How many ways is the cable split when it comes in the house? I have a theory on the audio drop outs.

Not split at all. goes through a couple of barrel connectors, and then into a Dish 921 used as my OTA tuner. Never had a signal strength or multipath problem.

Not split at all. goes through a couple of barrel connectors, and then into a Dish 921 used as my OTA tuner. Never had a signal strength or multipath problem.

No split here either - a direct line from the antenna to the OTA box (HR10-250)

The good news is that I haven't had a dropout on OTA WLNE 6-1 all week!
The bad news is the reason - there's been no audio at all!
Anyone else seeing (and not hearing) this?

Delete the channel. Then add it back in as a new local channel.
John

Hi,

It's great that we finally have Fox and CBS in HD. I have been waiting almost 3 years :)
However, I'm not getting Dolby Digital from Fox. I get this over the air on channel 64.1 but not on my Cox set top box.

Is this a known problem?

Great thread here guys, it's been fun reading the last few months/years.

Thanks in advance for any help,


Pool101

So if and when D* decides to grace RI with NESN HD will I be able to receive this station with my current 3 LNB dish, or will I require the 5 LNB and an MPEG4 receiver ??

To get HD RSNs like NESNHD, you will need a 5 LNB dish and MPEG4 receiver. Right now you can get the H20 MPEG4 receiver, 5LNB dish, including installations (wires, dish, multiswitch if needed) for 100 bucks with 2 year commitment.

Also you could do the above, then "move" and you'd have NESNHD right away.

Delete the channel. Then add it back in as a new local channel.
John
Still no luck. My receiver doesn't even see a DD stream, but if I view 6-2, I get a DD stream and have sound with a stretched SD picture.

Note that this is ONLY with WLNE - I get WCVB 5-1 from Boston with DD sound

Just an update for those that are still here Verizon has applied for TV in the following SAs 2,3, and 8 which include Providence, North Providence, Cranston, Foster, Scituate, Johnston, Westerly, Hopkinton Richmond, Charlestown, South Kingstown and Narragansett

Here is a link to the page:

http://www.ripuc.org/utilityinfo/cabletv/Docket_2007c.htm

For those you wondering on the status of Service Area 6 here is a listing of how the build out is going 67% as of 1/27/07:
http://www.ripuc.org/utilityinfo/cabletv/2006_C_4ExhibitStatus_Verizon_Bu.pdf

Construction Certificate Service Area 6
http://www.ripuc.org/utilityinfo/cabletv/Docket_2006c4.htm

Does the fact that FIOS internet is available mean that TV will also be available when they go online with it?

Just an update for those that are still here Verizon has applied for TV in the following SAs 2,3, and 8 which include Providence, North Providence, Cranston, Foster, Scituate, Johnston, Westerly, Hopkinton Richmond, Charlestown, South Kingstown and Narragansett

Here is a link to the page:

http://www.ripuc.org/utilityinfo/cabletv/Docket_2007c.htm

For those you wondering on the status of Service Area 6 here is a listing of how the build out is going 67% as of 1/27/07:
http://www.ripuc.org/utilityinfo/cabletv/2006_C_4ExhibitStatus_Verizon_Bu.pdf

Construction Certificate Service Area 6
http://www.ripuc.org/utilityinfo/cabletv/Docket_2006c4.htm

I notice at the bottom of the status for SA 6 it says that the remaining 32.3% will be completed within the next 5 years. Was there something in the agreement that said Verizon had to get a certain percentage of the Area wired before they could offer Video service, and then they have 5 years to finish the rest? Because the April launch timeframe is getting close.

Also, it's great to hear they've applied in SA3. I've seen them in my neighborhood putting up Fios for the last 3 weeks.

Kudos to Channel 28 for carrying the ACC games in HD this afternoon!! :)

The sound has a slight crackle but the clarity of the picture more than makes up for it...

Kudos to Channel 28 for carrying the ACC games in HD this afternoon!! :)

The sound has a slight crackle but the clarity of the picture more than makes up for it...
Kudos to your high-quality ears! The crackle is there, very low in the background on the left channel. Very hard to catch if you have old ears. It is incoming to us from the game producers. They are checking into it.

Anyone here in a Cox-RI All-digital service area with just a QAM Tuner, NO CC? Just curious as to whether or not the basic (old analog) networks are encrypted on the digital side.

Anyone here in a Cox-RI All-digital service area with just a QAM Tuner, NO CC? Just curious as to whether or not the basic (old analog) networks are encrypted on the digital side.
the only digitals I pick up are abc, nbc, cbs, fox, and pbs I get the regular cable stations up to about 74 or something too

Does COX pass through the digital version of WLWC-TV (CW) channel 28?

Does COX pass through the digital version of WLWC-TV (CW) channel 28?
nope

Kudos to your high-quality ears! The crackle is there, very low in the background on the left channel. Very hard to catch if you have old ears. It is incoming to us from the game producers. They are checking into it.

Thanks for the treat today Robert, I hope we'll see more of this over the weekend! :)

Thanks for the treat today Robert, I hope we'll see more of this over the weekend! :)
It's not a treat. We are carrying all ACC games this weekend in glorious HD.

I got an automated call from cox yesterday stating that they will be making wiring improvements in my area on Monday morning from 12AM-8AM. They also said that service might be down at that time.

I was wondering if anyone else got the same message and what kind of improvements they might be making??

Anyone have any insight on this???

nope

At least with LIN we knew what the story was with Cox.

I've tried contacting WLWC via e-mail about this, and have never received a response...

Did anyone else have problems with Fox last night? I just set up an antenna to get HD over the air. I was losing the signal and audio every few minutes for about a second. According to my TV, I was always between 65%-75% strengh.

I'm scared to keep moving the antenna around since I pick up ABC, NBC and CBS so good right now

I haven't seen this mentioned yet, but it looks like Cox is shutting off the analog feed of HBO and Cinemax on April 24th. Got a notice on Friday that I would need to upgrade to digital boxes to continue recieving it. (I currently only have Digital boxes on 2 of my TVs)

Not really a big deal since the price of the analog and digital box rental is the same, but just thought I'd make a note of it. I imagine customers who don't have Digital Cable would get just get the box minus any of the digital features(Guide, On Demand, etc.), but I'm not sure if they would include all of the other HBO or Cinemax channels.

Anyways, I hope this is to make bandwidth for more HD channels.

I haven't seen this mentioned yet, but it looks like Cox is shutting off the analog feed of HBO and Cinemax on April 24th. Got a notice on Friday that I would need to upgrade to digital boxes to continue receiving it. (I currently only have Digital boxes on 2 of my TVs)

Not really a big deal since the price of the analog and digital box rental is the same, but just thought I'd make a note of it. I imagine customers who don't have Digital Cable would get just get the box minus any of the digital features(Guide, On Demand, etc.), but I'm not sure if they would include all of the other HBO or Cinemax channels.

Anyways, I hope this is to make bandwidth for more HD channels.

I have the feeling that at some point everything but limited basic will be eliminated on the analog side. From the technical side, Cox's digital channels take up less bandwidth than the analogs. This will free up bandwidth for more channels (ore hopefully more HD) in the future. I think limited basic will always be available on analog (and without a cable box) due to FCC regulations. In addition, by eliminating most of the analog cable signals, it allows Cox to offer other hardware options, such as the Motorola 3400 series (all digital) set top boxes.

Who knows, maybe they might be able to eliminate limited basic as well once cablecard 2 is approved and rolled out. Not sure exactly what the rules are for how much legacy support they have to provide for analog cable ready TV's.

-Ted

When Verizon goes live all subscribers will be required to obtain a box, I don't know how Verizon would get an exception which Cox can't?

I have the feeling that at some point everything but limited basic will be eliminated on the analog side. From the technical side, Cox's digital channels take up less bandwidth than the analogs. This will free up bandwidth for more channels (ore hopefully more HD) in the future. I think limited basic will always be available on analog (and without a cable box) due to FCC regulations. In addition, by eliminating most of the analog cable signals, it allows Cox to offer other hardware options, such as the Motorola 3400 series (all digital) set top boxes.

Who knows, maybe they might be able to eliminate limited basic as well once cablecard 2 is approved and rolled out. Not sure exactly what the rules are for how much legacy support they have to provide for analog cable ready TV's.

-Ted

I think the biggest problem right now is that if/when Cox cuts off the analog feeds for all channels except limited basic, it's going to mean that suddenly a lot of people on extended basic without boxes are going to lose a lot of channels, unless they shell out the extra money to rent a box. My thoughts are that Cox(and other cable companies) are probably reluctant to go down this path because they don't want to deal with this.

Verizon is already doing this, but they escape this issue because they're a new service and they are doing it from the start. People know what they're getting.

At least with LIN we knew what the story was with Cox.

I've tried contacting WLWC via e-mail about this, and have never received a response...
I'm sorry you never got a response from us...

As you may know, CBS has sold WLWC (along with six other stations) to Cerberus Capital Management. The sale is expected to close at the end of April, so CBS will not be negotiating any new agreements with cable systems. After the closing, Cerberus will be the party to contact.

I'm sorry you never got a response from us...

As you may know, CBS has sold WLWC (along with six other stations) to Cerberus Capital Management. The sale is expected to close at the end of April, so CBS will not be negotiating any new agreements with cable systems. After the closing, Cerberus will be the party to contact.

Thanks for the response, Robert.

Will you still be with WLWC at that time, and have some insight?

Thanks for the response, Robert.

Will you still be with WLWC at that time, and have some insight?
CBS will continue to operate the station for the new owners for several months after the transfer of ownership. After the new owners take control of operations all connections between the two companies will be severed, and I will not be associated with WLWC any longer.

When Verizon goes live all subscribers will be required to obtain a box, I don't know how Verizon would get an exception which Cox can't?


Or a cablecard, a lot cheaper/month.

When Verizon goes live all subscribers will be required to obtain a box, I don't know how Verizon would get an exception which Cox can't?

Verizon does offer local channels(allocated to channels 1-50) over analog I believe.

CBS will continue to operate the station for the new owners for several months after the transfer of ownership. After the new owners take control of operations all connections between the two companies will be severed, and I will not be associated with WLWC any longer.

So that will be the end of, say, SPORTS FINAL, RED SOX THIS WEEK, and the associated ACC programming there too? :(

So that will be the end of, say, SPORTS FINAL, RED SOX THIS WEEK, and the associated ACC programming there too? :(
All of these shows remain under negotiation, so the door is not closed yet.

West Warwick and East Providence, RI – Cox Communications and WPRI-TV Channel 12 announced today that through a CBS multicast agreement, Cox will offer additional NCAA Basketball Tournament games to Cox Digital Cable customers in Rhode Island.

Beginning on Thursday, March 15, the NCAA Tournament games will air on WPRI-TV Ch.12 and in high definition on Cox Digital channel 701. Additional games will broadcast simultaneously on Cox Digital channels 801 and 802.

For the complete 2007 NCAA Tournament programming schedule, log on to www.wpri.com

Direct Link

http://ww2.wpri.com/global/Story.asp?s=6225120

Sweet deal CBS worked out :)

Is this with all CBS affiliates or just WPRI-TV/DT? WFSB-TV/DT of Hartford sends out their "CBS-3" service to Springfield, MA area cable systems. 33-3, a.k.a. "3-3" is a round-the-clock Eyewitness News Now service, which is simulcated on their website. Naturally, the big deal here in Connecticut will be CCSU vs Ohio State tomorrow evening around 7 PM ET.

I'm going to assume that the ability to multicast these games is granted to all CBS affiliates, but it's probably up to the individual station to clear the bandwidth and make it happen. It may not be technically feasible or worth the trouble for many affiliates.

Either way, this is actually a great use of multicasting, and kudos to WPRI for making this happen.

The additonal channels have already appeared on OTA. In addition to the Cox addition, 64.2 is active OTA only for additional games.

The additonal channels have already appeared on OTA. In addition to the Cox addition, 64.2 is active OTA only for additional games.

I just noticed 12.2 is now active also. I never had that channel before. I guess they are getting ready.

WOW...just as I was posting this message....12.3 became active also.

I just noticed 12.2 is now active also. I never had that channel before. I guess they are getting ready.

WOW...just as I was posting this message....12.3 became active also.

It's March madness month and those channels magically appear at this time of year and BOY do they look like garbage when they are being used, totally pixelated.

