Nope, but I'm curious to know what you're talking about anyways.

Let's just say something along the lines which would be appropriate in a women's bureau setting, but would make Janet Jackson blush.

Gynecologists need not reply :-D

Comcast has added StarzHD. Just noticed it this morning.

Has anyone noticed the PBS HD channel since Friday has had the same frozen image w/o sound? You would think they would turn off the feed like they do at night and weekdays. PT

Actually, lately, the PBS feed has been on past 11 at night. I just returned my T351 and orded at T151 on the internet, so I can't check now. But I was supprised on night while channel surfing at 2 or 3 in the morning to find PBS on.

Looks like someone at PBS saw your post! PBS HD is now back online showing NOVA & the audio is in sync (for now at least).

Do you guys have small clicks and pops on your PBS audio? I've had a Zenith HDV420 and a Samsung SIR-T351, and on both units, the audio would have small clicks and pops in it. It almost sounds kinda like static noise like when you touch a doorknob and get shocked. Some shows it happens all the time, whereas others, it only happens ocasionally, like when someone is talking. It doens't do this on any other channel even 40-2, only on 40-1.

The only problem I've had with PBS is the audio is out of synch almost all of the time. I figure it's all part of the teething of HDTV. By the way I use the Dish 811 reciever.PT

PBS has audio problems on a regular basis. To fix the problems someone has to call the station and make them aware of the situation. Unfortunately not that many people can receive PBS-dt and probably even fewer are watching it on a regular basis.

Bossplaya,
I have heard that Starz HD isn't really that great, let us know how you think it is.

Starz HD sucks, as most of the movies aren't in HD or widescreen, but they do have a couple, like LOTR:Twin Towers. Seems like Starz and Showtime aren't really ready for HD, the same for ESPN HD which shows something in HD once in a blue moon. HBO and MaxHD are slightly better. Though shoHD gets some credit for showing their boxing in high def (HBO doesn't, though it looks good). I can't really vouch for the quality of the HD (as I haven't seen the best HD on my own set, just the heavily compressed cable version), only that the best HD I have seen looks better than DVD (not way better, or blows away, just better). New movies on the average look great.

Die Another Day on Showtime makes the DVD look really blurry, which is the biggest difference I have seen, and that type of thing keeps up, I may only buy DVD's of new movies that I really really like. Something has to give with Comcast's rediculously high prices, which have me looking at what VOOM and others have to offer.

Bossplaya,

How much does Comcast cost?

I have D* and that ends up being $47 a month with the smallest programming package Total Choice and the HD package and only 1 receiver in the house. Not to mention that it will go up by $3 as soon as my 1 year commitment is up. I can't really justify a switch though because I just invested $700 in the Sat HD300. Although it appears that Comcast is adding more HD channels much more aggresively than D*.

I would be leary of Voom as there aren't many supporters of it out there. At the very least wait it out a while to see what will happen with them.

Digital Package(s) Premium Channels Other Features Monthly Price

Digital Platinum 5 ON DEMAND, Onscreen Guide $97.99

Digital Gold Plus 3 ON DEMAND, Onscreen Guide $91.99

Digital Gold 2 ON DEMAND, Onscreen Guide $86.99

Digital Silver 1 ON DEMAND, Onscreen Guide $75.99

Basic Digital N/A ON DEMAND, Onscreen Guide $59.84


An extra 5.00 for the HDTV Digital Cable Box rental, then there's a sales tax and fee's on top. In comparison, the top package was $79 two years ago. I have the most expensive package, as it seems I cannot get a decent discount for dropping channels so it's either an all or nothing deal. On the bright side, there are plenty of West versions of the premium movie channels, which makes it easy to catch something that I have missed. The pricing structure is a total scam though, which is the reason why I'm looking for something better. I also have cable modem service, and you know Comcast must love me.

Also noticed that the NBAtv.com HD games on INHD were not blacked out recently, so maybe Comast has made a deal with them. ESPN HD finally showing some HD this week which is cool. Got to see IU and Purdue flame out in glorious 720p!

Really, I was all set on getting rid of cable for a while then they started offering HD so I had to check it out. And ofcourse, once I get down on the movie channels, they start showing lots of gems, which aren't on DVD yet.

Those prices are pretty high!! I certainly couldn't justify spending $100 mo. for t.v. Having the cable modem is nice though and I think Comcast gives a price break on that if you have digital t.v. service as well. Directv's best package will end up costing $100 per month too, but at least they offer their basic package for only $37.99 which is pretty sufficient.

Thank goodness for good ol OTA HD and the best price of all FREE!!

Jason

I am watching the SEC Basketball game and it is not in HD. I tried calling Wane, but I got no answer. Is anyone else watching the basketball game on 31? If so, do you know how to get ahold of someone who would know what is going on?

