"Every TV sold in the United States has a refresh rate of 60 hertz" - no longer true and for good reason - de-interlacing and 3:2 pulldown can be eliminated with a 1080p source


Yeah, my TV is 120 hertz. An even multiple of 24,30,60 fps. So my 1080p/24 playsback with no pulldown.

Yeah, my TV is 120 hertz. An even multiple of 24,30,60 fps. So my 1080p/24 playsback with no pulldown.

Yes, I believe 24fps to help with motion judder is over-rated though. Most judder is inherent in the 24fps film camera and you are not getting rid of that. The interlaced and overly compressed broadcast signal is a far bigger problem IMO.

A couple of Newbie questions.

I have a Samsung LCD tv with a NTSC tuner and Comcast basic digital. A friend has a Sony tv with an ATSC/QAM tuner and analog Comcast. I purchased a Phillips dvdr3575h/37 with QAM tuner. She is able to pick up local hd channels and I'm not. This tv will be put in a bedroom in the near future so all I really want/need is hd on the local channels with basic Comcast. Does anyone have any suggestions on why I can't get the hd channels, or of a tuner that will work?

I've tried this setup in 2 different rooms with the same results. I think the signal coming into the house is ok. Comcast has put in a new splitter(???). However, in the main room we watch tv, The Weather Channel and TNT almost always bleed, sometimes worse than others. Since this is the main room we watch tv, is there anyway to get a better signal if Comcast says that's as good as it gets? Is there anything else to try/do?
Update: I was able to resolve this by disconnecting and reconnecting the cables to the splitter.

I just saw the Comcast prices are going up again and on Friday one of their service reps told me that when the full switch to digital occurs next year that all tvs using Comcast will have to rent a box. Is that true?

Thanks.

My understanding of the analog/digital rules.

If you have a cable line into your TV you will be OK. If you want the digital package you will need a box from the CABLE CO. The only people that need a box with the gov't. voucher are people that get TV with rabbit ears or an antenna.

We have 3 Tvs - one has DVR HD cable box. that will be fine, the second one has an HD cable box, no problem here. The third one has a cable line and no box, no problem here either since I have cable on that TV.

If you have, for example, an old TV in a garage that only has rabbit ears that will not get anything after Feb 09.

Our daughter and son-in-law do not have cable, they get TV OTA (over the air) and will need to do something to watch TV after 2/09. They still do not need a box but they do need a cable line to the TV. They would get 2 - 78(or so) with a cable line only. They would need a cable box from that cable co. to get 100 on up. They also could buy the converter box with the gov't. voucher and get the same channels they get now -- like 10 or so -- they live in a big city.

no comments on the comcast rate hikes?

no comments on the comcast rate hikes?

Im saving mine for the inevitable DirecTV rate hikes :)

Since I don't have anything other than Ultra Limited Basic (or whatever it's called), my increase is all of about $0.28/month. No biggie here. If that means that Comcast can enhance their current channel line-up to begin competing with D* and E* for HD, then it is money well spent. If it is only for the big bosses to pad their pockets, then I will join the chorus of "boo's".

On a more important note...less than 2 weeks until D11 launches!!!

Im saving mine for the inevitable DirecTV rate hikes :)

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6523482.html
:mad:

Thank you Channel 5! It is so refreshing to see that THIS year you are actually showing the ACC Tourney in HD...as promised. The only blemish is that the nightcap tonight will be on WMMP because apparently more people might want to watch a CSI rerun. Come on Channel 5, you can do better than that. I might understand if the CSI was new, but a rerun!?! Don't get me wrong...I love the HD that is being offered, but against a rerun, I would choose the live tourney game.

Maybe I am recalling a dream, but wasn't there some mention a few pages back that one of the local affiliates (I think it was WCSC) now has the equipment to allow for HD on-screen weather alerts or other local interest "crawls"? If this is not a dream and was actually discussed, I couldn't find it going back to late November/early December. Anyway, with the tornadoes and other crap weather this weekend, I was a little miffed that they (WCSC) didn't use that technology. Granted, I didn't really miss much of my ACC Tourney coverage, but it was kind of stuttery going from HD to SD and back again every few minutes.

Can someone bring us up to speed on this issue?

Yeah, WCSC has it. I remember because I forwarded a post someone made here applauding them for having it, to my former boss, the Station Manager at WCSC.

Is there any reason we can deduce that they wouldn't have used it Saturday night? And is this something that would allow them to do a split screen kind of thing where we can still see the "primary programming" (video only) and see and hear the talking heads? Kind of like a Picture-in-Picture thing? I seem to recall a couple years ago during the Masters they did a side-by-side with weather reports and golf, but I don't think the local portion was in HD.

Is there any reason we can deduce that they wouldn't have used it Saturday night? And is this something that would allow them to do a split screen kind of thing where we can still see the "primary programming" (video only) and see and hear the talking heads? Kind of like a Picture-in-Picture thing? I seem to recall a couple years ago during the Masters they did a side-by-side with weather reports and golf, but I don't think the local portion was in HD.

Those that work the weekends don't know how to use it? Keep in mind that we still have to call and remind them to "flip the switch"! :mad::rolleyes::D:(

True, but I would hope that is not the reason. I am hoping that they simply haven't completed the programming of the code that would allow them to do that.

Yeah, WCSC has it. I remember because I forwarded a post someone made here applauding them for having it, to my former boss, the Station Manager at WCSC.

I made the original post #5920 last July - http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11174401#post11174401.

Without knowing WCSC's Master Control design, we can only speculate why the HD graphic capability wasn't used. I only saw it that one time last summer, not since then. But we also have not had many heavy weather events since then. Maybe the equipment was in place only for a while as a manufacturer's demo, sale and permanent install pending? Or it could be an operator training issue, or related to the alternate signal routing and distribution in their plant needed to air HD other than the CBS net...

We need a CSC tech staffer on here to help us out!

...
We need a CSC tech staffer on here to help us out!

And from the other net's too. That would be great. And thanks for finding that post. Didn't realize that it was almost a year ago... :eek:

There is an ongoing heated debate in another thread ... on some questionable compression of HD channels at Comcast ...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1008271

Just a FYI.

Max

Can everyone who has Comcast and are experiencing the audio drops from our local NBC let me know? I'm just about fed up with no one from Comcast and NBC trying to work together to figure this issue out. I've spoken with Sam at WCBD and it appears to go nowhere.

OTA has been horrible also lately. Local and national evening news from almost to compltely unwatchable many times. Analog seems to be ok when DTV gets so bad it really is hopeless but I remember at least one time even that was unusable. Last few nights national news was in SD not HD.

I really don't want to but if they haven't gotten it together by Feb 09 there will be no choice but to forget about CH 2. Not being picky or talking about good PQ here but actual black out, drop out, freeze up, sound, you name it. TERRIBLE!!

My OTA recording of the NBC Nightly News last night or the night before was just a test pattern/countdown screen with clear audio for the first few minutes. Then when it came on, it was in SD until after the first commercial break, then was HD for the rest of the show. Given that there was a test pattern/hold screen, I figured the problem was at the Network end, not the affiliate. But what do I know about these things?

Given that I am receiving this signal OTA, whenever I have any pixealtion or dropouts I have generally assumed it is not in the transmission, but rather the reception on my end. Cable should not be that way...so I guess I will now assume that my dropouts (audio and video) are coming from the affiliate and not from my antenna setup.

I saw the same and I agree. Sometimes it is beautiful, rarely, and others...

2.2 has same problems. Though I don't watch as much FOX or MYTV (same tower?) I don't experience the same consistent problems. Never say never but it only seems to add up to the local station. The switchover is really going to be he!! for them all if they don't get with it. If so it will only be their own fault because they know what needs to be done. Could be corporate also. Don't want to spend the money until 02/16/09.

Are we losing Discovery HD?????? (not HD theater, but 424 the regular discovery channel in HD). The comcast guide says "sign off" and then Monday it looks like we're getting the Disney channel ro something in HD!!!?

I don't care about Disney but I don't want to lose the Discovery Channel in HD!!!!!!!!!

Anyone know?

Are we losing Discovery HD?????? (not HD theater, but 424 the regular discovery channel in HD). The comcast guide says "sign off" and then Monday it looks like we're getting the Disney channel ro something in HD!!!?

I don't care about Disney but I don't want to lose the Discovery Channel in HD!!!!!!!!!

Anyone know?

Well that bites if that is the case. Why don't we lose that 401 channel that rarely shows anything?

This is purely speculation, but couldn't this simply be a channel reorganization? Is there any evidence of Discovery (HD) appearing in another channel range? I don't have Comcast digital so I can't do the checking...

I would bet that it was a mistake in naming the channel in the guide. They named Disney HD "DISHD" which was already being used by Discovery HD . The Disney guide data is overwriting the Discovery guide data.

Now that makes a little more sense.

KurosawasGhost,

As you have Comcast, can you comment on any audio drops on WCBD? Got some comments on OTA issue, which I'm a firm believer that these hiccups are translated to the Comcast feed from an old comment from Diana at TWC.

Yeah the dropouts are terrible, even with comcast. (It seems to happen a lot during Jeopardy for some odd reason).

Somestimes it gets so bad it is unwatchable.

**On a side note, are we going to get ESPN NEWS in HD? I see they went HD today. I hope we do!

I recently dropped my comcast cable service down to basic cable... trying to pinch a few pennies right now. So I thought i'd have a go at OTA HD. I bought this (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=2598451)off of ebay and this (http://www.radioshack.com/sm-philips-mant310-indoor-amplified-vhf-uhf-fm-tv-antenna--pi-2455308.html). I am having huge drop out issues w/ pretty much all of the channels and am hoping my problem lies in the crappy antenna - $20 from target. Any suggestions on what I can do to help the situation? I live in Hanahan just off of Yeamans Hall. Thanks!

I'm down in Beaufort and I watch WCBD-DT OTA all the time. The only problem I have is an ocassional lost of signal due to conditions. I will try to watch Jeopardy to see it I'm having an audio problem. I will pay closer attention and report back to you.

I recently dropped my comcast cable service down to basic cable... trying to pinch a few pennies right now. So I thought i'd have a go at OTA HD. I bought this (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=2598451)off of ebay and this (http://www.radioshack.com/sm-philips-mant310-indoor-amplified-vhf-uhf-fm-tv-antenna--pi-2455308.html). I am having huge drop out issues w/ pretty much all of the channels and am hoping my problem lies in the crappy antenna - $20 from target. Any suggestions on what I can do to help the situation? I live in Hanahan just off of Yeamans Hall. Thanks!

Search this thread on antenna first. That is most likely unless you have buildings, trees,etc. in the way. Go to tvfool.com for exact direction of towers from your location. The rabbit ears may work on Sullivans Is but not well enough in Hannahan.

RS for $25

CM $?

I recently dropped my comcast cable service down to basic cable... trying to pinch a few pennies right now. So I thought i'd have a go at OTA HD. I bought this (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=2598451)off of ebay and this (http://www.radioshack.com/sm-philips-mant310-indoor-amplified-vhf-uhf-fm-tv-antenna--pi-2455308.html). I am having huge drop out issues w/ pretty much all of the channels and am hoping my problem lies in the crappy antenna - $20 from target. Any suggestions on what I can do to help the situation? I live in Hanahan just off of Yeamans Hall. Thanks!

