I would like to welcome andrewe77 to my world....

Monday night, I got PERFECT reception on all KC Local Digital channels...Last night, I got KMBC in great, but no signal on the others..

Maybe if it would just be cloudy and rainy all the time, I would be good to go.

Copming to KC this weekend to setup Sisters HDTV. I wasn't overly impressed at some of the power ratings I saw listed.

What should I expect from near Kearney with a crystal clear view South and a Silver Sensor????

hdtvincr

I'm in Liberty, and get great over the air reception with an outdoor Sony antenna that is mounted on my chimney. The direct line to the stations is blocked by my neighbor's house, but I'm still getting adequate reception on all Kansas City channels.

Thanks Technerd.... I'm concerned with WDAF-FOX.

What is their status?? Full power? HD?

Hate to miss the Talladega NASCAR race this weekend in HD.... Our FOX isn't HD yet here in Eatern Iowa, but they were kind enough to let the local cable co. feed the national FOX-HD feed.

As far as I know WDAF-DT is currently only receivable if you live within a few feet of the station (very low power at very low elevation). They are supposed to be working on getting a transmitter up on their main tower, and going full power sometime this summer.

I get FOX-HD on DirecTV. If you subscribe to the HD-package they currently include the FOX-HD feed from New York.

I currently have E* and limited OTA for my HDTV. I am buying a house and moving next week in the Lenexa area. I can stick with E* and my OTA, or go with Time Warner, Everest, or go D* later this year when they get mpg4 worked out. Which is the best deal for the quality? I will also want HS net, i have SBC now, it is not very High Speed, but can live with it.

Suggestions???

Originally posted by mws6468
I currently have E* and limited OTA for my HDTV. I am buying a house and moving next week in the Lenexa area. I can stick with E* and my OTA, or go with Time Warner, Everest, or go D* later this year when they get mpg4 worked out. Which is the best deal for the quality? I will also want HS net, i have SBC now, it is not very High Speed, but can live with it.

Suggestions???

E*, as of May 1, is picking up 10 VOOM HD channels (all 21 by 2006). Whether or not they are worth having is up for discussion, but there will be no extra charge over the existing HD pack AFAIK. You will have to have a second dish pointed at 61.5 degrees to receive these 10 channels. There is quite a discussion going on now over at Satelliteguys.us (http://www.satelliteguys.us) about this now. There is also some information there about the new E* MPEG-4 receivers that will be available later this year.

If internet service is a huge factor, I'd personally go with TWC.

Brad

Anyone know where i can pick up the Radio Shack Bowtie Antenna. I saw them a few months ago, got one, but not any in stock or online at Radioshack..

Any ideas???. They seem to be the cheapest and best HDTV antenna, unless someone can prove me wrong??.. Thanks

Suggestions???

I currently have E* and limited OTA for my HDTV. I am buying a house and moving next week in the Lenexa area. I can stick with E* and my OTA, or go with Time Warner, Everest, or go D* later this year when they get mpg4 worked out. Which is the best deal for the quality? I will also want HS net, i have SBC now, it is not very High Speed, but can live with it.

Lenexa is Everest country. I have lived here for years and everyone around here knows they are the superior choice for one-stop shopping of telephone, internet, and cable TV. Get on one of their package deals where you get all your telecommunications needs all rolled up into one price and save big $ and get a superior product as well. Get their HD PVR and you will wonder how you ever watched TV without it. Trust me, Everest is the best. Their service and support is first class and the price is right. Go with them and you can't go wrong.

Just noticed tonight that TWC is now carrying KCWE HD on Channel 1431. Now just 2 more local HD channels to go, with 38 and 62.

Originally posted by bongohawk
Just noticed tonight that TWC is now carrying KCWE HD on Channel 1431. Now just 2 more local HD channels to go, with 38 and 62.

Good news. :)

What is up with WDAF HD? Everything is extremely pixelated? Tonight I was watching 24 and thank god that the network feed was coming in fine, but the local WDAF HD feed was having serious problems. Network commercials were coming in fine and then you could tell when it was a local commercial because the picture basically went to crap.

Originally posted by bongohawk
What is up with WDAF HD? Everything is extremely pixelated? Tonight I was watching 24 and thank god that the network feed was coming in fine, but the local WDAF HD feed was having serious problems. Network commercials were coming in fine and then you could tell when it was a local commercial because the picture basically went to crap.

I'm on Sunflower in Lawrence and WDAF HD had no sound during any of its programming last night. I can't speak to the pixellation, because I switched to the SD channel so that I could HEAR! Also, KMBC HD has had no sound and the picture, while in HD, lasts for 5 seconds and then goes away (my Motorola box promises me that the channel will return shortly, but I've learned that "shortly" = anywhere from 1 hour to 2 weeks). The problem with KMBC has been on-going for, I'd say, 5 days now. And, I had a similar problem with KMBC about two weeks ago that lasted for a week. I simply assumed that everyone is having this problem and that it is the fault of the Kansas City Stations (NBC from KC and CBS from Topeka are coming in perfectly). At least, I assume that Sunflower will tell me that it's the fault of the stations, so I don't call. Is no one else experiencing this? Shall I call?

We haven't been able to receive WDAF HD at all for about 5 days at all till last night, but I thought this might have been a problem with the cable box. I never did try to reboot it this time but I had problems in the past with the Explorer 8000 not receiving some of the HD channels. Now there is just no sound.

We are moving next month and I am thinking about getting rid of most of the cable channels and just getting an antenna and a HTPC. I don't want to give up my Road Runner though. For the money we spend on cable now we could buy a lot of DVDs. I'll also be building a home theater in the basement.

For the past few days my WDAF has been remapped to 034-1. For the past year it's been at 004-1.

Hello KC
Our house is nearing completion in Lee's Summit. Apparently we can choose between Comcast and Time Warner and it depends who is there first. From what I read on this forum it looks like Time Warner is better. Is this the consensus? If Comcast is there first should I wait for Time Warner?

Try Dish Network, the leader in HDTV.

Originally posted by jwprimetime
Try Dish Network, the leader in HDTV.

Does Dish offer local networks in HD? If they do, I might switch from TimeWarner!

Thanks,
hciv

Originally posted by wschwart
Hello KC
Our house is nearing completion in Lee's Summit. Apparently we can choose between Comcast and Time Warner and it depends who is there first. From what I read on this forum it looks like Time Warner is better. Is this the consensus? If Comcast is there first should I wait for Time Warner?

If you are in Lees Summit then you will have Comcast. You basically have 3 options:

1. Comcast
2. Dish Network
3. Direct TV

If you choose Comcast, then you will get high speed internet at a discounted rate. If you choose #'s 2 or 3, you'll have to pay full price for HSInternet at Comcast.

I have Direct TV as I was fed up with Comcast's rising rates on their TV packages, plus their HD receivers kept locking up. I am very happy with D*....

Originally posted by bmwjhawk
I'm on Sunflower in Lawrence and WDAF HD had no sound during any of its programming last night. ........ At least, I assume that Sunflower will tell me that it's the fault of the stations, so I don't call. Is no one else experiencing this? Shall I call?

You definitely need to call Sunflower. KMBC-DT has had no problems...TI

The agent told me that our development has the ability to choose either Time Warner or Comcast. That is why I wanted a comparison.

Originally posted by wschwart
Hello KC
Our house is nearing completion in Lee's Summit. Apparently we can choose between Comcast and Time Warner and it depends who is there first. From what I read on this forum it looks like Time Warner is better. Is this the consensus? If Comcast is there first should I wait for Time Warner?

Welcome wschwart. :) Wow you get to choose between two cable providers. Gosh both cable providers have their strong points and weak points. Probably best to visit Time Warner and Comcast web sites to choose what best fits your needs (internet, television and now internet phone service). Don't forget satellite and Over the Air HDTV programming. Glad to have you here at the Kansas City HDTV forum.

I have had both, and Time Warner is much better than Comcast.

Has anyone in the area with E* hooked up a second dish to get the former Voom channels?

Originally posted by mws6468
Has anyone in the area with E* hooked up a second dish to get the former Voom channels?

I tried last night with a Dish 500 and a twin LNB using only the 110 port, but didn't have any luck. I've since acquired a Dish 300 and plan on trying again tonight. I'll let you know the outcome.

Originally posted by mws6468
Has anyone in the area with E* hooked up a second dish to get the former Voom channels?

Since the early days of Dish Network HDTV I always kept 61.5 dish online to receive HDTV programming. VOOM HDTV looks great on Dish Network. I have a picture of my Dish Network setup. :)

The Dish 300 has a Legacy LNB, so I'm back to trying the 500 Twin.

Anyone have a voom or e* dish that they want to sell, I want to get the voom channels from E*but don't want to pay the $100 service charge.

I have a Voom dish I'm willing to sell. What's a fair price?

not really sure you can email me at jclevenger3@kc.rr.com and we can talk about it.

Can anyone tell me what TWC box they are offering with firewire ports enabled.

Apparently the sales agent was misinformed. It seems that I will have to deal with Comcast. The question is when will they have service available. They don't now.

Originally posted by kcroyaljosh
Can anyone tell me what TWC box they are offering with firewire ports enabled. I don't believe that there ARE any TWC boxes which have firewire ports enabled.

Originally posted by wschwart
Apparently the sales agent was misinformed. It seems that I will have to deal with Comcast. The question is when will they have service available. They don't now.

I would think that Comcast would have you up and running as soon as you moved in, but I could be wrong. The product from Comcast isn't bad, it's just that they're very expensive compared to other service providers. I have one HD DVR, HBO/Cinemax, digital tier of channels and HSI and pay around $125 a month. I stuck w/ cable because I can rent the HD DVR for $9.95 a month as opposed to going the satellite route and shelling out $1,000 for an HD Tivo. I won't go down the Satellite vs. Cable path because that's been argued time and again in this forum, just saying that Comcast isn't as bad as people make it out to be, just more expensive than the other options.

I saw a 6' HDMI cable at Target today for $39.95. Can't remember the brand but it was a thick cable with a cloth weave. Looked to be of pretty high quality.

Lawrence people: If this is old news, I apologize, but I hadn't heard this yet.. I just spoke to Sunflower regarding KMBC-DT, Channel 200, which hasn't been working for a couple of weeks. The guy told me that the work-around is to tune to a channel in the 900s and THEN go to 200. This works. Weird, but true.

Unforutnately this is not the first time that Sunflower has had this problem with KMBC. Yes, changing to one of the 900 music channels and back seems to lock KMBC-DT onto channel. I am frankly getting rather annoyed with Sunflower and their HD channels in last week or two. I keep experiencing freeze ups on HDNet and HDNet movies. Last night I was trying to watch Super Volcano on Discovery HD and it froze and pixelated repeatedly. I understand problems happen but this is getting ridiculous.

Originally posted by jeffdbs
Since the early days of Dish Network HDTV I always kept 61.5 dish online to receive HDTV programming. VOOM HDTV looks great on Dish Network. I have a picture of my Dish Network setup. :)

Thanks for the updates, as soon as i can see my AV equipment again I am going to work on getting the second dish hooked up. Might be a few weeks before that though.. moving sucks.

Now that we have KWCE-DT (UPN HD) on TWC channel 1431, any rumors about when they will finally add KSMO-DT (WB HD) to the lineup?

We have just moved to the Kansas City area and are staying in an apartment in Independence. I am using a SilverSensor and I can get all of the HD channels except the ABC (VHF) and FOX (low power). We are going to be moving to a house in the Oaksridge Meadows subdivision in Lee's Summit end of June. I can see plenty of people there have installed E* and D* dishes. I am not interested in getting a dish right a way but would like to install an outdoor antenna. I was told FCC regulations permit me to install an outdoor antenna.

Does anybody know if Oaksridge Meadows has any stringent rules about antennas?

Thanks.

Originally posted by Eyedox
I had heard that rumor too, but I thought the 720p was a temporary thing. Maybe it's easier to squeeze more bandwidth for their 480i multicasted analog channel out of a 720p signal than a 1080i one. I know PBS-HD is supposed to be 1080i nationwide. As far as I have heard, KCPT is still 1080i.

I just bought a Sanyo HT30744 and it is reporting the local PBS as 720p. I am new to this area and I don't know if it was ever 1080i.

Originally posted by bommai
We have just moved to the Kansas City area and are staying in an apartment in Independence. I am using a SilverSensor and I can get all of the HD channels except the ABC (VHF) and FOX (low power). We are going to be moving to a house in the Oaksridge Meadows subdivision in Lee's Summit end of June. I can see plenty of people there have installed E* and D* dishes. I am not interested in getting a dish right a way but would like to install an outdoor antenna. I was told FCC regulations permit me to install an outdoor antenna.

Does anybody know if Oaksridge Meadows has any stringent rules about antennas?

Thanks.

Welcome bommai. :) I would think a small old fashion VHF/UHF attic/outdoor television antenna would pull in all the local digital full-power broadcasters. I believe you are right on the FCC protecting your right to a outdoor television antenna. Thanks for joining us here at the local Kansas City HDTV forum.

Originally posted by bommai
I just bought a Sanyo HT30744 and it is reporting the local PBS as 720p. I am new to this area and I don't know if it was ever 1080i.

KCPT19 DT-18 started the ball rolling here in Kansas City digital broadcasting with 1080i HDTV programming. KCPT would also do 4-480p channels when PBS 1080i programming was not available. Lately KCPT is doing 720p and one 480p channel. Many thanks will always go to KCPT DT-18 for starting digital television broadcasting here in Kansas City. If you ever get some free time this local Kansas City forum has alot of history on this thread going back to the earlier days of Kansas City HDTV. :)

I'm still waiting for info from Comcast, but a look at their website for Lee's Summit area indictes that they don't have all of the local digital stations. At least that is the way it looks to me.
I know I have the right to an outdoor antenna, but I would like to avoid the wife factor if possible and get by with an attic antenna. Any ideas?