Thanks,
Ryan

It's not being broadcast in HD so don't even bother to call WANE. I don't think CBS will be doing HD until the final four in the tourney.

I have tried everything to isolate where the clicks are comming from on the PBS HD channel. I have tried three boxes, Samsung T351 and T151 and a Zenith HDV420. I have tried running the digital audio to my receiver as well as switching the audio to pcm. I have tried running analog audio to the receiver as well as directly to the tv. In all cases, the PBS HD (40-1) has small clicks at random times in the audio. I have recorded a small portion with my computer, so if you would like, i could send you a copy to hear what i hear. These small clicks are only on the HD channel not 40-2 or any other digital channel. I find it hard to believe that it is on my end at all. Can some of you listen in for a little while to see if you hear them? Thanks
Ryan

I'll listen for a while to see if I can hear anything.

Well you don't have to listen in. I emailed wfwa and scott replied that it was a decoder issue that they are working on to get fixed. At least they know of the problem and are acknowledging that it is on their end. It almost seems that with these clicks and the audio sync issues, that they should just get an audio decoder like the other stations have.

Ryan

As of this moment, this is how the HD broadcast of NCAA basketball is taking place with WANE-DT and CBS. Friday, the 19th and Sunday the 21st, all games originating out of Kansas City will be available in HD. The following weekend, Friday the 26th and Sunday the 28th, all games originating out of St. Louis will be available in HD. The final 4 and the Championship game will obviously be broadcast in HD. I will post more information about this as soon as I know more (in about a day or so).

Thanks for the update.

Sounds great!! Looks like some great College B-ball watching the next few weeks. Will be interesting to compare how CBS's 1080i looks compared to all of the games ESPN has been showing in 720p.

What's up with WANE? Last night (I haven't checked today), 31-1 and 31-2 disappeared from my program guide and 15-1 didn't have a signal. My co-worker also received nothing on 31-1.

Concerning the NCAA Tournament. Another thread mentioned that CBS affiliates could show whichever games they wanted to. Could WANE show one game on analog, a different game on 31-1, a different game on 31-2, and a different game on 31-3? We could be in March Madness Heaven!

Here in Indy, WISH, WANE's sister station (LIN TV), will once again be multicasting the games. The analog station will air one game, while the digital station will multicast three different games. And, yes, if you are into college basketball, this could be considered March Madness Heaven!

I'm just hoping that WANE will show the HD game. They can then show a different game on the analog channel (maybe one with regional interest).

I don't remember if it was yesterday or the day before, but WANE's channels had shifted to 31-2, 31-3, and 31-4. All of the content was still there just with different subchannel identities.

Showing multiple games is a great way to promote the use of OTA digital signals. Broadcasters should really take advantage of this when possible. In theory they can increase their advertising revenue during these opportune times. As long as they don't get carried away and have to over compress the signal this is very cool.

Another good time to do the multicast deal is during NFL football.

Anyways, I'm looking forward to some great HD college basketball!!

thanks WANE

Is anybody getting a HD NCAA game today? i am not.
It looks like Fort Wayne will only have 1 game on at a time.

If the onscreen guide is correct for the 4 games today, none of them will be the HD games.

It appears they are attempting to show games with some sort of local interest? Thats the only logic I can come up with. Probably messed them up when the three biggest local teams didn't even make the tourney.

I know that WISH out of Indy sends the signals to WANE via fiber optics so maybe it has something to do with the games WISH is choosing to send.

At this point I think the only guaranteed HD games we will see will be the final four games and the championship game. Better start making plans now for the party!

It's VERY disappointing that we are only getting one game. It sounds like many or most digital CBS stations across the country are providing multiple games.

It will very disappointing if WANE is showing games other than the high def games. That would be a huge waste.

Monday, WANE-DT experienced some PSIP problems that affected the digital channels. That problem has since been resolved.

As far as what games we air in analog and digital are concerned, CBS decides what games are aired in Fort Wayne based on local interest. WANE does not follow our sister station in Indianapolis, WISH, as that is a very different television market from Fort Wayne. Programming decisions are decided on a per station basis. WANE is a separate CBS affiliate.

It is correct that CBS affiliates were given the option to air a different HD game on their HD channel only if the local game of interest was not available in native HD and a different HD game was taking place at the same time. This was only available on Friday and Sunday and only games from Kansas City are available in HD. WANE decided not to take that option. Time was not available to properly pull off that type of operation. FYI: No games were available in HD on Thursday to any affiliate.

I am looking into the possibility of multi-casting the games next year. Remember, that if a station multi-casts 3 or 4 SD games, room is not available for HD.

