anyone experiencing dropouts on 5-1 currently?

LuvTHatHDTV I wish all the stations would do just what you said
Jim

5-1 has dropouts here shuttermaker

i think it may be atmospheric conditions...they are all dropping out at the same time and intrevals

5-1 seems ok now, was bad when talkback was on but ok now

all dropping out here also...but seems a little better now

Have been really busy with the holidays and such, so opportunities to check for "new" signals have been few. However, I did a quick search last night, and picked up Ch 4 fairly strong for the first time. I live near the intersection of I26 and I95, about 50-60 miles from downtown Chas. I have gotten a signal in the past, but it was always hit and miss. Now I am getting a signal strength of roughly 35-40, which doesn't sound that good, but is the best I've seen. Ch 5 is still around 70-80. Receiver is a Zenith 420, with a large RS UHF/VHF in the attic. Hope this info will be of some help to you guys who are new or still trying to find OTA signals. FWIW, audio on my Sony receiver said 3/2 on Ch 4, still shows the expected 2/0 on Ch 5.

Daryal.

Has anyone received any kind of response from WCBD in the last 6 weeks?

Of the 9 emails i recently sent to WCBD, I received 1 reply. How appropriate that the lone reply came from the IT Dept. I knew that the IT department would have nothing to do with High Definition but you know what they say about the "squeaky wheel". The response i received said they would pass the email along to the appropriate people. What a joke

Hey guys! Well comcast came by this weekend and installed my HD box and of course it is AWESOME. Even the digital channels look like a dvd. I'm very impressed. And the INHD channels? WOW! Outstanding.... The box they gave me is nicer than i was expecting.. It has DVI output, and optical and coax digital audio output... It's the Scientific Atlanta 3250 HD. Anyway... Things are lookin good!

Thanks shuttermaker I remember you saying that before.

The GM has been out of the office all week, so we might have some information soon.

Dolemite77 - Glad you're enjoying it. Guess you should have a few more friends around Superbowl time, eh?

dolemite77,
How in the world did you get a 3250HD?
I've called cust service several times and even went into their office today and everyone there claims there is no such thing as the 3250. They go so far as to say that the 3100HD is perfect and they have no plans to change from it.
Could you PM me the tech guy's name or ID number so I might track down the source of the boxes?

Thanks,
Brian

If you have an interest in exchanging your 3100 for a 3250, please PM me.

Hello All -

The good news from Channel 5 is that it looks like we'll have the 5.1 audio ready to go for the Super Bowl! The equipment is installed, and all that's left is to run a few tests. I realize that we've had some audio problems, dropouts, and lip sync errors lately, and I can tell you that these were all related to the new gear being installed. Thanks for your patience - I believe that these items have now been resolved.

Now- I'd like to ask a favor of you...

On Tuesday, 1/27 from 4 to 5 PM, and on Wednesday 1/28 from 10 to 10:45 AM. We will downlink from CBS a series of test signals ( Color Bars and 5.1 Audio Tones ) to make sure that our 5.1 audio is working propely. We intend to air the test signals on our HD channel at these times, so that you can adjust your equipment for optimum performance.

We'd really like to hear from viewers using 5.1 receiving equipment, who can listen in for the test periods, and get back to us with a brief report. Indicate to us if you were able to decode the Dolby Digital bitstream, and that your 5.1 system was responding properly.

Simply send your report to Eldon at ebrown@wcsc.com

Everyone here at Channel 5 wants to make sure that everything goes well for Sunday's broadcast, and that you all enjoy the game.

Regards,
Mike Sheffer
WCSC TV

Mike: Thanks for the post. Yet another example of why Channel 5 leads the way here in Charleston.

I will be at work both days and a deadline won't allow me to stray from the office. If anyone can be around would you mind posting it so we'll know that someone is checking it out. I'm pretty sure Oljim will help us out for sure if he's available, but want to make sure we can get some feedback to them.

This is exciting news.

I can definitly provide feedback on the test for 1/27 and wil try to make it home for the test on Wednesday morning.

Hello All -

Direct from CBS, here is a breakdown of the test procedures, times, and signal type...



>>> All test periods provide 6 channel audio test signals for testing Dolby Digital 5.1 Channel Surround Sound.

During the test period the signal should be a ten-minute loop. That loop includes:


Start Voice ID for each channel

1' 35” Tone ID for each channel individually (low freq. on LFE ch 4)

4' 39” Music samples

5' 40” A/V timing w/tone at ref. level (1 kHz on all channels)

7' 45” Pathological signal w/tones at ref. level (low freq. on LFE ch 4)

9' 55” End - black


HDTV Test Periods:
Tuesday 27 January 16:00-17:00 CNYT
Wednesday 28 January 10:00-10:45


Thanks for your support and cooperation!

Regards-
Mike

Level reference tone : Left, Right, Center, LFE, Left Surround, Right Surround. All tones clear and audible.

Voice Track I.D. : Left, Right, Center, LFE, Left Surround, Right Surround. All tones clear and audible.

Music Sampling : All sounds moved left to right and front to rear with Locomotive and Helocopter.

Lip Sync Test : Visual flash coordinated with audible signal in all 5 channels.

Pathological Test : All 6 channels clear and audible.

Michael Butler
DirecTV subscriber w/ OTA local HD

Please reply with any questions you might have.

Wasnt sure how to exactly report what I heard. To me, everything sounds EXCELLENT.
Great Job

Shuttermaker: Great job yourself. Thanks for your help!

Are you ready for some football?

This is why WCSC is head and shoulders above the rest. Not sure if it is significant but, at 4:48 there was some disruption of the test. Sounded as if the digital signal of WCSC may have bled thru into the HD test.

The results I posted here are exactly what i copied and pasted to Eldon thru email. If he is looking for some different kind of feedback for tomorrows AM test, maybe he can clear me up on other things to look for.

Bring on the SUPERBOWL ! ! ! !

Hey Everyone!

I can't tell you when I've EVER been so pleased to hear a series test tones as I was this afternoon.

It would appear that we're right on track with the audio, and after a few adjustments to lipsync errors, I have full confidence that Sunday's broadcast will be a great experience.

Thanks everyone for your input - both here on the forum, and all who wrote to Eldon's Email - ebrown@wcsc.com

Remember - those who missed today's test can tune in tomorrow from 10:00 to 10:45 AM for a repeat.


GO PANTHERS!

Mike Sheffer
WCSC

What's their status with HD broadcasting? The Daytona 500 will be in HD and Dolby 5.1. I sure hope they can work the kinks out by Feb. 15. It would be unforgivable if they mess this up!

I wouldnt hold my breath for anything from WCBD

hello all,
I am new to the HD world but would like to set it up in my home. I have direct tv which only has 3 or 4 HD channels so I was in no hurry to purchas addition equipment for only 3 additional channels. The superbowl is comming up and someone mentioned that I could recieve HD with dolby surround sound off of an antenna. I was wondering if someone could help me with what equipment is needed to accomplish this.

Hi jwm : Welcome to the group

I have the HIRD E-86 from DirecTV. I receive Discovery HD theater, ESPN HD, HDNet, HDNet Movies, and subscribe to HBOHD. They also have an HD PPV channel.

You need a good OTA antenna to receive the local HD programming. I recomend a Channel Master CM4228. I was using a Radio Shack ant. until last week. The CM4228 was a great upgrade. You should invest in a rotator as well.

The antenna will run between 45 and 60 bucks. I think the rotator is also around 60 dollars as well.

This is a good site to let you know where to point the antenna courtesy of a senior member of the group. http://www.markuyak.com/schdtv/schdtv.htm

CBS, ABC, and NBC are the easier signals to acquire. FOX and UPN are almost hopeless.

CBS just started testing their DD 5. 1 signal today and it looks VERY promising for the superbowl. There are alot of members here that know a heck of alot more than myself. Im sure they will chime in with any assistance you may need.

Mike

jwm81274,

I know this won't help you in time for the Superbowl but DirectTV has a great deal on upgrading to a new dish and a HD receiver for $99 -$199 depending on the length of time you have been a sub. Read the thread below for details:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?threadid=337667

Otherwise an OTA receiver and antenna will let you get WCSC-DT for the Superbowl. Depending where you are, an indoor antenna is probably enough for WCSC, they are at full strength. An OTA receiver starts around $300, but refurbished and used receivers can be found on the web and ebay for about $150.

Andy

Thanks mike and andy,

I have dish network not direct tv but I understand the concept now.
If all goes well superbowl will be in HD.

Good Morning,

You will not be able to get the Super Bowl in HD off of Dish Network in Summerville. Dish Network is only providing the Super Bowl in HD in specific Owned & Operated areas. The Charleston DMA is not one of these.

In order to receive the Super Bowl in HD in Summerville, you will either have to go OTA or Time Warner Cable. We will be passing through the signal from WCSC as it is sent to us, including the Dolby 5.1.

You can pick up a HD or HD DVR from the front counter at the Summerville office. You must bring your owners manual for your HD TV with you however as proof of an HD Compatible TV set.

Go Panthers!

Sure would be nice to see TWC or Comcast expand to Johns Island. I Subscribe to DirecTV and US Cable at the present time. US Cable is used for theit high speed internet, not Cable TV.

Observations from the AM test :

I focused on the lip sync test since it appeared that all other test passed. Lip sync appers to still be a tad bit off. The soap opera segment along with the commercial spots were out of sync. Im guessing that you need a real good hand - eye coordination to align the visible flash with the audible blip during the test loop.

Seems that you need to run thru the entire test to have sufficient time during the lip sync portion to try and get it correct. If this is correct, then a 45 minute time slot for testing doesnt allow for much time to calibrate.

I did notice during the commercial and soap opera check that DD 5.1 was indicated on my receiver but was only audible thru channels 1 and 2 (left and right). This my be due to lack of 5.1 content during those broadcasts.

I assume that there will be more calibration of the lip sync. If at all possible, can they be done during the 4pm to 5 pm time slot. Or maybe someone else can be available during the AM to provide feedback.

Mike
Johns Island

jwm,
Any Dish Network or DirectTv HD receiver also does OTA HD signals. I don't know how it works with Dish, but DirectTV receivers integrate the OTA channels in the guide. You had said you have DirectTv that's why I included the link to the HD upgrade plan. Since you are a Dish sub, you might check into a promotion they have as well. I am not as familar with it but they also have some good deals, check the HDTV hardware forum.

Andy

Shuttermaker: Did you e-mail Eldon about the lip sync issue? And thanks for taking a closer look.

Mike indicated they might have some lip sync issues to clear up, just want them to know that you did witness a discrepancy.

Thanks

yes, eldon was sent the same message that i posted here in the forum

I hope WCSC does the DD5 test again, I missed both of them. 7 PM seems like a good time

It was a neat little test loop. I heard what you would expect to hear from WCIV when DD5.1 is displayed on my HT receiver

Last nite I saw an announcement form WCIV scroll across the screen that announced there may be disruption of signal due to ongoing antenna maintenance....waonder what they are up to? Anyone have any inside info?