Originally posted by wschwart
I'm still waiting for info from Comcast, but a look at their website for Lee's Summit area indictes that they don't have all of the local digital stations. At least that is the way it looks to me.
I know I have the right to an outdoor antenna, but I would like to avoid the wife factor if possible and get by with an attic antenna. Any ideas?

Radio Shack old fashion VHF/UHF attic/outdoor television antenna, RG-6 shielded coax cable and a coax ground block. These items along with a digital turner will bring the new world of free Over the Air HDTV broadcasting into your home for the family to enjoy. Full-power and full bandwidth razor sharp HDTV picture and rich audio sounds is making Over the Air digital broadcasting a hit in Kansas City. :)

Thanks Jeffdbs
Can you recommend an installer. Due to health problems I can't do too much in the way of crawling into attics etc.

Their website channel guide isn't updated (it never is). ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX (added a few days before the Superbowl in February) and PBS are all carried by Comcast. They don't currently carry UPN or WB in HD however.

This article was in the KC Business Journal today, basically outlining how the TWC / Comcast split in KC could be history as soon as 2006.

http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/2005/05/09/daily25.html

Originally posted by wschwart
Thanks Jeffdbs
Can you recommend an installer. Due to health problems I can't do too much in the way of crawling into attics etc.

Antenna Masters is about the only option in the area that I know of. I used him for info/help in my apt.

I just wanted to give the group a heads up. During sever weather situations such as today and perhaps this evening where there are severe weather WARNING within our market boundaries, we will remain in SD so that we can pass the emergency information along. Once the WARNINGS turn to WATCHES we will switch to HD. We are sorry for this inconvenience......TI

Threads merged.

Originally posted by technicalitalian
I just wanted to give the group a heads up. During sever weather situations such as today and perhaps this evening where there are severe weather WARNING within our market boundaries, we will remain in SD so that we can pass the emergency information along. Once the WARNINGS turn to WATCHES we will switch to HD. We are sorry for this inconvenience......TI Doesn't KMBC have the ability to put a little graphic in the corner while in HD that says "Tune to analog SD channel for severe weather information"? Or was that another local network that did that a few months ago. It seems sad to lose a great show in HD to show a redundant severe weather warning when it's already running on your analog SD channel. LOST is flat, dull and lifeless in SD. :)

Today's KC Star reported (here) (http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/business/11623890.htm) that a customer swap will take place sometime in 2006 between Comcast and Time Warner. It sounds like Time Warner will be pulling out of KC and Comcast will be the major player in town.

As much as I like to complain about TW's pricing, I think they have the best offering of channels and services in town. The thought of switching to Comcast isn't one that makes me very happy.

Can someone with recent exposure to both providers give us a quick overview of their offerings? Specifically, I'm interested in pricing, HD channels, DVR's and High Speed Internet.

Thanks in advance!

Oh great. More bad news for KC. Comcast is so overpriced, it's rediculous. Not to mention their service was terrible in Olathe. I hope Everest's subscriber numbers explode when Comcast jacks up my TWC bill June 2006. I know one thing, I will leave for Everest or satellite/DSL before I let them take away my special overbuild pricing deal. I love Time Warner Cable and I will be very disappointed to see them go next year.

Has anyone here implemented the Moxy Server from Sunflower and HD?

If so, how do you like it? Pros/Cons?

Have you every used Tivo or Ultimate TV, and have a comparison?

Don't fret over this too much. Comcast is not as bad as the reputation. I switched from D* and I have had TW in the past and both price and service is comparable. My friend who has TW pays around $120 for HD\DVR + Digital, HSI & 1 Premium Channel. Once my promotion is up with Comcast my bill will be $126 for the same service.

My advice...unless you work for TW in town, don't worry about what you can't control. I mean it is only TV...

Threads merged (Post #3555).

I just got HD about 4 weeks ago (liberty, Time Warner). They ran a new line from the pole and added an amplifier. It works great no problems for three weeks. The last week during some HD broadcasts (storm related?) the channel comes in but blips or the audio skips (kinda like when a DVD has a scratch). What is causing this? I see the diagnostics channel on TWC what kind of rating should I see on this?

thanks

Originally posted by Eyedox
Doesn't KMBC have the ability to put a little graphic in the corner while in HD that says "Tune to analog SD channel for severe weather information"? Or was that another local network that did that a few months ago. It seems sad to lose a great show in HD to show a redundant severe weather warning when it's already running on your analog SD channel. LOST is flat, dull and lifeless in SD. :)

I noticed tonight on KMBC-DT that they had the "Tune To KMBC analog for severe weather information" at the upper right portion of the screen and kept the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" in HD. Good job KMBC!!! If only other networks could learn from that. I mean if want to pay close attention to the weather warnings then they should only be on the analog side.

Everest is adding 3 new HD channels:

Just got the monthly email from them. They are adding 4 new channels, 2 of which are HD--ESPN2 HD, TNT HD. The other 2 channels are the Hallmark Movie Channel and ESPNU. For those of you with a choice check them out.

As a side note Everest also has caller id on TV--I haven't heard of TWC offering that yet.

Originally posted by bongohawk
I noticed tonight on KMBC-DT that they had the "Tune To KMBC analog for severe weather information" at the upper right portion of the screen and kept the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" in HD. Good job KMBC!!! If only other networks could learn from that. I mean if want to pay close attention to the weather warnings then they should only be on the analog side.

TI, why was this not done during the all new LOST that aired this week?

I'm with Eyedox, I just couldn't get into it without the HD.

A few things:

1) How lucky we are that the local engineers are kind enough to seek and listen to our input on things like the severe weather warnings (thanks TI!).

2) I'm one of the lucky ones in a TWC area also served by Everest. That means I get a healthy discount on my service. I'm going to be very interested in what happens with the Comcast thing along that front. Will we have to go to their crappy guide? Will they start charging me full-price? Will we lose the HD-Net channels? If any of these things happen, I'm going to Everest (unless somehow D* has far more HD by then, and WDAF-DT is full power), although I hate the thought of losing InHD, InHD2, and the west-coast HD premiums. What locals does Everest have in HD - just the big 4? The addition of ESPN2HD is big to me.

FWIW, I have Roadrunner, HD-DVR, all premiums, HD Pack. Basically every channel they offer in English, plus I've been getting MLB Extra Innings free (shhhhhh!!!!!), for $106/mo. after taxes. I don't see any way Comcast will be able to offer me that, unless they just leave everything alone and the only change is the name of the company who gets my money. I really don't see that happening.

Not happy Comcast is taking over - I couldn't be happier with TWC!

Originally posted by bigredhusker
...The last week during some HD broadcasts (storm related?) the channel comes in but blips or the audio skips (kinda like when a DVD has a scratch). What is causing this? ...

The blips and audio skips seem to happen with HD. Since HD is a data stream, if the stream gets interruppted you'll lose the signal ("blips" or "skips"). Kind of like when your DVD or hard drive "stutters" when playing back content.

With traditional analog TV. signal degradation shows up as "snow" or interference. With digital, unless it can correct for the error, it will cause the errors you see. Digital is an all-or-nothing kind of medium (just ask people trying to pick up Fox 4 HD OTA).

You add another layer of potential problems when you use cable, satellite and/or an HD-DVR since there are additional points of potential failure added to the process of getting the signal to your tv. Its possible bad weather could cause an issue like this, but it would be something which would not be preventable nor would it be long-lasting.

One other note on cable. I have a new line running to my house (as well as all new lines inside). And I still have channels which get an unacceptable amount of snow. TWC says its a "main line crack" but their main line people can't seem to find it. So, if the signal making it to the pole outside your home has issues, then your signal will too. But as long as your HD channels get enough signal, your HD errors will be few and far between.

Just my $.02
hciv

Anyone else upset at the new Sunday Ticket pricing, extra $99 for the HD games. I canceled this morning.

Originally posted by 4MUKC
Anyone else upset at the new Sunday Ticket pricing, extra $99 for the HD games. I canceled this morning.

Yes. Big thread pinned on the programming forum. I'm still undecided - if I was a Chiefs fan, there's no way I'd get it. But my team (Eagles) is out of town, so keeping it is the only way I'll see all their games. I guarantee if they weren't exclusive, like all the other sports packages, this wouldn't happen.

If you really want to hurt them, cancel all your D* service and tell them that's why. I'm pretty sure they lose money on NFLST to get all the subs that wouldn't have D* otherwise, and make the money on their other programming.

Originally posted by CPanther95
Threads merged (Post #3555).

If this is a message to me (I am author of #3555) I don't understand what it means.

If it means check the thread re: Moxy Servers, I've been there. I am interested in specific feedback from people using it from Sunflower, and their experiences.

Originally posted by Ewingr
If this is a message to me (I am author of #3555) I don't understand what it means.

Merged just means that Post #3555 was entered as a separate thread and that thread was combined into this one.

The new XBOX 360 and PS3 have some pretty incredible support for HDTV sets. All the way up to 1080P (yes, progressive 1080). I can't wait. It will be interesting to see if PS3 changes from Blu-Ray to the unified standard (if they can reach an agreement with HD-DVD Forum) before the system is released next year. I am disappointed that XBOX will not be supporting Blue Laser HD-DVD technology though. Both will have HDMI ports.

Originally posted by Eyedox
The new XBOX 360 and PS3 have some pretty incredible support for HDTV sets. All the way up to 1080P (yes, progressive 1080). I can't wait. It will be interesting to see if PS3 changes from Blu-Ray to the unified standard (if they can reach an agreement with HD-DVD Forum) before the system is released next year. I am disappointed that XBOX will not be supporting Blue Laser HD-DVD technology though. Both will have HDMI ports.

1080p is going to be a big hit soon with 1080p televisions, 1080p DVD players and 1080p gaming system. This is why local digital television stations must stay on course with full-bandwidth 720p and 1080i HDTV broadcasting. Only a full-bandwidth 720p and 1080i picture can compete with the upcoming higher picture quality of 1080p.

We walk a fine line when it comes to notifying our viewers about storm warnings or other need to know events. The issue last week dealt just as much with our charter to warn our viewers of storm warnings as it did the FCC's rules on 100% simulcasting. During last Wednesday evening's storm warnings and until we heard from our counsel, we felt it more important to error on the side of safety. As soon as the warnings were downgraded to watches, we switched back to HD.

We have since received an opinion from our FCC attorneys which made us comfortable with only having the "tune to analog" bug on our HD channel. However, in the future, if the analog channel breaks away from normal programming for storm coverage or other breaking news events, the HD channel will follow. I'm afraid we're in a catch 22 on this one. Thanks for the feedback....TI

I have asked before.. but, in peoples experiences is Time Warner or Everest better for TV, Internet, and phone. I currently have E* and SBC (SBC is not making me happy with my move) and am looking for other options. With the addition of the Voom channels to E* makes me want to stay with them, but want to get the DVR without shelling out a lot of $$$. Any suggestions?

technicalitalian,

I see on KMBC's website that you guys are starting the ground breaking of your new station. Looks like it will be completed by late 2006 and I would assume you guys will be doing your newscast in HD by then.

Whoever has HD local news broadcasts FIRST is who I will be watching exclusively. Kudos to KMBC/KCWE and TI for jumpstarting their quest. Also, thanks for finally getting KCWE-DT (HD) on TWC.

Sony has unveiled a new high definition camcorder that is much smaller and lighter than its previous model. The HDR-HC1 is Sony's attempt to expand the market for high definition video cameras. Currently HD camcorders are used mostly by professionals because they are quite big and are costly. The new 1080i HD camcorder can fit comfortably in a consumers hand and is less than half the price. Product will release July of this year.

http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/6444.cfm

Originally posted by mws6468
I have asked before.. but, in peoples experiences is Time Warner or Everest better for TV, Internet, and phone. I currently have E* and SBC (SBC is not making me happy with my move) and am looking for other options. With the addition of the Voom channels to E* makes me want to stay with them, but want to get the DVR without shelling out a lot of $$$. Any suggestions?

I can only speak to TV and Internet, but I couldn't be happier with TWC. That said, I get a good deal because I'm in Everest territory (I assume you are, too). Also, that could/will all change when Comcast takes over TWC operations. Everyone I've talked to is very happy with their Everest service. I think TWC has a slightly broader offering for TV, with OnDemand and additional HD channels (InHD, InHD2, now UPN, west-coast feeds of HBO and SHO), but it sounds like Everest is stepping up their HD lineup with ESPN2HD and TNT-HD. It also seems TWC is a bit faster to adopt new technology like HD-DVR, etc. Again, I expect this all to change and go downhill when Comcast takes over, which is in 6/2006, I believe.

Hope that helps.

Originally posted by Eyedox
Whoever has HD local news broadcasts FIRST is who I will be watching exclusively. Kudos to KMBC/KCWE and TI for jumpstarting their quest. Also, thanks for finally getting KCWE-DT (HD) on TWC.

Diito. I'll actually make a point to start watching local news again!

Speaking of the Comcast takeover of Time Warner next year ... I have talked to several people at TWC, and they have ALL been told by corporate that the switch is DEFINITELY going to happen, but probably not until more like the END of next year (2006) instead of June/July. No one knows what that will mean for people like me with special pricing or our DVR cable boxes & software (which is different than Comcast). Or if we will lose HDNet and HDNet Movies. I love TWC ... I hate Comcast, and I couldn't be more disappointed about the news.

what is a "typ" cost for HD-DVR and HS internet, and phone service if you have it with Everest. I see there website and the "package deals" it is about $135/mo for all that, do they offer anything if you switch from a DSS provider?

