I just re-ran antenna setup on my HR20 and lo and behold WIVT is up.:) The signal strength is much higher here than what DT4 provided.
That was a very well orchestrated changeover.
I reran my antenna setup this morning right before I left for work at 7:30 and 34 came in then, so Tribune, D* and WIVT really had it all together. Unfortunately I didn't have time to post before I left for work, but I see you figured it out for yourself. :) What are you getting for signal strength on your HR20? I'm getting 95-98% (used to get 70-75% when they were on 4).

I had emailed my contact at Tribune at the beginning of the month, but they didn't get back to me until this week and led me to believe they hadn't done anything, but I'm assuming they did. You will have to most likely resetup any Series Links you have for WIVT (if you have any since I know you have WABC).

The red scrollers at the top are EAS warnings, and they are controlled by Time Warner.
I was just watching the CW on 12.2 via my antenna and the red scroll came across the top announcing the flash flood warning in affect for tonight. Now obviously 12.2 is not in 16:9 HD, nor was the show on 12.1 at the time, so we answer the question of whether the red scroll can be done in HD by WBNG, but we can - I think - definitely say that those red scrollers are not controlled by TW, or at least not exclusively.

And some pretty good boomers going off here now too.

... What are you getting for signal strength on your HR20? I'm getting 95-98% (used to get 70-75% when they were on 4).
...My DT34 signal strengths on my HR20 fluctuate between 75 and 85%. Much lower when they were on DT4. Remember I have Crocker Hill between the towers and my antenna in Chenango Bridge. You probably have a more direct line of sight in Vestal. I haven't set any SLs for WIVT as I also have DNS for all four networks, which I'll keep as long as I can. :)

I think - definitely say that those red scrollers are not controlled by TW, or at least not exclusively.



I'm not sure why he would say they were controlled by TW in the first place. A quick search on EAS shows this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_Alert_System

EAS is government cotrolled by the FCC. Time Warner has nothing to do with it at all. There isn't any mention of TWC anywhere. This link also says that EAS isn't just used for weather alerts...it's used for any alert that the government might want to get out to the public in a hurry....

I've seen messages on the SA boxes before, where it's overlayed on every single channel. So I guess that could be some other kind of system besides EAS, but it was for severe weather. Cable systems with Motorola, when the box auto-tunes and locks to the channel that displays the crawler, "EAS" shows up in the LCD display in front. So cable systems also have some kind of equipment to broadcast EAS alerts or force you to view the message, be it a scroller overlay on the output from the cable box to your TV, or forcing you to watch a specific channel that the message is scrolled on.

My DT34 signal strengths on my HR20 fluctuate between 75 and 85%. Much lower when they were on DT4.

How does this compare to DT42?

How does this compare to DT42?DT42 is also 75 - 85%.

It sure was nice watching this week's Defying Gravity without all the micro breakups every 30 seconds or so with the old channel 4 transmitter.

Yes, the picture is very stable, even here in Chenango Bridge. (Although I'm still stuck in the mindset to record ABC from DirecTV.)

Any word when NBC will be added as a subchannel to WIVT?

I've heard "not too distant future," but I guess that's open to interpretation.

When it does happen, will they letter box the content? I ask rhetorically!:)

How many people in the binghamton area are receiving WETM18 and if you dont mind, what antenna setup are you using? I would like to pick this station up but my current antenna is not up to par. thanks!

I haven't tried yet as it would require either a rotor or a second antenna.

What antenna do you have now and have you aimed it toward Elmira?

See N2VWZ's post #2270 above for what he's done.

I was just channel surfing and noticed Live with Regis in HD on WIVT. They must have gotten their equipment installed to allow them to record and air syndicated HD. We'll have to check the other syndicated HD shows (Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy) on WIVT to see if they too are in HD now.

(I will admit the PQ of Regis doesn't look the best, but it does look better than widescreen SD to me, so I think it is HD. Just as 2.5 Men in HD doesn't look as good on WICZ in syndication as the first runs do on WBNG.)

...
(I will admit the PQ of Regis doesn't look the best, but it does look better than widescreen SD to me, so I think it is HD. Just as 2.5 Men in HD doesn't look as good on WICZ in syndication as the first runs do on WBNG.)WABC PQ for Regis is also a little soft. I think that's because Regis doesn't want his wrinkles to show that well. :)

I stayed around long enough to check if the Ellen show at 10 was HD but it was 4:3 SD (maybe because it was a repeat from the spring?). I'll try to remember to check Wheel and/or Jeopardy tonight.

To anybody that's interested- we now have The CW on 36.3. You'll have to re-scan to pick it up.

Cheers,
TLS

Too bad it won't be HD. Just like The CW on 12-2 here in Bingahmton. I guess it's better than not having it.

Edit, to add that Wheel of Fortune on WIVTDT (34-1) is SD.

The key word in the title of the show "Live with Regis and Kelly" is the word "Live." As in, no need to record and play it back, if it's shown live at 9AM.

- Trip

Wheel of Fortune on WIVTDT (34-1) is SD.
Yeah I saw that. Program description said it first aired 3/19/09 and was a repeat just like Ellen, while Regis was new today. Maybe that's got something to do with it. I've got an email into my WIVT contact.
The key word in the title of the show "Live with Regis and Kelly" is the word "Live." As in, no need to record and play it back, if it's shown live at 9AM.
- Trip
Yes it's live, but it's not a network show like GMA or The View or Evening News, but rather is a syndicated show that could be on an NBC affiliate in one city, CBS in another, ABC in another, etc. Last we knew (or I knew) was that WIVT did not have the ability to "receive or deliver" syndicated HD programs, though I believe they were working to rectify that.

Maybe they can now "receive and deliver" live syndicated HD (like Regis), but not record and deliver taped syndicated HD (like Wheel or Jeopardy).

I won't be home to see Regis tomorrow - any chance someone can tune in to see if it's HD or not? Suppose I could record to see for myself tomorrow night. (Kinda wish I had paused it and taken a picture and posted here just so you all didn't think I was nuts!)

To anybody that's interested- we now have The CW on 36.3. You'll have to re-scan to pick it up.

Cheers,
TLS

How 'bout that. Actually, no need to rescan with a Zenith 901 converter as long as 36 is programmed.

OK, so I recorded Regis today and just checked it and upon further review, it's 16:9 SD. But I guess at least that's something that it's widescreen as it always used to be letterboxed 4:3.

When I saw it yesterday I was trying to get my 3 year old out the door to daycare and me off to work without being late and I didn't have time to really look at it other than to see it was 16:9.

(And yes, this is coming from WIVT via my antenna connected to my D* HD DVR.)

I recorded Regis today from WABC, DirecTV ch 396. As I said before the PQ is soft, but better than SD. I think Regis wants it soft to hide his wrinkles. :)

I may remembet to record it from WIVT and report next week.

Yeah it would be nice to have a comparison between known HD (from WABC) and WIVT.

Looks like we'll need to wait until Tuesday to check PQ.
The Jerry Lewis telethon is pre-empting a lot tomorrow.

The PQ of "Live with Regis & Kelly" on WIVT looks the same as with WABC. Soft to protect Regis.:)

Yeah today's Regis on WIVT looked a little better than last weeks, but still soft like you say.

I was a little surprised that today's season premiere of Ellen was SD. I wonder why Regis is the only syndicated HD WIVT is airing?

Ellen has supposed to have been in HD since last year.

Maybe it is the difference between "live" and syndicated?

Ellen has supposed to have been in HD since last year.

Maybe it is the difference between "live" and syndicated?

Bingo. Live is fed live at 9AM. Ellen is fed at 6AM with an 8AM refeed, and thus must be recorded for air later in the day.

- Trip

But why wasn't Regis in HD on WIVT since January when it went HD? I believe something must have changed/been installed at WIVT recently to allow them to receive and retransmit syndicated Regis in HD. Or else something changed in how Regis is distributed.

I wonder when WIVT and the other stations here will be able to record syndicated HD for later showing? I ask rhetorically. :)

Speaking of HD syndication, I noticed Seinfeld was in 16:9 on WICZ when I was in the area this weekend. I can't really tell if it's real HD or not, and there is a big debate over Seinfeld's syndication episodes and how they aren't really "HD", but Sony remastered them and stations with the proper equipment can show the remastered versions now.

WICZ has the ability to do Syndication HD.

Oh yeah, I have noticed that Seinfeld was HD at 11pm?

Now, when will the station studios be set up for HD news?

Got an email from my contact at WIVT and they said the new digital transmitter should be operation the 1st week of August if not sooner. Keeping my fingers crossed that all goes well. Should be interesting to see how D* HD DVRs react to the actual channel changing from 4 to 34.



I haven't had such great luck with the new WIVT--channel 34.1--transmitter up in Oxford, NY:

We used to receive them at 100 percent signal strength, with only occasional dropouts/errors (mostly in the Summer months); the other Binghamton affiliates still register at maximum, while PBS comes through in the mid-seventies...

Now, however, we can't pull them in; signal strength is down 75%! Our new maximum hovers around 25...not even enough to organize an image. I can only conclude they're not broadcasting at the same output level, or have moved their transmitter behind an obstruction. We've fallen off "the digital cliff!"

Any word on whether the station's still testing? Or is this the level of performance I can expect from them from now on?


Thanks,

--Jack

What antenna are you using? My antenna was marginal at best on WIVT's ch4, but now that they have moved back to ch34, it has been rock solid. Now when the leaves on the trees fall, that might change.

What antenna are you using? My antenna was marginal at best on WIVT's ch4, but now that they have moved back to ch34, it has been rock solid. Now when the leaves on the trees fall, that might change.



It's a rooftop model, though I'm not precisely sure of the type (degree of directionality, etc.) I'll do some research and see if can can type it. But it's the same equipment, and in exactly the same orientation we were previously able to pull in 34.1 with at 100 percent, so I'd be surprised if the issue were the antenna. It still manages all the PBS stations at 75 percent, and CBS and Fox at 100...

Here's a good resource for availability of OTA.
http://www.tvfool.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=66&Itemid=1
And there is this one.
http://antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx

But, you probably knew of at least one of these.