I was excited at first...when I thought 801 and 802 would be HD. Guess I will stick to watching whatever game CBS is showing on 701.

Yes, 801 and 802 in HD would have been great. I wonder why this could not be done. Bandwidth issue?

Yes, the picture quality on 801 and 802 is marginal, but....

I have to admit we are all totally enjoying watching the HD game on the projector and the other games on TV sets at either end of the projector screen. It is a long way from being one of the few states watching the AFC Championship game in SD :rolleyes:

Now if I can only figure out how to get my remote to not change channels on the three cable boxes when I am only want to change one :)

Should be a great weekend of hoops.

Chalk up a rare win today for Channel 12 over Channel 4.

Every game on 12 has been in HD -- including the BC game, which (believe it or not) was only in standard def on Channel 4.

Though apparently there are restrictions/reasons for that which Mr. Yankowitz mentioned in the Boston thread, every time I've turned on 4 today they've been showing a standard def feed at other times as well (including right now with Gonzaga-Indiana).

The extra WPRI channels might be pixilated but that's what directv is for :)

Bottom line is that you've been watching 12.1 straight through you've had a pretty good day of HD basketball and seen a lot more HD than you did on WBZ today. :)

I tried to flip through the QAM channels this morning and it seems that CBS (104.19) is no longer working!!! But for some reason ESPN2-HD is back.... 103.1

Anyone else?

I tried to flip through the QAM channels this morning and it seems that CBS (104.19) is no longer working!!! But for some reason ESPN2-HD is back.... 103.1

Anyone else?
cbs qam is working fine for me. Thanks for letting me know about espn2hd though! I really wish we could get both in HD through qam

CBS is back up for me too... must have been a morning problem :)

Since I haven't seen this talked about here, does anyone have any info on any of the local news teams going HD anytime in the future? Or atleast upgrading to have the ability to air syndicated HD stuff(like Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy)? Any info is appreciated.

Since I haven't seen this talked about here, does anyone have any info on any of the local news teams going HD anytime in the future? Or atleast upgrading to have the ability to air syndicated HD stuff(like Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy)? Any info is appreciated.
i contact ch. 12 about the wheel of fortune and jeopary in HD thing and havent gotten an answer yet

espn2hd isnt working through qam anymore :(

Does not matter whether it's OTA or through COX HD, the audio from WJAR-HD is out of sync with the video. And this is not a new issue. Why does this problem persist?

I swapped my three-year old Motorola 6412 DVR box (which was not operating correctly) for a new Motorola 6416 DVR. According to the COX Service Center in Warwick, RI, the 6416 has more recording capacity. Anyone know how much more HD recording capacity it has compared to the 6412?

I swapped my three-year old Motorola 6412 DVR box (which was not operating correctly) for a new Motorola 6416 DVR. According to the COX Service Center in Warwick, RI, the 6416 has more recording capacity. Anyone know how much more HD recording capacity it has compared to the 6412?

The "16" is 160 gig, the "12" is a 120 gig.

Anyone else notice the poor PQ on Cox 701 for March Madness games? I'm getting really bad motion macroblocking. Not the usual for local CBS affiliate.

i contact ch. 12 about the wheel of fortune and jeopary in HD thing and havent gotten an answer yet
We are having the same problem in Washington with WJLA (ABC) giving us the runaround - supposedly the owners don't feel it is worth the investment. Probably would resist going to color if it was 1965.

We are having the same problem in Washington with WJLA (ABC) giving us the runaround - supposedly the owners don't feel it is worth the investment. Probably would resist going to color if it was 1965.

I posted a msg to the engineer @ another local channel that carries Wheel of Fortune and he said that it will be coming soon in HD, he informed me that they are waiting for new equiptment to be installed and after that, it will be carried in HD. If this is true for one channel, others probably will be doing the same and it will come in time.

Anyone else notice the poor PQ on Cox 701 for March Madness games? I'm getting really bad motion macroblocking. Not the usual for local CBS affiliate.

It's like that OTA too, it's because they're multicasting 2 other games on 12-2 and 12-3, starving it for bandwidth.

Anyone else notice the poor PQ on Cox 701 for March Madness games? I'm getting really bad motion macroblocking. Not the usual for local CBS affiliate.
yup, looks like crap for me too.

What is the problem with this station and network? When there is HD, the audio is out of sync with the video (both OTA and thru COX). And today during afternoon sports programming there's no HD feed either OTA or via COX (yesterday's broadcast of golf was in HD but with the audio out of sync).

What is the problem with this station and network? When there is HD, the audio is out of sync with the video (both OTA and thru COX). And today during afternoon sports programming there's no HD feed either OTA or via COX (yesterday's broadcast of golf was in HD but with the audio out of sync).
yeah, the golf isnt in HD right now, yet it was yesterday. Someone forgot to flip the switch apparently

As long as they fix the PQ on wpriHD (cbs) before football season...

I swapped my three-year old Motorola 6412 DVR box (which was not operating correctly) for a new Motorola 6416 DVR. According to the COX Service Center in Warwick, RI, the 6416 has more recording capacity. Anyone know how much more HD recording capacity it has compared to the 6412?
Did you just walk in and ask for a new one or did you call before you went? My 6412 has never worked exactly right, but I've been too lazy to bother to get a new one. I'd love the 16

Did you just walk in and ask for a new one or did you call before you went? My 6412 has never worked exactly right, but I've been too lazy to bother to get a new one. I'd love the 16
I just walked in with the box, a copy of my bill (account info) and the power cord and swapped them out. When I first called Tech support on Saturday morning on the phone to report that my 6412 was not working right, I was told that they would send out a tech rep in a few days. That's no good. I then asked if I could bring my 6412 into the Warwick Mall office to swap it out on Saturday. They said OK. However, when I asked if I could call first to see if they had any in stock before making the trip up there, they would not give me the phone number. Not very helpful, but that's COX so that's not surprising that they gave me the runaround.

So I took a chance and went there, swapped the unit for a new one. Very easy transaction. When I got home I discovered it was broken too. I went back AGAIN. This time I asked if there was a new model with more recording memory. They gave me a 6416 (looks nearly identical to the 6412 which has about a third more memory. You will have to call to activate the box once you get it home and installed.

Two things that you need to know is that not everyone in the Warwick Mall office knows the difference between the 6412 and the 6416. If you go there, don't give up until someone who understands the difference helps you. Also, you need to know that the 6416 has an HDMI out port, whereas the 6412 is DVI out, not HDMI. The 6416 also has all of the other options that the 6412 does too, including Component, etc. And the 6416 firewire out port works too for capture.

I just walked in with the box, a copy of my bill (account info) and the power cord and swapped them out. When I first called Tech support on Saturday morning on the phone to report that my 6412 was not working right, I was told that they would send out a tech rep in a few days. That's no good. I then asked if I could bring my 6412 into the Warwick Mall office to swap it out on Saturday. They said OK. However, when I asked if I could call first to see if they had any in stock before making the trip up there, they would not give me the phone number. Not very helpful, but that's COX so that's not surprising that they gave me the runaround.

So I took a chance and went there, swapped the unit for a new one. Very easy transaction. When I got home I discovered it was broken too. I went back AGAIN. This time I asked if there was a new model with more recording memory. They gave me a 6416 (looks nearly identical to the 6412 which has about a third more memory. You will have to call to activate the box once you get it home and installed.

Two things that you need to know is that not everyone in the Warwick Mall office knows the difference between the 6412 and the 6416. If you go there, don't give up until someone who understands the difference helps you. Also, you need to know that the 6416 has an HDMI out port, whereas the 6412 is DVI out, not HDMI. The 6416 also has all of the other options that the 6412 does too, including Component, etc. And the 6416 firewire out port works too for capture.
the 6412 III does have Hdmi out. Thats what I have right now. The older 6412 does not. Thanks, I think I'll give them a call then.

the 6412 III does have Hdmi out. Thats what I have right now. The older 6412 does not. Thanks, I think I'll give them a call then.

Beware of the 6412/16 III boxes. I went through two 6416's before going back to a 6412. The additional capacity is great, but I had a lot of problems with choppy video when using both tuners, and during recording/playback. I finally gave up after trying to troubleshoot it myself. Cox zapped the box a couple of times without success. I finally traded it back in for an old DVI based 6412 and the problems cleared up. I ended up going through 5 boxes in one month before finally getting the "good" 6412 I just spoke of. One Cox customer support person I spoke to (who was nice) stated that Motorola is having some QC problems with the series III and is having trouble keeping up with demand.

Check out this link here on the avsforums for more info. There are a few motorola set top box discussions...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=100

-Ted

Beware of the 6412/16 III boxes. I went through two 6416's before going back to a 6412. The additional capacity is great, but I had a lot of problems with choppy video when using both tuners, and during recording/playback. I finally gave up after trying to troubleshoot it myself. Cox zapped the box a couple of times without success. I finally traded it back in for an old DVI based 6412 and the problems cleared up. I ended up going through 5 boxes in one month before finally getting the "good" 6412 I just spoke of. One Cox customer support person I spoke to (who was nice) stated that Motorola is having some QC problems with the series III and is having trouble keeping up with demand.

Check out this link here on the avsforums for more info. There are a few motorola set top box discussions...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=100

-Ted

I'm on my SEVENTH (7th!) Series III - have had both the 6412s and 6416s go bad on me - I now have one 6412 for non HD and a 6416 for the HD. So far so good, altho I did have a "recording error" on the 6416 the other night. Most of the problems have been on the boxes rebooting, or locking up. I have exchanged them myself on 3 occasions, and a tech has come out the other times. Not impressed with the boxes, but reading the Verizon FIOS TV forum, it looks like their Motorolla boxes aren't any better :(

Beware of the 6412/16 III boxes. I went through two 6416's before going back to a 6412. The additional capacity is great, but I had a lot of problems with choppy video when using both tuners, and during recording/playback. I finally gave up after trying to troubleshoot it myself. Cox zapped the box a couple of times without success. I finally traded it back in for an old DVI based 6412 and the problems cleared up. I ended up going through 5 boxes in one month before finally getting the "good" 6412 I just spoke of. One Cox customer support person I spoke to (who was nice) stated that Motorola is having some QC problems with the series III and is having trouble keeping up with demand.

Check out this link here on the avsforums for more info. There are a few motorola set top box discussions...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=100

-Ted
thats mainly why I want to try the 16. My 12 III has issues when recording an HD station and watching another HD station. I have to reset the box once and a while because it just wont record. Theres other issues too

anyone have any problems with 64-1, not getting any picture tonight

I am good in Newport OTA. Just tuned in at 9 though.

Once again I am asking the question - why is NBC's audio and video so frequently out of sync when broadcasting in HD - regardless of whether OTA or through COX? I have emailed WJAR, but, of course, they're not going to respond.

I know from time to time some broadcast engineers lurk on these forums. Can you enlighten us on the problem(s)? BTW, this is not a COX problem.

Others have responded that maybe they're not "throwing the switch" (?). Surely there's more to the issue than that.

Once again I am asking the question - why is NBC's audio and video so frequently out of sync when broadcasting in HD - regardless of whether OTA or through COX? I have emailed WJAR, but, of course, they're not going to respond.

I know from time to time some broadcast engineers lurk on these forums. Can you enlighten us on the problem(s)? BTW, this is not a COX problem.

Others have responded that maybe they're not "throwing the switch" (?). Surely there's more to the issue than that.

I saw your complaint the other day and we have checked into NBC audio out of sync issue you were seeing. We do not see audio out of sync on NBC HD here we will observe it further.

Mark

Whoa, that was a fast response from a WJAR engineer. Is there any chance a WLNE engineer is "lurking around" who could tell me why I can't watch Lost without all of the audio problems?

Whoa, that was a fast response from a WJAR engineer. Is there any chance a WLNE engineer is "lurking around" who could tell me why I can't watch Lost without all of the audio problems?


And are there any other NYC transplants lurking around who can tell me why it's impossible to find a decent bagel in Rhode Island? ;)

And are there any other NYC transplants lurking around who can tell me why it's impossible to find a decent bagel in Rhode Island? ;)
Have you tried to find decent pizza in RI yet? Because that is a MUCH worse situation compared to bagels. I dont understand the lack of good pizza in RI

Tommy's Pizza ...Chaulkstone Ave

What does that have to do with HDTV?

