DISH just added USA HD and SciFi HD today.

You mean Battlestar Galactica in HD?

You mean Battlestar Galactica in HD?

Yep... Stargate Atlantis in HD on now

Any word on when Knology is going to add new HD Channels?

So, if sattelite providers dont provide locals, do they at least provide an affilitate channel for FOX/NBC/ABC/CBS in order to view the syndicated shows they broadcast?

So, if sattelite providers dont provide locals, do they at least provide an affilitate channel for FOX/NBC/ABC/CBS in order to view the syndicated shows they broadcast?

DISH provides locals in SD, not HD. DIRECT does not have locals in Montogomery.

DISH provides locals in SD, not HD. DIRECT does not have locals in Montogomery.

After "The Big Switch," do you think that DISH will have the Montgomery locals in HD? I haven't pulled the trigger on the antenna yet and may hold off if DISH says that they will have the HD locals by next February...

After "The Big Switch," do you think that DISH will have the Montgomery locals in HD? I haven't pulled the trigger on the antenna yet and may hold off if DISH says that they will have the HD locals by next February...

DISH is adding new HD locals monthly. Will be sending up two new satellites this year. Can't tell if we will have locals by FEB.

After "The Big Switch," do you think that DISH will have the Montgomery locals in HD? I haven't pulled the trigger on the antenna yet and may hold off if DISH says that they will have the HD locals by next February...

The FCC has given the DBS broadcasters (Dish and DirecTV) 4 years to phase-in local HD in markets that they carry local stations. So sometime before Feb 2013, Dish will have to carry Montgomery locals in HD. Until they decide to go HD in the Montgomery market, they will be downconverting HD programming. There are some benchmarks that they have to meet, they have to offer HD locals in a certain percentage of their local markets each year, but it could still be a while before we see HD locals via satellite in Montgomery.

I was finally able to get in touch with someone at ABC32/CW. The CW will never be a sub channel of ABC 32. They have no idea when the digital OTA signal will be live but they will make the transition deadline. The digital signal will not carry HD programming when it goes live though. CW only broadcasts HD in the top 100 markets.

I guess there's no rush for a digital transmission if they can't show any HD.

That sucks.

What WBMM carries is called CW+, it's basically a CW feed that includes syndicated programming. It used to be WB 100+ back before the merger, and was cable-only. Now with digital subchannels, they feed it straight out that way too.

Since it's intended to analog cable and digital subchannels (rather than full signals like WBMM), CW has declined to offer it in HD.

I am rather surprised that it's not on 32-2 though. Seems like the ideal place to put it.

- Trip

The FCC has given the DBS broadcasters (Dish and DirecTV) 4 years to phase-in local HD in markets that they carry local stations. So sometime before Feb 2013, Dish will have to carry Montgomery locals in HD. Until they decide to go HD in the Montgomery market, they will be downconverting HD programming. There are some benchmarks that they have to meet, they have to offer HD locals in a certain percentage of their local markets each year, but it could still be a while before we see HD locals via satellite in Montgomery.

Thanks for the info...

Have any of you guys had any success with one of those clip-on antennas that connect to the dish? I am still researching which antenna to get and the whole WSFA being south of town thing is throwing me off a bit. Everything is west except for WSFA. Should I just suck it up and figure out how to use a directional antenna with a rotator? The DISH guys are coming Friday afternoon to hook up the dish...

Thanks for the info...

Have any of you guys had any success with one of those clip-on antennas that connect to the dish? I am still researching which antenna to get and the whole WSFA being south of town thing is throwing me off a bit. Everything is west except for WSFA. Should I just suck it up and figure out how to use a directional antenna with a rotator? The DISH guys are coming Friday afternoon to hook up the dish...

Depends where you are in Montgomery. I live off Dalraida and have a Antennas direct DB8 antenna. It is pointed south with no rotor and get all local HD channels. (about ten feet high)

So you're pleased with the DB8? I looked at those originally and then went to the Antennas thread on the HDTV Reception forum and not too many of them had good things to say about the DB8. Is it difficult to install? Do you have it connected to more than one television?

I live in Halcyon Summit across from AUM (err... Auburn Montgomery), so I should be able to get decent reception since we are up on a bit of a hill.

Is the PBS HD feed on 26-1 or 26-2? Does the HD channel show much HD anymore? I know it used to when it was the national PBS feed. I haven't seen any HD lately and I read somewhere that it was now on 26-2 instead of 26-1.

Is the PBS HD feed on 26-1 or 26-2? Does the HD channel show much HD anymore? I know it used to when it was the national PBS feed. I haven't seen any HD lately and I read somewhere that it was now on 26-2 instead of 26-1.

26-1 is the HD feed, 26-2 is the SD feed, 26-3 and 26-4 are feeds with different programming but in SD.

Go here for current HD schedule. I watch a lot of HD programming from 26-1.

http://www.aptv.org/Digital/index.asp

26-1 is the HD feed, 26-2 is the SD feed, 26-3 and 26-4 are feeds with different programming but in SD.

Go here for current HD schedule. I watch a lot of HD programming from 26-1.

http://www.aptv.org/Digital/index.asp

I was finally able to find a program in HD on PBS (26-1) last night. Some show about the Yucatan hosted by Ed Norton. The pq was decent.

anyone notice Brighthouse has abc 32 hd on guide and air twice and no PBS?

anyone notice Brighthouse has abc 32 hd on guide and air twice and no PBS?

Yep, I wonder what that is about. At first I forgot that 206 was PBS so I was hoping that maybe they were using 206 as a temporary placeholder channel for FOX HD, but now I realize that was wishful thinking.

Anyone having trouble with Brighthouse getting NBC, ABC, and CBS? I use the QAM tuner in my TV to get those, and haven't been able to get a signal for a few days. I am still getting MOJO and PBS in HD.

Anyone having trouble with Brighthouse getting NBC, ABC, and CBS? I use the QAM tuner in my TV to get those, and haven't been able to get a signal for a few days. I am still getting MOJO and PBS in HD.
I believe Brighthouse recently moved the HD locals to other channels. You should be able to re-scan your QAM channels and find them again. I believe CBS is on 77, and NBC is on 91, I'm not sure about ABC.

Russ

If you have issues with WAKA-DT over the next few days, it's probably not your fault. We are having some equipment issues that forced us to shut down our digital transmitters for part of Friday, and we may have to shut them down until at least Saturday afternoon, or possibly until Monday.

Thanks for your patience, we are working to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.

I believe Brighthouse recently moved the HD locals to other channels. You should be able to re-scan your QAM channels and find them again. I believe CBS is on 77, and NBC is on 91, I'm not sure about ABC.

Russ

Yes, you were right. I rescanned and found the new channel numbers. Thanks!

If you have issues with WAKA-DT over the next few days, it's probably not your fault. We are having some equipment issues that forced us to shut down our digital transmitters for part of Friday, and we may have to shut them down until at least Saturday afternoon, or possibly until Monday.

Thanks for your patience, we are working to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.

Thanks for the notice, Russ!

tim

Thanks for the notice, Russ!

tim

Was wondering why Moonlight and Numbers didn't record Friday night (just got around to trying to watch them). I checked and I was not getting any OTA or cable signal. Hope the problem is resolved soon.

read above post from wackyEngineer

How much loger 8 HD is going to be off?

Russ,Thomas, and Mark; (the guys at WAKA) are trying to get parts. It has to do with keeping the transmisson line, which carries a tremendous amount of RF power, pressurized with nitrogen. This keeps the line from burning up, which could be a VERY expensive and time-consuming fix should that happen. And, the part is not that expensive, however changing it out can be.

thanks for the info

Looks like DISH and WNCF are having a contract dispute. WNCF was replaced by a slate on DISH Network this morning saying that they were asking for a 160% increase in payment. I know the Montgomery locals on DISH aren't HD, but I thought I'd post just to let everyone know.

Looks like I'm going to be looking for alternative viewing outlets for Lost and the shows my wife watches. Does anyone know if the Wii's Opera browser works with the abc.com streaming video player?

Looks like DISH and WNCF are having a contract dispute. WNCF was replaced by a slate on DISH Network this morning saying that they were asking for a 160% increase in payment. I know the Montgomery locals on DISH aren't HD, but I thought I'd post just to let everyone know.

Looks like I'm going to be looking for alternative viewing outlets for Lost and the shows my wife watches. Does anyone know if the Wii's Opera browser works with the abc.com streaming video player?


Wow!

Going to be some pissed off customers.

Wow!

Going to be some pissed off customers.

I have DISH, am not mad. Will just watch Dancing with Stars OTA (wife watches), other than that not much to watch. WNCF will come down on price.

I have DISH, am not mad. Will just watch Dancing with Stars OTA (wife watches), other than that not much to watch. WNCF will come down on price.

Yea your right. I don't watch anything on ABC come to think of it.
Glad I have an Atlanta address. :cool::D;)

uhg my wife is livid right now. No ABC = gray's anatomy = end of world for her.

It's understandable to not get it from dish network if there was some business deal gone south but not to get it over the air at ALL!?? So is this a deal that ABC is trying to cut with our local station to get it back on the air or is this a national thing? Seems like it's local.

