Anyone seeing channel 40 in Andalusia? WAAO-LD.

- Trip

Thank you Dish for BBC-A HD!!!! No I don't have to download Dr. Who anymore! Now, Dish, you just need to work on ESPNU HD.

The other channels I don't really care about but, thanks for adding them anyway. Kinda interested in seeing what Retro HD and Indie HD will be like.

Thank you Dish for BBC-A HD!!!! No I don't have to download Dr. Who anymore!

I still download Doctor Who. The ones they air on SyFy and BBC-A have had some of my favorite bits (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvyFvb65REY) cut in order to fit a standard US runtime. :(

Watching the Olympics. Although, it's hard to find any sports among the commercials.

Any one having problems getting WAKA lately? My co-worker lives in Old Cloverdale and has been having problems picking up WAKA for several days now. His antenna is clipped onto his DirecTV dish so he can't move it around much. He's been able to receive 8-1 in the past though. I told him to try adding an amp. Thought I would see if any one knew of any issues with WAKA though. Thanks.

I think I would try to unhook it from the dish and move it around. He may have always been on the edge, and you know how digital can be.

For the last couple of months I can get AKA on Dish but not Direct. Same antenna same cable.

I think the locals should all commit to HD. WSFA has lead the way, now they need to get their syndicated programs in HD (Ellen, Oprah and ET).

WAKA's move to 16:9 will hopefully improve the image quality a bit but new cameras and a proper switch to HD would be much better. The fuzzy camera needs to go as does the dated set. (Are they really crt monitors on top?).

WNCF always seems dire probably due to the outsourcing of their news but perhaps a longer program will improve matters. They also need to sort out that bad player that puts herring-bone over whatever it's playing. Dropping the crappy "make a note of it" id would also be welcome (Very 70s!).

It would be nice if we could get The CW in HD too (and yes I know they're not one of the top 100 but I would still like to see it.)

Amigo

About WNCF.... Dropping the crappy "make a note of it" id would also be welcome (Very 70s!).

Amigo

You have no idea how annoying that "make a note" garbage is to me. Reaks with "look how cheap we are."

Anyone else having short drop-outs on WAIQ over-the-air tonight?

My TVs in the shop so I'm stuck with a 19" LCD for a few days. At least it has an HDMI input as I run everything through my receiver and then to the TV. I've still got big sound , just a small screen. It's hard to believe that for several years of my adult life 19" was good enough (I upgraded to 20" from 19 after a few years). Of course that was in the early 80s when 25" was a really big screen.
How far we've come.

How far we've come.

Yea, but ya can't get a decent 13" tv for $69 anymore..

Hey guys.

Cohen's is having a 3D Mitsubishi promo today starting at 10 and running through tomorrow.

Gotta go see it.

Heads up Directv users.
Several HD channels are moving to one of the new satellites. Tune to channel 99 for more info.

Does anyone know if WAKA will be providing additional feeds of the other games on any of their subchannels? I know I read that some other markets are doing this this year and even a cable company (TWC) so I was just wondering if WAKA would be also. I know back in 2005 or 2006 they showed 2 games, one on 8.1 and another on 8.2, but I haven't seen it since then. If anyone knows that'd be great.

Nice aspect ratio line-up grid on Ugly Betty (WNCF 32) just now. Testing for HD news maybe? Not a good idea to patch that to the on-air feed.

Does anyone know if WAKA will be providing additional feeds of the other games on any of their subchannels? I know I read that some other markets are doing this this year and even a cable company (TWC) so I was just wondering if WAKA would be also. I know back in 2005 or 2006 they showed 2 games, one on 8.1 and another on 8.2, but I haven't seen it since then. If anyone knows that'd be great.

What we did back then was run 2 games only to showcase the HD games that were available (which were not many of them). So our analog channel had the "main" or "assigned" game and the digital channel had whatever we could find in HD....even if it was a no-name game.
But no, not this year.

I was told by someone that some QAM channels on Knology are no longer in the clear. Any truth to this?

Checked last night and most are gone. Locals are still in the clear. They always are changing and will check again later on.

Why is it so quiet in here? Has this discussion relocated?

I am writing tonight because I noticed a new channel on my TiVo on Brighthouse here in Wetumpka. It is channel 418 and is labeled Fox Movie Channel. I can't see anything on that channel, so I suppose it is in the works. Does anyone know for certain?

Does anyone know if the Motorola DVR that Charter is currently using set up for coaxial cable(RCA connectors) or toslink(optical)?

I hear Brighthouse has added a bunch of new HD channels lately. I wonder if Knology will ever follow suit?

Hey guys. Quick question. Are QAM channels still "free and clear" through Charter in Montgomery? I am still (im)patiently awaiting our local channels on DirecTV, so I am establishing new service at a new residence with Charter on Wednesday. I've got basic cable with Charter now at my current home, and I do receive the locals in HD through Charter right now, but it took me explaining to them (in elementary terms) that I was entitled to receive them and did not require a box. I was planning to have to explain it again on Wednesday at the new house, but I wanted to make sure that I was still correct on this.

Thanks in advance!

Eddie,

I still get local channels, espn hd, espn2 hd, and a couple others clear qam with charter.

You really don't have to explain anything to them. If your tv is capable, the channels will be there. I've never discussed anything with them, just have basic cable on top of my internet.

I will say I have less problems with fox OTA than via cable. I have 24 and a couple other shows recording on my htpc connected to charter and on my directv hr20s via OTA and consistently have better picture with less breakup on the OTA with directv.

Eddie,

I still get local channels, espn hd, espn2 hd, and a couple others clear qam with charter.

You really don't have to explain anything to them. If your tv is capable, the channels will be there. I've never discussed anything with them, just have basic cable on top of my internet.

I will say I have less problems with fox OTA than via cable. I have 24 and a couple other shows recording on my htpc connected to charter and on my directv hr20s via OTA and consistently have better picture with less breakup on the OTA with directv.

Thanks buckeye! That's what I was needing to know!

Thanks buckeye! That's what I was needing to know!

however, if you DON'T get their internet, you should check for local HD to be in the clear...they may be trapped out. We encountered this problem with Knology. Whatever passed the internet passed the local QAM channels, and we did not have internet.
Thery had to do a work around. Maybe Charter is different.

however, if you DON'T get their internet, you should check for local HD to be in the clear...they may be trapped out. We encountered this problem with Knology. Whatever passed the internet passed the local QAM channels, and we did not have internet.
Thery had to do a work around. Maybe Charter is different.

Thanks for the "heads up". As a matter of fact, I am going to have Charter internet also. I did have DSL but I had no idea that the speeds were so much faster on cable. Hopefully, that will prevent any problems that you are talking about.

I guess that since I did not have Charter internet at the old house, that's why I had problems with the QAM channels there.

I read today that Knology is going to start construction in Auburn. Charter needed some competition bad!

Anyone having problems with ESPN HD on QAM channel 69.3 on charter? I am getting audio only now. The other QAM HD channels seem fine.

just got home from work and tried. I have the same problem withespn-hd on charter

Anyone else on Knology having trouble with ABC HD?

If its via quam, they may have reshuffled the station numbers.

I'm using their HD DVR and its been messing up off an on all week.

I'm using their HD DVR and its been messing up off an on all week.

Same issues here. Looks to me (by riding by their headend) that Knology is picking WNCF up off the air.
Problem is they must shoot through a huge tree to do so.
So you have the trees budding out, the wind blowing, the atmosphere shifting from winter to summer, and the very thin WNCF signal to get past it all. Not a good formula for 100% reliability.

I'm over in Jasmine Hills.

Has anyone else noticed that channel 32's signal strength has dropped some?

On the other hand, channel 12 seems to be stronger.

Go figure....this stuff will make you a little loopy.

Same issues here. Looks to me (by riding by their headend) that Knology is picking WNCF up off the air.
Problem is they must shoot through a huge tree to do so.
So you have the trees budding out, the wind blowing, the atmosphere shifting from winter to summer, and the very thin WNCF signal to get past it all. Not a good formula for 100% reliability.

Fortunately, this week they seem to have it fixed. I still need to watch last week's Castle on Hulu though.

Has anyone else seen an article about a company writing new software for the Knology boxes? What ever they write, has to be better than the current interface.

Any news on when Docsis is coming to Montgomery?

I'm over in Jasmine Hills.

Has anyone else noticed that channel 32's signal strength has dropped some?

On the other hand, channel 12 seems to be stronger.

Go figure....this stuff will make you a little loopy.

Still having problems with 32's signal strength.

Anyone else?

Summary Box: FCC allows blocking of outputs

5/7/2010, 6:18 p.m. CDTThe Associated Press
The Associated Press
(AP) — THE RULING: The Federal Communications Commission says Hollywood can use so-called "selectable output control" technology to prevent illegal copying of movies.


HOW IT WORKS: Video programming is encoded with a signal to remotely disable set-top box output connections.


PROS AND CONS: Hollywood says this will make movies available for home viewing on demand soon after they hit theaters or even at the same time. Critics worry 20 million Americans with older TV sets won't be able to get these new-release movies, and it could interfere with legal recordings on some devices.

Summary Box: DirecTV wants to take lead in 3-D TV

5/7/2010, 4:45 p.m. CDTThe Associated Press
The Associated Press
(AP) — MUST SEE 3-D: DirecTV Inc. wants to take the lead in offering 3-D TV. The satellite TV company sees 3-D as its competitive edge against other subscription TV companies. In June, DirecTV will debut ESPN 3D and three of its own 3-D channels.
THE CHALLENGE: Content produced in 3-D remains limited, and consumers still have to adopt 3-D TV sets more widely. There's also the matter of viewers getting used to wearing 3-D glasses when they're watching shows at home.
THE STRATEGY: DirecTV has to get exclusive 3-D content to stay ahead of its cable TV rivals, which also are ramping up 3-D.

What Directv needs to do is design a DVR that isn't junk. Then they would be the preferred product over Dish.

What Directv needs to do is design a DVR that isn't junk. Then they would be the preferred product over Dish.

and I wouldn't mind them adding locals here. It IS 2010 last time I looked.

and I wouldn't mind them adding locals here. It IS 2010 last time I looked.

I agree. I heard it was coming.

and I wouldn't mind them adding locals here. It IS 2010 last time I looked.

Both Dish and DirecTV have new satellites in orbit, they have been tested at a temporary parking slot and are now in the process of moving to their assigned slots.

I believe once these new satellites are operational, late this month, or in June, Montgomery will see locals from DirecTV and Dish will provide more channels, like APT (PBS) in HD...also, Dish plans on adding a lot more HD channels and will have the capacity to provide locals to all US markets.

Both Dish and DirecTV have new satellites in orbit, they have been tested at a temporary parking slot and are now in the process of moving to their assigned slots.

I believe once these new satellites are operational, late this month, or in June, Montgomery will see locals from DirecTV and Dish will provide more channels, like APT (PBS) in HD...also, Dish plans on adding a lot more HD channels and will have the capacity to provide locals to all US markets.

I don't know....WAKA-DT8's post above doesn't give me a "warm and fuzzy" feeling about that. I believe that there is more to it than just the capacity on the new sats. They've had the capacity for years, but they've skipped over us every time that they've expanded their local offerings. We are, BY FAR, the largest DMA with no local service at all (SD or HD) from DirecTV. Plus, they'd have site work to do locally to uplink the transmission (if I understand it correctly).