And are there any other NYC transplants lurking around who can tell me why it's impossible to find a decent bagel in Rhode Island? ;)

Not as good as NY, but the best bagels in RI are currently from Bagel Gourmet, a hole in the wall in a strip mall on Brooke street corner of Power (?) in Providence near Brown. The store is run by Guatemalans who learned how to make bagels in Kings Point, Long Island.

One reason you can't get good bagels is that except in a bagel bakery no one understands that you have to boil bagels before you bake them. If you just bake them, they're rolls.

Before anyone asks what this has to do with HD, in my opinion you can't appreciate HD if you don't appreciate good bagels. :D

SMK

Not as good as NY, but the best bagels in RI are currently from Bagel Gourmet, a hole in the wall in a strip mall on Brooke street corner of Power (?) in Providence near Brown. The store is run by Guatemalans who learned how to make bagels in Kings Point, Long Island.

One reason you can't get good bagels is that except in a bagel bakery no one understands that you have to boil bagels before you bake them. If you just bake them, they're rolls.

Before anyone asks what this has to do with HD, in my opinion you can't appreciate HD if you don't appreciate good bagels. :D

SMK

Hilarious!
But I'm surprised that nobody has challenged the statement that there aren't good/great bagel and pizza shops in RI. In MA where I live, there are many.

No 64-1 here tonight either. Every other channel is coming in fine, including 64. Maybe its time to reboot the tivo.

I've been having trouble getting a signal lock on 06-1 for the last couple of days as well (Middletown).

I'll start off by saying I have never had authentic NY or Chi Pizza before. That being said, depending on what your in the mood for, you can't go wrong with Caserta's on Federal Hill or Junction Pizza in the NK Walmart plaza.

Well anyways, does anyone have any experience archiving recorded shows to the computer (or even external drive) with the firewire port. It is my understanding that its possible to save programs to the computer but you have to do it in real time. I was hoping to be able to save shows to my computer than sling them to the new AppleTV(finally shipping) in the other room.

Not as good as NY, but the best bagels in RI are currently from Bagel Gourmet, a hole in the wall in a strip mall on Brooke street corner of Power (?) in Providence near Brown. The store is run by Guatemalans who learned how to make bagels in Kings Point, Long Island.

One reason you can't get good bagels is that except in a bagel bakery no one understands that you have to boil bagels before you bake them. If you just bake them, they're rolls.

Before anyone asks what this has to do with HD, in my opinion you can't appreciate HD if you don't appreciate good bagels. :D

SMK
Agree on the Bagel Gourmet :) once Barney's Bagels tanked it was the BG for me there is a rumor though that there is a local spot that bought all the recipes and eq from Barney's and will open "soon" cant remember though were it was..
As far as Pizza goes have you tried Bertuccis?? they have an excellent White pizza called the Fromagio (its not on the menu, but if you ask for it they will make it) I converted my Fiance to it after one trip :)....Also there are a few places that have OK pizza Mr Pizza Jumbo size only is a good pizza for the area (Providence), Golden Crust used to be good too....

I saw your complaint the other day and we have checked into NBC audio out of sync issue you were seeing. We do not see audio out of sync on NBC HD here we will observe it further.

Mark
Dear WJAR Engineer:
I appreciate your quick response. To clarify, the typical problem that I am noticing is what I would describe as WJAR's HD channel feed from some network source someplace else - not local programming. For instance, when one watches something like Law and Order or some sporting event like golf in HD, the audio and video is out of sync. I am not suggesting your locally-produced programming is affected. Thus, you might not be noticing it if you only are examining local programming.

someone tell the moron at abc to flip the hd switch :mad:

Hey guys.I just got my first HDTV and am looking to upgrade from my Cox digital cable box to a HD box.According to the Cox advertising I was under the impression that their HD programing was free to current customers.It was just a matter of switching out the boxes.I called Cox to inquire about HD and the woman I spoke to on the phone told me I would be getting Cox's HD service and DVR service bundled together and that it would be an extra $10.69 a month added to my bill.I told her that although I would love to have the DVR service that I was maxed out on my cable bill and wanted to keep it were it was and that I was under the impression that the HD programing was a free service.She then told me that the HD service was indeed free but that the HD/DVR came as a package.I then told her that I would get back to her and became a bit suspicious when she gave me her name and ext. number and even offered to call me back.I believe she may have just been trying to pad her sales numbers.So I called back a couple of days later and this time spoke to a gentleman and explained what I wanted.He told me that there was indeed no extra charge for the HD programing and that I would just need to have the boxes switched out.He then proceeded to inform me that there would be a one time service charge of $49.95 for the tech to come to my apt. to install the HD box.Since as I mentioned this is my first HD set I really wasn't sure what was invovled in the install so before agreeing to the charges I figured I would do a little homework on the Cox website.I went to the cox site and from what I can see the installation is nothing more that plugging in the component cables that Cox apparently provides from the box to the set.Now I'm certainly no expert but I think I can handle that installation.I live in Warwick and am within shouting distance of the Warwick Mall so what I'm asking is can I just take my insisting digital cable box to the Cox store at the mall and switch the damn thing out for the HD box and hook it up myself.I apologize for the long post.I know it seems pretty simple but these nuts from Cox are driving me crazy.Thanks for any imput.

... what I'm asking is can I just take my insisting digital cable box to the Cox store at the mall and switch the damn thing out for the HD box and hook it up myself. ...
Yes, you can install the thing yourself. It easy. After installation, you'll have to call Cox to activate the box.

One thing I am not sure about is if there is such a thing as a HD box that's not a DVR. (Sorry, I am having a senior moment.) Since I want the DVR, I am paying a monthly fee to rent the DVR and ther HD service is part of that fee. The digital service is extra too. While you may think you don't want the DVR, you will really like it once you use it.

I feel your pain about the cable bill. My COX cable bill is really getting up there too, and I don't use any premium channels. Hopefully, Verizon FIOS will actually begin installations locally for me soon to cause some price competition.

The whole thing is a joke. I went thru this a while ago. You can pick up and self install a box with the DVR and pay the additional DVR monthly charge. If you want a box without the DVR, they are available, but not at service centers. Only the installers have access to that type of box, therefore you must pay an installation fee for the installer to plugin the box for you. If your HDTV has a QAM tuner in it, you can get the unscrambled HDTV FREE.

I no longer use COX except for internet service. I am strictly OTA for HDTV. However, even though I don't subscribe to any cable services, I still get PBS, ABC, NBC, and FOX thru my QAM tuner. For some strange reason I don't get CBS, even though it went live the same time as FOX. But I get it OTA just fine anyhow.

Good news! Starting Monday March 26th, 2007 NBC nightly news (Not Local) will be in HD.

Also, does anyone else notice some improvement in the SD PQ over at WPRI and WNAC. Is it New gear or just finally calibrated? Still not comparable to WFXT for Sienfeld or news yet but getting better.

As for "NBC Nightly News" in HD, why not? Most of "Today" and ABC's "Good Morning America" is in HD already.

As for "NBC Nightly News" in HD, why not? Most of "Today" and ABC's "Good Morning America" is in HD already.
I think its taken them so long for a couple reasons. First, its only on a half hour a day, today is 3 hours right? Also, a lot of their segments are filmed all over the world, so I'm sure we'll still be seeing a lot of 4:3 content during the news. Hopefully ABC goes HD soon too, since thats the one I usually watch.

Also, does anyone else notice some improvement in the SD PQ over at WPRI and WNAC. Is it New gear or just finally calibrated? Still not comparable to WFXT for Sienfeld or news yet but getting better.

Perhaps you're now receiving the digital simulcast of channels 2-99 on Cox. I know that once Cox started their digital simulcast of their analog tier of channels, they all looked much better.

I'm in West Warwick and have confirmed that I'm receiving digital simulcast on those low numbered channels by checking my DCT6416's internal menu. The tuner reports a digital signal now where it used to report analog on any channels under 100.

I'm in West Warwick and have confirmed that I'm receiving digital simulcast on those low numbered channels by checking my DCT6416's internal menu. The tuner reports a digital signal now where it used to report analog on any channels under 100.[/QUOTE]

Am interested in knowing how you check the internal menu on the 6416?

Thanks.

I'm in West Warwick and have confirmed that I'm receiving digital simulcast on those low numbered channels by checking my DCT6416's internal menu. The tuner reports a digital signal now where it used to report analog on any channels under 100.

Am interested in knowing how you check the internal menu on the 6416?

Thanks.

Most of the hidden features of the Mototola DVR boxes can be found here:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR

Thanks Jamesf and richof for the info.

I guess I'll just go with the DVR and pay the extra 10 bucks a month.There's no way I'm going to pay 50 bucks for what probably amounts to about a 10 minute job for the cable guy to come in and plugin the HD box.Even if it's only a one time charge I'd rather pay the extra each month and take advantage of the DVR service.I know the extra 10 bucks a month doesn't sound like much but my cable bill is staring to get a bit ridiculous.Unfortunately although my HDTV does have a built-in digital tuner it's not a QAM.My apt. building does have an outside antenna so I think I'll try hooking up to it just to see what I can pull in for OTA stations.

Hopefully now that Verizon will soon be offering these services in our market our buddies at Cox will start to show us longtime customers a little much needed love.

Thanks Jamesf and richof for the info.

I guess I'll just go with the DVR and pay the extra 10 bucks a month.There's no way I'm going to pay 50 bucks for what probably amounts to about a 10 minute job for the cable guy to come in and plugin the HD box.Even if it's only a one time charge I'd rather pay the extra each month and take advantage of the DVR service.I know the extra 10 bucks a month doesn't sound like much but my cable bill is staring to get a bit ridiculous.Unfortunately although my HDTV does have a built-in digital tuner it's not a QAM.My apt. building does have an outside antenna so I think I'll try hooking up to it just to see what I can pull in for OTA stations.

Hopefully now that Verizon will soon be offering these services in our market our buddies at Cox will start to show us longtime customers a little much needed love.

Most would probably agree that once you go with DVR, you never go back.

Most would probably agree that once you go with DVR, you never go back.

A friend told me that and he was right. Once you start using it for about a month, your hooked.

Perhaps you're now receiving the digital simulcast of channels 2-99 on Cox. I know that once Cox started their digital simulcast of their analog tier of channels, they all looked much better.

I'm in West Warwick and have confirmed that I'm receiving digital simulcast on those low numbered channels by checking my DCT6416's internal menu. The tuner reports a digital signal now where it used to report analog on any channels under 100.

I noticed this OTA on the DT's. The PQ for their SD programming had always been very dull compared WBZ and WFXT. They Seemed to improve a bit over the last week or two. Still not comparable but getting better.

I noticed this OTA on the DT's. The PQ for their SD programming had always been very dull compared WBZ and WFXT. They Seemed to improve a bit over the last week or two. Still not comparable but getting better.

Sometimes, before getting the digital simulcast of the low channel tier, I could pick up on some ghosting that you'd normally find in an analog antenna setup. My digital signal to the cable box has always been strong, but the picture I was receiving degraded as the Motorola digital/analog decoder mangled everything.

Now that the channels are coming through digital, the DVR cable box no longer converts the video signal and it comes through much better. Edges are crisp, almost as good as channels in the 100+ level like Science Channel (100) which looks DVD quality on my TV.

Channel 10 reported that Verizon FIOS tv should be available by June.

I couldn't post the link because I don't have enough posts yet but it can be found on their website under latest news. Warwick, West Warwick, East Greenwich, West Greenwich, Exeter, North Kingstown and Coventry will be the first communities to get the service, 12 others should be online by the end of the year.

Channel 10 also stated the Cox thought that competition would be good. :rolleyes:

We'll see what happens come June.

A post I made on the Directv help forums about the status of NESN-HD got an answer from one of the forum gurus who stated that NESN-HD won't be available until the September timeframe.

A post I made on the Directv help forums about the status of NESN-HD got an answer from one of the forum gurus who stated that NESN-HD won't be available until the September timeframe.

Thanks for the update. I'll have to live until then!

Channel 10 reported that Verizon FIOS tv should be available by June.

I couldn't post the link because I don't have enough posts yet but it can be found on their website under latest news. Warwick, West Warwick, East Greenwich, West Greenwich, Exeter, North Kingstown and Coventry will be the first communities to get the service, 12 others should be online by the end of the year.

Channel 10 also stated the Cox thought that competition would be good. :rolleyes:

We'll see what happens come June.

