenna. Wholesale Electronics on East Bay got it in one day from their Columbia location. I later got a 9521A rotor and they had it in stock.

Pic at:
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/planenut9/antenna.jpg

Thanks for the input. I currently have a radio shack VU-90XR and was trying to determine if it would be to my advantage to get a different antenna. The 90XR is only about 25 ft up in the air. Not sure the landlord would look kindly on going any higher so a different antenna ma be the way to go. Dont have a rotator yet but, if I change the antenna I will want to add the rotator at the same time.

shuttermaker,

I have a 4228. I get a 100 signal easily from Channel 5 and it is good about 20 degrees either side of the correct direction for same. For Channel 2 I also got a 100 signal but had to be within about 10 degrees either side. Remember channel 2 was a low power signal. It has a fairly small footpring windwise and I like it however it has no VHF so if you still need VHF for other TV's in your house you'll need a different or additional antenna. Wholesale Electronics on East Bay got it in one day from their Columbia location. I later got a 9521A rotor and they had it in stock.

Pic at:
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/planenut9/antenna.jpg

Planenut
Check your 4228, Shuttlermaker was seen with a boom truck last night.:D

sorry, about that double post.. Lost my connection, didn't see the post and then submitted it again. Have to go and check for the antenna now.

Good morning guys..boom truck wouldnt start last nite so I looked online for the 4228 and found one on Ebay for 69.99. Is that a good price. Its NFL Draft Day...GO JAGUARS!!!!!

shuttlermaker
That is 2 much, I just checked starkelectronics and the have them NEW for $50 Ask Planenut how much his was, he got his local.
Jim

and if i bought it on ebay id have to pay shipping too

If you look back a few posts he said he got his at Wholesale electronics on East bay. He is putting up the rotor today he may have more info on how much is was

LuvThatHDTV:
STA is short for Special Temporary Authority - basically they are requesting permission from the FCC to operate because their DTV operations have not yet been licensed.

I was thinking it was only about $42.00 for the 4228. They had the rotator for 62.00. Believe it or not I did pay shipping though from the Columbia store. The rotator, no shipping as it was in stock.

Actually I spent 92.96 but I got CM Chimney brackets, CM 4228 antenna, CM diplexer to combine sat/uhf signal and shipping. Can't find the breakdown though.

Sounds like my next investment..Thanks for the info

KTrout: Thanks!

Quick Reminder

WCSC's HD footage from Aquarium this evening at 7:30 - Channel 5-1

Hello! I've been lurking this site for awhile, but not posted till now. As a newbie to HDTV, I've been learning alot. I just acquired a Philips 34PW8520 direct view and progressive scan DVD player. I really love it and am now fully addicted. My next step is to get into HDTV programing. I have not bought a HD receiver yet. I was in Tweeters over the weekend and the salesman said Comcast was going HD very soon. He said that Comcast was already showing HD programming in the Summerville area. Can anyone on this thread confirm that rumor?
I work at the AFB and can also tell you that HDNet was here two weeks ago filming a special on the C-17 to be shown on PBS in the next few months. Should be a good show.
Finally, if anyone hears of a good sale on a HDTV receiver, I'd like to know.

Thanks,

Luke
Mt Pleasant

LukeHo: Welcome to the group. I use DirecTV and have the Hughes HIRD- E86 HD receiver. I get local HD from WCSC with an OTA antenna.

LukeHo:

Check your PM.

Anyone watch the CBS lineup last night? I have to admit that I watch more than I use to because it looks so good in HD. Anyway, I noticed something regarding dropouts that I thought I would mention and see if anyone has any ideas of the cause. My signal strength varies between 87 and 94 so I don't think that is the problem.
During each show last night, there was one video drop out (picture freezes for a few seconds, audio goes on normal, then picture pixilates and returns to the normal scene) approximately 7-9 minutes into each show, i.e. 8:07, 9:07, 9:37 and both 10:07 and 10:39 during CSI:Miami. Typically this would come after returning from a commercial, but the time lag didn't seem consistent. Funny that it occured just about 30 minutes apart on CSI. It was the only one, and after the second I started to expect it. Could this be some kind of switch problem, any ideas, anyone else notice it?

