Here is a response to an email I sent to KCTV:

"Thank you for your correspondence. KCTV, Channel 5, is currently in the process of ordering and installing the necessary equipment at our station to pass through the CBS network’s High Definition signal. We anticipate the transition should be complete by the beginning of November.

Sincerely,

Daniel P Somes

Director of Engineering KCTV 5"

"currently in the process of ordering"?!!

Originally posted by jeffdbs
DT-47 (62-1) still has PSIP issues. I just wish KSMO would just get someone in the engineering division to fix the PSIP on DT-47 or just go back to the old PSIP generator so some of us viewers can watch WB62 programming.

I have been having problems with getting KSMO-DT channel 47 to work with my 6000 receiver as well. When I try to add this to my digital channel list, the signal strength meter reads between 80-90% always and shows "locked in" but for some reason, the transmit channel number does not show up and I cannot save this channel.

Has anybody found a solution to this problem? I recently got the 6000 receiver. Before this, I had a samsung HD receiver and it worked fine with all the channels including KSMO-DT.

Seems KCTV finally broadcast some true HD material. I watched Living Large and The Buddy Young Story early this morning, both in HD'

Rajdbs- no solution yet on the Dish 6000 DT-47 issue. I have called KSMO and explained the problem to the engineering department but to no avail. Please feel free to call KSMO WB62 engineering.


Raven_13- Great news!:) What time of day did KCTV DT-24 put up some 16X9 CBS 1080i HDTV? Was the audio Dolby Digital 5.1 or 2.0? Thanks

We'll definitely be able to tell at !2:00 today with the Broncos game - it's HD according to CBS, so we'll see what KCTV has - if it's 1080i, I for one will be shocked, but maybe (hope springs eternal!), if not, then we're just like Cubs and Red Sox fans....waiting for next year !!

Kendal

Looks like a false alarm on KCTV. The Vikings - Broncos game is their regular SD picture. Maybe Raven_13 was just sleepy?

Originally posted by FrugalRacer
Looks like a false alarm on KCTV. The Vikings - Broncos game is their regular SD picture. Maybe Raven_13 was just sleepy?

It was full screen 16 x 9 as was the broncos minnisota game. Unless I'm mistaken their normal has been black bars on the side and this definately was full 16 x 9 no upconverts from my STB or TV. And the picture was much better than the fox 49ers tampa game for those that are interested I get fox from KMIZ out of columbia. That game was strictly a 4 x 3 broadcast.

CBS "Cold Case" is listed as 1080i tonight for those CBS stations that support CBS 1080i broadcasts. Good chance to see for myself on KCTV DT-24.

Originally posted by jeffdbs
CBS "Cold Case" is listed as 1080i tonight for those CBS stations that support CBS 1080i broadcasts. Good chance to see for myself on KCTV DT-24.

Cold Case is not HD. I better get off this cold medication.....sheeeesh....I backtracked titan tv and Living Large and the film title was actually Mr. Saturday Night....neither were listed as HD.....beats me.....all I know is what I saw and tried. My STB will say this option not available now if broadcast is 16 x 9 and that is what it told me....call me crazy.

Why on earth are American Dreams, L&O:CI, and Lyon's Den not in HD tonight when they are HD network programs? The KC NBC affiliate has their HD equipment online ... ER and Jay Leno have been coming through fine for weeks! What's the deal? Are they asleep at the wheel again over there at mission control?!?! C'MON!! Throw the switch already!

Raven_13- Hey we all are ready to see some CBS 1080i HDTV. It does make me wonder who will be the first to see KCTV DT-24 broadcast in 1080i 16X9 HDTV.

Eyedox: Remember what Aaron Barnhart said in the second half of that article "Hi-def headaches", that KSHB is still having equipment problems?

I don't know why they wouldn't admit to that when people e-mailed them about it, instead of claiming that NBC was sending some of it's HD shows in SD.

having both D* NFL ST and local OTA - i got to compare the KCTV "digital" broadcast of the Broncos/Vikings game (nice job Minnesota, but you did make it interesting near the end) - 1080i over D* is so far superior to the KCTV broadcast it's almost funny.

Can't wait to see the Chiefs in HDTV tonight - KMBC/ABC kicks everyone else in this market's rear !!!

KCTV and KSHB both need to send their engineers over to KMBC for a nice pride swallowing "how-to" lesson on HDTV.

Kendal

Is the Chiefs Sunday nite game 10/26 going to be in HDTV on TWC?

Thanks,
Ron in KC

Originally posted by Ron in KC
Is the Chiefs Sunday nite game 10/26 going to be in HDTV on TWC?

Thanks,
Ron in KC

Only if they get their ESPN-HD agreement done by then. I'm guessing not, but anything is possible.

Just to expand on the above, in case anyone's still wondering:

KMBC, I believe, will carry the ESPN broadcast locally for people who don't have cable or satellite. However, their broadcast will be the SD version of ESPN's signal. ESPN-HD won't pass their HD signal on to local affiliates.

Bottom line: If you don't have ESPN-HD, you're out of luck.

Brad

Originally posted by jeffdbs
Rajdbs- no solution yet on the Dish 6000 DT-47 issue. I have called KSMO and explained the problem to the engineering department but to no avail. Please feel free to call KSMO WB62 engineering.


Raven_13- Great news!:) What time of day did KCTV DT-24 put up some 16X9 CBS 1080i HDTV? Was the audio Dolby Digital 5.1 or 2.0? Thanks


Jeffdbs:
Thanks for your reply to my post. I spoke with an Engineer from WB62. He acknowledged that they have been receiving some complaints about some receivers not being able to receive their stream. Apparently, they are working on this and he has promised to keep me posted.
I will convey it if I hear something and would appreciate if you can do the same if you hear about a solution.
Thanks.:(

The guys over at WB62 have done a very good job of communicating their progress. They seem pretty excited about DTV and seem to have a geniune interest in getting our eyes.

They may be having some problems getting everything set up, but they should be applauded for their attention to viewer concerns, their continued efforts, and their consistently good demeanor.

Remember that they'd be passing HD to us right now if Sinclair corporate hadn't stolen their equipment and given it to a St. Louis affiliate.

Not that it's a big deal, but does anyone know of a date when PAX (WPXE) 50/50.1 (51) will be on the air?

Anyone know an email addy for the engineer at WB 62? I receive them analog on Directv and the picture quality it not real good, expecially compared to channels 4, 5, 9, and 41. Much ghosting on KCWE 29 also.

thanks

Timmy, try Bob Schneider, bschneid@ksmo.sbgnet.com.

Kendal, I don't have any news, but KPXE had an FCC extension until September 30th, 2003. They have not filed for another extension, nor have they filed for an STA for low power. I believe they can be turned in to the FCC and fined for this lapse.

What kind of tuner do I need to send a HD signal to my LT150. I have a HD D* system but would rather not have to pay for my HD signal. Will a VCR do the trick? :confused:

Originally posted by RPMGOLFS
What kind of tuner do I need to send a HD signal to my LT150. I have a HD D* system but would rather not have to pay for my HD signal. Will a VCR do the trick? :confused:

RPMGOLFS,

First of all, welcome to the Kansas City HD Thread. It's become very obvious from seeing all the new members that HD is catching on in Kansas City big time!

I'm not sure what you're asking. If you already have a Hi-def DirecTV STB, you should already be able to get the local digitals over-the-air for free. If you are saying that you don't care about the satellite programming and only want local digitals, there are stand-alone ATSC tuners available from Samsung and Zenith, to name two. There may be others. There are no VCR's with digital tuners that I'm aware of. JVC and Mitubishi make HD VCR's, but they don't have ATSC tuners in them (why, I'm not sure!).

BTW, what's an LT150?

Brad

Another KC HD Noob here...

My setup:

Zenith C32V36 HDTV 4:3 TV
TWC Digital w/Pioneer 3510HD decoder

When I watch digital feed from WDAF (Fox) I'm seeing what appears to be the timecodes sitting on top of the letterboxed picture. Is there any way fix this?

I see the same thing with my Pioneer box. I think it must be an issue with TWC right now.

Very new to this forum. I am in Grain valley using Comcast's HDTV (Motorola 5100 and a Mitsubishi 65313 WS Proj). So far everything is beautiful, like INHD, INHD2, ESPNHD, Monday night football and such, but does anybody have any idea when we will be getting Discovery HD Theater? I have called, and their techs dont know, I have send emails to them with no response.

Just curious

B

Welcome to the KC thread!!

The HDTV Programming forum just has a bunch of rumors in it right now. But I would just keep checking that forum. When news hits, they will make the thread a "sticky" at the top for a while. Comcast in KC has added channels shortly after national announcement in the past.

Titan TV is showing Sunday night's Chieffffffffffffffs game in HD on DT-07. Lets hope so! http://www.thekansascitychannel.com/tvlistings/ Click on the KMBC-DT button.

My apologies first of all, I posted this as a stand-alone post first rather than in this thread...

I did a re-scan of my digital OTA channels this morning on my Samsung SIR-T160 box, and neither channel 9-1 nor channel 29-1 (KMBC and KCWB's digital channels) are coming in now, my box just says "seaching for signal".

Is anyone else having this problem? Do they do maintenance on Sunday mornings? I assume that it's too much of a coincidence that both 9 and 29 are off the air this morning.