I think that they air the shows online a day later so it's not THAT bad but the initial "where's my favorite tv show" shock is what caused all the commotion.

Any other details from any station managers for WNCF?

uhg my wife is livid right now. No ABC = gray's anatomy = end of world for her.

It's understandable to not get it from dish network if there was some business deal gone south but not to get it over the air at ALL!?? So is this a deal that ABC is trying to cut with our local station to get it back on the air or is this a national thing? Seems like it's local.

I think that they air the shows online a day later so it's not THAT bad but the initial "where's my favorite tv show" shock is what caused all the commotion.

Any other details from any station managers for WNCF?

I received:

"They also say we want a 160% increase when in reality it's less than 2 cents
per subscriber. I venture to say you are paying a lot more than that for
service.

Until this is resolved, you can get us over the air by antennae, or
subscribe to cable. But you may want to call them at 800-333-3474 and get a
rate reduction in the meantime, as they are charging you for something you
are not getting.

Again, I'm sorry for your inconvenience but it was not our decision to pull
off.

Sincerely,

Jesse W. Grear
General Manager"

I haven't bought an antenna yet, but I have to ask this question. Will I be able to record shows off of WNCF on my DVR since DISH no longer shows the show lineup in the channel guide?

You know the amazing thing to me in all of this?

The Networks, (ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox) cram commercials down your throat to the point of 15 to 17 minutes of every hour and they still have the nerve to charge for their service?
But yet it's free OTA?

I don't get it. :rolleyes:

Yeah, I'm pretty ticked off. I live south of Andalusia and there's not much hope of us being able to get any ABC station OTA.

AuburnT5: The dispute is between DISH and WNCF. WNCF is still available OTA and through any other provider that carries it other than DISH Network.

My wife is upset about Grey's also and I'm pretty ticked about missing Lost.

Scott: I don't understand how they can charge DISH for carriage either. It seems like if they're paid by advertising, then they should just let DISH have the signal and retransmit it free. Seems like DISH (or any other provider for that matter) would be doing them a favor by helping them reach out-lying areas where their signal doesn't reach (like Andalusia).

Has anyone here have dish as a bundle with att?

I need to talk to a good local dish dealer/ installer. Which is the better direct or dish. Mostly interested in HD

I need to talk to a good local dish dealer/ installer. Which is the better direct or dish. Mostly interested in HD

32 is back on DISH. Do not screw with DISH.

32 is back on DISH. Do not screw with DISH.

Woot!!

yeah they're both back up (dish and ota). last night, it wasn't on either. oh well.. small hiccup. the wife watched her shows online and as I predicted, the world is still rotating and the sun made an appearance over the horizon as usual this morning.

Try tvtorrents.com You'll need a torrent client like utorrent and a high speed connection. Lots of shows in both SD and HD. I usualy only get the SD due to file size and my old xbox media center wont play the HD. Hour shows are about 350MB each in SD. They look ok on my 50" 720p plasma hooked up with composite video. I like beeing able to get shows like Top Gear when they air in Europe too, insted of waiting 6-12 months.
My wife was sick last week and she caught up on the last 16 episodes of ER.

Is 8 over the air off again or is it just me?

Is 8 over the air off again or is it just me?

I noticed it was off yesterday too. Just rescaned and no digital.

yes it is off

So with 119 pages on one topic, whats the chance of us getting our own sub topic?

Britt

near to none

Sure wish stations would put status of their signal on their website, went to waka a found nothing. Still out I quess.

Back on now. Hope for good!

Just when I thought that WSFA was going to resist the urge to interrupt "the Office" and tell us that it is raining, they did it.

And then after a commercial (when the program came back on), Bob Howell interrupts again to tell us that he is going to tell us about the storm during the news at 10. He further warns us that he will interrupt again to tell us the same thing.

I just checked their website and there is no mention of all of this activity. Must not be that important.

Yep...back from commercial again and there is Bob Howell keeping his promise to interrupt the regular programing. It was apparently not important enough to interrupt the commercial.

I'll watch something on cable. WSFA is going to be worthless for the rest of the night. Rich Thomas is in and that guarantees that you will watch nothing else on NBC for the rest of the night.

see ya!

Just when I thought that WSFA was going to resist the urge to interrupt "the Office" and tell us that it is raining, they did it.

And then after a commercial (when the program came back on), Bob Howell interrupts again to tell us that he is going to tell us about the storm during the news at 10. He further warns us that he will interrupt again to tell us the same thing.

I just checked their website and there is no mention of all of this activity. Must not be that important.

Yep...back from commercial again and there is Bob Howell keeping his promise to interrupt the regular programing. It was apparently not important enough to interrupt the commercial.

I'll watch something on cable. WSFA is going to be worthless for the rest of the night. Rich Thomas is in and that guarantees that you will watch nothing else on NBC for the rest of the night.

see ya!

That pissed me off. He broke in to tell us there were some trees down near Woodley road. Good job, Bob. I mean, did you see all that rain on the map during the first interruption? It covered less than half a county. I'm glad that was so important to all your viewers. As if once wasn't enough, they thought 3 was their lucky number.

Thankfully nobody was injured worse during last night's microburst.

I have no idea if I'm asking this in the right place or not, but here goes. I have Bright House Networks and a Motorola DCT6200 HD cable box (I think that's the model). Purely by accident, I discovered that the cable box has what's referred to as a "convenience outlet" on the back of it, above the infinity plug that you use to power the cable box itself. Obviously, the convenience outlet is there in case you want to plug another device into it. I just wanted to ask if it was safe to plug a new Xbox 360 into that specific outlet and whether or not it would use more or less power than having the cable box and Xbox separately plugged into the wall.

Chris,

I use the convience plug you mentioned to power a HDMI switching device. Although I use it in switched mode, I think you can also set it via a menu to stay continuously on.

On Brighthouse hdnet 781 picture constantly pixilating. Is this normal for anyone else? Also tnt and espn2 not as bad as hdnet

Is 8 off again? This time, it may be me..but every other OTA is coming in strong.

On Brighthouse hdnet 781 picture constantly pixilating. Is this normal for anyone else? Also tnt and espn2 not as bad as hdnet

Charles,

Same here.

Thanks Jim. I was hoping it just wasn't me.How are you? long time no read.

I'm just getting fatter. lol

Dish will add 22 new Hd this week(USA, SciFi and CNN already launched). See their press release at satelliteguys.us. Here's what they're launching:

-- ABC Family HD (DISH Network Ch 180 -- Disney HD East (Ch. 172)
-- ESPNews HD (Ch. 142)
-- Biography HD (Ch. 119) -- Hallmark Movie Channel HD (Ch 187)
-- Bravo HD (Ch. 129)
-- Cartoon HD (Ch. 176) -- MGM HD (Ch. 385)
-- Cinemax 5 Star (Ch. 381) -- Sci Fi HD (Ch. 122)
-- Cinemax HD West (Ch. 380) -- Smithsonian HD (Ch. 374)
-- Comcast Sports Network Bay Area HD (Ch 419)* -- Tennis Channel HD (Ch. 400)
-- Toon Disney HD (Ch. 174)
-- Comcast Sports Network New England HD (Ch 435)* -- Travel Channel HD (Ch. 215)
-- USA HD (Ch. 105)
-- CNBC HD (Ch. 208) -- Weather Channel HD (Ch. 214)
-- CNN HD (Ch. 200) -- World Fishing Network HD (Ch. 396)

On Brighthouse hdnet 781 picture constantly pixilating. Is this normal for anyone else? Also tnt and espn2 not as bad as hdnet

Same for me. I noticed this Friday night while trying to watch Fargo. May be unrelated, but I am also having a lot of trouble with my VOIP phone line (which is not through Brighthouse, but through VoicePulse).

Dish will add 22 new Hd this week(USA, SciFi and CNN already launched). See their press release at satelliteguys.us. Here's what they're launching:

-- ABC Family HD (DISH Network Ch 180 -- Disney HD East (Ch. 172)
-- ESPNews HD (Ch. 142)
-- Biography HD (Ch. 119) -- Hallmark Movie Channel HD (Ch 187)
-- Bravo HD (Ch. 129)
-- Cartoon HD (Ch. 176) -- MGM HD (Ch. 385)
-- Cinemax 5 Star (Ch. 381) -- Sci Fi HD (Ch. 122)
-- Cinemax HD West (Ch. 380) -- Smithsonian HD (Ch. 374)
-- Comcast Sports Network Bay Area HD (Ch 419)* -- Tennis Channel HD (Ch. 400)
-- Toon Disney HD (Ch. 174)
-- Comcast Sports Network New England HD (Ch 435)* -- Travel Channel HD (Ch. 215)
-- USA HD (Ch. 105)
-- CNBC HD (Ch. 208) -- Weather Channel HD (Ch. 214)
-- CNN HD (Ch. 200) -- World Fishing Network HD (Ch. 396)

All of them are now on. Can't believe they added them all at once. Go DISH.:) (all but the two Comcast, will be added wens)

No Speed HD :confused:

No Fox News in HD either.. Boo Hiss.. we want Julie Banderas in HD! :D

No Fox News in HD either.. Boo Hiss.. we want Julie Banderas in HD! :D

Dish is involved in a lawsuit with Newscorp. No Fox News, Fox Business News, FX, Fuel or Speed HD for a while. Fox News isn't in HD yet. Directv has the rest. Dish will launch WGN, 2 Showtimes, MoJo and TMC HD soon.

