Originally posted by MasterFX1
Check out the national thread... even full-bandwidth CBS stations had the same exact problems. Stobe light effects have never come out right on anything I have watched in HD - It doesn't matter if it was the Disturbed concert on HDnet, last year's SuperBowl Halftime on TWC 1810, the introductions of a basketball game on ESPN-HD or any live event on WRGB-DT. Strobe effects don't work in HD yet. And quick cuts during extensive lighting effects only synergizes the problem.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=364100

Already saw the thread last night.

"even full-bandwidth CBS stations had the same exact problems"...

I wouldn't really call it same exact problems...there are different degrees of the problem and WRGB is on the bad end of it due to multicasting...plain and simple.

I hate to tell you but you just can't compare HDNet's HD picture quality to WRGB-DT half As@ed HD PQ....Sorry :cool:

Originally posted by jpeter1093
Lufters, I agree, HD looks just as good to my eyes as the 3250HD I had. The 8000HD doesn't have the Passthrough setting. I'm hoping that comes at some point with a software update but I have my macro until then. The only other thing is that at first I thought the analog channels looked a bit worse with the 8000 than the 3250 but either my eyes are adjusting or the 8000 is breaking in, since they look better now.

My experience in getting the box. I called Saturday morning, the rep said no 8000HDs were available. I told her people I knew (from this forum) were getting them. She said they had a few but were only giving them to people who presently had an HD box...I replied "that's me!" and explained I had the 3250HD. So, she called the Albany TWC office and reserved the (supposedly) only one they had. Of course, I ran right over and grabbed it. Don't forget the special remote (a DVR capable remote) that comes with it.

Well I picked up my 8000HD DVR today at the Washington Ave office (they had plenty of them). Great device...I never had a DVR,TiVo, etc. so it's new to me. Seems like I've been missing out on some great conveniences...but not anymore.

Hooked it up today and is working good. PQ looks to be the same as the 3250. I also recorded a show tonight without a hitch.

The only main issue I have is that the S-Video out is not functional. I like using S-Video for watching non-HD channels due to better PQ. I also don't like not being able to record just the new episodes of a particular daily program...with this DVR, when you record a daily show, it records all of them...new and old.

Other than that so far so good.

Side note:

I called TWC about the S-Video problem and they said that they were aware of the issue and there should be a software update for it soon.

I saw the opening segment several times luft (I record HDTV) and I saw the same pixelization as you..But I didn't think its was enough to compromise the whole Grammy presentation,there was other pixelated shots, but I didn't expect PERFECT with a live broadcast..did you?

If you guys have so many issues with the WRGB/CBS HD broadcast, then why are you complaining so much about NOT receiving the broadcast's via TWC.. if it sucks that bad, then change the channel already..

On another note..

Why the comparison with HDnet vs. WRGB?

HDnet programming is very different to the HD programming of CBS, how many CBS HD cameras did you see being used during the Superbowl or the Grammy's? (My guess..+10)

How many HDnet HD camera's do you see being used at HDnet's BEST hockey game?? (My guess..3..woot!) ..a little different huh?

It's like comparing an HDTV presentation of the WMHT PBS show "NOVA" against an ABC HDTV broadcast of the "George Lopez Show"?? What show do you think looks better in HD?? duh!

I've got hundreds of WMHT HD/PBS screenshots, show me your best TWC ABC HD shots (or even HDnet) and I'll show you some of my FREE PBS/HD screenshots..

Originally posted by BreakStuff
I saw the opening segment several times luft (I record HDTV) and I saw the same pixelization as you..But I didn't think its was enough to compromise the whole Grammy presentation,there was other pixelated shots, but I didn't expect PERFECT with a live broadcast..did you?




It would have been better if WRGB didn't Half As@ it and multicast...period!! That's the point there Break!

Originally posted by BreakStuff

If you guys have so many issues with the WRGB/CBS HD broadcast, then why are you complaining so much about NOT receiving the broadcast's via TWC.. if it sucks that bad, then change the channel already..



I did change the channel..I did so much, I returned my STB and indoor Antenna at Best Buy today so I wouldn't have to look at there crummy HD signal....and I guess WRGB's advertisers go with it...oh well!

On another note..

TWC showed the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show broadcast in HDTV on INHD tonite (2.09.04)

and..

WNYT/NBC will be broadcasting the Daytona 500 this Sunday.(2.15.04)

What HD program do you think will be more pixelated?

Best in group Champion "Cracknor Cause Celebre" ..the 10 inch high Norfolk Terrier taking turn four at 2 mph (ha!) during the MSG Best in Show competition..(may the luck of Willum be upon you!)

or..

Dale Earnhart Jr. in the #8 Budweiser Chevy taking turn four at Daytona International Speedway at 190 mph while bump drafting some of the friendly competition..

hmm..thats a tuff one indeed.. :confused:

Originally posted by BreakStuff

On another note..

Why the comparison with HDnet vs. WRGB?

HDnet programming is very different to the HD programming of CBS, how many CBS HD cameras did you see being used during the Superbowl or the Grammy's? (My guess..+10)

How many HDnet HD camera's do you see being used at HDnet's BEST hockey game?? (My guess..3..woot!) ..a little different huh?

It's like comparing an HDTV presentation of the WMHT PBS show "NOVA" against an ABC HDTV broadcast of the "George Lopez Show"?? What show do you think looks better in HD?? duh!



Why the comparison....huhhhhhh...They both do HD (1080i)?? (at least WRBG thinks they do)....Duhhh!


"How many HDnet HD camera's do you see being used at HDnet's BEST hockey game?? (My guess..3..woot!)"

What HDnet are you watching.....the one on Mars??

It's either time to buy a bigger TV or get some glasses....or both....there Break!


....and it's a bad comparision with ABC and WMHT.......ABC is 720P (upconverted to 1080i) and WMHT is 1080i.....DUHHHHHHHHHH!! :p

WMHT is also multi-casting. Lufters, how many other CBS-HD feeds are you visually comparing to WRGB-DT's... None? Get a clue. I'm surprised you pay TWC for all those channels and not a single one is uncompressed... SD or HD.

I expect the Daytona500 to be less than par... NBC has not done much live HD. Breakstuff: Agreed, all those fast moving cars and shots, it's going to break-up a whole lot I expect. I don't know how many of the cameras will be HD, but I bet it's less than the Superbowl, and NASCAR needs more cameras per event than the NFL.

Originally posted by MasterFX1
WMHT is also multi-casting. Lufters, how many other CBS-HD feeds are you visually comparing to WRGB-DT's... None? Get a clue. I'm surprised you pay TWC for all those channels and not a single one is uncompressed... SD or HD.


I actually have a clue...and unbiased one....but you guys wouldn't know anything about that...would you?? I'm just an average consumer that has enough B@lls to speak up!

There's no way of getting around the issue...WRGB does half-A@sed HD.

So when was the last time WMHT did the Grammys or an NFL game???

...and how many people care about WMHT (PBS) compared to WRGB (CBS)??.......PLEEEEASSSE! :p

Wow, so much hostility!!!!! I realize there are some petty politics going on between WRGB and TWC, but there always will be when $$$$ are involved. It becomes a pissing contest, but doesn't the whole world work that way? It will pass.... As far as the technical issues, this is new technology and the bugs will be worked out in time. If you have an issue with that, you should revert back with the other 97% of television viewers that still are SD, and wait for it be resolved for the "common man"! We are all pioneers with this stuff because we have the time and money to play with it. Have patience, Remember "it's only television"

Originally posted by lufters
I did change the channel..I did so much, I returned my STB and indoor Antenna at Best Buy today so I wouldn't have to look at there crummy HD signal....and I guess WRGB's advertisers go with it...oh well!


Sounds to me like someone was "renting" for the Super bowl and the Grammy's :D

Originally posted by Tconnors
Sounds to me like someone was "renting" for the Super bowl and the Grammy's :D

:cool:

Originally posted by stoder
Wow, so much hostility!!!!! I realize there are some petty politics going on between WRGB and TWC, but there always will be when $$$$ are involved. It becomes a pissing contest, but doesn't the whole world work that way? It will pass.... As far as the technical issues, this is new technology and the bugs will be worked out in time. If you have an issue with that, you should revert back with the other 97% of television viewers that still are SD, and wait for it be resolved for the "common man"! We are all pioneers with this stuff because we have the time and money to play with it. Have patience, Remember "it's only television"


There's no hostility here...just trying to prove a point that I'm very unbiased in my opinions compared to some on this board due to where they work.

I totally understand the technical issues...but it seems the technology just isn't there at the moment to multicast and get a real good HD Picture at the same time...that's my main complaint. Like I said before, the government needs to get more involved in this sooner than later. HD viewers are growing by the day.

I got the 8000HD at the Washington Ave office last night. They started to say that they would only give them out to people who already have HD boxes but I explained to them how I've had an HDTV for a year and hadn't been able to get High Definition because I didn't want to give up my DVR and they relented. I'm sure for anyone that doesn't have a HD box threatening to cancel your membership would produce similar results. Is there really no way to switch between HD and SD without standing up and pushing buttons on the cable box? Can't I do this with my remote?

Yes, you can, Scott. Press settings once, then scroll until you see 480i, 1080i or one of the other resolutions, scroll to the one you want and press SELect

The way I look at it is I am extremely happy with WRGB, WMHT & WNYT. I do not have access to TWC (Hudson Valley) in my location so have Directv with OTA. Even if I could get TWC it would use the NYC stations. I would much rather watch the news from the Capital District. (I have a hard time with all the city violence!!!!) I get great reception in Kingston which is about 52 miles away. All 3 are broadcasting at full power (not low power extended testing like many DT stations) from the same tower (no rotor required) which gives access to "many" folks that can't get cable. Always wondered if WTEN's lagging behind is related to the signal that they feed to TWC? I just hope when they "light up" it is with a strong enough signal to reach me. Self serving opinion, but "that's the way it is!"

BTW I love the way an antenna looks on the roof, makes me feel kind of "retro". Thank goodness I have a wife that "tolerates" my toys. Even the Harley!!!!!!!!