I already had them in my 160 but I am not getting any feed from them either

They're usually both off the air until Noon - at least on weekends, and I think all 7 days.

Kendal

Chiefs game is NOT in HD as ESPN-HD will only pass SD to the ABC affiliates. This makes you want ESPN-HD more so you will yell at your cable operator and pay inflated prices for a half-assed HD network. :o)

Curious...

Did anyone see if Alias and The Practice were in HD on KCWE 29? They aired at their normal times on 29 instead of 9.

I was at a friends house for the game, and couldn't check this out myself.

If so, another kudos to the KMBC/KCWE engineering team is in order. I'm sure they would have loved to shown us the game in HD, if only ESPN would have let them.:rolleyes:

Originally posted by ksmith4
They're usually both off the air until Noon - at least on weekends, and I think all 7 days.

Kendal

Ah, OK, that would explain it. Just got the receiver a short time ago, and hadn't been home in the daytime to check it until this weekend.

Thanks for the reply.

FYI - No HD for tonight's MNF game.

The NFL moved Monday night's Chargers-Dolphins game from San Diego to Tempe, Ariz., because of wildfires in the San Diego area.

It would be the first "Monday Night Football" game this season not shown in high-definition, and the network would have fewer cameras available.

Why does KMBC keep their digital signals off the air before noon or there abouts?

Don't know, never thought to ask why....call me strange, but I really only watch the digitals for the HD broadcasts, everything else I use the analog or satellite channel thru the STB.

Anybody - anything on KCTV 1080i yet???

Also, I heard back from Wil Mistele (Chief Eng at KSHB) last week in email - he said that KSHB is carrying L&O and other NBC 1080i programs in 1080i but that they're cropped to 4x3 format - I haven't watched any lately, but in looking at the content previously, I think he's nuts - that material looks like upconverted SD stuff, not 1080i. Thoughts, comments....

Kendal

Slight correction - not the NBC widescreen stuff like ER, West Wing, Leno, etc. - that is great, 1080i - no dispute. It's all the other supposed HD material from NBC - like the 3 L&Os, etc.

Kendal

Kendal,

The non-widescreen NBC shows on KSHB sure look like upconverts to me. One way to tell is to look at the NATIONAL commercials. Their quality during actual HD broadcasts is always better than the local, upconverted commercials, even though they (nationals) are SD. With my STB, you can also always hear a little static "blip" when they switch between the national HD feed and the local-origination commercials. It's a dead giveaway.

Brad

Brad - good thoughts, I'll check it that way and see if/what I can tell.

I do hear that same "blip" on Leno when I tune in on the widescreen (yes, sometimes I'm lazy and already in bed watching upstairs!!), I have not heard that same "blip" on L&O or SVU. I haven't noticed it on West Wing, but I just might have missed the beginning. Thx!!

Kendal

Brad, thanks for the info. I did a little more checking on my system and I just needed to add HD channels when they where sending HD signals. You where right, no need for a addtional tuner (read the instructions dummy). The LT150 is a NEC projector that was the darling of this forum a couple of years ago.
:)

HDtimmy - I checked Alias briefly on the digital channel and it was not in HD. This was well into the program, so I doubt they just "flipped the switch" late. It wouldn't have matterd to me as I would have stayed with the game regardless, but it sure would be nice to have affordable HD recording. Which, of course, implies having HD worth recording.

Thanks Madcow.

Regarding KC NBC, anyone from Topeka or Lawrence on this thread? Is KSNT doing the same thing as KSHB? Meaning, are they showing ONLY ER, WW, and Leno in 16:9 1080i HD? Or are they showing much more than that in 16:9 1080i HD?

It appears that channel 62's PSIP is fixed!! At least on my Samsung box.

Their time is still set two hours ahead and they have no program guide info yet, but hey, at least we can now tune them in!!

hdtimmy- Thanks for the information on WB-62 (DT-47) PSIP. I can now watch some WB-62 programming. E-mails, snail mail, newspaper articles and phone calls to television stations does work. Hopefully we will see some WB HDTV on DT-47. :)

I can receive 62 now too. It's still jumping around - signal strength from a low of 45 to a high of 80. Hope they keep working on it.

For those with the Motorola 5100. It appears that they updated the firmware and now have activated the DVI port. You also may have to change your settings as it reverted back to defaults if you have it set at 480i for analog stations as well as TV type.

Ok, I looked last night - L&O SVU - definitely not HD, and no "blips" when going from NBC program to commercials.

Good question on Lawrence or Topeka watchers Timmy - anyone??? Let us know, obviously we've got an issue still with KSHB.

Kendal

Originally posted by jeffdbs
hdtimmy- Thanks for the information on WB-62 (DT-47) PSIP. I can now watch some WB-62 programming. E-mails, snail mail, newspaper articles and phone calls to television stations does work. Hopefully we will see some WB HDTV on DT-47. :)

An engineer from KSMO had called me to let me know that the PSIP issue had been fixed. I tried to add it and sure enough it worked now. I was pleasantly surprised that he remembered to call me back once the issue was fixed.
Thanks to everybody for sharing their issues and concerns regarding HD tv in KC.
Also, does anybody get Fox Digital at all?

I do - but I may be the only one. Don't ask me why - I've got multipath, so I don't get KCPT (PBS), but Fox comes in pretty well - the Fox WS stuff isn't all that bad. The only time I have issues is when there's rain/heavy clouds - it seems to negatively affect the signal and my STB doesn't do so well then. I'm at 121st & Switzer in OP - but on the top of a hill in my sub.

Kendal

Ksmith4,

What equipment do you have?
I have a samsung 160 and am at 150 & Antioch and have never gotten Fox.
I was wondering if it was a PSIP thing for Fox.

I also have the TS-160 and can't receive Fox4's digital signal. I assume it's because of their low power.

Anything new from KCTV??.. I remember something about trying to get it for the FIRST chiefs game, and now we are midway thru the season (8-0 BABY).. .But nothing as of yet, and i can see maybe 1-2 games on CBS being the game of the week..

KCTV dragging its feet....

Originally posted by Psyclguy
Here is a response to an email I sent to KCTV:

"Thank you for your correspondence. KCTV, Channel 5, is currently in the process of ordering and installing the necessary equipment at our station to pass through the CBS network’s High Definition signal. We anticipate the transition should be complete by the beginning of November.

Sincerely,

Daniel P Somes

Director of Engineering KCTV 5"

"currently in the process of ordering"?!!

Hopefully anyday now :)

Michael - Sorry, I wasn't on earlier. I've got a Mitsu HD5 (Hughes clone) and a Mitsu WS RPTV. The signal on Fox is only @ 40-50% on the signal strength meter on my STB, but it comes in and stays locked pretty well. Like I said, I may be the only one.

Kendal

Oh yeah, and RS attic antenna - since I'm only 15 or so miles direct to the towers.

Kendal

As soon as KCTV5 (DT-24) goes HDTV we all might want to turn our attention on other HDTV needs in Kansas City.

1) WDAF FOX4 (DT-34). Very low power output.

2) KCWE UPN29 (DT-31). This station is run by the saviors of Kansas City HDTV (KMBC 9 ABC DT-07). Maybe in a gentle, loving and kind way we can get KCWE to broadcast 1080i HDTV UPN on DT-31

3) KSMO WB62 (DT-47). This station is not passing on the large WB schedule of HDTV programming.

4) KSHB NBC41 (DT-42). Showing the station engineer how to throw the switch at the right time to broadcast NBC HDTV 16X9 1080i programming when a program is in 16X9 1080i NBC HDTV.

5) KCPT PBS19 (DT-18). This station has some of the best HDTV equipment and a very good engineer. PBS puts out alot of 16X9 programming. Please KCPT upconvert all 16x9 PBS programming to 1080i in order to fill our widescreen televisions.

Any other ideas from the loyal HDTV viewers of Kansas City?

Originally posted by jeffdbs
As soon as KCTV5 (DT-24) goes HDTV we all might want to turn our attention on other HDTV needs in Kansas City.

1) WDAF FOX4 (DT-34). Very low power output.

Any other ideas from the loyal HDTV viewers of Kansas City?

Let's start the email campaign against FOX.

I am still getting NOTHING from DT-47 WB-62. No idea why.

I say let's go after NBC - KSHB first, heck, they've got both the equipment and the power - their problem is simply "operator error."

Then we can go down your list - starting with Fox - WDAF, and their lightbulb, low wattage signal.

Just my two cents worth...

Kendal

Go after KCTV - CBS first. CBS has the most HD programming and KCTV has had a digital signal up for a long time - but has ignored adding the ability to transmit the HD programming. They should be taken to the FCC woodshed for not living up to their commitments.

It seems like KCTV5 is still waiting on the HDTV equipment. http://users.boardnation.com/~kctv/index.php?board=4;action=display;threadid=108 And to think that I was starting to believe KCTV5 was going to make their own stated November deadline.:(

I think the discussion was where to turn our attention AFTER KCTV got their HD signal up and working. I agree that they are the biggest PITA when it comes to KC HDTV and should be taken out back and ________ (you fill it in).

After that - I say KSHB - as they have the equipment and the signal. At least then the "big three" would all be HD - then we can focus on the other pretenders....WB, Fox, UPN, etc.