Andy

Spoke with Comcast this morning and they have accelerated their roll-out of HD here in the Lowcountry.

As a matter of fact I'm now asking if anyone here on AVS would like to be involved with BETA testing of their HD equipment. Don't have any details yet as to what's involved with the testing, but they are possibly looking for a few people servicing each of their areas around town.

If you are interested, please PM me with your name, city of residence, and zip code. I might need more info at a later date, but that should do for now. Not sure what kind of response I'll get, but please let me know if you are interested as soon as you can.

Thanks,
Mark

AndrewG:
WCSC has isolated the problem area for the dropouts but obviously hasn't found a fix yet. But I'm sure it's not your equipment.

And thanks to WCSC for the pictures of the fish last night.

This evening at 7:30 it's "Over Charleston". Tune-in.

Mark I sent you a PM regarding the beta testing .

Regarding dropouts, I thought it was something unique since it occured like clockwork. Turns out Eldon, saw my previous message and said they are looking at it. I didn't think it was my equipment but I was curious as to if anyone else noticed the pattern. Overall, WCSC's and CBS's HD has really been outstanding.

Mark, I sent you PM

And, I had forgotten to mention the Aquarium show. My 13 month old daughter, thought the fish were great, probably as much as here last visit to the aquarium. They really looked good.
Andy

Thought I'd post Eldon's message today:

"It's been awhile since I've done one of these updates, so this one is past due. I was not home last night for the aquarium show, and have heard no feedback, so I hope it went well. I am assuming that since there were no complaints it went OK. As a reminder, we plan to show the aerial video of Charleston tonight at 7:30 PM.

We still don't know what is causing the dropouts. We are trying to catch the dropouts at various points in the signal path to try to isolate the problem, but we are also working on several other projects at the same time, so we only have a limited amount of time to dedicate to watching for an intermittent problem. I did notice on the AVS Forum it was asked if this might be a switching problem. I don't think so as the commercial breaks the dropouts followed last night were all CBS commercials, so there was no local switching involved at those times. The switching at those times was done in New York. It is strange though, that it happened last night almost exactly once every 30 minutes. This may be a vital clue, if we could just figure out what it means.

Once again, I would like to thank each of you for your patience as we work through this, and for your willingness to give us feedback to help us get this right."

Eldon

After tonights presentation maybe send Eldon a little e-mail letting him know thoughts about the programs......

I'm out of town, How did the Aquarium and Over Charleston shows come out?

planenut:
Yes. The aquarium shots were very relaxing, lots of fish

The Over Charleston was good, has some archive footage of the Cooper River Bridges that's for sure....I think it was actually shot over a year and a half ago.

It will be shown next Monday and Tuesday at 7:30 as well if you missed it.

Thanks WCSC!

Those boys at HDNet don't mess around. LukeHo reported they were in Charleston for a story on the C-17, saw the last part of it on HDNet's World report last night (during intermission of course).

Checking HDNet's schedule and it looks like it airs again at 1 pm Today, 9 pm on Thursday Night, 8 pm and Midnight Friday night and 7:30 pm on Saturday.

The program is called "Wings of Freedom"

Sounds cool !! To bad I don't have satellite to view HDNet . Hopefully one day cable will pick them up .

I emailed Eldon to let him know I appreciated the Charleston fly-over. He responded by saying that they will be trying to shoot some HD footage of the Spoletto Festival while they have the camera

WCBD's STA has been granted by the FCC.

So they will be on air ______________.

(Please fill in the blank WCBD)

There's Kentucky Derby horse racing coming up this Saturday, which I normally wouldn't watch, but might try to tune in if it were in HD.