TI, thank you so much for revising your severe weather policy. I enjoyed LOST much better this week in HD.

I too hope that you will be able to do produce HD in your new studios. I know that I'll be watching if you are able to pull it off. I would love to see KMBC have the first HD news in Kansas City.

First commercial station on the air with HD, first station to do studio HD, first station to do live remotes in HD, and first staton with a HD helicopter... hehe.

TI, I'll chime in on the big "Thanks!" One question: If you can insert a bug that says "tune in to the analog for weather information," why won't the same equipment insert the weather bug in the corner? I'm sure it's more complicated than I think, but just wondering.

Brad

Originally posted by mws6468
what is a "typ" cost for HD-DVR and HS internet, and phone service if you have it with Everest. I see there website and the "package deals" it is about $135/mo for all that, do they offer anything if you switch from a DSS provider? I was quoted $90 for digital cable, HD, DVR, and 3.0 MBPS High Speed Internet ... No Premiums or Digital Phone. They discount everything 8% for bills over $55 a month, and discount 12% for bills over $110 a month. The $90 included the discount. To add one movie channel package was about $99, to add two (which went to 12% discount qualification) was only $102. This was cost for Shawnee (where I have TWC).

Suggestions for an ATTIC antenna please...

What do I need out at 151st & Metcalf, I'm up fairly high, not much obstruction.

Thanks.

Originally posted by Bradtothebone
TI, I'll chime in on the big "Thanks!" One question: If you can insert a bug that says "tune in to the analog for weather information," why won't the same equipment insert the weather bug in the corner? I'm sure it's more complicated than I think, but just wondering.

Brad

Quite simply, the company which makes our First Alert weather bug equipment has not yet offered it to support the HD format. After our move to our new facility in late '06, we hope to have our HD branding follow our SD branding more closely.....TI

Originally posted by technicalitalian
Quite simply, the company which makes our First Alert weather bug equipment has not yet offered it to support the HD format. After our move to our new facility in late '06, we hope to have our HD branding follow our SD branding more closely.....TI

Thanks for the info, TI.


And now, for something completely different:

Has anyone seen any activity on the "big stick" at FOX-34 lately? Their "use it or lose it" date (July 1) for full-power DTV is quickly approaching! For that matter, how about activity on the "eye-full" tower at KCTV? They'll be putting up a new digital stick (higher on the tower), before July 1, also.

Brad

TI - Is KMBC planning on having HD studio cameras and other HD equipment in place to do HD local newscasts as soon as the new building is up and running late 2006? Or will that not happen until a few years down the road?

Well, I put up the Radio Shack UHF "add-on" antenna in the attic and finally got to see my first HD program...KCPT, some museum show this afternoon. Is there a one-stop source for our Local HD program listings or do you have to check the individual stations websites for accurate info? I am assuming all our HD channels ARE on UHF. Right now the antenna is just laying up on the insulation, right inside the hole not mounted yet (testing it out before I mount it), but getting decent reception.

I use titanTV. Although, it is not always accurate.

I am assuming all our HD channels ARE on UHF.

KMBC9 DT-07 is a strong VHF digital television broadcasting station. A UHF antenna will pick up some VHF digital stations. A VHF/UHF television antenna is best to have to receive all local digital television signals and all local analog television signals.

New to the forum. New to HDTV.

Getting Comcast Cable hooked up on Wednesday with a HD DVR. I currently have D* but I don't feel like paying $350 for HD receiver and dish, and I definitely don't feel like paying for their HD Tivo box.

1. Curious if anyone knows what HD DVR Comcast is using for new customers? Any details on it would also be appreciated.

2. Also curious if you can hook up an OTA antenna to this DVR? I guess I'm working under the assumption that Comcast doesn't have every local HD signal and that I might want to pick up some OTA HD signals.

Thanks!

KMBC9 DT-07 is a strong VHF digital television broadcasting station. A UHF antenna will pick up some VHF digital stations. A VHF/UHF television antenna is best to have to receive all local digital television signals and all local analog television signals.

Ahh....that explains why that channel is fuzzy! :D Here I thought I had it all figured out. I guess it's back to Radio Shack with it (I hate returning stuff there, the kids that work there are too smart.)

Well, is WDAF on UHF or VHF?? I know it's a low power signal and only the street people living under the tower get it, but I'm not even getting a glimmer of it!

I would have just gone with TW for HD, but I just refuse to tolerate their horrible SD content on everything else.

WDAF is supposed to be full power (on channel 34 UHF) by July 1st or thereabouts. You won't get it before then.

Brad

[QUOTE=psyclone44]
2. Also curious if you can hook up an OTA antenna to this DVR? I guess I'm working under the assumption that Comcast doesn't have every local HD signal and that I might want to pick up some OTA HD signals.
QUOTE]

I'm a TWC guy in OP, but I've not heard of any cableco receivers that take an OTA antenna - only dish providers. Only way you'll be able to get OTA channels is if you have an integrated digital receiver in your TV. 95% sure on this one.

I believe the only HD locals Comcast offers are ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS (no UPN, WB, etc.). If it makes you feel any better, we're in the same boat, except got UPN added last week - not that there's anything on there worth watching, IMO.

Did anyone else have audio problems on tonights (05/23/05) showing of CSI:Miami? All three of my HD tuners (RCA DTC-100, Panasonic TV and HD DirecTivo) were missing the dialog from the episode. Everything was fine when I watched the analog channel (except of course the picture quality :D ). I wasn't listening to the Dolby Digital sound track just the stereo audio through the TV and it seemed like I was just getting the rear channel information.

Okay, I added a cheapy VHF set top antenna I had laying around and stuck it up in the attic for grins. I'm still just BARELY getting channel 9 and not even a glimmer of 9.1. Do I need a full-on big attic antenna to get 9.1?? Again, I'm out at 151st & Metcalf area.

BTW...The Tonight Show in HD was just amazing!! Sorry, I'm still green at all this so it doesn't take much to impress me, but it's probably the best picture I've seen yet!!

Hey all,

I finally moved into the new house and have begun the A/V installation. My D*TV dish is up and my new D*TV HD TIVO is doing well - but the big story is my new Winegard SS-2000 OTA digital antenna. I thought I'd post some info here since there has been a lot of chatter lately on antennas.

With the SS-2000 installed in my attic, I am locking in on 27 channels - including Topeka and St. Joe and everything from KC (minus - of course - WDAF, I can get a weak transient signal, enough for PSIP data, but not enough to register even a hash on the screen...) I am getting very strong signals on all digital channels and good to great reception on the analog channels. I never knew KC had soooo many religious channels that were broadcasting! For reference purposes, the general location of my new home is College Blvd and K-7 Highway.

My A/V guy, Ryan Butler at Digital Home Ideas (http://www.dhideas.com) hooked my up with the unit and is handling all the chores of installation and aiming. You can read more about the unit here http://www.winegard.com/offair/squareshooter.htm

Anyhow, I'll post some new pics of the new home A/V setup when I get it all finished. When it's all complete I will have a HDTV distribution system (Key Digital Systems KD-MSW8x3 Flash Matrix Switch) feeding 2 30" Scepter LCD (one over the pool table & the other in the bedroom), a 50" RCA Scenium Select DLP in the great room, and a 58" Pioneer Elite 620 Pro in the main theater room. The RCA and Pioneer have a Yamaha amplified 5.1 and 6.1 audio setup respectively. The video matrix supports 8 inputs but I am only feeding with my DVD jukebox, D*TV HD Tivo, and Sony HD-200 D*TV IRD. The unit is remote switchable for every location, so I can choose from multiple sources independant in each room. Plus, I am modulating the std definition Tivo unit - I couldn't bear to just not use the thing! I have also added a Nuvo Concerto whole house audio system that utilizes the same video sources as well as a Cd player and MP3 player. Basically - a ton of wires at the head end. The hardest part is the IR distribution setup to make it all work! Wish me luck!

J.

js615,

That sounds amazing! I can't believe you're getting 27 channels - it sounds like Ryan does good work. I'm sure I can speak for most of us when I say I'm very envious!!

Yeah - he does. I would highly reccomend Ryan and his team - they do know what they are doing and they have very reasonable pricing. In fact, he is at the house today dressing all the cables coming into the head end.

I will say that, of the 27 channels, most of them aren't worth watching. Also, channel 4 analog doesn't come in as great as I'd like - this is because the aiming of the antenna currently is to get all the channels possible, and that takes me a bit off line for WDAF. I think I may ultimately re-target the SS-2000 for best reception of the KC locals - even though it may cost me St. Joe and Topeka reception. The only real reason for keeping Topeka on the chart is when the KC local preempt programming for local sports such as KU basketball or the Royals and such.

Anyone in the Lenexa (SM Park), or other outlying areas have any suggestions on a good antenna to put in the attic. I have a cuttenna for ABC here in KC, so i can use that for the VHF if i wanted to go with something like a DB4 for UHF. Did not know if there was a better combo out there that some have used. I could mount a smaller one outside, but WAF comes into play then. I also wanted to wire an antenna for FM radio reception in the attic, a lot of stations come in week.

psyclone44 -

Comcast's DVR models are Motorola DCT-6208 (Single Tuner, 80GB HD) and Motorola DCT-6412 (Dual Tuner, 120GB HD). And squeak49 is dead on. Comcast has all the locals except UPN, WB, PAX... There is not a way to hookup an OTA antenna to get the others.

Anyone from Comcast in the Independence, Blue Spgs and Lee's Summit area having problems with KMBC-DT. I'm getting horrible digital breakups and pixilization on Lost. Anyone else? Does anyone have a inside number to Comcast's engineering dept. The CSR's are clueless! :mad:

HD tilting/pixilizing problems should be clear now.

For the last couple weeks, I have not been able to receive Channel 9's OTA signal w/o massive breakup. Are they having issues with their OTA signal. I hope it is straightened up by the time the Indy 500 is on.

Jerky,
Do you know what the problem was? I figured it was Comcast's OTA antenna got out of wack?

Greg

Well, someone here said that 9 had a "stong" hd signal and I'm still getting a slightly fuzzy analog and 9.1 is nowhere to be found. :( On a brighter note I reaimed the UHF a little more and my signal is red hot on 5, 41, 19, 38 & 62, so that's cool.

I'm going to see if I can score a larger vhf for the attic and point the vhf & uhf in slightly different directions.

For the last couple weeks, I have not been able to receive Channel 9's OTA signal w/o massive breakup. Are they having issues with their OTA signal. I hope it is straightened up by the time the Indy 500 is on.

Sadly, that won't be a problem. Indy 500 is SD. Link:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=529704

Ok guys, I am getting kmbc 9.1 IN Topeka as well as other KC channels and also Lawrence.However i can't get Topeka hd IS my antenna too big or??

Well, someone here said that 9 had a "stong" hd signal and I'm still getting a slightly fuzzy analog and 9.1 is nowhere to be found. :( On a brighter note I reaimed the UHF a little more and my signal is red hot on 5, 41, 19, 38 & 62, so that's cool.

I'm going to see if I can score a larger vhf for the attic and point the vhf & uhf in slightly different directions.

I bought a cutenna for right freqencey and picked up 9.1 great in my apt in Lenexa, looked funny hanging on the ceiling but hey it worked. Moved into our house now... still working on getting the antennas up.

Not too sure what was up with the locals, but TNTHD, HBOHD, MAXHD and StarzHD are all on the same sat, and they're also coming off the same dish at the head end. The signals were interfering with each other so the head end tech made a quick adjustment and all was made well. I think the local's problem was related to an issue with the PPV chns dig signal last night, all should be peachy now though.

Bad news for those OTA viewers expecting to see WDAF-DT go full power by July 2005. A new extension application has popped up in the FCC database indicating that they are asking for an extension until November 2005. Here is a link to the application. Most of the "english" of this form is at the bottom.

http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101058490&formid=337&fac_num=11291

Basically, it states that they cannot strengthen their tower after all and they are forcing KSHB to terminate their lease so WDAF can put their DT antenna where the old KSHB analog antenna is now.

Here is a the new timeline directly from the FCC form:

1. ANTENNAS ARRIVE FROM DIELECTRIC - BETWEEN JULY 1 AND 15, 2005;
2. INSTALLATION OF MAIN COMPONENTS BY PRECISION COMMUNICATIONS - 60 DAYS, WITH COMPLETION BY SEPTEMBER 15, 2005;
3. SYSTEM PROOF OF PERFORMANCE AND AIR CHECKS, IN COORDINATION WITH DIELECTRIC - BY OCTOBER 15, 2005;
4. CONTINGENCY: CRITICAL PROBLEM SOLVING, IF NECESSARY - BY NOVEMBER 1, 2005;
5. SITE CLEAN UP AND PROJECT DOCUMENTATION - BY NOVEMBER 15, 2005;
6. PROJECT COMPLETION - NOVEMBER 30, 2005.

Ok guys, I am getting kmbc 9.1 IN Topeka as well as other KC channels and also Lawrence.However i can't get Topeka hd IS my antenna too big or??

All of Topeka stations are UHF. What type of antenna do you have? Where do you live?

Bad news for those OTA viewers expecting to see WDAF-DT go full power by July 2005. A new extension application has popped up in the FCC database indicating that they are asking for an extension until November 2005...


Well that sucks.. enough said.