I look for CBS to make more games available in HD next year from more locations. As time goes on, CBS will keep adding to the incredible HD capabilities they have currently. I hope I have answered some questions and concerns.

Mark
WANE Engineering

Anyone know what the plans are for this weekend's games? I think CBS is televising at least 3 more games, 2 on Friday and 1 on Sunday. Are we going to receive those?

Why has NBC not been in HD the last few days?

I wasn't aware its been a few days, but i did notice that Las Vegas was not in HD tonight. I sent an e-mail to WISE, but who knows if it will do any good tonight.

yeah law and order the other night wasn't in hd, and i believe that jay leno wasn't in hd last week.

Edit: Jay isn't in HD now either

The audio on the NBC telecast of the PGA Tour this week was out of synch. It was not an HD program, but the audio was definitely out of synch.

Speaking of golf...... The Masters coverage is only 2 weeks away. If you haven't seen golf in HD yet, it is truly awesome. Not to mention that CBS will be carrying nearly every tournament this summer in HD as well.

For some reason NBC has been all over the charts lately with their HD programming. It's hard to tell if it's a national or local problem.

I'm really anxious to see The Masters in HD! I'm also very glad to hear that CBS will do all of their golf telecasts in HD after The Masters.

I saw some HD golf on INHD a couple months ago. Looked great. I'm expecting CBS's programming to be even better.

Notice that HD is back up on wise today.

Based on my on screen guide we will not be getting either of the HD games tonight. The HD games are the two being played at St. Louis and WANE is showing the 2 games from Atlanta.

We should get an HD game though on Sunday. There are only 2 games being played that day, seperate times and locations, with the St. Louis game being in HD.

jason

The game was in HD! Looked good, but kinda pixelated with the fast paced action. No 5.1 Dolby sound either. Still much better than SD.

Yeah I watched parts of the game. Looked good except for the pixelation that was present during the fast moving scenes. It's tough to get rid of pixelation for fast moving scenes with 1080i. Hopefully sometime soon the camera operators won't pan or zoom so quickly as this could help some.

Also noticed that Law and Order was in SD last night on WISE. I haven't seen HD working properly in quite a while on WISE. Hopefully they'll get that worked out soon.

Anyone watch the games this weekend? Looked pretty good, just seemed like CBS was using a lot of SD camera shots. Maybe all of the HD cameras are at Augusta?

I've heard that some CBS stations will be airing the HD coverage of the Masters on Thursday and Friday. Just wondering in WANE will be carrying this? I am aware that it is available on USA but it will be SD.

Last year D* carried the Thur/Fri coverage on their special events channel but I haven't heard if they're going to carry it again.

I watched the games on saturday as well. I'm not normally a golf fan, but will probably tune in just to see what it looks like in HD.

Did you have reception problems on sat? I've had my Silver Sensor positioned in the same spot for a month and a half and had not had any problems at all, not even ocasional breakups, but on sat, i had to fool with my antenna quite a bit to get the games to come in with any consistancy. The dolby 5.1 sounded great though (can't wait till all tv is like that). Since sat, my reception has been spot on though, and it seemed to have only problems on 31.

Just an update, it seems like PBS has finally sorted out all the audio problems, as it is in sync and has no click.

I have an outdoor antenna so I don't/can't really fool with it at all. I pointed it at the ft. wayne towers using a compass, got coordinates from antennaweb.org.

WANE gives me the weakest signal of all the stations, that is except for WFFT which I cannot receive at all.

Yes, dd 5.1 is great for all television. The sound is just located so much better and the clarity seems much better as well.

According to Titan TV WANE will be airing the HD coverage of the Masters on Thursday and Friday from 3-5:30 both days!!

Augusta National in HD is some of the best eye candy you might ever see.

jason

What happend to my HD???!!! Neither ABC, NBC, or CBS has their shows in HD, as titanTV says they should? Hopefully it wont be like this all summer long, as I have a feeling it has to do with time delaying everything. Maybe the engineers at these stations could chime in?? Maybe we wont be watching HD golf this weekend.

Ryan

What shows weren't in HD? I didn't watch any HD yesterday, American Idol for me which was tape delayed as well. I'll have to check it out tonight to see what the deal is, I'm not sure I can go all summer without watching OTA HD programming.

Masters should be HD as it will be a live event.

Navy NCIS was not.
I also flipped around to other channels and saw nothing in HD.
I have an OTA tunner. Did anybody with comcast see HD last night.


It could be a long summer.


Ben

Maybe our WANE representative will chime in here. I believe our local network would have the ability to show the HD feed at network time on the digital channel and do their delay over the analog channels.

Those of us with HD Directv should get CBS waivers to allow us to receive the CBS HD feeds that Directv carries.