Other than the football and the Superbowl , I haven't seen ANYTHING on CBS worth watching, including the Grammys. At least ABC puts up one or two movies a week (Lion King, Pearl Harbor). Any ways, I do watch some of the stuff on WMHT.

I think everybody has to remember how early we are in the HD game. I was an early adopter of DVD as well, but some of those early disc were AWFUL (The Last Emperor, Trus Lies). But over time, the studios figured out how to do it right, so that now, almost every major picture looks good. I'm sure a few years from now when every network is doing the majority of their stuff in HD and even the locals have gotten in on the act, PQ won't be nearly as much of an issue. Also, I'm sure this whole TWC/affiliate dispute will be ancient history as well.

During the SB, maybe it wasn't a PERFECT HD picture, but it was still 100 times better than the analog signal.

Paul

Notice my new location. So long 20+ OTA channels... Hello broadband Internet. I'll give the results of my reception in my sub-level apartment with an indoor antenna tomorrow when I get the Road Runner hooked up. (My DTV tuner is still at the old location, but the analog OTA at my new pad, using a plain old FM antenna, was pretty good.)

Originally posted by lufters

I called TWC about the S-Video problem and they said that they were aware of the issue and there should be a software update for it soon.

Is this an issue with all the 8000 boxes or just certain ones? I was about to go out and buy a S-Video connector but there's really no point in that if it won't work.

He was talking about the 8000HD, NOT the regular 8000 (non-HD model)

I got my 8000HD DVR this afternoon and noticed that there was no optical audio output on it. TWC said that they only have one type of box, and it was because they hadn't 'subscribed to that service from Scientific Atlanta." Does anyone else have the box with the optical audio on it or was it a pipe dream of mine to actually be able to have digital audio to go with my HDTV

Disregard my last post....that's what I get for getting pissed before taking the styrofoam off the box.

oops.....

Well, the verdict...

No problems whatsoever! I plugged in a $35 Philips/Magnavox indoor antenna that I bought at Lowes, set it on the window sill right behind the TV and wham- no fuss, "Good" signal strength on WRGB-DT, WNYT-DT and WMHT-DT. WCDC-DT did not come in, but I really could care less.

Originally posted by MasterFX1
Well, the verdict...

No problems whatsoever! I plugged in a $35 Philips/Magnavox indoor antenna that I bought at Lowes, set it on the window sill right behind the TV and wham- no fuss, "Good" signal strength on WRGB-DT, WNYT-DT and WMHT-DT. WCDC-DT did not come in, but I really could care less. How does WTEN look in HD?

It looks like $20 a month for something I'll get for free very soon.

Originally posted by AlbanyHDTV
How does WTEN look in HD? You said in a previous post that you were getting Road Runner....did you get the digital cable with the HD STB, too?

I'm pretty sure TWC charges some kind of fee if you want RR without cable TV service.

What do you subscribe to from TWC?

I got RR for 29.95/Mo. That's all. After 6 months it rises to 44.95, but I will be outta this location in less time. Incidently, if you split the cable and feed it to a tv you get some channels up in the 70's and 80's... FOX news, ESPN Classic, MSG, OLN, Style, Oxygen, Nat'l Geographic Channel, some religous and shoppings... nothing great, but a cool bonus.

I've got no signal from WMHT. How about you?

Anyone else notice an odd charge about the HD 8000?

Just got my bill and it looks like TWC is charging twice for the DVR.

There's a $7.60 charge for "HD Digi Video Recorder"
And another $9.95 for "DVR Service Charge"

???

When I had the REGULAR HD box, none of these were there.

When I did try the "regular" DVR, it was just $4.95/month for the DVR unit.

How odd.

TWC told me it was an extra $4.95 a month for the 8000HD if you have a premium channel. I haven't gotten my bill yet, however.

A new addition to WRGB-HD t'nite.. 2 logos instead of one.. I don't think I like this idea.:(

http://home.nycap.rr.com/pdquickk/boo.jpg

The only main issue I have is that the S-Video out is not functional. I like using S-Video for watching non-HD channels due to better PQ.

Is the regular old video out (the yellow jack) active?

BreakStuff: Fact of life. As a viewer, I'm not happy with it either. It's only a matter of time before all stations do this. WMHT adds a full color bug to their PBS-HD feed... albeit often it is "Out of bounds."

Originally posted by BreakStuff
A new addition to WRGB-HD t'nite.. 2 logos instead of one.. I don't think I like this idea.:(How did you get that information ahead of time and the screenshot?

Originally posted by BreakStuff
Hey AlbanyHDTV,

Great job with your site, all that hard work is paying off. :)

Maybe you could incorporate a local tv guide with HDTV listings? i.e. titantv.. Thanks for the kind words. I am currently negotiating with TitanTV to provide a local tv guide for www.AlbanyHDTV.com.

How did you get that information ahead of time and the screenshot?

What do you mean "ahead of time"? WRGB-HD is on the air...

Originally posted by jpeter1093
What do you mean "ahead of time"? WRGB-HD is on the air... Breakstuff said, "A new addition to WRGB-HD t'nite..".

Tonight....meaning later today...

The times on these posts are given in Global Standard Time... NOT Eastern Standard Time. Breakstuff's post was from last night.

How did you get that information ahead of time and the screenshot?
My other hobby is time travel. :D :D :D

I picked mine up today. Just like everyone else no s-vid and no pass-through setting. PQ seems the same so far. The channels seem to change slower.

My question is; when I am recording a show, is it recorded as its' source signal or what the box is set to. Example: I want to record NYPD Blue on Tuesday, will that automatically be recorded it in 720p or will it record it in 480i if I'm watching a SD station at the time. (I always watch the SD stations in 480i)

Thanks Guys

It records in its source signal

Originally posted by jpeter1093
It records in its source signal

Cool.
Thanks

What the @#$%^!!!

http://home.nycap.rr.com/pdquickk/bonnie1.jpg
:p

I'm not a TWC sub, so Breakstuff, was that a real screenshot or a creation of yours?

Anyone having problems with HBO-HD on TWC?....I'm not getting anything...all the other HD channels work fine

Originally posted by lufters
Anyone having problems with HBO-HD on TWC?....I'm not getting anything...all the other HD channels work fine Honey, I blew up the kid is showing just fine for me.

was that a real screenshot or a creation of yours?
That would be me showing off my mad photoshop skillz.. :p
sorry for any confusion..

Thanks, good one though.

I been wrestling around with the WNYT-HD signal most of the night..

The HDTV card in my pc (MyHD) just can't see the signal and when it does its only 10-20% signal strength..my Zenith HDV-420 receives the signal at around 50% (normal) and all HD channels are just fine on the STB, All other channels on my PC card are fine.. I already eliminated hardware,coax,connectors,etc from the diagnosis..

My antenna coax is "split" 2 ways, added an inline cable amplifier..still no good..

Hooked up my $30 amplified rabbit ears antenna and was able to receive the signal at 30-40%..

Now my antenna is a Channel Master outdoor roof mounted UHF antenna.. my UHF signals come in great, WNYT-HD is not so great..

Now my prior experience with UHF/VHF analog signals lead me to believe that if I purchased a "quality" roof mounted UHF antenna, I would receive the stubborn UHF broadcasts better and fiqured I would have no problems receiving the much stronger VHF signals from my location.. this theory works fine with analog signals, but this theory does not work well with the much more sensitive digital signal..

To make a long story short.. Do not expect the best results from an UHF ONLY antenna and thinking it should not have problems with stronger VHF signals.... WNYT-HD is very touchy with my setup and my antenna is roof mounted... I think I'll try a dipole element modification and see what happens on the VHF side....

Someone enlighten me on that wireless cable broadcast company that unsuccesfully made its way thru the region a few years back.. I still see the antenna's everywhere and was wondering if that signal was VHF/UHF or maybe a microwave signal???? I bet I could score a few of those old antennas and make one heck of a frankenstein type antenna!

Since my latest screenshots have messed with WRGB and WTEN.. I figure I should throw WNYT into the mix to keep it equal..nobody is safe and I probably should expect a court summons in the very near future :p

This is an untouched screenshot from the WNYT 11pm news broadcast..


http://home.nycap.rr.com/pdquickk/huh.jpg

i got one of those antennas in a tree in front of my house

For me, WNYT-DT is strongest with "Rabbit Ears" un-extended in a "V" angle with a little gain. My old rooftop FM antenna (leaning against the floor and wall of my apartment) gets WRGB-DT and WMHT-DT at really strong signal strengths, but cannot get WNYT-DT at all unless I am physically touching the antenna. While my $35 Phillips/Magnavox indoor antenna works fine, for maximum signal strength on all channels, I may put in an A/B switch.

Originally posted by BreakStuff
Since my latest screenshots have messed with WRGB and WTEN.. I figure I should throw WNYT into the mix to keep it equal..nobody is safe and I probably should expect a court summons in the very near future :p

This is an untouched screenshot from the WNYT 11pm news broadcast.Since you like the screen shots, you might be interested in this site (http://albanyhdtv.proboards18.com/index.cgi?board=Programs&action=display&num=1076864893), which has hundreds of HD screen shots from 20 different networks.

Well I have to say, as predicted, I was not impressed by th HD effort of NBC for the Daytona 500. Way too many upconverted cameras. I didn't experience that much pixelation though, when they took the HD cams it was usually a wide shot with the cars moving through the frame. It's when they focus in on a car and pan with it that it usually falls apart. In the end though, It was good to see NBC doing HD on a sport more enticing than horse racing. The Olympics should be well done, as they were last time.

The Daytona 500 wasn't as much a disaster as I expected..

Switching between SD and HD cameras were more pleasing than I expected, maybe this was due to the use of the upconverted shots..

Upconverted and SD cameras looked bad, the aerial shots were horrible..

HD cameras looked good, but didn't work well at distances..

Being a NASCAR racing fan since the early 90's, I have watched hundreds of races..I can honestly say that todays race was one of the best looking I have watched so far.. any HDTV is better than none at all.. :)

I've got no signal from WRGB-DT. WNYT and WMHT come in fine, however. Anyone else?

Originally posted by AlbanyHDTV
I've got no signal from WRGB-DT. WNYT and WMHT come in fine, however. Anyone else?