Bad news for those OTA viewers expecting to see WDAF-DT go full power by July 2005. A new extension application has popped up in the FCC database indicating that they are asking for an extension until November 2005. Here is a link to the application. Most of the "english" of this form is at the bottom.

http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101058490&formid=337&fac_num=11291

Basically, it states that they cannot strengthen their tower after all and they are forcing KSHB to terminate their lease so WDAF can put their DT antenna where the old KSHB analog antenna is now.

Here is a the new timeline directly from the FCC form:

1. ANTENNAS ARRIVE FROM DIELECTRIC - BETWEEN JULY 1 AND 15, 2005;
2. INSTALLATION OF MAIN COMPONENTS BY PRECISION COMMUNICATIONS - 60 DAYS, WITH COMPLETION BY SEPTEMBER 15, 2005;
3. SYSTEM PROOF OF PERFORMANCE AND AIR CHECKS, IN COORDINATION WITH DIELECTRIC - BY OCTOBER 15, 2005;
4. CONTINGENCY: CRITICAL PROBLEM SOLVING, IF NECESSARY - BY NOVEMBER 1, 2005;
5. SITE CLEAN UP AND PROJECT DOCUMENTATION - BY NOVEMBER 15, 2005;
6. PROJECT COMPLETION - NOVEMBER 30, 2005.

Thanks for the link, Timmy. I knew deep in my heart that this was going to happen.

The whole thing, of course, is absolute bull*#$@. First of all, KSHB vacated WDAF's tower and transmitter, what, two years ago? The negotiations should have been going full-tilt boogie since then to get their antenna off the tower and to vacate their transmitter. Sure, KSHB would have liked to have kept them for backup, but too bad, so sad. BTW, WDAF has known since at least 2001 that the tower couldn't be strengthened enough to hold their digital antenna AND KSHB's analog.

Second, the date on the purchase order to Dielectric (the "equipment delay" they are citing), is MARCH 4, 2005, for crying out loud! This is a mere 17 weeks before a deadline that some significant percentage of 400 stations is going to have to meet. Surely WDAF can't be that clueless.

There has to be some reason why this is taking this long, and I don't think we (or the FCC) are hearing the whole story.

Brad

" PROJECT COMPLETION - NOVEMBER 30, 2005" This is not good news. The NFL football season starts in September leaving the Kansas City Over the Air FOX HDTV NFL viewers in the dark again.

Well, here in KC, where football is king, it's funny how 4 is dragging their feet with this...sort of forces a lot of HD viewers to cable doen't it?? Perhaps there is a financial arrangement. I know I'm just blowing smoke, but think about it. What other programming could force (or at least REALLY tempt) HD sports fans to get cable???

I liken this to the "two stroke ban" that was supposedly going to take effect we wouldn't be able to buy our favorite two stroke dirt bikes anymore. Well, that's been going on for years and they're still importing them (which is a good thing in my case). Hell, Dtv will have HD locals before 4 will ever get their stick up. November will come and go.

Did anyone else have audio problems on tonights (05/23/05) showing of CSI:Miami? All three of my HD tuners (RCA DTC-100, Panasonic TV and HD DirecTivo) were missing the dialog from the episode. Everything was fine when I watched the analog channel (except of course the picture quality :D ). I wasn't listening to the Dolby Digital sound track just the stereo audio through the TV and it seemed like I was just getting the rear channel information.

Yeah, I had the same problem (though with the Dishnetwork 811). Analog channel was fine. Same thing happened tonight with Desperate Housewives, even though Lost played fine right before it.

Concerning WDAF extending the deadline to November 2005, that really sucks as I was looking forward to watching the NFL in HD.

Not placing a new digital stick onto the high analog tower is no excuse for not increasing the power to the 'short stick'. If WDAF increased the transmitter output to 4,000 watts, many of us in the KC area would be able to receive the OTA signal. I have always received small whiffs of RF, but never enough to get a picture. This July deadline is not about antenna height, it is about power output.

It is time to begin preparing your letters to your Congressmen. It is important to point out that there is indeed a 'herding' of the existing HD OTA viewers to subscribe to cable and satellite reception of WDAF. It is time to follow the money....

We all knew that WDAF would NOT get things done by the mandatory deadline. They haven't made any of the dates before so their announcement of the delay to November is actually living up to my expectations. They just don't care - about the viewers, about the FCC, about making the deadline. The revelation that they have to make 41 move is bogus. Why is that just now being determined? Any engineer looking at their setup and plans could have made that assessment MONTHS ago. I just wonder what the lame excuse will be when it isn't done in November. No doubt they will have delays in getting equipment or in construction and then the weather - and we will get to wait longer. I know I"m being negative but after these endless delays and excuses from FOX4 I'm not going to believe any of it until I actually get an OTA signal.

Anyone here have Dtv HD package??? Just wondering how much "quality" programming you're actually watch for $10.99 a month extra? I looked at the channel lineup and it was hard to tell. I watch mostly Discover, Science, Hist, NGC, etc. and some sports other than football.

Not Really, I live just north of the Washburn Campus. I have A 120" mounted on my 2 story roof. I believe its a uhf vhf combo antenna. Not really sure. Anyway I put a Silver Sensor up on the second floor and I get all the locals. However, I have to switch back and forth. Any ideas on how to combine the 2 signals? I already tried a basic combiner. it didn't work MArk :mad:

I don't care about WDAF all that much...but what about the others going full power? Is this on schedule?

Imagine that, Cable companies screwing people....who wouldda thunk it?

Anyone here have Dtv HD package??? Just wondering how much "quality" programming you're actually watch for $10.99 a month extra?

Discovery HD is part of the package and HDnet Movie channel actually offers some pretty good flicks that you don't see on the other channels - all in 1080i. Bravo/Universal HD has mostly NBC shows and HDnet has some good programming including concerts and sports in HD. The value was definitely worth it when the HD package meant that you got the HD football games on the NFL Sunday Ticket. I don't want to restart the thread here that is covered elsewhere but for 2005 DirecTV is requiring an extra $99 to receive the NFL games in HD. I cancelled my NFL Sunday Ticket due to the change. I'm not going to pay an extra surcharge to receive the HD versions when I've provided the equipment and have waited YEARS for the programming to finally arrive.

You also get ESPNHD and if you subscribe to HBO and Showtime the HD versions of their primary channels. No STARZHD or CinemaxHD yet.

I don't know for sure if buying the HD package is a prerequisite - I think it is - but you can receive Fox network programming in HD from NY channel 5 on DirecTV 88. Since Fox4 WDAF is owned and operated by Fox and doesn't have an HD OTA signal available yet we are permitted to get the national feed.

Not Really, I live just north of the Washburn Campus. I have A 120" mounted on my 2 story roof. I believe its a uhf vhf combo antenna. Not really sure. Anyway I put a Silver Sensor up on the second floor and I get all the locals. However, I have to switch back and forth.

You have a challenge getting both Topeka and KC digital channels from your location. If you enter zip code 66621 (its the one for Washburn so I hope it's close to your location) in www.antennaweb.org you will see what type of antenna you need. But more importantly, click on the button to view the map or list the compass coordinates for the stations. The Topeka stations are at 259, 262, 295 and 307 degrees. The KC analog stations are at 82, 83, 86 and 89 degrees. It didn't show the KC digital stations since it figures they are out of range but the digital transmitters are generally close to the analog ones. Notice that the coordinates are almost 180 apart. So you need to point in both directions OR have an antenna that can reach KC and has a pattern that also stretches behind it that could pick up your local channels.

Most of the antennas provide a diagram of their coverage. You might be able to find one that fits your need. If you want to use your existing one I'd start with aiming it at the KC stations and it just might still pick up the Topeka ones. Good luck.

I installed two antennas in my attic to get both locations. However, I'm in Lawrence, so I didn't have the distance stretch that a person in Topeka will.

Kudos to KMBC for showing Bambi in 4:3 HD (OAR for this movie) with DD5.1 tonight. Looks and sounds great for how old the source is.

So far the severe weather cut-ins have been switched over perfectly and the engineers always remember to turn the HD back on when the update is over.

I love having the severe weather bug in HD over having to watch this in upconverted SD.

Excellent job. Keep up the good work!!

My insider at Time Warner Cable told me that we should be getting ESPN2-HD sometime midsummer. My guess is late July or early August. Still no word on KSMO-DT (WB HD), Univesal HD, or Cinemax HD.

Does anyone know what HD DVR hardware Everest uses? I have done some looking around and can't find out anything about it. Also what guide software do they use?

Everest is in the middle of running thier lines in my neighborhood now, so they will be an option for me here in the near future. I currently love TWC, which is what we have now.. but if this Comcast takeover happens then I might need to reconsider who I will get service from. I'm not a big fan of Comcast and their interactive guide/hardware.

Does anyone know what will happen to our current TWC hardware/guide when Comcast takes over? Surely TWC won't reclaim thier boxes.. that would be a huge nightmare for Comcast to have to come in and re-setup all the former TWC clients. Would we get to keep our hardware and current Echo2 guide?

I would only entertain D* if they were offering local HD at the time of the takeover, but I heard that it will take around 2 years after they launch the new satellites before we would get local HDs.

Greg

My insider at Time Warner Cable told me that we should be getting ESPN2-HD sometime midsummer. My guess is late July or early August. Still no word on KSMO-DT (WB HD), Univesal HD, or Cinemax HD.

Great news, Eyedox! Hopefully it'll be one of those things that happens rather quickly, like when we heard about the ESPNHD anouncement, and less than an hour later, it was on!

Discovery HD is part of the package and HDnet Movie channel actually offers some pretty good flicks that you don't see on the other channels - all in 1080i. Bravo/Universal HD has mostly NBC shows and HDnet has some good programming including concerts and sports in HD. The value was definitely worth it when the HD package meant that you got the HD football games on the NFL Sunday Ticket. I don't want to restart the thread here that is covered elsewhere but for 2005 DirecTV is requiring an extra $99 to receive the NFL games in HD. I cancelled my NFL Sunday Ticket due to the change. I'm not going to pay an extra surcharge to receive the HD versions when I've provided the equipment and have waited YEARS for the programming to finally arrive.

You also get ESPNHD and if you subscribe to HBO and Showtime the HD versions of their primary channels. No STARZHD or CinemaxHD yet.

I don't know for sure if buying the HD package is a prerequisite - I think it is - but you can receive Fox network programming in HD from NY channel 5 on DirecTV 88. Since Fox4 WDAF is owned and operated by Fox and doesn't have an HD OTA signal available yet we are permitted to get the national feed.


Thanks DTSfan....that's exactly what I needed to know. Bummer on the NFL package. I would sure like to see those games in HD, but I can live with Monday Nights for now and live without TWC. :)

With WDAF now on-hold for full power until November, I got to wondering how many Chiefs games we OTA-ers will miss in HD this fall. From KCChiefs.com:

Kansas City Chiefs Schedule
Preseason
Result Date Opponent Time Network
08/12/05 at Minnesota Vikings 7:00 PM CBS
08/20/05 Arizona Cardinals 7:30 PM CBS
08/27/05 Seattle Seahawks 7:30 PM CBS
09/02/05 at St. Louis Rams 7:00 PM CBS
Regular Season
Result Date Opponent Time Network
09/11/05 New York Jets 12:00 PM CBS
09/18/05 at Oakland Raiders 7:30 PM ESPN+
09/26/05 at Denver Broncos 8:00 PM ABC+
10/02/05 Philadelphia Eagles 12:00 PM FOX
10/09/05 Bye
10/16/05 Washington Redskins 12:00 PM FOX
10/23/05 at Miami Dolphins 12:00 PM CBS
10/30/05 at San Diego Chargers 3:05 PM CBS
11/06/05 Oakland Raiders 12:00 PM CBS
11/13/05 at Buffalo Bills 12:00 PM CBS
11/20/05 at Houston Texans 7:30 PM ESPN+
11/27/05 New England Patriots 12:00 PM CBS
12/04/05 Denver Broncos 3:15 PM CBS+
12/11/05 at Dallas Cowboys 3:15 PM CBS+
12/17/05 at New York Giants 4:00 PM CBS+
12/24/05 San Diego Chargers 12:00 PM CBS
01/01/06 Cincinnati Bengals 12:00 PM CBS

It appears the good news is that we will miss only two (assuming that they are PRODUCED in HD) - 10/2 vs Eagles and 10/16 vs Redskins. Could there be ANY possibility that FOX4 will get its act together and beat their own deadline? Nahhhh!

Brad

Does anyone know what HD DVR hardware Everest uses? I have done some looking around and can't find out anything about it. Also what guide software do they use?

Greg

Everest's HD DVR is the Scientific Atlanta 8300HD.

More info on it is available at http://www.sciatl.com.

That's great to hear that they have the SA 8300HD, I found on thier site finally instructions for the 8000, but the 8300HD is better. Do you know what guide they use? TWC uses the Pioneer Echo2 guide for their 8300HDs. Comcast uses the icky TVGuide guide.

Greg

I got back from overseas and got everything running again recently, or tried to. I STILL cannot record WDAF from the Everest SA 3250 to my JVC 30k. I talked to support at Everest and they are still sticking to the line that SA engineers do not have the proper software written to allow recordabilty and wanted me to "prove" to them that other systems use the 3250 and have no problems. I believe FC Smith said he could record some things about a year ago.

Any updates?