Originally posted by MarkMaple
........ I believe our local network would have the ability to show the HD feed at network time on the digital channel and do their delay over the analog channel.

A few years ago, WANE's sister station here in Indy, WISH, did just that. They aired the HD feed "live" from New York, with the analog feed being aired one hour later. Then one of the WISH engineers told me that CBS would not allow them to do that anymore. He explained that the analog and HDTV feeds have to be aired at the same time. As a result, all of the network programming has to be digitally recorded by the local stations and then replayed one hour later. Do the Fort Wayne stations have the equipment to record in HD for replay?

I've already seen some really bad replays of HD programming from the Indy stations and D.S.T. just started Sunday! This setup creates a nightmare not only for the local tv engineers but for the viewers, too.

Steve

I wish that they would go back to having the late news at 10 and the programming an hour earlier. Not only would it greatly simplify the engineers jobs at these stations, it would be more convenient for most people as well. Either that or we go on DST(that will happen when hell freezes over, in other words, never). Before, we got some benefit of not going on DST by having our programming an hour earlier, but now we get the shaft both ways, by loosing an hour of light at night and, our programming is on later. I talked to a girl at wpta and she said that the decision to timeshift everything was made by the local affiliates, so they could just choose to go back to the way it used to be. In otherwords, get used to pbs hd if you only get ota hd for the time being.

Ryan

I regret this inconvenience. WANE is working on a solution to delay high definition Network Programming. Unfortunately, a piece of equipment that was suppose to delay the HD failed all tests last week. We have a new piece of equipment coming in from another manufacturer that should be able to delay the Netowk HD with no problems (or so they say). I can assure you that we are rapidly working to provide a delayed HD. With any new technology, there are always bugs to work out and unfortunately we found some bugs.

I hope to have the new delay server in the building from the manufacturer sometime in the very near future. If it passes all of its tests, then it will be on-line immediately.

This does not affect live programs such as special events or Sports as those will air live in their native HD

Mark Johnson
WANE-DT Engineering

WANE-DT will air special HD coverage of "The Masters" on channel 31-1 on Thursday and Friday April 8th and 9th.

Should coverage of "The Masters" tournament be necessary on Monday, April 12, WANE-DT will air that as well.

Mark Johnson
WANE Engineering

Watching the Masters right now. VERY impressive looking. I am able to watch through both D* and OTA so I'm in the process of doing a little comparison.

Doesn't seem like the DD is working properly on WANE, the announcers voice is coming from both the L and R channels while on D* it's coming from the center channel.

edit: The announcers voices on WANE were coming out of the the L,R, and center channel speakers. The picture on WANE also showed some slight pixelation compared to the presentation on D*. Most likely due to WANE multicasting, this was very slight but noticeable.

The storm clouds are very realistic looking in HD. Hopefully the delay will end soon so we can see some action.

jason

Mark,

Thanks for keeping us updated. Hopefully the new equipment will enable WANE to timeshift the HD programming properly.

jason

Originally posted by oryan_dunn
What happend to my HD???!!! Neither ABC, NBC, or CBS has their shows in HD, as titanTV says they should?
Hopefully it wont be like this all summer long, as I have a feeling it has to do with time delaying everything.
Maybe the engineers at these stations could chime in?? Maybe we wont be watching HD golf this weekend.

Ryan

I want to echo the sentiments of Mark from WANE. We had hoped to have
a delay device in place and actually working before the time change.

The problem for us stems from the fact that the NBC only offers two time zone feeds of HD.
East coast time and west coast time. The SD service is offered in 4 time zone feeds.
This time of the year we take a mountain time feed of from NBC.

So to have an HD service this time of year we need to delay the east coast feed by one hour.
The only way that is practically feasible is to have some form of a server (Hard Drive) delay
device. For us the cost alone of HD videotape machines rules out a "Tape" delay.

We have some problems with our HD server that we are trying to work out.

Another problem we face is that the delay will really complicate our Master Control switching issue.
Special events and most sports will be fed live in HD, so we now have an added layer of confusion for
switching HD.

As I have mentioned before we have an automatic HD function that is armed during prime time programs.
That has been a set and forget type system, now we have to work out how to allow for the special live
HD events. Is the show live or is it "Memorex"?

In the long run these problems will go away as stations and networks upgrade the switching and routing
equipment to allow for the same flexibility we have now in the SD world.

FYI the Titan schedules for network programs will say HD if they are available from the Network in HD.
It does not come down to the local level as to whether or not we show it in HD.

I miss my HD programs as well. I have to go to PBS for my fix,
I'm so glad they updated the HD service from that old loop.