And I am kind of confused...does that receiver deliver "full" HD signals or not. It makes comments like: "if you have an HDTV (High Definition) television, you'll get an amazing DVD-quality picture, too". Last I checked, HD is is far superior to DVD. Or is this simply the case of some idiot at Walmart.com not knowing what he is talking about when writing up this description? :rolleyes:

I recently dropped my comcast cable service down to basic cable... trying to pinch a few pennies right now. So I thought i'd have a go at OTA HD. I bought this (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=2598451)off of ebay and this (http://www.radioshack.com/sm-philips-mant310-indoor-amplified-vhf-uhf-fm-tv-antenna--pi-2455308.html). I am having huge drop out issues w/ pretty much all of the channels and am hoping my problem lies in the crappy antenna - $20 from target. Any suggestions on what I can do to help the situation? I live in Hanahan just off of Yeamans Hall. Thanks!

Just doing a little research on your receiver and saw this thread...might be worth looking into: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=2&url=http%3A%2F%2Farchive2.avsforum.com%2Favs-vb%2Farchive%2Findex.php%2Ft-444416.html&ei=yu_wR5mgJKDszASM4tH-Dw&usg=AFQjCNGmvmyRbLBnGNQBYUmvov_75Vnr3w&sig2=W3oiUDnamEo_Hw1aTRHCrQ
May not necessarily apply to what you have but sounds a little too questionable...

Just doing a little research on your receiver and saw this thread...might be worth looking into: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=2&url=http%3A%2F%2Farchive2.avsforum.com%2Favs-vb%2Farchive%2Findex.php%2Ft-444416.html&ei=yu_wR5mgJKDszASM4tH-Dw&usg=AFQjCNGmvmyRbLBnGNQBYUmvov_75Vnr3w&sig2=W3oiUDnamEo_Hw1aTRHCrQ
May not necessarily apply to what you have but sounds a little too questionable...

Yes, it displays 720 / 1080 HD signals. And don't get me wrong, the one i have does work. For instance, i can get NBC and ABC HD pretty good, w/ just a dropout every 15-20 minutes or so. But CBS is almost unbearable - every few minutes at least. And FOX and PBS seem pretty difficult to pull in as well. Here is the current AVS forum for this device. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=479882)

Also, TC1, i'm not sure what you mean by this:

RS for $25

CM $?

Yes, it displays 720 / 1080 HD signals. And don't get me wrong, the one i have does work. For instance, i can get NBC and ABC HD pretty good, w/ just a dropout every 15-20 minutes or so. But CBS is almost unbearable - every few minutes at least. And FOX and PBS seem pretty difficult to pull in as well. Here is the current AVS forum for this device. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=479882)

Also, TC1, i'm not sure what you mean by this:

RS for $25

CM $?

I live in Pimlico. A $25 RadioSchack outdoor UHF ant in my attic picks up all local DTV channels very well (95+% signal strength) but I don't remember mod#. I am 19.5 miles from towers so you are probably only 12-15 miles. Another poster in this thread, oljim in Beaufort, reccomends a Channel Master but I don't know the mod#. If you search on oljim or tc1, this thread, you will find specifics in the last 2 years. There are many others but I know you will find info under his or my ID. This suggestion would reduce your hits on the search.

All local (major) networks are transmitted from 2 towers in Awendaw. tvfool.com will give you specifics. All are in the UHF range so only the ring part of your rabbit ears matters for local DTV. :)

If youre serious about OTA, your best bet for an outdoor antenna is the Channel Master 4228. If you are looking for a STB antenna then you might want to consider a Silver Sensor .

I was reading on one of the satellite forums that D11 could be operational as soon as April 30th. Fingers crossed. Hopefully that will give DirecTV customers in our DMA locals in HD.

Some 402 CSS channel showing up on Comcast. Guide shows a couple of show, then Paid Programming. I guess it's the same CSS as channel 42, which about the only time I've watched anything there was during football season.

Yes, it displays 720 / 1080 HD signals. And don't get me wrong, the one i have does work. For instance, i can get NBC and ABC HD pretty good, w/ just a dropout every 15-20 minutes or so. But CBS is almost unbearable - every few minutes at least. And FOX and PBS seem pretty difficult to pull in as well. Here is the current AVS forum for this device. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=479882)


Get an outdoor antenna. I had the same issue receiving CBS and FOX with indoor antenna's. Once I put the outdoor, roof mounted antenna...bingo, no problems with the exception of very windy days.

Bring back 5-2 (Doppler Weather Radar).

anyone know whats going on with the comcast guide? 424 still shows Disney on the guide even though its Discovery HD. I assume they are going to add or change around the channels...but can't they fix the guide????

All

Sorry for the confusion with channel 424 showing guide info for Disney HD.

I am working to getting is fixed ASAP.

Chris

I noticed today that 424 is back to showing the right programs! YAY for my DVR!

By the way, any news on ESPN News HD on Comcast? I'd love to see it!!!!!

Was pleased to see for the first time (for me anyway) the Channel 5 HD logo during the Masters coverage this weekend. So I guess if they can get that to come up without the need for converting to SD, then future "bugs" and crawls on the screen will not impede the HD feeds. And does this indicate that they might be ready to make the switch to locally-generated HD content (news, bridge run coverage, etc)?

Audio on WCSC is absolutely horrid this evening. Fine for commercials, but shows just plain blow.

My wife and I had to use the Closed Captioning to follow "How I Met Your Mother". We normally use CC when watching movies at night so we don't wake the kids, so it was an easy transition, but what a pain. I had hopes that it was being fixed when half way through the show, it switched to SD and the audio was fine. But then it switched back to HD and the primary audio was crap again. Was this a problem here or from CBS?

HIMYM was virtually unwatchable. The feed briefly cut back to SD and the sound was good... it's no good when the SD feed is better than the HD. Was it just on Comcast or was it OTA/TWC as well?

My feed was OTA.

HIMYM was virtually unwatchable. The feed briefly cut back to SD and the sound was good... it's no good when the SD feed is better than the HD. Was it just on Comcast or was it OTA/TWC as well?

I recorded it OTA and watched it last night. It appeared to me that a kindergarten class was left alone in the control room and repeatedly pressed every button they could find. center speaker was very low so adjusted up to hear speech at which time main would come on for effect and volume of that was then way to high. Then it would reverse. Then commercial rolled me out of the chair with broken ear drum. :(

I recorded it OTA and watched it last night. It appeared to me that a kindergarten class was left alone in the control room and repeatedly pressed every button they could find. center speaker was very low so adjusted up to hear speech at which time main would come on for effect and volume of that was then way to high. Then it would reverse. Then commercial rolled me out of the chair with broken ear drum. :(

That scene where Marshall was describing the first day at a law firm being like boot camp nearly rattle my speakers off the wall. We had turned it up just before that scene to hear why Marshall was having a bad day. You have never seen my wife work that remote so quickly to turn it down and turn on closed captioning at the same time. :)

I am sure this question has been answered many times, but I am not sure how to search this thread. I am looking for a solid indoor antenna. I would appreciate it if you could recommend an indoor antenna (<$50) and place to buy antenna. I am at 611 Planters Rest, Mt. Pleasant SC 29464. Appreciate it. Thanks.

I am sure this question has been answered many times, but I am not sure how to search this thread. I am looking for a solid indoor antenna. I would appreciate it if you could recommend an indoor antenna (<$50) and place to buy antenna. I am at 611 Planters Rest, Mt. Pleasant SC 29464. Appreciate it. Thanks.


From all Ive heard, this gives the best results.


http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?main_cat=03&CAT=&PROD=ZHDTV1&xfermeth=directg&gclid=CI6g5ujv7pICFRcasgodQjjC4A

Found one on Amazon for $18 shipped. Its on the way. Are all the HD signals in charleston UHF?

Found one on Amazon for $18 shipped. Its on the way. Are all the HD signals in charleston UHF?

Yes and all on two towers in Awendaw.

http://www.tvfool.com/

Audio on WCSC is absolutely horrid this evening. Fine for commercials, but shows just plain blow.

After being on the road for the last two weeks (Masters, LPGA), I finally got home to watch the CBS monday night shows from two weeks ago. Yeah, crap for me too via Comcast. I wasn't getting the DD flag on my reciever. Something was screwed up. I put my reciever on Mono and it seemed to help, although the commercials were really loud.

Anyone else having trouble with 5.1 lately? NCIS last night was unwatchable.

Bump - anyone else having trouble with 5.1?

Bump - anyone else having trouble with 5.1?

Watching CSI NY on WCSC tonight via Comcast and no issues.

What about the signal via antenna? I should have specified that in my question.

From all Ive heard, this gives the best results.


http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?main_cat=03&CAT=&PROD=ZHDTV1&xfermeth=directg&gclid=CI6g5ujv7pICFRcasgodQjjC4A


Just wanted to say that in Mt. Pleasant you will love the silver sensor, I have used one at Folly Beach for years. I am using one at another location near Ravenel now, it does an ok job but it almost 40 miles away so I am not complaining much .

Just wanted to chime in as a new Charleston resident and DirecTV customer. I'm disappointed in the lack of local HD's so I thought I'd subscribe to this thread to keep up-to-date.

Here's to hoping DirecTV 11 comes through for us!

Just wanted to chime in as a new Charleston resident and DirecTV customer. I'm disappointed in the lack of local HD's so I thought I'd subscribe to this thread to keep up-to-date.

Here's to hoping DirecTV 11 comes through for us!

Well, I am an old CHS HDTV guy, but I don't look at this site that often. I have comcast at one property and and DTV at another. DTV is superior at this time.

Just wanted to chime in as a new Charleston resident and DirecTV customer. I'm disappointed in the lack of local HD's so I thought I'd subscribe to this thread to keep up-to-date.

Here's to hoping DirecTV 11 comes through for us!

First off, welcome to party!

If you are referring to the HD-LIL from D*, we can certainly hope that D11 will light up in the coming days/weeks and begin filling in the blanks in the DMA list. As we are market #100, and D* has "only" lit up the first 75 markets or so, we are not that far off the target of getting HD-LIL sometime between now and the end of summer.

If you are referring to local HD OTA, I think we are pretty well covered. All of our local network affiliates beam HD with a good steady signal. There are the occassional problems, but for the most part, you should be able to pick up any station's signal easily anywhere in the Charleston Metro area. You will find many helpful posters here who can help you decide on what kind of antenna to get to augment your D* HD service if you choose to not go with cable.

Again, welcome to the forum. We welcome your comments and opinions :)

Thanks :-) I was referring to the D11, not the OTA signal. I have the HR-21 receiver so I can't record a OTA signal through my DVR. I wasn't aware that we were #100, that doesn't sound like it's too far off, good news.

Here's to hoping!

You can always gamble and buy the AM21 OTA add-on for the HR21 (about $50-60) that will make the HR20 act as i it had an ATSC tuner built-in. That is due to be available anytime now. Or you can hold off and wait until D11 lights us up in HD-LIL. My personal gut feeling is that we will see HD-LIL (barring any major catastrophes at D*) sometime this summer, say within 3 months...but I am not holding my breath yet.

D* already has an HD uplink listed for our area, so I would imagine it would simply be a matter of finding the bandwidth and "flipping the switch". I am also assuming that all contracts are already in place...that could be a large assumption. ;)

So no one else is having trouble with 5.1's reception via OTA?