Larry

Has anyone had any luck getting a local station to approve receiving HD through D*? I know we are all familiar with D* channell 88, which is there so that we can get FOX in HD since WDAF......well, you know. Anyway, here's my deal - I live 30+ miles South of KC....I had a big antenna installed (40 feet up!) and I can get all digital channels.....except channel 9. I've put in a request with D*, they said it takes 30-45 days for them to request an approval from channel 9. Anyone from channel 9 monitor this thread? By the way, thanks to antenna masters for climbing that ladder!

djones,

There is someone from channel 9 that posts on here that would have an answer for you...

I find it strange that even with a big outdoor antenna you can't get 9 in belton.. i'm in greenwood and can get it with a little indoor antenna. Strong signal strength too, usually around 80-90%!

I've moved to close to Cleveland, MO (10 Miles South of Belton) and the guy from Antenna Masters said that there is a channel 7 to the South of me which prevents channel 9 from sending a strong signal towards the South.

WDAF is an O+O Fox station so you should receive automatically from Directv the 'waiver' to allow you to receive a Fox national HD feed, until such time as you're able to pick up WDAF OTA; (meaning when they go full power).
Bish

I have FOX HD on 88.......that is not my question. I cannot get channel 9 in HD.......that is my question.

We are closing on our house in Lee's Summit on friday. I tried looking ion the Yellow Page for Antenna Masters, but I missed it. does someone have a phone number. We are going to get Comcast, but I would feel better with an OTA capability just in case.
I won't be able to communicate until next sunday and only that day since the movers come the following day. So excuse me if I don't reply to any quewtions.
Thanks to anyone who can help.

Can someone tell me if all the others (besides WDAF) are going to be full power by July or so? I'm needing to move the antenna to the roof, but there's no sense in doing so until KCTV goes to full power.

We are closing on our house in Lee's Summit on friday. I tried looking ion the Yellow Page for Antenna Masters, but I missed it. does someone have a phone number. We are going to get Comcast, but I would feel better with an OTA capability just in case.
I won't be able to communicate until next sunday and only that day since the movers come the following day. So excuse me if I don't reply to any quewtions.
Thanks to anyone who can help.

Antenna Masters
913-722-3230

Anyone reccomend somewhere to buy a spool of RG6-QS? I am needing to rewire my new house.... the old wire job is CRAP to say the least. Probably need a 1000' spool, would love to get the kind that has 2 conductors fused together so i can run two at one time.

I tore out all the wiring in my house and started over when I moved in too.

I ordered my RG6 (didn't use Quad) from DLS Electronics (http://dlsus.com/catalog/). Just happened upon them when I was looking for F compression fittings/tools. They have decent prices, and I have ordered several times with no trouble (the site could use some work). If you are doing phone/network at the same time, I found cat5e patch cables cheap at Deep Surplus (http://deepsurplus.site.yahoo.net/index.html) they have RG6QS there as well. I looked around a bit before I bought, but not extensively. While there may be better places found for price and/or quality - both of these worked for me.

Antenna Masters
913-722-3230

We are closing on our house in Lee's Summit (northern) on the 27th of this month and will move in shortly after that. I will need to buy an OTA antenna for getting the local HD stations. Which antenna is the best for my location? Will the DB4 work well?

-Siva

Anyone reccomend somewhere to buy a spool of RG6-QS? I am needing to rewire my new house.... the old wire job is CRAP to say the least. Probably need a 1000' spool, would love to get the kind that has 2 conductors fused together so i can run two at one time.
If you want someone local, I would try Electronics Supply on Main Street just north of the Plaza or Graybar in downtown KC, MO.

I use these two places all of the time for my job.

We are closing on our house in Lee's Summit (northern) on the 27th of this month and will move in shortly after that. I will need to buy an OTA antenna for getting the local HD stations. Which antenna is the best for my location? Will the DB4 work well?

-Siva

I live in south lees summit (greenwood) and I have a "silver sensor" indoor antenna that I got from best buy. Works great, I get all the KC DT channels except for fox. You might try that, then you can always return it if it doesn't work right for your specific location.

I live in south lees summit (greenwood) and I have a "silver sensor" indoor antenna that I got from best buy. Works great, I get all the KC DT channels except for fox. You might try that, then you can always return it if it doesn't work right for your specific location.

I have a silver sensor now in Independence (near the mall). I live in a 3rd floor apt and the silver sensor works great with my Sanyo 30" HT30744 HDTV. However, when we move into our house in Lee's Summit, we plan on putting our big screen TV (57" toshiba) in the basement. So, I might need an outdoor antenna. I am not sure if the silver sensor will work in the basement. I guess, I will just wait 12 more days and find out :)

Any one know if this is a local WDAF issue or not? I want my high def Nascar.

Any one know if this is a local WDAF issue or not? I want my high def Nascar.

The highlights on Sportscenter were HD. Probably means it was a WDAF issue.

I have jumped on the OTA bandwagon, since cable isn't available at the new house in Belton (Hardee Meadows.) Antenna masters installed an antenna on the roof with a 5' boom and tripod since it is a one story house. I get 12 HD channels with the Walmart USDTV set-top box, but with this set-up I can't get analog channels easily.

I have jumped on the OTA bandwagon, since cable isn't available at the new house in Belton (Hardee Meadows.) Antenna masters installed an antenna on the roof with a 5' boom and tripod since it is a one story house. I get 12 HD channels with the Walmart USDTV set-top box, but with this set-up I can't get analog channels easily.

With 12 digital channels, why do you still need analong? Just curious. BTW, what kind of antenna did you get installed and how much was the total cost (parts and labor). I might have to call them myself as we are buying a house in Lee's Summit next week and we don't want to get cable.

I live in Lee's Summit and (being new to HD) I was wondering why so many people are concerened about OTA HD reception. Is everyone choosing to not go with cable HD for a particular reason? Just cost? (which is a good reason!)

Also, a related question:
Is there anything special I need to know about ordering HD from Time Warner in the Lee's Summit area? I have in my notes to request a 8300HD box. Anything else I need to know when ordering?

I live in Lee's Summit and (being new to HD) I was wondering why so many people are concerened about OTA HD reception. Is everyone choosing to not go with cable HD for a particular reason? Just cost? (which is a good reason!)

Full-power and full bandwidth Over the Air 720p and 1080i HDTV is probably the best picture quality available to television viewers. :)

Is there anything special I need to know about ordering HD from Time Warner in the Lee's Summit area? I have in my notes to request a 8300HD box. Anything else I need to know when ordering? Just make sure you get the $9.95 package which includes the 8300HD DVR box, DVR service, and the HD-pack Channels. If you don't get the HD-pack, TWC will charge you around $8 for the box and just locals in HD. So basically for $2 extra bucks you get, ESPN-HD, TNT-HD, IN-HD1/2, HDNet/Movies, Discover-HD, etc., and the DVR service and box included in a package deal. They are adding ESPN2-HD late summer.

Does anyone know if/when KCTV-5 and KSHB are going to be full power? I already read that WDAF is still dragging their feet.

With 12 digital channels, why do you still need analong? Just curious. BTW, what kind of antenna did you get installed and how much was the total cost (parts and labor). I might have to call them myself as we are buying a house in Lee's Summit next week and we don't want to get cable.

The only reason I need analog is to get WDAF (FOX), my wife likes the show "House".
The total cost was $450, including wiring to a new wall outlet, and the extra-large tripod and mast, which was probably to deal with the 2 story house beside me to the north. I think the antenna was a basic Radio Shack UHF/VHF antenna or similiar. He was there practically all day (from 10 - 3,) because he tried it in the attic first, then had to redo it on the roof and run a ground cable to a grounding rod. His basic rate is $250 to $350 based on how much pre-wiring there is.
If I had bought the house earlier in the construction, I would have had them put a 3" conduit between the attic and the basement for an antenna and/or satellite.
The reason Antenna Masters is highly recommended is because he uses a signal strength meter to properly tune the antenna, and gives a 2 year warranty on parts and labour, plus he specializes in HDTV.

Full-power and full bandwidth Over the Air 720p and 1080i HDTV is probably the best picture quality available to television viewers. :)
This is the biggest reasson for me also, plus there are more OTA HDTV channels than there are on cable.

I also like saving $200 a month (this included Road Runner,) which could be spent on more movies and DVDs of old TV series like Friends. The only channels I really miss is the HDNET channels and Discovery HD Theater. I'll probably get satellite in August (see post in HDTV Programming forum about free hardware with DirectTV.) The advantage of satellite is that you can diplex OTA HD onto the same cable and receive it through the satellite STB.

If I had bought the house earlier in the construction, I would have had them put a 3" conduit between the attic and the basement for an antenna and/or satellite. Don't you wish that ALL construction would now just put a stupid conduit from attic to basement in ALL houses so that people can add antennas/satellite at their leisure without having to make a huge project out of it?

Looks like the MPAA is trying to sneak the "Broadcast Flag" into an appropriations bill, preventing recording of broadcast programs via Tivo / DVR. Call your congressmen to voice your displeasure (especially KS side forum readers, Sam Brownback is on the appropriations committee). More info is in the link below . . .

http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/003720.php

I did the online EFF form thing... it was quicker and took only a few seconds ... it is a pre-formatted text to your congressman. Everyone needs to fill it out ... we have 24-48 hours before this goes to session. Click on the word "HERE" in the third paragraph in the top section that says, 'EFF's action alert, geared to people with senators on the committee, is "here".'
The link again is: http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/003720.php.
Thank you to bladesfan1972 for the heads up.

Does anyone know if/when KCTV-5 and KSHB are going to be full power? I already read that WDAF is still dragging their feet.

KSHB is already at full authorized power (450 kW). I don't think anything will be happening with them. KCTV, as far as I know, is still on for July 1, having not filed for any extensions yet. WDAF is now scheduled for sometime in November, possibly late October, but don't hold your breath.

Dog-of-madness, if you're listening, can you give us an update about KCTV's plans?

Brad

Thank you...I need to start messing with the antenna again.

kansans please call:
Senator Sam Brownback (202) 224-6521

and voice your concern over the broadcast flag. He is on the committee that can veto this bill.

I'm disgusted at how the entertainment industry is trying to
tack this on to another bill and just slide it by without any discussion
or democracy what so ever. I don't know how they can sue people
for doing unethical things like downloading music and movies
while they are trying to bypass the democratic process by
sneaking their bill in.

here is a link to another thread that contains a suggested script or talking
points. I guess "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!!!"
may not be the best approach.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=551746

I already called and It was pretty painless.

The audio video community nationwide appreciates Kansas's efforts in
stopping this terrible idea from becoming law.

Dog-of-madness, if you're listening, can you give us an update about KCTV's plans?

Brad

Just this morning the new antenna began its slow trip to the top of the tower. After that the new transmission line will be run. It now seems likely we'll miss the July 1 deadline but (hopefully) not by much.

This project has been very frustrating with delays and problems but it's progressing reasonably well now!

Attached is a picture I took this morning.

Just this morning the new antenna began its slow trip to the top of the tower. After that the new transmission line will be run. It now seems likely we'll miss the July 1 deadline but (hopefully) not by much.
This project has been very frustrating with delays and problems but it's progressing reasonably well now!
Attached is a picture I took this morning. MMMMMmmmmm .... beef jerky stick. :) I thought you were going to carry it up the ladder on your back? Those darn lightning storms we've had these last few weeks are no doubt slowing your progress as well.

Thanks for the information about Antenna Masters. I will find out if I really need an external antenna after I move to the house next week. Also, I was wondering if you can use a cable splitter to split your OTA signal to go to your DTV tuner and one to the NTSC antenna input in your TV. Then you can use the analog cable for FOX analog.

-Siva

The only reason I need analog is to get WDAF (FOX), my wife likes the show "House".
The total cost was $450, including wiring to a new wall outlet, and the extra-large tripod and mast, which was probably to deal with the 2 story house beside me to the north. I think the antenna was a basic Radio Shack UHF/VHF antenna or similiar. He was there practically all day (from 10 - 3,) because he tried it in the attic first, then had to redo it on the roof and run a ground cable to a grounding rod. His basic rate is $250 to $350 based on how much pre-wiring there is.
If I had bought the house earlier in the construction, I would have had them put a 3" conduit between the attic and the basement for an antenna and/or satellite.
The reason Antenna Masters is highly recommended is because he uses a signal strength meter to properly tune the antenna, and gives a 2 year warranty on parts and labour, plus he specializes in HDTV.

Just this morning the new antenna began its slow trip to the top of the tower. After that the new transmission line will be run. It now seems likely we'll miss the July 1 deadline but (hopefully) not by much.

This project has been very frustrating with delays and problems but it's progressing reasonably well now!

Attached is a picture I took this morning.


Thanks for the update. Looking forward to the upgrade because I think I will be able to get the signal with ease from 50+ miles away, finally.

Thanks for the information about Antenna Masters. I will find out if I really need an external antenna after I move to the house next week. Also, I was wondering if you can use a cable splitter to split your OTA signal to go to your DTV tuner and one to the NTSC antenna input in your TV. Then you can use the analog cable for FOX analog.

-Siva

Yes, you can absolutely do this. I'm feeding two digital tuners, 8 analog TVs, and two analog VCRs from one antenna. The two digitals come off the (pre-amped) feed ahead of the distribution amp for the rest of the house. I'm also combining modulated RF feeds from two satellite receivers into the antenna feed ahead of the distribution amp, so that I have satellite on all the TVs in the house.

Brad

Just this morning the new antenna began its slow trip to the top of the tower. After that the new transmission line will be run. It now seems likely we'll miss the July 1 deadline but (hopefully) not by much.

This project has been very frustrating with delays and problems but it's progressing reasonably well now!

Attached is a picture I took this morning.