Been watching for a hr. No problems

How pretty is the NBC broadcast premier of Shrek in HDTV?!

NBC is working overtime in the HD department today.. HD programing includes;

12:00-6:00PM Daytona 500
7:00-9:00 PM NBC Movie:Shrek
9:00-10:00 PM American Dreams
10:00-11:00 PM Law and Order

Thats alot of HDTV!

There was a nice piece on Mark Cuban and his billions on 60 minutes tonight. He talked about HD Net and investing to keep it out in front of the HD market.

Originally posted by Tconnors
Been watching for a hr. No problems If I can receive WMHT & WNYT, so I should be able to get WRGB. I tried to manually add the channel in my STB with no luck. I am not getting any signal at all from WRGB.

I wish I could just change my TWC box to 1806 and get CBS.

Shrek looked awesome.

My son and I watched the NBA All-Star game broadcast (the HD TNT feed) on INHD last night and thought it looked great! We also watched the skills competition stuff that was broadcast Saturday night (slam-dunk competition, 3-point shooting, etc).

Still not sure if I'm going to keep the TWC HD/digital package. I'm in the middle of a three month discounted deal right now. I might check into seeing if I can swing a deal like someone else mentioned here pages ago -- that is, keep the analog service (no premiums) and just get an HD package. I'm getting zero use right now from the digital tier...but a LOT of use of the HD tier. If anyone else is doing this right now, would they LMK details?

I don't want a major investment in antenna and STB right now. Although the idea of getting the local HD signals for "free" sounds like it would probably be the way to go.

NCAA Basketball fans and DTV-OTA capable viewers:

During the opening rounds of the tournament, would you prefer to get up to 4 games in SD using Multi-casting or one (Of CBS's choosing) HD game? Remember, the analog WRGB will definately (Barring another Iraq invasion) have the regional game CBS assigns our market.

It is not likely that 6-2 (UPN) would be shut-off during the games in either case.

one game in HD, no question!!!!!!

Question: Is Channel 10 - WTEN/WCDC broadcasting in some type of HD?? I'm able to receive the analog 19 signal but 19-1 doesn't show up. I know the channel listing at the beginning of this thread indicates that it is an up-convert from WTEN's analog signal. Should I be able to see this?? BTW - I get a strong signal on WNYT, 13-1. I'm down in Saugerties about 48 miles from the tower.

19-1 (broadcasted on UHF 36) is transmitted from Mt. Greylock in N. Adams, MA. Being in Saugerties, I would imagine it is a pretty hard signal to get. It is not HD, it is a 480i (SD) encode of the WTEN analog signal.

Thanks Master. Is the analog signal also broadcast from Adams?? I believe antennaweb.org has my distance closer to the Adams antenna then to the Albany antenna. Might have to adjust my antenna.

One game in HD please......

WEWB-DT is scheduled to come online soon. Does anybody know if they will carry the HD version of Mets games.?

That would be really cool.

Originally posted by RDJR
Is the analog signal also broadcast from Adams

The WCDC analog is, the WTEN analog is not.

3 Votes for One HD Game

0 Votes for Up To 4 SD Games

(Results include PrivateMessage responces)

Originally posted by MasterFX1
NCAA Basketball fans and DTV-OTA capable viewers:

During the opening rounds of the tournament, would you prefer to get up to 4 games in SD using Multi-casting or one (Of CBS's choosing) HD game? Remember, the analog WRGB will definately (Barring another Iraq invasion) have the regional game CBS assigns our market.

It is not likely that 6-2 (UPN) would be shut-off during the games in either case.

Looks like I can't vote since I'm Boycotting WRGB and there Advertisers!

Oh well! :D

Does anyone have any insight into when WTEN-DT (10-1) (OTA) might be up and running. I was trading e-mails with their station engineer (Skeeter Lansing) back in the beginning of December and he said by the end of 2003. Now I see by the end of February!!! Wonder if they'll make that date????

Originally posted by lufters
Looks like I can't vote since I'm Boycotting WRGB and there Advertisers!

Oh well! :D

I thought you returned your rental STB? :D

Oops, I was informed by someone highly qualified to answer, that saugerties should have no trouble receiving from N. Adams or Pittsfield, MA. The signal will shoot down the hudson valley unfettered. It will be a different angle relative to the Helderbergs in Albany.

I have been given word that WTEN-DT is only waiting for the FCC to give them the "Green Light" to fire the switch!

http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=WTEN

This link should let us know when the FCC has granted their approval. (This is very technical, and I have a hard time understanding it.)

Originally posted by Tconnors
I thought you returned your rental STB? :D

That too....but I'm still not watching WRGB!....Just because :D

Thanks again Master. I thought I should be able to receive 19-1 here. Time to adjust my antenna. It would be nice if we could see the Academy Awards in HD on ABC. Fingers crossed.

I have been looking thru WB45's website and found interesting things. First according to an article they released about there carriage of the mets. It said that wewb-dt was now active and on channel 15.1. It went as follows:


WEWB-TV (WB45) is Albany's WB affiliate and Tribune Broadcasting station. WB45's digital signal is available at HD 15.1, with more than 11 hours of high-definition WB programming every week.


Has anyone picked up this signal or know anything about it?

P.S: I sent an email to WB45 about carrying the mets in HD and i was told that they would.

No OTA signal from channel 43 in Guilderland.

The first post in this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=232530&perpage=20&pagenumber=1) (from MasterFX1) lists the following concerning WEWB:
45-1/43 WEWB-DT (WB) - Feb 2004

WEWB is actually run out of Boston. Perhaps 15.1 is the WB affiliate of the sister station in Boston. The mets coverage is actually produced by WPIX, a NYC WB affiliate. So the signal will go from NY to Boston to Albany. All links will have to be HD for us to get it (TWC or OTA).

Called the station and they said that NBC is having problems with HD. Does anyone know anything about this? I'm starting to think I'm being fed a line of BS when I call there.

I'm starting to get really aggravated with this. It only happens with WNYT that's why really don't believe them

Originally posted by MasterFX1
NCAA Basketball fans and DTV-OTA capable viewers:

During the opening rounds of the tournament, would you prefer to get up to 4 games in SD using Multi-casting or one (Of CBS's choosing) HD game? Remember, the analog WRGB will definately (Barring another Iraq invasion)

IMHO there is NO bigger sporting event than the March Madness tourney broadcast on CBS each year(I remember last years invasion and I wasnt a happy camper).. some people watch football, I watch NCAA B-Ball..

When it comes to the opening rounds of the March Madness tourney, I would much rather have the 4 games in SD instead of just one in HD..

This is the opening round folks and more coverage is a good thing..HD will be there on the later dates when it gets interesting.. ;)

Originally posted by MasterFX1
I have been given word that WTEN-DT is only waiting for the FCC to give them the "Green Light" to fire the switch

I emailed Skeeter at the end of January and he responded that WTEN has been ready to go and only waiting upon the FCC license to broadcast.. From what I have noticed, the FCC doesn't seem to move to fast at these things..

Originally posted by cliftonmets
Has anyone picked up this signal or know anything about it?

Negative..no signal here..

Do you have a link to that article??.. sounds interesting...

If it makes you feel better, this happens to me quite frequently. No WRGB, but I get WNYT over the air.

Granted, I've got an indoor antenna at this point.

I too, wish that WRGB would just sign the agreement.

Two questions:

WRGB makes it sound like they want to recoup the "millions" they spent upgrading.

Yet, they supposedly only want to charge TWC a "nominal" amount.

So, if the nominal amount is say, $500.00 compared to millions for the upgrade, why not just "chalk" it up to cost of business and forget about it?

Of course, in my experience, those people that say "it's only nominal" or "it's ONLY a small fee" are the first to squawk when you suggest that THEY pay for it if it's truely "nominal".



Originally posted by AlbanyHDTV
If I can receive WMHT & WNYT, so I should be able to get WRGB. I tried to manually add the channel in my STB with no luck. I am not getting any signal at all from WRGB.

I wish I could just change my TWC box to 1806 and get CBS.

3 Votes for 1 HD Game

1 Vote for Up To 4 SD Games

Originally posted by Tconnors
Called the station and they said that NBC is having problems with HD. Does anyone know anything about this? I'm starting to think I'm being fed a line of BS when I call there.

I'm starting to get really aggravated with this. It only happens with WNYT that's why really don't believe them

It will not fix anything instantly, but it will over the long term: e-mail your frustration to both the Chief Engineer and the GM of the offending station.

I would prefer 4 HD games, but will probably be stuck with what WCBS from NY gives me in HD on Directv because I can't pick up the WRGB signal at this point.

Originally posted by RDJR
I would prefer 4 HD games, but will probably be stuck with what WCBS from NY gives me in HD on Directv because I can't pick up the WRGB signal at this point.

RDJR, just curious why you can't get WRGB? Antenna problem? I also have Directv and prefer the signal OTA for CBS. I see you want to get WCDC from MA, and need to move your antenna. What are you using? I'm in Kingston and have no problem with any of the signals from Albany, but I do have a 2 large antenna's (UHF & VHF) on the roof. Maybe overkill, but I put them up in the Summer before anyone was broadcasting and wanted to be sure to get a signal and not have to screw around making a change on a 2 story house in the winter. Can you get WMHT or WNYT? I'm sure I could get WCDC but what's the point of a rotor for 480i! Just patiently waiting for WTEN to fire up.........

Originally posted by BreakStuff
I emailed Skeeter at the end of January and he responded that WTEN has been ready to go and only waiting upon the FCC license to broadcast.. From what I have noticed, the FCC doesn't seem to move to fast at these things..

The hell with those bureaucrats in Washington, fire that baby up. I'll never tell !!!!!!!!!!!

Very Interesting Thread

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=368426

It looks like TWC wants to scramble the local HD's so you would have to rent the TWC box... even if you already have a QAM256-capable tuner. Yeah, this will only serve to solidify the affiliates stance that they be compensated for a service which TWC will use for additional profit.

No HD on WNYT tonight... again. Greg... Hello...

Did anybody call. How about WMHT? I don't haver a signal for the 2nd night in a row.