I noticed over the weekend that Bright House now has the Peachtree channel showing up in my TiVo Series 3 guide. It is Channel 697. On Saturday, a color test pattern was displayed with this message overlaid: "BRAVESVISION". I have a feeling we won't be getting the Peachtree feed, but, instead, will receive Braves games only. My brother lives in Phenix City and says this is what they are receiving. According to the Peachtree website, all Braves games they show will be in HD.

I noticed over the weekend that Bright House now has the Peachtree channel showing up in my TiVo Series 3 guide. It is Channel 697. On Saturday, a color test pattern was displayed with this message overlaid: "BRAVESVISION". I have a feeling we won't be getting the Peachtree feed, but, instead, will receive Braves games only. My brother lives in Phenix City and says this is what they are receiving. According to the Peachtree website, all Braves games they show will be in HD.

You'd be correct in your feeling about "BRAVESVISION". That's how we see it via Charter in Western NC. This is even with the EPG has other shows and movies that air on Peachtree TV shown as airing on the channel even though they don't.

How does Battlestar Galactica look on Dish HD??

. Fox News isn't in HD yet. .

Oh really? You may want to do a little research in other areas of this forum.;)

Plus, I have seen the HD feed of FOX News, With Julie. Nice......

I want my fox HD

Does anyone have lipsync problems with any of these local channels? Any reason why the HD version has problems, but not the SD version? I am decoding through QAM, no STB, and WSFA continually has a problem (I don't watch a whole lot of the other local channels, but I have noticed it before while channel surfing). It's annoying enough that I usually go back to the SD channel.

I have had this problem on mostly abc tv 32 during primetime.

Does anyone have lipsync problems with any of these local channels? Any reason why the HD version has problems, but not the SD version? I am decoding through QAM, no STB, and WSFA continually has a problem (I don't watch a whole lot of the other local channels, but I have noticed it before while channel surfing). It's annoying enough that I usually go back to the SD channel.

As I understand it, that's a problem that can crop up in the digital transmission sometimes. It could be a result of your tuner not de-multiplexing the stream properly, which can usually be solved by changing to another channel and back. It may also come from a station whose MPEG encoding equipment isn't set up right or has a 'hiccup'. Is that about right, Bob or Russ?

During the multiplexing process of an MPEG-2 Transport Stream, the audio stream is timestamped with the video stream so the decoder/demuxer knows how to re-assemble the stream where the audio and video will play in sync on your TV (or other device). If done properly, the audio and video will always play in sync. There is an option to slip the audio/video sync in the multiplexer which can be adjusted to make up for any video or audio lag introduced by an encoder, and if that has an incorrect value, it will also cause A/V sync issues.

Perhaps as DTV matures, we will see more refined systems providing better control over this and other issues, just as we've seen in other technologies.

On a side note, I've noticed at times that WSFA's analog news broadcasts have had A/V sync issues, ranging from a couple of frames to 10-12 frames off. Some of it from live remote trucks (It looks/sounds like they're using digital microwave now), and the not-as-off sync from the studio.

Tim

As I understand it, that's a problem that can crop up in the digital transmission sometimes. It could be a result of your tuner not de-multiplexing the stream properly, which can usually be solved by changing to another channel and back. It may also come from a station whose MPEG encoding equipment isn't set up right or has a 'hiccup'. Is that about right, Bob or Russ?

During the multiplexing process of an MPEG-2 Transport Stream, the audio stream is timestamped with the video stream so the decoder/demuxer knows how to re-assemble the stream where the audio and video will play in sync on your TV (or other device). If done properly, the audio and video will always play in sync. There is an option to slip the audio/video sync in the multiplexer which can be adjusted to make up for any video or audio lag introduced by an encoder, and if that has an incorrect value, it will also cause A/V sync issues.

Perhaps as DTV matures, we will see more refined systems providing better control over this and other issues, just as we've seen in other technologies.

On a side note, I've noticed at times that WSFA's analog news broadcasts have had A/V sync issues, ranging from a couple of frames to 10-12 frames off. Some of it from live remote trucks (It looks/sounds like they're using digital microwave now), and the not-as-off sync from the studio.

Tim

There are a lot of possible causes for lip sync errors, and the issues can be before the transmit equipment, or in or past the receive equipment. It is not uncommon for the audio and video to be processed separately before it gets muxed into the transport stream, and if it is processed separately, care must be taken to make sure that they audio and video are both delayed by the same amount during processing. Another problem is on the receive end...for example, if you take the digital audio out of a DTV receiver and send it to an A/V receiver, and you take the video out from the DTV receiver and send it to a display, you may create a lip sync issue, since most displays have to do video processing and scaling before the video is displayed. The video processing typically takes more time and just converting the digital audio to analog, so unless you compensate for it by delaying the audio, the video can lag behind the audio. As Tim mentioned, another possibility is that the MPEG decoder may not sync the audio and video properly.

I don't watch any NBC programming right now, but I do watch Lost on ABC, and the lip sync on WNCF is so bad that I won't watch it if I have a choice. I haven't captured the transport stream to verify, but it seems to me that the video is actually ahead of the audio. I am able to delay the audio, but I have never been able to get the audio and video in sync. Unfortunately, I have no easy way to delay the video.

Based on what I've read, this is a problem in many areas, so we are not alone here in Montgomery.

Russ

With proper system design, along with correct dolby and mpeg encoder setup, lip sync should not normally be an issue. Yes, at time it may be off during live programming, etc..due to issues that Russ mentioned. We don;t have those problems here at WCCB-WOLO, and as far as I know WAKA's is usually correct.

I am not saying it is waka but I notice it mainly there. It is just a tiny bit off and I notice it on most of my DVR recordings. I go to sleep so early now,if I can remember to check OTA and then Brighthouse I may be able to see if it is cable or could be my setup. The one thing I wish we could fix is when the locals come back from network the sound is entirely to loud.

The one thing I wish we could fix is when the locals come back from network the sound is entirely to loud.

If you're talking about the sound on say Millionaire on WNCF, for example, being louder than Lost on ABC, or the local commercials inserted into the ABC/CBS/NBC/Fox network shows, then that's a simple fix at the station. In addition, the new Dolby Volume technology will bring a whole new level of consistent loudness to DTV, but will be a while before we see it used in broadcasts and built into consumer products.

Tim

, then that's a simple fix at the station. Tim


Umm, No, It's not that simple.Believe me, If it were it would be fixed.

Well, I wasn't complete with my comment - a little too quick with not enough words. Of course, commercials will almost always be perceived as being louder than programs, since their dynamic range is squeezed much closer towards the Dialnorm level as opposed to the wider dynamics of programs - especially dramas. Also, Dolby Digital 2.0 audio may sometimes appear louder than Dolby Digital 5.1 audio, and that can be another source for level differences. But, by using a Dolby LM100 or similar device, differences in levels between Local and Network (and between DD programs and even from DD commercial to DD commercial) can be reduced to a minimum or even eliminated. At home, if you are listening through a non-stripped-down Dolby Digital decoder (i.e. A/V receiver), you can enable the Dynamic Range Compression mode (also called Midnight mode, or similar), which will make the soft parts play louder and the loud parts play softer (the metadata in the AC-3 stream tells the decoder how much compression to apply). If (H)DTV sets have Dolby Digital decoders with DRC enabled, they may apply this by default (or without exception).

A good read about DTV loudness levels - albeit a bit technical - is here (http://www.orban.com/support/orban/techtopics/dtv_bull.php), and authored by Bob Orban. Also, the Dolby white papers on the Dynamic Range Control and Dialogue Normalization functions of Dolby Digital are available at Dolby.com.

Umm, No, It's not that simple.Believe me, If it were it would be fixed.

Bob- Wouldn't proper audio level settings on the audio processor and proper Dialnorm settings on the Dolby processor provide for even loudness between Network and Local (and overall even levels), taking into account the fundamental differences between commercials and programs like dramas? I understand there's always going to be those that "slip through the cracks," however, and there aren't many things that are as good as they are on paper. ;)

Didn't want to go too deep on this forum, but maybe I did a bit. :confused:

Tim

thanks for the info .Very interesting.

Didn't want to go too deep on this forum, but maybe I did a bit. :confused:Tim

Yep, it's a bit involved for here, and while folks can write papers all day long, which folks like you can read; daily, hands on practice in the real world has shown that keeping the metadata matched to audio is virtually impossible. CBS finally admitted that at the engineering meeting this year.One other network admitted there is an overall audio problem to me in a private meeting.

I have the LM100, all the white papers, and other Dolby test gear.I work closely with one network on DD audio and their implementation.... and have for years. Theory is nice, but doesn't do any good if the real world can't in practice follow the rules. Nightmode helps, but few TV's have this feature enabled. None of the CECB coupon boxes I have seen do either.

This will be a real issue once analog is shutoff and DTV gets real penetration.