Don't watch that much 5.1. Problems with audio a few weeks back as noted earlier on this page. But not video. However note infrequent viewing on my part.

So no one else is having trouble with 5.1's reception via OTA?

I've got OTA locals in HD (when available). 5.1 Surround Decoding has been working fine. I mostly watch NBC and CBS, but no problems other than 36-1, which has no HD programming and the sound only comes out in mono on my stereo.

I am asking about channel 5.1 - the CBS station.

Did anyone else have a zero signal for OTA ABC HD (channel 4-1) last night during Grey's Anatomy.

Anyone know of a good/reputable ISF certified calibrater in the charleston area? I live in goose creek and recently purchased a pioneer elite pro-110 and would like to get it proffesionally calibrated since its pretty much reached the break in point.

I bought it at Magnolia BB but dont think I totally trust how knowledgable or "certified" their calibraters are. So if someone can give me some reccomendations as to who they would trust to do a proffesional job in the local area PLEASE let me know.

Especially if you happen to know of anyone who specificly worked on or has expiernece with calibrating the Pioneer Elites.

This won't help much, but there have been posts in this forum in the past year or so about out-of-towner calibrators who advertise when they will be in town and try to get enough locals to sign up to make their visits "worthwhile". It seems these posts happen about once a year and most reports have been favorable. I haven't used anyone for my sets, but those who have seem pleased. Maybe you can use the search tool for this thread and see what comes up. Like I said, this isn't a highly useful post, but you might be able to find some historical references to quality calibrators.

Here is a link to most recent post I could find: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10067778#post10067778

OK, gang: Longtime lurker hoping for some Comcast help:

Been having trouble with some of the HD channels lately, specifically 405 (Golf/Vs.), 406, 407, 421 and 423. And I've gotten two wildly different stories the two times I called.

Saturday, was told "We've got the same problem here at the office. It could be from our moving things around in preparation for adding a bunch of new HD channels. It should all be good by tomorrow."

Sunday, was told "There's no problem. It must be on your end."

So, I guess what I'm wondering is whether or not anybody else is having any issues. I'm nowhere near as tuned into things as some of the folks here, but I'm also nowhere near as ignorant to the innerworkings of things as the folks at Comcast probably think.

Best bet is to contact Chris (ComcastCG) directly. His last post was #6541 near the top of this page and he's a frequent reader/poster as an "official" rep of Comcast. I don't have his number handy, but is always very responsive to forum members and their concerns with Comcast.

Anyone know of a good/reputable ISF certified calibrater in the charleston area? I live in goose creek and recently purchased a pioneer elite pro-110 and would like to get it proffesionally calibrated since its pretty much reached the break in point.

I bought it at Magnolia BB but dont think I totally trust how knowledgable or "certified" their calibraters are. So if someone can give me some reccomendations as to who they would trust to do a proffesional job in the local area PLEASE let me know.

Especially if you happen to know of anyone who specificly worked on or has expiernece with calibrating the Pioneer Elites.
I pretty sure Audio Warehouse offers ISF Calibrations. Number is 843-571-0535. Peter is the guy who has been ISF certified. He's a great guy and long time AV Pro/enthusiast.

Hey ya'll,

I'm tired of paying rediculous comcast prices for TV.

Does anyone in Hanahan (especially Tanner Plantation) use the zenith silver sensor indoor atenna to pick up the basic channels in HD?

I need to find some alternative!
Help.

Thanks.

Hanahan should be no problem using the SS. Tanner Plantation is only about 15-18 miles away from the towers essentially due East of your location. Should be plenty close enough to get a good signal.

Check www.tvfool.com for exact coordinates based on your specific address.

WMMP ch 36-1: For at least a month or more, On movies at least, Only left front channel audio can be heard and even that is out of sync with the video. If you are monitoring (are you?) with an old tv with a single speaker you aren't aware of this. I watch/listen through an AV receiver but regretfully, no longer to your station. Since this problem is only on ch 36-1 for me it is reasonable to infer that it is your equipment not mine.

Since I have only OTA you are the major source of old movies for me but it is just to irritating to continue.:mad:

WMMP ch 36-1: For at least a month or more, On movies at least, Only left front channel audio can be heard and even that is out of sync with the video. If you are monitoring (are you?) with an old tv with a single speaker you aren't aware of this. I watch/listen through an AV receiver but regretfully, no longer to your station. Since this problem is only on ch 36-1 for me it is reasonable to infer that it is your equipment not mine.

Since I have only OTA you are the major source of old movies for me but it is just to irritating to continue.:mad:

I've had that issue since pulling OTA HD locals thru my D* HD-DVR. Only difference is that my sound is from the front right channel only.

I've had that issue since pulling OTA HD locals thru my D* HD-DVR. Only difference is that my sound is from the front right channel only.

I just plugged headphones directly to my Toshiba plasma, OTA, and there is, just barely enough to know it is there, a little sound on the right ch on DTV 36-1. I then switched to analog ch 36 and it was the reverse. Right ch ok and left barely audible!:confused:

Also, has anyone else noticed that WCBD 2-1 local has suddenly greatly reduced volume compared to the other stations AND their own NBC network. It has always been an agravation between stations but you'd think they could at least match their own network.:rolleyes:

Can I get a head count on AVS/Knology customers who frequent this thread? I have HD news.

Thanks

Is anyone else having trouble with NBC's HD hockey feed tonight? The colors are so off it looks like it's a 3D broadcast.

/using comcast

Is anyone else having trouble with NBC's HD hockey feed tonight? The colors are so off it looks like it's a 3D broadcast.

/using comcast


I'm not a Hockey fan by any means but I did check out the beginning of the game OTA and I see kinda like ghosting colors...very weird.

network news at 6:30 had same ghosting color problem OTA

Also, has anyone else noticed that WCBD 2-1 local has suddenly greatly reduced volume compared to the other stations AND their own NBC network.

I've noticed that too. It's bad enough that WCBD has commercials about digital tv. I know, I know that doesn't mean HDTV, but really. We know and they know that HDTV is the real deal when talking about "digital".

Why is it that I can pick up every OTA local HD broadcast, but 4-1 has a signal too weak to stay on. It didn't use to be like that. I've moved my antenna and still 4-1 is just too weak. I can get readings of 86+ for every other OTA channel. Any suggestions?

network news at 6:30 had same ghosting color problem OTA

When I noticed this happening, I immediately called the Master Control for WCBD, and mentioned it to the engineer. He had not noticed it at all. The locally generated commercials (local news plugs, Johnny's Suzuki, MUSC, etc) were fine. We actually chatted while they transitioned from the game and then to an Army commercial from NBC (National Feed), and he immediately noticed it. He said it was obviously an upstream issue and promised to "do what I can, though if it's national, no telling who I might reach about this after hours"...It was just past 8:00EST.

About 30 minutes later, they switched to SD for a few minutes, and then as they were coming out of commercial for the first intermission, it was all fine. Not sure if this was the local engineer getting through, or any of the millions of other hockey fans calling in too. :p But I did call him back to thank him for trying.

shades, 4.1 is my next to weakest channel, weakest being 36.1.

Why is it that I can pick up every OTA local HD broadcast, but 4-1 has a signal too weak to stay on. It didn't use to be like that. I've moved my antenna and still 4-1 is just too weak. I can get readings of 86+ for every other OTA channel. Any suggestions?

SS on 4-1 not a problem for me. Has it Always been this way for you or just recently?

shades, 4.1 is my next to weakest channel, weakest being 36.1.

ditto

I couldnt watch the NBA finals the other night because of SEVERE dropouts on 4.1.

On another note, Ive noticed on NASCAR on Fox, that the actual race itself has more dropouts than the commercials.

shades, 4.1 is my next to weakest channel, weakest being 36.1.


5.1 is the one that gives me the most problem.

Im 45 miles South of the tower cluster which is North of Charleston. I have problems with all stations, strongest being 2.1 and 2.2.

Best to worst, real problems start at the hash.

2.1
2.2
5.1
24.1
7.1
-
4.1
36.1

36.1 has only the sound issues. 4.1 drops out all the time for me. It lasts a few seconds but then happens again. All other signals are strong. Tonight during the NBA game it went into SD for a bit too. I'm on James Island and with my other channels coming in strong, I don't believe it's my ota antenna.

It's nice to see ESPN News HD on Comcast but I can't watch the Braves game on the regular ESPN.
ESPN News has taken over both the HD and SD channels.

If Comcast Charleston decides to go ahead with putting Disney HD on channel 445, they are guaranteed to face serious protests from concerned parents and officials ...

Kids scanning ch 445 on the Program Guide can read titles from adjacent ADULT channels.

With titles like "Totally Nude Housewives Revealed" and "All Girls Naked Sleepover" juxtaposed next to Disney shows ... some lawyer could have a field day !

Comcast has repeatedly refused to offer a customized program guide ... so no matter your subscription level ... you are forced to deal with the entire channel list.

Anyone not have ESPN HD on Comcast? On hold with them now, but yet to speak with anyone. It's the only channel missing.

EDIT

Issue on my end, neighbors boxes are fine. Actually missing a couple of other stations. Seems like every six months or so I lose signal strength which causes severe artifacts on HD channels with the occasional lose of channel. I went outside and dropped lines off my splitter and it fixed things. Anyone have any ideas how to get six outlets on a house and not kill signal strength?

If Comcast Charleston decides to go ahead with putting Disney HD on channel 445, they are guaranteed to face serious protests from concerned parents and officials ...

Kids scanning ch 445 on the Program Guide can read titles from adjacent ADULT channels.

With titles like "Totally Nude Housewives Revealed" and "All Girls Naked Sleepover" juxtaposed next to Disney shows ... some lawyer could have a field day !

Comcast has repeatedly refused to offer a customized program guide ... so no matter your subscription level ... you are forced to deal with the entire channel list.

Boy, that is a PR nightmare waiting to happen! And the legal pressure (if there is any) may actually come from Disney so that they can avoid the negative press that would be passed on by association. My advice is that if Comcast doesn't listen to the concerns of the parents/public on this "issue", send a note to Disney and let them know. They may have more sway with Comcast than "some random angry moms/dads" in the neighborhood. I can't imagine it would be too hard to reassign that channel.

I haven't had Comcast digital service for several years and don't have any personal knowledge of the boxes they use, but most new boxes DO have some sort of filter or channel "lock-out" along with password restrictions. Of course if the password restrictions are there, but the channels are still visible in the guide, the damage is already done.

Good luck with your campaign to fix that, and keep us posted. I am very curious to know how something like this pans out.

Check out my indoor antenna guide. Link in sig.

Is there a reason WCBD doesn't seem to know how to broadcast Jeopardy in HD? Or is it my provider (Home Tel)?

I seem to recall there was some discussion about this last year. The telecast is filmed in HD and provided in SD and HD, but the HD feed provided might be in another format not compatible with our local affiliate. Since Jeopardy is syndicated, it can choose its own HD format. Our affiliate who carries Jeorpardy is an NBC affiliate, so they have all 1080i equipment. So maybe the Jeopardy HD stream is in 720p.

At least that's what I recall...you should be able to search this thread for a recap.