P

WMHT-DT (Both channels) is coming in fine for me.

Originally posted by Paul B. Musser
Did anybody call. How about WMHT? I don't haver a signal for the 2nd night in a row.

P Paul:
Try manually entering channel 34. The same thing worked for me when I didn't get a signal for WRGB (I entered 39).

It looks like TWC wants to scramble the local HD's so you would have to rent the TWC box... even if you already have a QAM256-capable tuner. Yeah, this will only serve to solidify the affiliates stance that they be compensated for a service which TWC will use for additional profit.

That being the case, I would reverse my position in this dispute between TWC and WRGB and agree that WRGB be compensated. However, this does not, nor will anything ever, change my mind concerning my family's boycot of WRGB!

My position has been and continues to be that TWC should not have to pay to re-transmit a signal that anyone else can get for free. But, if they (TWC) receive that signal for free and then charge people extra to watch it, they would be in the wrong.

The concept seems simple enough to me and I still can't understand how some people just can't seem to grasp it.

Wordz

wordz,
doesn't TWC already do that for the SD channels???

If you only want the local analog channels on TWC it will cost you $9 plus applicable franchise and fcc fees.

"Paul:
Try manually entering channel 34. The same thing worked for me when I didn't get a signal for WRGB (I entered 39)."

Albany HDTV: Thanks, that did the trick..... not sure why though.

Paul

Originally posted by Wordz
That being the case, I would reverse my position in this dispute between TWC and WRGB and agree that WRGB be compensated.

But, if they (TWC) receive that signal for free and then charge people extra to watch it, they would be in the wrong.

Wordz

The TW digital tier already costs $10. The HD box will be additional if Time Warner gets NBC and CBS. TWC will call the HD tier "HD box rental" instead of an HD charge. They can call it what they want, it will be an extra charge for HD. See the TWC Syracuse web site for details.

Originally posted by Paul B. Musser
Paul:
Try manually entering channel 34. The same thing worked for me when I didn't get a signal for WRGB (I entered 39).

Albany HDTV: Thanks, that did the trick..... not sure why though.

Paul On Feb. 15th, I asked the question why I could get WNYT & WMHT, but not WRGB. While some people responded they could receive WRGB, I didn't find the answer to my question.

After two days of trying to have the STB "auto-find" the channel, I finally punched in the frequency asssigned channel (39) for channel 6, and it popped right on the screen. The technology has its quirks.:rolleyes:

But this shows how we all are helping each other out by sharing information.

On another note, if anyone has an hour to kill, take a look at the 2004 CES Insiders show. They have all the CEO's of the major players in HD sitting on a stage discussing the industry. The CEO of Echostar (Dish) was hilarious, taking shots at the Time Warner CEO. Another interesting moment was when an audience member asked the ESPN and TWC CEO's (they were sitting right next to each other on the stage) why they couldn't hammer out a deal. Both CEO's squirmed to dance around the question, but both agreed they would eventually work out a deal. The Dish CEO broke up the tense moment when he said he would have his marketing director start contacting the TWC subscribers tomorrow and try to lure them to the Dish with ESPN HD.

Anyone hear receive their TWC bill with the HD Premium Tier of $3.95 on it for HDnet channels? I thought the HDnet channels were free until the end of March. I've read that TWC has different HD Premium charges all over. I think I read that Syracuse is $6.95. What gives?

When WRGB pays a small portion of their advertising revenue to TWC for re-broadcasting their advertising is when WRGB would be legitimate in asking for compensation for providing their HD signal to TWC.

By the way, does anyone here know how long I will be listed as a "new member"?
Also, we received our 8000HD the other day and so far have had no problems whatsoever and enjoy it very much. It's worth every penny of the $4.95 rental fee. I've never had a TIVO but have looked into purchasing one awhile back. If I remember correctly the monthly service charge (unless you opted for lifetime service) was considerably more than $4.95 per month. I would like to be able to see the TIVO program guide as I've heard it is far superior to the Scientific Atlanta guide. If I could purchase a HD DVR and service that would work with cable, I think I'd have a hard time giving up the 8000HD. My understanding is the only TIVO HD available is the sat. version. Is that correct? The perfect solution for me would be a cable compatible HD dvr with a built in DVD burner, similar to the pioneer model available now with HD capability. Any other thoughts on this?

It just occurred to me that I'm probably way off topic for this thread. If so, I apologize and will understand if a moderator chooses to remove it.

Wordz

Originally posted by Wordz
By the way, does anyone here know how long I will be listed as a "new member"?
Also, we received our 8000HD the other day and so far have had no problems whatsoever and enjoy it very much. It's worth every penny of the $4.95 rental fee. I've never had a TIVO but have looked into purchasing one awhile back. If I remember correctly the monthly service charge (unless you opted for lifetime service) was considerably more than $4.95 per month. I would like to be able to see the TIVO program guide as I've heard it is far superior to the Scientific Atlanta guide. If I could purchase a HD DVR and service that would work with cable, I think I'd have a hard time giving up the 8000HD. My understanding is the only TIVO HD available is the sat. version. Is that correct? The perfect solution for me would be a cable compatible HD dvr with a built in DVD burner, similar to the pioneer model available now with HD capability. Any other thoughts on this?

It just occurred to me that I'm probably way off topic for this thread. If so, I apologize and will understand if a moderator chooses to remove it.

Wordz

You won't see a HD DVR with a DVD burner (that records HD on DVD) until HD-DVD comes out in the next couple of years. Current DVD technology doesn't have enough capacity and bit rate to do it properly.

ER not in HD... When is the last time WNYT-DT passed network through in HD?

Originally posted by MasterFX1
ER not in HD... When is the last time WNYT-DT passed network through in HD?
uhm.. the last time greg wasn't working! :p

You won't see a HD DVR with a DVD burner (that records HD on DVD) until HD-DVD comes out in the next couple of years. Current DVD technology doesn't have enough capacity and bit rate to do it properly.

I don't know what I was thinking of...I know there are no HD DVD's yet. I guess I'm just frustrated by some of the technology that limits what we can do. It's great to be able to store HD content digitally on a Hard Drive for playback but at the moment the best we can do is erase said content after viewing to make room for additional content or record to VHS tape for archiving. I can't decide if things are moving too fast or too slow LOL :)

Wordz

I have received credible 3rd-hand information that WNYT is having trouble receiving the HD signal from NBC. They do not have a back-up receive system in place.

Sorry Greg, thanks for putting up with us.

As a Tivo owner, I can tell you that the DVR has one MAJOR flaw.

And TWC ought to be ashamed for still not having fixed it.

All the SA DVR units have this annoying "feature".

Let's say you record a 30 minute show that starts at 6:00 p.m.

Let's say you get home 15 minutes late and foolishly decide to watch the show now.

You go into the "list" and start playback from the beginning. Guess what? at 6:30, the DVR kicks you out of the playback and dumps you into "live" TV. You have to go BACK to the playback list and fast forward to where you got kicked out.

Same thing applies if you "rewound" the recording to the beginning and started watching from there.

Granted, Tivo only has HD recording if you pay for overpriced DTV (although it MAY allow you to record OTA signals, not sure though). And at a price of $900.00 plus whatever per month sub you have to DTV.

But seriously this kind of "feature" should've been fixed a long time ago. Not sure if the Pioneer DVR units have this "feature" or not.

Originally posted by Wordz
By the way, does anyone here know how long I will be listed as a "new member"?
Also, we received our 8000HD the other day and so far have had no problems whatsoever and enjoy it very much. It's worth every penny of the $4.95 rental fee. I've never had a TIVO but have looked into purchasing one awhile back. If I remember correctly the monthly service charge (unless you opted for lifetime service) was considerably more than $4.95 per month. I would like to be able to see the TIVO program guide as I've heard it is far superior to the Scientific Atlanta guide. If I could purchase a HD DVR and service that would work with cable, I think I'd have a hard time giving up the 8000HD. My understanding is the only TIVO HD available is the sat. version. Is that correct? The perfect solution for me would be a cable compatible HD dvr with a built in DVD burner, similar to the pioneer model available now with HD capability. Any other thoughts on this?

It just occurred to me that I'm probably way off topic for this thread. If so, I apologize and will understand if a moderator chooses to remove it.

Wordz

I had this very thing happen to me the other night and it confused the #$%$ ot of me because it happened at a commercial break so that I didn't even know it for about 5 minutes.

P

The NBC website (http://www.nbc.com/Third_Watch/index.html) says Third Watch will be presented in HD.

Anyone want to bet?

I'll put $20 down that it will NOT be in HD on WNYT tonight at 10PM.

BTW, I got close to 20 hours of HD recorded on the thing. Is that what others are getting?

P

Originally posted by Paul B. Musser
BTW, I got close to 20 hours of HD recorded on the thing. Is that what others are getting?

P I haven't reached 20 hours of recorded material yet, but bdenman stated in the 8000HD thread that a 160GB Maxtor hard drive should give about 20hours max of HD recording time (just under 9GB/hour).

Originally posted by AlbanyHDTV
The NBC website (http://www.nbc.com/Third_Watch/index.html) says Third Watch will be presented in HD.

Anyone want to bet?

I'll put $20 down that it will NOT be in HD on WNYT tonight at 10PM. Nobody took my bet....

Third Watch is not being shown in HD on WNYT. Surprised?

Been a while since I posted here, but was punching around this morning around 7:30, and found the following digital signals:

Channel 27 -- Some type of religion, does anyone know who this is?
Channel 48 -- WRNN-DT, Kingston (locked momentarily, but didn't last)

Anyone else seen anything new out there?

Thanks!

Originally posted by Sat-Matt

Channel 27 -- Some type of religion, does anyone know who this is?
Channel 48 -- WRNN-DT, Kingston (locked momentarily, but didn't last)

Thanks!

Both of those stations are located on Mount Beacon, south of Poughkipsee. The weather this morning had warm air aloft which causes signals to bend over the horizon. To see predictions of enhanced reception of distant channels, take a look at the following web site. http://www.iprimus.ca/~hepburnw/tropo.html

Originally posted by Tower Guy
To see predictions of enhanced reception of distant channels, take a look at the following web site. http://www.iprimus.ca/~hepburnw/tropo.html

Thank you, Tower Guy! I will check-out that site... Also, thank you for the info on the 2 stations. I could easily identify WRNN-DT, but went to antennaweb.org to see if I could figure out what Channel 27 was, but I didn't have any luck.