Thanks for the links. For the record, I've done a full sweep with my antenna, which is amplified and on a rotater...re-scanning all the while with my digital tuner and that aforementioned 25 percent remained the max from 34.1...

Whatever's changed, it certainly hasn't been to my advantage!





Here's a good resource for availability of OTA.
http://www.tvfool.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=66&Itemid=1
And there is this one.
http://antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx

But, you probably knew of at least one of these.

Just a thought. Try it without the amplifier and see if it helps. I might be overpowering the tuner.

Anyone know anything about WKTV (NBC out of Utica) and Time Warner? I'm in Oneonta, and the lack of NBC in HD is ridiculous.

Maybe the Syracuse/Utice discussion thread has something.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17154820#post17154820

yeah i checked there first. no new news. i just sent a letter off to the station manager. so i'll see what he has to say.

We think we found the problem with the audio on the CBS stream- do any of you guys still hear the "popping" or "ticking" on the right channel ? Thanks

TLS

Thanks for the links. For the record, I've done a full sweep with my antenna, which is amplified and on a rotater...re-scanning all the while with my digital tuner and that aforementioned 25 percent remained the max from 34.1...

Whatever's changed, it certainly hasn't been to my advantage!

I know of several people on outlying areas of Chenango & Tioga counties who totally lost 34 once they switched back to physical 34 from physical 4. I'm in Apalachin and before on ch 4 they were 100% ... now the same setup shows them around 70% .... while PBS used to be weakest at 80%, granted my antenna is nothing special, but they seem to now have the worst coverage of any Binghamton station. We can hope they are not at full power, but I'm betting their digital coverage is nothing like the analog was. My friend in western Tioga county now has no ABC reception with top of the line antenna/amp. He was not happy! And no he can not get Elmira 36 either.

Just a thought. Try it without the amplifier and see if it helps. I might be overpowering the tuner.




Thanks, I'll give it a shot.

I know of several people on outlying areas of Chenango & Tioga counties who totally lost 34 once they switched back to physical 34 from physical 4. I'm in Apalachin and before on ch 4 they were 100% ... now the same setup shows them around 70% .... while PBS used to be weakest at 80%, granted my antenna is nothing special, but they seem to now have the worst coverage of any Binghamton station. We can hope they are not at full power, but I'm betting their digital coverage is nothing like the analog was. My friend in western Tioga county now has no ABC reception with top of the line antenna/amp. He was not happy! And no he can not get Elmira 36 either.



It's ridiculous; mine being a seventy percent drop. I've only seen a flicker from 34 since the change. About thirty seconds of pixelated image and garbled sound. Nothing since.

If it isn't a power issue, could the transmitter itself be in a new location? And was 34 not using a dedicated, digital transmitter before?

I may give the station a call, see if they can offer an explanation. Fingers crossed that they're in a "warm-up" phase, just waiting to kick their equipment into full power. Of course, not knowing anything about broadcast technology, it's a good bet that makes no sense whatsoever.


Thanks for your input,


Jack

To my knowledge the transmitter location hasn't changed.
When they made the transition from freq 4 to freq 34 I didn't do anything to my antenna. In fact, as I stated earlier, my reception has been perfect.

How far are you from the tower? And, you didn't say what antenna model you're using.

Althou the location is the same ... it is not the same antenna, you would expect the Ch 34 antenna would be at a higher (beter) location up the tower than the ch 4. It appears that the VHF signals are propagating this area better than UHF, 12 & 40 are 100% and 34 & 46 are in the mud with a Channel Master CM4228 + 7777 amp, (about as good as it gets!) You can play the this model vs that model antenna, but if there is almost no singal with this setup, the minor improvements of another is not going to cut it.

JackN, please let us know what the station has to say ... Tnx

Maybe the higher elevation of the transmitter is why my Winegard 7084 is getting 34 better now than when they were using ch 4. Did I mention that I have a hill in between my antenna and the towers, which are 9 miles away as the bird flies?

any one know why the early show on CBS is not in HD on WBNG? Is this CBS or WBNG?

Because the Early Show is not produced in HD.

- Trip

Did anyone else notice a lot of minor breakups during Fringe last night (9/17)? About every 5 minutes there would be a minor video breakup and then sometimes a minor audio breakup that my AV receiver would pickup (the display changes on the front when the audio stops or starts). I honestly couldn't hear the audio breakups, nor was the video breakups bad enough to make it unwatchable. Just wondering if it was WICZ or the Fox feed.

I just took a look at my recording of the NY Fox feed (DirecTV ch 396) and saw/heard no problems.

Did anyone else notice a lot of minor breakups during Fringe last night? About every 5 minutes there would be a minor video breakup and then sometimes a minor audio breakup that my AV receiver would pickup (the display changes on the front when the audio stops or starts). I honestly couldn't hear the audio breakups, nor was the video breakups bad enough to make it unwatchable. Just wondering if it was WICZ or the Fox feed.

Just watched Fringe recorded from TWC using HTPC & QAM Tuner. Fringe was 100% no breakups at all. :)

I just wish WICZ would tone down their volume on the local commercials .... rough on the old ears! :mad:

Just watched Fringe recorded from TWC using HTPC & QAM Tuner. Fringe was 100% no breakups at all. :)

I just wish WICZ would tone down their volume on the local commercials .... rough on the old ears! :mad:

If you recorded it on a HTPC then why are you watching commercials?

[QUOTE=bidger;17207814]If you recorded it on a HTPC then why are you watching commercials?[/QUOTE

You must have a real fast remote finger if you completely miss every commercial:D

Actually I have my commercial detect s/w set to pass the first and last second of the commercials just to make sure I don't miss a single second of Fringe.... also the local channels flipping from widescreen to non-widescreen tends to fool the s/w at times which means I have to lift the remote & actually push a botton :(

Did anyone else notice a lot of minor breakups during Fringe last night? About every 5 minutes there would be a minor video breakup and then sometimes a minor audio breakup that my AV receiver would pickup (the display changes on the front when the audio stops or starts). I honestly couldn't hear the audio breakups, nor was the video breakups bad enough to make it unwatchable. Just wondering if it was WICZ or the Fox feed.



Looked clean to me. What I see a lot of with Fox is their clumsy or forgetful transitioning back from local SD and regional ads to primetime HD; it can take them minutes on end. One night, they failed to swtich over for twenty minutes... It's either a technical problem, or human error on their part. I dropped them an e-mail about it, and things improved for a while...but then got dodgy again.

And another thing: On a few occasions, I thought I detected compression in their signal to an extent where the color was dropping out of the image. Last season during "Fringe," for example: Flesh tones faded out a time or two, while the rest of the image was stable. Manifested the same way on different tuners, so it seemed to be their signal...

What I see a lot of with Fox is their clumsy or forgetful transitioning back from local SD and regional ads to primetime HD.



Classic example of this: The first few minutes of the season premiere of House were SD...before they eventually kicked it over to hi def. Annoying!

And what about the INCREDIBLY annoying volume shift between SD (commercials) and HD (when they actually remember to switch to it)...

I guess I'll continue to use NY Fox for my recordings. :)
I seem to forget about watching our locals. :(

And what about the INCREDIBLY annoying volume shift between SD (commercials) and HD (when they actually remember to switch to it)...




Yep, pretty bad. They're the only affiliate that has this problem. 34 (ABC)--when I got them--transitioned smoothly, as does WBNG. You'd think FOX would be able to sort this out; fix the hardware...or at least get quality help that could be troubled to be on the stick for prompt switch-overs.

This brings up the question of why aren't the switch overs automatic? I ask rhetorically!!

Answer: $$$

this happened on Fox last night during Hells Kitchen too

I am looking to buy my first home, I almost bought this location in vestal just based on their tvfool:

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d8ecd07297dcb03

just take a look :- )

this happened on Fox last night during Hells Kitchen too





Last season, it took them twenty minutes--an all time record!--to kick Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles over to HD for the beginning of the primetime block.

Did anyone else notice a lot of minor breakups during Fringe last night (9/17)? About every 5 minutes there would be a minor video breakup and then sometimes a minor audio breakup that my AV receiver would pickup (the display changes on the front when the audio stops or starts). I honestly couldn't hear the audio breakups, nor was the video breakups bad enough to make it unwatchable.
I again had the same minor issues with the 9/24 Fringe. I don't get it because my signal strength for WICZ is 98 - 100%, and I never have these glitches with Hell's Kitchen or So You Think You Can Dance or 24 or the defunct Prison Break or Terminator: Sarah Conner Chronicles. I only have these issues with Fringe, and I seem to recall having them last season too with Fringe. I just don't get it.

That does seem weird.
But, then you need to consider the name of show. :D

I again had the same minor issues with the 9/24 Fringe. I don't get it because my signal strength for WICZ is 98 - 100%, and I never have these glitches with Hell's Kitchen or So You Think You Can Dance or 24 or the defunct Prison Break or Terminator: Sarah Conner Chronicles. I only have these issues with Fringe, and I seem to recall having them last season too with Fringe. I just don't get it.




Yes: I noticed one, minor instance of image breakup, w/no audio distortion.

Anyone know what happened to my OTA 34.1? It has been gone for at least a month now.

Anyone know what happened to my OTA 34.1? It has been gone for at least a month now.

Have you done a rescan since it was moved from VHF 4, to UHF 34? This i the first thing I would check.

Yep, that's the first thing that I did as well. I used to get abc almost perfect and now I get nothing. I also used to pick up fox pretty good and now that only comes in once in a while. Could it be my antenna?

Yep, that's the first thing that I did as well. I used to get abc almost perfect and now I get nothing. I also used to pick up fox pretty good and now that only comes in once in a while. Could it be my antenna?




We lost them as well, after years of getting them at 100 percent strength. Supposedly they're still there, with a new transmitter. I can punch up diagnostics for 34.1 and detect a signal (now 22 %; not sufficient for picture/sound), but at a fraction of the former strength. So they're either more obstructed in a new location, or just not broadcasting at the same power. This "digital cliff" aspect of going digital is a significant drawback, with its "all or nothing" reception. How many who bought coverters were shocked to find they couldn't receive the digitally transitioned versions of the local affiliates they'd long viewed in decent analog quality?

This is weird. I actually receive WIVT better now that they transitioned to ch 34.