Hey guys, are you saying that the feature know as "steady sound" (or such) doesn't really work with digital audio?

I'm helping a couple select a new TV and in a meeting yesterday they found loud commercials to be a big problem. So a steady sound set wouldn't help?

Does anyone know what channels are in "the clear" for Charter in Dadeville/Lake Martin area?

thanks

Hey guys, are you saying that the feature know as "steady sound" (or such) doesn't really work with digital audio?

That's not the same as Dolby's Nightmode..Steady sound usually refers to the
TV doing compression on the audio to level everything up.I don't know how well it works on some sets,my Mits has it and it doesn't do much.

Be wary of using the SRS surround settings with digital TV's and their internal speakers. SRS doesn't work well with Upmixed (simulated,faked,aspartame,margarine,etc..) 5.1.. Dancing with the Stars is a good example of Upmixed 5.1 that SRS really screws up.

I just got back from a friends house. He had recently bought an HDTV (LCD).
He has D* and to get the local channels he just has the clip-on type antenna that just attaches to the dish. He said the only digital channels he could get were 12 and 20. I thought the 20 he was getting was the analog channel because of 16 digitals low power. When I was over at his house he showed me what he was getting and he was getting WCOV digital mapped to 20-1. He lives in the Millbrook area on Mercer Road off of Politic Rd. He doesn't get WNCF or PBS but he does get the lowest power digital transmission in the area. I have a
long range directional antenna and still have problems with WCOV at times so I thought it wierd that he was getting WCOV digital with just the dish clip-on antenna. He is still going to get a better antenna so he can get the other digital off-air channels. No question here, I just thought it was a little wierd.
I quess antennas are a little like real estate: location, location, location. Stan

Just got my companion tuner AM21 for the HR21 Directv HD DVR.

So far so good. Picking up everything.

maybe you're getting signal overload where you are with a highly directional antenna; this could be true especially if you're using a pre-amp. I'm from Montgomery so am familiar with the stations there. I think 20 is south of Montgomery near 12 aren't they? I kow they used to use that tower on WCOV Lane or Adrian Lane (whatever its called these days) and changed to another location if I'm not mistaken.

Does anyone have the in the clear digital channels for Montgomery's Charter Cable TV service.

You could be right about overload since I am using a pre-amp (although others in this area have complained about WCOV and its low power). To my understanding right now the digital transmitter is on a tower on Woodley Road in Montgomery. I believe they plan to move to the WSFA tower in February.

Does anyone have the in the clear digital channels for Montgomery's Charter Cable TV service.

My parents have Charter in Lake Forest. You only get the 4 locals. Charter at the lake has the four locals plus PBS, ESPN1 and ESPN2. It's strange that they are different.

For Montgoery Charter, do you have the channel numbers?

The charter numbers are in the upper 80s lower 90s. It's been a while since I looked at them. There were a ton of music channels too.
Unless they have made changes there was quite a bit of stuff in the clear. Including PPV.
101.9 or 100.9 comes to mind. :D

I kow they used to use that tower on WCOV Lane or Adrian Lane (whatever its called these days) and changed to another location if I'm not mistaken.

They are still there on a 800' tower.

Anyone notice WCOV's new news at 9?
It's subbed out to WSFA in case you didn't notice. Looks like there may be a partnership or buyout in the works since Woods is preoccupied with running for Congress.

For Montgoery Charter, do you have the channel numbers?

I'll ask my parents tonight and post them.

Edit: My mom already knew the HD locals.

90.5 CBS(WAKA)

90.8 FOX(WCOV)

93.1 ABC(WNCF)

93.2 NBC(WSFA)

Let me know if you need the digitals too.

jason

thanks

I'm having Brigthouse install digital phone and high speed internet in two weeks. I'm fed up with AT&T. They constantly lie and add charges without permission. Do any of ya'll have these services? If you do, what do you think? I'm not getting cable from them because I already have Dish. However, is it still possible to get clear QAM channels even though I only get phone and net? I think the answer is "no" because I won't even have basic cable from BH. Thanks.

I guess the question for one of the cable experts is if you have cable internet and telephone, will the cable channels broadcast in the clear be scrambled.

Of course you have the moral question of thief of service that should be considered as well.

If they don't put a trap on the line then yes you can get it.

Ask the tech and slip him a twenty. :D

If his name is David Holliday tell him I said for his non returnin phone call ass to kiss my big old fat white hairy ass. :D

Thanks for the input. I'll do a channel scan and see what I get. I won't do anything illegal though. The line will only be running to my office. My antenna and Dish run to the living room. When i lived in Montgomery Knology gave us extended basic when we only paid for basic to get the internet. We told them about this and they said they would fix it. They never did. I think at that point you're within your rights to use the "free" services.

Taped NCIS last night since we were going to be out. Came home to watch and low and behold.....WEATHER MAP. Went on line this morning to make sure that CBS web site had the last episode on the site. The last episode was there in HD and no commercials. Deleted the one I taped . I will no longer watch NCIS or Criminal minds on local CBS station. WAKA and WSFA just don't understand. Run by morons. My wife taped Dancing with stars..no maps.

Taped NCIS last night since we were going to be out. Came home to watch and low and behold.....WEATHER MAP. Went on line this morning to make sure that CBS web site had the last episode on the site. The last episode was there in HD and no commercials. Deleted the one I taped . I will no longer watch NCIS or Criminal minds on local CBS station. WAKA and WSFA just don't understand. Run by morons. My wife taped Dancing with stars..no maps.

We don't do that on HD (yet). Not sure what you were watching, but I was watching all 2 hours of NCIS in HD with no maps (except the FCC MANDATORY announcement of the DTV switch which, when it runs, displays the SD feed...and it had the map in the corner since that was on the SD feed...but that lasted all of 1 minute). If you were taping the SD feed, you really need to step up and record the HD. That's what I would do, anyway.

We don't do that on HD (yet). Not sure what you were watching, but I was watching all 2 hours of NCIS in HD with no maps (except the FCC MANDATORY announcement of the DTV switch which, when it runs, displays the SD feed...and it had the map in the corner since that was on the SD feed...but that lasted all of 1 minute). If you were taping the SD feed, you really need to step up and record the HD. That's what I would do, anyway.

I really don't give a damn what you would do. Wife taped Dancing in HD so I taped NCIS in SD. MAP is on NOW with no rain in Alabama. Keep screwing up WAKA.

Wife taped Dancing in HD so I taped NCIS in SD. .

Guess we know who runs the house..:)

Guess we know who runs the house..:)

I chose what got the HD treatment...The lady dancers have to be seen in HD :)

I chose what got the HD treatment...The lady dancers have to be seen in HD :)

:D:D:D Yea. me too.. :)

Come on Grandpa,
It's not that big a deal. Just enjoy what you got. Life is too short. My favorite station is tv8 and for me the HD picture and sound are better than anything out there. There are a few bumps like growing pains here and there but at least tv8 has always been there and responds when they do have problems. Thank you again TV-8. This has not been a paid announcement
Can' we all get along?

Taped NCIS last night since we were going to be out. Came home to watch and low and behold.....WEATHER MAP. Went on line this morning to make sure that CBS web site had the last episode on the site. The last episode was there in HD and no commercials. Deleted the one I taped . I will no longer watch NCIS or Criminal minds on local CBS station. WAKA and WSFA just don't understand. Run by morons. My wife taped Dancing with stars..no maps.


Sounds like you screwed it up. No problem here recording NCIS in HD. The 2 hours season end.

How are you getting your signal? cable, satellite, OTA?

Man I guess the time was off on the Electronic guide on Dish last night.
I recorded American Idol last night and the show ended just as Ryan was opening his mouth to say the winner. :D

Talk about being hung out to dry!

Man I guess the time was off on the Electronic guide on Dish last night.
I recorded American Idol last night and the show ended just as Ryan was opening his mouth to say the winner. :D!

AI Ran 6 minutes long last night.. EPG is not yet "Live" like the programs are.

Jason,

Did you get those channel numbers last night?

Jason,

Did you get those channel numbers last night?

I only got the HD:

90.5 CBS(WAKA)

90.8 FOX(WCOV)

93.1 ABC(WNCF)

93.2 NBC(WSFA)

I'll try to see if they get anything else other than the music channels.

I only got the HD:

90.5 CBS(WAKA)

90.8 FOX(WCOV)

93.1 ABC(WNCF)

93.2 NBC(WSFA)

I'll try to see if they get anything else other than the music channels.

Very much appreciated.

So any word on if Knology will be adding anymore HD Channels to their line up?

Sounds like you screwed it up. No problem here recording NCIS in HD. The 2 hours season end.

How are you getting your signal? cable, satellite, OTA?

Maybe I did screw up, please let me know how to do it right.

I have DISH satellite service, with a VIP622 DVR. The SATs are hooked into the DVR into one input. It uses a splitter so you can hook up two TVS, one HD tv and one SD TV. My HD TV is in the living room and the sd set is in the den. There is one more input so you can attach a OTA antenna to it. I have a DB 8 antenna outside. Since DISH does not broadcast our local channels in HD I have to use OTA.

I can tape two programs at the same time, One on TV1(HD) and one on TV2(SD). Since two programs were being shown at the same time please, how do I tape two HD programs at the same time with my setup.