Somewhere else in this thread it has been mention what DirecTV needs before it can add this area's locals. Like Eddie siad, it has something to do with the uplink facility, like they haven't built one yet. It is definitley more then just space on the bird.

My Dish contract is up in October and the only reason I went with E* to begin with was that they had our locals (only SD at the time) and DTV didn't. If DTV has ou locals in HD by October, I may consider a switch, especially with the return of the DTV/Tivo DVR. Although, I have had no problems with Dish and there DVR is great as well, plus the new 922 DVR with built in sling looks really interesting. It would be a tough choice but, without locals, DTV isn't even part of the discussion.

Another possibility is that market penetration for dishes is low in the area.

It's kind of a catch-22. They won't launch locals unless there's a market for it, but the market will remain small without locals. :p

Whatever the reason, it is odd how Montgomery has been left out for so long.

I've been patiently waiting locals from D*. Considered switching to E* but I'll hang with my antenna for a while. Another subject, anybody having trouble with the voices on Lost tonight. Maybe part of the mystery is that we lip read tonight. (I'm watching on WNCF via antenna.)

I've been patiently waiting locals from D*. Considered switching to E* but I'll hang with my antenna for a while. Another subject, anybody having trouble with the voices on Lost tonight. Maybe part of the mystery is that we lip read tonight. (I'm watching on WNCF via antenna.)

They're fine now. I had it paused while I typed the above and when I started it again the voices were there. I rewound and the voices were now there when they wern't before. I guess is was something about the broadcast my DVR didn't like initially.

They're fine now. I had it paused while I typed the above and when I started it again the voices were there. I rewound and the voices were now there when they wern't before. I guess is was something about the broadcast my DVR didn't like initially.

I guess the voices just start at a certain point. When I rewound all the way there were no voices-just music and lips moving with, at times, a hint of voices. At a certain point the voices were there. I've enjoyed "Lost" but I'll be kind of glad it's over--it's maddening trying to make sense of it (doubt I ever will).

I guess the voices just start at a certain point. When I rewound all the way there were no voices-just music and lips moving with, at times, a hint of voices. At a certain point the voices were there. I've enjoyed "Lost" but I'll be kind of glad it's over--it's maddening trying to make sense of it (doubt I ever will).

The voices didn't last. Most be a problem with WNCF or with ABC. Can't believe they would have an entire "silent" episode.

Another possibility is that market penetration for dishes is low in the area.

It's kind of a catch-22. They won't launch locals unless there's a market for it, but the market will remain small without locals. :p

Whatever the reason, it is odd how Montgomery has been left out for so long.


That figure is very misleading.

Everyone I know with Direct is lying about their address! :D

Someone here may know the whole story but it's my understanding this problem with Directv not having Montgomery locals goes all the way back to the Pegasus days.

The voices didn't last. Most be a problem with WNCF or with ABC. Can't believe they would have an entire "silent" episode.

Problem is with ABC. Been having the same problem here in Ozark watching WDHN 18. Been happening for several days off and on.

I had no audio problems with Lost via WNCF over DishNetwork.

I wonder if this problem with WNCF has anything to do with their signal level. For the last 2 or 3 weeks, its been lower.

I wonder if this problem with WNCF has anything to do with their signal level. For the last 2 or 3 weeks, its been lower.

It was wierd. When I replayed the recordings last night the voices were back when the previous nighgt there had only been music and other ambient sounds. Apparently the signal and my DVR wern't playing well together Tuesday night.

Great news! The chances that I may switch when my DishNetwork contract is up I October just increased. Will just have to decided if I want Dish and there new 922 DVR with sling player or DirecTV with their coming Tivo DVRs.

Great news! The chances that I may switch when my DishNetwork contract is up I October just increased. Will just have to decided if I want Dish and there new 922 DVR with sling player or DirecTV with their coming Tivo DVRs.

I'm partial to DirecTV, but with the addition of Montgomery locals, I wouldn't understand why anyone would want a different provider in Montgomery now.

If you haven't seen them, check out some of the new services that DirecTV just started offering last week (Multi-Room DVR viewing, Internet over Coax, etc). Full discussion over at dbstalk.com. The Internet over Coax (DECA is the abbreviation you'll see over there) will unlock all capabilities possible for the DirecTV receivers. Multi-Room Viewing, complete On Demand catalogs, MediaShare, DirecTV2PC, etc. And their remote scheduling via their iPhone app (which is now available for other PDAs as well) is a must-have.

Lots of big developments for Montgomery DirecTV subscribers this week!

Great news. Glad I didn't switch to Dish.

I'm partial to DirecTV, but with the addition of Montgomery locals, I wouldn't understand why anyone would want a different provider in Montgomery now.

Because Directv DVRs are slow and sluggish and suck.

Because Directv DVRs are slow and sluggish and suck.

Yes, Dish has the best technology when it comes to DVR's and the customer can connect an external hard drive (like a 1 Tera-byte) to the receiver that allows them to save and accumulate hundreds of hours of their favorite videos and movies...

Sling technology allows the customer to send HD programming from the DVR to multiple HDTV's in the house..

Dish's new satellite is now parked at its final destination (119) and will soon be in service. The existing 119 satellite will become a spare and can be moved to other slots as needed....this new satellite expands Dish's capability for even more new channels.

Don't forget, Dish was the first to offer Montgomery SD locals and HD locals...and they will be the first to offer many other improvements and additional channels...

I see no reason to switch from Dish...connecting an OTA antenna to the Dish DVR adds even more options and channel recording versatility. During football season this allows me to record 3 different HD football games at the same time while watching another recording...and this is with a VIP622, newer receivers have two OTA tuners and allow even more customer choices...

Very well said. You echo the reasons I want to stay with Dish. Dish may have constant changes in package names and prices but they keep adding HD and keeping giving me discounts and free channels. I think once DirecTV adds its new HD and Montgomery locals the two will be identical. The only reason for me to switch would be ESPNU and MLB in HD.

My original post certainly wasn't meant to down on Dish. I was just saying that this adds the final piece to get DirecTV on an even playing field in Montgomery. I've been with DirecTV for years (in spite of the lack of locals, although I've had DNS for the whole time as well so that hasn't been that big of a deal). jtrippe, I agree that now the 2 providers are pretty much identical, and I guess it comes down to which particular things you look for from your provider. Until now, I couldn't recommend DirecTV completely to anyone, because I also had to qualify it with "but they don't have Montgomery locals yet".

4bama, I'm pretty sure that DirecTV offers all of those services as well, with the possible exception being the capability to use an external hard drive (which would be nice). Some of those new services that I was referring to are probably in direct competition with Dish. The Multi Room Viewing that I was referring to will allow you to do the same thing that Sling does with HD viewing from one DVR to any TV in the house. What's cool is that I've got 3 DVRs (all with OTA tuners), so I could conceivably record NINE HD games on Saturdays this fall. Now, I'm a HUGE college football fan, but I doubt I will fully tap that potential! :D But if Dish's box offers full Sling functioning (i.e., viewing your TV over the Internet), then that will still be something that is better than DirecTV's. Again, I guess that boils down to what particular service you want.

Again, my original post wasn't a dig at Dish. There are certainly plenty of things that Dish offers that DirecTV doesn't, and certainly vice versa. I'm just one DirecTV customer who is excited about FINALLY getting locals here along with some exciting new services all in the same week!

A timely press release today on this subject:

Subscribers most satisfied, most loyal and have fewest complaints

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – May 18, 2010 – DISH Network L.L.C., America’s fastest-growing pay-TV provider, is now No. 1 in customer satisfaction among satellite and cable companies, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).
In this year’s survey, DISH Network scored a 71 for customer satisfaction – a significant seven-point increase from 2009 and well above the 2010 pay-TV industry average of 66. DISH Network scored three points higher than DirecTV, four points higher than Cox, 10 points higher than Comcast and Time Warner, and 11 points higher than Charter. Phone companies Verizon and AT&T rated highest in the category with scores of 73 and 72, respectively.
In addition to receiving the highest scores for customer satisfaction among satellite and cable companies, DISH Network topped satellite and cable in customer loyalty and perceived value. DISH Network also received the fewest complaints in the entire industry for the second year in a row, and advanced in areas of customer expectations and perceived quality, with scores above the industry average.
“DISH Network’s dramatically-improved ranking in the ACSI survey is testimony to the considerable strides we made over the past year to re-establish our leadership in customer service,” said Charlie Ergen, Chairman, President and CEO of DISH Network. “We know our customers have many choices when it comes to TV, which is why we remain committed to providing them with best-in-class service at an unmatched value.”
The ACSI is a national economic indicator of customer evaluations of the quality of products and services available to U.S. household consumers, and reflects customers’ overall satisfaction with the service. Consumers were surveyed in the first quarter of 2010 for their ratings about perceived overall quality, perceived value and expectations. The ACSI survey is produced by the Stephen M. Ross Business School at the University of Michigan, in partnership with the American Society for Quality and the international consulting firm CFI Group.

Yes, Dish has the best technology when it comes to DVR's and the customer can connect an external hard drive (like a 1 Tera-byte) to the receiver that allows them to save and accumulate hundreds of hours of their favorite videos and movies...


When you connect an external drive to a Dish DVR, does it compliment the internal drive or completely replace it? You can connect an external SATA drive to any D* DVR as far as I know. The catch is it disables the internal drive, which I think is crazy. That's half a terabyte that's just lost if you use an external drive.

Is that normal for DVRs or just bad enginnering on DirecTV's part?

Speaking of bad engineering, I keep hearing how Dish down-converts their 1080i channels to a less than full resolution. 1440x1080 vs 1920x1080 I think. What's up with that? Is that true?

I ask not to slam Dish but because I might be switching when I move down to the coast later this year. Where I'm looking, there is no cable company per se, the internet/phone provider instead uses Dish network and does combined billing. I'm okay with switching but the idea of down-res'd HD really sounds yucky. What DirecTV has is already blocky and pixelated enough as it is.

When you connect an external drive to a Dish DVR, does it compliment the internal drive or completely replace it? You can connect an external SATA drive to any D* DVR as far as I know. The catch is it disables the internal drive, which I think is crazy. That's half a terabyte that's just lost if you use an external drive.

Is that normal for DVRs or just bad enginnering on DirecTV's part?

The external HD connected to a Dish DVR does not disable the internal drive. In fact, you can copy content back and forth between the two.

Speaking of bad engineering, I keep hearing how Dish down-converts their 1080i channels to a less than full resolution. 1440x1080 vs 1920x1080 I think. What's up with that? Is that true?

I don't see any down-rez on my system, and Dish also offers VOD/PPV movies in 1080P. But you can check this out further on the Dish forum noted in the links below.




Check out these forums for more feedback from Dish customers:

http://www.dbstalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=101 General Dish HD discussion


http://www.dbstalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=107 Dish HD DVR's discussion

The Sling DVR from Dish doesn't allow viewing on other TVs, it is for viewing your TV over the Internet. There is even an iPhone app that allows you to watch your TV or recorded shows on your iPhone. This is one thing that may keep me with Dish. Plus, they just launch 2 new HD movie channels that have been pretty good so far, Epix 1 & 2.