This is weird. I actually receive WIVT better now that they transitioned to ch 34.




I never received them anywhere but 34.1 (digital), until they put the new transmitter in place.

What you thought was 34.1 before the transition was actually 4.1. They used frequency 4 when they went digital. Your TV used the PSIP information to display the channel as 34.1. This is why many had to rescan their TV after they put their new transmitter on line to get the new frequency.

I could never tune 34, when it was on ch 4, but now it tunes well. Oddly today both 40.1 and 40.2 do not go above about 20% signal. Everything else works well though.

How many who bought coverters were shocked to find they couldn't receive the digitally transitioned versions of the local affiliates they'd long viewed in decent analog quality?
Just as a flip side, my grandma could not receive some of the Rochester digital stations while analog was still on, but once analog was shut off she was able to get them all in digital. I'm sure that's of little comfort to you, but the analog shut off did help some people too.

Also, your problem really has nothing to do with the analog shut off - your problem has to do with WIVT changing their digital channel from 4 to 34 which was done about 2 months after the analog shut off. Maybe try a rescan again to see if it helps now?

We lost them as well, after years of getting them at 100 percent strength. Supposedly they're still there, with a new transmitter. I can punch up diagnostics for 34.1 and detect a signal (now 22 %; not sufficient for picture/sound), but at a fraction of the former strength. So they're either more obstructed in a new location, or just not broadcasting at the same power.
If I'm reading all the info right, WIVT's new digital 34 transmitter is broadcasting at 345 kw compared to 1.5 kw for their old digital 4 transmitter. The new 34 transmitter is 278 m Height Above Average Terrain (HAAT) compared to 263 m HAAT for old 4 transmitter.

Maybe their new broadcasting power is too strong for your equipment? Maybe try an attenuator? Plus the transmitter is now 15 meters (about 50 feet) higher on the tower now, so I can't see how that could hurt anybody. I understand your frustration with no longer being able to get their signal. Just trying to provide info to help determine why.

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

JackN: Where are you located? An attenuator might be the answer.

I appreciate everyone's input. If it helps to determine whether an attenuator might help, when I monitor the 34.1 signal--to weak for detection with auto channel scan--it "pulses," pops in at a weak 22 percent, dops away completely, comes back to 22. There's no steadiness to it whatsoever. Stronger signals may bob subtly, but never show such sharp dropoff...

Wouldn't attenuation blunt an already weak signal, make it harder to tune?


Thanks again,


Jack

Yes, the attenuator can reduce the signal, which if it is overloading the tuner can help. Or it will attenuate the multipath (ghosting) enough to allow the tuner to lock on.

JackN: where are you located? Perhaps there is another signal close to you that is impacting 34.1 (like maybe a 33.1 or 35.1?) that didn't impact 4.1 before. Just a thought.

At least it's a little closer than NYC and has made it into some part of upstate NY....

http://www.multichannel.com/article/356760-FiOS_TV_Takes_On_Time_Warner_Cable_In_Central_N_Y_.php

I have a former coworker, who has gotten a waiver from WICZ so he can receive Fox via DirecTV. But, DirecTV says he also needs a waiver from WOLF (Hazelton, PA). He called WOLF and they had no idea that my coworker is considered to be in their DMA. His zip is 13903.

His location is such that he can't get WICZ OTA (he's close, but multipath is impossible) and he certainly can't get WOLF (57 miles away).

I had him email Ellen Filiapak at DirecTV. He hasn't got a definitive answer yet.

I'm in zip code 13903 and when I first signed up for DirecTV I got a waiver from WICZ to get Fox out of NYC. That's all I needed, I wasn't required to get one from WOLF.

I just installed a QAM PCIe card (MyGica X8550A) in a Vista Ultimate 64 machine but I can't seem to get any HD channels unless I use the OTA antenna. I would prefer to get them from my TW cable connection- any ideas why the scan for digital channels comes back empty?

Thanks in advance for any help.

I live in the hills of the Southern Tier of NY and believe I have a multi-path issue which may be caused by a cheap Maganvox digital TV tuner I purchased from Walmart over a year ago.

In the evenings I can pick up all the local channels and some out of town ones as well. However, because I'm picking up two signals( one in the air and another being bounced off the trees with leaves) my picture freezes and I lose audio. In the mornings it appears to work better.

Can someone here recommend a superior tuner which would help me overcome the interference caused by the elevated ridge between TV broad cast tower and my Winegard Antenna 7084?

Your help would be appreciated.

I just installed a QAM PCIe card (MyGica X8550A) in a Vista Ultimate 64 machine but I can't seem to get any HD channels unless I use the OTA antenna. I would prefer to get them from my TW cable connection- any ideas why the scan for digital channels comes back empty?

Thanks in advance for any help.If that PCI card is anything like the tuners in TVs, you may need to run a separate scan for QAM and OTA. Double check the manual.

I live in the hills of the Southern Tier of NY and believe I have a multi-path issue which may be caused by a cheap Maganvox digital TV tuner I purchased from Walmart over a year ago.

In the evenings I can pick up all the local channels and some out of town ones as well. However, because I'm picking up two signals( one in the air and another being bounced off the trees with leaves) my picture freezes and I lose audio. In the mornings it appears to work better.

Can someone here recommend a superior tuner which would help me overcome the interference caused by the elevated ridge between TV broad cast tower and my Winegard Antenna 7084?

Your help would be appreciated.I found that by moving my Winegard 7084 25 feet down the peak of my roof, I got rid of a lot of multipath. Also, a slight change in azimuth may help to block the multipath interference. Your best bet on a tuner would be one in a new TV. :)

What do you mean moving the Winegard 25 feet down the peak of my roof? Did you lower it? My Winegard 7084 attenna sits on a rotar five feet above my roof of my ranch style home. Should I lower it?


Also what does Azimuth mean? Thank you for the help.

Forgot to mention, I'm operating out of the Oxford area (South)...

And interestingly, I was able to grab a stable version of 34 for the first time since the switchover yesterday (Octover 7th), which I'm assuming has to do with the loss of foliage from the trees. It's up to about fifty percent strength, with no bobbing. Fine for one tuner, but another model isn't able to tune it.

Keep you posted.


--Jack

What do you mean moving the Winegard 25 feet down the peak of my roof? Did you lower it? My Winegard 7084 attenna sits on a rotar five feet above my roof of my ranch style home. Should I lower it?


Also what does Azimuth mean? Thank you for the help.Azimuth means rotating the antenna a little (should be easy with the rotor). When I said moving the antenna down the roof I meant I moved it from the south end of my roof to the northern end.

A quick note of interest to you all. A former co-worker has been trying to get a waiver for WIVT. It was granted, but for some reason DirecTV said he needed a waiver from WOLF as well. He's been in a few heated conversation with the people at WOLF as he's about 70 miles from them.

Anyway, at the same time this has been going on, he called DirecTV to see about replacing an old Samsung TiVo. They sent a POS R15 which didn't work well at all. So he called again and they replaced it with, get this, an HR20-700 HD DVR. Now that unit has an ATSC tuner, so he pulled out his old UHF bowtie antenna and jury rigged it. Well, he got all of the locals here.:) So I guess the waiver for WIVT isn't needed any longer.

What the chances of getting a waiver for WBGH-CA? I alerdy tryed once and they denied me.

I don't see WIVT putting up there new digitial subchannel for nbc anytime soon

WBGH is our low power NBC affiliate, right.
I see no reason why a waiver to receive WNBC from NY shouldn't be granted. Have you called DirecTV to see what they say?

I haven't called directv yet, but i will tomorrow when i reapply for the waiver and ask why they denied me last time.

Getting a waiver for WBGH should be almost automatic. At least it was for me. Actually I don't think it's D* call, but rather each individual station that says yes or no.

This might be a helpful page on D* site.
http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPageIFnorail.jsp?assetId=P4880022#h:586.436

They told me they couldn't give a definite answer but the lady said the last person most likely forgot to put down we don't get locals in are area from directv.

I find out soon if i get WNBC soon or not....i keep trying to get it.

WBGH is a strange station when it comes to getting a waiver. Where I live you need a waiver to get NBC, but go less than a half a mile from me, into the city of Binghamton and an address there is eligible to receive NBC via NYC automatically.

It's really strange how they choose who is/isn't eligible.

Has anyone else noticed a drop in their signal strength for WIVT?

When they first put their new transmitter online and switched to channel 34, I was getting them at 100%. I hadn't checked my signal strengths in a while, so I checked and now I'm only getting them at 82%. I'm not having any problems with the channel coming in (no pixelation, no dropouts, etc), and all my other signal strengths are as good as always (100% for WBNG and WICZ and 90% for WSKG). I've made no equipment changes either. I'm wondering did WIVT reduce its power output or something?

Again, I'm not overly concerned since I'm not having any issues getting their signal, I'm just curious.

Currently, my ch34 signal strengths on my HR20 are fluctuating between 65% and 70%. These are what I've seen before.

Has anyone else noticed the audio/video sync problem on WIVT. I record Regis and Kelly (don't laugh) and the audio lags the video by about a half second. I'll try to see if the later shows are also bad. It might just be the syndicated shows.

I don't record Regis, but I do record quite a bit of their primetime and have not noticed any problems.

Prime time does look fine. It may just be this one show.
Record Regis and see if it is the same for you.
Of course it will be fixed then.:)

WABC NY is also fine.

Time to send an email to WIVT.

I'm getting a tad bit fed up with the fees for the HD DVR from Time Warner ($18.47/month according to my last bill), So I'm considering replacing it with a TiVo.

I have found out that TWC is charging $2.54/month for a cable card, and you need to obtain a tuning adapter (free) in order to access/record the SDV channels, other than that I don't know much about how well they work.

Is anyone using a TiVo on TWC in STNY area?

Any issues or annoyances compared to the TWC DVR?

Also, any thoughts on the 'lifetime service' option that TiVo offers? I understand its tied to the unit itself, but haven't been able to find information on what happens if the unit dies and needs to be replaced?

Thanks to anyone that can provide any info.

Here's the TiVo Community Forum.
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/index.php?s=
They can answer some of your questions.