GT you can record 2 HD channels at once.
However since both of your sources were OTA and there is only one Dish tuner you can only record one.

That's one nice thing about the new Direct AM21. It has 2 OTA tuners inside.

Sure is quiet around here. :confused:

Come on Grandpa,
There are a few bumps like growing pains here and there but at least tv8 has always been there and responds when they do have problems.

They have had these so called "growing pains" for four years now. You call that "quick to respond"?

GP is right. WAKA & WSFA need to quit trying to compete with each other in terms of how many maps and screen real estate they use. The reason people watch TV is to enjoy the programming--not watch logos and maps.

Factoring out the camera-hogging weather teams, I would rank WSFA & WAKA the best with regards to their HD signals and availability. WNCF would come in third, but only because of their current audio syncing problems (if that were fixed, they would be first). WCOV is dead last because they are incapable of ensuring the HD feed is switched back on after commercials.

WAKA & WSFA need to quit trying to compete with each ..

It's just a weather weenie pecker contest.. nothing more..One just can't be outdone by the other.. the same thing happens in many markets .:D

Anyone on Brighthouse watching tnt please let me know if your picture is tiling or breaking up. They came to the house Wed, and said it was ok even though it was doing it some. This weekend unwatchable.They swapped my DVR, LOST ALL MY SHOWS,but no changein problem. Happy Memorial day to all

Knology will supposedly be adding the following channels "Soon" to their HD Package:

Cinemax
Discovery
FSN
golf
Versus
National Geographic
QVC
Science channel
Showtime
TBS
TLC
Gospel

Wow,
Better late then never.

QVC-HD! GOSPEL-HD! I'm so excited! We want SCI-FI HD, WGN-HD, USA-HD, FX-HD, Sports South-HD. Are you listening KNOLOGY?

The cable industry is so far out in left field it's down right comical.

QVC-HD! GOSPEL-HD! I'm so excited! We want SCI-FI HD, WGN-HD, USA-HD, FX-HD, Sports South-HD. Are you listening KNOLOGY?

Tell me about it. I asked if the Science channel was Sci FI channel, but the tech didn't know.

The cable industry is so far out in left field it's down right comical.

Yeah, they seemed to not care about competing with Satellite HD offerings.

I imagine that Cinemax and Showtime will be put on the paid HD movie channels package and that will probably go up with the new channels.

TBS, Discovery, National Geographic, and TLC might be neat in HD, but I doubt that the new channels will add all that much to my viewing habits.

I only got the HD:

90.5 CBS(WAKA)

90.8 FOX(WCOV)

93.1 ABC(WNCF)

93.2 NBC(WSFA)

I'll try to see if they get anything else other than the music channels.



Thought I'd post something very unusual about Charter's in the clear channels.

This is at a couple's home where I was helping get their two TVs set up. A Panasonic Plasma in the den and a Sharp LCD in the study. Both sets have cable wired directly to the antenna/cable input...in other words, no DVR or cablebox.

The Panasonic Plasma in their living room, tuned the channels as Jason listed.

The Sharp LCD on the other hand, found the stations on the channel scan during setup, but the channel numbers were different. Both sets hooked up to Charter.

On the Sharp LCD, the stations are:

90.1 CBS
90.3 Fox
93.3 ABC
93.1 NBC

Would any of our "really smart people" like to hazard a guess as to how this happens?

Would any of our "really smart people" like to hazard a guess as to how this happens?

I probably don't fall in the Smart category but I would hazard to guess a junk TV.

Sharp aint very far from a Vizio or Westinghouse.

Sharp aint very far from a Vizio or Westinghouse.

I call them "dull". I am demo'ing a westy now.. It's not a bad set. Not sure I put much faith in the long-term reliability of any of the three mentioned tho

Tier 1's
Throw away.

Tier 2
Panny, LG, Pioneer, Sony.

Tier 3

Elite, Runco, .............

Thought I'd post something very unusual about Charter's in the clear channels.

This is at a couple's home where I was helping get their two TVs set up. A Panasonic Plasma in the den and a Sharp LCD in the study. Both sets have cable wired directly to the antenna/cable input...in other words, no DVR or cablebox.

The Panasonic Plasma in their living room, tuned the channels as Jason listed.

The Sharp LCD on the other hand, found the stations on the channel scan during setup, but the channel numbers were different. Both sets hooked up to Charter.

On the Sharp LCD, the stations are:

90.1 CBS
90.3 Fox
93.3 ABC
93.1 NBC

Would any of our "really smart people" like to hazard a guess as to how this happens?

That is odd. Maybe the Sharp maps channels differently. The channels available through clear QAM are not even consistent with Charter. At my parent's lake house on lake martin near Dadeville they get the B'ham locals plus ESPN and ESPN2. My parents use an LG 42" 1080P for Montgomery Charter. They have the same LG 42" and a Vizio 32" in other rooms and the channels assignments are the same.

Tier 2 Panny, LG, Pioneer, Sony......

Have these here: (65,50 & 37")

http://www.panasonic.com/business/plasma/plasmas.asp

This is in our #2 showroom.
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Products/HomeEntertainment/PlasmaTVs+Monitors/EliteTVs/ci.PRO-110FD.Kuro

This is in our #1 room

http://runco.com/vx-22d.html

I asked for this for my Birthday. :D

http://runco.com/xp-103dhd.html

Scott,

Where's your showroom?


That Runco is 103". Should I ask how much?

We all should be ashamed of ourselves.Some folks here can't get FOX OTA and we're talking about expensive dispalays. :D

Scott,

Where's your showroom?


That Runco is 103". Should I ask how much?

Jim until recently I was at Interscapes but moved on to bigger and better things.


Yea I just called a friend to see what that Runco is going for. He ventured to guess it was over 100k.

Found this

Runco's 103-inch XP-103DHD plasma gets price, ship date

by Darren Murph, posted Sep 27th 2007 at 12:31PM
Nary a month after Hitachi unveiled a 103-inch plasma of its own to take on Panasonic's beast, Runco is getting even more official about its own iteration that first surfaced at CEDIA. The CinemaWall XP-103DHD features a native 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, a 5,000:1 contrast ratio, provides ISF calibration modes and includes an HDCP-compliant DVI port. Additionally, its next-generation DHD Digital controller incorporates the firm's ViVix II digital video processing technology, which is said to provide "premium aspect ratio control" and prevent "double scaling." Of course, most of us will be lusting after this from afar -- unless you've no qualms with coughing up the $99,995 required to toss this under the tree when it lands in December, that is.

We all should be ashamed of ourselves.Some folks here can't get FOX OTA and we're talking about expensive dispalays. :D

WCOV seems to be running out the clock. The FCC denied their request to stay on 20 (so they could use their existing analog setup at Grady) and they have been quiet since.

WCOV seems to be running out the clock. The FCC denied their request to stay on 20 (so they could use their existing analog setup at Grady) and they have been quiet since.

Well.. could we see FOX on a WAKA subchannel like some other stations have
done? :eek:

You think they've even thought of it?

Found this

Wouldn't a really good projector be just as nice as that at a tenth of the price?

Wouldn't a really good projector be just as nice as that at a tenth of the price?

Rear or Front projection will never touch the vibrant colors of Plasma or LCD.

Well.. could we see FOX on a WAKA subchannel like some other stations have
done? :eek:

wow...I could think of 2 people on this thread who might like that. Then one post could cover complaints for 2 stations ! :D

WLTZ-TV, the NBC affiliate in Columbus, Georgia, has begun broadcasting its local news programs in High-Definition.

That's according to an article by the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer.

The station, which serves both Georgia and Alabama viewers, switched to HD news last week, making it the first in the area to do so, the newspaper reported.

Must not be part of the Raycom Media group.
Montgomery market isn't even on the radar screen yet let alone a smaller market like Columbus.

Hahahahaah

Must not be part of the Raycom Media group.
Montgomery market isn't even on the radar screen yet let alone a smaller market like Columbus.

You might see something by the end of the year for the 'gump.

Must not be part of the Raycom Media group.
Montgomery market isn't even on the radar screen yet let alone a smaller market like Columbus.

Now, now. You have to give them credit, they spend a lot of money on news coverage. WAKA has a Montgomery Newsroom, a South Alabama news room, and a West Alabama newsroom. Must cost mucho to keep that many folks employed.

List of Raycom stations.
http://www.raycommedia.com/stationlist/

Knology will supposedly be adding the following channels "Soon" to their HD Package:

Cinemax
Discovery
FSN
golf
Versus
National Geographic
QVC
Science channel
Showtime
TBS
TLC
Gospel


"Soon" turns out to be June 24th. I got a letter in the mail from them yesterday about this. I might have to get the HD Movie package then now that they will have Stars, HBO, Cinemax, and Showtime.

Does anybody know why WNCF has not fixed the video/audio synching problem for their OTA feed? I don't think it is on my end as I have re-scanned the channels and the fact that it does not happen on any other channel.

As I type, I notice the local commercials are not out-of-synch. It must be just their HD feed from ABC.