Best regards

Matt Kyle

Has anybody contacted Comcast about this problem. Maybe they can put pressure on the local channels. If not they should not be advertising that they carry the local channels in HD

I have a solution. Why don't they just show primetime TV in its proper 7pm - 10pm timeslot? Then there is no need to purchase the expensive equipment.

Another thought...The whole reason this stuff is being tape delayed is so that the local stations can continue to show their syndicated programs from 7pm - 8pm and receive the advertising money from those shows. Why don't they use that advertising money to buy the equipment they need to make HD work?

tdodel, I whole-heartedly agree with your solution, but since they have been getting that money for the past year or two, they arn't gonna quit now. This would definitly be the easiest option as no extra equipment or headaches required, and most people i talk to liked the programming at the earlier timeslot in the summer. But hey, when have companies cared what their customes wanted?

This question is for the engineers: what is the eta that I can expect to see my sitcoms and dramas in HD? Of particular interest to me is the Jay Leno show, but I would like the other stations in HD as well. With the equipment to timeshift, will there be a loss of quality from the (i think) 19Mbps stream?

The first couple of nights, I was very upset, but I do realize that this is a time of change in general, and that there will be bumps on the road. I'm just upset that after I finally got my HD tuner and everything working smoothly for the past month or so, I now have only PBS for HD (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, thank god they got their audio problems sorted out).

I apologize for being somewhat harsh, but thanks for reading this post.

Ryan

PS. Matt or Mark, do either of you know what WPTA has cooking for their HD? I called and the receptionest said that there will be no HD for the summer and I had to wait until October. Hopefully she was misinformed.

Unfortunately I can't give an official time when native HD will return to the air. A good answer would be "As Soon as Technically Possible". We have several pieces of equipment coming in to test and see if it works with our CBS HD equipment.

Ryan,

In the post from the NBC engineer above, I read it as saying NBC33 has no plans to fix the problem. I guess you'll have to wait for Leno in HD until October.

Does anyone have any idea about when Comcast is going to roll out some new channels in High Def? This past weekend, I was talking to my brother-in-law who lives in Chicago. He said they have 30 channels of High Def there. I starting to have trouble justifying the extra cost of Comcast High Def Cable since the two channels I watched the most aren't being shown anymore.

-Tim

Originally posted by tdodel
I have a solution. Why don't they just show primetime TV in its proper 7pm - 10pm timeslot? Then there is no need to purchase the expensive equipment.

Unless the SD feed aired at the same time, it isn't contractually possible from what I understand. Some royalty BS s or something was explained in the Indiana thread when we were facing this issue with Indianapolis Stations.

Jim,

I'm not asking that they air SD and HD at different times. I understand the contractual obligations. There are ratings and competition among shows in the same timeslots to consider. My solution is to go back to the way things were a couple years ago when all of primetime (SD and HD) aired from 7pm - 10pm during the daylight saving time period.

-Tim

Originally posted by tdodel
Ryan,

In the post from the NBC engineer above, I read it as saying NBC33 has no plans to fix the problem. I guess you'll have to wait for Leno in HD until October.
>--snip--<
-Tim

As usual I ramble a bit. What I am trying to get across is that what appears to be simple on the surface
is not always so simple when you dig in a bit.

This is new to all of us. I have no formal instruction in all this new HD equipment, I am learning as we go along.
When I can't figure out problems on my own I rely on the vendors and manufacturers of the equipment to help
me out when problems arise.

When we did our install I tried to learn form the old days when we just started to broadcast stereo audio.
We literally had a switch for stereo that put network audio right into the transmitter.
I can remember many times when they forgot to flip the "switch".

This had two possible outcomes, one no stereo audio. Or two, no audio or the wrong audio because we came to a local break where we had local video but network audio was still feeding the transmitter.

That is why I designed, built, and installed a system that would allow an automatic switch to Primetime HD.
I'm just saying that the one hour delay places a greater responsibility on the Master Control person to figure
out what needs to be done.

If we can make the HD delay box work properly the only reason that we would not continue to use it is if
I cannot get corporate approval to purchase the device.

See I rambled again.

Regards to all

Matt

Originally posted by oryan_dunn
>--snip--<

This question is for the engineers: what is the eta that I can expect to see my sitcoms and dramas in HD? Of particular interest to me is the Jay Leno show, but I would like the other stations in HD as well. With the equipment to timeshift, will there be a loss of quality from the (i think) 19Mbps stream?

>--snip--<

I apologize for being somewhat harsh, but thanks for reading this post.

Ryan

PS. Matt or Mark, do either of you know what WPTA has cooking for their HD? I called and the receptionest said that there will be no HD for the summer and I had to wait until October. Hopefully she was misinformed.

If we get our delay box to work properly it will be transparent. It is just a bit bucket that holds one hour of bits and then lets them back out again.