I have found out that TWC is charging $2.54/month for a cable card, and you need to obtain a tuning adapter (free) in order to access/record the SDV channels, other than that I don't know much about how well they work.

Jim's correct in directing you to TCF, but I don't know how much you'll find specific to this area as TiVo seems to be more metro-centric, more subscribers in bigger cities. A couple of questions: did TWC confirm there's a tuning resolver at their office and did you ask whether the cable card was M or S series? I believe M is for multiple streams and S is for single, which would mean you'd need to S for dual tuners. You can check at TCF or TiVo.com if that's correct.

I have been looking over those Tivo forums, but couldn't find any information related to our geographic area. Seems that some areas of the country work differently with the rebroadcast/copy type flags, and I'm not sure what STNY-TWC may limit.

I did know about the differences in cable cards - single vs multi-channel. I had specifically asked the Time Warner rep about the cost of the multi-channel card, so I'm assuming they gave me good info ;-)

As for the tuning adapter - I don't know if they stock them in their offices or not, however there is a form on their website you can use to order one.

I have been looking over those Tivo forums, but couldn't find any information related to our geographic area.

Which confirms what I posted:

...but I don't know how much you'll find specific to this area as TiVo seems to be more metro-centric, more subscribers in bigger cities.

In all the time I was at TCF Jim and a user from Ithaca are the only members I recall that were geographically close.

As for the tuning adapter - I don't know if they stock them in their offices or not, however there is a form on their website you can use to order one.

It's your call, but I would get confirmation that you will physically have one on the date of your install before proceeding.

I did some searching on the forums, found someone that said they were in the Binghamton area - talked about the issues they had dealing with TWC back in February of this year, if I remember right.

But, since it looks like those forums don't notify you by default when you get a PM, he may never see the note ;)

The audioi/video sync problem still exists.

Anyone else noticing?

Anyone know if fios is coming to the elmira/corning area soon? I noticed twc just bumped up the internet speeds and i thought they might of done that for a reason.

The audioi/video sync problem still exists.

Anyone else noticing?
I recorded yesterday's Regis and experienced the sync problem. Seemed like the audio was 1-2 seconds ahead of the video. Is that what you're experiencing?

The sync is so far off, but I see if as an audio delay from the video.

I sent an mail, but have yet to receive an answer.

Today's show is fine. I guess this is my answer. :)

Has anyone else noticed a drop in their signal strength for WIVT?

When they first put their new transmitter online and switched to channel 34, I was getting them at 100%. I hadn't checked my signal strengths in a while, so I checked and now I'm only getting them at 82%.
I checked my signal strengths again today and WIVT was back at rock solid 100%. No changes on my end, maybe they are still fine tuning the new transmitter.

I checked my signal strengths again today and WIVT was back at rock solid 100%. No changes on my end, maybe they are still fine tuning the new transmitter.




Like others, I'd seen a substantial dropoff since the switchover...but some increased stability and strength in reception in recent weeks that I attributed to loss in foliage, etc. But even at best, I was still down about fifty percent from where I was before the change (100%).

I'll take another look tonight for any improvement; thanks for the tip.

I've found that the loss of foliage can increase multipath, at least at my location. I think the leaves tend to attenuate the qhosts allowing the tuner to lock in the main signal. Tough to verify this fall as I had a bunch of trees removed this summer.

Noticed this morning that WIVT had their school closing bar in 16x9 HD along the bottom of the screen. It looked real nice and razor sharp, though the font was a little small. It did cut off the Good Morning America news scroll. During the 6AM local news, the bar was still 16x9 even though the news was only 4x3. Nice job WIVT!

In comparison, I checked out WBNG and I could barely read their 4x3 SD closing bar.

A month between posts. Proof positive there's not much happening in this area.

Sad, but true.

I haven't noticed the crawl on the local OTAs as I don't usually tune them in.

Part of the reason I posted was to see if it would generate some life in this thread again. But now that the digital transition is done and WIVT transmitter swap out is complete, I guess there's not a lot of new stuff to discuss.

One thing I'm looking forward to is the launch of D* next satellite (D12) on December 27 and then hopefully seeing the Binghamton HD locals added to D* offering in 2010. ;)

I am still waiting to able to watch a digital NBC signal...

I am still waiting to able to watch a digital NBC signal...Digital as in sub-channel? In which case it won't be HD.

Anyone have any info about when ch20 (NBC) will go full power and thus digital?

Given that the FCC is not accepting any applications for new full-service stations at this time, I would suspect that WBGH-CA would not be going full-service any time soon.

You would think they'd at least file to flash-cut it to digital operation...

- Trip

I knew you would be the one to answer my question. :)

Going digital probably wouldn't be cost effective right now.

I'm so glad that I have the waivers in place for DNS. So, I'm not in a hurry for DirecTV to offer our locals. I use OTA just for an emergency. :D

I think we'll see NBC as digital 34.2 in SD long before we see it as its own xx.1 HD channel, if ever.

Part of the reason I posted was to see if it would generate some life in this thread again. But now that the digital transition is done and WIVT transmitter swap out is complete, I guess there's not a lot of new stuff to discuss.

I kinda sensed that. I keep checking here and realized a few days ago it was reaching 30 days. Unfortunately, six months after the transition, not a lot to talk about.

One thing I'm looking forward to is the launch of D* next satellite (D12) on December 27 and then hopefully seeing the Binghamton HD locals added to D* offering in 2010. ;)

I'm so glad that I have the waivers in place for DNS. So, I'm not in a hurry for DirecTV to offer our locals. I use OTA just for an emergency. :D

I agree with Jim, I really don't want my locals from DIRECTV. A few years ago I thought I would, but it would take away an advantage I have with DIRECTV. I don't have all the distants like Jim has, but enough to know that they tend to do things a tad better than locals. Try finding a DD5.1 audio feed from a local affiliate. I know they think that would be lost on the average viewer, and I can't dispute that, but it matters to me.

And, sure, I do look forward to the launch of D-12. Only problem is we can't really expect to see the benefits until Spring or so. DIRECTV really needs to get some new, worthwhile HD channels.

I think we'll see NBC as digital 34.2 in SD long before we see it as its own xx.1 HD channel, if ever.Again I'm thankful that I have DNS. :)

And for the next rhetorical question.:cool:
Will DirecTV offer the subchannels once they offer our locals?

I agree with Jim, I really don't want my locals from DIRECTV. A few years ago I thought I would, but it would take away an advantage I have with DIRECTV. I don't have all the distants like Jim has, but enough to know that they tend to do things a tad better than locals. Try finding a DD5.1 audio feed from a local affiliate. I know they think that would be lost on the average viewer, and I can't dispute that, but it matters to me.
I think here in Binghamton, the only local channel that does not have DD 5.1 is WIVT, which is only 2.0.

I am probably the only one on here that views WNEP Scranton, but just wanted to put it out there that they have replaced their transmitter. It was being broadcast on 49. The new frequency is 50, and a much more powerful signal. Others might now be able to see it. My levels jumped from 61 to 95.
The new equipment went live 12/05
:p

I am probably the only one on here that views WNEP Scranton, but just wanted to put it out there that they have replaced their transmitter. It was being broadcast on 49. The new frequency is 50, and a much more powerful signal. Others might now be able to see it. My levels jumped from 61 to 95.
The new equipment went live 12/05
:p
I forgot to mention that WSTM 3 NBC Syracuse has also moved to OTA 24 and Im getting better signal from there too.

I guess may have to put my antenna on a rotor. :)

I think here in Binghamton, the only local channel that does not have DD 5.1 is WIVT, which is only 2.0.

Different situation in E-town. WYDC-DT is the only station doing DD5.1 I'm aware of, and I can't pick it of course. :mad:

I guess may have to put my antenna on a rotor. :)

I wasn't sure I needed one, but I picked it just in case.

Well, since Scranton is south and Syracuse is north of me I'll need a rotor. Also to see if I can get Elmira which is more west for me.

The probability of this is quite small however.

Here is one for ya. How is it that I am picking up NBC out of Elmira, and FOX out of Syracuse, but can NOT get a strong signal for ABC? I bought one of those antennas off of ebay that claim to pick up channels 100 miles away. Now I doubt it that it can do that but it actually works pretty good since I couldn't pick up the Elmira channels with my old antenna but can get them almost full strength with this one. Anyway, what is up with ABC? Somedays I can get it in ok, but others, like tonight, I can't pick it up at all. I don't understand it. I live in Binghamton by the way, up by the airport.

smackdwon, what is your tvfool report? if you could post the link, that might help us figure that out for you, and do you have the make and model of the antenna?

Here is the link http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d4105c1b52614fa

My antenna is a Supervoltex 4100. It's one of those ebay ones that claim ridiculous results.

Ok, so I got ABC to come in so that it is at least watchable now. Is there anything I can get to amplifi the signal a little bit other than a preamp? I tried a preamp but the antenna I use already has a built in amplifier so It didn't work. Would an inline amp work?

Well I managed to get ABC in today and it's at least watchable. Is there anything I can use to increase the signal a little besides a preamp? My antenna already has a built in amplifier so the preamp I used didnt work. Maybe an inline amp?

You probably need a real antenna, an inline amp is not going to help in this case unless you have a really long cable run.

Would you consider a new antenna setup? If so, what is your price range?

Anyone else noticed that ESPNHD and ESPN2HD have become much more pixelated over the last few weeks? I can easily see dancing pixels on the bottom line, a sure sign of too much compression. Doing a QAM scan results in a lot of frequencies with 4 channels on them, which makes me think they are doing 4:1 compression with the SDV, the quality loss is showing bad.

This is only on a 26'' TV, I can't imagine how awful this must look on 50''+...

I see no problem with DirecTV. Are you using a TWC digital HD box? Maybe your TV needs to have the overscan adjusted.

Funny you mention this about ESPNHD. I was at my brother in law's house last night and he has TWC and we were watching a bowl game on ESPNHD and I couldn't believe how terrible it looked compared to what I get on D*. It looked worse than D*s old MPEG2 HD channels with tons of macroblocking and smearing. I was thinking to myself 'what a terrible picture' when his father said outloud 'what a great looking picture.' That made me chuckle. I also noticed how bad WBNGHD looked during the evening news compared to what I get OTA. TWC definitely likes to compress their signals I guess.