Does anybody know why WNCF has not fixed the video/audio synching problem for their OTA feed? I don't think it is on my end as I have re-scanned the channels and the fact that it does not happen on any other channel.

As I type, I notice the local commercials are not out-of-synch. It must be just their HD feed from ABC.

No sync problem here

Where did WSFA-HD go? It has been gone since last night.

Where did WSFA-HD go? It has been gone since last night.


That would be WSFA DT. Not to be confused with High Definition.
And yes it appears their Digital Transmission is down. I have zero signal strength and usually have 98%

WSFA-DT is still down which is fine by me, however just wait till after the FEB switchover when stations don't have analog. I bet they want wait till the weekend is over to fix it. It seems the DT goes down a lot more than the analog signal and people will be pissed because they want have analog to fallback on.

Most stations, including WAKA, don't have 100% complete redundancy for digital transmission. WAKA does have spares, but they are here and shared between all 5 stations.:o

Not a good situation from the industry as a whole standpoint.:mad:

I can't believe WSFA has been down for all weekend and now still down on Monday.

From their website:

WSFA 12 Programming Alert: Technical Difficulties with Our Digital Television Channels

Posted: June 9, 2008 03:31 PM

Updated: June 9, 2008 03:31 PM

Due to technical difficulties, WSFA DT channels 12.1, 12.2 and 12.3 are not on the air at this time.

This includes our HD signal, Weather Plus and the Retro Television Network.

WSFA-TV is working on having these channels back on the air as soon as possible, and we apologize for any inconvenience.

WSFA-TV Management

Just 6 more days until we get new HD channels from Knology!

I'd be happy with one from Bright House....namely WCOV.

I wonder what time tomorrow these channels will be added?

Hello all--new to the board.

I'm a Knology bundle subscriber and pay for digital cable + HD. I am considering a little TV tuner device for my Mac to allow me to create a little PVR setup.

Can anyone out there confirm the stations here in Montgomery that are Clear QAM on Knology? I assume the local HDs coming through the cable are clear. What about TNT HD--or Universal, HDNet, HDMovies, ESPNHD, etc? And what about the "regular" digital channels like Sci-Fi, or CNN for instance?

I'd also be interested what--if any--of the new HD channels (tomorrow) are clear.

thanks for the help--enjoying the discussion.

scottiep

Checked last night with my QAM tuner and just the basic channels 2-78 along with HD locals in the clear. Now and then they will add/delete others for awhile. Once they had 2 PPV's in the clear for about a month so I keep checking every once and awhile.

terrific--thanks.

So the only HD in the clear are the locals? No ESPNHD, HDNet, etc?

They used to have HDNET movies but I haven't checked in a while.

Also, has anyone checked this morning to see if the new channels were there?

at lunch time I watched a little Nat'l Geographic HD. FSNHD had a test pattern, I think QVCHD may have had something, TBSHD had a sitcom stretched to fit.

Saw no channels yet for TLCHD or Golf/VS or that Science thing.

May take some time--I am glad they are rolling out more HD. I've been feeling lately that I wasn't getting much "bang for my buck."

Cool! I can't wait to get home tonight and see what they have by then!

QVCHD?
Oh thats what I neeed. :rolleyes:

Hey, that actually looked pretty good in HD. :)

TBS looked neat, but all I watched was an episode of Family Guy.

Just have a quick question.

I'm picking up my locals from Montgomery with an OTA. Everything works great most of the time. WAKA is a bit weaker than the rest, but I usually have no problems if the weather is OK.

The one problem I do have is with WCOV. Signal strength most of the time is around 80 to 90. But as of late, it keeps dipping to between 50 and 70. No weather issues, no changes that I know of. Got a great signal all through the spring. Now, half the shows are pixelated and it's driving me crazy.

Any ideas?

Dog

Where are you located and what kind of a antenna are you using?

Anyone else checking out the new channels?

QVCHD? Oh thats what I neeed. :rolleyes:

It's not for you. It's for Wifey. :D

Checked them out and they don't look bad. I think Showtime HD looks the best for now. So when does FSN HD broadcast anything? It now shows off the air. Also on Knology website channel lineup it shows FSN HD/SPORTSSOUTH HD. Hope to get some baseball in HD from these.

Over here in Wetumpka, Brighthouse and their subcontractors are putting conduit into the ground. The worker (only one sitting in the shade) said that they were hired to run conduit.

Since my picture quality has been pretty good, I'm just wondering if they're preparing to upgrade the cable to something that would carry more HD channels. Maybe SDV?

Anyone know?

Isn't it a shame, that FOX is not showing the MLB game in HD?

The Galaxy 26 satellite that CBS uses to distribute HD programming to some stations (including WAKA) is having technical problems. CBS has moved the programming to a backup satellite, but we are using a smaller dish for that satellite, so our signal is not as strong. Since we have a weaker signal, it's more likely that we will experience fades or dropouts. If we experience dropouts, we will probably switch back to the CBS SD feed until this problem is resolved.

We just wanted to make everyone here aware of what's going on in case you notice problems.

Thanks,
Russ

I have noticed that WSFA when running a crawl remains in HD. Yeah! Thanks!

Watch my 1st HD baseball on new Knology TBS-HD AND FSN-HD this week and it looks like ESPN-HD has them beat for overall picture.

Watch my 1st HD baseball on new Knology TBS-HD AND FSN-HD this week and it looks like ESPN-HD has them beat for overall picture.

being able to flip between 2 (gasp) ball games in HD was nice though. Watching the grow'd up Biscuits win and the Braves lose in HD was fun.

From Brighthouse's Elmore Site:

New HD Channels Coming August 1st!

Bright House Networks is please to announce the addition of six new high definition channels to the Elmore and Maxwell/Gunter channel lineups. We will be adding the following HD channels on August 1, 2008:

* TLC HD (The Learning Channel)
* Discovery Channel HD
* National Geographic HD
* HGTV HD
* Food HD
* MGM HD

We hope you enjoy these additional HD channels. They will be available at no extra charge if you have Digital Cable with an HD SmartBox that is connected to an HDTV-capable television.

New HD channels not available in the Greenville/Ft. Deposit/Georgiana service areas.


About time!

....what's an HD SmartBox?

WOOPIE! What no fox? Oh my god. The food Network in HD? Be still my heart

The food Network in HD? Be still my heart


FOOD-HD is a BAD,BAD,BAD thing. You end up watching all those cooking shows in HD after dinner and end up in the frig before 9pm. My wife tells me that is partly why I am out of shape. I tell her I am not, that round is a shape. :p

FOOD-HD is a BAD,BAD,BAD thing. You end up watching all those cooking shows in HD after dinner and end up in the frig before 9pm. My wife tells me that is partly why I am out of shape. I tell her I am not, that round is a shape. :p

Ummm...maybe it's just me, but I don't exactly watch Food Network for the food, if ya know what I mean. Giada and Sandra Lee in HD...yummy!

Ummm...maybe it's just me, but I don't exactly watch Food Network for the food, if ya know what I mean. Giada and Sandra Lee in HD...yummy!


yea, but I can't tell Wifey that!:)

Ummm...maybe it's just me, but I don't exactly watch Food Network for the food, if ya know what I mean. Giada and Sandra Lee in HD...yummy!


Nice dishes. :D

Whats a SMART BOX.
I hope it is my DVR. I can't hook very much more up. No room

Charles

It the motorola DVR that's currently being used.

I googled it after I posted.

I'll be upgrading my subwoofer when the BMF-1 comes out. Time wise, probably between September and December (this year...we hope).

sounds great.We do watch food network. We have done several of there reciepies. We watch DINERS, PAULA DEAN, AND BOBBY FLAY, also Guy's big bite. Let me know when you have your yard sale for old electronics. The sub you gave me is still going strong. My 65 inch Mitsibishi DLP is still beautiful especially using Blue Ray.No problem with bulb yet. Over 3534 hours. "Big, bad subwoofer. This thing is huge with a sound to match. I'll let you figure out what "BMF" stands for." WOW WOW WOW! It's a good thing you have a big house.

TLC HD - Channel 306
Discovery Channel HD - Channel 307
National Geographic HD - Channel 308
HGTV HD - Channel 309
Food HD - Channel 310
MGM HD - Channel 784
August 1, 2008, We still need more!

DISH NETWORK® MEETS 100 HD CHANNEL MARK AHEAD OF SCHEDULE; ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF 17 MORE NATIONAL HD CHANNELS


Introduces Industry-First TurboHD, the Only 100% HD Service, Available August 1

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=132897

Scott,

Looks like a lot of confusion as to what's included with what package with the general opinion that prices are going up 75%.

It looks like the $29.99 all HD package is going away. Might be a good time to get it with a 24 month committment if its still available.


......aaargh. Looks like the HD only package for $29.99 is gone. Looks like I waited too long. blah.

It's been a while since we have seen any new HD from Charter.... but some new channels are coming. Just got a mailer that announces 6 new channels starting on Aug. 5.

DISCOVERY HD
TLD DH
WE HD
AMC HD
IFC HD
FUSE HD

Some interesting choices. Happy about Discovery and TLC. I have never seen IFC. Also, not sure why there is even a need for AMC HD. Nothing but classic movies.

My wish list is still for National Geographic HD, CNN HD, and HD NET.