Kendal

I agree. We should be like the annoying kids in the back seat on a roadtrip regarding DTV and HD in KC. "Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" :) Maybe we can fatigue them into submission?

jeff - you of all people ought to know better...imagine, thinking that KCTV was actually going to spend $$$ and have the best interests of the viewers in mind....HA!!

Stan Cramer - where are you???

Kendal

As I watch MNF in it's HD glory it, all I can think is let's start the KCTV email barrage. They have been giving excuses for long enough.

I did send an email last night to KCTV, I received this reply this morning:

I am pleased to announce that in the next few days we will have 1080i HD on the air. We have finally gotten the necessary equipment in place and are in the final testing phase. We will pass through CBS when available and up convert our analog signal when in local programming. Time Warner will also be carrying the signal as soon as we begin transmitting. We hope you enjoy the upgrades. And thanks for watching KCTV 5 Sincerely, Daniel P Somes Director of Engineering KCTV 5

4MUKC-

Great scoop, and welcome to the forum! Only time will tell if KCTV is, once again, blowing smoke or not. I hope they're not, so we can start frying "different fish."

Brad

NO WAY !!! SHUT UP!!

Never thought I'd see the day - can anyone say CSI??, I thought you could....

Kendal

Wonderful news on KCTV5 going HDTV in the next few days. A victory for all of us loyal Kansas City HDTV viewers and the KCTV5 engineering department. Television stations do listen to their viewers. "Gosh" I am so excited. When KCTV5 airs their first 1080i HDTV programming please be sure to e-mail KCTV5 and thank the station for broadcasting CBS 1080i programming. These non HDTV television stations need to hear how Kansas City viewers praise the stations that do broadcast true HDTV programming. :)

I sent a follow up this afternoon to thank Daniel for the information on KCTV's HD, he suggested that I might get a sample tonight. So for those of you with OTA receivers you might want to give it a try. Unfortunatly I'll be waiting for Time Warner to pass the signal. Enjoy!

Yessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss! CBS 1080i on KCTV5! Right Now!

WOW!! I didn't think this day would ever come.

Is the sound a little off on your system?

The audio is off track. Hopefully this will be fixed right away.

COOL. I just saw the CBS "It's All Here" promo that everyone in other cities have been talking about.

I think this runs during local commercial breaks, so KCTV must not have their switching equipment installed yet.

I'm such a geek, this is so exciting!!

It's almost more painful to know it's there and not be able to see it. I'm glad it really is close now.

Don't fret. It's good eye candy, but the soundtrack is off so it's hard to watch if it's a show that you follow and get into.

OK, we know OTA can get HD, how about Comcast? Are you guys getting KCTV in HD? Time Warner should react pretty quickly to this, lets hope.

Update for Everest customers--got this info today. The stb should be the SA 3250HD. Compared to TWC they add ESPN-HD, HDNet, and HDNet Movies. They don't offer INHD1 or INHD2. Not sure if they pricing will be competitive with TWC.
=============================================
ADD EVEREST HDTV for $11.95/mo! Available November 17!

HDTV Equipment Fee: $4.95/mo

Current Everest Digital Cable customers can swap out their existing set-top box (first box if they have multiple) for an HDTV box for an additional $4.95/mo. All the digital features available in our current set-top box are available with the HD box.

• With the box they’ll receive KMBC (ABC ch. 646)) & KSHB (NBC ch. 648)

• Will also receive HBO HD and Showtime HD if they are HBO and/or Showtime subscribers

• If a customer wants to keep their digital set-top box and add an HDTV box, they can, however the HDTV becomes the primary box and they’ll pay the $8.35 second box rate for the existing digital box

HDTV Tier Charge: $7/mo

The HDTV Tier consists of four networks: ESPN HD, Discovery HD Theater,
HD Net & HDNet Movies. Descriptions listed below:

ESPN HD – ch. 650
ESPN HD is a simulcast of ESPN programming. In its first year, approximately 100 live sporting events will be produced in 720 format. The remainder of the ESPN HD schedule will be formatted-converted ESPN programming.

Discovery HD Theater – ch. 652
Discovery HD Theater (DSC HD) is a daily premium programming service, generally consisting of non-fiction HDTV programming in all categories of entertainment, including but not limited to: nature, history, world cultures, geographic exploration, science, education, travel & vacation planning, family & classic movies, world news & events, children’s education & entertainment, health & medicine, and how-to-programming in the areas of home, hobbies & cooking.

HDNet – ch. 654
Features a variety of HDTV programming, including live sports (NHL, MLS, USOC, CART, college and pro basketball, football, tennis, boxing, horse racing), sitcoms, dramas, action series, documentaries, travel programs, music concerts and shows, special events, and news feature including the HDNet World Report.

HDNet Movies – ch. 656
Features films and other programs with movie titles predominantly from the 1980’s, 1990’s and the 2000’s, each originally produced in a High Definition format or concerted from 35mm to high-definition including the titles from an extensive library of Sony Warner Bros.

HBO (E) HD – ch. 514
HD feed of HBO East

Showtime (E) HD – ch. 552
HD feed of Showtime East


EVEREST HDTV FAQ


What is HDTV?
Is a new television system that varies from the standard analog picture delivery. HDTV provides a wide-screen picture quality similar to 35mm film along with compact disc sound quality, and which has a least 720 progressive or 1080 interlaced active scanning lines compared to 480 for traditional TV.


What do customers need to receive HDTV from Everest?
Customers need a High Definition television set and a special HDTV digital converter box from Everest. KMBC and KSHB will be available with the box rental ($4.95/mo). To receive HBO HD and Showtime HD customers need a regular subscription to each premium service. ESPN HD, Discovery HD Theater, HDNet & HDNet Movies are grouped together on an HDTV tier that cost $7/mo.

NOTE: Some manufacture’s HDTV sets, especially early models, may require additional parts to enable our HDTV converter. Those parts are not covered in the Everest HDTV pricing.


Why do PVR customers only hear audio when they tune to the HDTV channels?
Customers with PVR boxes will only hear audio delivery on the HDTV channels.

Why do HDTV customers see a letterbox?
When they see a letterbox, they’re watching a picture made to show HD content. Movies on the HDTV channels will be able to be viewed in their original wide screen theatrical format.

What type of programming is available in HD?
The amount of HD content is currently limited because of the higher production costs. Plus, with only a small percentage of US households equipped with HDTV sets the transition will likely be gradual.

OMG - KCTV is HDTV....

Dudes....hell hath frozen over...Meredith actually spent $$$ (I think I almost pee-ed my pants).... I'm so excited, I....I....feel, facklempt (not sure how to spell that one...sorry).

Kendal

Tonight all big three networks have had HDTV programming. Kansas City television got alot sharper tonight. What a night for Kansas City television history. Hopefully WDAF, KSMO and KCWE management will look up into the sky tonight and see the HDTV train rolling along and will buy a ticket to the future of television-HDTV!

Holy crap Batman.....all three in one night - L&O SVU looks awesome as does NYPD Blue. Gotta go, the planets have aligned, the moon is in the seventh sign and Jupiter has aligned with Mars....

O M G

Kendal

TWC still hasn't turned up KSHB-DT, even though the TWC web site has said it's "coming soon" for a couple of months now. I hope they aren't as slow with KCTV-DT.

What a great night of HD for the KC Big Three. Now it's time to turn our pressures to WDAF-LP (haha), KSMO-HD, and UPN-HD. By the way, I *STILL* am not receiving KSMO WB-47DT.... it sees the signal but won't tune it. There is still something messed with their PSIP info. Anyone else having this problem still? I have reset my TV. Retuned and reprogrammed.

Originally posted by Eyedox
What a great night of HD for the KC Big Three. Now it's time to turn our pressures to WDAF-LP (haha), KSMO-HD, and UPN-HD. By the way, I *STILL* am not receiving KSMO WB-47DT.... it sees the signal but won't tune it. There is still something messed with their PSIP info. Anyone else having this problem still? I have reset my TV. Retuned and reprogrammed.

I pick up WB every night. It just started showing the correct PSIP mapping of 62-1 within the last week. It may be your STB. Have you received it in the past?

I was watching "24" on FOX last night, then watched the new "Finding Nemo" DVD, so missed all the fun! I'll be checking it all out TOMORROW night (CSI!) since I won't be home tonight. WOW, what great news! Thank you, Meredith (never thought I'd be saying that!).

Brad

Everyone check out KCWE-DT 29-1!!!!
We now have UPN HD!!

Yes! UPN is in HI DEF!, But KSHB 41 ED is not in High Def and I thought it was suppose to be?:(

Yeah, KSHB engineers seem to think the only NBC HD programming is ER, WW, and Leno. Nobody has been able to get them to understand that there is much more NBC HD than those three shows.

Anyway, one more thing on our list to mark as completed with UPN HD on the air!!!!

I could've swore that last night KSHB had their act together and Law and Order was in HD, I guess it must be growing pains. Anyway slowly but surely we are getting HD locals. :D

OMG - KCTV is HDTV....

Dudes....hell hath frozen over...

the Country Music Awards appear to be in HD, but not 16:9......am I right? Still......it looks great! FINALLY:D

about the rest of you, but I hardly ever watch anything that's NOT in HD anymore. I'm much more likely to watch some crazy special on Ladybugs than anything on the multitude of cable channels that aren't HD.

For example, I used to watch TVLAND all the time. I NEVER watch it now.

And BTW, did anyone see that Bikini Destinations show on HDNet the other day? If you missed it......I offer you my condolensces.