I went to the Directv website to see what there prices were like. For the first year it would be about $25 cheaper then Dish but, after that it would be about $10-15 more. This is because you need a reciever for every TV with DirecTV. Wtih Dish, I only have 2 receivers that controll 5 TVs. The signal is just split between 3 of the TVs and they all have to watch the same thing but, it hasn't been a problem so far for us (it's my 2 year olds TV, the kitchen and another TV we rarely turn on). My point is that I have a image going to every TV in the house with only 2 receivers, with Direct I would need at least 4, 5 if I want that rarely used TV hooked up.

DirecTV has better signal reliablity though, I know this from experience. I had D* in Orlando and during the year when we had 4 hurricanes come through we never lost our D* signal during the last hurricane. Dish goes out on me in heavy thunderstorms here and sometimes all it takes is heavy cloud cover. That is the only thing I have been disappointed in with Dish. Otherwise they've been pretty good to me.

I'll see how the landscape looks in October when my contract is up, but I see good reasons for going with both companies.

The Sling DVR from Dish doesn't allow viewing on other TVs, it is for viewing your TV over the Internet.

The devices have not been offered to the public yet, but I watched the Dish Tech Forum where they showed the prototype models for this technology. The DVR slings it to another device (for now, call it a sling receiver) that connects to another TV anywhere in the house to receive the programming from the DVR. For multiple TV's you will need one of these "sling receivers" connected to each TV.

Also, in the same time frame Dish will have available to customers the "slinger" device that will connect to older HD receivers/DVR's that will sling the signal to the TV sling receiver(s) and, I assume, to computers...

They also have not finished all the firmware/software for the VIP922, which has this technology available..they were predicting everything to be working and available to customers by "early-mid summer"...the older DVR's also need the firmware/software upgrade to activate this new capability.

and Dish is also adding many more HD channels as soon as the new 119 satellite has all the existing channels switched from the old 119 bird. That transition started last night.

The 922 is already out, it cost $200 to upgrade. It has sling built in and allows viewing over the Internet. I heard that Dish is going to release a devices that adds sling functions to older ViP HD DVRs and would allow viewing over the Internet as well. Are saying they are also releasing something that will add MRV to Dish receivers also?

Well, honestly, pretty much every channel in watch is already in HD except maybe AMC. The one channel I really want in HD, Dish has not even hinted at; ESPNU HD. I guess the ongoing contract dispute between Dish and ESPN is the hold up. I also don't understand why every Braves game is not shown in HD when they are broadcasted in HD. Not sure if that is Dish's fault or SS/FSN.

I also don't understand why every Braves game is not shown in HD when they are broadcasted in HD. Not sure if that is Dish's fault or SS/FSN.

Are they showing some home games in SD or is it only away games? I haven't watched much baseball this year but previously the home games would be HD and the away games SD. And everything on Peachtree is SD only, even though it's available in Atlanta OTA in HD.

I've seen home games in SD only, meaning nothing on the Sports South HD ALT channel or FSS HD ALT. Does Dish even get peachtree? I didn't think they did. I think it is Dish not flipping a switch or something since they don't have a true Sports South or FSS HD channel. Just these ALT channel that are only active when there is a HD game.

I have Atl locals via satellite and Peachtree is HD.

Sorry, my ALT was meant as "alternate", not Atlanta. I don't get Atlanta locals. I think Dish is just missing some of the HD feeds.

The 922 is already out, it cost $200 to upgrade. It has sling built in and allows viewing over the Internet. I heard that Dish is going to release a devices that adds sling functions to older ViP HD DVRs and would allow viewing over the Internet as well. Are saying they are also releasing something that will add MRV to Dish receivers also?



Yes, Dish will soon release a sling-catcher for other TV's and also the "Slinger" add-on for older HD receivers. Both the 922 and all the other HD receivers need the firmware upgrade to sling programs to the other TV's in the house equipped with the sling-catcher...so yes, soon you can have MRV from one Dish receiver...but keep in mind, each TV can not watch different channels from one receiver..but it does make HD available to any TV in the house via a wireless sling receiver.

I don't remember their estimate for the cost of the sling transmitter or the sling receiver, but seems it was in the neighborhood of $60 each...so $60 for the sling transmitter and $60 for each TV you want to equip with the sling receiver.

Just lost my Dish Network signal. Yes it is storming at my house but, I would say it is that bad of a storm.

I wish I could get a straight answer as to why D* has better signal reliability then Dish. If I ask that question on a Dish forum everyone gets defensive. If I ask it on a D* forum they just say things like "because D* is better."

I lose my signal inalmost every heavy down pour but D* never went out during one hurricane in Orlando.

Could it be my install or dish not aim right? There is nothing in the line of sight of my dish, clear shot tot he sky so it can't be something blocking it. After a year and a half, it is just getting old. This could be the ultimate reason to get me to switch to D*.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Just lost my Dish Network signal. Yes it is storming at my house but, I would say it is that bad of a storm.

I wish I could get a straight answer as to why D* has better signal reliability then Dish. If I ask that question on a Dish forum everyone gets defensive. If I ask it on a D* forum they just say things like "because D* is better."

I lose my signal inalmost every heavy down pour but D* never went out during one hurricane in Orlando.

Could it be my install or dish not aim right? There is nothing in the line of sight of my dish, clear shot tot he sky so it can't be something blocking it. After a year and a half, it is just getting old. This could be the ultimate reason to get me to switch to D*.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Must be pretty bad to the Southwest because I lost both!

Yep,
to the South West.
http://bumracing.com/albums/album01/weather_003.jpg

Just lost my Dish Network signal. Yes it is storming at my house but, I would say it is that bad of a storm.

I wish I could get a straight answer as to why D* has better signal reliability then Dish. If I ask that question on a Dish forum everyone gets defensive. If I ask it on a D* forum they just say things like "because D* is better."

I lose my signal inalmost every heavy down pour but D* never went out during one hurricane in Orlando.

Could it be my install or dish not aim right? There is nothing in the line of sight of my dish, clear shot tot he sky so it can't be something blocking it. After a year and a half, it is just getting old. This could be the ultimate reason to get me to switch to D*.

Anyone have any suggestions?

And to add to comment above, don't forget that Dish's and DirecTV's satellites are parked in slightly different slots, so it makes sense that during a severe thunderstorm you may loose one at different times than another...just depends on line of sight weather conditions...and which satellite you're watching during the storm.

Its more likely that his dish's aim isn't as fine tuned as it could be. Depending on which model dish he has, fine tuning them can be very difficult. The new model that's for eastern exposure has some nice adjustments that the ones for western exposure doesn't have.

And to add to comment above, don't forget that Dish's and DirecTV's satellites are parked in slightly different slots, so it makes sense that during a severe thunderstorm you may loose one at different times than another...just depends on line of sight weather conditions...and which satellite you're watching during the storm.

Its more likely that his dish's aim isn't as fine tuned as it could be. Depending on which model dish he has, fine tuning them can be very difficult. The new model that's for eastern exposure has some nice adjustments that the ones for western exposure doesn't have.

It's probably a little bit of both of these issues. ;)

Depending on where one lives, the complaints about rain fade will differ between the two companies. I seemed to hear more complaints about D* in Birmingham, and indeed it would go out at the first sign of trouble some 5-10 minutes before the storms hit, whereas Dish seemed to hold out longer.

Now that I live in Mississippi, it seems like that rarely happens. BUT I do have a different dish now than in B'ham.

Rain fade really has more to do with the moisture in the clouds than the actual rain falling at the dish's location, if I'm not mistaken. Which is why that comment about never losing D* during a hurricane is so surprising to me.

It's really weird, even though the sat went out on Thursday, all our shows still recorded. I forget which channel we were on when it went out though.


This brings me to my next rant. First, I want to say that I apologize for the following rant to anyone who works for or has connection to WNCF but, I have to let this out.

There are some brave idiots who work for WNCF. My wife watches Grey's Anatomy and Thursday was there big 2 hour season finale. My wife finally got around to watching the DVR recording yesterday, or at least trying to watch it. The weather was bad so, we expect to have to deal with the map bug and the scrolling updates but, WNCF took it way to far. She said they had a voice over during the crawls that ruined the show. She couldn't take it and stopped watching and just deleted the recording. Had to go and download a torrent of the episode for her. Why the hell would some one at that station think it was a good idea to have a voice over during the show, your annoying scroll is enough? Do they not have a clue at WNCF? I don't care what anyone thinks at that station but, people tune in to watch Grey's Anatomy, not Grey's Anatomy with a WNCF weather commentary. That is just ridiculous and dumb, the person who made that decision should be fired IMO. Plus, this was just a typical hard thunderstorm, I'm sick of local stations making every weather even out to be the end of the world. If for some reason the weather turns bad this evening and they pull this crap during the Lost finale, I'm driving to the station with a baseball bat to bust some windows. I'm tired of local station with big egos who think people tune in to watch them, we don't. If WNCF didn't have the ABC affiliation we wouldn't give you a second look. It's the ABC shows that keep you in business so, stop ruining the experience for you audience.

There, rant over. I feel better now.

Do they at least overlay the maps and scroll in HD, or does it drop the programming down to SD? My local ABC affiliate (in Mississippi) is still living in the past; I doubt they'll ever upgrade equipment to keep the picture in HD. As it is they forget to flip the switch half the time anyways.

I agree though that a voiceover is going too far. Either it's serious enough to preempt programming (tornado) or it isn't.

I'd suggest using closed captioning but on HD channels that can be hit or miss, nevermind the overlays.

Ah, technology.

Bright house does it better with there EAS INTERUPTIONS whenever a watch or warning is issued

It was just thunderstorms and that's why I don't get it. I don't even remember being in a Tornado watch.

It's really weird, even though the sat went out on Thursday, all our shows still recorded. I forget which channel we were on when it went out though.


This brings me to my next rant. First, I want to say that I apologize for the following rant to anyone who works for or has connection to WNCF but, I have to let this out.

There are some brave idiots who work for WNCF. My wife watches Grey's Anatomy and Thursday was there big 2 hour season finale. My wife finally got around to watching the DVR recording yesterday, or at least trying to watch it. The weather was bad so, we expect to have to deal with the map bug and the scrolling updates but, WNCF took it way to far. She said they had a voice over during the crawls that ruined the show. She couldn't take it and stopped watching and just deleted the recording. Had to go and download a torrent of the episode for her. Why the hell would some one at that station think it was a good idea to have a voice over during the show, your annoying scroll is enough? Do they not have a clue at WNCF? I don't care what anyone thinks at that station but, people tune in to watch Grey's Anatomy, not Grey's Anatomy with a WNCF weather commentary. That is just ridiculous and dumb, the person who made that decision should be fired IMO. Plus, this was just a typical hard thunderstorm, I'm sick of local stations making every weather even out to be the end of the world. If for some reason the weather turns bad this evening and they pull this crap during the Lost finale, I'm driving to the station with a baseball bat to bust some windows. I'm tired of local station with big egos who think people tune in to watch them, we don't. If WNCF didn't have the ABC affiliation we wouldn't give you a second look. It's the ABC shows that keep you in business so, stop ruining the experience for you audience.