They are also doing a MASSIVE channel lineup change. Just about every channel (standard and HD) are moving to a new number.

Just glad to see some new HD though with Charter. I had a Charter employee tell me to look for 10 new channels before Christmas. Not sure if that includes these 6.

Wow Charter is on the cutting edge eh? :D

I wish for USA HD. They have some new good shows

SCI-FI HD is #1 on my list. I emailed Knology and I'm sure they are hot on it.

Not as fast as Brighthouse! LOL

Not as fast as Brighthouse! LOL

Maybe Brighthouse is trying to help. If the whole "Fox in HD thing" takes off, people might actually watch the World Series, first half of the NASCAR season, and even a random F1 race!

:confused:

The only thing I miss about living in Montgomery is cable companies that had competition, even if they seemed to care less.

The whole notion of having FOX in HD is hopeless. Even if your local cable company picks it up, you are still subject to the station's standard operating procedures. Take today for example. The MLB game started out in HD, but after a commercial and their little "big switch to digital" crawl, they fail to switch it back to HD. So, you get the first 30 minutes in HD and the rest of the game in SD. This happens time and time again for every sport and is simply unacceptable.

On another unrelated subject, I believe the WCOV owner/head honcho is running for congress. Vote for him! His capable leadership running WCOV will probably reflect his performance as a congressman.

I just want to be able to use my DVR with fox on prime time shows. He was running but was defeated and did not make the run off election. I wish if there signal was not strong enough to serve the area , a cable company could at least use another station like(B'ham) at least for network shows.

Do any of the satellite providers give us locals in HD or just locals in general?

Depends on where you "Live" ;)

Do any of the satellite providers give us locals in HD or just locals in general?

DISH has Montgomery locals in general.

DISH has Montgomery locals in general.

When is DirecTV EVER going to add Montgomery locals?!?!?

When is DirecTV EVER going to add Montgomery locals?!?!?

I wouldn't hold my breath. We are the 118th DMA. D* is busy rolling out HD locals but it will probably be a while for us unless you can "move" to B'ham. I've tried to find something on their site but D* doesn't make announcements very far ahead of time, I did see a list over at DBS Talk of planned markets for D* in the next few months. Montgomery was not on the list. I believe D* plans to put another bird up at some point. Maybe we'll be on the radar then.

I just heard Katie Couric welcome her viewers to CBS NEWS "now in HD." WAKA must not of got the word--it is not in HD.

:-)

I just heard Katie Couric welcome her viewers to CBS NEWS "now in HD." WAKA must not of got the word--it is not in HD.

:-)
Actually, we got the word, but unfortunately whoever's in charge of HD audio at CBS didn't...there was no audio on the HD feed for the first 8 minutes of the show. After the first network break, the problem was solved and we switched to the HD feed. I missed the first half of the show because I was trying to figure out the audio problem, but apparently there were lots of technical mistakes, probably due to people getting used to new and different equipment.

I just heard Katie Couric welcome her viewers to CBS NEWS "now in HD." WAKA must not of got the word--it is not in HD.

:-)

Mistakes do happen but they got it fixed, per the engineer. The real sad thing about it is, someone is watching Katie Couric.:eek:

The real sad thing about it is, someone is watching Katie Couric.:eek:


I hear that night's ratings went down after they restored audio...:D

Ha ha...true. I usually don't watch her. But, I had it on after watching WAKA's newscast and was too lazy to switch it over to NBC.

The new HD channels that were supposed to go live tomorrow are live now. GO SHARK WEEK!

I've been playing around with the new Brighthouse channels.

Something has me scratching my head. One of the new channels is "Discovery HD".

Didn't we already have that? I remember shark week from last year?

Anyway, I went by Amcom this morning to subscribe to the Dish HD package as today's the last day I an subscribe under the $29.99 deal. That's 45 HD channels including SciFi (think Battlestar Galactica).

Has there been a recent problem with WNCFDT OTA (over the air) where their signal is lower than usual??? I've been noticing occassional dropout that I didn't have before and signal strength with the Tivo S3 seems lower too.

For anyone interested, I'm planning to replace Brighthouse with Dish Network for most my programming. I'll continue to use my Tivo Series 3 OTA for locals (including WCOV-DT). If this works as planned, I'll have all locals in HD including WCOV-DT...did I say that before :), 45 HD national Channels, upgrade my cable internet all for less money than I'm spending now. The non economic benefit is that there should be fewer problems with dropouts and freezes due to cable company signal strength variations. We'll see if the plan works out as the installer is due this afternoon.

Has there been a recent problem with WNCFDT OTA (over the air) where their signal is lower than usual??? I've been noticing occassional dropout that I didn't have before and signal strength with the Tivo S3 seems lower too.

For anyone interested, I'm planning to replace Brighthouse with Dish Network for most my programming. I'll continue to use my Tivo Series 3 OTA for locals (including WCOV-DT). If this works as planned, I'll have all locals in HD including WCOV-DT...did I say that before :), 45 HD national Channels, upgrade my cable internet all for less money than I'm spending now. The non economic benefit is that there should be fewer problems with dropouts and freezes due to cable company signal strength variations. We'll see if the plan works out as the installer is due this afternoon.

I have the same setup programming wise. I get WCOV, WNCF, APT, WAKA and WSFA digital/HD perfect over the air and Have Dish Network with 54 Additional HD channels(AT250 plus Gold HD plus Platinum HD plus Cinnexmax) The picture quality is great and Dish is adding HD like crazy lately. They added 17 new HD channels today and plan to add 36 more by the end of the year.

Jason,

I read somewhere that Dish also fully converted their HD channels to mpeg 4 (today maybe) and that picture quality is very good (in contrast to HD lite).

What's your experience.

Jason,

I read somewhere that Dish also fully converted their HD channels to mpeg 4 (today maybe) and that picture quality is very good (in contrast to HD lite).

What's your experience.

Jim:

Most Dish channels were mpeg 4 prior to today. Dish is supposed to convert the remaining mpeg2 channel(ESPN, TNT, Universal, Showtime, HDNet, HDNEt Movies) today. As far as picture quality I here it is still HD lite but it still looks good. I've had Charter and Knology and my in-laws have Brighthouse. My sister has Directv. Dish kills Charter, Brighthouse and Knology in my opinion. My parents just upgraded from Charter to Dish and were wowed by the better picture. Directv is on par with Dish. Dish is also offering 1080p video on demand as of today.

I've been playing around with the new Brighthouse channels.

Something has me scratching my head. One of the new channels is "Discovery HD".

Didn't we already have that? I remember shark week from last year?

We had Discovery HD Theater (they have random shows from Discovery, mostly the boring Sunrise Earth and a Space program from about 3 years ago.

The one they added is the HD simulcast of Discovery.

Dish is also offering 1080p video on demand as of today.

You got a link for that? I didn't know the VIP receivers were capable of 1080p

You got a link for that? I didn't know the VIP receivers were capable of 1080p
http://www.satelliteguys.us/1465697-post1.html

They were supposed to go live next Tue but I noticed that all 6 that were promised are here. We even have a bonus HD channel... I came across Animal Planet HD. Perhaps I will discover some more bonus HD! It's always good to dream. All of the channels are listed at TBA on the screen at this point.

They look good.

Also, FYI... look for WSFA to start doing local news in HD next week.

:eek:What the heck has happened with our posts.Seems like a page is missing

The AVS forum had database problems, they had to restore a backup from August 2nd.

Thanks,I had a great post but I can't remember! Senior moment.

Anyone else getting audio dropouts on the Olympics tonight?

Hi all,

I've never posted in the Montgomery DTV forum; by way of intro, I'm in Auburn and just put up an antenna for Montgomery OTA. (We're in the Columbus, Ga. DMA...I have no interest in their locals - different state, different time zone). So anyway, of course the weakest signal I get is from WCOV; only comes in at all when conditions are perfect.

I wonder if anyone knows anything new about their plans? Trolling back through this forum, I got the impression they'd been told by the FCC that they had to stick with channel 16 come February. But I see on the FCC's website, in the DTV Transition Status Report WCOV filed on 7/17/2008:

LICENCEE HAS PENDING A PETITION FOR RULEMAKING TO CHANGE ITS ASSIGNED DTV CHANNEL.

and

UPON THE GRANT OF THE PENDING RULEMAKING, LICENSEE WILL COMMENCE CONSTRUCTION OF THE DTV FACILITY AND INTENDS TO FLASH-CUT TO THE DTV FACILITY BY THE FEBRUARY 17, 2009 DATE.

So I guess WCOV is appealing the decision? And hasn't done *anything* about going full power on channel 16? And I'll not see a decent signal from them until February? (I'm assuming they can't stay with their piddling 1.1 kW transmitter after the analog shutoff...it looks like that thing only serves about 65% of the population in their market?)

Thanks,
WIrving

Hi all,

I've never posted in the Montgomery DTV forum; by way of intro, I'm in Auburn and just put up an antenna for Montgomery OTA. (We're in the Columbus, Ga. DMA...I have no interest in their locals - different state, different time zone). So anyway, of course the weakest signal I get is from WCOV; only comes in at all when conditions are perfect.