That's great news, Dog! Thanks for the photo - keep 'em coming if possible.

Brad

DogOfMadness, thanks to your staff for the return phone call regarding KSMO-DT carriage on TWC. I hope that as soon as Meredith is able to take over retrans rights of the KSMO broadcast tower from Sinclair, you will be able to allow Time Warner to carry the signal so that we finally have ALL locals in HD on TWC once and for all. Thanks for your great work and for the explanation.

If you want someone local, I would try Electronics Supply on Main Street just north of the Plaza or Graybar in downtown KC, MO.

I use these two places all of the time for my job.

Thanks for everyone who gave me suggestions.

Now i am about to start rewiring my entire house, for TV and network. I will be running at least 2 RG6 and 2 Cat5 cables to each bedroom, and a few other places, and UHF/VHF/FM from the attic, SATV from outside. I was wondering if anyone has pictures or knows of some online of a "simple" distribution panel for everything. I do not want to spend a fortune on this project, but want it to look nice and work. Do I need to worry about ground looping if i run a new circuit to this "panel" to power the distribution amps, router, and those typ things?

Thanks for everyone who gave me suggestions.

Now i am about to start rewiring my entire house, for TV and network. I will be running at least 2 RG6 and 2 Cat5 cables to each bedroom, and a few other places, and UHF/VHF/FM from the attic, SATV from outside. I was wondering if anyone has pictures or knows of some online of a "simple" distribution panel for everything. I do not want to spend a fortune on this project, but want it to look nice and work. Do I need to worry about ground looping if i run a new circuit to this "panel" to power the distribution amps, router, and those typ things?

Channel Vision has a great website with a lot of good diagrams under the "Support" tab. Here (http://www.channelvision.com/index/6) is a link to the "Products" section, where you can find out how everything works. Their equipment is kind of expensive, and I've never used it personally, so I'll throw in that disclaimer. I've gotten a lot of miscellaneous parts and pieces from Parts Express (http://www.parts-express.com), and they are good folks to work with.

Have fun with it!

Brad

Thanks for everyone who gave me suggestions.

Now i am about to start rewiring my entire house, for TV and network. I will be running at least 2 RG6 and 2 Cat5 cables to each bedroom, and a few other places, and UHF/VHF/FM from the attic, SATV from outside. I was wondering if anyone has pictures or knows of some online of a "simple" distribution panel for everything. I do not want to spend a fortune on this project, but want it to look nice and work. Do I need to worry about ground looping if i run a new circuit to this "panel" to power the distribution amps, router, and those typ things?

You might consider pulling in Cat 6. Who knows, you may want to do Gig-E in a couple of years....TI

You might consider pulling in Cat 6. Who knows, you may want to do Gig-E in a couple of years....TI

yea but i have a huge spool of cat5 cable laying here... plus statics say people only stay in houses about 4.8 years now days, I am on month 2 :)

Any word on when FOX will upgrade their digital antenna? They're the only station I have to watch in analog because I get no signal.

Any word on when FOX will upgrade their digital antenna? They're the only station I have to watch in analog because I get no signal.

From the WDAF website: Does FOX 4 broadcast HDTV?

"WDAF is broadcasting a digital signal (720p) on channel 34 at low power. The programming is the same as channel 4. WDAF's digital signal can also be seen on the Time Warner Cable digital tier. If you do not have cable and live outside of our low power coverage area, you may not be able to see our digital signal. From our tower (Summit at 31st Street), our area of low power coverage is approximately 12-15 miles depending on terrain. Although WDAF is not currently broadcasting in high power, our projected date is mid-2005. Thank you for watching Fox 4 television and being a loyal viewer as we enter into a new and exciting era."

From the WDAF website: Does FOX 4 broadcast HDTV?

"WDAF is broadcasting a digital signal (720p) on channel 34 at low power. The programming is the same as channel 4. WDAF's digital signal can also be seen on the Time Warner Cable digital tier. If you do not have cable and live outside of our low power coverage area, you may not be able to see our digital signal. From our tower (Summit at 31st Street), our area of low power coverage is approximately 12-15 miles depending on terrain. Although WDAF is not currently broadcasting in high power, our projected date is mid-2005. Thank you for watching Fox 4 television and being a loyal viewer as we enter into a new and exciting era."

The website obviously hasn't been updated. WDAF has applied for an extension to November to go full power (don't know if it's been granted, but it probably won't matter, they seem to do whatever they want!). They cite equipment delivery delays (they didn't order their antenna or cabling from Dielectric until March!) and legal problems with getting KSHB's old antenna off the tower (they've had 2 YEARS to figure this out!). Sigh......... :(

Brad

The FCC has been so lax with their "slap-on-the-wrist" enforcement of their deadlines that WDAF can get away with it. It's about as stupid as a bad mother counting to 3 repeatedly every time her little brat throws a sugar tantrum in Wal-Mart. "OK, this time I REALLY, REALLY MEAN IT!!!" Yeah, because that works SO well! Stations (like WDAF) that always do the bare minimum (just enough to not lose their FCC license) are sad, pathetic malingerers. Kansas City deserves better. The other affiliates are progressive and have worked very hard to implement OTA HD in a timely manner. Doesn't WDAF know that pissing off their viewers is probably not a great idea for their advertising ratings. And NO, WDAF, 1.1kw doesnt even come CLOSE to your claimed 12-15 mile radius of digital broadcast coverage. Get with the program! Even PAX is kicking your ass!

File NO. BEPCDT-20050520ABT Application For Extension Of Time To Construct A Digital Television Broadcast Station for WDAF TV. Attachment 2 Exhibit 3 is the time line for the length of extension.

IF NO UNANTICIPATED DELAYS OCCUR AND DIELECTRIC DELIVERS THE TRANSMISSION LINES AS PROMISED, IT SHOULD TAKE UNTIL ABOUT NOVEMBER 1, 2005 TO INSTALL AND OPTIMIZE THE TRANSMISSION LINES AND APPROXIMATELY ANOTHER MONTH TO GET DT'S FULL-POWER FACILITY ON THE AIR. WDAF'S PRESENT IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE IS AS FOLLOWS:

1. ANTENNAS ARRIVE FROM DIELECTRIC - BETWEEN JULY 1 AND 15, 2005;

2. INSTALLATION OF MAIN COMPONENTS BY PRECISION COMMUNICATIONS - 60 DAYS, WITH COMPLETION BY SEPTEMBER 15, 2005;

3. SYSTEM PROOF OF PERFORMANCE AND AIR CHECKS, IN COORDINATION WITH DIELECTRIC - BY OCTOBER 15, 2005;

4. CONTINGENCY: CRITICAL PROBLEM SOLVING, IF NECESSARY - BY NOVEMBER 1, 2005;

5.SITE CLEAN UP AND PROJECT DOCUMENTATION - BY NOVEMBER 15, 2005;

6. PROJECT COMPLETION - NOVEMBER 30, 2005

WDAF-DT Facility Identifier is 11291 to look at the FCC 337 on FCC.GOV

On the web you can see there is a lot of tower work to be done based on the purchase orders listed on Attachment 1 before the facility will be done.

Have the other stations gone to full power yet? Is there a list of stations powers that has been updated?

Have the other stations gone to full power yet? Is there a list of stations powers that has been updated?

If you go to TitanTV (http://quickguide.titantv.com/TTV/Grid/Grid.aspx), you will be able to get a list of all the available digital channels. Of the list they have, the only one I can't get is WDAF (channel 4.1). I have been able to get KCTV (channel 5.1) since I put up my antenna 3 weeks ago.
I haven't been able to get KMBC (channel 9.1) since yesterday, but that was probably because I routed the antenna cable through the tv for analog channels and then to the US stb for digital channels. I got the channel before then when I used a splitter, but one of the cables I was using was too long for the distance I needed.

WDAF 4/34: 1.1kW (Upgrading to 1000 kW by Nov. 30)
KCTV 5/24: 225kW (Upgrading to 1000 kW in next few weeks)
KMBC 9/7: 85kW (at full licensed power)
KCPT 19/18: 48kW (Will upgrade to 55kW by 7/1/06? - Licensed at 48kW)
KCWE 29/31: 525kW (Will upgrade to 1000kW by 7/1/06)
KMCI 38/36: 500kW (at full licensed power)
KSHB 41/42: 450kW (at full licensed power)
KPXE 50/51: 1000kW (at full licensed power)
KSMO 62/47: 9kW (Will upgrade to 1000kW by 7/1/06)

This is the latest info as I have it. Anybody else is welcome to chime in.

Brad

I show KSMO-DT at only 9 kw right now and scheduled to increase to 1 mw by July 2006. Are they running 90 kw right now?

The last two weeks on KMBC that there has been trouble with the HD feed of the series 'EMPIRE'. The show starts up OK and then there is a complete loss of signal a few minutes into the show. The signal comes back on at the 1st commercial break and is OK from that point on.

I also noticed that the 7-6 showing of 'Smallville' on KSMO started out in HD but switched half way through to 4x3.....

I guess summer re-runs don't get that much attention here as this forum has been very quiet recently....

I guess summer re-runs don't get that much attention here as this forum has been very quiet recently....

Yes it has been quiet around here lately. The fall season is almost here. Football and the network shows will be in HDTV. It's going to get busy here at the local Kansas City HDTV forum very soon. :)

Again, another antenna question. I just made the decision to switch from Comcast to SBC Dish. I included the HDTV package for $10/month and am hoping that by installing an appropriate antenna, I will be able to receive the OTA digital (HD) stations for the KC Metro area, except of course WDAFTV4 HD. I've read that Radio Shack provides a good selection, but can anyone recommend a specific model? Using the antenna mapping application at www.antennaweb.org, it said I need a CEA rated yellow/green antenna (LM rated). At the Channel Master website, the antenna model Advantage 2001 meets that specification. I can't find that information on the Radio Shack antennas.

I show KSMO-DT at only 9 kw right now and scheduled to increase to 1 mw by July 2006. Are they running 90 kw right now?

I'm sorry, that's a typo. I'll edit the original post. Good Catch! ;)

Brad

Again, another antenna question. I just made the decision to switch from Comcast to SBC Dish. I included the HDTV package for $10/month and am hoping that by installing an appropriate antenna, I will be able to receive the OTA digital (HD) stations for the KC Metro area, except of course WDAFTV4 HD. I've read that Radio Shack provides a good selection, but can anyone recommend a specific model? Using the antenna mapping application at www.antennaweb.org, it said I need a CEA rated yellow/green antenna (LM rated). At the Channel Master website, the antenna model Advantage 2001 meets that specification. I can't find that information on the Radio Shack antennas.

From the east side of town, that type LM (large, multidirectional) antenna might be a good choice, since you probably won't need a rotor. Would it be installed outside or in the attic? I'm not sure how well that type of antenna would work in an attic (for one thing, it would take a lot of room).

You may also want to consider the Winegard "square shooter," which is about the size of a satellite dish, and in fact mounts on the same type of mast. It's good for UHF and high VHF (including channel 7, KMBC's digital channel). It wouldn't be as good if you need the analog channels for other TVs in the house. Here (http://www.warrenelectronics.com/antennas/ss1000.htm) is a link to Warren Electronics so you can read about it.

Hope this helps!

Brad

Brad, thanks for the updated list!

Brad, thanks for the updated list!

No problem, 'Cat. Just a note on KCPT - the FCC shows them as "licensed" at 48 kW (no special temporary authority, or STA, on file). Therefore, they may never increase power, which would be pretty disappointing. Even if they did, their construction permit is only for 55 kW. Anyone know more about this?

Brad

WDAF 4/34: 1.1kW (Upgrading to 1000 kW by Nov. 30)
KCTV 5/24: 225kW (Upgrading to 1000 kW in next few weeks)
KMBC 9/7: 85kW (at full licensed power)
KCTV 19/18: 48kW (Will upgrade to 55kW by 7/1/06?)
KCWE 29/31: 525kW (Will upgrade to 1000kW by 7/1/06)
KMCI 38/36: 500kW (at full licensed power)
KSHB 41/42: 450kW (at full licensed power)
KPXE 50/51: 1000kW (at full licensed power)
KSMO 62/47: 9kW (Will upgrade to 1000kW by 7/1/06)

This is the latest info as I have it. Anybody else is welcome to chime in.

Brad

Shouldn't KCTV 19/18 actually be KCPT 19/18 (PBS). They adverstised that they are at 1000 kW. I can receive KCPT using just an indoor antenna from Lee's Summit Lakewood area. But KCTV does not come!

Also, why are certain stations transmitting very high power and certain stations are at 1/10th or less power.

Shouldn't KCTV 19/18 actually be KCPT 19/18 (PBS). They adverstised that they are at 1000 kW. I can receive KCPT using just an indoor antenna from Lee's Summit Lakewood area. But KCTV does not come!

Also, why are certain stations transmitting very high power and certain stations are at 1/10th or less power.

Another good catch - thanks, Bommai! I'll go back and change KCTV to KCPT. The power is correct, however. They may have been talking about their analog power, which is 1150 kW ERP, I believe.

The reasons for various power levels vary. VHF stations such as KMBC don't need nearly as much power to cover their areas as UHF - the trade-off is that they are much more prone to electromagnetic interference, such as motors starting and stopping. Some stations, such as WDAF and KSMO, are taking advantage of the FCC's willingness to allow delays in powering up. I'm not sure why KCPT is at such low power. They are probably my lowest-reliability receivable station - even lower than KSMO.

Brad

I have been getting quite good reception until Saturday 09-Jul-2005 (when I got an HDTV instead of using the Fusion card in my computer.) I'm just not sure if something like moving furniture, or just having a new TV in the house is interfering with the signal. Now I can't get 62.1 on either machine. Anybody else notice the change?