Andy,
Which Radio Shack Antenna did you have? I have purchased a dish reciever that should arrive by Friday. I have called around and there are not a lot of choices when it comes to antennas locally. Lowes has a CM 3020 which says 100 mi. VHF and 60 mi. UHF, the most expensive Radio Shack antenna says 190 mi. VHF and 100 mi. UHF. I have other TV's in the house that are not HD but would like to hook up the VHF side of the antenna for the Locals so I don't have to by cable. Make sense? I have also been told that there is a directional indoor antenna offered at Circuit City works well. Any comments would help. It is almost crunch time!!!!
John Moore

Shuttermaker they ran the DD-5 test a little after 4 PM today
jwm81274 the R/S ant are over rated in miles. For your location the R/S 120 should work but you may need a rotor. The CM 9521 has remote and will store the position for each ch. DO not use a R/S amp. the CM 77XX is the best for HDTV. Not sure about the CM 3020 will see what I can find out and let you know.
Jim

The disruption might be due to Channel 49 (SCETV) getting ready to come on board and incorporating their HD equipment into WCSC's facility (which as you know is also shared by WCIV).

They are supposed to come on board February 1st.

jwm81274 I would take a look at the CM 3020 It should be about the same price as the R/S 120. I have done some testing of R/S ant the UHF part seems weak Last summer a guy down here was unable to get any DTV from Sav. Ga (35 miles) or 5-1 71 miles with a R/S 190 at 30 ft up but the R/S U 75 UHF for $22 could get both Sav stations and 5-1 w/no amp.
Cm anps are 7777 UHF only 26 DB 7777 UHF/VHF 26db U 23 db V
Jim

I believe the farthest distance to an HD tower is 30mi from me. I didn't know if I would need a pre amp or not? On the antenna issue I was leaning towards the cm 3020 but the even exagerate R/S 190 distances were keeping me interested untill I read about your tests. Thanks Jim.
Does anyone know were I can find a cm9521 and cm7777 locally?

John

John A few on here have the 9521 and should give you info on that, the reason I gave info on the anp. some of the stations are low power, which makes them as hard to get as if they were 60 miles away.
Jim

Looks like a small sync problem on CSI (5.1)

John, try Wholesale Industrial Electronics, they're down on East Bay Street. 722-2634.

You shouldn't have a problem with WCSC w/out a pre-amp, so the Superbowl should be safe.

John, I have the R/S U75 UHF only antenna. I live in West Ashley , so about 18 miles from the WCSC tower. I have the antenna in my attic. I get WCSC At 100% and WCIV and WCBD at 77%. I had a combo antenna from Radio Shack that I replaced with this one. I'm sure that this antenna outside would work even better. I know there are better Channel Master antennas out there but R/S worked for me and they have a good return policy. A friend of mine (also in West Ashley) who just got a new Hitachi HD set with a built in tuner had good luck with the Zenith Silver Sensor. Also just UHF, but really good and you can just use it inside and you won't need a rotor, while you decide to get your big antenna. Since I don't have a rotor, I just get the big three and not Fox, but they are weak and not HD yet so it isn't really an issue.
Andy

john,

I use a large RS combo antenna in the attic, and get 5-1 and 5-2 with no problems. 4-1 has been ok lately, no luck with 2-1. I also have a RS UHF only, I believe it is the "75". I use it for testing for Columbia stations occationally. It will also pick up the Charleston stations with no problems. Since I am in St. George, you should have no problems with the 75 WITHOUT an amp. We should be at roughly the same orientation from the transmitters, with you being roughly 25 miles closer!

good luck,

Daryal.

I received an email from Eldon. Thought I would share it.

Thanks Mike. We are still working on the lip sync, but got sidetracked this week with problems at our tower with the analog signal. It looks like everything is working except for the lip sync problem, and we will get that as soon as we can. This has been a learning experience for us all.

Eldon

That is good news, the lip sync was bad last night on CSI, about 1/2 word behind. The main reason most of the folks in Beaufort watch WCSC is because WTOC in Sav. has had the sync problem for over a year.
I would take good sync over DD5
Any one know what shows are in DD-5 on CBS
Jim

Jim, I also noticed the lip sync problem, and it seemed to vary with programming. CSI was better than the end of Friends that was on at 7:50 pm, where they were a few words off. I noticed a number of audio outages during CSI, and some times the lip sync seemed better.

Regarding DD5.1 There was a discussion a few pages ago regarding CBS shows in 5.1 and apparently no filmed episodic shows are in 5.1 just sports and (I guess) some movies. However, most importantly:

The SuperBowl will be in 5.1! Go Pats!!

Andy

Andy I had the same audio dropouts. I am sure the guys at WCSC will get the bugs out, they always do. They are still better than the NBC station in Sav. they have no center ch output at all in DD-5.
Jim

Have had an e-mail conversation w/ Eldon today regarding the lip sync. There's actually four different audio paths that have to be correlated so you can't just correct one feed without sometimes affecting all of them. They would have had time to correct it but they are trying to correct a serious problem on the analog side. They might still have time before Sunday.

BUT all that aside, Eldon, Mike, Lowell and the rest of the WCSC crew will be at the transmission tower and in the studio during the Superbowl to be on hand in case Murphy shows up. That's dedication to the viewers.

Seriously, please find the time to drop an e-mail to the general manager of the station expressing your gratitude for their efforts, gm@wcsc.com

KTrout
What would the GM's email address be? Thanks

Yes, that would have been helpful - gm@wcsc.com.

Her name is Rita.

One other thing - anyone know if Knology has started w/ HD service yet?

Hello all,
Well after a few $$$ and just about as many Miles to pick up everthing I got to enjoy my first evening of HD last night. I couldn't believe the picture. It was as if I were watching it live and in person. Well worth the time and money. Thanks to all for the help.

Thanks Mark

Hello All -

It's 2:30 on Sunday - Eldon and I are now at the transmitter site and have made some final adjustments to output power, and have addressed the lipsync problem - as of the pregame show. ( anybody catch the "Peter Piper" spot? ) I'm confident that we're as close as we can get.

Enjoy the game!!

GO PANTHERS!!!

LIP SYNC AND DROPOUTS STILL BAD, EVEN THOUGH MY SIGNAL STRENGTH IS THRU THE ROOF......
RICK

Mike It is still off about a half a word, but when I looked at WTOC 11.1 in Sav they are more off sync that 5.1 is. I wonder if it is a CBS problem I see all kinds of gripes about it on news groups all over the country.
Jim in Beaufort

FOR WHATEVER IT'S WORTH, IT IS RALLY BAD THE FASTER THE ANNOUNCERS ARE SPEAKING, BUT HEY, HATS OFF TO ALL THAT ARE TRYING TO MAKE IT WORK. IS ANYONE AT NBC LISTENING ???
rick

Hello All -

I think CBS is making adjustments without letting the downline stations in on the change. It appears to be quite inconsistent between different sources, so I'm going to make one final adjustment to the announcer's track to bring it more into line with reality. This might leave the other sources out of sync, but l ike they say.... "I'm peddling as fast as I can..."


GO PANTHERS -

Mike

hey mike, thanks for all you are trying to accomplish. if you need any real time feedback, you can reach me at 814-8789.....
again, great effort,
rick

Just lost pict and sound on 5.1

Power bump kicked off one of our High Power Amplifiers.
Glad we were here to bring it back up....

Just qualified all the overtime for today....:-)

It is ok now Mike----- you should get more than overtime. I need the high power 70+ miles down here

High Power means 1 Megawatt -

Anything less is for wimps......

70+ miles is nothing to sneeze at -
Makes me very glad to know that we're getting out that far!!



Go Panthers!

I am also glad you get this far, The Sav stations have way more problems that you do and the only thing they have done about them is kick the tower every 30 days. They have been kicken for a yr but nothing fixed yet LOL 73.4 miles per my GPS
Jim

LIP SYNC IS DEFINITELY LOCAL, JUST TALKED WITH BROTHER-IN-LAW IN PITTSBURGH AND THEIRS IN TOTALLY IN SYNC...... PICTURE IS ALSO PIXELATING ALOT WITH PLENTY OF SIGNAL......
RICK

Okay -

About 30 minutes ago, I made my final adjustment to the audio delay.

Maybe I've been looking too closely at my monitor, but to my eye, it looks to be very close if not right on. It is a very subjective adjustment, so I'll continue to work on the issue.

Remember that LONG CAMERA SHOTS will have an inherent delay, so please take that into account as well.


GO PANTHERS-

Mike

I think we all need to give a big thanks to Mike and all the gang at WCSC for a job well done yesterday.
Jim

I want to thank WCSC for a fantastic Super Bowl experience. I watched via TWC in Summerville and the picture and 5.1 came through just great.

Phil

Ditto.

Had friends over and I'm hoping to pull them into the dark world of HD now. They were impressed with the quality of the video and audio. Thanks for taking the extra time to make sure things were correct.

Is there any word that there might be any more channels added to Comcast anytime soon ?

ETV CHANNEL 49 IN CHARLESTON IS ON THE AIR

Great! Thanks for the heads up.

I'd take a look but I actually have my D* dismantled right now attempting to help out a friend by doing some troubleshooting.

Thanks,

I got it programmed in. Looks great. Too bad no program info on D*.

Looks great and very strong signal strength in Goose Creek. It remapps to 32-1, 32-2 and 32-3 with different programming on all three!

Hi guys, i've been away from here for a little while... For the guy that was wondering how i got the 3250 HD cable box, I've heard that this box (and seen with my own eyes) that the darks and blacks get crushed, meaning there is no detail in really dark areas of the picture... This is the case for me whether i'm using component output or S-video output. I hear previous Scientific Atlanta boxes didn't do this. Anyone have any input on this?

Also, this ETV channel 49 people are talking about... Is that available on comcast? thanks!

I just did a scan the other night looking for PBS, thanks for the heads up tonight. I scanned with my Samsung TS-160 tonight and got the three different channels. 32-1 is the digital ETV SD channel, identical to Channel 7. 32-2 SC Chnl according to the PSIP info appearing in my guide. And 32-3 ETV HD , the PBS HD channel. Because of the problem with WCBD's PSIP info, I don't have my local info (zip code) in my STB so I don't get programming data for my OTA channels through D*. However, the guide is full of info for all three new ETV channels, so it must all be in the PSIP data transmitted OTA. That doesn't happen with 2-1,4-1,5-1. Anyone else noticing that?

Very nice, three stations, different programming, a new HD channel, and nice (93%) strong signal. Nice work ETV and WITV.

Andy

Just wanted to say thanks to this forum. As usual I dive into things head first and bought a Zenith 420 receiver before talking or asking anybody anything. Found this forum after the fact. As of Day 2 of up and running my first impressions of HD OTA is incredible. I watched Law and Order last night on my 100" screen and drooled. Not sure if I will stick with the Zenith - It was cheap and available from Circuit City for $250. I currently have Digital Cable (IMO rip-off) and in the past DSAT (DishNetwork - worth reconsidering).

Looks like there are some receivers that "do it all" (HD SDTV A-RF). Any recommendations? Any opinions on the Hughes HD DirecTV box?

I currently get CBS ABC NBC FOX, PBS, and UPN. UPN's audio is screwed up with a major hum in the left channel.

BTW - Many thanks to the fellow from Channel 5 - I called the station Tuesday about the location of their tower and he called me back within a couple of hours. Kudos' to the man.

Kudos to PBS as well, went and scanned this morning, and all 3 PBS stations were there, and HD on their HD channel looked awesome, but it was some cartoon, so lost interest fast. Anyone check out Titan yet to see if their guide is showing up ??
rick

As mentioned earlier, WITV-D (Chnl 49) is now on the air. There may be a few interruptions as we proof the system over the next few weeks. Thank you.