I wonder if anyone knows anything new about their plans? Trolling back through this forum, I got the impression they'd been told by the FCC that they had to stick with channel 16 come February. But I see on the FCC's website, in the DTV Transition Status Report WCOV filed on 7/17/2008:



and



So I guess WCOV is appealing the decision? And hasn't done *anything* about going full power on channel 16? And I'll not see a decent signal from them until February? (I'm assuming they can't stay with their piddling 1.1 kW transmitter after the analog shutoff...it looks like that thing only serves about 65% of the population in their market?)

Thanks,
WIrving



The last time I talked to the station engineer the problem was with the owner not wanting to spend any money any sooner than necessary. They also are holding out hope (an appeal) to return their DTV frequency to UHF-20 and would not go full power until???

For a while we're stuck with the low power transmitter on UHF-16.

*sigh*

Thanks for the info, 4bama. Guess it won't kill me to wait...

-WIrving

wirving,

My guess is that in February, WCOV will have yet another excuse. (...and for all we know, they might not make the analog to digital conversion)

You mind as well be looking at other options. Have you tried www.tvfool.com

Entering your location information will give you a chart of stations, network affiliations, directions, transmitter power and distance, etc. You might be able to find another option that'll work better for you.

Just entered Auburn and it gave me WXTX-DT (Fox) with 423.66 KW at 36.3 miles. Sure beats 1.1 KW at 50 miles.

JimP,

Yeah, TVfool recently became one of my best friends. :)

I'm curious about your comments regarding WCOV's prospects. Are they so cash-strapped (or just cheap) that they might shut down rather than spend the money to go full power digital? Surely if that happened, Fox would not be willing to let the Montgomery DMA go for long with no affiliate??

After the analog shutdown, I don't think the FCC would allow WCOV to operate nothing but that 1.1 kW transmitter for long, would they? Wouldn't the feds pull their license at some point if they're serving less than two-thirds of their market?

[ By the way, if you don't care why I'm so interested in WCOV, then I'd advise skipping the rest of this post.:D ]

We currently have Dishnetwork (pretty much the whole package except the premiums), basic cable (to give all the secondary TVs a minimal level of programming) and the recently-added OTA. The biggest reason to do OTA was to get the network HD feeds DVR-able via the Dish 722 & 622 receivers we have. (Once you go DVR, you just can't do without that pause button and commercial skipping.) But there was another reason to want OTA, and Montgomery OTA in particular...

I suspect I'd get better OTA signals from Columbus (where WXTX is); heck, I'm in their DMA. In fact, I already get the Columus stations on cable, including the HD versions unscrambled. And when Dish/DirectTV finally get around to carrying Columbus locals, I could get them that way, too. The thing is, I'm stubborn, and I don't like Columbus...don't want Columbus.

For me, there are only two reasons to care about local networks (as opposed to distants via satellite): local news and regional sports. I have zero interest in Columbus local news; Montgomery is much more relevant for us in Auburn. And as far as regional sports on Fox goes, for me that means only one thing: NFL. The Columbus Fox station *always* shows Falcons games; I simply couldn't care less about the Falcons. I grew up in Mobile, so from the time I knew what the NFL was, I always got Saints games every week.

So there it is; I confess...I'm a Saints fan. I want to maximize the number of Saints games I can see in HD. Being a Dish subscriber, I decided to "move" to Mobile so I can get their SD locals. That gives me access to all Saints games, but they're SD and you know how it is...that HD crack/meth habit - once you've got it, you can't go back. So I want Saints in HD. The Dish folks put the Mobile HD locals up in April or so, but they elected to put them on a *different* spot beam (on another satellite, in fact) from the Mobile SD channels. Turns out, sadly, that I'm under the SD spot beam, but not the HD one.:mad:

The bottom line for now: I think my best option is getting Fox OTA out of Montgomery. I realize they're not like Mobile, where the Saints are on every week, but I figure there are a handful of weekends when Montgomery carries them, right? If not, I might have to look seriously at Slingbox one of these days...

So c'mon WCOV, pony up and let's get the show on the road!

(There are times when I have to shake my head in wonder at how complicated the once-simple act of trying to watch TV has gotten these days, you know?)

-WIrving

Wirving,

I was only speculating on WCOV. No facts to go on, just an uneasy feeling that they're not acting much like they intend to be around much longer.

We had a member over in Luverne that might be able to shed some light on long distance reception. I'll try to contact him and see if he can help.

I can't imagine WCOV going out of business. I'd imagine someone else would buy the thing, having a Fox affiliation and a CP for a 1000 kW signal isn't nothing.

- Trip

I can't imagine WCOV going out of business. I'd imagine someone else would buy the thing, having a Fox affiliation and a CP for a 1000 kW signal isn't nothing.

- Trip

It wasn't so long ago that another network dropped WCOV: CBS. Some of you probably remember that for years WCOV (analog) would never upgrade their facilities. In fact, I found one of their old 1960's coverage maps for analog and it is shockingly similar to their current digital coverage area. They were so busy fighting Channel 8's application for power increase that they didn't mind their own store. So once 8 was granted the increase in 1984, CBS told WCOV to get lost.
Then WCOV was sold to the current owners and after several years as a FOX affiliate did maximize their (analog) facilites.
And I've got to say that if they do build what they were granted, it is probably the best assignment/grant in the market.
But it's getting a little late for that.......

Last I heard they were going to co locate in Grady on WSFA's tower. The holdup was the Line of sight microwave link from the station to Grady.

On a side note with WSFA doing Fox's 9:00 news the hand writing is on the wall IMO.

Last I heard they were going to co locate in Grady on WSFA's tower. The holdup was the Line of sight microwave link from the station to Grady.

That's where their analog transmitter is now, and full-power digital is supposed to be. I'm speculating here, but line-of-site probably isn't a problem since they already have a microwave STL link to Grady. Last I heard from the station manager, they planned to be full-power on (or by) Feb '09. But if they keep up with their petition to go to channel 20 instead of 16, then who knows how long it will be?

However, I don't put much faith in a station who can't even get their HD signal to auto-switch between Fox HD and local programming/ads, relying instead on the master control op to physically flip a switch back and forth, allowing the Fox SD feed to sometimes play on the HD channel, because he forgot to "flip the switch." :rolleyes: Not to mention that their local HD upconvert signal is not even 4:3 (it's closer to 14:9, and horizontally-stretched).

On a side note with WSFA doing Fox's 9:00 news the hand writing is on the wall IMO.That shouldn't mean anything. Fox requires (or so I hear) all of their affiliates to have newscasts. As I understand it, WCOV was grandfathered in and exempt, as they were one of the first affiliates to sign on. They supposedly have recently re-negotiated their contract with Fox, which required them to have local news. So they went the cheap way, shopped around, and bought it from WSFA.

Wirving,

The Luverne contact emailed me earlier today to say that WCOV-DT was a no go for him. I would think that if anyone could do it short of erecting a 100 ft tower, then he could do it.

Best of luck finding a solution.

Hey Jim, I am watching Olympics OTA for two hours and so far no sound dropouts. I will watch them for now on and let you know if I have them. How is your Dish setup working out?:D:D:D

Dish is fine.

I think I switched over from cable at just the right time. Nice seeing SciFi in HD.

My locals are OTA. I've been trying to tweak out my OTA antennas. Way too many trips up and down the ladder.

JimP,

Thanks. I think I'm just gonna sit tight and see what happens with WCOV. I figure as long as *somebody* is broadcasting Fox out of Montgomery at a respectable power level next year, I'll be content. Sure would be good if they (or some new owners) build out that nice, fat 1,000 kW transmitter...

Besides, I don't think the wife would go for a 100 ft. tower. :)

WIrving

Is anyone recieving the digital broadcast from CW 22 in Montgomery?

Is anyone recieving the digital broadcast from CW 22 in Montgomery?

I don't think it's active yet. They told me February 1.

Anyone noticed on TNT, Closer, saving Grace, sometimes off and on sparkles in the picture? I am watching on Brighthouse but I think it may be network problem

So, I'm moving back to Montgomery (grew up there) in 2 weeks after living in Orlando for a decade now. Just wandering what the most updated list of HD channels from Charter are? I checked there website but it doesn't seem to be up to date as I know my parents have mention getting TBS HD (which isn't listed on Charter's website). Also, havethey made any announcements or promises for adding more HD channels in the near future (like SciFi HD)?

Anyone noticed on TNT, Closer, saving Grace, sometimes off and on sparkles in the picture? I am watching on Brighthouse but I think it may be network problem

I haven't seen sparkles on Dish Network for those specific shows. Seems that I've been watch a lot of TNT lately.

If you're connected via HDMI to your cable box, you might want to try unplugging and replugging both ends. If you're connected with component cable, then its an automatic call to Brighthouse.:D

I only see it on TNT

Hey Roll Tide,

Scroll up a bit and you will see a post from me from detailing 6 new Charter HD channels we got a few weeks ago.

Since then TBS HD did show up unannounced on 780.

Every so often, channels will just show up.

For the last several weeks, the OTA signal from WAKA-DT has not been stable. Have their signal changed? Has anybody else had this problem? I am in East Montgomery.