We just moved into our house in northern Lee's Summit. I have a silver sensor antenna. I tried it on our first floor TV (Sanyo 30" HDTV). We can get almost all of the channels pretty clearly. ABC (KMBC) gives trouble because it is VHF.

I took the Silver Sensor to the basement to try on our big screen Toshiba hooked through a Hughes E86 HDTV receiver. Same. Most channels come ok. KCTV does not come though. KMBC does not either. I am trying to see, if I can install an outdoor antenna. I bought a cheap Radio Shack antenna but my wife does not want me to install it outside (she does not like its look). I have not seen any other people installing antenna in our HOA neighborhood either. I know about the FCC rule but don't want to cause unnecessary ruckus.

Now, my other choices are satellite clip-on antenna or one of the fancy ones like the squareshooter, etc. Any comments!

For more info, I live in the Oaks Ridge Meadows subdivision near the Lakewood area of Lee's Summit.

Thanks,
-Siva

Now, my other choices are satellite clip-on antenna or one of the fancy ones like the squareshooter, etc. Any comments! Thanks,
-Siva

There is always the attic. A good midsize VHF/UHF old fashion television antenna should do the job along with RG-6 shielded coax cable and a coax ground block. Hope this helps. :)

Dear Loyal AVS Forum'ers:

Beginning Monday, technicians will begin exchanging equipment that will improve the quality of our ABC Network signal. KMBC is exchanging older analog satellite receivers for new state of the art digital equipment as part of ABC's conversion to digital signal distribution. During this time, KMBC can only transmit standard definition prime time programming from the Network on our DTV channel. The project is expected to be completed by Thursday morning.......TI :o

Thanks for the heads-up, TI. You're a class act, as usual!

Brad

Great information technicalitalian. I wish we could get other stations to actively participate in this forum as well as you do for KMBC.

Thanks TI. Any timeline on when the digital signal will be switched to channel 9? I live south of KC and it's very difficult to receive your signal on 7. I understand why you can't increase the signal to the south on 7. Will you change to 9 or will you wait till the turn off of analog channel 7 in Pittsburg and stay on 7?

Thanks
Glenn

Great information technicalitalian. I wish we could get other stations to actively participate in this forum as well as you do for KMBC.

Yes thank you KMBC. The local Kansas City television broadcasters do provide input here at the local Kansas City forum. KCTV5 DT-24, KSMO62 DT-47, PAX 50 DT-51 and KCWE29 DT-31 engineers provide all of us with good feedback. KCPT19 DT-18 and KSHB41 DT-42, Spot 38 DT-36 and WDAF4 DT-34 answer our e-mails and calls. It is a blessing all the help we all provide each other here at the local Kansas City HDTV forum. :)

I have two TVs, a Sanyo 30" HD 30744 with built-in tuner and a Toshiba 57H81 HD-ready TV. We recently moved from Pennsylvania to this area. With the Sanyo, I can scan and lock on to all DTV stations except Fox (understandably). I am using Hughes E86's ATSC tuner for DTV stations since my Toshiba does not have a built-in tuner. When I scan, I get all stations - minus Fox and minus PAX. PAX does not even come up in the scans. Is there something different that PAX is doing or is my Hughes E86 receiver doing something wrong. Any ideas.

-Siva

Thankx technicalitalian, I was starting to worry about your intermittent signal lately. You were able to keep this weeks 'Empire' on-the-air with just a few hiccups. We appreciate all the efforts you and the other station engineers do to keep the digital stations running.

As a result of the new software on the DISH 921, I was forced to rescan my local digitals (long story, but DISH has now disabled my ability to receive KCTV, KMBC, KSHB, and KSMO digitals).

Well, lo and behold, I can now receive WDAF, mapped as 034-1, rock steady at 65-70 signal strength. I don't know if this is the result of

1) Tropospheric ducting, or
2) The new 921 software somehow increasing the receiver's sensitivity.

My DISH 6000, BTW, will now lock on 034-1 also, but there is so much macroblocking that it is pretty much unwatchable.

Anybody else seeing this?

Brad

I just had SBC-DISH installed Tuesday night. Yesterday, I climbed up and ran a RG6 from my old outdoor antenna and connected it to the DISH 811 and ran the scan for digital channels. I got all of them including the WDAF-DT (34-1). I think 9 total, but I don't remember all them -- didn't write them down. This was yesterday afternoon, though.

I just had SBC-DISH installed Tuesday night. Yesterday, I climbed up and ran a RG6 from my old outdoor antenna and connected it to the DISH 811 and ran the scan for digital channels. I got all of them including the WDAF-DT (34-1). I think 9 total, but I don't remember all them -- didn't write them down. This was yesterday afternoon, though.

I have a feeling this may be Tropo-related. If you look Here (http://home.cogeco.ca/~dxinfo/tropo.html), you can see that we're seeing "moderate" ducting right now. I don't know how that affects close-in signals, however. Anyone?

Brad

Thanks TI. Any timeline on when the digital signal will be switched to channel 9? I live south of KC and it's very difficult to receive your signal on 7. I understand why you can't increase the signal to the south on 7. Will you change to 9 or will you wait till the turn off of analog channel 7 in Pittsburg and stay on 7?

Thanks
Glenn

This won't happen until the digital transition is completed and the analog goes away. There's a lot of talk in Congress right now of when that might be but I wouldn't speculate about anything other than it happening after the election in '08. However, at that time, we'll switch our DTV to channel 9 and our antenna pattern to full circular rather than the kidney shape it's in now......TI

Thankx technicalitalian, I was starting to worry about your intermittent signal lately. You were able to keep this weeks 'Empire' on-the-air with just a few hiccups. We appreciate all the efforts you and the other station engineers do to keep the digital stations running.

I've been keeping an eye on Empire lately and have not seen any problems. I live SW of the xmtr about 16 miles away. Olathe is about 20 so the difference should be minimal. You might try doing another channel scan on your receiver just to give it a kick.....TI

Oh my goodness!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WDAF FOX4 DT-34 is on my HDTV. Using my outdoor antenna I am able to receive a 67% signal strength here south of Oak Grove MO. When I use my attic antenna the signal is at 40% to low to lock on the signal.

Well, lo and behold, I can now receive WDAF, mapped as 034-1, rock steady at 65-70 signal strength. I don't know if this is the result of

1) Tropospheric ducting, or
2) The new 921 software somehow increasing the receiver's sensitivity.

Anybody else seeing this?

Brad

Maybe WDAF has ran the cable for the new antenna at the new height but is using the same output and a little antenna at the new higher height while waiting for the work for the big digital stick to be completed. Hopefully the lady engineer for WDAF can let us know what has changed on the WDAF DT-34 signal.

Ditto here....WDAF OTA now in Olathe......
Saturday Baseball...yeah!

No WDAF Signal here - roof top antenna less than 10 miles from the tower on 4 different HD tuners. Of course, according to what WDAF lists on its web site I'm close enough to get the low power signal!

The signal meter jumps from 0 to 20-36 and back down again but never can get a lock.

No WDAF Signal here - roof top antenna less than 10 miles from the tower on 4 different HD tuners. Of course, according to what WDAF lists on its web site I'm close enough to get the low power signal!

The signal meter jumps from 0 to 20-36 and back down again but never can get a lock.

Probably something very simple is wrong here DTSfan. Do you have an television signal amplifier turn on for stronger signal strength?

WDAF FOX4 720p HDTV and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio is looking and sounding good for me here in outer Jackson County area. Hopefully everybody will receive DT-34 soon here in the Kansas City metro area.

To: technicalitalian,

I did a full rescan. I am still seeing occasional loss of signal only on KMBC. I also notice that it takes my SIRT-151 about two seconds to acquire KMBC signal. All the other stations, including newbie WDAF, pop right on. I am going to get up into my attic Saturday morning to check on the antenna and all the connections. It is just too hot to get up there at night or mid day.

Again, thanks for your input.

I did a full off-air rescan in greenwood (jackson/cass county border) and CANNOT get Fox as of yet.

I got my hopes up and now I can't get it! As long as it comes around before football season starts..

I did a full off-air rescan in greenwood (jackson/cass county border) and CANNOT get Fox as of yet.

I got my hopes up and now I can't get it! As long as it comes around before football season starts..

two934s- I noticed yesterday as the sun went down and the ground heat cool down my signal strength went up to 78% for my outdoor antenna on DT-34 WDAF. Also around 10pm I was able to use my attic antenna to receive DT-34 at 54%. Today during the heat I can only receive DT-34 on my outdoor antenna at 65%. Maybe heat can hinder a weak digital television signal.

Hey everybody
I did get to watch WDAF programming last night for the first time in a long time now that I can receive a digital signal from WDAF. I noticed the local news started at 9pm on WDAF last night. Is this something new?

technicalitalian is this lineup coming to our KCWE UPN29 DT-31 station here in Kansas City? If so will the audio be 5.1 dolby digital sound? :)

Thursday, July 21, 2005
UPN TO OFFER LARGEST HDTV PROGRAMMING SLATE IN ITS HISTORY
Released by UPN


UPN TO OFFER LARGEST HDTV PROGRAMMING SLATE IN ITS HISTORY

A Record 10 UPN Series Equaling Six Hours Each Week To Be Broadcast in Hi-Def in 2005-2006 Season

Beginning this fall, UPN will offer its largest slate of HDTV programming in the history of the network for the 2005-2006 season, it was announced today by Dawn Ostroff, President, UPN. More than half of the network's primetime line-up -- a record 10 series -- will be broadcast in high-definition television.

With all of the Network's comedies and dramas broadcast in HDTV's highest definition format, 1920 x 1080i, UPN's weekly hi-def offerings will increase to six hours this fall, including new comedies EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS and LOVE, INC. and new drama SEX, LOVE & SECRETS. Additionally, UPN will broadcast several of its Saturday afternoon movies in hi-def (if available).

UPN HDTV SCHEDULE:

ONE ON ONE MONDAY, 8:00-8:30 PM, ET/PT

ALL OF US MONDAY, 8:30-9:00 PM, ET/PT

GIRLFRIENDS MONDAY, 9:00-9:30 PM, ET/PT

HALF & HALF MONDAY, 9:30-10:00 PM, ET/PT

SEX, LOVE & SECRETS TUESDAY, 9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT

VERONICA MARS WEDNESDAY, 9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT

EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS THURSDAY, 8:00-8:30 PM, ET/PT

EVE THURSDAY, 8:30-9:00 PM, ET/PT

CUTS THURSDAY, 9:00-9:30 PM, ET/PT

LOVE, INC. THURSDAY, 9:30-10:00 PM, ET/PT

Probably something very simple is wrong here DTSfan. Do you have an television signal amplifier turn on for stronger signal strength?
Yes, UHF-only amplifier. Professionally installed antenna. I've been receiving OTA DT from its early days. I definitely have some troubleshooting to do but will wait for WDAF to actually be at full power before I get someone on the roof. It could be that the amplifier has failed too. I used to get 62-1 but it is very intermittent now.

I did a full off-air rescan in greenwood (jackson/cass county border) and CANNOT get Fox as of yet.

...Getting Digital FOX WDAF via OTA in 66061 (College Blvd & K7) - consistent image, locked in with no pixelation or loss. Audio level seems very low however.

J.

Yes, UHF-only amplifier. Professionally installed antenna. I've been receiving OTA DT from its early days. I definitely have some troubleshooting to do but will wait for WDAF to actually be at full power before I get someone on the roof. It could be that the amplifier has failed too. I used to get 62-1 but it is very intermittent now.

Please try taking the amplifier out of the signal feed coax cable from your antenna. Your location being so close to the towers may be overloading your receiver by using an amplifier. From antenna straight to the receiver should allow you to receive WDAF FOX4 DT-34. Hope this helps.

I finally got my computer up and running after the move to Lee's Summit. We had Cmcast installed with a dual tuner VR and we are pulling in everything okay. Not as good as OTA, but good enough. The only hitch was that the installer didn't realize that the scan rate on the box wasn't set to match my tv and I had to set it later. He set it up on a non hd input since the picture didn't show up correctly. 480I just doesn't work too good on a 1080I receiver.

Please try taking the amplifier out of the signal feed coax cable from your antenna. Your location being so close to the towers may be overloading your receiver by using an amplifier. From antenna straight to the receiver should allow you to receive WDAF FOX4 DT-34. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the advice. I'm familiar with antenna/amplifier setups. The amplifier is not overloading my receivers. I can definitely make it do that if I want to! I've had the signal measured and have even put a variable attenuator on it to tune it at different times to hit the sweet spot. This rooftop antenna has a pretty long run into the basement where it is then distributed. I think some of my problems started when a new communication tower was erected 1/2 mile away - along my main angle to all of the stations. When they had the cranes up during construction I had intermittent loss of 62-1 and after the full tower was up I could no longer get a solid lock on it.

To: technicalitalian,

Re aiming my antenna to slightly different direction seems to have fixed my reception problems with KMBC-DT, without compromising any other station’s signal. It was probably multipath caused by the new construction going on between me and the towers.

Can an Everest customer reccomend what to look out for on the install. I think it is time to switch to them over E*, with their package deal i can save about $20 a month, not to mention not buying the DVR from E*.

WDAF-DT 34 (OTA) is gone again. I guess we just got lucky with atmospheric condtions for a few nights. Anyone else (who just started getting it last week) still getting it ?

Brad

I noticed two days ago WDAF-DT 34 (OTA) was gone. Only getting about 49-50% signal here on the west side of Blue Springs, not enough to lock.