-Shaun

Welcome to the forum Rhett, for OTA only it sounds like the Zenith has been a good receiver for some time, I think it has recently been replaced. If you enjoyed Law and Order last night, wait until you see some HD signals. CSI will be in HDTV tonight on CBS. As far as I saw, WCBD (NBC station) is not broadcasting in HD. Although as you noticed the SD digital signal is really good, incredibly better than the analog feed from WCBD either OTA or on cable.

I think a number of us have various DirectTV STB that "do it all" and there are also some Dish subs out there as well. A number of folks have been getting Comcast HD packages as well. If you get the OTA stations well, and it sounds like you do, then cable is probably unnecessary for you and satelliite would provide additional HD programming, ESPN-HD (getting better all the time), HDNet, HD Movies, Discover HD Theater, HBO-HD and Showtime-HD and some HD PPv and additional special HD events (like last night the NFL HD game of the Week was the Superbowl---- GO PATS!). Of course with cable you can just rent the equipment not buy, but the cable boxes don't do OTA either.

Andy

Again, more kudos to Eldon and others at WCSC and to PBS the HD channel looks great, even the SD stations look way better than the old analog, and kudos to current included guide data in the OTA stream.

Hey Shaun, great job. Any idea when any of the PBS HD demo loops might be airing. When I was on the West coast the Italy series was just awesome, from KQED. Again, from all the Charleston HD community thanks.
rick


Originally posted by sbennett
As mentioned earlier, WITV-D (Chnl 49) is now on the air. There may be a few interruptions as we proof the system over the next few weeks. Thank you.

-Shaun

Weird things a going on with NBC here. My Zenith hdr230 HD recorder gives DD2.0 sound, but no way can I get sound from my Samsung STB. Anyone have an explanation for this, or the bigger question, when on earth will they be broadcasting any HD ????
rick

Rhett, if you look over at the HDTV hardware forum you will see some discussion of the new Hughes box you were asking about. It seems to be received very favorably especially since it is a close relative of the Sony HD300 STB but at a much reduced price.

Andy

GRC, I have the same problem with my Sammy TS-160 and 2-1. I found some similar stories in the HDTV hardware forum here, and it seems that other folks have problems with isolated stations, and it seems to be related to poor PSIP data, which includes information regarding Virtual channel pointers and remapping. I found a work around. You have to scan the stations without having the D* guide data. Unfortuately, you won't have data for the other OTA channels, in this case only 5-1, either because that information comes to the guide from D*.
The way to do it if you are interested, is that you need to do a factory reset on the box, all the channel info and most importantly, local info is removed. After the reboot, you have to have the box rescan for the D* stations and then do a digital scan for OTA. But you don't put in your local zip code info. If you do that, the box tries to get the guide data from D* and that is where the problem is, WCBD's PSIP data has some problem and then it does something to the remapping I guess.
After scanning with out the info you will have 2-1 with sound.

As far as I can tell this is currently affecting only D* users with the Samsung box, when I asked about a month ago, most other people didn't have a problem with the sound.

Andy

GRC,

I don't believe the PBS Demo loop will be airing again. PBS now fields a full 24/7 DTV schedule. The Italy production was very good, but a quick search through the HD schedule doesn't show any of the demo clips being aired this month.

-Shaun

Thanks Shaun, I just thought that series would be a great promo to Charleston as to the video quality of HD, and since we traveled to many of those spots in Italy last year, I have to admitt that the PBS series was better than what we saw in person,
rick

TITANTV does show WITV-DT, Channel 49 in my line-up, just with the status that it's not on air. I just e-mailed them to let them know it is now live.

I also e-mailed Antennaweb.org last night and got confirmation this morning that they are aware of the addition and will reflect the change the next time their database is updated.

WOWZEE, OFF TODAY AND WATCHING THE NATURE PROGRAM ON HDPBS, AND OUR TWO YEAR OLD GOLDEN RETRIEVER IS GROWLING AND JUMPING AT THE SCREEN WITH ALL THE ELEPHANTS, GREAT HD FOR CHARLESTON........
rick

AGAIN, FOR THOSE OF YOU NOT LUCKY ENOUGH TO SEE THE LOCAL PBS HD FEED, MY AFTERNOON OFF IS GLUED TO IT. WORDS DO NOT DESCRIBE THE GREAT HD PROGRAMMING LINEUP, THE PQ, AND THE GUIDE WORKING PERFECTLY. WE SHOULD ALL TAKE SHAUN OUT FOR DINNER !!??
rick

Is PBS-DT off the air right now or is it me?

OOPS...must have been me, it's back now...sorry

Saw WITV-DT this evening while troubleshooting at a co-workers house. Looked really good and had a strong signal.

COMCAST is looking into carrying WITV-DT in lieu of the PBS feed they offer now. Might take a while to get that rolling.

Just finished updating web site. At full power, WITV broadcasts at 400kW.

OlJim: You are pulling it in aren't you?

Daryal: How about you?

We are currently feeding Comcast our services via satellite. After we finish proofing the system, Comcast will transition over to receive our signal from the transmitter site.

Wow, WITV is starting to look like another WCSC in terms of support and communication with their viewers. Thanks Again, watched DNA last night on PBS HD, I am really enjoying the new stations.

When I tuned in last night, I tuned to 39 or whatever was being remapped the night before, and it switched over to 49-1, -2, -3 and updated the guide instantly with the corrected identifiers of WITV etc. It seems like there system is running very smoothly.

NBC could take some lessons... Anyone else see them and think it very ironic that Media General has public service breaks that explain digital TV and HDTV etc, yet nothing from WCBD OTA? I have seen them during Conan last night and a few times last week.

Andy

Again, hats off to PBS, their programming on the HD channel is superb, in both PQ and content. I even played hookie today to watch PBS, just an outstanding job from our local PBS !!\
rick

I will try PBS at home this weekend. Is the actual channel 39 or 49?

I tried both here at work, and could not get any signal at all. By the way, "work" is at SPAWAR, in Hanahan. We should not have signal strength issues. However, we are using a snap on loop antenna on the back of the DirecTv dish, and we know that's not the best. We typically get the other local channels fine.

We recorded the Super Bowl, and have had it playing from time to time on a 60" Zenith plasma. Needless to say, it catches attention. We actually use the HD signals for test and eval, but a by-product is a small amount of "advertising" of HD to co-workers. There are quite a few folks around here who are looking into HD, who otherwise would have ignored it

Daryal

WITV-D is channel 49.

-Shaun

Shaun,

I am now getting a signal here in Hanahan. Signal strength is high, 80-85%. However, we are seeing alot of tiling. Similar signal strength on other Charleston OTA signals does not experience the same effect.

I am currently using the Sony 200 receiver, which includes a DirecTv receiver, and it is not currently re-mapping the channels for WITV. While channel 47 shows in the guide as 5-1 and 5-2, channel 49 shows up as 49-1, 49-2, and 49-3. Is this a DirecTv issue? I am more familiar with the Zenith 420, and it has no DirecTv "issues".

Daryal,

Your receiver is mapping WITV-D correctly. We no longer map our digital transmissions (Ch 49) to our analog channel assignments (Ch 7) as some other broadcaster do.

Are you seeing tiling on all 3 services (49-1, 49-2 & 49-3), or on one service in particular?

-Shaun

47 is better that 2-1 but not as good as 5-1 am having dropouts on 47 and some time will not lock in

Shaun: Thank you for your contributions. WITV-DT looks great and I'm glad you guys will eventually be incorporated into local COMCAST. Do you have plans for Time Warner as well?

KTrout,

Thanks for updating TITANTV & Antennaweb.org, I had overlooked that.

Time Warner carries our DTV services in their coverage areas on their digital tier with channels 800-802. At this time, Knology does not carry us.

-Shaun

Knology is not broadcasting HD in Charleston right now at all. The answer I got from corporate was "in a couple of months". Apparently Charleston and Columbus (GA or OH?) are the two markets that Knology services that still do not offer HD.

I need some help.

Since I don't currently receive WCBD's DT Channel, 2-1, I am relying on you guys to help me with some information. I will be speaking to WCBD's management in the next week or so and want to be as informed as I can about their broadcasting.

I know 2-1 is broadcasting a digital signal, however, it is not a 16x9 true HD signal. I also believe that sound is DD2.0 and some can get it, others can't. (Correct me if I'm wrong on either of these accounts).

Simple Question: When was the last time you remember WCBD-DT broadcasting in High Definition?

Other items that I might want to pass along: Is their PSIP operating correctly? Is the guide data correct? Any other problems that we'd like to see be addressed?

Thank you and with your help we can hopefully resolve some of the issues soon.

Uhh, excuse me if i'm wrong, but isn't WITV-DT (PBS-HD) already broadcasting on Comcast? I have it on channel 190. I think?

Originally posted by KTrout
I need some help.

Since I don't currently receive WCBD's DT Channel, 2-1, I am relying on you guys to help me with some information. I will be speaking to WCBD's management in the next week or so and want to be as informed as I can about their broadcasting.

I know 2-1 is broadcasting a digital signal, however, it is not a 16x9 true HD signal. I also believe that sound is DD2.0 and some can get it, others can't. (Correct me if I'm wrong on either of these accounts).

Simple Question: When was the last time you remember WCBD-DT broadcasting in High Definition?

Other items that I might want to pass along: Is their PSIP operating correctly? Is the guide data correct? Any other problems that we'd like to see be addressed?

Thank you and with your help we can hopefully resolve some of the issues soon.

I have NEVER seen an HD broadcast form NBC here, and as I have posted before, I get DD2.0 on my Zenith HDR230, but even post rescan on the Samsung STB no sound at all. I would love to see West Wing on NBC local, but refuse to watch due to their lack of transmitting HD, so I am buying the series on DVD, and with the Bravo D1, the picure and sound is superb, far better than the local NBC. What is wrong with these guys ???? Especially now that we have a top notch PBS HD broadcast, which honestly, my wife and I are glued to. IMHO CBS and PBS are leading the way to the future in Charleston, and I refuse to watch NBC. Sorry, blunt, direct and honest,
rick

I saw channel 2-1 broadcasting HD in the latter part of May. I watched Leno. We had a real bad thunderstorm a couple of days later and have not had NBC HD since. It is one week until the Daytona 500 which will be broadcasted in HD and DD5.1. Please, I beg you WCBD get the equipment up and running in time for the race. You will have alot of angry viewers if you all mess this up!

I just e-mailed the general manager at WCBD the following;

Dear sir,

I was hoping to get some information regarding your stations HDTV status. As you know Feb 15th will be the first time NBC will be broadcasting the Daytona 500 in HD and DD5.1. Is there any hope that your station will be passing this signal along to the local HD viewers? Could you please respond with an answer inorder for the information to be passed on to the viewers on the AVS local Charleston HD forum.
Thank you for your time in this matter.

Sincerely,

Roger Jones

Hopefully we will know something soon.

SORRY TO INFORM YOU, BUT THEY HAVE NEVER HAD A COMMITTMENT TO HD HERE, AND NEVER RESPOND TO E-MAILS ABOUT IT, MY ADVISE IS JUST TO TURN THEM OFF.......
RICK

dolemite77: Shaun, please correct me if I'm wrong, but the PBS-HD that COMCAST has on Channel 190 is currently via a satellite feed from Columbia. WITV-HD will originate here in Charleston.