Syndicated shows are sent out via satellite and downlinked to the local affiliates who record the shows and play them back later. WCBD doesn't have the equipment to perform this workflow in HD. Jeopardy is produced in 1080i.

TV stations are just like your home theater. Even though everyone has access to HD content you need HD gear to watch it.

Okay, before I start, I know some out there might think my rant below is a little selfish, but it is not coming from a selfish standpoint.

That said, I am fairly ticked off at Channel 4 for their weather coverage today during the UEFA Quarterfinal match between The Netherlands and Russia. I understand that the local affiliates have a federal mandate to share important information with their viewing public, whether it be breaking local or national news, or impending bad weather. But someone over there needs to get their head out of their ass when it comes to timing on these break-ins for weather updates.

The weather that occurred over the majority of the Charleston market today was slightly more than a good rain. Yes there was lightning...yes there was some wind...and for the large part of the weather coverage, there were reports of hail (though no reports on the ground of any hail). But there was not anything that I would call “head for the storm bunker” weather. No tornadoes…no waterspouts…no frogs raining from the heavens. It was just a series of good afternoon thunder storms.

With about 1 minute to go in the first half of the game, WCIV broke in to tell us that the storms in the area are continuing to march eastward…yes, that right, the storms are still here. Just in case you couldn’t get to the window or hear it on the roof, we wanted to let you know that it is still raining and moving towards the coast (just like every other piece of weather we get around here). Could this live break-in not be done 1 minute later when halftime began?

And again, with 2-3 minutes to go in regulation, they cut away again. This time, the radar had indicated golf ball sized hail, but still no reports of any hail actually hitting the ground. With about 1 minute to go in the first overtime period, once again, they break in with no real news. The rain and lightning have moved east-northeastward…and yes, it’s still raining. And once more for good measure, with about 5 minutes gone in the second overtime, they cut in again. This time there is actual “proof” from local law enforcement that there has been hail spotted in the booming metropolis of Dorchester.

Again, I have resigned myself to the fact that the local affiliates have a federal mandate to keep their viewing area “weather aware”. But can they not be somewhat "programming aware" when getting ready to do a live cut-in for a weather update? Thank you for keeping me informed, but please use some common sense when sounding the alarm about what is nothing more than a standard afternoon thunderstorm!

And one more thing. When I called in at the beginning of the telecast to request that they switch to HD, the woman I spoke to said that they can’t put up a weather waning crawl when the show is in HD. I know about this hardware restriction, but there were parts of the program that had no crawl and they weren’t showing the county warning map. Could they not switch to HD during these times? In fact, the first few minutes of the halftime show were in HD. Does anyone know when/if WCIV will pony up and get the graphics box that allows for HD bugs/crawls/graphics on retransmitted national HD feeds?

And sorry if this struck a nerve for anyone who was affected by the weather and was counting on the weather forecasts, but someone needs to take into account the real severity of the weather and maybe consider timing the break-ins a little better so as not to inconvenience the folks who are well aware of the fact that it is raining. And no, I wouldn’t be nearly this ticked off if we had actually had tornadoes or hurricanes or some other serious natural disaster bearing down on us.

And one more silly note: Can someone over at WCIV please take a few minutes and teach the weekend weather lady how to properly pronounce the names of the towns in the lowcountry, especially the towns named after Indian tribes. :p

Syndicated shows are sent out via satellite and downlinked to the local affiliates who record the shows and play them back later. WCBD doesn't have the equipment to perform this workflow in HD. Jeopardy is produced in 1080i.

TV stations are just like your home theater. Even though everyone has access to HD content you need HD gear to watch it.

But I will ask the simple question anyway. If Tivo can record HD streams in 720p and 1080i for display on an HDTV in the native format, why can't the local affiliates simply go to Best Buy and purchase a Tivo Series 3? :rolleyes:

Could this live break-in not be done 1 minute later when halftime began?


Can you be sure that 1 minute would not cost a life?

Can you be sure that 1 minute would not cost a life?

No, you're right, one minute can save a life. But this was not tornadoes. It was thunderstorms with some cloud-to-ground lightning. By their own admission, this was a typical coastal seabreeze front. Can anyone predict when and where lightning will strike? If they can, then okay, cut in. But when all they "announce" is that the rain is still falling and it is moving eastward, that is not really life-altering news. She also kept pointing out that "the bulk of the bad weather is now offshore." Great! Did we need a live cut-in for that nugget of info? :rolleyes:

Can anyone predict when and where lightning will strike?

Exactly. ;)

Nice gotcha, but I was being literal, not metaphorical. :)

I agree, this weather fearmongering has gotten way out of hand.

Hopefully with the 50% chance of rain today, ABC won't cut in throughout the game this afternoon with unnecessary weather warnings. If they are necessary, then that is okay. ;)

I currently have my tv mounted over the fireplace, in order to get things put together neatly I have decided to take everything off of the mantle and put them in a component rack over in the corner. I purchased a couple of wall plates(hdmi,coax,speaker) but after looking over this I am not about to going tearing at my wall(My Bob the builder skills aren't that advanced). So I am going to call someone to do this for me,,,,, the question is which one should I call. The reason I am thinking that I may need an electrician to do it is that there is a few electrical outlets in the area I want to place all of this and some wiring for the fan and recessed lighting. Or will just a home theater installation do? Also in the summerville area who may be the best call? Thanks for the help

You could try http://www.servicemagic.com/category.Electronics-Computers-Home-Media-Systems.10308.html?link_id=10181. I have had mixed success with this site, but it's worth a look.

Thankfully, despite the current weather, the game today is on ESPN, so I can enjoy the whole game in HD without interruptions. :) ;)

The stations must have received my memo asking why they were breaking in for live weather coverage during normal operation hours and not at 3am when needed in the past. Now these same stations jump to live coverage at the first blip of color on their radar maps.

Thanks for the info. I haven't been back in Charleston that long - how does WCBD's lack of technology affect shows such as the Office, Friday Night Lights, etc? Isn't all of NBC 1080i? I assume no effect as perhaps those shows aren't recorded/broadcast the same, but I would also assume that an NBC affiliate would have the technology needed to work with NBC's products.

There is no issue with passing along signals from the mothership. All NBC-generated HD content is passed along in HD. It's the syndicated shows that are the problem.

The stations must have received my memo asking why they were breaking in for live weather coverage during normal operation hours and not at 3am when needed in the past. Now these same stations jump to live coverage at the first blip of color on their radar maps.

You and I might be the only ones up at 3am who would notice a live cut-in at that time. ;)

Gotcha. Thanks for the information.

The stations must have received my memo asking why they were breaking in for live weather coverage during normal operation hours and not at 3am when needed in the past. Now these same stations jump to live coverage at the first blip of color on their radar maps.

:)

Thanks for the post regarding breaking in for live weather coverage. This so-called concern, by the media, for citizen safety reminds me of the final seconds of a 6pm local evening news segment I watched a few months back ...

"A prison escapee is on the loose tonight. He could be in your neighborhood. Tune in at 11pm for details".

We just had a thunderstorm in the Pawleys Island area as violent as they get. All sources of warning are welcome.

We also had lightning dancing around our house just now. Our neighbor's trees took two hits. Was it scary for the kids? Yep! And for me and wife, too. :) But you know what? I saw the skies get dark, I felt the temperature drop, I felt the wind pick up, I saw the lightning and counted between the strikes and the claps of thunder and realized it was getting closer. I knew it was time for me to come inside (I work on my screened porch) and bring my laptop with me. When the lightning got really close, I turned off the home theater stuff (I don't know if this is really necessary since it was still plugged in :D but I did it out of habit). And then I sat and waited. My house was lit up by the lightning multiple times enough that it rattled some plates and some stuff fell over in the china hutch.

But here's the thing: I can see the weather is bad. WeatherBug never reported anything other than a Severe Thunderstorm Warning...no tornadoes...so I didn't worry. Is there anything that any of us can do to avoid being struck by lightning? Anything we can do to avoid hail? Or a tornado? No. If it's going to happen, it's going to happen. I hope it doesn't happen to me or anyone else for that matter. But weather happens. If TV is your only source of news in this time of modern technology, then the blame might need to be focused on you. But anyone with an internet connection can download WeatherBug or similar products from Weather.com or wherever. And if that doesn't work, you could always fall back on old reliable: look to the skies yourself and determine if you feel safe or threatened. If things look bad, hunker down. But I am still waiting on the delivery of my Tornado Deflector and my Hail Shield...available from QVC for only 10 payments of $99.99 :p

Looking at radar can be educational, but it still doesn't hold a candle to Mama Nature. If she decides to reach down and fry that tree next to your house, there's nothing you can do to stop her. Weather forecasting is getting better with every passing day, with new radar technology, faster computers to crunch the numbers, but it is still guessing based on events that have already transpired somewhere else nearby. Keep me posted when a hurricane approaches and let me know if we happen to be in the "Cone of Uncertainty". But as for these completely normal pop-up afternoon thunderstorms, thanks, but I can look out the window. ;)

I will now go inside, watch some baseball and wait for Karma to come kick my a**. :rolleyes:

This is pure speculation on my part but, I think the reason why they interrupt programing at the drop of a hat in these situations is because they don't want to get caught with their pants down and not be covering an event that one of the other 2 local stations might be covering.

Its all a competition between the three. Who can give the most complete, and sometimes, overblown coverage of the weather. Plus, they need to justify spending all those hundreds of thousands of dollars on the latest and greatest weather equipment that quite often doesn't make them anymore accurate if they didn't have it to begin with.

We also had lightning dancing around our house just now. Our neighbor's trees took two hits. Was it scary for the kids? Yep! And for me and wife, too. :) But you know what? I saw the skies get dark, I felt the temperature drop, I felt the wind pick up, I saw the lightning and counted between the strikes and the claps of thunder and realized it was getting closer. I knew it was time for me to come inside (I work on my screened porch) and bring my laptop with me. When the lightning got really close, I turned off the home theater stuff (I don't know if this is really necessary since it was still plugged in :D but I did it out of habit). And then I sat and waited. My house was lit up by the lightning multiple times enough that it rattled some plates and some stuff fell over in the china hutch.

But here's the thing: I can see the weather is bad. WeatherBug never reported anything other than a Severe Thunderstorm Warning...no tornadoes...so I didn't worry. Is there anything that any of us can do to avoid being struck by lightning? Anything we can do to avoid hail? Or a tornado? No. If it's going to happen, it's going to happen. I hope it doesn't happen to me or anyone else for that matter. But weather happens. If TV is your only source of news in this time of modern technology, then the blame might need to be focused on you. But anyone with an internet connection can download WeatherBug or similar products from Weather.com or wherever. And if that doesn't work, you could always fall back on old reliable: look to the skies yourself and determine if you feel safe or threatened. If things look bad, hunker down. But I am still waiting on the delivery of my Tornado Deflector and my Hail Shield...available from QVC for only 10 payments of $99.99 :p

Looking at radar can be educational, but it still doesn't hold a candle to Mama Nature. If she decides to reach down and fry that tree next to your house, there's nothing you can do to stop her. Weather forecasting is getting better with every passing day, with new radar technology, faster computers to crunch the numbers, but it is still guessing based on events that have already transpired somewhere else nearby. Keep me posted when a hurricane approaches and let me know if we happen to be in the "Cone of Uncertainty". But as for these completely normal pop-up afternoon thunderstorms, thanks, but I can look out the window. ;)

I will now go inside, watch some baseball and wait for Karma to come kick my a**. :rolleyes:


Yes all of that is great. And I repeat -all sources of warning are welcome. ;)

We bought one of the weather radio's and get the warning even before the TV stations do. Our radio went off, so we tuned to a local station and shortly after we heard their radio go off.