As always, our Capital Region broadcasters are doing a fantastic job with the DTV situation...I still can't get over how wonderful the DTV signals look!

Thanks again...

Originally posted by Sat-Matt
I could easily identify WRNN-DT, but went to antennaweb.org to see if I could figure out what Channel 27 was, but I didn't have any luck.


To find out the possible location of a distant signal go to;

http://www.fcc.gov/mb/video/tvq.html

Select 27 for both lower and upper channels and quess on the state. You'll get back all the stations on that channel in that state.

I get WUNI from Worcester, MA on channel 27. I'm not in a good spot for Mount Beacon.

Looks like WNYT-DT is back with NBC in HD... Whoopi. (Pun Intended.)

Plus we hadn't had a post in a few days.

Just got done watching the Arctic mission on Discovery HD...that's the reason I got my HD TV. Absolutely gorgeous.

Agreed Shrevis it was absolutely gorgeous but the plot/storyline had alot to be desired. It certainly could have been watched with the sound off.

BTW - any more info. on when WTEN's switch will be thrown??

Re: WTEN-DT- As of this post, the FCC has not yet granted approval, the ball's in their court.

Also- I have been given information that WMHT made modifications to their setup that supposedly improves the picture quality of their HD channel (17-3).

Thanks MasterFX1. I have noticed a difference in PBS (17-3). I noticed it on Tuesday night.

Has anyone been able to pick up digital signals from other than Albany stations or WRNN-DT? Like Vermont or anyplace north of that.

cliftonmets-

off topic,I see that your signature shows your location as Saratoga..Do you have any problems receiving the local digital channels at your location?

I have a friend that lives near SPAC and he was wondering if he would have problems receiving the DTV signal...

Originally posted by cliftonmets
Has anyone been able to pick up digital signals from other than Albany stations or WRNN-DT? Like Vermont or anyplace north of that.

I have had very little luck with reception of DTV signals from outside of the Albany market. As far as I know the only DTV station on the air in Vermont is WNNE on Mount Ascutney. I have seen a very noisy WNNE analog picture, but not their DTV signal.

The Voom Satellite service (www.voom.com) has made significant upgrades to their channel offerings and huge price cuts. Anyone not happy with the Quantity and Quality of HD on DirecTV, DISH or TWC should strongly consider these new offers from Voom.

With Voom you can get 30 HD channels plus the local HD-OTA's. It's $0 for the equiptment/install and $90/mo. Included in the 30 HD channels: HBO-HD East and West, Cinemax HD E & W, SHO-HD E & W, TMC-HD, STARZ! HD E & W, Discovery HD Theater, NFL-HD, plus a lot of lesser knowns. On their SD prgramming they have added the popular Turner networks.

With VOOM installation an OTA antenna is included and the Voom tuner does HD-OTA... so you can add the number of HD locals you can receive to the 30 HD channels from Sat.

More info on CBS's plans posted here (http://www.albanyhdtv.com).

I am able to pick up WMHT, WRGB and WNYT. I have a rat shack indoor antenna so getting the signal to stay still is very trying. Outdoor antenna should work fine with a pre amp, but Saratoga springs is north of me so its only a suggestion.

I just moved to Halfmoon and have no problems with reception - I get all DTV channels. I have an outdoor Channelmaster Stealthtenna on the roof with no amp or preamp. However, I also had fairly strong reception when I had the Stealthtenna lying on my basement floor before it was installed.

Originally posted by justman
I also had fairly strong reception when I had the Stealthtenna lying on my basement floor before it was installed.

You would be surprised how often this is true.

I'm getting no signal from WMHT 17-1 or 17-3. Anyone else?

WRGB and WNYT are coming in fine, however.

Originally posted by cliftonmets
I am able to pick up WMHT, WRGB and WNYT. I have a rat shack indoor antenna so getting the signal to stay still is very trying. Outdoor antenna should work fine with a pre amp, but Saratoga springs is north of me so its only a suggestion.

Any medium sized outdoor antenna should work fine in Saratoga. No preamp will be necessary.

Originally posted by AlbanyHDTV
I'm getting no signal from WMHT 17-1 or 17-3. Anyone else?

Coming in fine for me.

Why does WRGB-DTV broadcast grey sidebars instead of black on SD broadcasts?

Originally posted by justman
Why does WRGB-DTV broadcast grey sidebars instead of black on SD broadcasts?

Currently WRGB is choosing to add grey "Pillar Boxes" when upconverting their signal, when WRGB is passing CBS-HD programming through you get whatever CBS Network chooses to provide.

Grey is supposed to be less harmful for burn-in. I don't know if I like it aesthetically though.

Its now the month of March and WTEN/ABC still have yet to be broadcasting the OTA HD signal that was scheduled for the month of DECEMBER!

Maybe the FCC should stop policing the airwaves a little less and start getting a little busier in the license department..jeez!!!

Dont forget WEWB. I think they were supposed to be on as well. They dont have the greatest programming as far as the WB, but they have the mets.

Re: WTEN: The ball is still in the FCC's court, but they fully expect to flip the switch any day now. The FCC will move more slowly with statioins in our area because they consider us in a American/Canadian Border Zone and must scritinize implications further.

Re: WEWB: actually run out of Boston... trying to get the signal transmitted from Boston to the helderbergs they encountered an interference problem with a station in connecticut. That station worked out the problem with WEWB, but then got sold before before the deal was finalized. With the sale of the station in CT, there will be a 90 day change of owner period before talks can begin with the new owners. As you mention, luckily there are no "Big Ticket" programs on WEWB... yet.

Harford/New Haven: For those of you with good elevation and outdoor antennas, the Hartford, CT market is set to start seeing many of its stations going HD this month, see their threads for more info. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=315169&highlight=hartford

Originally posted by MasterFX1
NCAA Basketball fans and DTV-OTA capable viewers:

During the opening rounds of the tournament, would you prefer to get up to 4 games in SD using Multi-casting or one (Of CBS's choosing) HD game? Remember, the analog WRGB will definately (Barring another Iraq invasion) have the regional game CBS assigns our market.I'm changing my vote from the one HD game to 4 SD games, since there won't be any HD games in the first 2 rounds.

For the 3rd & 4th rounds, I'd like to see the HD game on 6-1 OTA and a different game on Channel 6 SD on TWC.

All three final four games will be in HD, so they should be on both TWC (SD) and 6-1 OTA (HD).

More info on the 2004 NCAA tournament is posted here (http://albanyhdtv.proboards18.com/index.cgi?board=Programs&action=display&num=1077977595&start=0).

Go 'Cuse.

Even though TWC stated in an email to HD viewers on 2/2/04 that HDN and HDNM would be free through 3/31/04, the cable company blacked out the two channels on 3/1/04.

More details are posted here (http://albanyhdtv.proboards18.com/index.cgi?board=Lineup&action=display&num=1075758439&start=0).

Originally posted by AlbanyHDTV
Even though TWC stated in an email to HD viewers on 2/2/04 that HDN and HDNM would be free through 3/31/04, the cable company blacked out the two channels on 3/1/04.

More details are posted here (http://albanyhdtv.proboards18.com/index.cgi?board=Lineup&action=display&num=1075758439&start=0).

Time Warner the Scammers!!!

I noticed tonight that HDNet and HDnet Movies were turned off.

I just got off the phone with TWC. I asked them why these channels were turned off...the Customer Service Rep said they were only free for a certain time period, then you have to subscribe. I told them it states clearly in their E-mail News Letter that the channels are to be free till March 31st and I demanded the channels be turned on right now. He went and got a supervisor and told me I would have to subcribe in order to get this month free (credit my account).

What a bunch of Crap....they tell you it's free till 3/31 but shut it off on 3/1 so you would call and complain...then feed you the pitch that you have to subscribe and make it look like they're doing you a favor in giving you the credit back.

Just a marketing scam to get you to sign up....plain and simple.

TWC are Money Hungry Hoar Scammers...Period!!

DirecTV here I come!!

No More FREE PREVIEW of HDN and HDNM on TWC

Thats some good info AlbanyHDTV. I have some TWC friends that will be very interested in what has happened to their HDnet channels...

WMHT HD is now on TWC. Channel 1811

Originally posted by ThePrisoner
WMHT HD is now on TWC. Channel 1811 Great news.

It must have happened last night at 10PM, when my 8000HD mysteriously rebooted in the middle of a program I was watching.

What's next, WNYT? WRGB? IMO WNYT will be next than WRGB, they will try to hold out the longest.

PBS being a Public Broadcast Station is not concrned with receiving compensation for their content.

I also experienced the same problem with HDN and HDNM. I called around 10:00 AM and asked them to turn it back on. At 1:00 pm it was still showing "Not Authorized". I called again and this time I watched as they turned it back on. I then told the CSR that I wanted the $3.95 credit. She informed me that as of 3/1 it was $3.95 per month. I informed her that it was free through 3/31. She told me I was wrong. I told her she was wrong, that I had received an e-mail stating that the free preview was to run through 3/31. She wanted to know who sent the e-mail. I told her TWC sent the e-mail. She wanted to know who signed the e-mail. I got frustrated and just said why don't you check with your supervisor and they will verify what I am telling you. She said ok, would you hold on. She came back and apologized for the confusion. I suggested to her that they turn it back on for everyone until 3/31 as they had promised, and also suggested they will probably be getting a lot of calls from irate customers if they don't. I also mentioned that there are other games in town besides TWC but I could tell it was falling on deaf ears. She just works there and doesn't set policy.
As far as the retransmission of the other local stations, wouldn't it be interesting if in the next two weeks, 90% of TWC's customers purchased HDTV's. Would WNIX 6 (I mean WRGB 6) still be withholding their retransmission rights from TWC? Not if they wanted to stay in business, they wouldn't. They would be begging TWC to carry them or go crying to the FCC asking them to make them carry their content like they did not so many years ago :D

Wordz

Well, I haven't had a chance to call TWC but HDN and HDNM are back on my HDTV. They must have gotten enough complaints.