Well hopefully they will be out by june if everything still gets approved (they are still waiting for something I forget what though) I posted earlier the link to the PUC for the new communities :)

Edit: found a news link on the Verizon site :)

http://newscenter.verizon.com/press-releases/verizon/2007/choice-and-competition-for-tv.html

I have removed 12-2 and 12-3 today. You should notice that the bandwidth has increased. You might need to do a re-scan if you are having problems getting 12-1.

I have removed 12-2 and 12-3 today. You should notice that the bandwidth has increased. You might need to do a re-scan if you are having problems getting 12-1.

During the first two weekends of the NCAA Basketball tournament, what was the bandwidth distribution between 12-1, 12-2, and 12-3? How does that compare to right now?

Just curious. Thanks!

Anyone notice that NESN HD is coming up as "Unrecordable Channel" when trying to record anything to the HD DVR box from Cox?

Anyone notice that NESN HD is coming up as "Unrecordable Channel" when trying to record anything to the HD DVR box from Cox?

It could be some sort of copyright protection for MLB games pushed down by Cox(I don't know if I have the same issue or not, not at home to check), but I used to get that with WJAR every once in a while. Try unplugging the box and plugging it back in to reboot it. That fixed it for me in that case.

Anyone notice that NESN HD is coming up as "Unrecordable Channel" when trying to record anything to the HD DVR box from Cox?

I was able to record the game yesterday.

It could be some sort of copyright protection for MLB games pushed down by Cox(I don't know if I have the same issue or not, not at home to check), but I used to get that with WJAR every once in a while. Try unplugging the box and plugging it back in to reboot it. That fixed it for me in that case.

Yeah after I posted, I reset the box and that did the trick. I wouldn't have even noticed if it wasn't for the fact that I got the "Recording Error" message for my recording of opening day. I wanted to record the replay at midnight and got the unrecordable message. Thankfully it was a stinker of a game anyway.

-Ted

How is your reception of WPXQ-DT (ION) channel 17 in Rhode Island? Here in New Britain, CT (southwest of Hartford), I occasionally get a usuable signal of it, sometimes the same level or better than WHPX-DT (ION) channel 34 of New London. It's the only station from your market I ever get here. Also, there was a slight signal breakup about two seconds before the station ID popped up on the screen.

I am in Middletown at the Newport line. Rooftop antenna with a 30 db amp. I receive all 4 channels of Ion with just shy of full signal strength. My LG just shows a graph from bad to excellent and I am steady at about 85%.

I got sick of D* lies about NESN HD so I just went back to Cox after 5 years. The 5 LNB dish is still on my house, so I can switch back if I want to, but I'm looking ahead to FIOS anyway.

I got sick of D* lies about NESN HD so I just went back to Cox after 5 years. The 5 LNB dish is still on my house, so I can switch back if I want to, but I'm looking ahead to FIOS anyway.

I hear you. D*TV needs to step up to the plate, so to speak. If anything comes this way, - Sayonara, as DiceK would say.

Last evening at 10:30 I was watching Seinfeld on 64-1 OTA.

The video and sound were really out of synch. I had just watched the 10:00 news on 64 and it was fine.

Does anyone know what causes this? Is it 64? Is it my set? I've seen this on other stations but it is usually the stations from Boston that have a weaker signal.

The storm this morning damaged our DTV antenna so no OTA of WJAR-DT and WLNE-DT. Due to the weather we do not expect to get a crew up on the tower till later this week. We will still feed our HD signal to Cox Cable that feed comes directly from our studio.

Mark

I am also having trouble getting 64-1 on cm4228. Anyone know of a station problem? I am also a NYC transplant and agree on Bagel Gourmet. For pizza try Nino's in Cranston or Fellini's in Providence.

The storm this morning damaged our DTV antenna so no OTA of WJAR-DT and WLNE-DT. Due to the weather we do not expect to get a crew up on the tower till later this week. We will still feed our HD signal to Cox Cable that feed comes directly from our studio.

Mark

WJAR handle's WLNE's feed too? Huh?

WJAR handle's WLNE's feed too? Huh?
We feed WJAR-DT and WLNE-DT into a shared antenna so if we have a antenna problem we both have the problem.

Mark

For those of you keeping an eye o Verizon recently posted to the RIPUC.....Verizon should be ready to provide actual cable service to over 72% of residential households as of June 5th 2007. They are still not finished with the approval process, but it is close.

http://www.ripuc.org/utilityinfo/cabletv/2006_C_4opcert_letter.pdf

Thanks for the info WJAR- Engineer, I was concerned it might be our OTA receiver but it was getting everyone but 10.1 & 6.1. I didn't know that the stations used the same antenna. Will be happy when it is fixed!

We feed WJAR-DT and WLNE-DT into a shared antenna so if we have a antenna problem we both have the problem.

Mark

Is it a Dielectric antenna?

Marc

Yes, it is a Dielectic Tri-Band antenna side mount.

Mark

Yes, it is a Dielectic Tri-Band antenna side mount.

Mark
Just curious....is this the same Dielectric that makes test gear (ie., SWR/wattmeters, etc.) in Raymond, ME....? I used one of their Bird "copycats" many years ago....really top-notch quality......built like a tank! (I was told the've been used to pound nails with, but - never having tried this - I can't attest to it....! ;) )
If it's the same co., that Tri-Band unit will probably outlive us all!!

The storm this morning damaged our DTV antenna so no OTA of WJAR-DT and WLNE-DT. Due to the weather we do not expect to get a crew up on the tower till later this week. We will still feed our HD signal to Cox Cable that feed comes directly from our studio.

Mark

Thanks for the info Mark. Good luck with the repairs.

Ken

Just curious....is this the same Dielectric that makes test gear (ie., SWR/wattmeters, etc.) in Raymond, ME....? I used one of their Bird "copycats" many years ago....really top-notch quality......built like a tank! (I was told the've been used to pound nails with, but - never having tried this - I can't attest to it....! ;) )
If it's the same co., that Tri-Band unit will probably outlive us all!!

I believe it is the same company they are not in that business anymore from what I can see from there website. Make our antenna a Tri-Channel not Tri-Band.

Mark

Thanks for the info Mark. Good luck with the repairs.

Ken

We will have a crew up on the tower Monday and hope to be able to fix the problem without having to take the antenna off the tower.

Mark

I believe it is the same company they are not in that business anymore from what I can see from there website. Make our antenna a Tri-Channel not Tri-Band.

Mark

What is the third channel, 50?
John

What is the third channel, 50?
John

Yes, a channel 50 could be run into the antenna. A Tri-Channel antenna was chosen because WJAR-DT Ch. 51 and WLNE-DT Ch. 49 are just separated by one channel. This reduced the tower loading so only one antenna was needed but as you see a problem in it can bring two stations down. When analog TV is shutdown we hope to remove the old analog antenna and place new antenna in its place then keep the antenna we have now as a backup.

Mark

Why not point the antennas toward RI instead of Mass?

For those of you keeping an eye o Verizon recently posted to the RIPUC.....Verizon should be ready to provide actual cable service to over 72% of residential households as of June 5th 2007. They are still not finished with the approval process, but it is close.

http://www.ripuc.org/utilityinfo/cabletv/2006_C_4opcert_letter.pdf

Its very encouraging news, but keep in mind thats 72% of service area 6, not the entire state.

I can't wait until its offered in Newport County. Competition between Verizon and Cox will be good for the "broadband" consumers of RI.

-Ted

I got sick of D* lies about NESN HD so I just went back to Cox after 5 years. The 5 LNB dish is still on my house, so I can switch back if I want to, but I'm looking ahead to FIOS anyway.

Dito on this. Cox being all digital now and finally adding CBS & FOX HD makes a huge difference, add in the free DVR box and ondemand programs and movies and they are the obvious choice over direct. Maybe DirecTV will someday learn to put their money where their mouth is.

PS> The rep I spoke with when canceling wasn't even aware of the 150HD channels Direct's been bragging about coming soon. I told him about the nation wide commercials and he said "I don 't watch TV". Guess he's working for the right company.

Why not point the antennas toward RI instead of Mass?

Our antenna pattern is directed towards Rhode Island there is a site that has the incorrect rf pattern azimuths for our antenna. Also our antenna is on the Rhode Island side of the tower.

Mark

Mark,
Is their a way to get the correct pattern? Also if you know how much power is fed to the feedline from the WJAR and WLNE transmitters?
John

Mark,
Is their a way to get the correct pattern? Also if you know how much power is fed to the feedline from the WJAR and WLNE transmitters?
John

WJAR feeds 20KW and WLNE feeds 13KW into the common feedline. The coverage patterns are lock in a office now I will look into it next week.

Mark

Mark,
Thanks for the info.
John

We will have a crew up on the tower Monday and hope to be able to fix the problem without having to take the antenna off the tower.

Mark

Who are you using for a crew?

Marc

Mark,
Is their a way to get the correct pattern? Also if you know how much power is fed to the feedline from the WJAR and WLNE transmitters?
John

Hi, John,

Fancy meeting you over here. If you go to the FCC site and do a TV Query using the call signs, look under Engineering Data and you'll find power levels on the radials. Shove the levels into an Excel spreadsheet and do a polar chart and you'll get a pretty good representation. One caveat - it could be old data.

Marc

Marc,
In Mystic I get Providence more easily than Hartford/New Haven, so I follow both threads.
Mark from WJAR seemed to be saying that the data on the FCC web site was wrong so I thought I would ask for the correct xmit beam pattern.
John

Marc,
In Mystic I get Providence more easily than Hartford/New Haven, so I follow both threads.
Mark from WJAR seemed to be saying that the data on the FCC web site was wrong so I thought I would ask for the correct xmit beam pattern.
John

John:

I'm not sure which site(s) Mark means. Granted, the FCC's data isn't great but, I think it might be more reliable than some of these other DTV sites.

You might want to ask andy.s.lee for his sources of data. Seems he relies on the FCC data though for antenna data. He lurks in the Hartford OTA thread.

Marc

Who are you using for a crew?

Marc
Northeast Tower

John:

I'm not sure which site(s) Mark means. Granted, the FCC's data isn't great but, I think it might be more reliable than some of these other DTV sites.

You might want to ask andy.s.lee for his sources of data. Seems he relies on the FCC data though for antenna data. He lurks in the Hartford OTA thread.

Marc
I did some looking around the FCC database filings for us the STA application for 526 KW ERP has the incorrect antenna pattern. The STA application for 1000 KW ERP has the correct polar plot of our antenna pattern. You will see we are sending most of our signal towards RI.

Mark

Northeast Tower

Had lunch with Steve last Friday. His shop is, literally, in the shadow of our Hartford station (Farmington).

Marc

Anyone have any news on when HDTV (NBC/ABC) service will be restored? It's been about a week for us non-Cox viewers. Thanks.

Is anyone having any drop-out on 12-1 OTA since the storm?

I'm still not getting digital channels 6 and 10. Anyone know the recovery schedule?

I'm still not getting digital channels 6 and 10. Anyone know the recovery schedule?

Why doesn't WJAR feed the signal directly to Comcast the way they do Cox? We're stuck with no NBC HD on Comcast for over a week. I've been expressing to the Comcast rep that they should substitute the Boston NBC signal while WJAR is down. She said that they can't, due to "contractual obligations".

I'm withholding a portion of my Comcast payment from them this month. I'm paying for HD service that is supposed to include the network affiliates. While WJAR is down, Comcast could either look into receiving a direct feed, or switching us (at least temporarily) to the Boston affiliate. They chose to do neither.

It's bad enough that we are forced to endure the Providence stations in the first place. I would bet that 99.99% of the people in SE Mass would rather receive the Boston channels. WJAR HD is a joke. Sound is always way out of synch; they constantly neglect to switch HD shows to HD until 20 minutes into the show. Now, dragging their feet to get their HD signal back up, a full week after the storm. It's very frustrating for those that have spent their hard earned money on high def equipment when the broadcasters show so little commitment to providing a reliable, quality HD signal.

Anyone have any news on when HDTV (NBC/ABC) service will be restored? It's been about a week for us non-Cox viewers. Thanks.

We had a crew up on the tower today and the news was bad the power divider that feeds the RF to the antenna burned up. We will be ordering a new power divider tomorrow and hopefully find out why this happened.

Mark

Why doesn't WJAR feed the signal directly to Comcast the way they do Cox? We're stuck with no NBC HD on Comcast for over a week. I've been expressing to the Comcast rep that they should substitute the Boston NBC signal while WJAR is down. She said that they can't, due to "contractual obligations".