There, rant over. I feel better now.

You are not alone. But let's talk about the specific incident. I believe WNCF has no special system for weather alerts. Therefore, they just pass along what they are given via EAS. If you are ever listening to some local radio stations when a warning is issued, you abruptly hear the EAS trip tones, followed by a (usually scratchy) NOAA weather radio declaration of the event,
then more NOAA weather radio unrelated transmission, then the EAS cancel tones. This is the way a stripped down radio station fulfills their mandated EAS requirements: Automated break in, pure and simple. Since WNCF has
no "customized" system--maps in the corner, etc--(WAKA and WSFA do), WNCF is acting sorta like that radio station...except they add a crawl, which is also a function of the mandated EAS gear. There is some ability to delay or hold that EAS transmission (up to 20 minutes is allowed, I think) but most stations choose not to do so because that would require "thought". And with no weather personnel at WNCF, that "thought" would be left up to someone that may not be qualified. And what if it was a REALLY BIG message, like the president doing something (OK-that's not going to happen)--but you get
the idea of possibly why this occured, be it right or wrong.

Yep,
to the South West.
http://bumracing.com/albums/album01/weather_003.jpg

Yeah, I had to drive all through that Thursday night going from Prattville to Hartford.

Is WSFA off of the air this morning? Picking up 20 down here in Ozark but no channel 12.

I'm getting it in Wetumpka but the signal strength appears lower.

My signal was non existent on 12. Missed Daniel Boone....hate that! It's back now with regular signal strength. WSFA on facebook said for me to re-scan...lol. Wasn't a scan problem.

WAKA viewers with Dish Network, better get out your antennas...it looks like they will be going away after Monday unless Bahakel strikes a deal with them.
http://www.waka.com/component/content/article/2661.html

WAKA viewers with Dish Network, better get out your antennas...it looks like they will be going away after Monday unless Bahakel strikes a deal with them.
http://www.waka.com/component/content/article/2661.html

Boy I sure will miss the weather maps.....I have DISH and don't care if they drop it or not.

WAKA viewers with Dish Network, better get out your antennas...it looks like they will be going away after Monday unless Bahakel strikes a deal with them.
http://www.waka.com/component/content/article/2661.html

I don't see anything wrong with fee negotiation as long as other CBS affiliates in the country were also allowed to bid. As long as they're not allowed to bid, it's not right (nor free enterprise) to require Dish or for that matter Direct TV or the cable companies to be locked down to negotiating with a single affiliate that may or may not be negotiating in good faith. The locals will always say that its only pennies a month per viewer but that doesn't really tell you enough to know whether or not they're being reasonable. By the same token, I doubt that Dish isn't trying to get the lowest price too. ...and why does it seem that all these contracts expire during a holiday? What's that about?:rolleyes:

If WAKA does go off for any length of time, I wouldn't be surprised if many Dish subscribers show that they moved their service to another city.

.....may the flames begin. :)

P.S. Although I don't really have a dog in this fight (I'm OTA for the locals) I do think that there is something to be said for free enterprise and that nobody should have a state sponsored monopoly on TV content on public airways.

We are disappointed that this one satellite company has chosen to dismiss our repeated offers when all other area cable, satellite and telco TV providers were able to come to fair terms with WAKA CBS 8.

They are the only Satellite company! And Dish gets it from WAKA via OTA.

Well, at least prime time season has wrapped up.

I don't have a dog in this fight either since I "moved" to Atlanta. :D

Quote:
We are disappointed that this one satellite company has chosen to dismiss our repeated offers when all other area cable, satellite and telco TV providers were able to come to fair terms with WAKA CBS 8.

Maybe they heard how bad a station you are and are not worth full price!

Lmao!!

I agree with what JimP said but I also think that as long as a local station offers a free OTA signal, then cable and sat companies shouldn't have to pay for that same signal. It is not fair IMO to offer it free to some and charge others. Like Jim said, if there were other CBS options that could bid, maybe I'd feel different. I'll never be on the side of the local channels on this issue. Let it go off the air, WAKA will be the one to suffer when they lose thousands of viewers. If they think everyone is going to jump to a cable company just because they go away, well they have got a surprise coming. I'll "move" before I ever consider switching to Charter or BHN.

They days of people depending on local stations is over, we don't need them anymore. I'm hope that one day NBC, CBS, ABC will just launch national networks leave the affiliate system behind once and for all. That's my dream.

Looks like WAKA is still on Dish this morning.

Looks like WAKA is still on Dish this morning.

Bahakel reached a deal with Dish late Monday.

Bahakel reached a deal with Dish late Monday.

Looks like Dish is now 100% local into local. The long wait for Auburn is over.

And "don't quote me", but I think Direct is currently installing receiving equipment locally (for a Q3 launch).

What station(s) didn't Dish have?

I know this has nothing to do with HT stuff but I wanted to post it any way.

For the past 2 weeks our power has been going out a whole lot more often then I ever remeber. The weather doesn't seem that out of the ordinary for this time of year, yet I don't remeber ever having this many brownouts. This week, the power has gone out at least once a day and I'm starting to worry about the wear and tear it might have on my equipment. Anyone heard of any major problems that Alabama Power is having. Just seems to be something more going on then just thunderstorms.

Looks like Dish is now 100% local into local. The long wait for Auburn is over.

And "don't quote me", but I think Direct is currently installing receiving equipment locally (for a Q3 launch).

D*s web site has Montgomery listed for October.

I know this has nothing to do with HT stuff but I wanted to post it any way.

For the past 2 weeks our power has been going out a whole lot more often then I ever remeber. The weather doesn't seem that out of the ordinary for this time of year, yet I don't remeber ever having this many brownouts. This week, the power has gone out at least once a day and I'm starting to worry about the wear and tear it might have on my equipment. Anyone heard of any major problems that Alabama Power is having. Just seems to be something more going on then just thunderstorms.


I have been putting up with that for years.
Every morning (mid morning).
Its really fun when your laying sleeping with a CPAP mask on! :rolleyes:

Here also. Every Sunday morning around 7-8 am. Use to have'em 5-6 times a week. They knew of problem and did upgrade about 2 years ago. Call them.

I'm 2 blocks from the substation. It has gotten better.

I have been putting up with that for years.
Every morning (mid morning).
Its really fun when your laying sleeping with a CPAP mask on! :rolleyes:
No battery backup on the CPAP?

When I lived in Birmingham we used to get regular short outages in the morning, which for me was when I was just going to sleep. Very annoying because of no A/C or fans! I had a UPS on the computer that would beeeeep me awake, too.

I used to think Alabama Power was a decent enough provider but after living in Mississippi and dealing with Entergy, I can see now how much Ala Pwr stinks. Where I live there are no local AMs but that isn't a big deal since there is very little power line noise. And I can count the > 2 minute outages I've had in four years on two fingers, lol. One of those was to string up new lines.

Definitely call the company if you're experiencing regular problems.

, I can see now how much Ala Pwr stinks.

Definitely call the company if you're experiencing regular problems.


Just as bad here with Puke Energy...we have had trees in the lines behind the houses here arcing and burning for years..even had the fire department out for a fire last fall. Causes lots of hits and bumps. Still no trimming of the trees.

What station(s) didn't Dish have?

The Columbus, Ga, market (which is, unfortunately, where Auburn is stuck) had no locals whatsoever on Dish up until a few days ago. Not even SD channels; it was one of a very few markets that had no locals at all. Now Dish is carrying their four major networks plus PBS in HD.

-WIrving

I was actually asking about Montgomery. I thought they already had all the locals.

I was actually asking about Montgomery. I thought they already had all the locals.

Oops - sorry! :)

No battery backup on the CPAP?

I'm going to do that. Hadn't thought about till you brought it up.

I have a Spare APC 750 laying around.

Anyone else lose ESPN & ESPN 2 HD QAM on charter again? 69.3 and 66.5 have been black for a few days. I did a rescan for channels and now they don't even get detected. Did Charter finally block them off?

Anyone else lose ESPN & ESPN 2 HD QAM on charter again? 69.3 and 66.5 have been black for a few days. I did a rescan for channels and now they don't even get detected. Did Charter finally block them off?

I just did a scan at my parent's house at Lake Martin near Dadeville. It's not Montgomery but it is Charter. ESPN2 is gone but they still have ESPN. They also get Univision HD now. The local QAM HD are from the Montgomery market. The channel numbers are different though.

I just did a scan at my parent's house at Lake Martin near Dadeville. It's not Montgomery but it is Charter. ESPN2 is gone but they still have ESPN. They also get Univision HD now. The local QAM HD are from the Montgomery market. The channel numbers are different though.

do you know what the new channel numbers are?

do you know what the new channel numbers are?

I don't remember what the channel numbers are.

I don't remember what the channel numbers are.Now it seems like here in Montgomery ESPN & ESPN2 are completely missing (can't even pick up the old channel numbers on a scan). I couldn't find them on any of the other channels either.

Now it seems like here in Montgomery ESPN & ESPN2 are completely missing (can't even pick up the old channel numbers on a scan). I couldn't find them on any of the other channels either.

The channel assignments and channels offered change quite frequently. It wouldn't surprise me if Charter eliminates the ESPNs in HD for free. Both Knology and Brighthouse used to offer allot of free HD and digitals through QAM. Now they have very little (Brighthouse) and almost nothing (Knology). They should always carry the locals in HD for free though. Are you getting Univision HD through QAM in Montgomery?

The channel assignments and channels offered change quite frequently. It wouldn't surprise me if Charter eliminates the ESPNs in HD for free. Both Knology and Brighthouse used to offer allot of free HD and digitals through QAM. Now they have very little (Brighthouse) and almost nothing (Knology). They should always carry the locals in HD for free though. Are you getting Univision HD through QAM in Montgomery?

Nope, don't see Univision HD anywhere...sucks that they took down the ESPNs right before the World Cup though.

Nope, don't see Univision HD anywhere...sucks that they took down the ESPNs right before the World Cup though.


I was hoping they had just changed the assignment. Rescanned this morning and still nothing. I was going to set up recording for all the games. Guess I'll just have to hope I have better luck with the weather and Directv than I have had recently.

do you know what the new channel numbers are?

ESPN HD is 75.2 and Univision HD is 82.11. The entire list is about 22 channels.

ESPN HD is 75.2 and Univision HD is 82.11. The entire list is about 22 channels.

Weird I am not getting ESPN HD on 75.2 but I did find Univision HD on 82.11. It's 4:3 HD though. I'll have to rescan tomorrow to see if I can find ESPN HD.

EDIT: Re-scanned and still can't get ESPN HD on 75.2

Yeah, well....you didn't really think the free ride would last forever, did ya?

I think the only reason they haven't eliminated all the in the clear HD channels in the past is that they didn't have a way to do it without some undesirable side effect. Guess they figured a way around it.

If ya gotta have a box, might as well be satellite.

I thought I'd recheck to see if AT&T now offers DSL on my street and it turns out that they do.

Has anyone switched from Brighthouse internet (roadrunner) to AT& T and can comment on difference in service?

Yeah, well....you didn't really think the free ride would last forever, did ya?