Originally posted by jpeter1093
Well, I haven't had a chance to call TWC but HDN and HDNM are back on my HDTV. They must have gotten enough complaints. That's good news, jpeter.

Can anyone else confirm this?

Confirmed. HDN and HDNM back on. I didn't call TWC.

It appears the FCC has now granted WTEN-DT the authority to fire up the OTA.

http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=WTEN

MasterFX1 - based on past experiences, how long will it take them to actually flip the switch??

Within 2 Weeks. Could be tomorrow, could be next week... It depends on how big of a priority they choose to make it.

There's more to it than flipping a switch. I use that term to simplify things.

I realize that there is more to it then flipping a switch. Thanks for your response. When on-line it should show up on 10-1 correct??

Originally posted by RDJR
When on-line it should show up on 10-1 correct??

That would be a good assumption and will probably be the case. Technically, it will show up on whatever channel they map it to. If they neglect to map the channel assignment it will likely default to 26-1.

Is anyone else's analog channels (less than 99) audio out tonight (around 11:15pm)? I've got the SA 8000HD and no sound except on the purely digital channels (not on the analogs ported up to the higher channels).

Still out as of 5am this morning. Still have the digital channels audio. Could one of my kids have pushed a remote button to cause this (a mute on the analog but not the digital channels)?

This may sound like a dumb question, but have you tried pulling the power plug from the wall for about 30 seconds and re-booting?

Thanks, MasterFX1. It resolved itself around 6am...

So is anyone out there able to compare the picture quality of 17-3 OTA vs. 1811 TWC?

any chance we'll get Alias in HD tonight? - or it unlikely they would start broadcasting on a weekend

Originally posted by justman
any chance we'll get Alias in HD tonight? - or it unlikely they would start broadcasting on a weekend Alias will be in HD on TWC channel 1810 tonight.

I believe you are referring to the possibility it may be shown OTA on channel 10-1/26 WTEN-DT??? I just tried to tune that channel in on my OTA HD STB and it is still showing "NO SIGNAL". So, unless WTEN "flips the switch" sometime between now and 9PM tonight, the only way to watch Alias in HD is through TWC on channel 1810.

I was referring to OTA. I dont have cable

Kudos for WRGB :)

The regularly scheduled St Judes Childrens Telethon is being broadcast on 6-1 while on 6-2 viewers can watch the NCAA Kentucky/Florida game.

Originally posted by BreakStuff
Kudos for WRGB :)

The regularly scheduled St Judes Childrens Telethon is being broadcast on 6-1 while on 6-2 viewers can watch the NCAA Kentucky/Florida game. Kudos...I agree.

The same goes for the SU vs. UConn game at 2PM today.

A few years ago, I was a "little" upset when I had 15 fellow alumni over to watch the Syracuse vs. Georgetown game and the telethon pre-empted the game. There was NO notice by WRGB, as even the Times Union's printed TV guide had the game listed. What do you do with 15 irate hoop fans at your house expecting to watch the game? We ended up catching the last 10 minutes of the game at a sports bar we found with a satellite feed of CBS, but we spent 1 1/2 hours driving around looking.

When I called the station to complain, they were not so sympathetic to my feelings, instead chastizing me for complaining about a telethon for charity. At least it looks like they heard my message.

Thanks, WRGB.

'91 SU alum:D

Originally posted by AlbanyHDTV
Kudos...I agree.

The same goes for the SU vs. UConn game at 2PM today.

A few years ago, I was a "little" upset when I had 15 fellow alumni over to watch the Syracuse vs. Georgetown game and the telethon pre-empted the game. There was NO notice by WRGB, as even the Times Union's printed TV guide had the game listed. What do you do with 15 irate hoop fans at your house expecting to watch the game? We ended up catching the last 10 minutes of the game at a sports bar we found with a satellite feed of CBS, but we spent 1 1/2 hours driving around looking.

When I called the station to complain, they were not so sympathetic to my feelings, instead chastizing me for complaining about a telethon for charity. At least it looks like they heard my message.

Thanks, WRGB.

'91 SU alum:D


WRGB?? Who's that?

Are they a TV Station? What Channel are they on?? :D

Were they the ones who tried to hold me hostage during the Super Bowl?? :D

Hello all you experts out there. I currently have TWC and my wife is asking that we go back to Directv. We had it previously for several years. The only thing holding me back is the local HD channels. We live in a townhouse and the Association limits the number of antennas you can have on your roof. I live in Latham (near St. Coleman's) home and am wondering if I can pull in the local HD's with an indoor antenna.

Any info would be appreciated. This is a great thread. Keep up the good work.

Micks:

I am in Clifton Park (Cresent) and can get all the local HD OTA's with my indoor antenna in a sub-level apartment facing East!, but have to futz with it depending on which channel I want to view. An outdoor antenna will blow away an indoor one (even if it's an outdoor antenna lying inside). I just don't plan on being at my current location for too long to effort it.

I believe it is your right to put up an antenna and a sat dish, depsite ANY policy set by the neighborhood. They CANNOT deny you your right to view TV via OTA or Satellite. Tell them to "Take me to court." They cannot physically remove anything you put up... It would be trespassing, damage to personal property and possibly theft and unlawful entry. Unless the Association erects it's own Neighborhood antenna and provides you access to it, they have to let you receive the public airwaves by your only means available.

[Sarcastically] Only the FCC can dictate what you can't watch.

Originally posted by Mickd
We live in a townhouse and the Association limits the number of antennas you can have on your roof. I live in Latham (near St. Coleman's) home and am wondering if I can pull in the local HD's with an indoor antenna.This thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=249023&highlight=homeowner+association) specifically deals with the homeowner's right to install an antenna vs. a homeowner association. As MasterFX1 says, you have every right to install an antenna, regardless of the association rules.

Take a look at the thread I linked above. It opened my eyes as to the difference between what the law says and what homeowners associations think they can prohibit you from doing.

I had a lot of problems using an indoor antenna in Loudonville until I put a real one in the attic. Some of the problems I hadd may have been related to weak signal strength at the time, (WRGB), but I don't have problems any more.

P

I have been reading up on this years March Madness Tournament. Does anybody know if WRGB will be doing multi-casting for it when no HD game is on?

WMHT-DT (Both 17-1 and 17-3) have made their logo-bugs more transparent. I like this much better, it's less distracting to me as a viewer and less likely to cause burn-in on my set. I still think they should lose all chroma value in the bug too. Thank you Dirk and Crew at WMHT.

Would any of you Directv users be able to recommend a local installer who is good. Thanks

I didn't think too highly of my DirecTV installer, so I'm not going to recommend them.

I got an email today from WMHT announcing that Today at 1pm, WMHT officially began broadcasting digitally from the new shared Capital Region Broadcasters facility in the Helderberg Mountains.

I posted the entire email here (http://albanyhdtv.proboards18.com/index.cgi?board=email).

WMHT has been broadcasting on 17-1 and 17-3 for months and in HD on TWC since March 1st. The timing of the Press Release is questionable.

The FCC has officially granted WXXA-DT the channel re-assignment they had applied for. Their new assignment is Channel 7. If they make it a priority it could be up and running by June 2004.

WMHT-DT is using new logo-bugs with no chroma. (Color)

Their new assignment is Channel 7.

Why did they want VHF instead of UHF?

WMHT has been broadcasting on 17-1 and 17-3 for months and in HD on TWC since March 1st. The timing of the Press Release is questionable.

I seen a similiar press release article in todays Times Union and was wondering about the timing of the same article..

Maybe WMHT was "beta" testing the HD stream with us early adopters here on AVS and making necessary adjustments upon what they thought might need attention (like MasterFX1's mention of the logo bug).. and after all the final touches have been made, then they annouce the HD broadcast availability to the general public..

Originally posted by justman
Why did they want VHF instead of UHF?

WXXA's original digital assignment was channel 4, which is also VHF. They did not want channel 4 because they felt there would be too much interference from a number of different sources. I'm pretty sure that once its up and running this summer it will appear on 23-1 in your receiver.

Engineers at other area stations did not seem to think the interference issues WXXA was claiming was too much to worry about.

WNYA (UPN), which broadcasts in analog on Channel 51 at full power from Pittsfield, MA, Channel 15 Low-Power from Albany and is simulcasts in 480i on WRGB-DT's Sub Channel 6-2, filed an application to the FCC to have its digital assignment changed to the now vacant channel 4. The filing came within hours of the FCC granting WXXA's channel change. Currently, WNYA is assigned channel 51 for both analog and digital, which means they would have to turn off their analog broadcast on channel 51 before they could begin digitally broadcasting on that same channel. If they get the approval to move their digital assignment to channel 4, they would not have to turn off analog 51. Channel 4 is highly desirable to WNYA because it would be the same channel that they are on with TWC, in addition to the reduced power needed to transmit at that low VHF frequency.

BTW, stations almost always prefer to have a lower channel number for a number of reasons. As mentioned... all other links in the chain being equal, a lower channel (VHF versus UHF) requires less power to travel the same distance, this saves a lot of electricity costs. Also, the lower channels on the dial get more exposure by people who "Surf." That's why WXXA (Analog) has always been happy with being on TWC channel 8 instead of 23. Location, Location, Location.

Originally posted by AlbanyHDTV
WMHT has been broadcasting on 17-1 and 17-3 for months and in HD on TWC since March 1st. The timing of the Press Release is questionable.

This one baffles me too... Maybe someone chided them for not having an official press released launch months ago and the concept of "Better late than never" prevailed??? I don't know, know one seems to know why they did it that way.

Greetings. I have been lurking here for the last month or so. Thanks to all for the valuable information here.

As to WMHT, I have noticed the concept of the "Soft Rollout" being used in various new technologies. It give the opportunity for the insiders and technogeeks (self included) to beta it before the streamers and confetti come out for the masses. This was recently done by Cingular who did a soft rollout of their GSM network last summer before introducing it to the public in the fall. FWIW.

Dan

any word on wrgb-dt doing multicasting for march madness?