I'm withholding a portion of my Comcast payment from them this month. I'm paying for HD service that is supposed to include the network affiliates. While WJAR is down, Comcast could either look into receiving a direct feed, or switching us (at least temporarily) to the Boston affiliate. They chose to do neither.

It's bad enough that we are forced to endure the Providence stations in the first place. I would bet that 99.99% of the people in SE Mass would rather receive the Boston channels. WJAR HD is a joke. Sound is always way out of synch; they constantly neglect to switch HD shows to HD until 20 minutes into the show. Now, dragging their feet to get their HD signal back up, a full week after the storm. It's very frustrating for those that have spent their hard earned money on high def equipment when the broadcasters show so little commitment to providing a reliable, quality HD signal.

With no direct connection between Comcast and our studio we are out of luck for a backup feed to Comcast as we are located in the middle of Cox's service area. Our transmitter site is off in the woods so we have no cable service to our building at this point to feed Comcast. We are aware of the frustration you are having but due to the storm last week tower crews did not start climbing till this week and even today it was very windy up at the 850' level on our tower when you have to remove heavy sections of transmission line that can be tough on a tower crew, safety is our first concern before fixing our antenna.

Mark

Oh nevermind it seems to have fixed it's self :)

Anyone know if the cox HD DVR can record two shows at once? I've got DirecTV now with an HR20, and its driving the wife and I crazy. We want to switch back to Cox now that they have all 4 local stations in HD, however, we also really want a DVR that can record two things at once. I don't want to buy a Series 3 Tivo, because we might switch to FIOS when that becomes available. Thanks.

We had a crew up on the tower today and the news was bad the power divider that feeds the RF to the antenna burned up. We will be ordering a new power divider tomorrow and hopefully find out why this happened.

Mark


Thanks for the update Mark,
Any idea on an ETA ?

Tkanks,

Keith

Anyone know if the cox HD DVR can record two shows at once? I've got DirecTV now with an HR20, and its driving the wife and I crazy. We want to switch back to Cox now that they have all 4 local stations in HD, however, we also really want a DVR that can record two things at once. I don't want to buy a Series 3 Tivo, because we might switch to FIOS when that becomes available. Thanks.

Yes, you can record two shows at the same time and watch a recorded show, just the same as with the HR10-250 I had with D*

Thanks for the update Mark,
Any idea on an ETA ?

Tkanks,

Keith

Currently no ETA, tower crews are at a premium for the type of work we need done coming off the winter season. I will post when I know something.

Mark

Thanks for the update Mark,
Any idea on an ETA ?

Tkanks,

Keith
Hi keith. Do you have to convert the WJAR DTV signal to analog or do you carry analog 10? We have to do that here in Groton because of WTNH DTV 10 so right now we have nothing from WJAR. I cant get a usable signal with WTNH there no matter what I use for an antenna or how I position it, it is too strong. Just wondering if you have the same issue. Mark. I want to thank you for keeping us up to date daily on the forum. John. Headend Technician. Thames Valley Communications.

Hi keith. Do you have to convert the WJAR DTV signal to analog or do you carry analog 10? We have to do that here in Groton because of WTNH DTV 10 so right now we have nothing from WJAR. I cant get a usable signal with WTNH there no matter what I use for an antenna or how I position it, it is too strong. Just wondering if you have the same issue. Mark. I want to thank you for keeping us up to date daily on the forum. John. Headend Technician. Thames Valley Communications.

Hey John,
I was downconverting Ch 10 DT to analog for that same reason but now I am
using that as a backup to a studio feed that I was lucky enough to get.
WJAR and WLNE share the antenna for digital and I use WLNE for analog and our
ABC HD.

Call If you have any questions, I think you have my #'s.

Has anyone heard any updated status on Channels 12 and 64 in HD on DIRECTV?

Are folks still experiencing the infamous ABC HD audio issues. My family had DVR'd Greys Anatomy from Thursday via the COX/Motorola 6412 DVR and there was a sharp hiss and a long duration audio dropout (over a couple of minutes).

I quickly switched to ESPN HD and that audio was fine (did not get a chance to test audio on other channels during the taping of the Grey's on Thursday). The audio did come back at some point (not sure exactly when, but it was a long duration drop-out i.e. not the usual hiccup that i have experienced in the past on ABC HD.) At least for me this issue goes back to when MNF was on ABC i.e. a long time ago....

I finally had to calm them down by connecting my PC to the TV and showing them the last half of the show via the internet. Not exactly why I am paying my Cox cable bill.

Is this isolated to my setup or is anyone else still experiencing it?

Same here with the ABC audio for Grey's. ABC had seemingly fixed the dropouts until this week's issue. My wife was crazy over the 3-4 minutes of missing audio.

We get ABC - HD via channel 6.1 over the air, or we did until that last storm cause the damage to the tower they and WJAR channel 10 use. We have experience many, many audio issues with the HD feed of channel 6.1 only. All other OTA HD feeds we get have not had the audio problems we find from WLNE-DT. It isn't always the network as we also can pull in 5.1 from Boston occasionally and when the audio has been bad we have been able to hear just fine on channel 5.1.

As for the missing signal from Channels 6 + 10 digital/HD, I received communication from ABC6 that a tower crew will is scheduled to make temporary repairs today(Monday 4/20) with permanent parts being order for a full fix. I certainly hope they can get back on as the channel 5.1 source doesn't always come in and we've been missing all HD shows from NBC and ABC for a couple weeks now.

Do you mean 4/30 for temporary repairs?

I wanted to put my 2 cents in for guys concerned about audio problems on ABC during Greys anatomy last thursday, 4-19-2007. I get three ABC DTV stations in Haddam, CT. WTNH DT on VHF 10 and WGGB DT UHF 55 ( from a tower in Higganum, CT ) and WLNE DT UHF 49 when they are on the air. (From a tower in Groton CT) I had the same audio issues on both New Haven and Springfield stations. When I was watching WTNH 8-1, I was getting a broken audio and then a squeal so I changed to WGGB 40-1 and it was there about 2 minutes later the same exact sound. I recorded it in HD on a PVR from the Groton tower tuned to WTNH DT so I figure it must have been the ABC feed that had the problem. 2 different setups and same issue. Hope this helps in knowing it was not personaly owned equipment that caused it.

Sorry ctdish - yes I meant Monday 4/30, clearly didn't work yet. It's 5:30pm and no signal from either of them yet.

I just got off the phone with Comcast, because my first instinct was to call them and see what's up. The guy I talked to had no idea that either station was down. I was like, "Nobody else has called? Nobody over there was notified?" The guy was befuddled. Sad really - so they are supposed/supposedly to return today? How long have they been down?

fitz

WJAR and WLNE digital are on now.
John

WJAR and WLNE digital are on now.
John
Temporary fix?

We are back on the air at half power till we get replacement parts from the antenna manufacturer in about a week. Thanks for putting up with the long outage.

Mark

We are back on the air at half power till we get replacement parts from the antenna manufacturer in about a week. Thanks for putting up with the long outage.

Mark


Thankyou Mark,

Greatly appreciated !!!

Breezy day on the tower ?

Thankyou Mark,

Greatly appreciated !!!

Breezy day on the tower ?

It was very breezy and cold up at that level they said. I was watching them with binoculars you could see there climbing suits flapping in the wind.

Mark

We are back on the air at half power till we get replacement parts from the antenna manufacturer in about a week. Thanks for putting up with the long outage.

Mark
I was able to get a usable WJAR analog signal since last Tuesday but its good to have the digi back. Thank You.

We are back on the air at half power till we get replacement parts from the antenna manufacturer in about a week. Thanks for putting up with the long outage.

Mark

Thanks Mark!

I noticed last nite that Cox now has National Geographic in their HD lineup.

Hello all. I recently purchased an HDTV recently with a built in QAM tuner for the sole purpose of getting the local HD channels over my Cox extended basic service here in West Warwick. I perform a channel search and the only viewable channels my tuner can pick up are WLNE (6.1) and WJAR (10.1). It can also find numerous stations starting from 72.1 up to 124.6 but my tedious search through those stations only come up as blank screens with 85% signal strength.

Is this normal behavior for Cox? I've read through pages of this post and have read of people receiving ESPN HD, PBS HD and a few other channels. I tried manually tuning my box to 12.1 to see if I could get a signal but the TV doesn't recognize one. Any advise on what I can do short of buying an antenna? I live on the second floor of a three story apartment complex and won't be able to install something outside so an internal one will have to do. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Rudy

You will have to tune to the RF freq numbers to receive the stations. I have an LG 42" LCD and on the bare Cox Cable over QAM, I receive the following:

6.1 WLNE HD channel 111
10.1 WJAR HD channel 111
pbs 2 boston WGBH HD channel 106.3
fox 64 providence WNAC HD channel 110.2

The rest of my HD I receive OTA. I currently don't pay for any cable service other than cox internet, but these four channels are always available. Occasionally another channel or two will pop on, but not for long.

You will have to tune to the RF freq numbers to receive the stations. I have an LG 42" LCD and on the bare Cox Cable over QAM, I receive the following:

6.1 WLNE HD channel 111
10.1 WJAR HD channel 111
pbs 2 boston WGBH HD channel 106.3
fox 64 providence WNAC HD channel 110.2

The rest of my HD I receive OTA. I currently don't pay for any cable service other than cox internet, but these four channels are always available. Occasionally another channel or two will pop on, but not for long.

Thanks for the reply richof. I again set my tuner to auto-search through all digital/analog channels than I went through each one-by-one looking for a signal. Here's what I found on my Sharp Aquos LC32GP1U:

6.1 WLNE HD, ABC
10.1 WJAR HD, NBC
104.2 WPRI HD, CBS
105.2 WNAC HD, FOX
106.1 WGBH HD, PBS
110.2 WNAC HD, FOX

I also came across these channels which don't appear to be HD.

76.23 Classic Rock
76.24 Arena Rock
77.11 History International
84.1-84.10 Appears to be On-demand programming including HBO (Not always broadcasting)

On a Mitsubishi LT-37131 I receive the following channels 6-1 WLNE HD, ABC
10-1 WJAR HD, NBC
104-19 WPRI HD, CBS
106-3 WGBH HD, PBS
110-2 WNAC HD, FOX
77-14 HISTORY INTERNATIONAL

In northern RI, I am getting the following clear QAM:

104.19 CBS
105.3 FOX
106.3 WGBH
110.2 FOX
111.1 NBC
111.6 ABC

This is an older LG HD tuner box.

On a different note, I have read in this thread that some people have been able to exchange their Cox STBs at the Warwick Mall cust. serv. ctr. Has anyone been able to do this at the office on Rt 146? I have a 6412 that is resetting frequently, is one hour ahead, has no data in the EPG, and will not playback stored shows. CSR says I need a tech...they do not have STBs at the offices.

You indicated two FOX channels. Are you getting both WNAC-DT and WFXT-DT?

You indicated two FOX channels. Are you getting both WNAC-DT and WFXT-DT?

WNAC has 64.1 and 64.2, the latter is a weather channel. That's where the other Fox Cox QAM station is coming from.

Speaking of which, why doesn't 64.2 come in over the air anymore? They "pulled the plug" on that, as well as 5.2, which had a radar loop going all the time.

We are back on the air at half power till we get replacement parts from the antenna manufacturer in about a week. Thanks for putting up with the long outage.

Mark

Are the replacement parts still "on-track"? Will we see a return to full power soon?

(Has it happened already??)

-BL

Are the replacement parts still "on-track"? Will we see a return to full power soon?

(Has it happened already??)

-BL

No full power yet, the antenna manufacture is re-designing the burned out part with a new improved one. The expected delivery date is the week of 5/21 and then have it installed that week.

Mark

I noticed last nite that Cox now has National Geographic in their HD lineup.
What station are you seeing it on? I'm in Johnston and don't see it yet.

Hello Everyone, been lurking on these boards for some time now. Just a quick question, have my cox dvr set to record my favorite show, Three Sheets on the MOJO network. Problem is it hasn't recorded any in the past few months? Has the new season begun yet, I was under the impression it had?

Thanks

What station are you seeing it on? I'm in Johnston and don't see it yet.

Channel 716

national Geo HD and 10 mbit internet now :) cox starting to get worried about competition?