As far as if the PQ has gotten worse on TWC recently, I can't comment as I have D*.

FYI, I've been having problems receiving WBNG lately.

ok I'm having an odd issue. I have a Vizio 37XL, and when I watch ABC shows via ClearQAM, there is this weird lag and speedup with the video. Now when I use ClearQAM on my MediaCenter PC with ABC, everything looks as it should. And this only happens on ABC, no other channels regardless if its SD or HD. Any help would be appreciated!

I have no idea, but the Vizio and the media PC must be processing the signal differently. Any settings on the Vizio that could be changed?

Have you tried OTA to see if there is a difference?

Using a SA 4250HDC box that works fine, TV has no overscan but that would not fix anything related to compression.

WBNG is on a frequency(561mhz here, ch 80) only with 1 other local HD channel(WBGH) so TW isn't really compressing the hell out of it. WBNG is just such a small time operation, it's a joke really.

Although I just checked, and it's only getting ~14.25Mbps, so that explains why it looks awful.

I get OTA WBNG on ch 7 here. I have a hill between me and the towers. Every change in season I get multipath problems. It also seems to be affected with snow cover. Multipath for me seems to be less during the months that the trees have leaves.

Using a SA 4250HDC box that works fine, TV has no overscan but that would not fix anything related to compression.

WBNG is on a frequency(561mhz here, ch 80) only with 1 other local HD channel(WBGH) so TW isn't really compressing the hell out of it. WBNG is just such a small time operation, it's a joke really.

Although I just checked, and it's only getting ~14.25Mbps, so that explains why it looks awful.
WBNG HD looks a lot better OTA than how it looked at my brother in laws via TWC.

WBNG is just such a small time operation, it's a joke really.

Are there really any "big time operations" as far as our local affiliates go? That's not meant as a slap, but I think all of them have to deal with the budget of any affiliate serving a small market.

Is it me or have others in the Corning Elmira area notice that this hd signal has degraded in the past couple of months. There is severe motion problems and constant hd breakup on the picture. The ABC station of WENY does not seem to exhibt these problems. This station was fine when it went on air about a year ago. I do not notice this problem with other Time Warner stations.
If this issue has been raised does anyone know if they are working on a fix.

Thanks

The ABC station of WENY does not seem to exhibt these problems.

I can confirm that, but since CBS-HD isn't available over-the-air, I can't offer an opinion on that. TriLevelSync hasn't posted for a few months, but would be a good resource as far as that goes.

Is it me or have others in the Corning Elmira area notice that this hd signal has degraded in the past couple of months. There is severe motion problems and constant hd breakup on the picture. The ABC station of WENY does not seem to exhibt these problems. This station was fine when it went on air about a year ago. I do not notice this problem with other Time Warner stations.
If this issue has been raised does anyone know if they are working on a fix.

Thanks
We noticed some funky stuff going on with TW Channel 703 (our ABC HD), but not on channel 701(TW CBS HD). We fixed it by resetting the digital converter box. We monitor TW elmira for our SD & HD channels & don't see any issues currently. Try a reset on your converter box.

Cheers.....

Yes, I've noticed the degrading of the TWC HD signal. The edges of figures are pixelated. Also I STILL get the skipping, and volume gone/mute effect on HD channels. One tech comes out and says the signal is too high, the next comes out and says its too low... It is frustrating. They are coming back on Saturday to fiddle around. And we have all new cable all the way through our house. I covet FIOS, but know it will never come to Elmira.

Yes, I've noticed the degrading of the TWC HD signal. The edges of figures are pixelated. Also I STILL get the skipping, and volume gone/mute effect on HD channels. One tech comes out and says the signal is too high, the next comes out and says its too low... It is frustrating. They are coming back on Saturday to fiddle around. And we have all new cable all the way through our house. I covet FIOS, but know it will never come to Elmira.

For anybody that's interested, Dish Network has equipment installed at the transmitter site on Higman Hill & all of the TV stations there are wired directly to them. They are also pulling ch18HD off air. I don't know when Dish plans on offering Elmira locals though.

Cheers......

That's interesting. Do you know if Dish is expected to carry the local subchannels, such as The CW (12-2) and My Network (40-2). And what about the WSKG subs?

Please let us know if/when DirecTV is getting close to carrying locals.

Where is Higman Hill, or did you mean Ingraham Hill?

That's interesting. Do you know if Dish is expected to carry the local subchannels, such as The CW (12-2) and My Network (40-2). And what about the WSKG subs?

Please let us know if/when DirecTV is getting close to carrying locals.

Where is Higman Hill, or did you mean Ingraham Hill?

This is for all the ELMIRA local stations...18,30,36,48
The Higman Hill Transmitter site is in Corning. Not a peep from DirecTV.

Thanks, I thought after I posted that you were talking about Elmira.
So will Dish also be setting up for the Binghamton DMA?

This is for all the ELMIRA local stations...18,30,36,48
The Higman Hill Transmitter site is in Corning. Not a peep from DirecTV.

DirecTV launched a satellite, D12, on the 29th of last month and part of its purpose is to add locals in remaining markets, so I'd imagine it's just a matter of time.

Question: you mention our NBC, PBS, ABC, and FOX. What about CBS, or don't you know for sure right now? If it's you guys, will they get the same HD feed you provide TWC?

Lastly, and I'll understand if TriLevelSync doesn't want to address this, courtesy of Nick @ DBSTalk, ABC Seeks Half Of Affiliates' Retrans Take (http://www.tvnewscheck.com/articles/2010/01/06/daily.2/). Seems the broadcast landscape is really getting busy these days.

DirecTV launched a satellite, D12, on the 29th of last month and part of its purpose is to add locals in remaining markets, so I'd imagine it's just a matter of time.

Question: you mention our NBC, PBS, ABC, and FOX. What about CBS, or don't you know for sure right now? If it's you guys, will they get the same HD feed you provide TWC?

Lastly, and I'll understand if TriLevelSync doesn't want to address this, courtesy of Nick @ DBSTalk, ABC Seeks Half Of Affiliates' Retrans Take (http://www.tvnewscheck.com/articles/2010/01/06/daily.2/). Seems the broadcast landscape is really getting busy these days.

For CBS, DirecTV would have to take the feed from our studio for HD, as an off-air pickup would have it in SD- the final decision would be up to them. I would hope that they would want it in HD, but the logistics decisions are theirs. As far as I know, there hasn't been any contact between DirecTV & the station concerning carriage. Dish is currently getting 36.2 in SD, 36.1 in HD.

As far as ABC & retransmission monies... well, that's what the guys who wear the ties deal with, not me. I would assume that would be negotiated when the station's network affiliation contract comes up for renewal. It's not like the "old days", when the networks actually PAID the stations to carry their programming! The days of a TV Station being a money machine are long gone.

Next time I run into one of the engineering guys from Binghamton, I'll ask if any of the satellite companies have been sniffing around concerning local carriage.

I guess Dish's penetration in Elmira is quite a bit larger than in Binghamton since Elmira's DMA is 175 and Binghamton's is 157.

I wonder id DirecTV will do Binghamton before Elmira once the new satellite is operational. And then there's the question as to whether all networks will be in HD.

For CBS, DirecTV would have to take the feed from our studio for HD, as an off-air pickup would have it in SD- the final decision would be up to them. I would hope that they would want it in HD, but the logistics decisions are theirs. As far as I know, there hasn't been any contact between DirecTV & the station concerning carriage. Dish is currently getting 36.2 in SD, 36.1 in HD.

Interesting. Thanks for clarifying.

As far as ABC & retransmission monies... well, that's what the guys who wear the ties deal with, not me. I would assume that would be negotiated when the station's network affiliation contract comes up for renewal. It's not like the "old days", when the networks actually PAID the stations to carry their programming! The days of a TV Station being a money machine are long gone.

It just seems like ABC is asking a lot generally, but most especially from the smaller markets. It just seems like there will be even more consolidation.

And then there's the question as to whether all networks will be in HD.

And as more and more people get HD sets, it comes down to the question of do you want eyes for your broadcast or not? SD is my last resort these days.

For anybody that's interested, Dish Network has equipment installed at the transmitter site on Higman Hill & all of the TV stations there are wired directly to them. They are also pulling ch18HD off air. I don't know when Dish plans on offering Elmira locals though.

Cheers......

This is encouraging news of progress! Hope they go the HD route for the locals.

Recent talk about the Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Reauthorization Act have included allowing Dish network back into the DNS buisness, in exchange for offering local channels in all 210 markets. I haven't followed it that closely, but if you poke around you'll find lots of articles about this in the last 30-60 days. I believe the latest act was an extension until March, since the current law expired at the end of 2009.

Is anyone else having problems with WICZ Fox OTA this afternoon? I've got the Vikings-Cowboys game on and am getting a fairly high amount of pixelation and dropouts. I checked the signal strength and it's down in the 40-50s (compared to it's normal high 80s), while all the other channels are still in the 90s. Could the weather be causing a problem with just WICZ?

I'm worried about 24 tonight.

just got direct TV and was wondering if local stations even consider your location when giving a waiver. ie I have a huge hill blocking all signals from the abc, fox, wskg tower.

Probably not. I got my waivers back before HD was available. It took a lot of emails from me to WBNG to get that one. I also have a hill between myself and the towers.

There's an eligibility page on the DirecTV website where you can find out. However, DirecTV will still need to send in the requests to the stations even if the web page says you are eligible. With HD, the rules for waivers have changed.

I'd also call the stations and see if you could get them to send the waivers to DirecTV.

Oh yeah, welcome to DirecTV.

Here's a couple of forums you might be interested in.
http://www.satelliteguys.us/directv-forum/
http://www.dbstalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=82

Welcome to D*. The two forums jdspencer listed are great - especially the dbstalk.com.

As for waivers, here's 2 sites you can enter your address to see what comes up.

http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPageIFnorail.jsp?assetId=P4880022#h:586.507
http://directvdnseligibility.decisionmark.com/app/AddressForm.aspx

they gave me cbs right away no prob. They put in for Waivers on the other 3. I Called yesterday because they didn't give me CBSHD to have it changed and they said wetm denied the waiver already. Which is fine because that is the only one I can get.