Somebody tell me I am not dreaming. Those great engineers and management at KCWE UPN ( The same people who run KMBC DT-07) have put on the air UPN HDTV in record time. WOW! I wonder if UPN is in 1080i? To think those engineers of KMBC & KCWE might be running 720p ABC and 1080i UPN on the same tower is cool. Thanks guys and gals at KMBC and KCWE you are truly the "The Kings of Kansas City HDTV" .:D

jeffdbs -

You're not dreaming ;)

Now I'll need to check what shows UPN broadcasts in HD as well.

Originally posted by FrugalRacer
jeffdbs -

You're not dreaming ;)

Now I'll need to check what shows UPN broadcasts in HD as well.

Thank you FrugalRacer. This is a great time to bring up that I have called the Kansas City Star trying to get the TV pull-out section in the Sunday paper to list what programming is in HDTV just like the USA Today does everyday in the Life section. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

I also saw UPN in HD tonight ... I happened to flip to Jake 2.0 and there it was in full 1080i glory! By the way, UPN has only two shows in HD, JAKE 2.0 and ENTERPRISE. What a great week for HD in KC!

KCTV 5 isn't coming through on Comcast. I just get the blank screen. It used to on the channel setup for them, but not now. Anyone know if they're passing that DTV signal through Comcast yet?

KCTV 5 isn't coming through on Comcast. I just get the blank screen. It used to on the channel setup for them, but not now. Anyone know if they're passing that DTV signal through Comcast yet?

I've had the same problem with KCTVDT on Comcast Ch. 182. The last couple of nights, the picture just freezes on whatever the last video was before I switched to 182, but the 182 channel number still shows up on the box. On a better note, Law and Order was finally on in 16X9 on KSHBDT last night. Ed at 7 pm started out in 16X9, but after about 2 minutes, suddenly switched to 4X3 SD. West Wing was, as usual, in 16X9.

I watched Enterprise on UPN last night.....Is it me or is that show still terribly out of focus? I've noticed that on shows when very tight focus is used all the background gets extremely blurry. Just a sleight pull back on the cameras will help significantly. I didn't notice any improvement over shows from earlier weeks so what was Enterprise broadcast at.....720p or 1080i or an upconverted 480....maybe i'm setting my STB up incorrectly or TV for that matter.

Enterprise and Jake 2.0 were in 1080i last night. In the HDTV Programming forum there are many comments stating that the special effects in Enterprise are crystal clear, but everything else is blurry and fuzzy.

Did you see Jake 2.0 right after Enterprise? That show has excellent PQ.

No CBS on comcast as of yet (blank screen) but I'm sure they're just having problems passing it through. Can't wait. As for NBC I know the other night they were showing one of their crappy sitcoms in 16x9 HD. This leads me to believe it's the stupid affiliate not flipping the switch and not the network cheesing out. How lame is that... Now if Fox4 would just pull their heads out, all would be well in HD land... I don't know I think this might be one of the signs of the apocalypse?

Don't forget about WB62. I want my WB in HD!! :D

Originally posted by hdtimmy
Enterprise and Jake 2.0 were in 1080i last night. In the HDTV Programming forum there are many comments stating that the special effects in Enterprise are crystal clear, but everything else is blurry and fuzzy.

Did you see Jake 2.0 right after Enterprise? That show has excellent PQ.

Yes I saw Jake 2.0 and noticed it was better. That's why I wasn't sure what Enterprise was broadcast in. I got home late and the wife had remote control so after seeing the blurry scenes I just figured it was the usual stuff. Why so much blurry shots....improper shooting technique, not using true hd cameras, upconversion artifacts? What gives?

Raven, checkout this thread http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=313920

Maybe it's a post-production bug with all of the CGI additions.

Just curious why none of the stations pass DD 5.1?
Is it that hard?
Seems like they would have everything to do it?

Heard that TWC should start testing their CBS HD Feed tomorrow or Saturday. How is it that NBC is not up there yet?

Politics. :rolleyes:

Originally posted by hdtimmy
Raven, checkout this thread http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=313920

Maybe it's a post-production bug with all of the CGI additions.

Thanks timmy. I checked that thread and it sort of sounds like what I normally see on Enterprise. It's a real bummer when they do a close up of one individual and another just within 6' or so of that person is blurry as hell. And then they jump to an outside CGI of the ship or a landscape and everything is crystal clear. Jake 2.0 handles the transitions better, so it's either the equipment or the folks running the equipment.

Originally posted by Michael.Chrisco
Just curious why none of the stations pass DD 5.1?
Is it that hard?
Seems like they would have everything to do it?

KMBC was supposed to be on in DD5.1 by now. I got this email from Jerry Agresti in Engineering in July (excerpted):

"We are in the process of procuring the equipment that will alow us to pass
5.1 audio from ABC. We're probably 90 days away from getting it installed.

We appreciate your comments and thank you for watching KMBC."

Gosh, it should be any day now!

Brad

Originally posted by Michael.Chrisco
Just curious why none of the stations pass DD 5.1?
Is it that hard?
Seems like they would have everything to do it?

KCPT PBS-19 (DT-18) and KMOS PBS-06 (DT-15) both pass on Dolby Digital in 5.1 Over the Air when the programming from PBS is in Dolby Digital 5.1.("Soundstage"). Audio sounds excellent in Over the Air Dolby Digital 5.1.

Don't know when the switchover happened but it looks like KCTV 5 is now pushing the CBS 1080i HD content. CSI looks great tonight.

Watching my CSI in HDTV... Looks great, amazing that when KCTV and Meredith can do when they are pressured... Strange it didnt take them weeks and months (ala KSHB) to do testing, they get the equipment and BAM, we have HDTV...

Makes you wonder if they had it sooner.... :D

I am still seeing and hearing lip-sync problems on CSI programming on KCTV5 DT-24. The mouth and words from the actors still are not quite right. Anybody else see this lip-sync problem?

Yup. They have a lip-sync problem.

They must have rushed their install (once they FINALLY got the equipment in). They aren't switching for local commercials, which makes me think that this equipment isn't installed yet. I don't mind, I would much rather see "It's All Here" instead of local commercials. :D

Good news for TWC customers-- KCTV is now showing on 1451HD.

KCTV-DT is on TWC channel 1451 this morning.

Still nothing on Comcast 182

Nope, comcast 182 still down. And I am still waiting patiently for Discovery HD Theater. Any Idea when comcast subscribers will get HD UPN?

You guys who are still waiting for Comcast Channel 182, give them a call ASAP. I called a short time ago, and they were not aware of the problem. Perhaps if they hear from lots of us, they'll do something about it.

The lip-sync issue on KCTV seemed worse, for some reason, on the SD material ("Survivor") than on the HD ("CSI").

I read a (very detailed and technical) explanation awhile back on how difficult it is to get the lip-sync right. It has to do with "timing samples" that are inserted into the bitstream by the HDTV encoder at the station. I suspect they're still playing with it, but should eventually get it right. If it's not better in a few days, I'm sure we will all let them know!

Brad

I just dropped KCTV a "Thank you" note at kctv5@kctv5.com. It took a long time, but in the end, they did listen to us, and I, for one, appreciate it.

Brad

Good idea, I will do it too.

Its official now on KCTV5 (DT-24) CBS 1080i HDTV. http://www.kctv5.com/Global/story.asp?S=1514119&nav=GbrBIxah

Hi all, I'm new to this board, and I just thought I'd throw in some news I got from the Comcast help line about their HD problems. According to Travis, the technicians are working on the HD CBS feed as of 7:35pm Friday night. They say that the HD feed WILL BE on for the Chiefs game on Sunday. They actually hoping that it'll be on later tonight (not that it'll help with last night's episode of CSI...) but say it'll be on for sure on Sunday. I've got my fingers crossed. Now only if Fox would throttle down on their feed, even though the network doesn't provide true HD......

Just some info and my two cents...

Welcome to the forum!! I don't mean to disappoint you but...

CBS only does ONE game in HD every Sunday. This Sunday's Chiefs game will not be in HD.

CBS NFL Schedule: http://cbs.sportsline.com/u/cbs/schedule/nfl.htm

According to that schedule, our November 23rd game will be in HD.

They have been picking the HD game of the week as the season progresses, that's why there aren't any HD games in December yet. As soon as they make their decision, they update this schedule.

Add this page to your favorites!! Very handy!!

I receive this from KMBC/KCWE today. -Stay tuned for 5.1 audio on KMBC,(in a few weeks); KCWE should come on-line
with 5.1 sometime next year- Cool!:D

Hdtimmy, thanx for the info. I'll keep an eye on December to see if & how many KC games are HD. But I certainly will withhold that info from Comcast, don't wanna give them an excuse to take the night off!! :D

Here is another link that has a daily schedule of all available HDTV programming. Please check this out. http://www.hdtvgalaxy.com/broad.html

Im getting Aurburn vs Ole Miss in SD on KCTV-DT is any else. Very disappointed!

Shawn

PAX 51 KPXE-DT has received yet another 6 month reprieve for their projected live date from the FCC ... now set for Apr 1, 2004.
I did inform TITANTV earlier this week about our CBS and UPN affiliates going HD this week. Their TV Guides now reflect a RED HD icon for those shows that are HD from the network on their respective local affiliates.

I tried calling KCTV today, but only got voicemail.