Hello Everyone, been lurking on these boards for some time now. Just a quick question, have my cox dvr set to record my favorite show, Three Sheets on the MOJO network. Problem is it hasn't recorded any in the past few months? Has the new season begun yet, I was under the impression it had?

Thanks
I had the same issue, its jsut the way MOJO has the show set up...I had to set it up to record First Runs and repeats in order to catch them. I can tell you though the the new episodes show on Wed at 9PM......I have to admit this is now one of my favorite shows and my Fiance and I are religious watchers of it....

I noticed the addition of National Geographic HD also, it just underwhelms me though on the amount of HD shown (from what I have seen so far)..I may miss most of the HD content as I am getting ready for work and working during prime time hours...

national Geo HD and 10 mbit internet now :) cox starting to get worried about competition?

10Mbit internet? Since when? Last I checked they had 5dn/2up for the standard HSI package.

Can anyone confirm if Dish Network carries NESN in HD in the SE Mass area??

Can anyone confirm if Dish Network carries NESN in HD in the SE Mass area??

I have Dish Network and they DO NOT have NESN HD. I have been requesting this channel for over a year and the response is not good.


If you want NESN HD then I would suggest going with Comcast, COX or D*.
Ken

Sorry JoeBloggz - I also have Dish and same as kdwebsol, I've been asking an requesting NESN - HD for about a year also and not only do they not have it now, they aren't even promising it.

For the past few NASCAR races on WNAC Fox 64-1 the HD signal goes off. The SD signal is on 64-1.

Anyone know were I can find any contact numbers for WANC so I can call when this happens and have them turn the HD signal back on.

Thanks,
Ken

Argh!

Seems like nothing I have set up to record on FOX this evening on WFTX seems to have recorded (on my TiVo Series 3, with Comcast-provided CableCARDs) -- I get a "Due to FCC rules, this program has been blacked out. Please tune to Ch 811 WNAC for FOX HD programming" message instead (why, I don't know -- while I know the rules for HD differ, I can't remember ever seeing WFTX's SD signal blacked out like this.)

Today is the first time I've even noticed that WNAC was being carried, and the TiVo doesn't yet have it in it's lineup.

Nothing in my latest bill, no email, no notice at all. Ugh.

Argh!

Seems like nothing I have set up to record on FOX this evening on WFTX seems to have recorded (on my TiVo Series 3, with Comcast-provided CableCARDs) -- I get a "Due to FCC rules, this program has been blacked out. Please tune to Ch 811 WNAC for FOX HD programming" message instead (why, I don't know -- while I know the rules for HD differ, I can't remember ever seeing WFTX's SD signal blacked out like this.)

Today is the first time I've even noticed that WNAC was being carried, and the TiVo doesn't yet have it in it's lineup.

Nothing in my latest bill, no email, no notice at all. Ugh.


Not to mention that channell 811 wasn't even running- I just had a blank- this chanel should be available shortly

10Mbit internet? Since when? Last I checked they had 5dn/2up for the standard HSI package.
I got an email about it a week or so ago, and its actually been faster than that :)
http://www.speedtest.net/result/125930280.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

I got an email about it a week or so ago, and its actually been faster than that :)
http://www.speedtest.net/result/125930280.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

Wow. Do you subscribe to the standard Cox high speed internet package, or did you have one of the faster varieties before this upgrade?

Also, which town do you live in? Perhaps this hasn't been rolled out to all areas. I remember when they jumped to 5/2, there were areas that lagged behind for several months.

I got an email about it a week or so ago, and its actually been faster than that :)
http://www.speedtest.net/result/125930280.png (http://www.speedtest.net)



I just fully reset my cable modem (had it re-learn everything all over), and now I'm getting almost exactly what you got from both speetest.net and speakeasy.net/speedtest

Nice. 15Mb down and 2Mb up!

Wow. Do you subscribe to the standard Cox high speed internet package, or did you have one of the faster varieties before this upgrade?

Also, which town do you live in? Perhaps this hasn't been rolled out to all areas. I remember when they jumped to 5/2, there were areas that lagged behind for several months.
North kingstown, and I just had the regular internet before. It was around 4-5 mbit on average

North kingstown, and I just had the regular internet before. It was around 4-5 mbit on average

Same here down in South Kingstown (Wakefield). I was wondering why it was a little glitchy the other day, perhaps they were doing some kind of upgrade. Same results as you (15 mb down, 2up, and sometimes over 15 on the download) on those tests, with the regular internet package.

For those wondering about the upgraded Cox HSI speeds, this is a result of "PowerBoost", which basically triples your speed at the beginning of a download. If you do a search about this, you can learn more.

I saw a commercial advertising PowerBoost the other day, which prompted me to find out what that was.

For those wondering about the upgraded Cox HSI speeds, this is a result of "PowerBoost", which basically triples your speed at the beginning of a download. If you do a search about this, you can learn more.

I saw a commercial advertising PowerBoost the other day, which prompted me to find out what that was.


That makes sense by my tests. I downloaded a large 100MB file from Apple.com (super fast servers there) and at first, I was getting almost 1750KB/sec (14Mbit/sec) but then it leveled off down at the standard 660KB/sec (5.2Mbit/sec).

I did see that powerboost on the cox.com/newengland page, but didn't realize it was live.

That makes sense by my tests. I downloaded a large 100MB file from Apple.com (super fast servers there) and at first, I was getting almost 1750KB/sec (14Mbit/sec) but then it leveled off down at the standard 660KB/sec (5.2Mbit/sec).

I did see that powerboost on the cox.com/newengland page, but didn't realize it was live.

That's what cox thinks is fast?? I hit 2680KB peak the other day with my FIOS connection, it leveled out at 2500KB :)

for some reason the higher speeds hasn't given me faster speeds on torrents though

I just got Fox 64 on my comcast cable in Somerset Ma. When I go to watch a new show on Fox 25 in HD, it is blacked out and I am told to go to channel 811 (fox 64)

Why can I watch SD on fox 25, but not HD for the same programming?

FYI- I get both Boston and Providence ABC and am able to watch both in HD for all shows

Anyone have any idea why this is?

So what NEWS station in RI is gonna be the first in full HD?

Has anyone else seen Channel 5.1's news HD studio? Tune in the news starting at 5 and check it out.

Speaking of that, does anyone use Demonoid? I need an invite code :)

It only works when you're downloading a large file from a single peer. Torrents work by grabbing small bits of a huge file from hundreds of peers. That's why you don't get the boost.


As far as FiOS being much faster, it should be. You're paying for the high level internet speed from them and you should get 2500KB/sec, right?

We pay Cox for the standard 5Mbit/2Mbit service and they still make an effort to boost our big file downloads up to the premium speed temporarily. I'm pretty happy about that.

If I needed faster speeds all the time, I could pay them extra for the faster tier.

Happy to see that we have A&E HD now :)

Happy to see that we have A&E HD now :)

U Beat me to it!

Our antenna pattern is directed towards Rhode Island there is a site that has the incorrect rf pattern azimuths for our antenna. Also our antenna is on the Rhode Island side of the tower.

Mark

I certainly notice that here in Hanson, MA (near Brockton). I receive channel 10 (and 12) analog crystal clear, but I have never once even seen a trace of WJAR-DT or WLNE-DT. 10 and 12 analog come in better around here than any of the Boston channels. I'd imagine that people that just watch analog TV OTA watch 10 and 12 quite a bit around here.

After 2009, will WJAR-DT have a more circular pattern that will cover this area as well as analog 10 does now?

I certainly notice that here in Hanson, MA (near Brockton). I receive channel 10 (and 12) analog crystal clear, but I have never once even seen a trace of WJAR-DT or WLNE-DT. 10 and 12 analog come in better around here than any of the Boston channels. I'd imagine that people that just watch analog TV OTA watch 10 and 12 quite a bit around here.

After 2009, will WJAR-DT have a more circular pattern that will cover this area as well as analog 10 does now?

Our plan once analog is shutdown we will remove the old analog antenna and place a new DTV antenna in its place.

Mark

We have received the parts to repair our DTV antenna this is expected to take two to three days to complete repairs. We will be off the air during the daylight hours on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday but back on the air for the evening. The off-air periods could be for a few hours to most of the day.

Mark

Anyone who has dirctv HD, can you please let me know the HD channel lineup for directv. I have cox now, but may change to directv because of the NFL package. Please let me know what you think... Also, if anyone has the DIRECTV HD-DVR, let me know how it is...

Does anyone know if you subscribe to COX digital service, without a HD coverter box, can you receive all of the HD content over QAM?

Happy to see that we have A&E HD now :)
I'm glad to see they added a new HD station, but what the hell, A&E?? I would have preferred Food Network or HGTV HD. Oh well, A&E might be OK if the Sopranos are in HD (and not censored).

Anyone who has dirctv HD, can you please let me know the HD channel lineup for directv. I have cox now, but may change to directv because of the NFL package. Please let me know what you think... Also, if anyone has the DIRECTV HD-DVR, let me know how it is...
I just switched from DirecTV to Cox. I had way too many problems with them. Their DVR was a piece of crap - shows wouldn't record, sometimes shows would be corrupted and wouldn't play. I didn't like their service at all. Our dish was blown out of alignment and it took them 3 days to come out. When they finally fixed it, they screwed up the dual tuners on the DVR. When they came out to fix it, they screwed up my antenna. That was the last straw. I ordered up a Series 3 Tivo and haven't looked back yet. Its great to be back with Tivo and Cox - NESN HD is awesome.

Anyway, their HD lineup wasn't bad. I liked HDNet and HDNet Movies - one thing I miss about them. I had the NHL Center Ice package. They showed a few games a week in HD which was really nice.

Given my experience with them, I couldn't recommend them. I will say that their DVR was better in the last few months, compared to when I got it in October last year. However, the Tivo is much better. Given there's a $200 rebate on it for the next few weeks, and you can find them online for about $620 or so, that's not a bad deal.

Anyone who has dirctv HD, can you please let me know the HD channel lineup for directv. I have cox now, but may change to directv because of the NFL package. Please let me know what you think... Also, if anyone has the DIRECTV HD-DVR, let me know how it is...

The HD channel line up is nothing to write home about right now but is most likely going to be the best out there once the new "bird goes into orbit". I'd say by the end of the year it will probably blow the doors off whatever Cox has to offer. NESN-HD (the only thing I'm missing on Cox right now) is not available now but almost certainly will be once they do the launch and the additional channels go live later this year. Of course they've had delays but I can't believe all the marketing they've been doing about the added capacity isn't going to work out one way or another.

The DVR, though, has its problems as the other poster mentioned.

If you are into the NFL package and can benefit from their added HD, I would investigate the issue later on in the summer. By then the additional satelitte ought to be ready as football season approaches and you can get a decent handle on what they'll have available. If it's anything close to what they're promising, it ought to be well worth the wait.

Their DVR was a piece of crap - shows wouldn't record, sometimes shows would be corrupted and wouldn't play. I didn't like their service at all. Our dish was blown out of alignment and it took them 3 days to come out. When they finally fixed it, they screwed up the dual tuners on the DVR. When they came out to fix it, they screwed up my antenna. That was the last straw.

Sounds like a bad installation job. I've had a dish for 10 years and it's never needed re-aligning ever.

We have received the parts to repair our DTV antenna this is expected to take two to three days to complete repairs. We will be off the air during the daylight hours on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday but back on the air for the evening. The off-air periods could be for a few hours to most of the day.

Mark

Great news. I've noticed a lot of audio drop outs over the weekend, I'm guessing the repairs will bring it back to full strength again. Thanks for all the updates.

Sounds like a bad installation job. I've had a dish for 10 years and it's never needed re-aligning ever.
We had one of those AT9 dishes. From what I understand, the alignment on those dishes have to be spot-on or it just won't get the signal. The tech who came out to fix it said it was a really good install - that the dish was properly secured.

Anyone have any update on the final PUC public hearing that was supposed to have taken place last Thursday?

Does anyone know if you subscribe to COX digital service, without a HD coverter box, can you receive all of the HD content over QAM?
QAM allows you to recieve any digital signal that is not encripted, which on COX is ABC,CBS,NBC,FOX and PBS wether you have digital service or not. To get encripted channels you need a STB or Cable Card.

arnjohn, thanx for the reply. Its what I thought. It just seems funny that COX advertises their HD as FREE, no additional charge, but that you have pay for their HD box in order to receive it. Hardly seems free to me.