Has anybody heard if they are going to broadcast (OTA) WENY 36.2 CBS in hd anytime soon?

I suspect never as that is a subchannel. And they also carry The CW on another subchannel. I suppose it's possible but it would have to be bit starved.

See this Wikipedia article for more info.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WENY-TV

Has anybody heard if they are going to broadcast (OTA) WENY 36.2 CBS in hd anytime soon?

Not anytime soon.....at least with the current compression technologies.
If we did, the result would be three crappy looking streams- not enough available bandwidth.

We are keeping a close eye on it though.

thanks for the info and fast responses

Can any switching occur on your OTA signal to move CBS to HD for at least the superbowl?

Can any switching occur on your OTA signal to move CBS to HD for at least the superbowl?

I would require more than just flipping a switch- re-cabling & moving encoder cards around, re-programming the PSIP, etc. Plus disrupting programming while doing it. Not going to happen..... sorry.

I see that you're in Johnson City. Can't you pick up WBNG off-air?

yeah I can pick WBNG, it was more of a interest question, thanks for the information though.

March 8.

That is the day NBC will appear on WIVT 34-2.

- Trip

Interesting...was waiting along time for WIVT subchannel to appear.

Thanks Trip for the update on NBC

I was surprised and impressed to see WBNG's lottery scroll last night during the super bowl in 16:9 HD. First time I've seen 16:9 HD graphics from them.

I was surprised and impressed to see WBNG's lottery scroll last night during the super bowl in 16:9 HD. First time I've seen 16:9 HD graphics from them.

Just about all CBS affiliates have this ability.It's a box called a "LIDIA", which basically is an HD downstream keyer that gives the affiliate the capability of inserting crawls, local time/temp & "bugs" over the HD content.

Just thought you'd like to know..........

I looked on the FCC site and verified what Trip said(I believe him, just curious about the process and how they are doing it). WBGH filed for a "Silent STA" for a period of 6 months starting on 3/8/10 to "re-evaluate options for continued operation of this station". The request mentions that they will be putting WBGH on a subchannel of WIVT.

Their request has not been approved by the FCC yet, but I don't see why it would not be approved.

Good news for me, as I have an elderly family member in downtown Binghamton set up with converter boxes, and I can FINALLY simplify his setup a little bit without having to use the VCR's tuner to get WBGH on analog 20. He'll be happy to get NBC crystal clear now. (He thinks WSKG's 3 channels instead of 1 is the greatest thing since sliced bread, lol)

where were you able to find this info, i have searched the FCC site and i am lost.

Just about all CBS affiliates have this ability.It's a box called a "LIDIA", which basically is an HD downstream keyer that gives the affiliate the capability of inserting crawls, local time/temp & "bugs" over the HD content.

Just thought you'd like to know..........
This was the first time I've ever seen it used on WBNG. All previous times when they've shown the lottery numbers, they've come out of HD to 4:3 SD, done the crawl, and then gone back to 16:9 HD.

This was the first time I've ever seen it used on WBNG. All previous times when they've shown the lottery numbers, they've come out of HD to 4:3 SD, done the crawl, and then gone back to 16:9 HD.


Same here its pretty bad when they do the weather bulletins and other updates.

where were you able to find this info, i have searched the FCC site and i am lost.

It is not a user friendly site. Start off here (http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/audio/tvq.html), and just put in a station's call sign(case sensitive). Click on one of the records retrieved. Then under CDBS, click "Application List" This is a list of applications/forms submitted by this station to the FCC. In this case, you can see the one at the top of the list for WBGH, is "accepted for filing". Click "application" on the right and it will bring up the application form that was submitted to the FCC. Again for this case, scroll down to the bottom and you'll find the explaination as to why this STA was filed.

Pretty neat stuff, I've learned a lot just by poking around the FCC's site and reading stuff like this. It's all public info.

thanks i was getting errors that the page was not available earlier but i was able to pull the information, thanks again!

Same here its pretty bad when they do the weather bulletins and other updates.
Yeah, WBNG's weather alerts are the most annoying thing! First, they go to 4:3 SD, then they shrink the 4:3 picture down so it is only about 50% the size of the 4:3 space, which is about 25% of the 16:9 screen!

I had 34-2 WBGH last night, it looked like it was in 720p but that doesnt seem likely. Anyone else see the addition last night? I was pretty excited to have every network now!

The PSIP stated WBGH-HD WIVT-2 720p 16X9 it was shown in and it looked pretty nice on the nightly news.

Any way to confirm they are broadcasting 720p for both channels or are my eyes and tv deceiving me?

The PSIP on my samsung said the same thing last night 720p for WGBH 34-2, maybe I'll have to fire up my PC and have a look with TSReader. I was getting tired of my spotty WETM reception

I have a samsung as well, I was flipping through and it was there to my surprise, let me know if you get a chance to review it with TSReader

The PSIP on my samsung said the same thing last night 720p for WGBH 34-2, maybe I'll have to fire up my PC and have a look with TSReader. I was getting tired of my spotty WETM reception

If you do get the chance to do so, I'd love an updated HTML Export. :)

- Trip

Well, I just put a splitter on my antenna line so I could feed my LG TV. And, I can also verify that 34-2 is WBGH in 720p. Now I just have to wait for DirecTV to get updated information for my zipcode so that my HR20-100 can also receive this subchannel. Titan TV shows 34-2, but Zap2It doesn't yet.

I guess this answers the question about whether two 720p signals can be on the same frequency. Now I await the technical report on the bit rates, etc.

I wonder how having WBGH in 720p HD (even though NBC is 1080i) will affect those of us with waivers for WNBC HD out of NYC?
Well, I just put a splitter on my antenna line so I could feed my LG TV. And, I can also verify that 34-2 is WBGH in 720p.
How did the PQ look compared to WNBC HD (which I find a beautiful picture)?

I thankfully didn't notice any degradation in PQ on 34.1 last night during Lost.

If you do get the chance to do so, I'd love an updated HTML Export. :)

- Trip

Here it is along with the other Binghamton stations http://m4antenna.eastmasonvilleweather.com/Tsreader/
Hope this is what U want

Here it is along with the other Binghamton stations http://m4antenna.eastmasonvilleweather.com/Tsreader/
Hope this is what U want

The captures have no data in them. Did you check the boxes at the bottom of the HTML Export window?

I like getting captures that have all of those checked except for Thumbnails and EIT.

- Trip

I wonder how having WBGH in 720p HD (even though NBC is 1080i) will affect those of us with waivers for WNBC HD out of NYC?

How did the PQ look compared to WNBC HD (which I find a beautiful picture)?

I thankfully didn't notice any degradation in PQ on 34.1 last night during Lost.I didn't spend time comparing the PQ on 34-2 vs ch 392 on DirecTV.

This shouldn't affect the waivers since DirecTV doesn't yet offer our locals.

Trip,
I got it fixed, I had reloaded tsreader since the last time I did a capture a forgot to set the options. The WIVT and WBGH streams show 1280 x 720p

Trip,
I got it fixed, I had reloaded tsreader since the last time I did a capture a forgot to set the options. The WIVT and WBGH streams show 1280 x 720p

Looks much better, though you'd shrink the size of the file and reduce the number of errors in the stream if you changed your driver from the Hauppauge HCWATSCSource driver to ATSCBDASource.

Thanks. :)

- Trip

I did some research regarding WXXW-LP channel 6; I emailed Carlton Davis Director, WXXW-LP and this is the response. Does anyone receive this channel?


Yes WXXW-LP is on the air. We are a low power television station that is operated by Johnson Broadcasting Company. Johnson Broadcasting Company is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation. WXXW-LP provides music and cultural programs that are supplied by local talent. In addition, to the local talent in Binghamton, NY we also receive music videos from an affiliate station that solicits music that has been created by local talent in the Boston, Mass area.

Carlton Davis
Director, WXXW-LP

Looks much better, though you'd shrink the size of the file and reduce the number of errors in the stream if you changed your driver from the Hauppauge HCWATSCSource driver to ATSCBDASource.

Thanks. :)

- Trip
Thanks,
I'll remember that, it doesnt work with my current satellite card so
the only time I ever use it anymore is for the data you request.

So how good/bad does WBGH look in 720p HD on 34.2?

I'd say the PQ on 34-2 is very good. I watch it on an LG 32" LCD TV.

I agree the PQ is pretty nice it will be interesting to see if there are any issues if they are both broadcasting sports in HD during the olympics on NBC and like the NBA on ABC.

Just another FYI regarding WXXW-LP if anyone is interested:

Presently the station's broadcast footprint covers downtown Binghamton and parts of Johnson City. This year we are planning to move the transmitter to Ingram Hill and increase the output power. This move will result in a larger footprint that should cover Binghamton, Johnson City, Endwell, the SUNY Binghamton campus and parts of Vestal. Funding is very tight so we have to make upgrades incrementally.

Carton Davis Director

I guess I'm unfamiliar with WXXW. Which Wikipedia states as an independent station with mostly local programming. At 16 watts, I doubt I'll be watching it anytime soon. Any idea what they will be increasing their power output to? Also, will they go digital?

I am not sure; I am in email contact with Carlton. I advised him this a good site for updating the area regarding any changes to the station.

The opening ceremony for the 2010 Winter Olympics looked very good on 34-2 last night

Going just a bit OT here, but I found this (http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/021210-broadband-stimulus-new-york.html?hpg1=bn) bit of good news over at broadbandreports.com regarding broadband deployment via fiber throughout Western and Upstate NY. Hopefully it will be the trigger to aid economic recovery in this area.

Back to your regularly scheduled Local HD programming...

Going just a bit OT here, but I found this (http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/021210-broadband-stimulus-new-york.html?hpg1=bn) bit of good news over at broadbandreports.com regarding broadband deployment via fiber throughout Western and Upstate NY. Hopefully it will be the trigger to aid economic recovery in this area.

Back to your regularly scheduled Local HD programming...


Thanks for the source.

HOPEFULLY it does, but ya' never know!

I'd say the PQ on 34-2 is very good. I watch it on an LG 32" LCD TV.