Nah, I didn't but it did come in handy. I actually used it on a TV in a hotel lobby so it was useful when it was free since I watch a lot of ESPN and getting a box of any sort is out of the question. Oh well.

So I finally ran my rabbit ears as high as I could in the attic. The only channel I gained was WSFA. I had to really work to position it right. I could not get 32 nor 22. Although Saturday night I picked up 7 (PBC) and 9 WJSU (ABC). I've given up on WNCF and WBMM. I'm in Dalraida in a former gravel pit.

So I finally ran my rabbit ears as high as I could in the attic. The only channel I gained was WSFA. I had to really work to position it right. I could not get 32 nor 22. Although Saturday night I picked up 7 (PBC) and 9 WJSU (ABC). I've given up on WNCF and WBMM. I'm in Dalraida in a former gravel pit.

Try something bigger in the attic like a channel master 4221 or 4228 or get an amp and see if that helps.

FYI: Dish Network and Disney are in a contract dispute. Dish no longer carries Disney, Disney XD, ABC Family and ESPN News in HD.

The new norm. Ongoing contract disputes between content creators and satellite/cable companies.

Anyone else lose Frazier OTA? 34-1. I can't pick it up anymore in Wetumpka.

Checked OTA last night and no signal from 34-1 in Montgomery.

Confirmed - they are off the air due to a major failure of a transmission component. John H. (their engineer) was telling me about it Sunday (I work on the first Sunday's broadcast crew.) Apparently, they were having some difficulty getting the necessary parts ASAP. In general, they usually can't afford to keep too many spare parts on hand, especially the more costly ones.

However, they are directly linked to Charter and Knology so the programming is still continuing on these cable systems.

34-1 and 34-2 are back! Looks like INSP may be the new affiliate.

I am looking for someone that can re-adjust the alignment of my Directv dish in Millbrook.

As a general rule I don't buy extended warranties and I didn't on a Panasonic plasma I bought about 19 months ago. About a month after the warranty was up I had it would no longer stay on, some board was bad and involved close to $600 to replace it. I was out of town this weekend and when I got home my TV wouldn't power on (the red light would blink in sequences of 10). In the display forum I found that this indicated a particular cirucit board and the repair would be in the neighborhood of $600. I think for the first time in my life I've got a TV that is a lemon. Instead of pouring more money into it I think I'll just get a new set. At least the black levels on the new Pannys (I still think they are the best plasmas today) are better than on my current (now disabled) set.

a Panasonic plasma I bought about 19 months ago..

I bought my Panny Plasma a year ago October..supposedly my credit card doubles the mfg warranty. Hopefully I won;t have to test that.

Consumer Reports gives Panasonic good ratings for reliability (I think I remember reading that). Apparently, I just lucked out and got a lemon. The first failure was in March and now it's just failed again. With the way prices of TVs have dropped I can't see putting five or six hundred dollars into this one again and then have it fail again in a few months. Live and learn. I may buy an extended warranty this time (not the manufacturers one).

Stan,

Be sure to get the 65" and invite me over. :)

Too bad Kuro's not still around. But Panasonic's new panel is not bad (and the problem with fluctuating blacks seems to be solved-hopefully). Was hoping to wait until Panasonic make's full use of the Kuro technology they supposedly bought from Pioneer. Oh well. But I'm not jumping on the 3D bandwagon.

Stan,

Be sure to get the 65" and invite me over. :)

Just got back from Best Buy. My new 50' G20 will be delivered Friday. I wasn't interested in 3D and the next model up was 3D. A big price jump and not much additional except 3D (maybe a very incremental improvement in black level-but not enough to justify paying that much more). I had planned to pay for my purchase out right but they had a special 36 months no interest (if paid in full in 36 months). I couldn't pass that up, I'll just use their money for a while but pay if off in a few months. This TV is better than the one it's replacing (Panasonic's first THX certified model) but costs about $1000 less than I paid for my old TV. Jim, the 65 inch would have been that's a little two large for the space I have the TV (it would fit but would overwhelm the room) and it's a little more than my budget would allow right now. Still pondering the extended warranty, but I'll probably go ahead. If needed, on repair would more than recoup the cost. Not much happening on the HD front in this area, just waiting for Directv to add the locals in October.

I think you can buy your extended warranty from places like Cleveland Plasma without actually having bought your display from them? Probably save a few hundred.

If you were to switch the payment over to a credit card that doubles the manufacturers warranty, that might be worthwild.

We need to hang out at Best Buy and find someone getting a 65" 3D set. ....and figure out a way to get them to adopt us.

I think you can buy your extended warranty from places like Cleveland Plasma without actually having bought your display from them? Probably save a few hundred.

If you were to switch the payment over to a credit card that doubles the manufacturers warranty, that might be worthwild.

We need to hang out at Best Buy and find someone getting a 65" 3D set. ....and figure out a way to get them to adopt us.

I've been looking at extended warranties on-line. Considerable savings compared to Best Buy. It goes against my principles to buy an extended warranty but in light of my last TV, probably not a bad idea.

I bought my Panny Plasma a year ago October..supposedly my credit card doubles the mfg warranty. Hopefully I won;t have to test that.

I bought mine in October '08. Maybe it's something about October.

Got my TV this morning. It looks great. After my experience with my last (only 19 month old TV) I bought an extended warranty from Mack Camera through Cleveland Plasma. It was $150 for 3 years (starting when the manufacturer's warranty ends). Considering that is only a fraction the cost for one repair (my repair on my old set was $500) that seems like a small amount to pay for peace of mind for four years (manufactures warranty + the 3 year Mack warranty). Remember the days when TVs were so dependable they lasted 10-20 years (and even longer)?

So, is ABC 32's news in HD? I don't normally watch this channels news but was on the channel when it started tonight and watched. All the title cards read "ABC 32 News at 10 in HD but the whole thing was in SD, not even widescreen SD just regular old 4:3 SD. So, is it ever in HD and maybe they just had some problems tonight or is there definition of HD different then mine?

I'm on a roll. Two weekends ago my TV died, last weekend my computer crashed and this weekend I got a bill from the IRS for my 2009 taxes plus penalties (the taxes were paid in April and the check cleared the bank--my bank is providing me with a copy of the cancelled check so I can show the IRS that they have my on-time payment somewhere in their system--ain't our government great-I get to spend my time to correct their mistake). They (the ubiquitous they) say things happen in three, so, hopefully, next weekend won't bring another surprise.

I'm on a roll. Two weekends ago my TV died, last weekend my computer crashed and this weekend I got a bill from the IRS for my 2009 taxes plus penalties (the taxes were paid in April and the check cleared the bank--my bank is providing me with a copy of the cancelled check so I can show the IRS that they have my on-time payment somewhere in their system--ain't our government great-I get to spend my time to correct their mistake). They (the ubiquitous they) say things happen in three, so, hopefully, next weekend won't bring another surprise.


With the IRS you are guilty until proven innocent.

Does anyone in the area have an Anthem D2V???

Does anyone in the area have an Anthem D2V???

I guess not much going on around here. I wish I could answer "yes, I do" to your post Jim but, alas, I can't. Anybody know when in October D* will have the locals in this area (D*s not telling)?

I believe that Cohen's Electronics "carries" Anthem. Not sure if they will have it in stock, on the floor for demo, or have to order it.

I called last week for a new Integra DHC-40.2 pre/pro and they didn't have any on the floor or in stock.

They're a dealer but don't carry any in stock.

I've for the time being have lost interest. Its not HDMI 1.4 nor am I convinced that ARC is as comprehensive at it should be.

Looks like I got a new Menu screen on my Dish 622 last night.

Looks like I got a new Menu screen on my Dish 622 last night.

Yep, L630 firmware was released a week ago..I got it the first night it spooled.

A lot of folks are complaining on the DBS Dish forum about the new DVR menu screen hawking PPV movies, and they changed the color schemes for all the on-screen guide options...

No technical problems have been confirmed...this release did fix the occasional "black-screen-with-audio" problem that randomly occurred when the 622 was first turned on...it sometimes happened two or three times a week with L629 and a power-button reset was the only way to recover.

Thanks for the info. I have been out of the loop for a while.

Looks like D* will have our area locals starting next week (reported on DBS Talk). About time.

So, another Charter QAM question from me. I know it's probably getting annoying, but I can't get a cable box where I'm at.

I noticed a couple days ago that my Sony LCD lost it's HD locals 8.1, 12.1, 20.1, 32.1 out of nowhere yet my Philips LCD were still showing them. So I decided to do a rescan on the Sony and still nothing. Today, I stupidly decided to do a rescan on the Philips and now I've lost the HD locals on them also even though they were working just fine right before I did the rescan. Is there any way to get these back? Thanks in advance.

Quick update...

Just went through all the digital channels and found the locals but they are only 4:3 HD not 16:9

90.3 - WAKA
90.4 - WAKA (showing a completely different show. weird)
90.7 - WAKA Weather
90.9 - WCOV Weather
93.1 - WNCF
93.2 - WSFA
93.3 - WSFA (showing a completely different show. weird again)

Missing WCOV but still they are 4:3 and not 16:9. I know the normal 8.1, 12.1, 20.1, 32.1 still exist since I just had them prior to rescanning. Just need to know where to find them if possible.

Good evening,

We can definitely contact the head end to see if they've made any recent changes and get the current channels for you. Please pm us the following:

Name:
Phone Number on Account:
Address:

Locals are up on Directv as of 7:00AM 10/27. Looks like I will need to call DTV to activate them when I tune to the channels I get Channel Not Purchased.

The only one missing and I'm sure you all can guess... WCOV. I remember how long it took for WCOV to air on brighthouse.

Locals are up on Directv as of 7:00AM 10/27. Looks like I will need to call DTV to activate them when I tune to the channels I get Channel Not Purchased.

The only one missing and I'm sure you all can guess... WCOV. I remember how long it took for WCOV to air on brighthouse.

I noticed that WCOV was missing also. What's the story with that? I wasn't aware of the Brighthouse problems.

I'm sure it's contract negotiations:

See email from WCOV below:

Mr. Rutledge,

We do not yet have a date when WCOV will be carried on Direct TV. I'm not sure where you got the date of the 27th, but I can tell you it will more than likely not be by then. There are too many things which still need to be done on Direct TV's side.

Thanks for your email,

Paul


State: AL
Topic: Part time, Programing
Subject: WCOV Directv 10/27/2010
Comments: Do you have confirmation that WCOV will be carried by Directv starting 10/27/2010?
I certify I am over the age of 13: agreed

Also missing WFRZ, WMCF and WIYC. WIYC told me they could not reach an agreement.

When I called "D" to activate my locals they said they didn't have 20 due to "contractual issues." Glad I didn't get rid of my antenna.

Fox is in a contract dispute with many carriers, including Comcast, DTV and Dish Network...news sources indicate Fox wants >100% increase from previous years' contract.

It's a $$'s related issue, and the consumers in many markets are missing the World Series unless they have OTA....and Fox is using this as a pressure point to force carriers to settle the dispute.

Fox is in a contract dispute with many carriers, including Comcast, DTV and Dish Network...

That has nothing to do with WCOV carriage, which is a locally owned FOX affiliate.