I guess it was too much to ask? I imagine any prime-time programs will be in HD tonight...
:rolleyes:

It's kinda disappointing that we have to wait until the 23rd to see CBS football in HDTV, but I'll take it. I don't see why we couldn't watch the Bills today, though.

Dont know if any other of you Independence Comcast guys are having this problem also but since Ch. 182 went down, INHD, INHD2, ESPN-HD, and all the other HD Channels have been horribly pixelated, almost to the point of not being able to watch. Just wondering if I am the only one.

B

Tried watching the Sunday night NFL game on Comcast 173 and it too, here in Blue Springs was difficult to watch with the pixelization problems. Ch. 182 -- still nothing.

Has anyone seen any HD on KCTV the last couple of days? I saw some on Friday when TWC first turned up channel 1451, but have checked a few times since then, and everything has been SD (even though TitanTV indicated that the program should have been in HD).

I just received this reply to my e-mail about no HD on KCTV all weekend.

"Thank you for your interest in KCTV 5. We do hope to have all of the
bugs worked out of the system very soon. Again this is all brand new
equipment for our engineers and sometimes it gets a bit overwhelming in
there. I will ensure that we get the CBS HD on when available.
Sincerely,
Daniel P Somes
Director of Engineering KCTV 5"

Sounds like the weekend crew hasn't been trained on the new equipment yet... :rolleyes:

Maybe I wrote my complimentary letter to KCTV too soon!

Here is the reply I got from Dan Somes, BTW:

"Thank you so much for you interest in KCTV 5. It is not often we hear
good things from the viewers. I am glad that you enjoy the new 1080i. We
will continue to strive forward and make the necessary improvements to
the that need to be made. We hop you enjoy the new HD world.
Sincerely,
Daniel p Somes
Director of Engineering KCTV 5"

One thing about KCTV: At least they do ANSWER their emails!

Brad

If they would have shown us HD from the start, I'm sure they would have heard many good things from the viewers!!:p

Regarding the problem Comcast customers have been having receiving Channel 5's HD signal on Comcast channel 182, I just received this e-mail from the Channel 5 engineer:

Thank you for interest in KCTV, I spoke with the head end supervisor for
Comcast this morning and you should now be able to watch the HD signal
on their system. I hope you enjoy and let me know if you have any future
problems.
Sincerely,
Daniel P Somes
Director of Engineering KCTV 5

Anybody near a TV who can check it out?

Regarding the problem Comcast customers have been having receiving Channel 5's HD signal on Comcast channel 182, I just received this e-mail from the Channel 5 engineer:

Well, still nothing, but now the message, "One moment, please. The channel should be available shortly."

That's more than before.

--From Blue Springs

I just got home a little while ago and CH 182 KCTV HD was on and looking great! WOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!!!! :D

Is anyone else having the tiling problem on TWC and over the air on Monday night football tonight.

Josh

Originally posted by avalanche93
I just got home a little while ago and CH 182 KCTV HD was on and looking great! WOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!!!! :D

Nothing here is Blue Springs on KCTV Comcast 182...switching to MNF...

My off-air MNF signal does have tiling but the local commercials don't so it sounds like an ABC issue and not channel 9 (7-1).

In other unrelated news, I can't seem to get channel 5's HD signal on my HD tuner (RCA DTC-100) tonight. It was the weakest of the digital signals so it could be weather related. Anyone else having trouble?

does anyone have any news on TWC carrying ESPN-HD, NBC 41, 38 spot, and kcwe 29?

The lawyers are still working on the contract to carry for NBC. Time Warner feels that the price ESPN is asking for ESPN-HD is to high for their content so don't count on seeing this station anytime soon.

I have no information on 38 or 29.

I've asked about NFL channel, but no response yet.

The sound-video sync (lip sync) was a lot closer on KCTV last night. The sound is still a fraction of a second behind the picture, but much better than it had been. I watched a little of CSI, and it was so close that I probably wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't been looking for it. On the local news it was a little more noticable.

Craash--what could be so complex about the NBC contract? Both Everest and Comcast seem to have no problems in getting their contracts done.

Here is where things get a little tricky for me. My contact is a friend in TWC's engineering department. So, he is able to provide fun stuff like the Discover HD channel trick of a couple months back, and general stuff like "the laywers are bickering". He either doesn't have anymore information on the specific holdup, or is choosing to not share it for some reason. Regardless, the end result is that the extent of the information he gave me is "The lawyers are still reviewing the KSHB agreement". That was a direct quote from his email.

I wish I could give more information, but that is all I have. :(

How hard can the agreement be? Time Warner lawyer: Let's see, we want to carry your HD channel, NBC 41: OK, you can carry it.

Josh

Originally posted by kcroyaljosh
How hard can the agreement be? Time Warner lawyer: Let's see, we want to carry your HD channel, NBC 41: OK, you can carry it.

Hah! I wish it were that simple.

Over here in Lawrence, we lost Channel 41 for almost four years due to 41's ridiculous retransmission compensation requirements. This started in 1994 and lasted until about 1998. It caused us to have no Fox affiliate for about three years (41 was Fox in those days).

If 41 is playing by their old rules, they're probably trying to use their new digital signal as a way to wedge in fees for retransmission outside of their existing no-fee contract for the analog feed.

So a more accurate picture is probably something like this...

Time Warner Lawyer: Let's see, we want to carry your HD channel...
NBC 41: OK, you can carry it for $x.xx per subscriber...
Time Warner Lawyer: Yeah, right...we're improving your ad penetration...
NBC 41: So? Your subs will complain...
Time Warner Lawyer: Let them complain...we're not paying...
NBC 41: Ok. Your loss...

...three years later...

NBC 41: Will you please carry us?
Time Warner Lawyer: Sure!

---

I converted to DirecTV a few years ago out of sheer hatred for the CableCo here in Lawrence, but what they had to go through with 41 was ridiculous and our CableCo was absolutely right in that particular situation -- as much as it hurts me to give them credit for ANYTHING.

With the current must-carry laws on the books, it should be 100% illegal for a broadcast station to require fees from cable or dbs providers for retransmission. Carriage on cable or dbs does nothing but enhance their viewership and allow them to sell more expensive ad time.

The laws are screwed up for analog, and are apparently being applied to digital due to the absence of clear digital must-carry rules.

Yay.

Comcast Independence- I've also been getting some serious tiling every since CBS came through in HD. First it was just ESPN Ch 173 now it's happening on NBC 183 and ABC 180. It seems like this always happens for a few days or so after they add or upgrade a channel. CBS 182 is looking pretty damn sweet though, and 9 possible channels of HD doesn't suck....

Aaron does another article on Kansas City HDTV in the KC Star. http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/living/7227831.htm

"Two more local TV stations last week began airing programs in the rich, clear, surround-sound format known as high definition."

Surround-sound? I was thinking DD2 wasn't surround-sound.

Now if we can just get them to...

Send the correct PSIP info so you could schedule and/or record the Digital stations. I have to use the satellite guide instead. (except for KMBC, but thiers only goes a day or two out, not like a couple of weeks)
Fix the audio sync issue. (KCTV)
And then get DD5.1 (ALL)

Never happy, I know.

3 post in a row, sorry but I forgot to ask if anyone else notices the little upside down L on the top left corner on KMBC-DT for commercial etc.
Whats that for?

I did not noticed any upside down L on KMBC DT-07.

No CSI in HDTV tonight??.. I saw some other show the other day on CBS in HDTV (i think it was King of Queens..).. Hopefully , they will switch it ....

My FAV show should be HDTV...! :D

CSI is not in high def tonight. At the intro wasn't

I'm on the phone with the KCTV newsdesk they just flipped the switch.... CSI in HD..... SA-Weeeeeeet...

I watched KCTV a little last night, and am still seeing the audio-video sync issue. The sound appears to be about a second behind the video. I am viewing via TWC. Are people viewing the OTA channel seeing the same thing, or is this a TWC issue?

It is a KCTV issue.

Has anyone e-mailed Daniel Somes, the chief engineer at KCTV, and mentioned the lip synch problem? I did earlier this week and have not had a response. He's usually pretty good about answering. His address is dsomes@kctv5.com

Mine shows up as stuttering rather than lip synch. Are my HD recievers screwy or ?

Larry

it seems to go away after a few minutes, I watched both CSI and Without a Trace, initial problems, and similar stuff coming out of commercials a couple times, but it cleared up very quickly.

Kendal

I did write Dan Somes about the lip-sync issue, but he didn't address it in his reply. I DO think it's gotten a little better, but still not perfect. Nowhere near a second lag time over the air - more like a tenth of a second, or even less. It seems to be worse on SD material, for some reason. The stuttering is more annoying IMHO. We turned over to the analog last night (during CSI) for awhile, and when we turned back it was gone.

Brad

This is the email I just sent Mr. Somes---

Mr. Somes:

This is the second weekend in a row your station has failed to transmit the SEC game of the Week in HD on KCTV DT (1451 Time Warner). As I type this email at 2:42pm on Saturday November 15, 2003 I am watching a 4x3 upconvert of your standard definition signal. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!!!! Either train your weekend crew on how to utilize this equipment or have someone there who is qualified to work the equipment. The consumers who invest in these televisions deserve the best in service from the carriers and so far you are not meeting that expectation.

Thank you for your time.

Auburn vs. UGA in HD!!!! AWESOME!