WRGB will air the HD games on Friday on 6-1, and the regional assigned game in analog on 6.

Originally posted by cliftonmets
any word on wrgb-dt doing multicasting for march madness? There has been no announcement. More info is posted here (http://albanyhdtv.proboards18.com/index.cgi?board=Hoops&action=display&num=1079570792).

Originally posted by MasterFX1
WRGB will air the HD games on Friday on 6-1, and the regional assigned game in analog on 6. But, will WRGB multicast any of the other 3 SD games on digital channels 6-1 or 6-2 on Thursday and Saturday? What about the HD games on Sunday?

Email WRGB's General Manager Bob Furlong at rfurlong@wrgb.com and let him know what you want to see.

Originally posted by MasterFX1
WRGB will air the HD games on Friday on 6-1, and the regional assigned game in analog on 6.


WRGB??? Never Heard of them. Are they a cable station?? :D

no multicasting at this point

Originally posted by cliftonmets
no multicasting at this point Did you email WRGB's General Manager Bob Furlong at rfurlong@wrgb.com and tell him what you would like to see?

I'm not anti-WRGB. I'm just a huge NCAA hoops fan ('91 SU alum) and want to see as many games as possible, especially in HD.

WRGB (and CBS) is the leader in local HD content and, thus, also subject to the most criticism about HD. Please give us all that is available, WRGB!

tried emailing Mr. Furlong and the head of WRGB programming about this 4 times over the last week. Ill try again

Originally posted by AlbanyHDTV
Did you email WRGB's General Manager Bob Furlong at rfurlong@wrgb.com and tell him what you would like to see?

I'm not anti-WRGB. I'm just a huge NCAA hoops fan ('91 SU alum) and want to see as many games as possible, especially in HD.

WRGB (and CBS) is the leader in local HD content and, thus, also subject to the most criticism about HD. Please give us all that is available, WRGB!

I'm anti-WRGB!! :D

Who are they again??

WRGB-DT will carry NCAA Basketball Tourney HD feeds of 4 games Friday. Note that the 7 PM game in HD is the same as the SD game, so they will simulcast from 7-9:30 APPX.

The Sunday games are TBA, but they'll carry the HD games on the HD channel no matter what they air in SD.

WRGB-DT will definately broadcast the entire Masters Golf tournament in HD on 6-1. That includes the portion produced by USA network on Thursday and Friday.

NCAA tourney looks great on 6-1. Analog 6 had a different game on too!! What a great day to be home from work

Right now, there is a different SD game on 6-1 that what is on analog 6. I guess this is just until the HD game in Kansas City starts.

Earlier, I had my 57" screen split into two sources so I could have both games on the screen at the same time. When the game on analog 6 (Boston College) got over, CBS switched to a game in Kansas City that was also being shown on 6-1. So, I had duplicate images from the same game on my TV, one from analog 6 and the from other 6-1. I noticed that the picture from 6-1 was about a second behind the analog 6 picture. Not that it mattered, but I wondered why that was? I'm sure MasterFX can explain why.

What would be great is if tomorrow WRGB shows two different games on analog 6 and 6-1, since there will be no HD games.

The HD stuff is usually delayed by a second or so because of all the additional bit-processing/encoding/decoding that goes on to a digital signal.

When there is break in the HD game, sometimes CBS takes those viewers to look in on other games... in some instances it may be the same game already on analog 6, in other instances it is not. Those decisions are being made by CBS at the national level.

Anybody still getting the squeeze with WXXA. I haven't seen any recent posts regarding this. Any show that is supposed to be widescreen (24, alias, etc..) show up fine.

Some now widescreen shows look ok.
Some others do not (like American Idol)

Thanks

djw1978-

I dont have WXXA or ABC available in high definition, but I'll try to help you out.

Some of the shows being broadcast will have the "squeezed" picture because it is not a "high definition" show.

You can watch "Alias" on ABC and everything looks great, but if you watch a show like "Extreme Makeover" on ABC it will look bad because it is not being shown in high definition format even though ABC broadcasts in HD.. make sense?

Breakstuff,
They may be true but I don't see anything like that on any other channel (namely ABC). Any widescreen show on ABC comes through fine (as widescreen). Any nonwidescreen show on ABC, comes through fine (as 4X3 format).

With WXXA, it seems hit or miss. Some 4X3 comes through fine. Some shows (that should be 4X3) come through squeezed. A lot of people had reported this earlier. The only thing is, I may be one of the view that still has the Explorer 3100 HD box, as opposed to the 3250 or the new hd recorder boxes.

Originally posted by djw1978
With WXXA, it seems hit or miss. Some 4X3 comes through fine. Some shows (that should be 4X3) come through squeezed.

Do you know if it is squeezed only when it's FOX network 4:3 content or is it happening to both programming originating at WXXA (Like News) and when they are in Network (Primetime)?

anybody having problems receiving wrgb-dt? Could it be the wind?

Originally posted by cliftonmets
anybody having problems receiving wrgb-dt? Could it be the wind? No problems here. Try manually entering "12" into your OTA STB.

wrgb is 39. WNYT is 12

No problem here with 6-1. The games look great!!!!!

Back to no HD again! Anyone have any info?

With the upcoming baseball season approaching, does anybody kno if the yankees will be shown on wxxa-dt on TWC CH 1808? There is rumors that wcbs-dt broadcasts yankees home games in HD.

Anyone have thoughts on this?

WRGB refuses to let TW carry them unless TW pays a "small fee". The implied reasoning for this is to recoup some of the millions that WRGB CHOSE to spend by broadcasting HDTV.

Now, I think in 2007, all analog goes bye-bye? (in theory). And then WRGB will have to broadcast in Digital ONLY?

Anyone if by then, that the must-carry rules will apply and then WRGB will HAVE to allow TW to carry their signal? At no charge? (since the analog station went away?)

Or do the FCC rules not allow for this?

The FCC mandates that a cable carrier pick up all local analog TV stations. But to cover basic copyright issues there needs to be a written agreement between the station (and its network, if any), and the cable carrier. In the absence of a station executing such an agreement they can't complain to the FCC that the cable carrier is in violation of the "Must Carry Rule." (vastly oversimplified).

Richard.

Network affiliates usually wave their right to the "Must Carry" law in favor of a retransmission agreement. The Must Carry is intended for stations that are giving thier signal away for free and the cable company still will not put them on the lineup... usually only affects small independant (no network affiliation) stations.

Also oversimplified.

Originally posted by cliftonmets
With the upcoming baseball season approaching, does anybody kno if the yankees will be shown on wxxa-dt on TWC CH 1808? There is rumors that wcbs-dt broadcasts yankees home games in HD.

With WCBS being a network Owned & Operated station they should have the ability to deliver it to WXXA in HD. However... it would be a 1080i feed that WXXA would have to figure out how to receive, and then convert to 720p.

So does that mean that when the FCC "all digital" kicks in that WRGB must be carried/retransmitted by TW?

Or does the FCC not have any plans for digital signals this way? (ie, it ONLY applies to analog)

I guess what I'm trying to get at is that if say, in 3 years WRGB HAS to let their digital signal be carried by TW, then in the long run what has WRGB gained by witholding the digital signal to TW now? (other than getting a lot of people mad?)

It's clear that TW will never pay WRGB money and WRGB will never let TW carry/retransmit their digital signal unless they get paid for it. (stupid if you ask me).


Originally posted by MasterFX1
Network affiliates usually wave their right to the "Must Carry" law in favor of a retransmission agreement. The Must Carry is intended for stations that are giving thier signal away for free and the cable company still will not put them on the lineup... usually only affects small independant (no network affiliation) stations.

Also oversimplified.

No analog station is forced to give their signal to cable. The must carry works the other way... if a local full-power station wants to be carried, then cable "Must Carry." It is not a "Must Give."

Currently there are no rules like this for Digital, it remains to be seen how the FCC will ultimately deal with this. It's a highly political issue with so many sides lobbying, thus making it is impossible to predict where it's going at this point.

That being the case, it's not out of the realm of possibilities for the FCC to enact a digital "Must Give" rule. Personally, I HIGHLY doubt it... but if all that happens, then yes, the owners of 6, 13 & 45 will have gained nothing from their effort to get compensation.

I"ve been using this for the last couple of months. It has shut down and rebooted 6 or 7 times. Twice including the last time I lost all of the recorded shows plus the scheduled recordings:mad:

Is anyone else having any issues with there boxes? I'm sure I can change it out with TW. But if this is just part of having the newest toys on the block I won't bother

Thanks

Anyone know when WTEN-DT (ABC) will begin broadcasting?

They are in no hurry. They've got their HD on TWC, so there is not a wave of viewers hounding them. (Unlike WRGB and WNYT)

Originally posted by AlbanyHDTV
They are in no hurry. They've got their HD on TWC, so there is not a wave of viewers hounding them. (Unlike WRGB and WNYT)

Those of us served by other cable companies (who do not offer ABC HD) would be disappointed to find that that was the case. There's an audience outside of the TW area but within the WTEN-DT OTA area that a broadcaster's commercial customers might want to reach.

I do watch the commercials broadcast by WRGB-DT and WNYT-DT. I have begun to 'shop' in their markets. Maybe that's good enough for the businesses paying for commercials on WTEN since they probably also run commercials on the other two stations.

I continue to wait for any ABC HD signal.... cable, satellite or OTA...

Originally posted by Tconnors
I"ve been using this for the last couple of months. It has shut down and rebooted 6 or 7 times. Twice including the last time I lost all of the recorded shows plus the scheduled recordings:mad:

Is anyone else having any issues with there boxes? I'm sure I can change it out with TW. But if this is just part of having the newest toys on the block I won't bother

Thanks


I've had my SA8000HD for a couple of months now with no problems. I've only had to reboot one time since I've had it.

I have a friend that works for TWC that actually does the installs. He said he is constantly changing out bad boxes (SA8000HD) for new ones. One time he said he had to replaced the SA8000HD 4 times for a customer. I also have another friend who is on his 3rd box.

I guess I got lucky and got a good one.