DirecTV is simply saying that with the new satellites, they will have theoretical capacity to transmit 150HD channels.

As of right now, even with all the added capacity, what HD channels are they going to beam down? HDNET 2,3,4,5,6,7,8..... 150?

Cox has plenty of extra bandwidth that can be put towards more HD Channels as they get the carriage agreements. They seem to be adding channels on an almost routine basis now. I hope they keep up the momentum.

Does Food Network even have any HD content? They don't have an HD channel. Even the new A&E HD channel is just a simulcast of what they're showing on regular A&E, so when shows are not available in HD, they show the SD version over the HD feed similar to ESPN.

Does Food Network even have any HD content? They don't have an HD channel.

Food Network has both an HD channel (was just watching it yesterday -- got added to my Comcast lineup about a week ago) and HD content (including recent seasons of Good Eats, which is what I was watching.)

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/hdtv/0,2857,FOOD_26756,00.html

DirecTV is simply saying that with the new satellites, they will have theoretical capacity to transmit 150HD channels.

As of right now, even with all the added capacity, what HD channels are they going to beam down? HDNET 2,3,4,5,6,7,8..... 150?

I understand it's common practice for Cox subscribers to trash DTV but my only point to the OP was that for sports the dish is still superior to Cox (he said he was interested in the Sunday Ticket), and likely when the end of the year comes Cox will have no HD advantage over Directv at all. Since that's what he was asking I was merely giving him some suggestions as to what kind of service they'll have in the future on those counts, since he was looking for some long-term guidance. Right now it's kind of a wash plus Cox has NESN right now, but down the line I think the dish will have a decided edge on Cox.

The channels Directv specifically mentioned signing agreements for HD with were:

* Tennis Channel HD
* Versus HD
* A&E
* National Geographic
* Bravo
* NFL Network
* Cartoon Network
* SciFi Channel
* CNN
* Speed
* Food Network
* TBS
* FX
* The History Channel
* HGTV
* The Weather Channel
* MTV
* USA Network

Obviously, you're right, they're not going to have 100 national HD channels off the bat because they don't exist. But that doesn't mean they're not coming in the near future (several of those are intended to be launched by year's end) or that it won't be a better HD service than what Cox provides comes the end of the year. Plus, once those channels do start going live as we go ahead, they'll have the capacity for them, which allegedly is something that standard cable providers will eventually be struggling with.

Article in today's Warwick Beacon said the meeting lasted 2 minutes - nothing brought up so the final approval was issued. Verizon says that it will have the system up and running “within weeks,” and “well before July 1.”

I understand it's common practice for Cox subscribers to trash DTV but my only point to the OP was that for sports the dish is still superior to Cox (he said he was interested in the Sunday Ticket), and likely when the end of the year comes Cox will have no HD advantage over Directv at all. Since that's what he was asking I was merely giving him some suggestions as to what kind of service they'll have in the future on those counts, since he was looking for some long-term guidance. Right now it's kind of a wash plus Cox has NESN right now, but down the line I think the dish will have a decided edge on Cox.

The channels Directv specifically mentioned signing agreements for HD with were:

* Tennis Channel HD
* Versus HD
* A&E
* National Geographic
* Bravo
* NFL Network
* Cartoon Network
* SciFi Channel
* CNN
* Speed
* Food Network
* TBS
* FX
* The History Channel
* HGTV
* The Weather Channel
* MTV
* USA Network

Obviously, you're right, they're not going to have 100 national HD channels off the bat because they don't exist. But that doesn't mean they're not coming in the near future (several of those are intended to be launched by year's end) or that it won't be a better HD service than what Cox provides comes the end of the year. Plus, once those channels do start going live as we go ahead, they'll have the capacity for them, which allegedly is something that standard cable providers will eventually be struggling with.

So we just need Cox to continue to add those networks as they become available. As soon as cable providers drop or minimize the amount of analog channels they're sending (which hog up many MHz), they'll leap frog DirecTV.

FiOS has a very limited number of channels (channels 1-20 or something) sent in analog, the rest are all digital since the pic quality is usually better and they're much more bandwidth efficient. Cable companies will be doing this soon as well.

Article in today's Warwick Beacon said the meeting lasted 2 minutes - nothing brought up so the final approval was issued. Verizon says that it will have the system up and running “within weeks,” and “well before July 1.”

Now that's good news.

What I've always wondered about Rhode Island is how COX was able to gobble up the 95% or so of the state's cable customers? The last time I checked, 36 of Rhode Island's 39 municipalities had COX cable. (With Block Island technically being the municipality of New Shoreham, are they a COX franchise area as well?)

Here in Connecticut, Comcast dominates New Britain, Hartford, Middletown, Bristol, Danbury, New Haven and (I think) Norwich. COX is available in Manchester, Glastonbury, Wethersfield, Rocky Hill, Newington, Southington, Meriden and Cheshire.

What I've always wondered about Rhode Island is how COX was able to gobble up the 95% or so of the state's cable customers? The last time I checked, 36 of Rhode Island's 39 municipalities had COX cable. (With Block Island technically being the municipality of New Shoreham, are they a COX franchise area as well?)

Here in Connecticut, Comcast dominates New Britain, Hartford, Middletown, Bristol, Danbury, New Haven and (I think) Norwich. COX is available in Manchester, Glastonbury, Wethersfield, Rocky Hill, Newington, Southington, Meriden and Cheshire.

Yeah mysterious isn't it. Cox getting a monopoly on cable in this state is one of numerous reasons I prefer not to support them, in addition to declining service and such. Once they ate up all the other cable companies in this state the quality of their service IMO started on the decline.

For Directv viewers more details of the upcoming HD channels were announced today.

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=127160&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1006125&highlight=

Note NESN looks to be part of the package as the PR release states "DIRECTV also plans to offer the HD feeds of regional sports networks on a nationwide basis this fall, and has commitments from a number of other networks to launch their HD simulcasts. They will be added to the lineup for launch by year-end and will be announced at a later date."

Network list includes a few additions as well:

1. A&E
2. National Geographic
3. Bravo
4. NFL Network
5. Cartoon Network
6. SciFi Channel
7. CNN
8. Speed
9. Food Network
10. TBS
11. Big Ten Network
12. The History Channel
13. HGTV
14. The Weather Channel
15. MTV
16. USA Network
17. Disney Channel
18. Versus HD
19. Toon Disney
20. TLC
21. ABC Family
22. Animal Planet
23. ESPNNEWS HD
24. The Science Channel
25. Starz E/W feeds
26. Discovery Channel
27. Starz Edge
28. The Tennis Channel
29. Starz Comedy
30. Showtime West
31. Starz Kids & Family
32. The Movie Channel
33. CNBC
34. Chiller

HD networks currently offered by DIRECTV include ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD, Discovery HD Theater, HDNet, HDNet Movies, TNT in HD, Universal HD, HBO HD, Showtime HD, an HD pay per view/special events channel.


DIRECTV announced earlier this year that it will have the capacity to launch up to 100 national HD channels by the end of 2007, and offer local HD channels in up to 75 markets, following the launch of its D10 satellite this summer. The satellite will be operational and new HD services will begin rolling out in Q3.

The DIRECTV 11 satellite will be launched early next year to support further HD expansion. With the two satellites, DIRECTV will have the ability to deliver more than 1,500 local HD and digital channels and 150 national HD channels, in addition to new advanced programming services for customers.

So we just need Cox to continue to add those networks as they become available. As soon as cable providers drop or minimize the amount of analog channels they're sending (which hog up many MHz), they'll leap frog DirecTV.


Sure, sounds easy enough. But it only took them...ummm...how many YEARS to get Fox and CBS in HD? You seem to have an awful lot of faith in Cox to deliver the goods considering their shoddy track record. We'll see.

Thanks for the information everyone...

What local HD channels does directv have in RI.

Also, I am a little nervous about the new DVR (HR-20). How bad is it really... I haven't heard any good news about it...

Any information would be great... Thanks

FIOS is coming! FIOS is coming!

At least thats what the young lady that came to my door today said.

Hi all, new here, but have been lurking since I bought my new HDTV (Black Friday 06) and realized I had no CBS/FOX through Cox (still bitter).

I was told by this obvious sales person hired by Verizon that FIOS TV would be available June 9th in my area (Warwick). They actually pointed to the box on the telephone wire that was actually FIOS. She said that they were signing people up for the Internet at 20/5mbps for around $50/month and unlimited local and long distance for $45/month (around there anyway) and those people that signed up for those "today" would be on a priority list to get the TV service "within the week of June 9th".

I couldn't get a lot out of her about the TV, but they did say they would have over 30+ HD Channels (and if anyone has a list I'd appreciate that), and they had 2 flavors of DVRs, the one Cox uses, plus one that would allow you to transfer shows to different FIOS cable boxes in the house (still looking into this but this link might shed some light for the interested:

(apparently I'm to young for this but it's on the verizon page, pretty flash thing!)

They are trying to lock people into 2 year contracts and I still don't know how much the TV is going to be, but thought you guys/gals would like to know.

She also mentioned people were switching just on the principle of hating Cox's monopoly alone... just desserts if you ask me.

More details as my research continues!

FIOS is coming! FIOS is coming!

At least thats what the young lady that came to my door today said.

Hi all, new here, but have been lurking since I bought my new HDTV (Black Friday 06) and realized I had no CBS/FOX through Cox (still bitter).

I was told by this obvious sales person hired by Verizon that FIOS TV would be available June 9th in my area (Warwick). They actually pointed to the box on the telephone wire that was actually FIOS. She said that they were signing people up for the Internet at 20/5mbps for around $50/month and unlimited local and long distance for $45/month (around there anyway) and those people that signed up for those "today" would be on a priority list to get the TV service "within the week of June 9th".

I couldn't get a lot out of her about the TV, but they did say they would have over 30+ HD Channels (and if anyone has a list I'd appreciate that), and they had 2 flavors of DVRs, the one Cox uses, plus one that would allow you to transfer shows to different FIOS cable boxes in the house (still looking into this but this link might shed some light for the interested:

(apparently I'm to young for this but it's on the verizon page, pretty flash thing!)

They are trying to lock people into 2 year contracts and I still don't know how much the TV is going to be, but thought you guys/gals would like to know.

She also mentioned people were switching just on the principle of hating Cox's monopoly alone... just desserts if you ask me.

More details as my research continues!


Hmmmmmm, well now you DO have CBS and Fox.....There is no channel lineup as of yet for RI that has been released. The closest one is probably from MA which can be viewed on the FIOS website....The above post almost looks like a Spam post....For those of you in the other service areas you are not far behind as Verizon is currently going through the 1st phases for service areas 2,3, and 8..Here is a link for those of you that want to keep current on these areas:
http://www.ripuc.org/utilityinfo/cabletv/Docket_2007c.htm
It will be interesting to see what Verizon comes out with for RI to compete with Cox, I have been disappointed with the lately (little things here and there) so hopefully we will see some improvement due to the actual competition...

Thanks for the information everyone...

What local HD channels does directv have in RI.

Also, I am a little nervous about the new DVR (HR-20). How bad is it really... I haven't heard any good news about it...

Any information would be great... Thanks

To my knowledge DirecTV still has not reached an agreement with Lin therefore Channel 12 and 64 are not yet available in HD through DirecTV. However with a fairly inexpensive indoor antenna you should be able to get those channels in HD no problem.

I do not have the HR-20 yet, I have been holding out as long as I can because my current DVR (HR10-250) has been great for me and I do not want to commit for another 2 years until I see what Verizon has to offer. Judging by what I'm seeing for pricing in MA, Verizon doesn't appear to be any more of a bargain over what DirecTV and Cox are offering. From what I have read the HR-20 seems to be more stable now. You can get more information on DirecTV and the HR-20 at dbstalk (dbstalk{dot}com). I could not post the link because I do not have the required number of post yet. Basically the HR-20 seemed to have the same growing pains that Cox's HD DVR had when it first came out. There were numerous complaints over their box as well.

In my opinion the only advantages of Cox over DirecTV is that it currently offers the analog signal free with no receiver required and there is no 2 year commitment. If you are going all digital and you are looking for the NFL Sunday Ticket then you should give DirecTV a good look.

I don’t want to burst anybody’s bubble over FIOS, but pay attention to this from the Verizon New England Inc. Application, page 26.