Is anybody having problems with receiving KSHB over the air? I live in Olathe and receive every else fine (except FOX of course). When KSHB first went on the air I had no problems.

Signal strength reads around 70 on my Dish 6000 receiver, but will sporadically drop to around 30 for a split second. It used to be that it would take about 10 - 15 seconds to lock onto the signal. Now I just get a blank screen and/or it will cause my receiver to lock up.

Again, no problems with any other OTA stations. Any suggestions?

Chiefs Vs. Raiders in HD

According to the DirecTV website
http://www.directvsports.com/Packages/NFLSundayTicket/Schedule/
The game is supposed to be HD.
Who wants to email KCTV to make sure they don't screw this up?

ssj2-I have a Dish 6000 and NBC DT-42 is coming in ok @ 92%. KCTV5 DT-24 seems to be having HD video trouble tonight.

Originally posted by sega19
Chiefs Vs. Raiders in HD

According to the DirecTV website
http://www.directvsports.com/Packages/NFLSundayTicket/Schedule/
The game is supposed to be HD.
Who wants to email KCTV to make sure they don't screw this up?

Well as stated earlier in this thread, the CBS schedule is posted at the following link and does have KC vs Oakland to be broadcast in HDTV. They kind of set their schedule as they go along, but it appears that it's at least 4 weeks out.

CBS Sportsline NFL Schedule (http://cbs.sportsline.com/u/cbs/schedule/nfl.htm)

Did anyone else watch KCTV HD last night - they started Cold Case in SD, then switched to HD, but went back to the beginning of the show, 10 minutes in - so it was 10-12 minutes behind the "regular" network programming...I'm assuming it stayed that way all the way through the CSI repeat.

Weekend guys need training too!!

Kendal

Kendal, check out these threads. Looks like it was a National CBS issue with all of the affiliates that didn't show a second football game. The Colts/Jets HD game ran 12 minutes long, which explains the time difference that you experienced.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=326590

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=326609

Boy, this thread's been quiet for awhile! I guess that's good news, in a way.

Outstanding issues that I know about (for OTA only):

1. KMBC - when will DD5.1 start? BTW, ironically, their signal has now (for me, anyway) become the LEAST reliable of the "big three," with by far more macro blocking and lockups then either KCTV or KSHB. I suspect that this is a VHF issue, but I can't prove it one way or the other.

2. WDAF - what are their plans? Will they power up their digital anytime soon, or will they wait until FOX goes HD next fall? Being a FOX O&O, I would think that they would, at the least, be on the same schedule as the network.

3. Has anyone seen ANY DD5.1 on CBS yet? I know they don't do much as a network, and I'm not sure if KCTV has the equipment to pass it if they get it from CBS.

I've haven't seen any HD shows "missed" by KCTV or KSHB lately (i.e. shown in SD by mistake). Anyone else?

Brad

I tuned into KCTV for a bit last night, and the lip sync issue appeared to be taken care of.

Another Aaron Barnhart article !! But this time, it's the age old religion debate (1080i vs. 720p):

Kendal

http://tvbarn.com/2003/2003nov19hdtv.html

After his last article, I was going to write Aaron to remind him that HBO is, in fact, 1080i, rather than 720p. But I forgot. It's good having him as an HDTV advocate, but I wish he'd get his facts straight. This just goes to show you how much the general public (including media critics!) still doesn't know about digital TV and HDTV.

Brad

Well boys and girls KCPT PBS DT-18, KSHB NBC DT-41, KCTV CBS DT-24, KCWE UPN DT-31 and KMBC ABC DT-07 television stations are broadcasting 19.2mbs HDTV programming Over the Air tonight. Yes indeed we loyal hard working Kansas City HDTV viewers are moving into the big arena as a digital HDTV city. Hard work from the television stations, viewers and reporters is rewarding us well with beautiful sharp and wonderful sounding network television. Now if WDAF and KMOS could just walk into any electronics store or Walmart, Target and now furniture stores and look around at the television sets for sale-HDTV is the future of television. Spread the word all Kansas City HDTV viewers about HDTV to your family, friends and neighbors. Allow your friends to see and hear what HDTV is all about. Godspeed to a wider, sharper and better sounding world in Kansas City television broadcasting.:)

I had one of the FOX engineers from WDAF as a patient earlier this week. He stated that their station had no plans to boost the signal until forced by the FCC to move off STA. He also stated that they WOULD have 720p equipment in place in time for next fall's new HD FOX lineup. All of the FOX O&O stations will. Too bad their signal will most likely still be too weak to receive. Even this engineer admitted that no one greater than one mile from the tower could probably pick it up. I think I scared him a little bit that his eye doctor knew more about HD technology than most his WDAF staff. :)

"WDAF is broadcasting a digital signal (480p) on channel 34 at low power. "

Does anyone ever get even the 480p that the WDAF TV's web site claims they broadcast? I get 4's digital channel through Time Warner but it's always 480i with forced sidebars. I have even checked on Fox Widescreen shows like 24 and the digital looks worse. I sent them an email, but never received a reply.

...just called WDAF and chatted with an engineer...

He confirmed 4MUKC and Eyedox posts as correct (bummer!) and said that the decisions being made are coming down from corporate and not the local management. They have NO plans to increase power and the TW feed is indeed 480i. He also agreed the STA image is superior to the digital feed they put out.

Looks like we need to band together and send a list of signatures to Fox's corporate HQ demanding better service or else we'll take our viewing habits to another network. Who can start an Official KC WDAF petition that we can digitaly sign and send to Fox?

Anybody know what kind of HDTV reception I can expect in the Parkville area? I'm wanting to install an HDTV receiver, but I'm not sure which option is best for me. I already have a sizable investment in DirecTV, but the only option there is to get the DirecTV HD equipment and try to pull in the local HDTV OTA.

Course my other option is to call up TWC, but I'd only do that if I have no other options.

Jenkinsear1,

Hi, and welcome to the KC HD thread.

In Parkville, all the transmitters are going to be southeast to south-southeast of you, with the farthest (KSHB/KMCI) being less than 20 miles away. You should be able to easily get them all with an attic antenna if you're not stuck behind a hill or other large obstruction.

That being said, I remember someone else north of the river having trouble getting KMBC and KCWE (same tower at 23rd and Topping).

If you CAN get the digital channels OTA (and most people in the metro area can), it's a very rewarding thing to do because you pay for the antenna and cabling once and it's free from then on.

Just don't plan on getting WDAF anytime soon!

Brad

I'm in Parkville and have very few problems with an attic antenna, and I'm in a slight valley behind a hill.

You're never going to get FOX4's digital signal, though. And I don't often get the PBS signals. (Although I have to admit I don't look very often for it.)

Good Luck!

Parkville is so close to WDAFs tower - you may be able to get them. I'm at 119th & Switzer in So Overland Park, and I get FOX OTA ok. Sometimes the picture pixelizes, but unless the weather is bad, it comes in pretty good - I'm at the top of a hill in my subdivision, so I've got good line of sight to the tower, and you're closer than I am (probably lower, but definitely closer). Good luck and welcome to KC HDTV!!!

Kendal

Anybody else on Comcast having pixelation issues with all of the HD channels? I'm getting some seriously bad pixelation on all HD channels 173-183, all other channels are fine. Is it just me and my cable box or is there a problem with the service? I talked to the cust service and they don't know of any problems but it wouldn't be the first time they didn't know...

CBS 1080i Chiefs football looks and sounds great on OTA DT-24 KCTV5.

Guess ABC had problems tonight and switched to SD.
HD had background music but no voices - weird!

I've been having pixelation issues with Comcast 173-183 ever since CBS HD
was added.

Originally posted by Michael.Chrisco
Guess ABC had problems tonight and switched to SD.
HD had background music but no voices - weird!

Maybe it's a sign of almost-functional 5.1!

I am another that has been having problems with pixelation with all HD channels from Comcast as well. Think it started for me when Channel 182 went down and has been off and on since then. Cheifs game last night was not too bad (Only watched second half on HDTV, was at arrowhead for first half and about froze to death) but in my opinion, ESPN-HD, INHD, and INHD2 are almost tolerable, annoying but tolerable. Channels 180, 182 and 183 are the ones that get really bad, sometimes voice is gone for 10 seconds at a time during things I want to watch.

I'm still having issues with Comcast HD channels as well. The Chiefs game was beautiful but got to be very annoying in the second half with all the breakups. CBS, NBC, and ABC are my only channels that are breaking up but I watch those the most.


Any OTA guys out there have problems with the game breaking up?

I have TWC and everything was working good. I did get a few breakups yesterday in audio, but for the most part it was every bit as good as ABC MNF, plus no Madden/Michaels commentary.

I am an OTA viewer and I had a few very minor breakups with the video. I can't comment about the audio because we always watch the games while listening to 101TheFox.

I watched the game OTA, and had quite a few break-up problems. A few times, KCTV switched to the SD feed.

I watched OTA, also. The video dropped out on several occasions, and KCTV actually switched to SD two or three times. Like kcjefff said, the audio cut out a lot also, but I suspect both problems were network-related.