Disclosure: Some paranoia do to loss of $4300 in 2001 and $1600 (electronics/appliances) a few weeks ago from nearby lighting strikes.:(

I find some truth in all of the above.

If you have a programmable radio set for your county only what you heard on TV was probably new alert for other counties.

I live in a Large county and the radar pics showing actual location, size and direction are very helpful. I do have to choose weather to gamble my TV/components entertainment center or HTPC setup to indulge that paronia. That said I don't feel the need for a station to go on and on unless there are actual tornadoes in the area. No one is going to lay down in a ditch every afternoon for the rest of the summer.

Unplugging power is Not always 100% effective. Phone lines, the !@#$% in both of my losses, and cable will come in the back door. Remote phones,answering machines, etc. with DC adapters will also allow the surge a path into your AC wiring. I have many surge protectors and a whole house protector but it is bewildering how random the damage can be.

I am willing to cut some slack for this type of decision by the stations as it is a d!@#D if you do and d!@#D if you don't decision. What I do not forgive them for is poor equipment and laziness or incompetent technical expertise in a market that is not poor or that small. :mad:

I don't yet have one of those programmable weather alert radios, but am getting closer and closer to getting one. I just have a good ole fashioned one that you have to turn on and manually tune in for any warnings and they are for all general warnings only. Given that NOAA has gotten more precise with their "polygon" warnings as opposed to county-wide warnings should really help those who are truly in the path of danger. This is one reason why I continue to use WeatherBug and not the old weather radio.

What would ultimately be wonderful is if we could have a meeting in the middle. Instead of spending another $10k for the next best awesomest amazing weather radar tool, spend that on the equipment that would allow the station to superimpose the existing radar stream/crawl over HD signals. Maybe even invest in some sort of tool that would allow temporary split screen display or PIP function so they can come one and speak about the problems, show the problems, but only minimally interfere with what is happening in the background.

"I don't yet have one of those programmable weather alert radios"

Well worth the 20 some dollars at Publix, You can set for 1 county or more. I didn't turn the alert feature on for my old radio because I didn't like being woke up at 3am for a storm in Columbia!

"What would ultimately be wonderful is if we could have a meeting in the middle. Instead of spending another $10k for the next best awesomest amazing weather radar tool, spend that on the equipment that would allow the station to superimpose the existing radar stream/crawl over HD signals. Maybe even invest in some sort of tool that would allow temporary split screen display or PIP function so they can come one and speak about the problems, show the problems, but only minimally interfere with what is happening in the background."

YES!!:D

On Friday we were struck by lightning and caused a small fire. I actually finished watching the weather as the storm was finally moving out after sitting stationary for over 30 minutes. Guess we got hit by the back side. Now I'm grateful for the coverage, I do agree it seems to come at the wrong time and also always appears that they throw one last "it's finally done" broadcast in there that may be a waste.

What I wish they would do in this era of DTV, is to upgrade their equipment for overlays and reference to a sub channel.

On Friday we were struck by lightning and caused a small fire. I actually finished watching the weather as the storm was finally moving out after sitting stationary for over 30 minutes. Guess we got hit by the back side. Now I'm grateful for the coverage, I do agree it seems to come at the wrong time and also always appears that they throw one last "it's finally done" broadcast in there that may be a waste.

What I wish they would do in this era of DTV, is to upgrade their equipment for overlays and reference to a sub channel.

Not that it is anything to laugh at, but I get tickled at the weather folks on WCBD. Rob just sits calmly at his desk in front of the camera... Josh is telling(and showing) us where he'd be if he was a tornado, and Joey is visibly vibrating and seems to be tethered by his microphone wires so he doesn't wander off.

I guess I just get tickled at all the technology they have now(estimated rain rates, hail sizes, VTI, rotation in the storm, wind direction, etc...) could they please, please, please adjust the screen around for Josh so he doesn't have to get down on his knees to show us where the tornado most likely is?

And to the poster that said they heard the weather radio go off then tuned in and heard the stations radio go off, I'd just like to point out that the station has a much wider viewing area than just your county. It seems that the NWS has started dropping warnings for entire counties for a more localized(Southeastern Berkeley and Northeastern Charleston). You most likely heard another warning or an update being issued.

You know, I never thought of it that way, but Joey really is a little on the hyper-excited end of the spectrum compared to Rob. But you know it's serious when there is more than one weather guy/girl on the screen and they have their shirt sleeves rolled up and ties loosened.

Here's hoping that the predicted severe weather for this afternoon doesn't cause channel 4 to cut-in to the UEFA Euro 2008 Finals today...or at least if they have to, please wait until halftime/end of regulation...or, make any announcements quick...or, only cut-in if there is something about to happen that requires the audience to take emergency/evasive action immediately.

And if possible, I would really appreciate it if the game could be shown in HD as much as possible. :) That would be swell!

I second that!



Here is my list of channels as regards to strength and stability of signal...from strongest to weakest. Ive been doing a lot of testing of indoor antennas, recently.

2 WCBD
24 WTAT
5 WCSC
7 WITV
4 WCIV
36 WMMP

I second that!



Here is my list of channels as regards to strength and stability of signal...from strongest to weakest. Ive been doing a lot of testing of indoor antennas, recently.

2 WCBD
24 WTAT
5 WCSC
7 WITV
4 WCIV
36 WMMP

I am on James Island, harbour side of the island with pretty much minimal obstruction from Mount Pleasant. I am considering these three for my bedroom TV, inside mount:

RCA ANT1500 "electrified"
RS DA-5200
RS 15-1892 UFO

Would you have an opinion to share for me please?
In the living room I am using an older jensen, that is a flat black plastic thing that sits on a shelf in my entertainment system. I get great reception with almost no dropouts. thanks.

John

Could you post a pic of your Jensen Antenna? Id be interested.

You could get by with just about anything, Id say.

The RS DA-5200 is a really nice set up.

The RS UFO is really fun and works great, but the fun can probably wear off, and you really dont need what this antenna's niche is designed for since all your stations are clustered in one direction in Awendaw. And using a dual remote when you dont have to, will quickly become a drag, it seems....however, you could probably set it once and forget it, since all your stations are in one direction.

The RCA ANT1500 is non amplified and expensive for what you get. It is however a sleek low profile unit, and would probably work for you. $50 is too much, $30 makes its styling perhaps worth it.

If you want to get PBS next year you have to consider VHF Hi.

So it really depends on what you want. Youve got a lot of options at your good location.


EDIT: Im not near FM towers, so you may have to consider that angle.....so you dont overload your tuner. The RS UFO has an FM Trap. You may or may not need it.

Can someone please let me know where the contact info is for control rooms of ABC?

I've seen it on here before.

This is the second Sunday in a row that ABC has taken off HD (during the Euro Cup) to show us thunderstorm warnings onscreen. Today is the Finals and they are showing SD. Unreal!!!!!!!!!1

It thunders and rains in Charleston everyday in the summer between 2-4. Is there never HD available during these hours?

Amen!

For the love of God!

Why is it I am watching US Open golf on TWC NBC and the weather warnings are scrolling across the bottom of the full HD picture?

Could you post a pic of your Jensen Antenna? Id be interested.

You could get by with just about anything, Id say.

The RS DA-5200 is a really nice set up.

The RS UFO is really fun and works great, but the fun can probably wear off, and you really dont need what this antenna's niche is designed for since all your stations are clustered in one direction in Awendaw. And using a dual remote when you dont have to, will quickly become a drag, it seems....however, you could probably set it once and forget it, since all your stations are in one direction.

The RCA ANT1500 is non amplified and expensive for what you get. It is however a sleek low profile unit, and would probably work for you. $50 is too much, $30 makes its styling perhaps worth it.

If you want to get PBS next year you have to consider VHF Hi.

So it really depends on what you want. Youve got a lot of options at your good location.


EDIT: Im not near FM towers, so you may have to consider that angle.....so you dont overload your tuner. The RS UFO has an FM Trap. You may or may not need it.

The jensen is a model 920. here is a link to a parts express page that has it:
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=210-597

"If you want to get PBS next year you have to consider VHF Hi."
Could you explain this a little more for me please? Thanks.

John

Can someone please let me know where the contact info is for control rooms of ABC?

I've seen it on here before.

This is the second Sunday in a row that ABC has taken off HD (during the Euro Cup) to show us thunderstorm warnings onscreen. Today is the Finals and they are showing SD. Unreal!!!!!!!!!1

It thunders and rains in Charleston everyday in the summer between 2-4. Is there never HD available during these hours?

Asleep at the wheel :)

Why is it I am watching US Open golf on TWC NBC and the weather warnings are scrolling across the bottom of the full HD picture?

It's strictly ABC, because they suck.

CBS also scroll with HD.

Anyone know number to call?

Don't they have phone numbers on their web site?

yeah. they just said they can't do anything due to FCC.

yeah. they just said they can't do anything due to FCC.

There was a post here in the last couple of pages by mtifee? anyway the one who is freelance broadcast eng. Stated that 2 doesnt have equipment to scroll over the HD. I noticed yesterday they switched to SD long enough to scroll and then returned to HD. Don't remember what it was but remember thinking about his post. It is time they invested in the right stuff. It is not as if it is some small nework on a start up budget.:rolleyes:

that's what ABC did during the LA Galaxy game just before this one and then went back to HD. Guess they love Beckham, but don't care about Euro Cup finals.

I wish ESPN had the finals like they had the entire tournament. I wouldn't have to worry about it on a national channel.

I blame Johnny Suzuki.

That Jensesn 920, may give you some decent VHF Hi performance because of its length. Perhaps you should consider another model similar in style.

Winegard SS-3000
Terk TV-55
Philips MANT950
RCA ANT806

the RCA ANT1500 may give you good enough VHF Hi as well.

the RS UFO has Rabbit Ears and an FM Trap and adjustable amplifier gain, so it would probably do you well.

or just get a basic unamped Rabbit Ears & Loop.

that's what ABC did during the LA Galaxy game just before this one and then went back to HD. Guess they love Beckham, but don't care about Euro Cup finals.

I wish ESPN had the finals like they had the entire tournament. I wouldn't have to worry about it on a national channel.

I have given up on watching this game live for this reason. Thankfully, the game is rebroadcast on ESPN2 at 2:30am tonight. So all HD, no stupid weather "warnings", and no break-ins. Just stay away from anything that give away the score until tomorrow morning.

And for what it's worth, I lost power for about 1 minute and missed about 10 minutes of game play since it takes that long for the D* DVR to reboot and re-acquire the signal and everything. So rather than stress over not being able to see the whole screen with those stupid county warning boxes and radar that is so minimized and obscured that you can see a reference point as to what is being displayed, I will just watch on tape delay.

So enjoy it if you are watching live...if you can. ;)

Spain 5, Germany 5

PBS is moving its digital transmission back to channel 7 VHF Hi after the analog shutdown....its currently broadcasting digital on channel 49 UHF.

Don't they have phone numbers on their web site?