Fox is not in a contract dispute with DTV, not yet as there contract doesn't expire until at least sometime next year if not later according to reports. From what I've read, the only 2 carriers in dispute with Fox right now are Dish Network and Cablevision. I have Dish Network and we have lost all the Fox Sports Net channels and FX but, it hasn't effected WCOV, not yet at least. I think the problem with DTV and WCOV is between those 2 alone, just haven't come to agreement about retransmission fees most likely.

Can the World Series really be used as a pressure point these days? I watch it because it is on but, if I have something else to watch then I don't care about missing the WS.

Fox is not in a contract dispute with DTV, not yet as there contract doesn't expire until at least sometime next year if not later according to reports. From what I've read, the only 2 carriers in dispute with Fox right now are Dish Network and Cablevision. I have Dish Network and we have lost all the Fox Sports Net channels and FX but, it hasn't effected WCOV, not yet at least. I think the problem with DTV and WCOV is between those 2 alone, just haven't come to agreement about retransmission fees most likely.

Can the World Series really be used as a pressure point these days? I watch it because it is on but, if I have something else to watch then I don't care about missing the WS.


The dispute between FOX and Dish Network only involves stations owned by Fox or Local TV (former owners of WBRC in Birmingham).

On Friday October 29, 2010, 5:18 pm


LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Broadcaster Fox and satellite TV provider Dish came to terms on Friday, ending a blackout of several cable channels including FX and 19 regional sports networks to 14.3 million Dish customers that began at the start of the month.


The deal between the unit of News Corp. and Dish Network Corp. comes two days before their agreement for Fox's broadcast signals expired. The agreement means Dish customers will be able to watch baseball's World Series on their own TV sets.


Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. But the companies said it was wide-ranging and long term.


Meanwhile, signals from Fox broadcast stations remain blacked out to some 3 million Cablevision subscribers in the New York area. That standoff has gone on since Oct. 16.

Anyone heard an update on WCOV carriage on DirecTV?

Is WSFA-DT on real channel 12 or 14? I know the PSIP is 12.1, etc.

Does WSFA-DT transmit from the same location as FOX DT?

My reason for asking has to do with the results I'm getting with an OTS signal meter that I bought to help fine tune the aim on my dual antenna system.

According to TVFOOL.com, channel 12's real channel is 12 where as the FCC report that WSFA submitted last year shows digital 14. I don't recall if this is where we had so much trouble with them switching from UHF to VHF. All the channels are pretty much where they're suppose to be except for 12.

Using the OTA antenna meter, digital 12 and digital 20 are not coming from the same location. This is using a Channel Master 4228, a spare one. I was in the attic trying to figure this out as opposed to on top of a very tall ladder. A further complication is that the 4228 is a UHF antenna that can get high VHF. Not sure though if the VHF reception is better at an off angle or straight on.

To further complicate matters, I returned the signal meter as the charging message would never indicate that its fully charged. I should be getting the replacement in a couple of weeks.

If WSFA DT is transmitting on 12 and there isn't anything odd about the angle of reception of the antenna, then it would appear that 12 and 20 aren't at the same location (from 14 to 34 degrees apart(I get peaks at 194,200 and 214 degrees for 12 ))....which honestly doesn't sound right. 20 shows up at 180 degrees which is correct according to TV fools for my location.

Any help would be appreciated.

I just noticed ESPNU is HD on Direct and SD on Dish.
Score one for Directv.

WSFA is on 12, and is on the same tower as WCOV.

http://www.rabbitears.info/oddsandends.php?request=tower&asrn=1036432

- Trip

anyone know why WAKA is showing infomercials instead of unc/kentucky college basketball game? who can i call to get it fixed?

anyone know why WAKA is showing infomercials instead of unc/kentucky college basketball game? who can i call to get it fixed?

Good question because CBS Atlanta is carrying it.

WSFA is on 12, and is on the same tower as WCOV.

http://www.rabbitears.info/oddsandends.php?request=tower&asrn=1036432

- Trip

Thanks for posting Trip.

Any idea why each station peaks out the signal meter in slightly different directons?

As I recall, the 4228 is a UHF, not VHF, antenna. As such, its VHF pattern is almost guaranteed to be skewed. I'm completely unsurprised to find that you'd have to aim in a different direction to get satisfactory VHF reception on it, since it's not designed to receive VHF signals.

- Trip

Right now, satellite providers are trying to make room on their limited transponders/bandwidth to carry PBS HD channels in major markets. Many markets now have PBS HD available...a certain percentage was mandated by the FCC, with a phase-in time period of several years.

Like many states, Alabama has APT (Alabama Public Television) which carries PBS, plus many locally produced programs.

However, all APT stations carry the exact same programming from a single source and do not have any "station unique" programs.

It seems to me that Dish should be allowed to broadcast just one HD channel for APT for the entire state, instead of carrying several stations scattered around the state, all showing the exact programming...

Right now, each station is carried in SD for their market....makes no sense to chew up bandwidth just to see a different station ID in different markets...

Just my opinion....any others?


__________________

Right now, satellite providers are trying to make room on their limited transponders/bandwidth to carry PBS HD channels in major markets. Many markets now have PBS HD available...a certain percentage was mandated by the FCC, with a phase-in time period of several years.

Like many states, Alabama has APT (Alabama Public Television) which carries PBS, plus many locally produced programs.

However, all APT stations carry the exact same programming from a single source and do not have any "station unique" programs.

It seems to me that Dish should be allowed to broadcast just one HD channel for APT for the entire state, instead of carrying several stations scattered around the state, all showing the exact programming...

Right now, each station is carried in SD for their market....makes no sense to chew up bandwidth just to see a different station ID in different markets...

Just my opinion....any others?


__________________

I don't think it would save Dish any bandwidth, though, as each or most of the locals in Alabama are on different spot beams. I'm sure they need only one contract though. A national PBS feed would be great as well.

Anyone heard an update on WCOV carriage on DirecTV?

Bump :)

As I recall, the 4228 is a UHF, not VHF, antenna. As such, its VHF pattern is almost guaranteed to be skewed. I'm completely unsurprised to find that you'd have to aim in a different direction to get satisfactory VHF reception on it, since it's not designed to receive VHF signals.

- Trip
The 4228 is advertised as an UHF antenna(when it was still in production) but does Hi VHF fairly well.

Thought I'd try to verify your statement by taking the 4228 up to the water tower on Jasmine Hill Road. Its higher than where my house sits and could help me narrow down what's happening.

At that location, the 4228 peaked 20 and 12 in the identical direction as you would expect. So I'm either getting some kind of reflection or phase cancellation at my home.

In going over my dual antenna installation with someone on another forum, there are several things that I'll need to try.

Ready to try them out but can't be running up and down that extention ladder when its this wet.

Why does the NFL have four 1PM eastern games scheduled on FOX and our local Fox is carrying ZERO!

Why does the NFL have four 1PM eastern games scheduled on FOX and our local Fox is carrying ZERO!

Only one network is allowed to carry double-header Sunday games during the regular NFL season.

Fox and CBS alternate double-header games on Sunday's and yesterday was CBS's turn for double-header games.

Each local station is allowed to choose which team it wants to televise in its local market. Fox-20 has chosen to follow the Falcons, which is why there was no game on at noon yesterday, but did have the Falcons game at 3:00, while CBS still had their 12 and 3 double header. If the Falcons had played a game at 12:00, then Fox-20 would have carried that game. Fox-20 is allowed to carry a different team if the Falcons have a bye week or play a Sunday night or Monday night game.

I'm very lucky, I get the Birmingham stations via Dish Network and the Montgomery stations via OTA. Birmingham's Fox-6 chose to follow the Saints...so yesterday I got the Saints at 12 and the Falcons at 3, while still getting the double-header games on CBS.

Local CBS stations are also allowed to choose which teams to follow, so sometimes I get different games from CBS-8 and CBS-42..

Late in the season all local stations are allowed to choose different teams to follow so teams no longer in the playoff hunt can be dropped from the markets that were following them, with the exception of the home-team markets, which must carry all away games for their home team and all home games that are sold out.

The NFL tweaks these rules each year, but right now this is the way they work. Since the Falcons and Saints are in the playoff picture, Fox-20 will continue to follow the Falcons and Fox-6 will follow the Saints.

If it was CBS's weekend to carry the double header then why did Fox Bham carry a double header?

If it was CBS's weekend to carry the double header then why did Fox Bham carry a double header?

Fox-6 did not have a double-header...they carried the 12pm Saints game, and no 3pm game...Fox-20 did not have a 12pm game, but carried the Falcon's 3pm game...

I got to watch both because I get Fox-6 via Dish network and Fox-20 via OTA..

Fox and CBS contracts with the NFL guarantees each network one game each week will not have competition from the other network.. In Montgomery CBS had the 12pm game with no competition from Fox, in B'ham CBS had no competition for the 3pm game.

Hello everyone,
Drew Woods from WCOV here, and boy, have we been busy! Anyway, I usually just check on the forum every once and a while but I wanted to pass along a link I found http://media.myfoxmontgomery.com/special/head/technical/transmitter.html

Phil Witt (our beloved, late chief engineer) built this small site waaay back when to include details about the technical side of the tv station. I had forgot about it as it is hidden in the files of our current site.

I hope you enjoy it, pardon the formatting it was a long html time ago

Looks like Dish isn't the only carrier struggling with local stations.

http://www.wsfa.com/global/story.asp?s=13659842

Looks like Dish isn't the only carrier struggling with local stations.

http://www.wsfa.com/global/story.asp?s=13659842

methinks Raycom is playing hardball with DirecTV...with all of the other high profile disputes going on now (Sinclair/Time Warner & Hearst/DirecTV), this one came out of nowhere....who's next?

I don't see how a local can charge one dime for their carriage when they broadcast it for free.

Just sounds like greed to me.
Cram your 20 min of commercials for every hour down our throat and then make us pay too?


I guess their way of looking at it is we pay for cable channels so why not them.

I guess their way of looking at it is we pay for cable channels so why not them.

That's probably part of it, yes.

Revenues from advertising have fallen as the market has fragmented, so they are trying to make money any way they can.

Only one network is allowed to carry double-header Sunday games during the regular NFL season.

Fox and CBS alternate double-header games on Sunday's and yesterday was CBS's turn for double-header games.

Each local station is allowed to choose which team it wants to televise in its local market. Fox-20 has chosen to follow the Falcons, which is why there was no game on at noon yesterday, but did have the Falcons game at 3:00, while CBS still had their 12 and 3 double header. If the Falcons had played a game at 12:00, then Fox-20 would have carried that game. Fox-20 is allowed to carry a different team if the Falcons have a bye week or play a Sunday night or Monday night game.

I'm very lucky, I get the Birmingham stations via Dish Network and the Montgomery stations via OTA. Birmingham's Fox-6 chose to follow the Saints...so yesterday I got the Saints at 12 and the Falcons at 3, while still getting the double-header games on CBS.

Local CBS stations are also allowed to choose which teams to follow, so sometimes I get different games from CBS-8 and CBS-42..

Late in the season all local stations are allowed to choose different teams to follow so teams no longer in the playoff hunt can be dropped from the markets that were following them, with the exception of the home-team markets, which must carry all away games for their home team and all home games that are sold out.