As far as whether the programming will be different, that's definitely Shaun's cup of tea.

I will hopefully have some information regarding WCBD before the middle of this week. I didn't realize the Daytona 500 was this weekend coming up.

I wouldn't count on DD5.1 because I don't think they've ever broadcast it. WCBD has broadcast in HD before. It was late May / Early June before equipment problems.

I'll keep you posted as best I can.

I have never been one to spew out e-mails, but the best time wife and I have lately is the PBS HD channel, and our hearts go out to our local PBS station, the programs and PQ are superb. Now who at PBS local can we contact to donate to ?????
rick

KTrout:
My 2 ? worth.
I have never seen WCBD in HD. I currently get WCBD on my TV HDTV tuner and my Sony D* Sat-200 tuner correctly with DD 2.0 . My TV tuner doesn't have any type of program guide but it does show the type of signal it's receiving. For WCIV, WCBD and WCSC right now it says they are all "HD Standard" even though WCIV is the only one in true HD (The Lion King looks awesome BTW). WCBD and WCSC both have the black/gray bars but neither of my tuners will do aspect ratio control on them so they are not SD.
5.2 is listed as SD 4:3. 32.1/49.1 (I get it either way) is also SD 4:3 and 32.2/49.2 is also SD 4:3 and 32.3/49.3 is listed as "HD Standard" (What's odd is 32.1 and 32.3 say ETV and 49.1 and 49.3 say WITV, 32.2 and 49.2 both say SC Chnl...FYI) I don't get Fox or UPN so I can't say anything about them. My D* tuner also says nothing about the signal type.
My D* guide shows only "Regular Schedule" for 4.1 and 49.1, 49.2 and 49.3. 2.1, 5.1, 5.2, 24.1 and 36.1 all show correctly on my guide. But I have NEVER seen any true HD on WCBD and I have also never seen DD 5.1. on WCBD

was supposed to be 2 "cents" worth

WCBD is almost worthless. They haven't broacast HD in close to 7 or 8 months and give lip service to problems with no solutions. I hope if any Nielson families are into HD they will give WCBD their just due! It appears that is the only thing that might get their attention. Is their any FCC help available? Maybe that might get their attention. What they need to do is walk into the Sam's clubs and see the amount of TV's now HD capable and realize maybe this HD thing might just catch on.
But thats just my opinion.

I agree with HDSC. Is there any leverage we can pull with the FCC ?? NBC here is a joke, and I always end my posts with thanks to CBS and PBS !!!
rick

The FCC relaxed the initial broadcast requirements. All stations are required to do is broadcast a digital signal that reaches a certain portion of the local area, a strategy gamefully employed by our local FOX and UPN affiliates.

Got a note from Eldon - there's some work being done on WCSC's tower and WITV will be off the air entirely; WCIV and WCSC will operate at reduced power until later this afternoon (if all goes well).

PBS is off the air this afternoon . What a bummer, had folks coming over for the great PBS HD,
rick

I tried Ch 49 at home (St. George) over the weekend. No luck. No signal strength at all. Also, I saw that WITV will only be broadcasting at 400K. Is that temporary, or long term?

I'm still getting Ch 4 some, but it is very sporatic. Are they off the air alot, or am I just on the fringe? Anyone know for sure what power they are at?

I really wanted to try the Columbia stations, hoping to get the 500 this Sunday, but haven't had time yet. Anybody know what the NBC affiliate's channel is in Cola? I know it's in this thread, but it's a long way back...

Daryal.

I tried Ch 49 at home (St. George) over the weekend. No luck. No signal strength at all. Also, I saw that WITV is only broadcasting at 400K. Is that temporary, or long term?

I'm still getting Ch 4 some, but it is very sporatic. Are they off the air alot, or am I just on the fringe? Anyone know for sure what power they are at? Signal strength ranges from 45-50% on a good day, to nothing at all at other times.

Ch 5 is still strong, seldom have any problems there!

Daryal.

PBS 49 was off the air in the AM Sunday. I would try again.

We are currently feeding Comcast's head-end in Charleston via satellite. After we proof the transmission system they will receive our services locally. It should be a transparent transition for the viewers. Programming will remain the same. 400 KW ERP is our licensed power on an antenna located approximately 520 Meters (1705 ft) up the tower.

-Shaun

I just had a good conversation with a gentleman over at WCBD. His name is Scott. I encouraged him to take a look at this forum. He said he would and actually signup and make a post to the status of their HDTV. I won't go into too much detail of our conversation and leave it up to him to post. Scott was a real nice fellow on the phone and answered several question. Mainly, they do have HD equipment and capability, but they are having a "Auto Enable" switch problem. If they leave their equipment in "HD" mode it will not switch to normal mode when commercials air. So right now they have chosen to leave the HD mode off.

Interesting.

Ktrout and others,
I like others would like to see some HD out of WCBD, but I have another problem which I hope can be resolved through some conversations with folks at WCBD. I have sent emails to the GM and Engineering departments with no answers. My problem, and I think that it exists for some others especially those with teh Samsung TS-160 STB, is that WCBD's PSIP info has some errors in it. I say this because I still have a problem with audio if I let D* set the guide and virtual station info by setting my zip code for local OTA broadcasting.

Briefly, since I have posted this before, if I put in my zip code info and let the Sammy STB download local channel info from the D* guide, which is based on the PSIP info provided by local stations, I get a version of 2-1 set in the guide and channel list that has no audio. If I have no info and just search for digital stations (this requires a box reset) I get 2-1 with audio. Curiously, if I type in 50-0 and let the box tune to that station is is without audio. Now this problem seems to affect only a few types of STB's but a lot of folks have the Samsung. I have contacted D* and posted in other threads, and it all comes back to having current, correct PSIP info from the local stations. So I have requested that WCBD check and or update their info, and / or PSIP generator, but so far no response. I had hoped that they were ready to begin HD broadcasts again, and that this would all get resolved then, but I am not very confident.

Ktrout, when you speak to people at WCBC, could you mention this issue. Thanks. I otherwise get a decent signal in West Ashley of about 77% on WCBD with my attic UHF antenna. Of course, I don't watch too much on WCBD, mostly because I get bothered when I see, "Available in HD" at the beginning of a show and get to see it in 4:3 SD.

I think it is a good think that someone from the station is going to read this forum, hopefully they will see the interest that is present in the Low Country. Just because there is a small number of us posting here, doesn't mean out influence doesn't affect others, I have helped three different friends get their HDTV's up in the last month.

Andy

Thanks for the props... my name is Scott, and hopefully I won't get in trouble for telling you guys this information... i doubt i would, but ya never know...

I made my name Target-NBC because i'm sure some of you have made us at Channel 2 the target of your National Hate Minute...

Starting this past Friday, we began broadcasting in HDTV 24/7... here's where everyone has their problems: NBC does not broadcast in HD that much at all... there's a few shows here and there, but they're not on the ball for some reason, like all the others... I just got done talking to our Chief Engineer about what the story is on our current situation... he starting spouting out numbers that i had no clue what in the world they meant... so, i smiled and nodded... then i asked him the universal question of misunderstanding, "Huh?"

He said that he needs to talk to one of our lovely equipment companies and almost take everything apart in order to get it working like it was when we first turned on to HD... we have a switcher in Master Control (remember, i'm not an engineer) where we put programming on the air and choose when to roll commercials, and all that jazz... our HD has it's own switcher... it is not directly linked with our main switcher... what we used to do waaaay back when we starting transmitting is just push a button, and everything was automated... well, something has gone wrong... he has informed me that he has contacted the company and they are being very cryptic in their responses and putting us on the back burner... i have called this same company over certain matters and i know exactly what he's talking about...

this is the way most programs work- they air their program and their commercials with gaps here and there where we put in OUR commercials... if we transmit in HD, when our commercials are going to run, you would only see black on the air, while people who are taking their feed the old fashioned way will see our commercials... it's not fair to our customers (the people who pay for us to show their spots) to have their spots aired to only part of the audience... since our two boards are not linked, if we were to air spots while also feeding the true HD signal, we'd have to manually watch clocks and stand by in waiting as if the program was live... don't forget, that NBC doesn't air much in HD as of now... i hope i'm not backing myself into a corner heh heh... but basically, it's not fair to you, it's not fair to our customers, and it's not fair to us... the company that we're supposed to be in contact with doesn't live in charleston, sc and could care less... they honestly are cold and bitter with a tone of almost "How could something WE built break? You must be mistaken." seriously...

I am the head master control operator during the weekends... so, this Sunday, I will be in "switching" the Daytona 500... i will consciously make an effort to switch the programming back and forth... if all else, you'll see black where we are supposed to be airing our spots, instead of the spots... but you WILL see the Daytona 500 in HD... i promise you!

i honestly don't own an HDTV... but if i did, trust me, i'd be hopping mad, too! i don't blame any of you... but i don't want you to hate us... it's out of our hands... we've contacted who we need to numerous times and get the cold shoulder... i think that they'll continue to do this until someone over there gets in trouble...

i hope this answered more questions than it created... i honestly think that the fix wouldn't be hard if they would help us...

but we're doing our best to help you guys out... the chief engineer has so many things to do in a given day that it's not even funny... i'm not trying to defend him or anything, it's just the truth... the other engineers are here to do tons of different things, but the HD situation is solely on the Chief Engineers shoulders, just like 95% of the technical stuff at this station... he's working his butt off, but it's not priority... i hope you guys understand that he's doing his best, but in baby steps... he can only do what he can without the company who invented this equipment's help...

please understand... don't hate us... i'm going to do my best to help you guys out and nag whoever i need to nag...

did you notice this post started as an explanation and turned into a plea for leniency?

i'll do my best to check into these forums (which i now know exist), from time to time, to answer your questions and help you guys out...

watch the Daytona 500 this upcoming Sunday in HD... it will be... same with Saturday and Sunday night programming... law & order and all that jazz... i'll take care of you guys...

scott

Again, I get audio DD2.0 on WCBD fine on my Zenith HDR230, but not on the Sammy STB. Just NEVER any HD feed......
rick

Originally posted by Target-NBC
Thanks for the props... my name is Scott, and hopefully I won't get in trouble for telling you guys this information... i doubt i would, but ya never know...

I made my name Target-NBC because i'm sure some of you have made us at Channel 2 the target of your National Hate Minute...

Starting this past Friday, we began broadcasting in HDTV 24/7... here's where everyone has their problems: NBC does not broadcast in HD that much at all... there's a few shows here and there, but they're not on the ball for some reason, like all the others... I just got done talking to our Chief Engineer about what the story is on our current situation... he starting spouting out numbers that i had no clue what in the world they meant... so, i smiled and nodded... then i asked him the universal question of misunderstanding, "Huh?"