The only number on their site is for the Sales Dept or the News Desk. Calling the news desk is the best option since there is always someone on-call for that number and can relay the request to Master Control.

But the direct number to the main engineer/programming director is 971-5474. And if this helps, here is the latest list of all station Master Control number that I have:

WTAT Master Control
529-2250

WCIV Master Control
971-5474

WCBD Master Control
216-4904

WCSC Master Control
402-5709

I know the WCSC and WCBD numbers are still accurate, but no faith in Fox, and as previously mentioned, the WCIV number goes direct to somebody's voice mail...no human contact on the weekends or after hours.

Spain 5, Germany 5

:eek: You Suck!! ;):p

I know what the score was at halftime, so unless they came out and took PK's to start the 2nd half, I'm not buying it.

If you are not concerned about aesthetics the Radio Shack Classic Single Bow Tie or the RCA ANT110 are good choices.

WMMP Ch 36-1 DTV audio has been fixed and works correctly at this moment. Email with Director of Engineering and Operations yesterday morning with prompt response and return from him this pm to try it. Good experience that I really didn't expect from anyone anymore. :):)

I posted here back on 6/1 about only left channel audio but you wouldn't notice it on normal TV speakers. Through an AVR it was unacceptable.

Even though I only watch WMMP during Basketball season for the occasional ACC game, I appreciate that you were able to get through and get that addressed. Hopefully it stays fixed now. :)

For those of us with Directv, I talked to a technical support rep for D* the other day and I wouldn't expect Charleston locals until D12 is launched and up sometime next year. Who wants to bet the Dish Network will have Charleston locals up before D* does???

If true, that is disappointing. Main reason why I have invested in a decent OTA antenna soultion so I can get locals in HD no matter when D* flips the switch.

However, I have learned many times over to take anything said by a "phone level" CSR (no matter the department) with a large grain of salt. Often times, we on the outside know as much or more than the first, second or third level support folks. They are good for reading from a script of "normal" issues and questions, but when they veer off that script, they can make some pretty lousy predictions.

So I hope this is a matter of the latter issue and not the former. But either way, I will still be watching my locals in HD no matter the delivery method. :D

I have given up on watching this game live for this reason. Thankfully, the game is rebroadcast on ESPN2 at 2:30am tonight. So all HD, no stupid weather "warnings", and no break-ins. Just stay away from anything that give away the score until tomorrow morning.

And for what it's worth, I lost power for about 1 minute and missed about 10 minutes of game play since it takes that long for the D* DVR to reboot and re-acquire the signal and everything. So rather than stress over not being able to see the whole screen with those stupid county warning boxes and radar that is so minimized and obscured that you can see a reference point as to what is being displayed, I will just watch on tape delay.

So enjoy it if you are watching live...if you can. ;)
1313 look at Circuit City, they have a power back up for $40 BE-550 they will keep you going for 1/2-3/4 hrs when power goes out, no need to wait for reboot.

Thanks for the recommendation...I have considered the UPS option for the home theater, but my shelf if pretty full and not sure if there is space and enough air flow to keep the air cool with all the other components. Overall, it really isn't too much a problem here. In the almost 5 years that I have lived in this house, we have lost power for maybe about 3 hours. And 2:55 of that was during TS Gaston! So power outages really are rare (major hat tip to BEC). It just so happened that it was during the finals of major sporting event...just bad timing. Not really concerned since it was replayed later that night and was able to watch it entirely in HD without weather warnings. :)

I currently use an APC UPS for the PC since hard boots like that are really bad for that system along with my back up server and NAS drive.

If true, that is disappointing. Main reason why I have invested in a decent OTA antenna soultion so I can get locals in HD no matter when D* flips the switch.

However, I have learned many times over to take anything said by a "phone level" CSR (no matter the department) with a large grain of salt. Often times, we on the outside know as much or more than the first, second or third level support folks. They are good for reading from a script of "normal" issues and questions, but when they veer off that script, they can make some pretty lousy predictions.

So I hope this is a matter of the latter issue and not the former. But either way, I will still be watching my locals in HD no matter the delivery method. :D


I too have a decent antenna. It stil though would be nice to not have to worry about it. I know that info coming from a CSR is not always reliable, but this was a higher level tech support person and he told me that the new satellite will be maxed out pretty fast. Usually when they lie is when they tell you that it is coming soon.

Anyone out there with Summerville TWC have a messed up EPG? Mine has 2-1 & 2-2 shows the same (CW) for both and 5-1 shows as 5-2 doppler. Started today.????????????????????

Any chance that hurricane that rolled through the north area earlier spanked the headend computer system?

Could have, ch4-1 is dead OTA, but thats not the problem here. I have MCE2005 but use the S'ville TWC EPG for recording info. It updates at 4:30 am and it was screwed this morning. I don't have cable and with MCE 2005 it is an around your elbow to get to your !@@ workaround to get the HD EPG info. it has worked fine till this morning and I can still tune the channels. Will have to set manual records for 2 & 5 till it gets fixed:mad:. I have really gotten LAZY! News is the only thing we watch live anymore. If anyone has TWC on this thread I would sure like a response just in case it is the MCE part.

I know we're in the middle of the summer and the OTA signal reception degrades some due to leaves on the trees and atmospheric conditions, but the signal from the Charleston PBS channels (7-1,7-2 and 7-3) seem to be weaker this summer than I remember them being in 2007.

Is anyone else having problems? I've lost more than 20% of my signal on PBS. All the other channels are still close to their winter strength levels.

I have noticed that as well. And for some other reason, my new best signal station is 2-1. Channels 5 and 24 used to be the king of the 100% signal lock, but they are now down to about 90-95%. Not a big drop of course, but 2 and 4 were always weaker in comparison. 4 is still pretty finicky from day to day, but PBS has pretty much dropped off the radar.

Same down here, signal for me is 2.1 71/4.1 73/5.1 66/7.1 61/24.1 83 I am 71 miles from towers. never could get 36 whitch is on DTV35 they have a CW station in Sav GA. that is on DTV 35. Back in 2004 and before most of the stations were on, 5.1 and 7.1/2/3 were much better down here..I do not use 7.3 for PBS HD I get 16.3 100% on DTV 44 18 miles N of Beaufort along hwy 17

What type of antenna do you guys think I would need to pick up all the hd channels where I live? ... I'm off Dorchester near the airport in North Charleston. Thanks,

A coat hanger might work ;) Just about anything inside should work and any exterior ant. would be fine. I am in Goose Creek and get the networks fine with a 51-element double boom yagi style made by Philips on my chimney. If you go back a few posts (maybe 10-20 posts ago), there was a very thorough run down of all sorts of antennas

Sorry, it was about a month ago...my how time flies!!

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1037779

Sorry, it was about a month ago...my how time flies!!

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1037779

I would not use the info from Escapevelocity
He has in his performance rating the CM 4220 w 7777 amp as best. If you look at solidsignal.com that will cost you $112.93 w shipping and you have an antenna that is rated for up to 30 miles and NO VHF
The CM 4228 is $77.40 w shipping rated for 60 miles and will give you High band VHF as well as UHF. The 7777 amp will not make up for a low gain antenna.
Bring a 4220 or a DB 2 down here you will get nothing, but the 4228 will bring in all the Charleston stations.
I will agree with one thing, the 4220 will do better than any over priced indoor antenna.

They fixed the OTA sound (kinda). In the past the sound would only come from the front right speaker, but no surround. Now the sound at least comes from the center speaker, but still no surround sound or HD.

Now if only 4.1 (abc-hd OTA) would do something to boost their signal. Every other channel has great signal strength. Not the case with 4.1.

I think WCBD and Comcast audio drops are resolved. I've watched Last Comic Standing the last couple of weeks and not a single joke missed. Hopefully it is here to stay.

Hi,

Is anyone else having issue with picking up HD channels on Comcast using a QAM tuner? I have lost NBC (2-1) but can pickup all the other channels just fine. This is with a Dynex 32" LCD. A friend of mine also is having the same issues with QAM tuning on his Sceptre 23" LCD. He rescanned and was able to get NBC but subsequently lost Fox (24-1) and ABC.

Anyone have any ideas here? I'm at a loss and don't have any faith in Comcast CS (other than Comcast Chris maybe?) being able to help.

Also, we both have HD DVRs from Comcast for our primary setups and are experiencing zero issues with getting HD channels via the box.

Thanks for any insight.

Brian in James Island

Just in case anyone is curious and wanted an update, good news for local HD via DirecTV announced today: http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=143487
No specific date announced as of yet for us, but this is a good sign!!

And for overall HD channels: http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=143482

Just in case anyone is curious and wanted an update, good news for local HD via DirecTV announced today: http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=143487
No specific date announced as of yet for us, but this is a good sign!!

And for overall HD channels: http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=143482

yeah that is awesome. Guess that will learn me about listening to a CSR.

Hi,

Is anyone else having issue with picking up HD channels on Comcast using a QAM tuner? I have lost NBC (2-1) but can pickup all the other channels just fine. This is with a Dynex 32" LCD. A friend of mine also is having the same issues with QAM tuning on his Sceptre 23" LCD. He rescanned and was able to get NBC but subsequently lost Fox (24-1) and ABC.

Anyone have any ideas here? I'm at a loss and don't have any faith in Comcast CS (other than Comcast Chris maybe?) being able to help.

Also, we both have HD DVRs from Comcast for our primary setups and are experiencing zero issues with getting HD channels via the box.

Thanks for any insight.

Brian in James Island

I'm on JI and having no problems with QAM and Comcast. I did about a year ago when i first got a QAM TV. I think sometimes signal strength affects things along with the quality of the tuner. Never did figure out why I was having trouble, but if I recall WCBD was the problem channel.

I can't remeber how much we have gotten into this before, but I noticed during the national news tonight on Channel 2 that they were able to superimpose their "2" logo over the NBC Peacock while in HD. Obviously this means that they have the equipment to do HD graphics and presumably HD crawls, and maybe even HD radar superimpositions. Does this also provide any insight on when they might have the ability to do studio-based HD broadcasts? Does anyone know of any time table for doing the local news in HD for any of the local stations?

DirecTV HD-LIL UPDATE
http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/moreInfoText.jsp?assetId=1620002

Upcoming HD Local Market Launches

August: Augusta, GA.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Lincoln-Hastings, Neb.; Rochester, N.Y.

September: Baton Rouge, La.; Burlington Vt.-Plattsburgh, N.Y.; Champaign-Springfield-Decatur, Ill.; Mobile AL-Pensacola, Fla.; Myrtle Beach-Florence, S.C.; Richmond-Petersburg, Va. ; South Bend-Elkhart, Ind.; Syracuse, N.Y.; Youngstown, Ohio

October: Boise, Idaho; Charleston, S.C.; Colorado Springs-Pueblo, Colo.; Columbia-Jefferson City, Mo.; Davenport, Iowa-Rock Island, Ill., Moline, Ill.; Dayton, Ohio; Evansville, Ind.; Fort Smith, Ark.; Greenville-New Bern-Washington, N.C.; Harlingen-Brownsville, Texas; Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Ark.; Macon, Ga.; Norfolk-Newport News, Va.; Savannah, Ga.; Springfield-Holyoke, Mass.