As I said earlier the only reason we would not keep the unit is if the corporate office does not allow the purchase. I hope to have the unit working yet this week, after that ???

Matt

Thanks for taking the time to respond. I like having updates on this stuff so I know that it is being worked on.

I have a couple more questions for you. When you say corporate, do you mean the WISE owners or NBC themselves? I don't understand how they could not allow you to keep the equipment in place, especially if it is NBC themselves limiting you. It is well advertised that shows are in HD and that your station has the capability to send out the HD signal. In that reguard, it almost seems like false advertising. Since all broadcasts have to be digital by 2006 or 7, it seems like this equipment is necessary, especially in the long run, as not having HD in the summer will not be an acceptable solution. I know that you don't have anything to do with the decision making about this stuff, but those are my concerns.

Because of your rambling, I have a question for you. You had said that the network feed is broadcast in 4 time zones. Now what I don't understand is if that is the case, then why do shows say 9/8c after them? If it is being broadcast in 4 timezones, wouldn't the central have their programming on at the same time as eastern? So, wouldn't they have primetime from 8-11 central, instead of 7-10central? Also, if there are only two feeds of HD, wouldn't one have to be mountain time? If not does that mean that the western feed of HD primetime would actually be at 9-12 mountain? Or is the western HD feed at 8-11 mountain and 7-10 western?

Thanks for reading my rambling post. All of this headache and trouble because we don't go on eastern daylight time. I truly don't understand why people don't wanna go on DST.

Ryan

Thank You CBS & NBC for letting us know that you are working on the problem. Keep up the good work. We all are waiting to hear how the HD timeshift is going. Please keep us informed.


What about ABC, what are they doing. Also when is Comcast going to brodcast ABC HD.


Ben

There is one bright side to WISE's and WANE's problems, they have them. Meanwhile lousy old WFFT with their digital signal that is less powerfull than a lightbulb and FOX is planning on rolling out quite a bit of HD programming this fall. Including MLB baseball and it's rumored that nearly every NFL game will be HD this fall. I'm hoping to be able to watch some HD football.

Hopefully the problems that WISE and WANE are experiencing will be resolved soon, no HD for the summer would be bad.

It's hard to believe that so many companies could benefit financially by switching to DST and it hasn't been done yet. I know there has been a big push from golf courses for IN to adopt DST as it would increase revenue from the added daylight people would gain after work. It only seems like we won't adopt DST so that some old farmers with egos can boast that they get up at the crack of dawn 5:00 in IN instead of 6:00 like the rest of the east coast to feed the hogs or whatever they have to do so early in the morning. I really don't understand who gets enjoyment out of the daylight so early in the morning. Anyways enough about that.

On a side note I have a question for Mark. Do you know if WANE will be broadcasting the HD coverage of the MCI Heritage on Thurs/Fri similiar to the coverage of the Masters? We know that it can be done, that was already demonstrated. Lets hope WANE will be able to do this as CBS will be covering 12 more tournaments this summer in HD, thats a lot of HD golf.

Jason

Another topic that I would like to mention that I haven't gotten around to is somewhat of a challenge for all of us who frequent the FW digital forum.

We should all challenge ourselves to encourage others that we know who have the ability to receive Ft. Waynes digital channels to participate on this forum. The more people we have in here the more brainstorming we can do and we can do an even better job of keeping the engineers of the Ft. Wayne stations better informed as to how people are perceiving the transition to digital. The possibilities that broadcasters have with the digital spectrum they now have are endless, lets give them some great ideas to help make Ft. Wayne and the surrounding areas something to talk about in the television world.

Suggestions in general are good, but suggestions in numbers are powerful.

Jason

Originally posted by oryan_dunn
Thanks for taking the time to respond. I like having updates on this stuff so I know that it is being worked on.

I have a couple more questions for you. When you say corporate, do you mean the WISE owners or NBC themselves? I don't understand how they could not allow you to keep the equipment in place, especially if it is NBC themselves limiting you. It is well advertised that shows are in HD and that your station has the capability to send out the HD signal. In that reguard, it almost seems like false advertising. Since all broadcasts have to be digital by 2006 or 7, it seems like this equipment is necessary, especially in the long run, as not having HD in the summer will not be an acceptable solution. I know that you don't have anything to do with the decision making about this stuff, but those are my concerns.

Because of your rambling, I have a question for you. You had said that the network feed is broadcast in 4 time zones. Now what I don't understand is if that is the case, then why do shows say 9/8c after them? If it is being broadcast in 4 timezones, wouldn't the central have their programming on at the same time as eastern? So, wouldn't they have primetime from 8-11 central, instead of 7-10central? Also, if there are only two feeds of HD, wouldn't one have to be mountain time? If not does that mean that the western feed of HD primetime would actually be at 9-12 mountain? Or is the western HD feed at 8-11 mountain and 7-10 western?