Customer Premises
At the premise, an Optical Network Terminal (ONT) de-multiplexes the 1550nm optical signal and simply converts it to a voice, data and cable television electrical signal, which meets cable television industry standards for cable services. It is expected that, in many cases, standard home wiring practices, using coaxial cables, will distribute the signal to cable ready televisions (for analog-only subscribers) and to STBs for digital subscribers.


The words “standard home wiring practices, using coaxial cables” should be raising an eyebrow if your are interested in a better picture. Your TV reception can only be as good as the weakest link will allow to your TV. If that wire is the standard, wired coaxial crap and not Fiber-optic to your TV your reception can only be as good that coaxial crap. Ergo, you would have the same reception quality as you do now with regular cable. Its not rocket science; you still have a regular cable running to your TV to receive regular cable.

Now if you hate Cable because they keep talking about your Mama, well go for a change in providers. ;)

I don’t want to burst anybody’s bubble over FIOS, but pay attention to this from the Verizon New England Inc. Application, page 26.

Customer Premises
At the premise, an Optical Network Terminal (ONT) de-multiplexes the 1550nm optical signal and simply converts it to a voice, data and cable television electrical signal, which meets cable television industry standards for cable services. It is expected that, in many cases, standard home wiring practices, using coaxial cables, will distribute the signal to cable ready televisions (for analog-only subscribers) and to STBs for digital subscribers.


The words “standard home wiring practices, using coaxial cables” should be raising an eyebrow if your are interested in a better picture. Your TV reception can only be as good as the weakest link will allow to your TV. If that wire is the standard, wired coaxial crap and not Fiber-optic to your TV your reception can only be as good that coaxial crap. Ergo, you would have the same reception quality as you do now with regular cable. Its not rocket science; you still have a regular cable running to your TV to receive regular cable.

Now if you hate Cable because they keep talking about your Mama, well go for a change in providers.

Not exactly. They're obviously not going to wire fiber to each of your televisions. It's just not necessary.

Getting fiber to the premesis allows for massive, upgradable bandwidth. Standard RG6 coaxial cable can easily take the digital signal from the ONT to your televisions.

Anyone with Cox Digital Cable or DirecTV uses the same coaxial through their home. Yes, if it's crap cable, that will degrade the picture as you'll get pixellation. However, with all the bandwidth FiOS will have, they don't need to compress their television streams (as much) and lose quality at the head-end. something cable and satellite companies sometimes have to do.

Essentially, if you already have a good signal to noise ratio over your RG6 coax in your home for DirecTV or Cox Digital, you'll get great picture quality with FiOS too. I doubt the pic quality will be any different compared to Cox Digital or DirecTV.

So, the big revolution with FiOS is that their full bandwidth hits your home and is distributed there, rather than hitting a neighborhood fiber-to-coax node that breaks up the bandwidth to individual homes.

Thanks for the reply richof. I again set my tuner to auto-search through all digital/analog channels than I went through each one-by-one looking for a signal. Here's what I found on my Sharp Aquos LC32GP1U:

6.1 WLNE HD, ABC
10.1 WJAR HD, NBC
104.2 WPRI HD, CBS
105.2 WNAC HD, FOX
106.1 WGBH HD, PBS
110.2 WNAC HD, FOX

I also came across these channels which don't appear to be HD.

76.23 Classic Rock
76.24 Arena Rock
77.11 History International
84.1-84.10 Appears to be On-demand programming including HBO (Not always broadcasting)

So am I to understand that you get these HD stations over the Extended Basic service with Cox using the QAM tuner in your TV?

BT

To my knowledge DirecTV still has not reached an agreement with Lin therefore Channel 12 and 64 are not yet available in HD through DirecTV. However with a fairly inexpensive indoor antenna you should be able to get those channels in HD no problem.

I do not have the HR-20 yet, I have been holding out as long as I can because my current DVR (HR10-250) has been great for me and I do not want to commit for another 2 years until I see what Verizon has to offer. Judging by what I'm seeing for pricing in MA, Verizon doesn't appear to be any more of a bargain over what DirecTV and Cox are offering. From what I have read the HR-20 seems to be more stable now. You can get more information on DirecTV and the HR-20 at dbstalk (dbstalk{dot}com). I could not post the link because I do not have the required number of post yet. Basically the HR-20 seemed to have the same growing pains that Cox's HD DVR had when it first came out. There were numerous complaints over their box as well.

In my opinion the only advantages of Cox over DirecTV is that it currently offers the analog signal free with no receiver required and there is no 2 year commitment. If you are going all digital and you are looking for the NFL Sunday Ticket then you should give DirecTV a good look.
If DIRECTV does not have FOX or CBS HD by the fall then we have to lookout for the NFL's blackout rule before considering a switch from Cox to DIRECTV.

"Games Available on NFL SUNDAY TICKET
Because of NFL and broadcast network requirements outside of DIRECTV's control, games broadcast by your local FOX or CBS station will not be available on channels in the 700s. You must tune to your local FOX or CBS station to watch those games. DIRECTV is required to enforce this rule to ALL of its customers, including customers in areas where DIRECTV does not offer local channels."

It appears that DIRECTV would not show the locally televised games in HD. This would be a show stopper for me. I understand that you could pickup FOX/CBS via antenna, but would you really want to go back to those days (i.e. DVR issues, etc.). At least for me, I would not make the move to DIRECTV until I was assured CBS/FOX HD were available.

I (like you cliffbanger) have been considering a switch to DIRECTV for the NFL Sunday Ticket for some time. The other concern I have is that with Sunday night, Monday night (occasional doubleheaders), and Thursday night games the Sunday ticket is becoming less attractive due to there being less Sunday games. IMHO as long as COX brings back the NFL Network in HD for Thursday night games I will probably stick with them.

It appears that DIRECTV would not show the locally televised games in HD. This would be a show stopper for me. I understand that you could pickup FOX/CBS via antenna, but would you really want to go back to those days (i.e. DVR issues, etc.). At least for me, I would not make the move to DIRECTV until I was assured CBS/FOX HD were available.

What's the big deal about using an antenna? The OTA channels are integrated seamlessly into the DirecTV HD receiver we use, there's no difference in terms of getting program listings, station ID, etc. They pop up like any other Directv channel and ought to record that way too. What DVR issues are you talking about?

I guess its an individual issue. I personally would require a large antenna based on my location and would prefer not to go back to those days. The less components I rely on the better.

In the COX world you could not interface the antenna with the 6412 DVR. If you can do this seamlessly with the DIRECTV DVR then that is a plus.

I guess its an individual issue. I personally would require a large antenna based on my location and would prefer not to go back to those days. The less components I rely on the better.

In the COX world you could not interface the antenna with the 6412 DVR. If you can do this seamlessly with the DIRECTV DVR then that is a plus.

Understood. Yes it is seamless, on that end the DVR works fine (it does have some "growing pains" as the other poster put it in other areas though).

I don’t want to burst anybody’s bubble over FIOS, but pay attention to this from the Verizon New England Inc. Application, page 26.

Customer Premises
At the premise, an Optical Network Terminal (ONT) de-multiplexes the 1550nm optical signal and simply converts it to a voice, data and cable television electrical signal, which meets cable television industry standards for cable services. It is expected that, in many cases, standard home wiring practices, using coaxial cables, will distribute the signal to cable ready televisions (for analog-only subscribers) and to STBs for digital subscribers.


The words “standard home wiring practices, using coaxial cables” should be raising an eyebrow if your are interested in a better picture. Your TV reception can only be as good as the weakest link will allow to your TV. If that wire is the standard, wired coaxial crap and not Fiber-optic to your TV your reception can only be as good that coaxial crap. Ergo, you would have the same reception quality as you do now with regular cable. Its not rocket science; you still have a regular cable running to your TV to receive regular cable.

Now if you hate Cable because they keep talking about your Mama, well go for a change in providers. ;)

This is how its done and it has been known for sometime now that they use coaxial cable one it hits your house. They dont try to hide anything and thats why the call it Fiber To The Home (FTTH)....If they wired your entire house with Fiber the cost wold be outrageous and the installs would take forever and be a nightmare. What people are excited about with FIOS is being able to have a CHOICE finally for thier cable provider instead of just dealing with Cox. As far as I have seen and heard most people really like thier connections and the picture, so go figure guess that "crappy" coaxial in your house does ok :)

This is how its done and it has been known for sometime now that they use coaxial cable one it hits your house. They dont try to hide anything and thats why the call it Fiber To The Home (FTTH)....If they wired your entire house with Fiber the cost wold be outrageous and the installs would take forever and be a nightmare. What people are excited about with FIOS is being able to have a CHOICE finally for thier cable provider instead of just dealing with Cox. As far as I have seen and heard most people really like thier connections and the picture, so go figure guess that "crappy" coaxial in your house does ok :)


I am planning on building a house in 2-3 years (far away I know) but should I run fiber cables in the house? The town I plan to build in (Westport) doesn't have FIOS available, and I don't know if it is in the plans, but if it would come in one day would it make sense?

So am I to understand that you get these HD stations over the Extended Basic service with Cox using the QAM tuner in your TV?

BT
You don't even need "extended" basic to recieve these channels with a QAM tunner. Just plain basic gets them for you.

We have received the parts to repair our DTV antenna this is expected to take two to three days to complete repairs. We will be off the air during the daylight hours on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday but back on the air for the evening. The off-air periods could be for a few hours to most of the day.

Mark

Can anyone confirm that the work is done and Channels 10.1 and 6.1 (OTA) are back to full power?

Thanks Mark for keeping us posted, but my TV that used to pull in the channels is still reporting "Low Signal Strength" so I don't get them on it. (I do still get them on the other one - same antenna line, but I used to receive them on both.)

I'm still hearing some audio drop outs on 10.1 that I only heard since they had the problem with the antenna.

Had a crazy question to throw out there -- has anyone experienced that warm weather has anything to do with digital fringe signals carrying better?

I only ask because I'm getting all kinds of Boston stations here on Sat. night (7.1, 56.1, the 44's, etc.) that I last received in August or September of a year ago. All of them are coming in tonight, and I doubt it's because they've amped their power up. These stations would rarely come in where I am in Wakefield over the winter and yet, we've got warm weather, and now they're all coming in crystal clear tonight. :confused:

I am planning on building a house in 2-3 years (far away I know) but should I run fiber cables in the house? The town I plan to build in (Westport) doesn't have FIOS available, and I don't know if it is in the plans, but if it would come in one day would it make sense?

If I was building a house right now, I would make sure each room had RG6 coaxial terminals and CAT6 Ethernet cable.

I really don't see the need to pay big bucks for optical wiring and switching equipment, especially when the next generation of WiFi will make most home networking just about as fast as wired ethernet today.

Weren't we supposed to be getting History Channel HD on Cox in April? That would be a channel I'd be quite excited about receiving.

Ive been pretty disappointed with that amount of HD on A&E HD so far. I'm really anxious for FX to go HD and for cox to pick it up.

If there are any tennis fans out there, Directv has the French Open courtesy of Tennis Channel on Channels 216-222 going on with full match coverage and a split screen mix channel as well. Most of the coverage is live from 6am-Noon with ESPN2 mostly picking it up at noon (except Memorial Day), though it's still raining right now :)

...So, the big revolution with FiOS is that their full bandwidth hits your home and is distributed there, rather than hitting a neighborhood fiber-to-coax node that breaks up the bandwidth to individual homes.

If pic quality will not be any different compared to Cox Digital or DirecTV then the only thing that changes on the bill is the logo.

No one can force the people to look at the same dam logo every month in the land in which we live. We're showing them!

Thank good we broke up that logo monopoly before it was too late!

A guy I work with had an older Blonder Tongue UHF antenna that he wasn't using. He told me about it and asked if I wanted to try it out (since he wanted to sell it). He knew I was using an Phillips Silver Sensor and thought this one might give me better reception. I took him up on the deal and asked if I could try it out before I committed.

Well, I brought it home and proceeded to clean up the coax connection and see what it would pull in. Now, I get the standard 5 stations with my Phillips antenna at approx 75% signal strength. It is placed near the back window pointing towards allthe towers. I figured I would just place the BT in the same position and see what happened. Ends up I get nothing, 0% on everything. I just can't imagine it is because of the positioning. Inspecting the antenna, there is nothing broken abd all connections seem in great shape. I use quad shielded RG6 at 50'. Does anyone have any idea why I get no reception at all?

BT