November: Des Moines-Ames, Iowa; El Paso, Texas; Fort Wayne, Ind.; La Crosse-Eau Claire, Wis.; Peoria-Bloomington, Ill.; Rockford, Ill.; Sioux Falls, S.D.; Traverse City-Cadillac

December: Bangor, Maine; Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas; Butte-Bozeman, Mont.; Harrisonburg, Va.; Tallahassee, Fla.

I would not use the info from Escapevelocity
He has in his performance rating the CM 4220 w 7777 amp as best. If you look at solidsignal.com that will cost you $112.93 w shipping and you have an antenna that is rated for up to 30 miles and NO VHF
The CM 4228 is $77.40 w shipping rated for 60 miles and will give you High band VHF as well as UHF. The 7777 amp will not make up for a low gain antenna.
Bring a 4220 or a DB 2 down here you will get nothing, but the 4228 will bring in all the Charleston stations.
I will agree with one thing, the 4220 will do better than any over priced indoor antenna.

Looks like we lost a lot of posts.

I responded to this, and I still wanted to. The short version is.....that is an indoor antenna guide. Olgim's criticizm is invalid.

I have bad tree problems and found by trial and error that the smaller antennas worked better for me on the roof.

Well, one thing I would like to repost is my frustration with WCBD and their occasional use of the HD channel logo and their sometime use of the SD channel logo. Can't they always use the HD callsign when there is an HD program on?

Looks like we lost a lot of posts.

I responded to this, and I still wanted to. The short version is.....that is an indoor antenna guide. Olgim's criticizm is invalid.

I have bad tree problems and found by trial and error that the smaller antennas worked better for me on the roof.

My main point is, do not spend a ton of money on an indoor antenna. If a cheep one does not work get the CM42220 try it inside, if it does not work inside put it outside.
I am in the middle of 500 60-80 ft oak trees so I know how that can mess with signal.

Well, one thing I would like to repost is my frustration with WCBD and their occasional use of the HD channel logo and their sometime use of the SD channel logo. Can't they always use the HD callsign when there is an HD program on?

I sent an e-mail to Sam Barclay at WCBD on Monday regarding this same thing. No response yet. I did finally pay a little more attention on Sunday and noticed around 9:20 they overlaid the HD logo, but at the top of the hour they used the SD. Makes no sense on the consistency.

I'm just happy the audio issues have been resolved with them and Comcast. I guess we can only hope for one thing at a time. Maybe the logo is next and then some 5.1 audio.

My main point is, do not spend a ton of money on an indoor antenna. If a cheep one does not work get the CM42220 try it inside, if it does not work inside put it outside.
I am in the middle of 500 60-80 ft oak trees so I know how that can mess with signal.

Well, some people cant use an outdoor antenna. I state in the first few paragraphs of my guide that if you can get outside, then that is the way to go, even if just outside a window or on a patio, attic mounts, etc. Many people are limited in their options. The point of my guide is to explore creative solutions using commercially available indoor (and outdoor) antennas.

Something other than "try a basic unamped rabbit ears & loop and if that doesnt work then get a CM4221 and mount it on the roof."

Just flipped the TV on and Comcast is showing 412 as HDT. Looks like a new channel as it doesn't show any info.

HD Theatre?

Just saw an advertisement from WCSC that they will have another "first" in the lowcountry regarding their local broadcasting, scheduled to happen on September 29, 2008.

Could that be a date to look for WCSC to be the first in Charleston to go full HD?

There is about a zero percent chance of WCSC going full HD anytime soon.

Does anyone know where fox and mntv are broadcasting from now? I have my antenna pointed in the general direction of Awendaw and get all the major stations at 90%+ except for 24 and 36. The signal from these two is only 76% and drops out all the time. Any ideas? Thanks

There is about a zero percent chance of WCSC going full HD anytime soon.

Why? Co-owned WWBT in Richmond just went HD for its news earlier this month, assuming that's what you mean...

- Trip

Does anyone know where fox and mntv are broadcasting from now? I have my antenna pointed in the general direction of Awendaw and get all the major stations at 90%+ except for 24 and 36. The signal from these two is only 76% and drops out all the time. Any ideas? Thanks

Same direction as ch 2-1.

tvfool.com has info for direction from your location

trial & error is usually the last step after you get close. Give a little on some to get more on the others;)

Is it me or is anyone else sick of this crappy coverage that they always have to have for the Panther games? Audio sucks, video looks like it's coming from a camcorder.

I just don't understand why video quality can look so good for SD on the local news for WCBD and then this crap for a NFL game.

After being an enthusiastic fan of Comcast HD in Charleston for the last four years ... I will finally cut cords with Comcast due to its pitiful strategy on HD offering. I waited for a long time for Science HD. Never happened. I am switching to Satellite.

Bye Comcast //

Glad to see Comcast upgrade the On Demand. Can scroll through the screen much quicker, has a better look. One downside still is that it kicks you back to the beginning after the show has stopped. Would be nice if it kept you in the same page you were at, especially when watching videos and other short clips.

Why? Co-owned WWBT in Richmond just went HD for its news earlier this month, assuming that's what you mean...

- Trip

Well their newscasts might go HD.

Well their newscasts might go HD.

You think they have just been waiting until the CBS National did their news in HD? Now that Katie Couric is in HD, they can run an all HD hour of news. Probably still won't watch it because of the anchor(s) and the overly hyped sensationalist bend to the news, but I like that they are (possibly) going HD for local broadcasts. Might be the fire that lights under 2 & 4 to get them up to HD local origination.

Well their newscasts might go HD.

The newscasts were what I meant to begin with. However, they keep showing that turtle in the advertisement along with 929 and making a big splash. Maybe, they will be the first low country station to an underwater broadcast...LOL :D

Nice to see MyTV showing the Hawaii/Florida game in HD. Not sure it started in HD, but with 2:30 left in the first quarter the picture switched to HD. I now believe Raycom will show the games this year in HD after hearing rumors of it.

Just tuned in to see if you were just kidding us, and am I surprised! I didn't even think WMMP/MyTV had HD capabilities. Is that very new? Or have they just not shown anything that was supposed to be in HD prior to this game? And another surprise is that it is coming in better in HD than SD via OTA.

And yes, this does bode well for football and more importantly (to me anyway) those 4 Duke basketball games that are scheduled for RLF this season...now it is less of a concern about whether or not Channel 5 picks them up if RLF is going to go with some HD for basketball. :) :) :) Woo Hoo!

I'm also enjoying the RAYCOM game in HD OTA. I know Home Cable doesn't, but does Comcast offer a cable feed of 36.1?

Also, can anyone confirm that 36.1 is having some issues with sound and mainly with video - I have a small black bar across the bottom of my picture. Anyone else have this? Being a plasma owner... I don't like portions of the screen not working ;)


EDIT: I'm using a cheap rabbit ears antenna... perhaps the video problem is caused by that? I wouldn't think so, but I confess I don't know much about OTA signals.

My signal strength is 88%.

I'm also enjoying the RAYCOM game in HD OTA. I know Home Cable doesn't, but does Comcast offer a cable feed of 36.1?

Also, can anyone confirm that 36.1 is having some issues with sound and mainly with video - I have a small black bar across the bottom of my picture. Anyone else have this? Being a plasma owner... I don't like portions of the screen not working ;)


EDIT: I'm using a cheap rabbit ears antenna... perhaps the video problem is caused by that? I wouldn't think so, but I confess I don't know much about OTA signals.

My signal strength is 88%.


I'm watching with a cable box on channel 436. I also get the black bar at the bottom.

Are you on Comcast?

I don't have it, OTA, 2:36PM

Rabbit ears can work but more "iffy" and "depends" involved

Are you on Comcast?

Yes I am. I also have little white dots and the bottom-left corner.

I have a Samsung LCD with the picture size set to "Just Scan". When I set it to 16:9, the bottom bar is cropped out.

Don't have that either. Beautiful pic on 42" plasma

OTA...Vizio 50" Plasma

No black bar(s) and no additional screen noise of any kind. Looks pretty darn good as far as I can tell.

My only comment about the audio is that it's quite a bit louder than an HBOHD recording from yesterday that I am flipping back and forth to. Had to drop the volume quite a few steps. And it seems to be louder on the left than the right. I seem to recall that last basketball season, the last time I watched this channel via antenna, the left audio was the only audio. But I am getting higher volume on Left-Front and Left-Back than either right-side speaker. Center seems to be about 1/2 in between the left and right volume levels.

I have the same little white dots on the bottom left. Doesn't sound like its my cheapo antenna causing this problem. I have a 42" panasonic plasma, and I have the bar during the game regardless of picture setting (except zoom, obviously) except during commercials - I noticed the bar went away then.

apt1313, FYI it seems balanced through my AVR

It does seem odd that we each seem to be getting the channel, but we each have different little issues. Just very odd.

The newscasts were what I meant to begin with. However, they keep showing that turtle in the advertisement along with 929 and making a big splash. Maybe, they will be the first low country station to an underwater broadcast...LOL :D

I got ya. :)

I'm also enjoying the RAYCOM game in HD OTA.


RAYCOM and HD isn't that an oxymoron? Is this the same RAYCOM that covers Panther games and ACC games that have the worst audio and video of SD?

RAYCOM and HD isn't that an oxymoron? Is this the same RAYCOM that covers Panther games and ACC games that have the worst audio and video of SD?
It seems that is the RAYCOM of old. They seem to have turned a corner with some HD basketball last year and then this weekend's opener in HD. These are very hopeful signs. But keep that grain of salt handy. ;)

I'm still having the same bottom line issue on 36.1 OTA - Anyone else?

Notre Dame v. SDSU not in HD?

There is about a zero percent chance of WCSC going full HD anytime soon.

It's official, Live Five News in HD starting 9/29. Just saw a promo.

Here's the link:
http://www.live5news.com/global/Category.asp?c=142275

You had to think that the Sept. 29 unveiling had to be this news. If you've been a participant in the progression of HD here in the lowcountry, WCSC has been the local leader all along.

Way to go WCSC.

Apparently they are having problems receiving the HD signal from the mother ship, according to a guy in the News Room.

SD signal not looking too hot on my TV.

Wasn't the NBC pre-game in HD?...could have sworn it was. No HD now, for the game itself.

Wasn't the NBC pre-game in HD?...could have sworn it was. No HD now, for the game itself.

I thought a portion was. Last 20-30 minutes wasn't. Almost seemed like they ran their logo and never turned it back, but they said it was a signal problem and another person said they had same problem in Savannah.

So am I going soft or what? Tonight my channel list seems to have gotten remapped here. I was tuning in 16-1 16-2 16-3 for PBS (ETV) and tonight they are all on 44-1,2,3. Rescanned channels on my Samsung and it missed 24-1, tried to go directly but that did not find it. I found a list of channels and tried 40, which jumped me to 24-1 and added it to my list. Weird.

http://www.nab.org/AM/ASPCode/DTVStations/DTVStations.asp
Charleston, SC 100 WCBD-TV NBC 2.n 50
WCIV ABC 4.n 34
WCSC-TV CBS 5.n 47
WITV PBS 7.n 49
WMMP My TV 36.n 35
WTAT-TV FOX 24.n 40

It's official, Live Five News in HD starting 9/29. Just saw a promo.

That is different that going WCSC going all HD. But kudos to them, none the less!