Thanks for reading my rambling post. All of this headache and trouble because we don't go on eastern daylight time. I truly don't understand why people don't wanna go on DST.

Ryan

Ok here we go.

I was referring to the owners of WISE-TV.

As far as the HD stuff is concerned you may find it interesting that in the mandate by the FCC we have NO requirements to broadcast in HD at all. The only thing that we have to do is replicate our analog service in digital.

If you are referring to the banners that state the show is in HD I believe that they have a disclaimer that states, where available or something similar. I agree that in the long run it matters a lot.

I sometimes find myself watching a show that is in HD that normally I would not watch. No flames for the following--I am not a sports fan, but I have watched some stuff just because it is HD, and I must say quite impressive. But even in HD golf is still unwatchable.

Now for the time zone mess. Basic answer is that takes to much brain power today. In a nutshell NBC provides one feed for each of the four time zones in the United States. My guess is that the tags for promos are dual time zone to save expense/time/storage space, etc? You need only 1/2 the number of promos. And it covers goofy states like Indiana that don't follow DST. BTW it looks like Arizona is the only other state that does not observe DST.

NBC provides 4 separate SD feeds, each one hour delayed from the East Coast feed, which this time of year is EDT. Where the individual stations air the NBC shows determines which feed they use for that show. We use a different feed for 10a-11a hour of the Today show since it is split apart by Regis.

If I get a chance I'll see if i can post some NBC feed information that might clarify this for both of us. Whew!

Matt

Originally posted by mrk229
As far as the HD stuff is concerned you may find it interesting that in the mandate by the FCC we have NO requirements to broadcast in HD at all. The only thing that we have to do is replicate our analog service in digital.



I was aware of that, but I think it would be very sh1ty of the owners of wise to not have HD during the summer. If that ends up being their official stance, I might just have give the national NBC headquaters a call as that reflects poorly on them.

I sometimes find myself watching a show that is in HD that normally I would not watch.

Me too. Most of the corny sitcoms and whatnot i would not normally watch, but since it is in HD and i paid good money for my setup, i'll watch them. (maybe this is a good thing so that i wont watch as much tv :) , then again maybe not)

If I get a chance I'll see if i can post some NBC feed information that might clarify this for both of us. Whew!

That will be very interesting. Thanks for the quick reply.

Jason, I agree about the DST. I remember Pat White having a call in about the DST back when the bill was in the house or senate of Indiana. Almost all of the callers that didn't want it were old people. A caller had called in as to how it is a real big pain for anyone that has buisness ties outside the state becuase half the year we are the same time and the other half we are different time. Especially effected were the transportation and delivery buisnesses. I would vote for anyone who would promise to put the DST in effect without any other vote (if that is even possible). I think that younger people and those that are more up on the world and whatnot want DST more than old folks who sit at home and changing the clocks would only be a semi-anual inconvience. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!

Ryan

[QUOTE]Originally posted by oryan_dunn
I was aware of that, but I think it would be very sh1ty of the owners of wise to not have HD during the summer. If that ends up being their official stance, I might just have give the national NBC headquaters a call as that reflects poorly on them.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well obviously NBC/CBS/ABC are not terribly concerned or they would provide the feeds now. So by all means please call them!

I can't speak for the company as a whole but I will fight for year round HD service, be it a local delay or an NBC feed.

We spent almost 1 Million dollars to put DTV on the air. We currently get NO extra money whatsoever for doing this. Just an extra electric bill!

I would suspect that WPTA and WANE spent or will spend more than that.
Both of them have full power transmitters. We still have to purchase and install one.

MK

I wonder how much it cost to originally upgrade to color? With the money adjusted for inflation, i wonder if it was over 1 mil? It is good to know that someone on the inside is on the light side. lol

Ryan

I don't want to turn this into a forum about DST, but I have a few thoughts to share on the subject. From other forums I have read, most people who live in states that observe DST hate it. They hate changing all of the clocks in their homes and cars and wherever else. They hate changing their sleep schedules. The other thing is that children and animals don't know what DST is, so their schedules get confused. That is the reason farmers don't like it. The farm animals want to be fed at the same time every day. They don't understand that because its April, now they must be fed an hour later.

My personal feeling on the subject is that if all the other states are doing it, then just to end the confusion, Indiana should do it too. That being said I also think the whole idea of DST is antiquated and the whole country should do away with it. There are still only 24 hours in a day. If you want more daylight in the summer, get your lazy as* out of bed earlier.