He said that he needs to talk to one of our lovely equipment companies and almost take everything apart in order to get it working like it was when we first turned on to HD... we have a switcher in Master Control (remember, i'm not an engineer) where we put programming on the air and choose when to roll commercials, and all that jazz... our HD has it's own switcher... it is not directly linked with our main switcher... what we used to do waaaay back when we starting transmitting is just push a button, and everything was automated... well, something has gone wrong... he has informed me that he has contacted the company and they are being very cryptic in their responses and putting us on the back burner... i have called this same company over certain matters and i know exactly what he's talking about...

this is the way most programs work- they air their program and their commercials with gaps here and there where we put in OUR commercials... if we transmit in HD, when our commercials are going to run, you would only see black on the air, while people who are taking their feed the old fashioned way will see our commercials... it's not fair to our customers (the people who pay for us to show their spots) to have their spots aired to only part of the audience... since our two boards are not linked, if we were to air spots while also feeding the true HD signal, we'd have to manually watch clocks and stand by in waiting as if the program was live... don't forget, that NBC doesn't air much in HD as of now... i hope i'm not backing myself into a corner heh heh... but basically, it's not fair to you, it's not fair to our customers, and it's not fair to us... the company that we're supposed to be in contact with doesn't live in charleston, sc and could care less... they honestly are cold and bitter with a tone of almost "How could something WE built break? You must be mistaken." seriously...

I am the head master control operator during the weekends... so, this Sunday, I will be in "switching" the Daytona 500... i will consciously make an effort to switch the programming back and forth... if all else, you'll see black where we are supposed to be airing our spots, instead of the spots... but you WILL see the Daytona 500 in HD... i promise you!

i honestly don't own an HDTV... but if i did, trust me, i'd be hopping mad, too! i don't blame any of you... but i don't want you to hate us... it's out of our hands... we've contacted who we need to numerous times and get the cold shoulder... i think that they'll continue to do this until someone over there gets in trouble...

i hope this answered more questions than it created... i honestly think that the fix wouldn't be hard if they would help us...

but we're doing our best to help you guys out... the chief engineer has so many things to do in a given day that it's not even funny... i'm not trying to defend him or anything, it's just the truth... the other engineers are here to do tons of different things, but the HD situation is solely on the Chief Engineers shoulders, just like 95% of the technical stuff at this station... he's working his butt off, but it's not priority... i hope you guys understand that he's doing his best, but in baby steps... he can only do what he can without the company who invented this equipment's help...

please understand... don't hate us... i'm going to do my best to help you guys out and nag whoever i need to nag...

did you notice this post started as an explanation and turned into a plea for leniency?

i'll do my best to check into these forums (which i now know exist), from time to time, to answer your questions and help you guys out...

watch the Daytona 500 this upcoming Sunday in HD... it will be... same with Saturday and Sunday night programming... law & order and all that jazz... i'll take care of you guys...

scott

WOW Target, first honest response from NBC. I guess the bigger question is why a company as BIG as NBC is so far behind in HD programming ?? Honestly, the local HD PBS is mind boggling, and kudos to CBS and ABC down here. We all know that HD is the future, and I for one cannot understand NBCs
lack of committment to what is the future......I would love to see West Wing in HD, but simply will not watch it in your SD format. Thnaks for being honest, but I am also being honest.....
rick

Scott,

If you want to let "slip out" the manufacturer name and phone number of the equipment jerks you are dealing with....i think there are quite a few people who would like to call and complain or verbally persuade them to pay attention to our situation.

Thanks for the info. Im a Thursday "Must See TV" viewer.

i'd give you guys the name, but i value what little money i make...

this is what's going on as we speak... the Chief engineer and the next dude on the totem pole are working on HDTV RIGHT NOW... if you only get video and no audio, from what i understand, the Samsung units are the ones having the problems, not the Sonys... i'm sure that that's just generalized, though...

they just hooked up ANOTHER DTV monitor and they're going to set one up in engineering to monitor and improve its quality... also, the general manager is getting DTV like any day now and he's going to start watching the exact same thing YOU are watching... i bet that once he sees what's going on, HE will put a fire under the ass of said company... he won't take no for an answer and heads will roll, i guarantee... i'm asking questions for you guys.. i'm doing what i can... honestly, i know almost nothing about DTV as i'm not a user.. if i had one, i'm sure i'd be informed... it's like when people tell me about the choke on their shotguns, i nod and smile in oblivion... but i'll talk about the missile launchers i used to use in the military and get the same reaction out of them... man... i just read it and i think that it's a crappy analogy heh heh

i bet one month from now, our HD situation will improve by 100%... but since we are now transmitting in HD 24/7 now, instead of 2pm to 2am daily, i'm sure that the balls that are supposed to be rolling- ARE... oh, and as far as i know, you need to scan again to find us now that we're 24/7... also, i've been told that most people are pointed toward the transmitter site in awendaw... our HD transmitter is attached to our transmitter in Mt. Pleasant... so if we have a weaker signal, it's because we're in the wrong place that you're looking...

did that help? we're also trying to figure out how come some boxes can get our audio and others can't... maybe we're transmitting on a newer or even older signal that some boxes don't have...? i'm shooting in the dark with that one...

i'll tell you guys more as it becomes available to me...

scott

Scott, Thanks a lot, I hope that between you and the new Chief Engineer we will see the problems get resolved shortly.

Two points, one, you said in two messages that you are HD 24/7, but you mean digital 24/7 instead of 2-2 right. Because if you are HD then we would have Leno every night right? Not to pick, but I want to know what we should be looking for.

My second point is the audio problem, you can see my thread above your first one on the last page. But Rick (GRC) and I both appear to have the audio problem with our Samsung boxes. I have spoken to folks at DirectTV and at Samsung (that was tough) and the folks at D* state that they are using the PSIP data available to them and that there must be an error with the "virtual pointer" from my local channel. Could you mention this to your engineer. I never had this problem with other stations, and the problem began after guide info started appearing for WCBD-DT, prior to that I had sound on your Digital signal. Since there is a workaround, it appears as though the STB can decode your signal, but the one that the PSIP points to has problems.

Thanks again for your input and time invested in this. Look forward to Leno in HD :)

Andy

Just a note to all, I don't know if this has been posted, but Titan has info for all three PBS stations in their guide now.

Just got off the phone with the General Manager and Chief Engineer @ WCBD and an officer in their parent company.

The first plan of action regarding WCBD-DT is a test this evening at 9 PM during the airing of Las Vegas. We have been asked to tune in and see if we are indeed receiving an HD signal.

I think we're all smart enough to realize that there's a good chance that we'll see HD this evening. So when you send feedback to WCBD please just let them know that the picture is great and you're happy to see them broadcasting in HD again and look forward to the rest of their 13 primetime shows and Leno in HD.

Send e-mail to rfordham@wcbd.com, let's have a subject line of "HD Test Results" for ease of sorting.

I let them know that we might could get 25- 50 people responding, so please help out.

Thanks

Today is just HD day at WCBD... after your call with the general manager, he came in here and the Chief Engineer showed him and me all the goodies dealing with it... i'm going to talk to the guy working during Las Vegas (i'm sure everyone will) to make sure he switches it back and forth... he's a good guy and will be on it like a hawk...

then they talked about the split channel thing... i noticed that WCSC is showing its super doppler 5000 on one channel... i never knew about that... i'm going to make a suggestion or two for ours... we don't have one yet, but should be getting a second channel in a month or two...

remember, everything being sent right now is "pseudo" HD... it's converted to HD from a standard signal... that's why it's still cropped, but you can still watch programming... you'll only see the full HD glory when the original source is just that... but i'm sure you guys already know that...

now you get to watch jean claude get killed in true quality tonight heh heh

Target-NBC: If it's cropped, there's still a problem. True HD is 16x9. NBC is broadcasting Las Vegas in true HD. We shouldn't see cropping.

Scott,
I am not sure why WCSC uses a second channel to show their radar signal, I guess it is nice to see during a thunderstorm, but I don't think all stations should feel the need to multicast their programming. From what I understand, please correct me if I am wrong, squeezing multiple stations into one digital slot, will take away bandwidth for the HD station. There is a lot of discussion of it in the programming forum here at AVS. PBS multicasts frequently, and our station is one of them. I think you can see some of these artifacts on some of their HD shows. For the most part it looks great, but I would hate to see HD pictures degraded in order to show info of marginal interest, i.e. weather radar 24/7.

Andy

what i'm saying is that most shows aren't even sent in true HD format... if they sent it to us that way, we'd show it that way... but certain shows are sent to us in HD, but we had the problem with the spots airing and stuff... now, we're going to do it manually... so if your program is SENT to US in HD, we'll show it to YOU in HD... starting tonight, we're going to see how this works... we shouldn't have a problem...

garoovy, baby

Shaun,

Relative to the tiling on the PBS feeds, it is not as bad today as last week, but still there. Last week, it looked just like what we see on our low bandwidth video conferences. Today, it was very sporadic, and not as obvious. However, the general picture quality is not what I would expect, even if all three feeds are only SD. They are not crisp at all. Surely not what you wanted to hear, but that's what we are seeing. Viewing is on a 60" Zenith plasma, tuned with both the Zenith 230 receiver/recorder, and with the Sony HD200 receiver.

AndrewG,

It is my understanding that the bandwidth sacrificed for the radar feed on 5-2 is minimal, and not enough to offer a noticeable improvement if added to the HD feed. I'm sure this is not a big issue for most, but my wife uses the radar feed more than the HD channel. The way I see it, whatever it takes to pass the wife acceptance factor is good for me.

Daryal

AndrewG: Daryal is correct - WCSC's stat-mux has been configured to allow 5-1 to take up it's full bandwidth for HD programming and leave the remainder for 5-2 so as to not affect 5-1. This may not be true for other stations.

A local PSIP re-inserter at our transmitter site is causing the sporadic tiling we are seeing on our services. I will continue to work on it to get the system stabilized.

Because of commitments to carry two SD services in addition to a HD, the bandwidth on our HD is limited to 13 Mbs. This can cause motion artifacts in fast transition scenes. We are looking at other options like running the HD in 720p or changing the resolution in the encoder to combat this.

I was asked to pass on that engineers will be proofing the system over the next few days causing us to have to cycle the transmitter on and off. I am sorry for the inconvenience.

-Shaun

Target-NBC
Your in good shape with us. WE DON'T SHOOT MESSENGERS! We want the messengers to lead us to management, then we acquire the Target :).
Seriously, thanks for the info and I am glad that Ktrout has gotten through to the GM and Chief Eng. and are working on solving the problem. I might have to double the value of WCBD to $ .02 if it works out tonight. It would be sweet to see that VIPPER with thunderstorms, tornadoes or major weather pressing down in real time. That might even save a life one day.

I take it that Channel 4.1 ABC is now broadcasting The Mummy Returns in HD?

Not a good start to Vegas....not HD here

Just got a call from the Chief Engineer at WCBD. Unfortunately, National NBC is not broadcasting Las Vegas in HD this evening for some reason.

We are going to try again with LENO later on this evening.

A thread in programming confirmed that no one is getting HD.

Master Control made the switch after Leno started and his enormous chin was as clear as ever.

Chief engineer called me to confirm that I was receiving it and he indicated he would talk to master control operators to make sure that they do everything they can to broadcast in HD when available.

Couldn't ask for anything more (OK, now we'll tackle the PSIP problem). Thank you WCBD for your efforts.

Leno in HD is awesome! Thank you 2

And the crowd goes wild!

Sounds like you guys got in contact with the right people... i can be quite convincing... but the conference call with the general manager, the chief engineer, and (i forgot the title) is what really did it... pat yourself on the back... like i said, it's going to be 100% better before you know it!

scott

Hello All -

Just a quick note to clear any misconceptions about our bandwidth allocation.