What I find interesting is that Channel 2, WCBD, is my strongest station, both digitally and on analog(real channel 2). Im 45 miles south of the towers and can pick up channel 2 on Rabbit Ears reliably with pretty good picture, not even close on channel 4 and 5...and I though channel 2 was supposed to be the most difficult of the VHF Lo channels, requiring a longer than most rabbit ears antenna rod for maximum effeciency among other things.

Anyone know why Channel 2 did not / does not show the ACC Raycom football game in HD?

Anyone know why Channel 2 did not / does not show the ACC Raycom football game in HD?

Question 1: Was the game shot in HD?
Question 2: How sad is it that WMMP carries HD RLF Football games, but not one of the "Big 4" networks!?!

It was definitely shot in HD because it gave the "Available in HD" graphic and the Greenville, SC board had comments about it being in HD in prior weeks.

Figured as much...just checking

From a upstate area poster on Raycom in HD:

Thank You Raycom and WLOS!
I just got back from the NCSU-Clemson game and checked out the recording on my DVR, and I have to thank Raycom for what appears to be a HUGE improvement in their broadcast quality going to HD. The footage looks excellent and makes watching games on our RSN much, much more enjoyable.

My only advice to you or anyone else who notices a program that is supposed to be in HD is not being shown in HD locally is to call the News Desk for the respective station(s) and ask that someone alert Master Control that the HD feed is not on. I used to have the Master Control direct phone numbers, but several stations have changed them or redirected calls to program directors' voice mail. But the "News Line" is always manned by humans and they can pass a note back, or even better, transfer your call to Master Control.

Just remember to always be polite when making these calls.

TWC adds ESPNU HD, about to add Big Ten Network in Columbia, SC
by Darren Murph, posted Sep 16th 2008 at 11:01PM


Not that many (any?) Gamecock games are relegated to ESPNU or anything, but folks in the Columbia region of South Carolina can now tune into ESPNU HD on slot 952. The channel is being arranged beside ESPN HD (950), ESPN2 HD (951) and ESPNews HD (953). Also of note, Dan Santelle, Time Warner vice-president of programming and product development for the Carolina region, has suggested that his company is finalizing an agreement that will bring Big Ten Network to the system, which ought to make the scads of transplants and legions of sports fans in general quite pleased. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]

TWC adds ESPNU HD, about to add Big Ten Network in Columbia, SC
by Darren Murph, posted Sep 16th 2008 at 11:01PM


Not that many (any?) Gamecock games are relegated to ESPNU or anything, but folks in the Columbia region of South Carolina can now tune into ESPNU HD on slot 952. The channel is being arranged beside ESPN HD (950), ESPN2 HD (951) and ESPNews HD (953). Also of note, Dan Santelle, Time Warner vice-president of programming and product development for the Carolina region, has suggested that his company is finalizing an agreement that will bring Big Ten Network to the system, which ought to make the scads of transplants and legions of sports fans in general quite pleased. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]
Good news for you folks out there who don't already have these channels. BTN has been a wonderful addition from D* for about a year now and ESPNU should show some good value going forward.

Now if we could only get the CBS College Sports HD channel to actually show their March Madness replays in HD instead of downrezzing to SD, then we would just about have all of the basescovered. :)

Channel 5.! announced this morning that in nine days their news would go HD. :)

Followup to ACC games in HD on Channel 2- The Raycom ACC game that was on 36.1 (because of NBC showing the Ryder cup) was in HD.

I emailed WCBD regarding this issue last week and have not heard an answer.

That is different that going WCSC going all HD. But kudos to them, none the less!



What do you consider "all HD?". Not every show is produced in HD. WCSC will be airing the local news in HD. They'll also be airing HD syndicated shows in HD, if they're available in HD. IE: Tyra Banks isn't available in HD, but 2 and 1/2 Men and CSI is. This is huge news!

Mtiffee,

If you ever relocate please don't leave this thread. It is so nice to have someone that really does know what they are talking about.

Charlotte, NC (September 23, 2008) – Get ready sports fans! Beginning this Thursday, September 25, 2008, more college sports coverage is coming to the Time Warner Cable lineup. The Big Ten Network (BTN) will be available to Time Warner Cable digital converter customers with the Sports & Games Tier. The Big Ten Network will also be available in High Definition. A digital converter is required to receive the channels.

Big Ten Network is a 24-hr channel consisting of primarily of Big Ten Conference sporting events and sports programming, as well as an amount of ancillary programming related to the Big Ten Conference member universities, their students, communities and alumni. Coverage includes live telecasts of football, basketball, baseball and Olympic sports. Universities in the Big Ten Conference are Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Iowa, Penn State, Purdue, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Northwestern.

The Big Ten Network is available on the following channels:

o S. Carolina – 148(SD); 956(HD)
o Greensboro – 189(SD); 571(HD)
o Charlotte – 136(SD); 288(HD)
+ (Statesville/Iredell – 425(SD); 719(HD)
o Raleigh – 323(SD); 287(HD)
o Wilmington – 135(SD); 954(HD)

As long as we are rolling out the good news on HD in the general vicinity, DirecTV just lit up Myrtle Beach HD-LIL this morning:

The three expected markets did launch this morning at 6am.

Here are the stations:

Burlington VT DMA: NBC, ABC, FOX (No cbs)

Champaign IL DMA: NBC, ABC, FOX, CBS

Myrtle Beach SC DMA: ABC, FOX, CBS, CW (No nbc)

DirecTV will continue negotations with the single station in the launced markets that is not available in HD. Sometimes this can take a short time, sometimes they never reach an agreement.

Charleston was originally listed as an October start-up for HD-LIL, and if we can be optimistic for just a second, seeing how MB was added as originally announced, this bodes well for Charleston getting its HD-LIL in the coming weeks. :)

As long as we are rolling out the good news on HD in the general vicinity, DirecTV just lit up Myrtle Beach HD-LIL this morning:

The three expected markets did launch this morning at 6am.

Here are the stations:

Burlington VT DMA: NBC, ABC, FOX (No cbs)

Champaign IL DMA: NBC, ABC, FOX, CBS

Myrtle Beach SC DMA: ABC, FOX, CBS, CW (No nbc)

DirecTV will continue negotations with the single station in the launced markets that is not available in HD. Sometimes this can take a short time, sometimes they never reach an agreement.

Charleston was originally listed as an October start-up for HD-LIL, and if we can be optimistic for just a second, seeing how MB was added as originally announced, this bodes well for Charleston getting its HD-LIL in the coming weeks. :)


I predict we will get them next week.

I am not holding my breath, but that would be nice. My antenna has been blown around and beat up by overhanging branches by the recent weather and has gone out of alignment and now I can only get 1/2 of the stations cleanly. I would do some more drastic work (such as either a new antenna or higher mast and tree trimming) but with HD-LIL so close to reality for us, I can't justify the expense and effort to my wife. She has surprisingly agreed to accept pixelated splotchy reception for the first few weeks rather than have me fiddling on the roof. I wonder if that means she fears for my life? :)

I am not holding my breath, but that would be nice. My antenna has been blown around and beat up by overhanging branches by the recent weather and has gone out of alignment and now I can only get 1/2 of the stations cleanly. I would do some more drastic work (such as either a new antenna or higher mast and tree trimming) but with HD-LIL so close to reality for us, I can't justify the expense and effort to my wife. She has surprisingly agreed to accept pixelated splotchy reception for the first few weeks rather than have me fiddling on the roof. I wonder if that means she fears for my life? :)
or if she does the bills she let your life insurance lapse! I know the feeling, I have two indoor antennas and one has seen better days and my wife is not going to let me put anymore money into the tv

or if she does the bills she let your life insurance lapse! I know the feeling, I have two indoor antennas and one has seen better days and my wife is not going to let me put anymore money into the tv

:rolleyes: Women! ;)

Well D* announced that Charleston will be getting local HD on October 8th. So I missed it by a week. Way to go D*.

Well D* announced that Charleston will be getting local HD on October 8th. So I missed it by a week. Way to go D*.

While I don't doubt that Charleston will be up in October, D* has only announced (and it was updated in the last few days) that Charleston will have HD locals in Oct 08. 08 is the year not the day.

http://directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPageNR.jsp?assetId=3620002

But hopefully sooner than later.

Andy

You beat me to the punch on that reply, BUT the 8th is a viable candidate. D* normally does channel launches on Wednesday mornings (and occasionally Thursday's). I am not trying to feed the rumor mill, just pointing out the coincidence that 10/08/08 happens to fall on a Wednesday.

Again, I will be more than happy to get whatever we get, whenever we get it. I am just hoping that when we get our locals, it will be all four of th biggies and then I can fine tune my antenna towards the weakest signals (PBS-HD and WMMP) in hopes of getting them in better than ever before. :)

Anyone know why Channel 2 did not / does not show the ACC Raycom football game in HD?

Same story this week.

While I don't doubt that Charleston will be up in October, D* has only announced (and it was updated in the last few days) that Charleston will have HD locals in Oct 08. 08 is the year not the day.

http://directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPageNR.jsp?assetId=3620002

But hopefully sooner than later.

Andy

So I could still be right about this week then. LOL

Comcast is still not relaying the HD telecast of the Raycom ACC football game. Do I try the rabbit ears again? A few weeks back, the game was also SD on OTA even though ESPN was showing highlights in HD.

Was flipping through the channels and they are showing the 11pm news in HD on Ch. 5.

Whenever D* does launch HD locals in Charleston, i am switching from Comcast, my bill with them is insane. I live in Goose Creek, can anyone give me an idea of how often it goes out due to storms, etc.?

Followup to ACC games in HD on Channel 2- The Raycom ACC game that was on 36.1 (because of NBC showing the Ryder cup) was in HD.

I emailed WCBD regarding this issue last week and have not heard an answer.

WCBD emailed me back on this issue after two weeks of asking. They don't have a receiver to pass the RAYCOM HD feeds for ACC football, so they won't be showing them.

Pitiful... same guys who are unable to send HD Jeopardy, etc. It is 2008 after all.

WCBD emailed me back on this issue after two weeks of asking. They don't have a receiver to pass the RAYCOM HD feeds for ACC football, so they won't be showing them.

Pitiful... same guys who are unable to send HD Jeopardy, etc. It is 2008 after all.


I am willing to bet that Channel 5's conversion to HD will light a fire under the other stations to do the same. They always try to one up the other ones. Which is the reason we have news 15 times a day. I swear it won't be long before the whole afternoon lineup is news.

Folks,

I wanted to take a minute and share some changes at Comcast locally in Charleston.

Chris George has been promoted and now lives in Arkansas. I am monitoring the forum in interim till we can find someone permanently.
Effective tomorrow the November 1st we will be adding the following channels in Charleston

Fox News HD 428
American Movie Classics (AMC) HD 429
Cartoon HD 442
ABC Family HD 444
Disney HD 445
Science HD 446
Speed HD 450
FX HD 451
E! HD 457
Travel HD 458

(We added the Big Ten Network before the season if anyone missed it)

Additionally with the new Video on Demand platform we continue to be on track for 1,000 hours of HD on Demand by year end. I do travel to Augusta on a weekly basis (usually on Wednesday and Thursday ) so I apologize for any delay in responding.

I have a blackberry so if you need anything from Comcast

Andrews_mcilwain@cable.comcast.com

Regards,
Andrews