The NFL tweaks these rules each year, but right now this is the way they work. Since the Falcons and Saints are in the playoff picture, Fox-20 will continue to follow the Falcons and Fox-6 will follow the Saints.

Not exactly. CBS assigns games to individual stations. There is a procedure
to ask for a change, but the bar is set high. And yes, Birmingham will sometimes have a different game, but that is usually done due to geographical reasons. We do not receive our final assignments until about 6 days out. When we do, it lists each CBS station in the country and their assigmment and status: constant or flex. Then about 3 days out we receive procedures for game day. Many possible scenarios are listed based on the market and/or game progress. There is a whole lot of switching that can go on before game day is over.

I don't see how a local can charge one dime for their carriage when they broadcast it for free.

Just sounds like greed to me.
Cram your 20 min of commercials for every hour down our throat and then make us pay too?


I guess their way of looking at it is we pay for cable channels so why not them.

I'm sure that if the ADS gave it to you for free we would have a different landscape.
Last I looked, all channels (cable ones too) run about the same amount of commercials in an hour. The rate charged to AD(S for the big 4 is a steal. Pennies for the most popular fare ADS offers. Rarely have I seen more than one or two cable channels ever show up in a rating book, and when they do the rating is essentially nothing.
(ADS-Alternative--to over the air--Delivery Services).

Turned to 8 to watch Jets...map to let us know it is cold out....thank goodness for NFL redzone(all games are shown in the red zone).

I don't see how a local can charge one dime for their carriage when they broadcast it for free.

Just sounds like greed to me.
Cram your 20 min of commercials for every hour down our throat and then make us pay too?


I guess their way of looking at it is we pay for cable channels so why not them.

By the same token, I don't see why cable and satellite systems should get a free ride for content created by somebody else.

Does anyone know if the locals pay the networks for content?

Just saw where D* will have a 4% price increase for 2011. Their raising their prices but still can't reach an agreement with WSFA and WCOV. One of the advantages satellite had over cable was, until the last few years, was the lack of annual price increases. With the increasing HD channels on our area cable as well as the availability of all local channels (of course that is subject to change) not sure satellite has that much of an advantage over cable any more. (And I do subscribe to D*.)

When I can get a cable package that I don't have to watch any channel in SD I'll switch.

When I can get a cable package that I don't have to watch any channel in SD I'll switch.

I agree. I'm not planning to switch. Just saying that satellite one had a very decisive advantage over cable. However, that advantage is shrinking.

Just looked at the channel lineups for Charter and Knology.

25 HD channels for Charter
36 for Knology.

Still about 80 short. :cool:

Just looked at the channel lineups for Charter and Knology.

25 HD channels for Charter
36 for Knology.

Still about 80 short. :cool:

I wonder if they'll ever do an ala carte method of billing.

Personally, I wouldn't pay for "the shopping channel". :)

I wonder if they'll ever do an ala carte method of billing.

Personally, I wouldn't pay for "the shopping channel". :)
Supposedly most of those infomercial channels and shopping and some religious channels pay the carrier to air their feed, not the other way around. So having all those useless channels sucking down bandwidth supposedly helps keep your bill lower.

A least that's what the people over at DBStalk say about them.

I wonder if they'll ever do an ala carte method of billing.

Unlikely for any service provider..unless mandated by the feddrul gubbermint...the programmers that are heavy into bundling..ESPN, FOX, etc....would never go for it unless forced to.

Ok WCOV and WAKA are both carrying NFL double headers today so that theory has a flaw.

Fox Atlanta is caring a double header and CBS Atlanta is not.


Fox Atlanta:
Panthers @ Falcons----Bears @ Packers
Fox Montgomery:
Buccaneers @ Saints -- Bears @ Packers

CBS Atlanta:
Vacant --------------- Titans @ Colts
CBS Montgomery:
Steelers @ Browns ----Titans @ Colts

NFL Rules don't allow for another game to be broadcast in the home market while the local team is playing at home.

Ok WCOV and WAKA are both carrying NFL double headers today so that theory has a flaw.

Fox Atlanta is caring a double header and CBS Atlanta is not.


Fox Atlanta:
Panthers @ Falcons----Bears @ Packers
Fox Montgomery:
Buccaneers @ Saints -- Bears @ Packers

CBS Atlanta:
Vacant --------------- Titans @ Colts
CBS Montgomery:
Steelers @ Browns ----Titans @ Colts

No, the rule is not flawed....network contracts with the NFL allow both Fox and CBS to carry double header games on the last Sunday of the regular season...this has been true for several years...and the contracts also allow more flexibility in choosing which games to carry in most markets (home-team markets still must carry local team if tickets are sold out)...this allows networks to select games that still have playoff implications..:)

Birmingham Fox-6 carried the Saints game and Fox-20 carried the Falcons game for the 12 noon slot. CBS-8 and CBS-42 also carried double header games but both had the same teams for the 12 and 3pm slots.

By the same token, I don't see why cable and satellite systems should get a free ride for content created by somebody else.

Does anyone know if the locals pay the networks for content?

Just got my (seems like) annual Knology rate increase notice. They attribute it to increasing retransmission fees; primarily from the sports networks (ESPN, etc).

The brain deads at 8 & 12 are at it again.... Winter warning maps

Here we go again.
Were all gonna die!

Here we go again. Were all gonna die!

Yea, well so are we..at least I got my Milk,Bread,TP, Beer and Cigs..So we'll go happy. At least we can tell Grandpa "I Told You So!"..:)

LOL!
Not one drop of precipitation here.

I switched from B'ham Fox-6 to M'gmry Fox 20 to watch Packers/Eagles game because Fox-6 had a continuous weather map and scrolling ticker on the screen...didn't obscure the playing scene but was annoying to have to share a good game with the weather.

Thank you Fox-20 for not doing this...I think we are all quick-witted enough to absorb a brief weather update during time-outs or commercial breaks without the need for a continuous barrage of the same weather news...lol..boo on you Fox-6...

Thanks 4bama! That may be the only advantage to being a non-news station. We'll try and remember that one.

How is it broadcast for free?

You know how big a tv station's power bill is?

Also, affiliates do pay a fee to the networks which they are affiliated with.

Here's a crazy question: what are my chances of being able to pull in a Fox OTA signal with a pair of rabbit ears while I am at Lake Martin (the Vezey's Marina area, or a couple miles north of the Kowaliga bridge on AL-63)? I assume Montgomery would be the closest, maybe about 30-40 miles as the crow flies from the broadcast antenna, depending on location.

Any help is much appreciated!

BTW, I checked TVfool and so forth, but I was hoping for some real world experience. I've seen folks post a while back on here that they get the WCOV signal in Auburn and Phenix City, but I just wanted to check. Thanks!

has anyone noticed on wkab tv 32 HD primetime shows a lot of sparks or artifacts? I have Brighthouse and was wondering if cable or network problem. Not so bad but annoying.

LOL I don't think 32's been called WKAB for 22 years.

my bad. I'm showing my years.

my bad. I'm showing my years.

You're not the only one. I had to pull up a program guide to check.

Hey does anyone here have DirecTv? I'm trying to find out what something looks like and I need to be on the phone with a DirecTv subscriber. Please message me
Thanks,
Drew

Do we need Satellite locals?
Can't help ya there. I Have Directv with OTA locals.

Apparently there's a way to get it via Satellite and we want to see if it works.

My Directv account still has a Atlanta address so I'm not sure if I can help but I will be glad to if that doesn't matter.

I will PM you my phone number.

It is official....WAKA is run by asses!!!!

It is official....WAKA is run by asses!!!!

I have been away for a while but some how nothing changes!:D:D

I'm not watching. Is it the we are gonna all die thing again?

I'm not watching. Is it the we are gonna all die thing again?

Two counties were under winter weather watch, 8 had the damn map on through NCIS. The only good thing is NCIS is the only program I watch on 8, local news and local programming is totally amateurish, and still not in HD.

You know it's winter and it's going to be cold so, they had to throw the map up. They were the only local station to do this on that night, what a joke.

Drove to Opelika and back this morning. Got on the road at 4:00 AM. I had to have a snow plow escort down I-85. :rolleyes:

NOT!!

Not a single bridge had a single pellet of ice on it.

I think it's gotten to the point that the weather men over predict to CTA. (Cover their A$$)

Now if we have a Hurricane or a Tornado barreling at us put the freakin (SD) Crawler up. Otherwise use that .2 or .3 channel for what it's designed for. Duh!

This place sure has gotten quiet. I guess once the next round of technology comes it will get busy again.

This place sure has gotten quiet. I guess once the next round of technology comes it will get busy again.

You're right Scott...maybe a robust discussion on 3DTV technology is around the corner..

I personally don't want a 3DTV that requires glasses. Neither the expensive battery powered variety nor the old fashioned generic lenses.

I hope the future lies in glass-less 3DTV...there are a few being tested but very pricey...even way more expensive than the "glasses-required" versions now on the market.

Broadcast format wars are not over, IMHO, and the ability to deliver a quality 3D signal to a glass-less TV set that can also show quality 2D programming is still in its infancy..

Some blogs try to compare this technology competition to the old "Beta-Max vs VHS" format wars from long ago..Don't know if many remember the old Sony Beta-Max vs VHS format war of the 70's and early 80's but similar comparisons can be made to the 3DTV broadcast/TV-Set-Reception technology competition going on now.

As more advancements in 3D delivery and reception technology evolves we will see prices plummet and glasses disappear...I hope...:cool:

Jump in too early and we may wind up with a 3DTV set that becomes an extinct "Sony Beta-Max"....:eek:

Since 3DTV is still HDTV....this article discloses more on a target launch date..

by Philip Wong March 7, 2011 3:10 PM PST

We've just received some juicy news from Toshiba regarding the company's latest plan for its glasses-free 3D TVs (http://www.cnet.com/3d-tv/?tag=mncol;txt). According to Sharon Soon, senior sales and marketing assistant from the company's Asia office, Toshiba is considering a simultaneous launch in the U.S., Europe, and other countries.


These glasses-free 3D TVs (http://www.cnet.com/3d-tv/) will probably come in screen sizes of more than 40 inches and are tentatively due out in the second half of this year. However, the actual launch schedule is still pending confirmation subjected to market developments.


Toshiba is currently offering smaller 12- and 20-inch glasses-free 3D TVs only in Japan for $1,500 and $2,900, respectively. It's not hard to estimate the premium on a 40-incher using these prices as benchmarks, though the Japanese TV maker may be able to keep costs down by mass-producing these panels.

(Source: Crave Asia (http://asia.cnet.com/crave/toshiba-discloses-more-on-its-glasses-free-3d-tvs-62207392.htm))

Any word if Knology will ever add more HD Channels? I'm getting fed up with them, and this year they raised their prices by $15 without adding any additional service.

Charter and Brighthouse is running off and hiding from Knology on Internet Bandwidth.

I have been with Knology on the broadband side since 96 and I'm thinking hard about switching.

I wonder about the evolution of digital antenna reception. Surely it couldn't be over. Digital reception is so temperamental. Any thoughts?

I wonder about the evolution of digital antenna reception. Surely it couldn't be over. Digital reception is so temperamental. Any thoughts?