WDAF-DT 34 (OTA) is gone again. I guess we just got lucky with atmospheric condtions for a few nights. Anyone else (who just started getting it last week) still getting it ?

Brad

Still on the radar for me at 67%. I did call WDAF and was told the antenna was raised to a new higher height while the full-power digital work is being finished on the tower. And yes WDAF does read this local Kansas City HDTV forum.

Still on the radar for me at 67%. I did call WDAF and was told the antenna was raised to a new higher height while the full-power digital work is being finished on the tower. And yes WDAF does read this local Kansas City HDTV forum.

I just checked again today and WDAF-DT is reading about 58-59%. It's able to lock, but back pixelization.

K-PAX is not in HD on ABC :( Happens every time I decide to record something!

K-PAX is not in HD on ABC :( Happens every time I decide to record something!

Sorry DE; the ABC crew did not get the modifications done to the satellite receivers in the amount of time that we had allocated. Best guess is that they'll be done by COB tomorrow......TI

I just checked again today and WDAF-DT is reading about 58-59%. It's able to lock, but back pixelization.

I got it back again over the weekend. I'm seeing 75-85% now.

Thanks, jeffdbs, for the info on the "raising of the antenna." Did they side-mount it on the main tower? I assume they didn't increase power, so it just shows you how much difference height makes!

Brad

If you live in olathe and are / were a customer of comcast cable:

If you have or have had issues you were unable to resolve with
comcast you may contact the city of Olathe.
The city licenses comcast to sell cable within the city and oversees
them.

Utilities Technical Support Division 913-971-9311
ask for Tim Dannenberg

I have had issues with signal quality, customer service and fee rates.
I'm sure olathe will never terminate their contract with comcast, however
if enough people call perhaps the city will put some pressure on them
to clean up their act.

I live close to the FAA air traffic control center and its a little difficult
to receive OTA so my options are limited.

Just an FYI for anybody who may find this information useful.

Sorry DE; the ABC crew did not get the modifications done to the satellite receivers in the amount of time that we had allocated. Best guess is that they'll be done by COB tomorrow......TI
TI, will the mods be done in time for Sixth Sense to be in HD tonight?

I got it back again over the weekend. I'm seeing 75-85% now.

Thanks, jeffdbs, for the info on the "raising of the antenna." Did they side-mount it on the main tower? I assume they didn't increase power, so it just shows you how much difference height makes!

Brad

When I called WDAF to ask engineering about the small jump in signal area coverage I was told the antenna had been raised to a new height. I did not asked how the antenna was mounted. Looking forward to full-power and full-bandwidth FOX 720p HDTV on WDAF FOX4. :)

Dogofmadness,

You know - it really sucks getting old. Anymore, I barely can stay awake late enough to catch Letterman. Gosh, I can remember the "good ol' days" of watching Dave as I was getting ready to go out for the night, but I digress...

I was just curious why Letterman is so rarely broadcast in HD...I'd say that 1 in every 30 shows is switched over after the local 10:00 newscast. ...any insight?

J.

A buddy of mine is getting an H-10 receiver and an OTA antenna installed today by Direct in Orrick, MO (30 miles east of KC, north of the river) Any suggestions or things to watch or ask for during the install. I've been lurking here for a year and a half, and gotten some great info!! If his install works out well, then I will be the next to take the HDTV plunge! Thanks again for all of your insight on the KC HD scene everyone!

I have a dish 811 hd receiver. Until Feb., I could get 62 with no problem. I am quite sure they had to change their PSIP stream per FCC regs. Since then, however, all I get is a black screen with no audio. I still get the correct info in the guide, and the signal strength is between 75 and 80%. Does anyone else with an 811 have this issue with 62? Both sides, the station and dish, tell me its the other persons fault. Also, if anyone from 62 reads this post, is there a way to contact DISH and run the PSIP settings by them to see where/if the problem is?Smallville in HD is worth the hassle.
Scott

Dogofmadness,

You know - it really sucks getting old. Anymore, I barely can stay awake late enough to catch Letterman. Gosh, I can remember the "good ol' days" of watching Dave as I was getting ready to go out for the night, but I digress...

I was just curious why Letterman is so rarely broadcast in HD...I'd say that 1 in every 30 shows is switched over after the local 10:00 newscast. ...any insight?

J.

I'm pretty sure Letterman is going HD sometime this fall. If you've seen "1 in 30," in HD, then maybe that one was on one of those nights you went out like you used to. ;)

Brad

I have a dish 811 hd receiver. Until Feb., I could get 62 with no problem. I am quite sure they had to change their PSIP stream per FCC regs. Since then, however, all I get is a black screen with no audio. I still get the correct info in the guide, and the signal strength is between 75 and 80%. Does anyone else with an 811 have this issue with 62? Both sides, the station and dish, tell me its the other persons fault. Also, if anyone from 62 reads this post, is there a way to contact DISH and run the PSIP settings by them to see where/if the problem is?Smallville in HD is worth the hassle.
Scott
I switched from D* to E* in the Spring. I have never been able to get 62 on the 811, while I had no problem with my D* receiver. I do seem to get the behavior you described, but I didn't have the 811 until after Feb, so I don't know about that date.

Hi all. I have finally convinced my dad to switch to dish to get hd and a tuner in the box. My question is, can he receive KC channels thru an antenna? I live in St. Louis and am only 20 miles away. I use a DB2 from antennasdirect.com and pick up programming perfect here. He is approximately 50 miles away from the towers, and antennasdirect.com has a DB8 multidirectional antenna that can get 70+ miles. Please let me know as dish isn't offering KC programming to St. Joe customers. Thanks for your help.

Hi all. I have finally convinced my dad to switch to dish to get hd and a tuner in the box. My question is, can he receive KC channels thru an antenna? I live in St. Louis and am only 20 miles away. I use a DB2 from antennasdirect.com and pick up programming perfect here. He is approximately 50 miles away from the towers, and antennasdirect.com has a DB8 multidirectional antenna that can get 70+ miles. Please let me know as dish isn't offering KC programming to St. Joe customers. Thanks for your help.

With an outdoor antenna, a high location and a little luck I will say yes it's possible. :)

You can figure out what antenna might work for KC stations from St. Joseph by using this site (http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx).

Dogofmadness,

I was just curious why Letterman is so rarely broadcast in HD...I'd say that 1 in every 30 shows is switched over after the local 10:00 newscast. ...any insight?

J.

The Ed Sullivan Theater is currently being upgraded for HD. I don't know exactly when HD broadcasts will begin. There have been no shows produced in HD yet.

Any engineers have any insight on when the KSMO-DT (WB) will be finally added to Time Warner's Cable lineup? Will it be in time for this fall's premieres? I still cannot receive the programming OTA in western Shawnee. 9kw just doesn't do it over the hills. Either that or the PSIP is jacked up.

I have a dish 811 hd receiver. Until Feb., I could get 62 with no problem. I am quite sure they had to change their PSIP stream per FCC regs. Since then, however, all I get is a black screen with no audio. I still get the correct info in the guide, and the signal strength is between 75 and 80%. Does anyone else with an 811 have this issue with 62? Both sides, the station and dish, tell me its the other persons fault. Also, if anyone from 62 reads this post, is there a way to contact DISH and run the PSIP settings by them to see where/if the problem is?Smallville in HD is worth the hassle.
Scott

Chrobert-
I have the very same problem with my 811 and KSMO here in Sedalia. Signal strength is good, accurate guide info but no picture and sound. I have rescanned several times to add DTV channel 47-but no luck. You are right in that 62 used to display before the changes in PSIP.

From: http://www.kcchiefs.com and http://www.hdsportsguide.com/nfl.php

Kansas City Chiefs Schedule
Preseason
Result Date Opponent Time Network
08/12/05 at Minnesota Vikings 7:00 PM CBS
08/20/05 Arizona Cardinals 7:30 PM CBS
08/27/05 Seattle Seahawks 7:30 PM CBS
09/02/05 at St. Louis Rams 7:00 PM CBS
Regular Season
Result Date Opponent Time Network
09/11/05 New York Jets 12:00 PM CBS
09/18/05 at Oakland Raiders 7:30 PM ESPN+ <<<< ESPNHD 720P>>>>
09/26/05 at Denver Broncos 8:00 PM ABC+ <<<< ABC 720P>>>>>>>
10/02/05 Philadelphia Eagles 12:00 PM FOX
10/09/05 Bye
10/16/05 Washington Redskins 12:00 PM FOX
10/23/05 at Miami Dolphins 12:00 PM CBS
10/30/05 at San Diego Chargers 3:05 PM CBS
11/06/05 Oakland Raiders 12:00 PM CBS
11/13/05 at Buffalo Bills 12:00 PM CBS
11/20/05 at Houston Texans 7:30 PM ESPN+ <<<<ESPNHD 720P>>>>>
11/27/05 New England Patriots 12:00 PM CBS
12/04/05 Denver Broncos 3:15 PM CBS+
12/11/05 at Dallas Cowboys 3:15 PM CBS+
12/17/05 at New York Giants 4:00 PM CBS+
12/24/05 San Diego Chargers 12:00 PM CBS
01/01/06 Cincinnati Bengals 12:00 PM CBS


All times Central. Times listed as time of kickoff.
(*) Tentative; (+) National-TV Game

So we have 3 games out of 16 regular season in HD. If you only have OTA or
just basic cable then you will only get the ABC game.

I'm in eastern Blue Springs and I'm now able to get Fox with a slight amount of tiling at times.

That schedule is very disappointing.

From: http://www.kcchiefs.com and http://www.hdsportsguide.com/nfl.php

Kansas City Chiefs Schedule
Preseason
Result Date Opponent Time Network
08/12/05 at Minnesota Vikings 7:00 PM CBS
08/20/05 Arizona Cardinals 7:30 PM CBS
08/27/05 Seattle Seahawks 7:30 PM CBS
09/02/05 at St. Louis Rams 7:00 PM CBS
Regular Season
Result Date Opponent Time Network
09/11/05 New York Jets 12:00 PM CBS
09/18/05 at Oakland Raiders 7:30 PM ESPN+ <<<< ESPNHD 720P>>>>
09/26/05 at Denver Broncos 8:00 PM ABC+ <<<< ABC 720P>>>>>>>
10/02/05 Philadelphia Eagles 12:00 PM FOX
10/09/05 Bye
10/16/05 Washington Redskins 12:00 PM FOX
10/23/05 at Miami Dolphins 12:00 PM CBS
10/30/05 at San Diego Chargers 3:05 PM CBS
11/06/05 Oakland Raiders 12:00 PM CBS
11/13/05 at Buffalo Bills 12:00 PM CBS
11/20/05 at Houston Texans 7:30 PM ESPN+ <<<<ESPNHD 720P>>>>>
11/27/05 New England Patriots 12:00 PM CBS
12/04/05 Denver Broncos 3:15 PM CBS+
12/11/05 at Dallas Cowboys 3:15 PM CBS+
12/17/05 at New York Giants 4:00 PM CBS+
12/24/05 San Diego Chargers 12:00 PM CBS
01/01/06 Cincinnati Bengals 12:00 PM CBS


All times Central. Times listed as time of kickoff.
(*) Tentative; (+) National-TV Game

So we have 3 games out of 16 regular season in HD. If you only have OTA or
just basic cable then you will only get the ABC game.


Doesn't CBS carry some of their games in hi def?

From: http://www.kcchiefs.com and http://www.hdsportsguide.com/nfl.php

Kansas City Chiefs Schedule
Preseason
Result Date Opponent Time Network
08/12/05 at Minnesota Vikings 7:00 PM CBS
08/20/05 Arizona Cardinals 7:30 PM CBS
08/27/05 Seattle Seahawks 7:30 PM CBS
09/02/05 at St. Louis Rams 7:00 PM CBS
Regular Season
Result Date Opponent Time Network
09/11/05 New York Jets 12:00 PM CBS
09/18/05 at Oakland Raiders 7:30 PM ESPN+ <<<< ESPNHD 720P>>>>
09/26/05 at Denver Broncos 8:00 PM ABC+ <<<< ABC 720P>>>>>>>
10/02/05 Philadelphia Eagles 12:00 PM FOX
10/09/05 Bye
10/16/05 Washington Redskins 12:00 PM FOX
10/23/05 at Miami Dolphins 12:00 PM CBS
10/30/05 at San Diego Chargers 3:05 PM CBS
11/06/05 Oakland Raiders 12:00 PM CBS
11/13/05 at Buffalo Bills 12:00 PM CBS
11/20/05 at Houston Texans 7:30 PM ESPN+ <<<<ESPNHD 720P>>>>>
11/27/05 New England Patriots 12:00 PM CBS
12/04/05 Denver Broncos 3:15 PM CBS+
12/11/05 at Dallas Cowboys 3:15 PM CBS+
12/17/05 at New York Giants 4:00 PM CBS+
12/24/05 San Diego Chargers 12:00 PM CBS
01/01/06 Cincinnati Bengals 12:00 PM CBS


All times Central. Times listed as time of kickoff.
(*) Tentative; (+) National-TV Game

So we have 3 games out of 16 regular season in HD. If you only have OTA or
just basic cable then you will only get the ABC game.


Last year the ESPN games were also simulcast on a local OTA channel. I don't remember if they were in HD though.

Last year the ESPN games were also simulcast on a local OTA channel. I don't remember if they were in HD though. I don't believe the simulcast OTA was in HD on purpose. They were only allowed to carry ESPN's SD feed to "encourage" people to pay for ESPN/cable.