Well, thank you for that feedback! We just installed new encoding equipment by Harris, replacing older Tandberg gear. The Harris NetVX is a much more efficient encoder, which makes it possible to fit two HD program streams into one ATSC channel. The only downside is that if you run in this mode, both streams need to be 720p. Naturally, ABC already is... but NBC is normally 1080i. We resolve this by running the switched 1080i program feed through an AJA FS-1, which converts it to 720p.

It's amazing what a few years will do for technology: three cards in the NetVX frame replaces about a quarter of a rack worth of separate boxes!

Interesting technology there, never thought you guys could fit two 720p streams in one channel.

I wonder if WICZ Fox 40 here would use this technology to broadcast MyNetwork on 720p along with their Fox signal?

It would also be nice if WBNG would broadcast The CW in HD. But that won't happen with CBS being in 1080i.

Any word if The CW will ever go full power OTA?

Another related question. Any talk about when DirecTV will be offering the Binghamton stations?

They've made it official on their site too. Can't wait to see it on my Directv DVR soon. I sent an email to my contact at Tribune, so hopefully this week it will get added.

http://www.newschannel34.com/news/local/story/WBGH-in-HD/Scr6sVbC4E209kdUABBSog.cspx

As for D* offering the Binghamton HD LIL, I've heard from reliable sources 2010, but no firm date.

I'm sure that it all depends on the successful operation of the D12 satellite. But, as you said there is no firm date. In the meantimem I'll just use my DNS waivers and OTA.

I've read back through the last few months, and can address some of the questions that have come up...

1) When we reverted WIVT back from channel 4 to 34, there were two major effects: first, by moving out of the VHF low band, it eliminated the huge problem of impulse noise interfering with the signal. On the other hand, many antenna / lead-in cable systems aren't as efficient in the UHF band, so some people saw a net loss, even though the radiated power is far higher and the antenna is higher on the tower. Also, terrain and foliage affect the two channels very differently. Unfortunately this tends to vary with location, so it's really hard to generalize about what people should expect... especially in an area with such rugged terrain.

2) Both stations do their master control switching and DTV encoding at the regional hub in Syracuse; local content is fed up the fiber to the hub for insertion and encoding. Among other things, this allows one set of equipment to serve a number of stations... which is why WIVT was so early to pass ABC in HD.

3) This summer we installed a new HD routing switcher in Syracuse that is large enough to accommodate up to 64 separate HD feeds. We also converted the network feeds to the newest HD configurations (MPEG-4 coming from the networks to our facility, for instance). In addition, we have several HD receivers and processing for live syndicated and special programming. This last is how we can air Regis in HD... and yes, their feed is rather soft coming in. I think it's probably their studio cameras... the graphics seem to be sharper than the live video.

4) We also have added an HD graphics system called BrandNet for the ABC, and NameDropper for the NBC. We're still early in the curve with these, but you will notice time and temperature in GMA / Today, and school closings now air in HD on the ABC.

5) The BrandNet and NameDropper systems also insert EAS (Emergency Alert System) crawls in HD, so it isn't necessary for us to switch down to SD when the system activates. Incidentally, a typical station's EAS gear monitors two other stations -- in our case, one FM and one TV -- plus the National Weather Service, and a satellite feed from the State Emergency Management folks in Albany. Generally speaking, if you see a crawl at the top of the screen, it's inserted by the station; most cable systems kill the entire picture with a rather ugly full-screen message, because they can just switch every channel to that one character generator.

It's been a lot of work over the last few years, much of it happenning in the background without obvious effect. We keep plugging away, improving the systems... and frankly, I was quite pumped to swap the cabling over to the new encoders and have two good HD streams on the air... something that wasn't possible until fairly recently. And just in time for the Olympics, too! :)

Enjoy --

Thanks a lot for this info and we look forward to anything else you can tell us.

When the WIVT switchover occurred, my reception actually got better even with Crocker Hill between the towers and me. I still get some breakups, but not too often right now. But, then I'm not watching it that much, as the TV for OTA is in the bedroom. I may possibly try to tweak my antenna when it gets warmer (whenever that will be :))

DTV_Engineer_Syr,

Thanks so much for the info - those of us who frequent this site love this stuff (even if we don't understand all of it)! As jdspencer said, we'd love to hear anything else you could tell us.

For one, have you heard anything about Directv adding the Binghamton HD locals?

And when will WIVT have the ability to record syndicated HD for playback, like Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy? I believe these are different animals than Regis since Regis is sent out live, right?

Thanks again for the info!

For one, have you heard anything about Directv adding the Binghamton HD locals?
I just started the inquiry up the chain... because I'm in Syracuse, and because I don't have DirecTV or cable, I don't necessarily see firsthand how these things play out.
And when will WIVT have the ability to record syndicated HD for playback, like Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy? I believe these are different animals than Regis since Regis is sent out live, right?

You're right about Regis... that is fed live every day, so recording isn't an issue.

Pre-recorded programming like Wheel or Jeopardy shows up at the station in one of three ways:

1) Videotape (or some other physical medium). This is fairly unusual nowadays, except for locally produced content.

2) Real-time satellite feeds. Shows like Oprah are fed at on a regular schedule every day (Oprah, for instance, is fed at 10am on day of air), and we generally record them on component digital videotape (DVC-Pro). Real-time distribution has been the "standard" method for the last 15 years or so. The upside is that it uses traditional equipment that a station is very likely to have; the downside is that it's fairly inefficient in terms of satellite time, and inflexible in terms of scheduling. If there's a problem with the feed -- either at the originating end or with the recorder at the station -- a re-feed must be scheduled, generally of the entire show.

3) Streamed satellite data feeds. This is becoming the new standard: the syndicator sends the program as pure data, which is stored on the hard drive of a catch server at the station. This is extremely efficient of satellite time, and doesn't require having an operator load tapes and tune in the feed to record at a set time. If there's a problem with a feed, it's generally only necessary to re-feed the one show segment that was bad. Also, the catch server can tell you immediately if there is a problem, without the operator having to watch the entire feed.

Ultimately, we will be moving toward a tapeless system for on-air program playback (as commercial playback already is). In practice, this means that most of the shows that come in to catch servers only need to have the files for each show segment transferred to the playback server and given the appropriate file name to match up to the program log. The remaining real-time and tape feeds would get dubbed into the playback server. Naturally, when we make this step, all of the syndicated programming would be able to play out in HD -- that is, the programming that is actually delivered to us in HD.

As you can imagine, the playback server is is a rather large and expensive piece of equipment. To give you an idea of scale, the existing commercial server here has 72 SCSI hard drives, organized as six nodes of 12 drives each. Each nodes drives are in a RAID-5 configuration, so we can have a drive fail without losing data... and plugging in a new drive will automatically make the system restore the missing data. In the same way, the six nodes themselves are RAID-5, so an entire node can shut down without taking down the whole system. It has nine input encoders, and fifteen output decoders. The system fills three equipment racks, and draws something like 8,000 watts... not including the power for the air conditioning and electrostatic air cleaners to keep it happy.

The timing on this is actually not bad from an engineering point of view: we're seeing prices drop and capacity grow for hard disk storage, and MPEG-4 encoding is getting better -- which enables us to record at a much higher quality than would otherwise be practical. This is really key for HD, since it takes far more data to do justice to HD than SD. Syndicators are starting to use newer generation catch servers that have just been installed, so it's very useful to have the formats and data interchange schemes nailed down before we commit to buying a new playback server. Unfortunately, this does means a bit of a delay for you... but when it happens (I don't know when at this point), we will be able to do it right.

Thanks for the questions!

Thanks for the great detailed information!!! We all appreciate your sharing of how this stuff works and why your station is doing things the way they are and the reasoning behind it.

Dang!! There were answers to questions that I wouldn't even have thought of. :D

Thanks for all the information, I was wondering why WITV was so far ahead of the other locals with graphics and 16x9.

What other stations are you working with in upstate NY?

I'm wondering if it is even possible to broadcast a 1080i and 720p signal together?
And keep the PQ acceptable? How much would the 1080i suffer if the bit rate were reduced in order to bring a 480i up to 720p. I'm thinking WBNG with The CW. I'd at least like to see The CW in letterboxed 16:9 instead of it being cropped to 4:3.

Since it has been proven that two 720p feeds can be sent, then WICZ (Fox40) could do the same with MyNetwork, right?

I'm wondering if it is even possible to broadcast a 1080i and 720p signal together?
Apparently not. The engineers from Harris were pretty emphatic that both feeds need to be 720p -- at least for the NetVX encoder.
How much would the 1080i suffer if the bit rate were reduced in order to bring a 480i up to 720p. I'm thinking WBNG with The CW. I'd at least like to see The CW in letterboxed 16:9 instead of it being cropped to 4:3.
There are a couple of issues with this. First, CW is actually distributed to affiliates in 1080i... so the station is already doing a downconversion to get it to SD. Personally, I would just convert both the CBS and CW feeds to 720p and air both in HD... but it does get into some expense for conversion gear, switching, and encoding.

CW content is designed to be center-cut safe, so if you do downconvert it from 1080i to 480i center-cut, it yields very good SD at 640x480 resolution. But if you downconvert it to 480i letterbox, you are throwing away a considerable amount of detail to save those sidebars... the active picture area winds up becoming 640x360 pixels, if my quick math is right... this isn't going to look too wonderful when somebody's widescreen set stretches it back out.
Since it has been proven that two 720p feeds can be sent, then WICZ (Fox40) could do the same with MyNetwork, right?
Fox is something of a special case: while most networks supply satellite receivers that give you an uncompressed HD serial digital output to feed your switching and graphics gear, Fox uses a technique called stream splicing. The idea is, the station doesn't actually decode the compressed feed from the network, but switches between that and the encoded compressed feed from the local insertion gear. This wouldn't take advantage of the efficiencies of Harris's new encoders, so my guess is that it probably wouldn't work unless the station decoded the Fox feed, and did switching and re-encoding in a more traditional way.

I've had only limited experience with the Fox system at our Memphis station, so there might be other solutions to this by now.

Thanks again. MyNetwork doesn't have anything that I'm interested in. Just the technical aspects interest me.

As for The CW, I thought that there were two versions. One for cable only and one for OTA. Ours here originally was The WB100, now The CW. This may have changed.