Our HDTV MPEG-2 encoding system utilizes a dynamic process where bandwidth is allocated on an "as needed basis" called STATISTICAL MULTIPLEXING. This ensures the maximum bandwidth is always available when required by any portion of the bitstream.
When needed, we can also invoke a "manual" mode where bandwidth can be rigidly allocated according to anticipated demand.

We have encoded WCSC's 5-2 SD channel to utilize the minimum amount of bandwidth required, which eats up about 1.5Mbps of the total 19.4 Mbps allowed to terrestrial broadcasters. We have reserved well over 16Mbps for the HD channel, while the remaining bandwidth is utilized for ancillary signals such as PSIP, etc.

Doppler Radar is just the first experiment.

In the future, we anticipate utilizing our SD channel (s) in new and innovative ways.... I can't say any more than that right now, but remember that our HD quality will NOT be sacrificed in any way for the sake of an auxiliary program source.

Thanks for the clarification Mike.

Wow, things are moving forward with WCBD it sounds like. Thanks to all that were involved. I don't have OTA hd, only comcast cable. Is there any ETA for WCBD-HD on Comcast just like our local ABC and CBS stations? Thanks all!!

That's my next project and a pretty sticky one. I've already had conversations with all parties involved and lets just say that right now there are some pretty substantial philosophical differences. So.... bottom line, don't hold your breath.

'substantial philosophical differences...' So NBC and Comcast can't get along? What's so hard about this? Ugggggh!

It's not so much that they can't get along, they have a good relationship. I don't want to air out too much more, might jeopardize my channels of communication. However, I will say that I tend to side more with COMCAST than WCBD on this issue.

Speaking of WCBD, according to TitanTV Law & Order this evening at 10 pm is in HD. Feedback is welcome on quality etc. Especially with sound issues possibly related to PSIP.

Law & Order SVU in HD this evening, transitioned well out of commercials, didn't miss a beat. Nice job WCBD. I'm getting DD2.0 w/ a Tosh DST3000.

Law and Order Looks good in full HD. 2 Chan Audio and no PSIP though.

Also, since I was looking, I noticed PSIP info for CBS. I don't remember having seen this before.

Things are heating up for CHS HD. If only Fox and UPN could step up and put out a bit more power than a walkie talkie, we'd be in business. It would also be nice to have an OTA WB network, but I guess that will never happen.

Law and Order looked good last night. Excuse me for my igonorance, but there must be a diffrence between HD and "HD". You could tell a huge diffrenect between SDTV L&O and what I saw last night, but I can't just stop looking at DiscoveryHD and PBS. It's like the pictures are liquid and much more lifelike.

Anyway, thanks WCBD! Now I am really looking forward to the Daytona 500. I am going to run two big screens in my house Sunday! I don't want to miss one left hand turn.

What is the deal with the WB anyway?

When is 2-2 going to grank up the power

Rhett,
Regarding HD vs "HD" what you see on PBS and Discovery is often scenic outdoor scenes which are filmed for one effect, natural, expansive, well lit films which will look different than L&O and CSI etc, which are filmed under specific shadow and light conditions that give an effect and highlight faces and specific items of interest in a scene. The HD quality is most likely given two different OTA sources but the subject matter really makes a hugh difference.

Mike,
Thanks for keeping us in the loop regarding bandwidth utilization with WCSC. It makes sense that the Doppler radar wouldn't need much BW. I just worry about other stations using true multicasting and losing quality from the HD station. It must be a common problem with in other parts of the country and I was just concerned that some stations here might implement something here. I understand that a lot of PBS stations do multicasting and are obligated to provide multiple service to there audience.

Scott, L&O and Leno looked great last night, I didn't notice any problems with coming back from commercials either. Thanks,
Andy

Oljim: By 2-2 do you mean WCBD-DT? If so, most likely 18 months plus before they go full power. Same time frame with 24-1 and 36-1. If you mean WCBD's multicast, I have no idea.

I don't think there's a local broadcast of the WB here in Charleston, think it's only provided through cable and or satellite, but I don't know that for sure. I'll have to try and find out.

After 18 months when they go full power...how much will full power be?

KTrout I know you listed previously contact numbers for switching and master control. I am having major issues getting CBS in HD. What is the number to contact them, so I can request a waiver from them so I can receive CBS HD from NY as a waiver until Dish Network gets permission to broadcast Charleston channels.

Thanks for your help.

Scott.

My brother-in-law lives in Cottageville. He couldnt get a waiver for any network stations. I think those waivers are very difficult to get. I wouldnt think that you will be able to get a waiver just because you cant get CBS in HD. Can you receive CBS OTA at all?

Unfortunately yes I can, but I can get FOX ota too, but no HD at all and I got a waiver for that, ABC and NBC were no problem.

Scott

Are you a Dish network subscriber? Maybe they are easier to get a waiver from.

My Brother-in-law has DirecTV

Not to encourage bad behavior, but IMO the whole waver thing is, well poop. I just made a technology switch recently from cable to D*. I use to have Dishnetwork a few years ago. Lucky for me my father lives upstate in the middle of BFE, I gave Dishnetwork that address. Received east and west coast feeds forever, then they switch me to Charlotte, NC.

To the local boys, I do like getting local news and that jazz, but I do want a decent picture. One thing I did notice I got all sorts of NFL games that where subject to blackout in our area. Folks would come over to my house to watch Dallas when the Panthers were 1-15. $$$ root of all evil. I played the game this time around with D* and used my current address. However, I would have not done this if I failed to get the local channels with digital OTA quality I have now. I would have not thought twice about registering back up state simple for the picture quality.

Is it my imagination or did the WB use to broadcast in Charleston, mid 90's? Were they not out on Coleman blvd. in the old 4 building?

Thanks NBC for getting it right finally and I've had almost no problem with the picture pixelling at all. A few times is all. Thanks again, keep up the good work.

Scott

ROTHFUSZ: The number at the station is 402-5555. I'm not sure who is in charge of granting waivers, but I'm pretty sure you won't have any luck. You should be able to get WCSC-DT with almost only a coat hanger since they are broadcasting at full power. I'm guessing the reason you were able to get waivers from ABC, NBC and FOX is because they aren't broadcasting at full power.
What is the exact nature of the problems you're having? There are plenty of people here that could help you w/ OTA reception.

SHUTTERMAKER: The documents filed to the FCC indicate they plan to broadcast at the same power as WCSC-DT, 1000kW.

RHETT45ACP: You might be correct about the Coleman Blvd. station, but I don't think it's happening now. I might do a drive-by and check it out.

ROTHFUSZ: KTrout is so right, you should be able to get WCSC-DT by sticking your finger in the socket. When I hook my STB up I received the same channels you did and no WCSC-DT. Logic told me that should have been the easiest station to get. Anywho, I am in the Eagle Landing in Hanahan. I used the antennaweb.org and a compass to set my antenna up. Worked like a charm. I am using a standard outdoor VHF/UHF/FM antenna. It is in my attic at the highest point. Using the info gathered my antennaweb.org I set up the antenna in my living room first. Found the sweet spot, took compass notes for the attic, and mounted. Works Great.

Even if a waver is granted for CBS, it will not help for CBS HD feed from satellite, you can only get that if you are in DMA of a CBS owned station. You should have no trouble getting WCSC DT it is the strongest station around.
KTroute I was talking about WCBD, have never had any luck with them down here on the analog station and only 1 or 2 times have I had any luck with DT

Originally posted by rothfusz
Thanks NBC for getting it right finally and I've had almost no problem with the picture pixelling at all. A few times is all. Thanks again, keep up the good work.

Scott


Rothfusz, if you are able to get WCBD-DT in HD then you should have no problem with WCSC, they are not in quite the same direction for you, but you should be able to turn the antenna slightly, left or North of where it aims to get WCBD-DT and get WCSC-DT. For me in West Ashley, I can almost see the bridges across the river, the direction for the antenna is nearly the same. Effectly you aim at the base of the bridge in Mt. Pleas. for WCBD and further North to Anwendaw for WCSC, WCIV, and PBS. I was able to point more towards WCBD because WCSC is so strong, and the antenna is so high.

On other notes, I have to agree that ER looked great last night, absolutely not problems with commercial transitions, either they have a new auto switcher or someone at WCBD is really on the ball and should be commended. L&O on Wednesday looked great as well. Thanks

Finally, I noticed some problem during the beginning of CSI last night, it was in SD for the first 5 minutes or so, and the first time they switched to HD there was no sound for a few seconds, back to SD then HD again, this time perfect. Is this related to the audio issues and getting WITV up and running? Anyone know?

Andy

I noticed over the last few days that WCSC is having some PSIP info OTA in my guide. So far it appears to just be show titles. Also PBS doesn't have the info it had a few days ago, it rarely has show titles and last week it had complete information. Third, I noticed WCIV (ABC) has some info, in the guide where it says WCIV Digital instead of "Regular Programming" so they must be trying to get up and going as well.

This is all OTA since the PSIP problem with WCBD and D* guide info still exists. I tried again the other night with the D* info, I get no audio. So all this info I am reporting is just PSIP info included OTA.

Andy

A friend of mine told me Comcast has acquired US Cable here on Johns Island...can anyone confirm this?

I can't confirm it, but I know some people that would be really happy about it.

I'll ask the question though.

I live @ Dunes West and our Bi-Monthly newsletter says that Comcast has acquired US Cable but it won't effect us until the 2nd quarter

Yes..that sounds about right...i was told mid to late April...that is FANTASTIC NEWS.. US Cable is a joke

KTrout,

I have a question regarding OTA vs. D* reception during periods of rain. I noticed today that I was unable to get most of the OTA digital channels reliably, even though for a number of them I normally get a 90+% signal strength during clear weather. I had no problem with the D* reception today. It would appear that the digital OTA transmissions are extremely effected by bad weather conditions and more so than D*. Has this been your experience?

Same thing here with rain, I think most of signal drop is due to wet trees. I have 100000 oak trees all around me down here. Also notice dropouts when I see yellow and red on radar between me and tower some 70 + miles.

Hey, KUDOS to NBC, signal and sound coming in strong, and I don't even like whatever they be doing to ding up such nice cars, watching half and hour and going !!!!!!! GREAT PICTURE !!!!!!
rick

Just started watching the cars turning left and in general it looks great, except for the picture breakups I've been getting. It's not my signal since that is strong and very stable, but they definitely have issues.
I usually don't watch NASCAR but I might reconsider if it were always in HD!

Hello All -

In regards to WCSC's PSIP info, We've just begun inserting the week's program schedule, using some newly acquired software. I've been waiting for some time to begin the service and am very happy to see that ya'll have noticed.

The CSI dropouts were my fault - I was working in the racks to tidy up after the 5.1 installation, and I neglected to remake a simple connection on the AES Network Audio Feed.

After a short phone call to the evening engineer, he was able to reconnect the cable, and restore the AES audio stream. Meantime, we switched over to SD, just so that you'd be able to hear the audio track.

My apologies -


BTW - has anyone noticed our new tower camera???


Mike

Also want to throw some kudos to WCBD, tuned into the race for about 10 minutes or so and picture looked good. Thanks for the effort to make that happen.