Dunno Drew, but I feel like the companies that develop and market TV antennas sense that their return on investing in newer and better technology has bottomed out.

I've not seen any accurate numbers on how many homes rely on OTA signals now compared to 20 years ago, but I suspect the percentage is very low.

With satellite, cable and internet delivered TV options now available to almost everyone, the demand for OTA antennas must be at an all time low...no demand means less R&D dollars are invested to improve the technology..

I, for one, believe it would be a good investment for a company to develop and market a "Smart" antenna system, where GPS coordinates are stored in the antenna pointing system for the various transmit towers, allowing the antenna to be much smaller in size, and automatically, and quickly, point itself to the tower you just selected with your TV remote. Even this technology would have naysayers because only one TV location would become the "Master" for channel selection and using a distribution system for signal delivery to all the TV's in the house would be less effective.

Another technology used in military and space applications is antennas designed around a "phased array", which allows weak signals from any direction to be processed without physically moving the antenna to any particular direction...phased array technology was expensive back when I was still working on defense contracts and space programs, but maybe in today's world they could be mass produced at a reasonable price.

The key to developing any new antenna technology is still the old supply and demand principle...and profit margin...sad to say, but OTA TV may be nearing the end of a long and useful era.:(

The key to developing any new antenna technology is still the old supply and demand principle...and profit margin...sad to say, but OTA TV may be nearing the end of a long and useful era.:(

I sure hope not.

OTA simply gives you a cleaner signal without compression degradation. Additionally, you get channels that aren't available with cable and satellite.

I wonder about the evolution of digital antenna reception. ?

There is nothing special about a "digital" antenna...no amount of marketing bs,hype,advertising nor fancy packaging can over come the laws of physics.
Having been a participant in the USSB-CEMA antenna testing done in 1998 (IIRC) that was proven to be true.

There is nothing special about a "digital" antenna...no amount of marketing bs,hype,advertising nor fancy packaging can over come the laws of physics.
Having been a participant in the USSB-CEMA antenna testing done in 1998 (IIRC) that was proven to be true.

Bdfox18doe : By "nothing special" you mean what? I'm not familiar with the USSB-CEMA antenna testing.

4Bama : That GPS antenna idea sounds like a great idea. I believe the key to developing antenna technologies is getting in front of a work bench and designing things because that is the kind of action that anyone of us can take. Supply/Demand is a reactive way of doing business and it'd be nice to see some proactive things come out of the engineers. They are wicked smart anyway.

I think OTA TV reception should be a priority because despite whatever numbers you may see, a strong amount of the population sees benefit in free TV. The things that we talk (/report) about are local. Subscription services can't match that. The businesses that are on our air are local. I bet they said that XM would put a hurting on AM/FM but the fact of the matter is that local broadcasting is important to communities.

Is anyone going to NAB? They talk about 3D a lot there.

Bdfox18doe : I'm not familiar with the USSB-CEMA antenna testing..


Field testing of all / most available antennas was done in multiple cities. This data formed AntennaWeb.org. Met Neil Terk there..brilliant marketer of poor antennas. The venerable RCA DTC-100 was a pile of circuitboards in the back of a van then.

Cool, I remember when NAB asked us to push people to that website

Did charter recently move WSFA & WNCF. Untill a few weeks ago I had all the local HD's on clear qam. Now those two are gone but WAKA HD is still there. Are those two encrypted now?

I found WSFA HD at 12.1 now on Charter.....

Rest in peace Don Markwell.

Thank goodness for CBS on the Internet. Will be watching.

Wish it was the same for golf. WSFA cut in for over 10 minutes and even explained how to take cover in a home, a car and a mobile home. Way too over the top, they could have put all important info in the crawl that is running non stop. No need to cut in during the golf tournament.

EDIT: The second time they cut in during the golf tournament was beyond ridiculous, their weather update lasted almost 40 FREAKING MINUTES! They ran through the current conditions as slowly as possible and then had to talk about their "Tornado Action Plan" for almost 10 minutes which was just telling people what to do during a tornado, things like what to do what the shower curtain (no joke, they had a suggestion for what to do with your shower curtain!!). Then they even took the time to explain the differences between a warning and a watch. I was ready to throw something threw the TV at this point but, I thought surely that was the end. Boy was I wrong, they then had a completely different person run through the current weather conditions again, which hadn't changed much at all.

Of course they apologize twice for interrupting the golf but that was BS. If they really cared they would have made it as quick as possible and gotten back to the golf. They didn't care, they just wanted their mugs on camera for as long as possible for their 15 -er 40 minutes of fame. One of the weather dudes even had the nerve to say "We're sorry for interrupting the golf tournament but let's have a little perspective here." I HAD ENOUGH PERSPECTIVE THE FIRST 15 MINUTES, 40 MINUTES IS BEYOND WHAT IS NECESSARY TO CONVEY THE WEATHER SITUATION.

Sorry for the rant but this was just way over the top. I understand that there was some really bad weather for some folks but, all the info could have been easily explained in 5 minutes, no need to do 40. I don't understand why the can't just put it all in the crawl that never stops anyway or just interrupt the audio and keep the video for the golf tournament. At the very least, put the golf in a pip window. I prey for a day when the networks can afford to broadcast their own national channel so I don't have to watch another minute of local TV.

Wish it was the same for golf. WSFA cut in for over 10 minutes and even explained how to take cover in a home, a car and a mobile home. Way too over the top, they could have put all important info in the crawl that is running non stop. No need to cut in during the golf tournament.

EDIT: The second time they cut in during the golf tournament was beyond ridiculous, their weather update lasted almost 40 FREAKING MINUTES! They ran through the current conditions as slowly as possible and then had to talk about their "Tornado Action Plan" for almost 10 minutes which was just telling people what to do during a tornado, things like what to do what the shower curtain (no joke, they had a suggestion for what to do with your shower curtain!!). Then they even took the time to explain the differences between a warning and a watch. I was ready to throw something threw the TV at this point but, I thought surely that was the end. Boy was I wrong, they then had a completely different person run through the current weather conditions again, which hadn't changed much at all.

Of course they apologize twice for interrupting the golf but that was BS. If they really cared they would have made it as quick as possible and gotten back to the golf. They didn't care, they just wanted their mugs on camera for as long as possible for their 15 -er 40 minutes of fame. One of the weather dudes even had the nerve to say "We're sorry for interrupting the golf tournament but let's have a little perspective here." I HAD ENOUGH PERSPECTIVE THE FIRST 15 MINUTES, 40 MINUTES IS BEYOND WHAT IS NECESSARY TO CONVEY THE WEATHER SITUATION.

Sorry for the rant but this was just way over the top. I understand that there was some really bad weather for some folks but, all the info could have been easily explained in 5 minutes, no need to do 40. I don't understand why the can't just put it all in the crawl that never stops anyway or just interrupt the audio and keep the video for the golf tournament. At the very least, put the golf in a pip window. I prey for a day when the networks can afford to broadcast their own national channel so I don't have to watch another minute of local TV.

You made Grandpa Train and several others feel better

:confused:Hey fellow HD nuts. Im still around and watching the forum.Not like the old days but still good info and friends here.
Question: Brighthouse advertises video on demand, but I dont think they offer it yet.Anyone know the info?
Gripe: Why do we have so many logos and adds on the screen at once? My God, You buy a large screen tv and go to watch it and its like the Bulletine Board magazine! You cant watch the current show for bottom of screen characters walking out and promoting upcoming shows. Also I know what network I am watching abc nbc fox so on and on.Dont need two logos or more on the screen at once. :cool:

Here in Montgomery a good friend has passed. Don Markwell.
I just finished reading his obituary and amazed at his life story. I have a delievery job and he made my work days go so much better while he was on the air. He may not have invented news talk radio,but he was in on the creation. R.I.P.

:confused:Hey fellow HD nuts. Im still around and watching the forum.Not like the old days but still good info and friends here.
Question: Brighthouse advertises video on demand, but I dont think they offer it yet.Anyone know the info?
Gripe: Why do we have so many logos and adds on the screen at once? My God, You buy a large screen tv and go to watch it and its like the Bulletine Board magazine! You cant watch the current show for bottom of screen characters walking out and promoting upcoming shows. Also I know what network I am watching abc nbc fox so on and on.Dont need two logos or more on the screen at once. :cool:
The animated ad inserts and graphic logos are an annoyance of mine as well.

In this day and age of DVRs and EPGs and the guide channel on every cable system, we shouldn't need to be constantly reminded of what channel we're watching. I suspect that the marketing department insists on the logos being on nearly full time now to differentiate the channel from the (often) hundreds of others available at any one time.

In this respect, cable is still years behind satellite because it's possible (as I have in a bedroom) to have a TV with no EPG or cable box to let me know what show I'm watching. Without the logo or a paper channel guide there's no way to know what channel is where except by long term memorization. Which is stupid. On the other hand, I recently stayed in a cheap motel and had to rely solely on the on screen bug to figure out what channel was which.

When I had satellite, the logos were even more stupid because each channel had its own color graphical logo on the actual info banner. Next to the program name and all other relevant information.

Logos on high definition channels take the cake, however. Since many channels cheap out and center-cut the screen for SD viewers, they have to put the logo waaaay over from the corner where it belongs. On a big widescreen TV, the logo may be 6 inches or more from the lower corner. It's horribly annoying. It ranks right up there with stretch-o-vision for annoying things cable channels do to ruin the viewing experience we all pay for.

As for the animated show adverts that pop up, well that's actually our fault. We've adopted DVRs, and back when the TiVo was the hot item the channels knew they had to find a way to get their promos to our eyeballs since we were skipping all the commercials. So they put them over the actual program. I wouldn't be surprised to see actual product commercials start showing up like this one day. It'll be that or locking down future DVRs so they can't skip commercials anymore. Don't think for a minute the big mega cable cos aren't wishing for that ability.

On a similar subject I have noticed some channels are no longer supporting the 4:3 format.
I noticed on my bedroom TV which is Dish Network SD that the Fox News channel logo is off the screen.

On a similar subject I have noticed some channels are no longer supporting the 4:3 format.
I noticed on my bedroom TV which is Dish Network SD that the Fox News channel logo is off the screen.
I seem to recall that Fox News has been 16:9 only since they upgraded to HD, or went that way shortly after the HD upgrade. They're one of the few channels I'm aware of that is like that, but I think it's easier on their end to only shoot and make graphics for the 16:9 style screen than the more complicated center-cut method that most others use.

Fox News should not be center cut at all by cable companies, meaning people with SD sets like you and I should see the black bars at top and bottom. It's up to the SD set's overscan to determine how much of the edges get cut off.

I tend to be of the belief that all networks broadcasting in HD should be this way; why should we who invested in expensive high def sets get a second class presentation to appease the people who still have old tube sets and no HD service? They should see the wide screen presentation and just deal with the black bars. It might encourage some of them to upgrade. I had an HD box on my bedroom SD tube TV for years and even with the black bars the picture was crisp and enjoyable, so it's not like those black areas ruined the experience. I don't know why people are so averse to that concept.

I feel the logos of terrror approaching:eek:

The we are DOOMED logos are near! Weather is coming GrandPa