It can be caused by a few things:

a) TW issuing a software update to the unit. This is the most annoying cause because the unit does NOT power back on after the "reboot". so if you don't turn it on, you don't get your items recorded. Very annoying.

b) power outage? All it takes is a few seconds for those boxes and they'll reboot. Again, the PVR units from TW do NOT "power" back on fully after a power cycle (neither do their digital cable boxes). Go buy an APC UPS and hook it up

c) box is defective.



Originally posted by Tconnors
I"ve been using this for the last couple of months. It has shut down and rebooted 6 or 7 times. Twice including the last time I lost all of the recorded shows plus the scheduled recordings:mad:

Is anyone else having any issues with there boxes? I'm sure I can change it out with TW. But if this is just part of having the newest toys on the block I won't bother

Thanks

I am also waiting patiently for WTEN-DT. I check 10-1 everyday to no avail. Why, they would not want to take advantage of additional viewers like jeffbrad and myself is beyond me?? I just hope the signal is on before Monday Night Football in the Fall.

It's a Miracle.

I went home for lunch and low and behold....WRGB-DT is now on TWC Ch. 1806. :cool:

GET OUT! Are you April fooling us, Lufters?

Originally posted by lufters
It's a Miracle.

I went home for lunch and low and behold....WRGB-DT is now on TWC Ch. 1806. :cool: Nice try. It's B.S.

Originally posted by lufters
It's a Miracle.

I went home for lunch and low and behold....WRGB-DT is now on TWC Ch. 1806. :cool:


Just Kidding.....April Fools!!!! :D

Hell will freeze over before this ever happens!!

Who's WRGB again?? :D

Originally posted by lufters
I've had my SA8000HD for a couple of months now with no problems. I've only had to reboot one time since I've had it.

I have a friend that works for TWC that actually does the installs. He said he is constantly changing out bad boxes (SA8000HD) for new ones. One time he said he had to replaced the SA8000HD 4 times for a customer. I also have another friend who is on his 3rd box.

I guess I got lucky and got a good one.


Thanks, looks like I'll change this one out

I was in CC today (the one located in CC) and saw that they had an open box Zenith HDV-420 for under $200.. a great price for anyone that might be looking for a high definition receiver.

It must be the one that lufters brought back :)

Originally posted by MasterFX1
It must be the one that lufters brought back :)

Nope...I bought and returned a Samsung. :D

Originally posted by MasterFX1
It must be the one that lufters brought back :)

That one would be a good deal. It was only used for the Super Bowl:D

Originally posted by Tconnors
That one would be a good deal. It was only used for the Super Bowl:D

Actually Playoffs, Super Bowl and Grammys. :D

....and haven't tuned to WRGB since!

Lost my WNYT signal once again.. :(

My antenna is a roof mounted UHF Channel Master , so WRGB and WMHT come in great since they broadcast in the UHF band..

WNYT broadcast in the VHF band so reception is iffy. I think this is more due to interferance on my end than signal type.. I have enough antenna elements laying around so maybe I'll be able to construct some dipole setup to receive the stubborn VHF signal...

Greetings all...

Been lurking here for a while - have had my Sammy HLN5065W, dvi capable dvd player, and other essential HT gear since last summer, looking to make the dive into the HDTV pool now.

I live out in Gallupville and have Time Warner Cable (but RR only). I have directv, but wouldn't mind jumping to TWC - IF - they are deploying the SciAtl 8000HD - as I don't have a Tivo/DVR yet either, and would like to get some good HD programming. I don't really want to continue down the directv path, given you have to buy your own reciever and seperate DVR (and you would still need an antenna for your local OTA stations - and yes, I am fully aware of the WRGB mess).

I guess I'm looking for opinions. A lot of you mention your experiences with OTA HD - are there any people here with good experiences (or bad, for that matter) with TWC's offerings?

I've loved my directv since I got it - but the picture quality leaves alot to be desired on my big screen. I understand that the SD channels on TWC, especially the digital ones, will not be an improvement, but at least the HD channels, like HBO, Fox, etc, will allow me to watch The Sopranos and Deadwood in full HD glory. :)

Thanks,

-Jeff

Hi baronj and welcome aboard..

I personally don't know much about the TWC or DTV offerings available..

I just wanted to provide a map of your location to help others answer your question.. I didn't know where Gallupville was located.. :confused:

http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?country=US&address=&city=Gallupville&state=NY

The "WRGB mess" also includes WNYT and soon WEWB. Consider VOOM! Satellite, you don't have to buy the STB upfront, they install the Dish and a Rooftop Antenna, just like D* and E*, the STB integrates the OTA and SAT programming.

VOOM's HD programming dwarfs all other services. The big missing channel, however, is ESPN-HD, something TWC doesn't have either. Only D* and E* will get you ESPN-HD in this market. VOOM is expected to roll out some sort of HD-Tivo-like STB later this year.

Unless you are buried in a gully or blocked by a huge building... A rooftop antenna should work perfectly in Gallupville.

I know it's early... but the 2004 Athens Olympics will be on WNYT-DT (NBC) in HD from August 13 - 29, 2004. Actual game schedule still forthcoming. Bravo-HD is also expected to carry additional coverage in HD. Currently, only VOOM offers Bravo-HD. As we all already know, WNYT-DT is currently only available OTA.

I guess I'm looking for opinions. A lot of you mention your experiences with OTA HD - are there any people here with good experiences (or bad, for that matter) with TWC's offerings?

Jeff,
I have no complaints with TWC. For me the SA8000HD has performed flawlessly and I'm very happy with the HD content they provide. I especially like the HDN, HDNM, INHD1 and INHD2 offerings and find the majority of what I save to the DVR come from those networks (with the exception of a lot of SD broadcasts on TechTV). The SA8000HD STB responds to all the ir codes from my Philips Pronto TSU3000 remote, so any macros I need work great. I've had no outages or problems.
The WRGB issue is not TWC's fault anymore than it would be the fault of the post office for not wanting to pay Netflix for delivering me my DVD's. (Maybe that analogy will help some people see the issue a little more clearly)
For what it's worth, that's my 2 cents worth. I must admit though, Master FX's assessment of VOOM seems to be right on. I would be less than truthful if I claimed I haven't considered the switch to VOOM.

Wordz

I too use TWC and, though I think it is somewhat overpriced, I still pony up. I have a OTA digital tuner for the locals which currently is having difficulty with WMHT-DT OTA. Since I get that on my SA-8000HD (and my 3200) by just turning them on, I haven't even bothered to adjust the antenna.

There is a shortage of quality HD material available. Being able to record what I want with the 8000HD and watch it when I want is all the MORE valuable because of this.

Can someone tell me what the VOOM packages are going for these days?

Paul

Originally posted by Wordz
Jeff,

The WRGB issue is not TWC's fault anymore than it would be the fault of the post office for not wanting to pay Netflix for delivering me my DVD's. (Maybe that analogy will help some people see the issue a little more clearly)

Wordz

I'm not sure I understand what you're trying to say.

www.voom.com

There big new announcement is $0 upfront for the Hardware and Install. Instead they'll charge you around $10 per box per month. If you want to buy a STB outright and not pay the monthly charge you still can, the STB costs $500.

As far as programming there are a number of options, but the Va Va Voom package includes ALL 35+ HD channels for around $80/Mo.

I was considering Voom but as MasterFX pointed out they don't have ESPN-HD. For me I have to have the YES Network, this is what kept me from going to Dish Network. My wife would also lose out on Food Network through Voom. If Voom adds more popular SD channels along with their HD than I would switch.

Originally posted by BreakStuff
I was in CC today (the one located in CC) and saw that they had an open box Zenith HDV-420 for under $200.. a great price for anyone that might be looking for a high definition receiver.

Thanks for the heads up! I just went over today and bought it. After an hour or so of rewiring and redirecting the ancient attic antenna that I inherited from our home's PO, I can say that I now have ALL(?) local stations available in HD. Of course, ever since the Super Bowl I have been pretty peeved, first at WRGB, then TW, then back to WRGB, then... Well you get the idea.

I believe my only recourse is to bill WRGB and TWAlbany for the box. Of course they will have no choice but to pay, as they appear to be equally reasonable and forthright entities.

Anyway, thanks again Breakstuff (it's just one of those days!)

Go Ga Tech!

Dan:D

Originally posted by Macdanny
thanks again Breakstuff (it's just one of those days!)

Your Welcome! (gettin' down with the LB!)

Good move Dan,

Thats even cheaper than what I paid for my same unit on ebay!

I came real close to purchasing that same unit myself and reselling, but I figured I would announce it here it and let someone else get the deal.

Go UCONN! :)

Originally posted by justman
Anyone know when WTEN-DT (ABC) will begin broadcasting?

It is my understanding that WTEN-DT is ready to go, but is waiting for approval from the Canadian Communications Commission (not sure what thir division is really called), due to our proximity to the border.

On another note, it looks as if TWC has taken away HDNet and HDNet Movies. I just called them and they told me that "The one month free preview is over as of March 31st, but you can add it for $3 per month". Well, I told them that I was not interested, was disappointed (as I already pay extra for the HD tier and the HD box).

Did somebody say VOOM!?!

WTEN-DT actually received their approval nearly a month ago, but they are waiting for the "Hard Copy" in the mail. If WTEN wanted to turn on OTA, they need only their station's attorney to confirm via e-mail that the FCC has indeed granted the approval.

It took WRGB about two hours to accomplish this. WTEN is choosing not to be proactive with this. They figure if they're on TWC already, then there's really not that many affected viewers.

I've already e-mailed Skeeter my dis-pleasure with being treated as a 2nd tier viewer because I won't pay TWC $20/Mo to get ABC-HD. If you're an OTA viewer, I urge you too to e-mail skeeter.

Need skeeters email addy. tks.

skeeter.lansing@wten.com

thanks. Just emailed skeeter w/ my .02

as a subscriber to TWC with the pvr i upgraded to the hd pvr and there was no upcharge what so ever.
wouldn't it be the same to just convert from the digital cable box to the HD box????
of course if you do not have digital cable then yes i could see there being an upcharge.

Originally posted by RDJR
thanks. Just emailed skeeter w/ my .02


Me tooooo!!!!