On a slightly different subject, I've heard CBS hyped on other threads as the "gold standard" for HD football. I'm not so sure I agree. The only thing I would rate higher than ABC/ESPN would be the crowd shots, which seem much more detailed. I would rate CBS down for using too many SD cameras in the mix (as ABC does also), and no first-down line on the field. My favorite football channel right now would have to be ESPN-HD, mostly because of the "stripped-down" broadcast with fewer commercial breaks and less non-football chatter. We had a bunch of people over Saturday night that were watching K-State - Missouri game in SD on TBS. When I switched over to Auburn - Alabama on ESPN-HD at halftime, you should have heard the gasps!

Brad

I watched via TWC, and I also noticed several times where they also switched to the standard def broadcast to combat signal issues.

Overall, I was pleased.

Originally posted by Craash
I watched via TWC, and I also noticed several times where they also switched to the standard def broadcast to combat signal issues.

Overall, I was pleased.

The problems with yesterday's Chief's game appear to have been with the network feed, not with the affiliate. I was fortunate enough yesterday to be able to compare the feed as presented by KCTV in KC, WIBW in Topeka, and DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket.

The audio dropouts, microphone pops, video breakups, low-light pixelation, and SD fallbacks were happening on all three pipes.

I got the feeling that weather was causing uplink problems from Arrowhead, and that they may have had one of their older HD rigs out there given the large number of SD cameras that were in use.

Chiefs vs. Broncos in HD on December 7, 3:15 pm, CBS!!!!

This appears on the DirecTV Sunday Ticket site as of today. I appologize if someone else already posted this, but I hadn't seen it yet.

Brad

CBS is not in HD right now. Yes, Dear is on

Well now I'm know I'm not crazy for spending an hour jiggling digital rabbit ears to get Digital KCTV's Chiefs game to come in. I had so many problems the very next day I upgraded to Comcast Digital Cable with the HDTV. I noticed after hooking it up last night that KCTV still has pixelization issues and audio dropouts. Is that an issue with KCTV? or Comcast?
Greg

Did anybody watch MNF last night? Was KMBC's HD back on? Was DD5.1 up yet?

Brad

Yea, watched MNF and it was in HD except for a few times they dropped to SD (Assuming it was because of network problems because it was in the middle of plays and not after commercials like they forgot to hit the GO button.)

Originally posted by Bradtothebone
Did anybody watch MNF last night? Was KMBC's HD back on? Was DD5.1 up yet?

Brad

My Sony reciever only showed 2/0. Never got the blue light for 5.1.

As for TWC. The "digital" channels look good but anything lower (from channel 72 down) aren't that great (kind of grainy). I have the Pioneer box hooked up to a Samsung TXN3271HF via component cables. Has anyone else had this problem and if so do you have a solution?

I noticed that when KMBC does the ticker on the bottom of the screen for the contest they are doing etc. they apparently have to drop to SD.

I talked with a service tech from Comcast today and he stated that just today their techs had fixed a problem with their HD delivery equipment, he didn't know exactly what the problem was, but stated it had been a problem for a while. Hopefully all the Comcast customers are now getting thier HD without any problems. I see KCTV is still having problems with the echo/audio problems as well as flipping the switch when they need to...

jocycliff,
I noticed yesterday night that the SD channels looked really grainy also. I had never noticed this before... but I was comparing the new CBS HD channel to the SD one. There was a huge difference, till I noticed that all of the SD channels were looking grainier than I remembered.

At this point, and following the unexplained loss of the Pioneer STB's ability to letterbox 1080i (letterbox=squeeze now) a couple of weeks ago, the paranoid in me wondered if they turned up the compression on the SD stuff to create more of a difference (or free up some bandwidth for the new channel).

I had recently read others stating that the FOX SD feed was better than the HD feed in their opinion, and I was going to check that for "24", but it's definitely not now...


-CF


<no digital channels, only free HD>
Samsung TXM3297HF
Pioneer Voyager (TWC) STB

Avalanche93,
thats interesting. Last night I tried to watch the KU game on ESPNHD. It started out fine then I started getting dropouts and pixelization to the point where it was unwatchable. I switched over to my DirecTV ESPNHD channel and it was fine. Also, INHD looked fine, KMBC was fine but KCTV was horrible with the echo/audio problem. It was totally unacceptable. KSHB had some dropouts also. It is my understanding that Comcast gets the local digital channels through a OTA digital tunner. The fact that KMBC's tower is off I-435 and close helps. I think KSHB's new tower is fairly close to Comcast also. So the problem may be KCTV and their tower location downtown. I'm curious, since I've only had Comcast digital for a day what others are experiencing in regards to their HDTV channels. Anyone????
Greg

I have had Comcast for about 1 month and this has been a big deal. I get pixelation and audio drop outs regularly. I haven't had a tech out yet to see if they can fix the problems. My problems aren't limited to any one channel.

I had D* before and didn't have these problems, so I am certain my cable run is ok.

I watched the beginning of the KU game on ESPNHD and I thought quality was average, it was not up to HDTV standards. I didn't think they were broadcasting an HD signal, most of the time ESPNHD doesn't. I didn't know the game was on any other channels and didn't try them.

Are others able to get the Fox digital channel on Comcast?

The KU game was SD and put up on ESPNHD. I don't understand why the problem (dropouts and pixelization) would appear on a satellite feed to comcast and not a satellite feed to DirecTV. Also, I would suspect the locals signal to Comcast, but then you see it on ESPNHD. I have a tech coming over saturday to check my system, but I know everything on my end is fine. My guess is that it is a receiving problem at Comcast or transmission thing down the fiber to us subscribers. Thoughts?
Greg

gps, your observations of Comcast last night are exactly the same as mine in Greenwood. The CBS problems were the local affiliate. My brother watched it over the air and it had the same problems.
Does anybody have any contacts in Comcast that can see to this getting fixed? It has been happening for weeks now, and the CSR's are completely oblivious to the problem. A tech coming to your house will solve nothing.

"Happy Thanksgiving to all you loyal Kansas City HDTV broadcasters and viewers." Kansas City is in the big league now with ABC, CBS, NBC, UPN and PBS broadcasting in full power 19.2mbs 1080i and 720p HDTV. Hopefully by next Thanksgiving day KSMO and WDAF will join the big leagues of full power HDTV broadcasting. Did you see all the newspaper ads today for HDTV'S on sale? HDTV is here to stay in Kansas City. Maybe someday soon we will see a local newsevent broadcast in HDTV (Plaza Christmas lighting).

The Miami / Dallas game wasn't in HD.
I called the newsroom and they said that they would talk to
master control.
Like magic, it's now in HD!

will cbs be showing college basketball games in hdtv this year? If so, is there a schedule that is already published?

I noticed during the college game on CBS today that the yellow first down stripe did not appear on the HD feed (channel 182/comcast) and it was there on the analog feed. Same thing last week on the Chiefs game. What's up with that? ABC and ESPN don't seem to have that problem.

Ok, was watching Colts/Patriots game, which was beautiful in HD if I may add, but when the Cheifs game was on, it was crappy old SD. Soooo, me with little patience gets on the phone with Comcast only to have the CS guy tell me that it is not a problem with the feed, it was that they only show one game in HD and they chose the Colts game. Ok, seeing that we live in KC, why in the hell would they do that? Or did he lie to me?

Another thing, this pixelation thing with the HD channels is driving me crazy. I have thought about picking up an amp to try to fix this problem but I dont know if it even will make a difference. Just frustrated now and babbling.....

It's not comcast or your local affil. who makes the call on which game to show in HD. CBS makes the call as to which "game of the week" will be broadcast in HD.

GVbhunt,
I think CBS only has one HD NFL broadcast each Sunday or it seems that way. I just picked up a Zenith tuner on Friday from the Independence CC so the Colts game was my first NFL HD experience. They had some out of box units for $239.00.
Somewhere in this thread (its getting almost too big to manage, working backwards from this post would be the easiest way to find it) was a link to weekend HD sports. That's where I saw that the Chiefs were not HD this weekend. I also saw a message that said the Chiefs/Broncos game was in HD next Sunday.

I may be asking a redundant question but does anyone have a link on up to date KC HD TV listings? Is there daily updated source?

Bubba

Here is the CBS Sportsline NFL Schedule (http://cbs.sportsline.com/u/cbs/schedule/nfl.htm). HDTV games are noted as such.

Bubba

Try Titan TV (http://www.titantv.com). It does a great job of showing what all the current HD channels are showing that night. Dont try to use their guide though, it will not show you any Comcast HD channels except for HBO, Showtime, and ESPN. Not too surprising since Comcast's website has a section for showing their HDTV Lineup as well but that page has been blank for a long time... :)

B

An excellent reference is the HDTV Programming forum - all of the Notes at the top of the forum will link you to most everything you're looking for (with the possible exception of what Comcast is doing locally here in KC).

Kendal

Did anyone else experieince OTA problems with ABC's MNF last night?
I noticed many audio drops last night as well as some heavy pixelation during Monday Night Football on KCTV 9's feed.

Did any other OTA folks experience the same? How were the cable feeds?

Thanks for the feedback: I am trying to determine if I need to tweek more on the antenna or if the problem lies in the KCTV 9 equipment room. I am in Olathe and receive OTA broadcasts via a Sony HD200.

What is the best way to get OTA HD channels with my setup? I have dish network for the moment. Am planning on getting the 811 soon. Have been reading about people receiving OTA HD channels and was wondering how I go about doing this. I believe I read a post saying I didnt need to set up a OTA in my attic/roof because I could diplex off my satellite. What exactly does that mean?

js615-
All of my HD channels through Comcast were out last night. Most of them wouldn't even show an image. They seemed to be working this morning but I didn't have time to watch much to make sure they're not breaking up.