Mike, I haven't notice the camera yet, might have to swap some wires around and check out 5-2 (I'm guessing).

mlkeel: I will have to research your question. I'm so close to the towers that I don't experience a lot of OTA issues and therefore don't know as much as others. Plus I use COMCAST for HD most of the time. But I'll look into it for you.

mlkeel: Looks like rain and wind can definitely be factors with UHF reception. Buildings and trees also easily absorb UHF energy and I would imagine a wet and therefore more dense tree with leaves even more so. I don't know that you should experience that severe a drop-off due to just rain though. What kind of antenna do you have? How much gain does it indicate? What kind of cable do you have between the antenna and your STB? Maybe there's something contributing to your problems there.

It wasn't as smooth as i would have liked... when i switched for the final segment of NASCAR, idiot boy (me) forgot that the PBR was NOT in HD and aired black for a few... hope you guys enjoyed Shrek in HD, though...

and thanks for all the praise... you guys are mostly praising the prime time pimp... i'll let him know how much you guys apprectiate it...

scotty

mlkeel:
I have used several types of rabbit ears, Unamplified, amplified and unamplified with a booster and I am always experiencing fluctuating reception quality during wind and/or rain. Actually for me the wind seems to have more of an effect.
But after a very long time tweaking the antenna (the one I'm using now is an amplified ~ 15 dB RCA model with a 8 or 12 position knob on the front; not sure exactly how many positions because I'm afraid to touch it!) I now get NBC, CBS, ABC, PBS all above 60% without having to touch anything. PBS is actually fluctutating the most right now. I live at Dunes West in Mt. Pleasant and can not pick up FOX or UPN. I actually show a very low signal strength for fox but it's never been high enough to get any picture.

KTrout and LUVTHAT HDTV,

I have a Radio Shack VU-90 XR outdoor antenna with a 30db amp mounted high in my garage (garage ceiling is nearly as high as my attic and less cluttered). Until the last several weeks when the weather turned cold and wet I was getting the following:

CBS 5-1 - 93%
ABC 4-1 - 60 - 70%
36-1 - 15 - 50%
49-1, 49-2, and 49-3 - 70 - 90%

These are average figures but in general, unless it rains I get CBS and the 49-1 thru 3 reliably. ABC and 36-1 was somewhat reliable but more flaky, and NBC I rarely get a signal and when I do I get no volume.

This past weekend I could not hold anything in other than 49-1 thru 3 especially 49-3. the others dropped out some but not near at the rate CBS did. Tonight I cannot receive 4-1, 2-1, or 36-1, but all others are solid as a rock.

I live on the north western side of Summerville so I don't expect to get all of these reliably with my setup especially the low powered stations. But it is my understanding that channel 49 is on the same tower as WCSC (5-1) so I don't know why I am getting them better during bad weather even when their max signal appears to be lower. Maybe they are higher on the tower.

Bottom line is doesn't sound as if OTA will ever be as reliable as Satellite during bad weather and certainly not as cable. Ironically the analog channels are the most reliable during bad weather. I get Time Warner in this area....ughh, which is why I don't have at this point.

Target-NBC: Don't sweat the details. WCBD's new commitment to HD is a welcome sight and we'll give you guys some time on the learning curve. If you want to take it to the next level there start asking the engineers about the PSIP (Program and System Information Protocol) settings and when you guys will be broadcasting in Dolby Digital 5.1.

PS - be sure to tell PTP thanks for his work as well during the week.

mlkeel: I don't have an immediate answer for you.... do you have signal issues absolutely every time it rains? Is the antenna close to the ceiling in the garage and/or does the signal strength improve if you lower it? Are you using RG-59U for any connecting cabling?
VHF is not as weather affected as UHF signals. The position for Channels 4-1, 5-1, 5-2, 49-1, 49-2 and 49-3 are essentially the same on the tower. They all utilize the same antenna. Will have to keep looking into your signal strength issues.

KTrout Thanks for the info on the OTA, and phone number for CBS. I am really starting to get frustrated with them though, because as you said they are the best signal in the area. When I initially set up my antenna, currently an indoor amplified antenna from Radio Shack I had great signals from CBS that might drop out every once in a while, whereas now I can't get a consistent signal to save my life. I understand about the whole HD issue with CBS as a Satellite feed I've read that blurb on the Dish Network site as well. This is so frustrating though. The only thing that would need to occur is for the local channels to let the satellite companies rebroadcast, it's not like I'm not paying for the privelege to watch their channels because I don't have a bird's eye view of their tower or a huge antenna like the old days. Sorry, anyways I have also had problems with rain fade/loss out here, and I use Dish. Every time a major rainstorm rolls through my signal is gone. There unfortunately isn't much that can be done about that, because otherwise my signals are great. I've looked at your website for the antenna locations what exactly would be my bearings from where I live? I live off Sangaree Pkwy right off of 17A which is almost right next to I-26.

Thanks again KTrout

Scott

rothfusz, sounds like your dish is off a little if it goes out with rain. What are signal reading on 110 and 119
. Chs 2,4,6,8 and 10 are spot beam on 110 and 1,3,5,7 and 9 are spot beam on 119 You should be near max on 5 and 7 on 119 they are spots for NC and SC locals. If you have any readings under 90 it may need to be aligned.

rothfusz: go to www.antennaweb.org and enter your address. The exact compass orientation you should be pointing your antenna in will be shown in one of the columns.

I wrote to Knology, I still have them for cable modem, and asked them about HD coming to Charleston. I received this response. Quick response but not exactly an answer.

Hello my name is Anna Gutto, I received your e-mail regarding the
HDTV in your area. I have personally checked into this for you. At this
time we are not offering HDTV in your area. I do not have an estimated time
for when this will be offered in your area, but when it is we will send out
flyers letting everyone know. I hope this information has helped, sorry I
was not able to give you a little more information regarding this. If you
have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me through
e-mail, or you can contact our customer care department which is open
24-hours at 843-225-1000.
Sincerely,
Anna Gutto
Knology Corporate Call Center

I thought a few months ago there was some talk of a beta test for Knology, just about the time Comcast was finishing theirs. Anyone with more info? Ktrout?

I am pretty happy with D*'s HD and of course the OTA is great, but if Knology got into the HD side, it is better for everyone competition wise.

Andy

AndrewG: At one time Knology was planning on conducting a beta test, even prior to COMCASTS, but obviously it didn't happen. I contacted them about two weeks ago inquiring about HD service and was told that Charleston was one of two KNOLOGY markets that didn't have HD. I was told it would be "a couple of months" before HD would be established here in Charleston. I don't have a lot of faith in that being the case, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

rothfusz: Got another suggestion from Eldon regarding your reception. After you confirm you are pointing directly at the antenna location, maybe try the signal strength without the amplifier. Let us know how things are going?

Saw a thread in programming where the rumors circulating around FOX starting to broadcast in HD are coming true. They plan to start 720p broadcasting early fall (translated prior to football season and baseball playoffs).

The larger markets will be first to be converted of course, but for those lucky enough to be in range of the hampster powered Channel 40 here locally, I would think we as a community would want to start asking FOX here locally what their plans are. I don't know that baseball playoffs are a reality, but maybe late football and FOX does have the Superbowl next year. I mean I would think twice about screwing together three 10' sticks of rigid conduit and duct tape a UHF antenna to it for the Superbowl :)

There's no time like the present to get the ball rolling.

Here's a starting place...... programming@wtat24.com

After a little investigating, it seems for a mere $299 we could get a profile of the area that Channel 40 supposively reaches.

Ktrout, Funny, I was thinking the same thing. I have been following the HD Programming Forum and noticed the same thing. I have already written to programming and the station director asking about the prospect of HD in Charleston. I am not too optimistic, since while other Fox stations were forwarding 480p widescreen, we were just getting a digital SD signal. Apparently it would be rather straightforward for those stations to send the HD signal as well. So we might be in for more of an uphill battle here. But I think, we as a group should have a goal of the SuperBowl in HD here, but I would like to see the baseball playoffs in HD as well, since my Red Sox should be there :cool:

I agree, I concerted effort on the part of this group and friends who have HD is a good start. But from what I understand Sinclair Broadcasting is not very pioneering when it comes to ED/HD etc.

AndrewG: You're right about Sinclair. But maybe they were opposed to digital transmission because they saw only broadcasting 480p as a waste. Now that FOX seems to have committed to an HD format, they might be more willing to take the next step. (OK, so I had some "optimistic flakes" for breakfast).

But, it never hurts to ask. And there is strength in numbers.

There might be more hill in this uphill battle than I suspected. Seems that Sinclair's big cheese on HD broadcasting fought against the agreed upon 8VSB format for digital signals. Seems Sinclairs beef against DTV runs pretty deep.

He also thought very highly of "multi-casting" up to ten channels on the DTV channel. That doesn't bode well for HD enthusiasts.

What on earth could they possibly broadcast on 10 different channels ?? The Simpsons delayed 5 minutes/channel ??????
rick

I've noticed over the last few days that PBS is experiencing severe pixelating on my set yet the signal strength is 80 to 90%. Anyone else seeing this?

Same here, strong signal and strong pixelation,
rick

Good Morning,

Unfortunately I'm here to tell you about a firmware bug that was just discovered that impacts both the SA 8000SD and the SA 8000HD.

These converters do not recognize February 29th on the guide, which has resulted in a shut down of the record function. All aspects of the 8000 except record are working. I have heard of no instances in which previously recorded material has been lost. All recordings that were set prior to midnight last night, should be fine.

SA is in 'emergency session' working on a software patch. I will keep you updated.

In SC, our guide goes out 7 days, so once February 29th appeared, thats when the problems started. This may not be an issue in other TWC Divisions depending on how far out their guide data goes.

Thanks for your patience while we work through this issue.

Hello All,

Just a short note to let you know that we will be working on the transmitter for the next few days. A factory tech is on site, and we'll be performing some tests and adjustments during the daytime hours. This will undoubtedly interrupt daytime programming from time to time until we complete the work. My apologies in advance -

Regards-
Mike

Voom has a new Lease program. No upfront cost. OTA antenna and installation included. Just $9.50 a month for each HD reciever. No Contract or commitment.

Originally posted by Mike Sheffer
Hello All,

Just a short note to let you know that we will be working on the transmitter for the next few days. A factory tech is on site, and we'll be performing some tests and adjustments during the daytime hours. This will undoubtedly interrupt daytime programming from time to time until we complete the work. My apologies in advance -

Regards-
Mike

Thanks for the head's up Mike. For the benefit of my CSSRs, is this HD, Analog or both?

Take Care,

Hello All -

Looks like we have a serious issue with the digital transmitter which will require us to be off air until tomorrow. Sorry to report, but it's a problem with the electrical system and can't be rectified until replacement parts arrive via FedEx.

This will affect ONLY the digital transmitter.

Regards -
Mike

DVR Update!

First, this Firmware Bug does NOT impact the SA 8000HD, just the SD!

Second, the fix is currently undergoing testing in the lab. If it passes, the patch will download tonight and this will all be behind us tomorrow.

I will, of course, keep you updated.

Thank you again for your patience.

Hi Butlers -
That VOOM lease offer sounds pretty good, great actually. Do you know which of their packages you get for the 9.95?

Does anyone on this forum have any experience with VOOM?