There are a couple of issues with this. First, CW is actually distributed to affiliates in 1080i... so the station is already doing a downconversion to get it to SD.

First of all, I'd like to take a moment to welcome you to AVS Forum. Welcome. :)

CW provides two different services. The main CW service is, as you state, in 1080i and has to be converted to SD. However, in markets smaller than the top 100, the CW provides an SD-only feed known as CW+, which is pre-programmed with syndication. The local station simply adds local spots.

Markets like Binghamton which are getting CW+ do not get CW in HD.

- Trip

Wow! Thanks for all this great info! Not only do you take the time to provide this info, but you explain it in a way that non-engineers can understand. All this DTV and HDTV stuff has kinda made me wish I went to school for broadcast engineering or something. Thanks for all the feedback.

First of all, I'd like to take a moment to welcome you to AVS Forum. Welcome. :)

CW provides two different services. The main CW service is, as you state, in 1080i and has to be converted to SD. However, in markets smaller than the top 100, the CW provides an SD-only feed known as CW+, which is pre-programmed with syndication. The local station simply adds local spots.

Markets like Binghamton which are getting CW+ do not get CW in HD.

- Trip

Thanks for pointing that out. As it happens, our regional facility here in Syracuse operates both a CW station (Rochester) and a CW+ (Watertown)... I was thinking that Binghamton's (not one of our stations) was full-blown CW, and answered the question on that basis.

What other stations are you working with in upstate NY?
We are the regional hub for WSYR-TV (Syracuse ABC / Independent), WHAM-TV (Rochester ABC / CW), WWTI (Watertown ABC / CW+), WIVT (Binghamton ABC), WBGH (Binghamton NBC), and WETM (Elmira NBC / Independent).

We interconnect the stations through a fiberoptic network that, among other things, gives each station live access to feeds coming from other stations. For instance, after last April's mass-shooting in Binghamton, we pooled WIVT's resources with WSYR's to provide live coverage to the whole region -- and uplinked much of it to ABC.

It's not exactly a traditional model for a television station, but it has given us a huge boost technically... among other things, it made it practical to provide ABC and NBC in HD to markets like Binghamton for these past six years or so (NBC originally through Time Warner, and now over the air as well). It also gave us an enormous amount of experience very early in the curve, before many people were watching! :D

I wonder if Binghamton's CW could ever be upgraded from its CW + status?

I wonder if Binghamton's CW could ever be upgraded from its CW + status?

Convince a million of your closest friends to move to Binghamton. :D

- Trip

If I had a million friends I wouldn't be living here. :D

I have a question about indoor antenna's. I am looking for a decent indoor antenna (VHF/UHF)

Will the Terk HDTVi antenna work for this area since its directional? Accoring to tvfool the broadcast towers are 6 miles from me.

Another note on MNT/WBPN, a couple years ago they put out an application for a signal on digital 23, and they have a construction permit for 15kW, but who knows if they are even planning to or even working on that, or have any plans for HD feed of MNT.

I have a question about indoor antenna's. I am looking for a decent indoor antenna (VHF/UHF)

Will the Terk HDTVi antenna work for this area since its directional? Accoring to tvfool the broadcast towers are 6 miles from me.The antenna needs to receive chs 7, 8, 34, and 42. I'm a little over 9 miles from the towers, but because of Crocker Hill in the way I'm using this one.
http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp?mc=03&p=SHD7084&d=Winegard-HD-7084P-High-Defintion-VHFUHFFM-TV-Antenna-%28HD7084P%29&c=TV%20Antennas&sku=

At six miles a good indoor might work quite well for you, providingf you have a clear shot to the towers.

I have a question about indoor antenna's. I am looking for a decent indoor antenna (VHF/UHF)

Will the Terk HDTVi antenna work for this area since its directional? Accoring to tvfool the broadcast towers are 6 miles from me.

if you post your tvfool.com report it will be easier to recommend an antenna for your area, though you are close geography can play a big roll like JD stated.

We are the regional hub for WSYR-TV (Syracuse ABC / Independent), WHAM-TV (Rochester ABC / CW), WWTI (Watertown ABC / CW+), WIVT (Binghamton ABC), WBGH (Binghamton NBC), and WETM (Elmira NBC / Independent).
Just one more question if I may: are there any plans on converting WIVT 34.1 to DD 5.1 audio? I assume WBGH 34.2 is also currently 2.0 audio - any plans to convert it to 5.1?

Ok here is the report link you wanted to see sustorm.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d27ee2f3561f08d

Just one more question if I may: are there any plans on converting WIVT 34.1 to DD 5.1 audio? I assume WBGH 34.2 is also currently 2.0 audio - any plans to convert it to 5.1?
That's an item for the "future projects" list... no immediate idea when it will happen.

One of the complicating factors is that our facility is multi-format, and receives a number of different network feeds, each of which implements 5.1 audio differently. Right now, the most practical solution would be to break every source's audio to discrete channels and re-encode those to Dolby E, and re-embed that into the video for switching and processing. Otherwise, we would have channel mapping changing on a source-by-source basis, which is obviously not acceptable. We also need to deal with issues like metadata, which is information that accompanies source audio and describes things like how loud the audio is, the native format, the sort of programming it is (which can inform audio processors of how to best handle varying levels)... and so forth.

Over the last year, both ABC and NBC changed how they distribute their feeds to affiliates, with some core hardware replacement at every affiliate... and we're starting to get a better sense of where other feeds are headed as far as audio protocols are concerned. Until everything gets shaken out, we're concentrating on delivering audio in the most reliable way, with attention to making levels as consistent as possible. To this point, given the constraints of our facility it's essentially a choice between doing 5.1 poorly, versus doing 2.0 well... and for right now we're opting for the latter. :)

Ok here is the report link you wanted to see sustorm.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d27ee2f3561f08d

based on your TVfool report just about anything should pick up all the binghamton stations. That antenna should do it without a problem. I am using the Terk HDTVO and I am receiving all the binghamton stations and both WSYT and WNYS out of Syracuse with the antenna in my attic
You can pick this up online or at Unicorn Elec in JC.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d27eed064fc92ba

http://unicornelex.com/search.php?PHPSESSID=c4c552b02c558daa884ef8789e2f4e12&cat=&searchstring=hdtvo

To this point, given the constraints of our facility it's essentially a choice between doing 5.1 poorly, versus doing 2.0 well... and for right now we're opting for the latter. :)
Well that explains that very nicely. Thanks again so much!

I think about the only thing you haven't done for us is invite us for a tour!

based on your TVfool report just about anything should pick up all the binghamton stations. That antenna should do it without a problem. I am using the Terk HDTVO and I am receiving all the binghamton stations and both WSYT and WNYS out of Syracuse with the antenna in my attic
You can pick this up online or at Unicorn Elec in JC.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d27eed064fc92ba

http://unicornelex.com/search.php?PHPSESSID=c4c552b02c558daa884ef8789e2f4e12&cat=&searchstring=hdtvo

Thank you for the info, i try out the Terk HDTVi and see what my results are.

If it doesn't work i get the outdoor antenna.

That's an item for the "future projects" list... no immediate idea when it will happen.
Could I possible bug you for one more thing in regards to 34.2?

As a Directv (abbreviated D*) customer, I rely on an antenna to get my locals. The D* HD DVR does not scan for off air channels like every other TV or DVR does; instead you enter your ZIP code in the DVR's antenna setup, and then D* gives you the list of OTA channels it has in it's database for that ZIP. (Why they do this I have no idea.)

The D* OTA database uses data provided by Tribune Media Services, which owns the online www.zap2it.com TV listings. So basically, until 34.2 shows up on the zap2it.com listings for the Binghamton area ZIP codes, D* customers will not be able to tune to channel 34.2 (see http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tvlistings/ZCGrid.do?aid=zap2it&zipcode=13850). I have asked Tribune to add 34.2 to their online listings, but so far they have not done it yet. (Usually in the past they have been very responsive when I've sent them OTA changes/additions.)

Could you make sure the new 34.2 info is sent to the appropriate person at Tribune? I'd really love to watch 34.2 for myself. Any help you can provide is appreciated. Thanks.

Could you make sure the new 34.2 info is sent to the appropriate person at Tribune? I'd really love to watch 34.2 for myself. Any help you can provide is appreciated. Thanks.
I started the ball rolling on that on Tuesday... no idea how long it normally takes them, or how long it takes for updated data to propagate down to home receivers.

Thanks!

And to answer the question on why DirecTV relies on the zip code. It's so the guide can include the show descriptions. Why not allow both methods is anyone's guess.

I'll try an antenna setup on my HR20 this weekend. Or after I see a change on Zap2It.

I started the ball rolling on that on Tuesday... no idea how long it normally takes them, or how long it takes for updated data to propagate down to home receivers.

Thanks!
Hey thanks! That's when my contact said she formally requested 34.2 be added too. It's never taken them this long in the past though. I was really looking forward to being able to watch it this weekend. I guess I'll have to wait until next week as I doubt they work on it over the weekend.

I wonder if the delay is because 34-2 isn't official until 3/8, based on the FCC filing mentioned previously.

I wonder if the delay is because 34-2 isn't official until 3/8, based on the FCC filing mentioned previously.
You're referring to a pending application for the class-A analog on channel 20... that really doesn't have any connection to what we put on digital 34, at least as far as cable and satellite providers are concerned. Basically, the issue is just that the folks who generate the data aren't local and don't know what's going on unless someone explictly tells them.

This remote stuff gets really old sometimes... I get calls occasionally from some fellow in Colorado or somewhere who wants to know if we're off the air. Apparently it's a company that does remote monitoring around the country. Turns out they put their equipment in a part of the city that is behind a hill from our tower, so their signal quality is marginal... :rolleyes:

Hey thanks! That's when my contact said she formally requested 34.2 be added too. It's never taken them this long in the past though. I was really looking forward to being able to watch it this weekend. I guess I'll have to wait until next week as I doubt they work on it over the weekend.

I sent them another email about 34-2, hopefully we see it on the OTA list soon.

I wonder how long it takes DirecTV to update their database once Zap2It does their's?
Hopefully, it's automated!!!!`