Any other Comcast users have issues last night?

Jerm,

How many HD channels do you get via comcast or OTA?

Thanks

I get 9 HD channels via Comcast. No OTA... I think the problem with Comcast is if one of your channels is newer or having an issue it always seems to screw a couple of the other ones up. When it's working properly it's great but that seems to be a lot less often than I'd like. However last night was the first time I've had no HD for quite awhile...

After Xmas I plan on upgrading my set to one with a built in tuner for OTA capabilities...

Doesnt the comcast receiver have a input for OTA?

I am a bit new to all of this and wasnt sure. I believe my dish network receiver does and was thinking of switching to Comcast.

No ota with comcast...

Originally posted by js615
Did anyone else experieince OTA problems with ABC's MNF last night?
I noticed many audio drops last night as well as some heavy pixelation during Monday Night Football on KCTV 9's feed.

Did any other OTA folks experience the same? How were the cable feeds?

Thanks for the feedback: I am trying to determine if I need to tweek more on the antenna or if the problem lies in the KCTV 9 equipment room. I am in Olathe and receive OTA broadcasts via a Sony HD200.

js615

I didnt notice any more than usual, but I get a corruption about every 10 min or so and have since I started getting OTA even though I have 100% power.
Picture looks fine except for those times, no pixelation.

Jerm

Not only were my HD channels unwatchable last night (not just normal pixelation, but complete poop) but I was actually getting pixelation on the SD digital channels. Seemed to be back to normal close to midnight but I had to watch MNF on an Analog channel.

Odd that folks were having trouble with other channels as well. I was able to receive CBS and NBS just fine (CSI Miami and Las Vegas both looked great) but ABC was unwatchable.

I might be mistaken, but I think ABC might be on the UHF end of the frequency spectrum and the other KC locals are broadcasting in the VHF range (or the other way around). I was going to surmise that since ABC was the only channel I was having trouble with, that I might have to adjust the antenna for the UHF. However, I am perplexed since others have reported trouble on additional channels.

Like Michael, I have good signal (at least the Sony's internal signal strength indicator shows good to normal strength) for most programming. However, the ABC signal does seem to fluctuate up and down; however, it does not drop below "good" on the scale. Yet, with most ABC HD broadcasts, I notice more pixelation and audio drops than with all other HD channels combined.

Thoughts?

As far as pixelation with Comcast, I had a Comcast tech out to my house last weekend. He measured signal strength and we noticed a 6-8 db dropoff at the splitter, then another 6db dropoff at my second splitter where my hdtv feed goes into, thats 12-14 db loss by the time it gets to my Comcast box. So I bought a RF amplifier, and switched my HDTV feed to the first splitter and all of my pixelation went away. It looked great all weekend. I don't know about Comcast last night, (wasn't home), but I will watch tonight and give a progress report.
Greg

Originally posted by jeffvb9
What is the best way to get OTA HD channels with my setup? I have dish network for the moment. Am planning on getting the 811 soon. Have been reading about people receiving OTA HD channels and was wondering how I go about doing this. I believe I read a post saying I didnt need to set up a OTA in my attic/roof because I could diplex off my satellite. What exactly does that mean?

With your Dish 811, you WILL need to install an outdoor or attic antenna to receive local OTA channels. The good news is that, unless you live in a "hole," an attic antenna should suffice. You'll need a combination VHF/UHF, because KMBC, Channel 9 (DT channel 7) is VHF; the others are all UHF. You should be able to get all the stations by aiming your antenna northeast, but you may have to do a little tweaking. You WON'T be able to get WDAF-DT (Fox), as their power is way too low, but they're not HD yet, anyway.

You can run both the satellite signal and the OTA signal on one RG-6 cable if you use a "diplexer" at each end, i.e. where the two combine and at the receiver to separate the two signals. You can buy these at Radio Shack or Lowes, to name a couple of places. If your satellite dish and antenna are in close proximity, you may want to do that. You can get a lot of help on wiring from many experts at either satelliteguys.us or dbstalk.com.

Hope this helps.......

Brad

Thanks for the info Brad.

I can tell you that it was not the ABC network signal as my feed from Time Warner Cable in OP for MNF looked great last night.

Mike

Originally posted by js615
Did anyone else experieince OTA problems with ABC's MNF last night?
I'm just south of OP and didn't have any problems with MNF last night. I have chimney mounted antenna for the local HD channels.

The complete outake from last night seems to be fixed.

Suprisingly, I didn't notice any of the ocassional glitches that have plagued all the HD channels since CBS HD was added.

Any news on when the TWC HD dvr will be out? Rumors were end of the year. THis is the SA8000HD box I believe.

I just posted to the yahoo group about this. Green Bay is starting to roll it out now, and when I asked my buddy in engineering at TWCKC he said this:

We are a Beta site in January. I thought of you when we decided to kick the tires on this one. The delay to January is because we are a Passport site. The early sites are SARA guide sites.

Sara is the SA "operating system" while Passport is developed by Pioneer with input from local cableco's.

As much as I would love to have the box now, it's worth the wait to have the Passport OS.

Craash,

Does that mean that the 8000HD will be generally available to TWC-KC customers next month, or will you have to be a beta tester to get it? If so, any idea what one needs to do to be one of the beta testers?

Well, the current model (explorer 8000) was pushed back 2 different times - i.e. it was due in January for beta, but didn't start testing until February and was set to go gold in March but didn't until April.

So, IF beta stars in January (and only beta testers will have the early boxes), I would expect it to become available to the general public 1-2 months after that. I would be surprised if you could pick it up at your cable store (the last stage which happens once a box has good supply and is deemed "stable) before the end of March. Understand, this is totally a guess on my part based on experience with other boxes (Exp. 8000, Pioneer HD, SA HD, ect).

As far as becoming a beta tester, they usually have a fairly small group just because it isn't a situation where there are many different configurations like there is in the pc world (roadrunner had a large group of "earlybirds"). You pretty much have cable in, and one of 4 or 5 configurations for source out. This means it is very difficult to get an early box as a beta tester.

How about one more teaser? I had asked about the drive size (80 or 160 GB depending on the Cableco) my buddy said the following:

The S/A answer for storage is external 1394 boxes

I realize that currently the firewire ports are inactive, but this does give me hope. Imagine slapping a firewire box that accepts normal hard drives next to your 8000HD. You could have a drive that you archived Football on, one for . . . well, what else is there? :-)

Anyway, it may or may not happen, but the fact that SA thinks that way excites me.

Ok, ONE more teaser.

Multi-Room should show up in 04 Q1--2 also.

Craash, excellent info, thanks for the continued updates.

GaryBernhardt,
You posted a couple of pages back about your Comcast dropouts and pixilation. You stated that since you never had problems with D* that you know you wiring is good. Well, that may seem correct, however, D* uses higher compression rates on all of their signals due to the fact that all satellite has less bandwidth than cable. So, the fact they are pushing less bandwidth and using higher compression means less need for quality cabling. In fact, when I was installing cable for TWC about 4-5 yrs ago, there were houses I would have to completely redo when they switched due to the fact that D* would install all RG59 Coax, and the digital services for TWC required RG6. I would assume that you have a decent amount of Db loss from splitters in your house and this is going to be your issue, depending on when your D* was installed. I would find it hard to believe that D* would still be using RG59 at this point, so if it was installed within the last 5 yrs, you should be OK on cable type. Also, the cable tech should have noticed if you were still using RG59(unless he just didn't do good work).

Hope that helps.

Stole this idea from Bradtothebone. Thought we could keep updated/edited/sorted and re-post periodically. Last on the list = the best, first on the list = worst and needs some pressure etc.

KC OTA outstanding issues list (incomplete!)

WDAF (FOX) - adequate POWER, HD, DD5.1, Program guide
KMCI (?) - HD, DD5.1, Program guide
KCMO (WB) - HD, DD5.1, Program guide
KPXE (PAX) - HD, DD5.1, Program guide
KCWE (UPN) - DD5.1, Program guide
KCPT (KCPT) - DD5.1, Program guide
KSHB (NBC) - DD5.1, Program guide
KCTV (CBS) - DD5.1, Program guide
KMBC (ABC) - DD5.1, Program guide more than 24 hrs ahead

I thought I posted this but dont see it, maybe I am losing my mind.
Anyway this is off subject but you guys are local.
Has anyone rented a colorfacts unit to calibrate their HD set?
Or know of someone that does this? ISF?
I searched and found some people on ISF but wanted to know if anyone had any dealings with someone etc.

craash

what is the usergroup for yahoo?

Josh

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/explorer_8000/

Yahoo Group dedicated to the 8000 (SARA and Passport).

Signup IS required (free).

Michael, I would also like to get a color analyzer, haven't found anyone in the area to rent one, but if you go to the ISF homepage, you can search for calibrators in the area. I just had a buddy get one done by an individual listed in the Kansas section, and he was pleased. Unfortunately, I don't want to drop the 250-300 to get it done(OK, wife won't let me).

Michael, just found this:

http://www.milori.com/products/cf6500/color_analyzer_rental.asp

What OTA Antenna's are all you using? I live in Olathe and wanting to possibly put up a antenna. Havent decided on the attic or roof as of yet.