PBS update, we just watched NOVA and NO pixelations, perfect picture & sound
rick

The Voom offer is this:

No Contract
No Upfront Cost
$9.50 a month to lease HDTV Receiver, OTA Antenna, and Sat Dish
$39.99 a month for SD channels and the 21 exclusive HD Channels including Discovery HD and NFL HD.

I believe it is $14 for each additional pak.Check there website to be certain.

Anyway they currently have TMC HD, Starz E&W HD, HBO E&W HD, SHO E &W HD, Cinemax E&W HD, NFL HD, Playboy HD,etc..

They have also promised at least 5 more HD channels by 3/31.

Rumor says that ESPN HD ( Absolutely in the next couple of weeks)

and look for INHD 1 and 2 , Bravo HD, and HD Net.

I also have noticed the problems with PBS over the last two weekends. Especially on the HD station there would be a lot of digitial "noise" more than just occational pixilation. It seemed better during the week. I also originally thought the cause was the weather, but like others have observed the signal was still 93% on my meter. Just more info for those concerned.


Regarding the new VOOM lease, as far as I can tell, there is not contract, but the $9.95 is just for the receiver. There is no programming package, you just are not required to buy the equipment up front. I guess it would still work as an OTA receiver, with out any satellite programming.

Andy

SA 8000SD Update -

We are downloading the software patch right now. Everything should be in the system by 6pm at the latest. You have two options:

If you want to record something on your SD DVR tonight, please go ahead and reboot the converter to force the software patch. If you don't plan on recording and don't want to deal with a reboot, then just wait until your converter receives the forced download sometime after midnight tonight.

Either way, if you have recordings already scheduled, please take a moment and make sure they are still in the scheduled recordings list after your converter receives the software patch.

Please let me know if you have any questions and again I thank you for your patience concerning this issue.

WCSC is offline for Digital still!? I just got off the phone with someone at CBS and they don't know if they're broadcasting on the Digital side of the house or not. All they know is that they have a tower crew working at some point during the day on the system. KTrout a little help here please.

Thanks

Scott

Originally posted by Mike Sheffer
Hello All -

Looks like we have a serious issue with the digital transmitter which will require us to be off air until tomorrow. Sorry to report, but it's a problem with the electrical system and can't be rectified until replacement parts arrive via FedEx.

This will affect ONLY the digital transmitter.

Regards -
Mike


Check back one page, Mike gave the bad news earlier today.

Any news on WCSC's digital signal?

WCSC-DT: I have not heard anything yet today. I'm sure Mike or Eldon will keep us up to date. It more than likely depends on whether the part was able to make it here in shipment.

DIANA: Thanks for keeping us informed.

VOOM: I wouldn't jump on VOOM yet. They've made some promises and I would wait to see if they are fulfilled prior to jumping ship. If you browse the HDTV hardware and programming areas there are reports of problems w/ OTA reception, mapping, and not a lot of quality programming.

I have read some of those issues, but I currently have E* and I can say they have had there issues also. My friend has Voom and at first he had some hardware issues, but he recieves all local digital just fine now. The 21 exclusive HD channels aren't for everyone, but there are at least half that I enjoy and as I mentioned earlier there has been no one who has added HD content as aggressively as Voom has. Voom is also going to MPEG 4 which will greatly increase there bandwith. I was D* for 3 years TWC for a short stint! A Joke, and I now have E*. For no upfront cost and no commitment and the most HD content available, why wouldn't someone want to give them a shot!

Originally posted by laseru2
Any news on WCSC's digital signal?

You certainly miss the HD picture when you don't have it. Analog WCSC over cable was its usually terrible self, ghosting, etc, CSI was nearly unwatchable. Its great to be this spoiled with OTA.

Andrew, I just bought the Samsung 50" DLP three weeks ago from CC, Dish-net two weeks ago. My sister and brother-in-law were over from Atlanta weekend before last and we watched the Daytona 500 in HD. I am not a race fan but could become one if all races were shown in HD. They called me last week complaining about how lousy their TV looks now. Ha Ha:D Ice hockey in HD is GREAT.

Originally posted by LngdnAlger

Does anyone on this forum have any experience with VOOM? Lots of members do. See the VOOM topics in the HDTV Programming & Hardware forums.

WCSC HD Update:
I hate to tell everyone this, but we even though we received and installed the parts we ordered, the deeper we got into the digital transmitter the more problems we found. We have more parts and more test equipment coming in tomorrow. I am very sorry about all of this. We do have a factory rep on site, and he is commited to stay until we are running right. I will say that if I never hear a high voltage arc again it will be too soon.

The bottom line right now is that we don't know when we will be back on the air with a digital signal, but we are working as quickly as we can. If everything goes right (which it has yet to do) the soonest will be noon tomorrow.

I apologize again to everyone.

Eldon

ugghhh!

I apologize again to everyone.

Eldon [/B][/QUOTE]

Thanks for the effort and keeping us informed. Hope we get to see CSI on Thursday.:(

My friend just bought a brand new Hitachi 57F500 rear projection CRT HDTV. He has digital cable thru Knology. The PQ with DVD thru component cables is stunning. The cable picture either direct from the wall or thru the box is unacceptable. Anyone know why? His cable box (sorry don't know the model) has only S-video out to the t.v. and he says the composite is better than the S-video. I understand that Knology is not providing HD yet, but do they provide a better digital box with component or DVI connections? I'm trying to help him out. I recommended he call Knology for a better box, check his connections, try a new coax cable and dig into his t.v. owner's manual for info. I know he has the option of switching to Time Warner as well. Anything else he should try to improve the quality of his cable picture?

Thanks,

Luke

Luke:
Knology does not offer HD content at this time and I don't think the boxes they offer have composite outputs. If he lives in Summerville I think TWC has the correct box. Or if he has Comcast they offer HD and so does the various satellite providers. He has the typical Garbage in - Garbage out set-up.

He called Knology today and confirmed they do not have HD and don't have a good estimate when they will get HD. Comcast doesn't service his area. His only options at this time are: wait, switch to TW or get satellite.

WCSC HD Update:

We have some good news. We are on the air again. The bad news is that we are at half power. We are still working on it, but at least most of you shouldn't have any problem seeing us.

Once again, I am sorry you have had to miss some of our programming.

Eldon

Half power is still better than what anyone else is giving us..thanks for the update.

At least I've got CBS again, Monday Night with CSI: Miami was rough. Pulling off air analog in Summerville is hard. Thanks for the hard work, looking forward to when you guys are back at full strength.

Scott

Digital Survivor and CSI in HD..Thanks for the fast work :)

Digital Survivor and CSI in HD..Thanks for the fast work :)

Even at half power I am getting 84% with an attic antenna, almost in Awendaw

Mike even at 1/2 power I still get WCSC better than any other station down here in Beaufort.
Jim

It was one year ago today that WCSC got Channel 47 online bringing HD to the Lowcountry.

Since we've added quite a few participants, I'd like to arrange another tour of WCSC's Television Studio etc in West Ashley. If you're interested either reply here on the forum or send me a PM.

It would probably take place on a weeknight after work sometime in the next couple of weeks.

I am all for a tour, missed the one last yr.
Jim

Some Comcast tidbits:

I just scheduled Comcast to come out and install their HD STB here in James Island (ESPN HD just in time for the Duke UNC game!). I had to schedule a week out, but I was happily surprised by a few things - 1) they gave me a 2 hour window instead of a whole day window, 2) they said they will call 30 minutes before they get here, 3) there is no cost for the installation, and 4) if they miss their time slot, they will put a $20 credit in my account.

This is all a little premature since they haven't actually done anything yet, but I was expecting much less as far as customer service goes...

Will you be able to receive local OTA digital signals thru the Comcast STB with an external antenna?

I doubt that the Comcast STB will have an in put for OTA. Comcast does carry WCSC, WCIV, and PBS, however, so the only station I would still need OTA for would be WCBD, which I watch less than the others...

Originally posted by LngdnAlger
Some Comcast tidbits:

I just scheduled Comcast to come out and install their HD STB here in James Island (ESPN HD just in time for the Duke UNC game!). I had to schedule a week out, but I was happily surprised by a few things - 1) they gave me a 2 hour window instead of a whole day window, 2) they said they will call 30 minutes before they get here, 3) there is no cost for the installation, and 4) if they miss their time slot, they will put a $20 credit in my account.

This is all a little premature since they haven't actually done anything yet, but I was expecting much less as far as customer service goes...

After the install, let us know what cable Box they stuck you with.

Hammer

I'd love to take a tour as long as it's Monday the 2nd of March or after the 9th of March any day.

rothfusz: The tour will definitely be after the 9th of March.

Hammer: You should be contacted soon.

laser2U: you can't get OTA signals with COMCASTS STB.

I'm in for a tour of WCSC as well, like Jim, I missed the transmitter tour last year. It really is amazing how far we have come in 1 year.

Andy

KTrout, count me in too... Sounds like fun!

Well.....My Voom was installed Saturday. I can finally say that I believe V* is defenitely heading in the right direction. I was suprised that the installer provided 2 DVI cables for my Boxes. My wife, was impressed at PQ and that is a rare tidbit from the one who calls me Home theatre obsessed and insane. She said the picture looked sharper while watching Disney and HBO. I agreed and it could be that my D* and E* recievers were not hooked up with DVI.VP is never going to have 150 SD channels, so someone will always say what about this channel or that channel, but I like it that way. There are only a few more SD channels I would like to see, I never watched 50% of the channels on E* and D*.There a couple of key HD channels they need such as ESPN and INHD, but they can show up anyday now. The thing is Voom gears there service to HD and I feel that when new channels are available, they will get them. There are a few issues with the box, but overall I like the interface. I am glad I made the move.

Here's my question, and their answer.

QUESTION:
Now that FOX has made a commitment towards broadcasting in 720p, when can we expect WTAT in Charleston to upgrade it's equipment and begin broadcasting 720p?

Thanks in advance
Mark

ANSWER:
While FOX has made a commitment, they are not (yet) broadcasting in 720P. We will be on with HDTV within ~ 3 months of their making the switch.

I'm not exactly sure how to take this as I asked the question to WTAT's parent companies generic e-mail address - "Mr. DTV". If it's true, I'm encouraged.

That is great but if they don't increase their power, we'll all have to move to their parking lot!

That is true. :)

Unfortunately, I wouldn't expect them to increase power. They'll wait until the move to their permanent facility.

Butlers...How good is the antenna for OTA reception with voom and what type of antenna is it? I am in Myrtle Beach , so I am about 80 miles from Charleston. Would I be able to get ota reception here? Specifically wciv and wcsc? I have stayed with TWC because I thought my ota reception options were limited, but they continue to drag their feet on getting the Charleston ABC affiliate, WCIV on their digital lineup. I need to look at other options. Thanks for any info you can provide

They provided a CM 3010 Stealth Antenna with a pre amp. From Summerville I get CBS,NBC, And I couldn't believe it .....I get Fox. I have had D* and * and could never get FOX, but with the V* box I get it steady and I also get NBC steady, whereas with the others it would have alot of dropouts. I have to say that overall the V* box is alot more steady with OTA in my experience. ABC had a mapping issue, but I'm sure they will be fine because I was able to pick them up before.

KTrout...Is there any reason why I would be getting 24.1...steady, but can't get 36.1. Aren't they coming from the same place????