Going back to my earlier post though, I don't think the issue with local HD is DST. If the stations would just broadcast primetime from 7pm - 10pm like they used to, this wouldn't be a problem.


On a totally different subject, I've noticed that the audio on WISEDT cuts out several times an hour. Has anyone else had this problem? I don't have the same problem with WANEDT, so I assume it is not a problem with my equipment.

If viewers are not satisfied with the local networks they can always look into alternative solutions, such as, BEV (http://www.freewaysupport.com/) . It's always interesting to see how different groups use the freedom of speech argument in their favor.

The same applies to local radio. I used to send e-mails to WOWO making them aware of how often they run national audio feeds over local commercials or when they forget to run the commerical loop after midnight and have five minutes of dead time. I now have XM radio in my home and car and never have to look back.

Beginning tonight, WANE-DT will start testing CBS HD delayed prime-time on air. I am hopeful to think that this system will work and Fort Wayne will once again have HD prime-time from WANE-DT. I will keep you all informed of the status of our testing. Please bare with us during this time of testing.

FYI: WANE-DT does show Young and the Restless during the day in true HD during the summer months.

Mark,

I have noticed that Young and the Restless hasn't been in HD during the winter months. Any reason why it will now be in HD for the summer months?

Jason

It appears that WANE has dropped the ball on HD coverage for golf today. This is live coverage so it appears that they aren't aware it's in HD or are having problems at the station.

Originally posted by vereekej
It appears that WANE has dropped the ball on HD coverage for golf today. This is live coverage so it appears that they aren't aware it's in HD or are having problems at the station.

Still having the problems vereekej? I just arrived at the station, and according to our equipment, it is being sent out in HD.

Checked again and it was in HD at 3:30. Not sure what time it switched over though. It was SD for at least the first half hour of coverage. The timer may have been off for making the switch to HD.

Originally posted by vereekej
Checked again and it was in HD at 3:30. Not sure what time it switched over though. It was SD for at least the first half hour of coverage. The timer may have been off for making the switch to HD.

The switch is controlled in Indianapolis. There is a GPI trigger that the operator in Indy controls that triggers a switcher in our rack room to switch from upconvert to HD. It is possible they simply forgot to hit the switch. I checked it about the same time you did when I arrived at work, and it was in HD at that point, around 3:45.

Given that control is in Indy, and this is still fairly new to all, I am pleasantly surprised that the system works as well as it does. It was most assuredly a lot of work to get it going correctly.

Navy NCIS is in hd tonight. Looks good. Good job getting the server running. Now if wise and wpta could get theirs setup soon, we'd be back to normal.

Ryan

Thank goodness something other than PBS now is in HD. Too bad though that Along Came a Spider wasn't in HD on Sunday night.

Since the forum has been quiet the last week, I figured I would give a update on the HD delay here at WANE. There was no true HD last night and there will be none tonight. The demo HD server had to be sent back to the factory to be modified. We found a small problem in the software/hardware, so they are fixing it and it should be back online tomorrow night. This is a demo, so if the system works out, we will hopefully have a solution for the summer months.

Thanks for the update Mark. We can only hope that WPTA and WISE will have systems like this installed soon.

Actually since the weather has gotten nicer, I haven't had a whole lot of time for TV so I haven't missed HD as much as I thought I would. I still miss Jay in HD though.

I am extremely frustrated with this whole "no HD without DST" problem! Since I got HD capability via Comcast last Fall, I have found it nearly impossible to watch non-HD programming, so I haven't been watching any network TV lately.

The only way to get the local stations to listen is to hit them where it hurts: their advertisers. We need to find out who their advertisers are during the shows that should be available in HD and let them know that we are no longer watching those shows because they are not available in HD. Or better yet, we should mount a boycot of those advertisers! What do you think?

Actually, when Comcast starts offering DVR service in Fort Wayne, I will likely sign up for HBO and be able to time shift HD movies, so I doubt if I will ever watch network TV again. Problem solved!

Scott

Did anyone else not have audio for CSI last night(4/29)? I had to watch it on SD just so I could hear it.

For a short duration of time, WANE will be upconverting on 31-1. We have found a HD delay server that will work with our CBS HD equipment. We now have to wait for our new unit to arrive. The previous unit that we were using was a demo unit and had to be ship to the next perspective customer.

We are working very closely with the manufacturer to keep the non-hd time to a minimum. I do not know an exact date as to when HD will return, but I promise you that we will keep it to a minimum.

Thanks for your understanding. Once this equipment is installed, you should always be able to enjoy HD from WANE-DT year around.

Is there any new info on either WISE or WPTA's status of their HD? Also, does anyone know if WFFT will up their power or go HD this fall?

Thanks Mark for the update :)

Ryan

Does anyone know when Comcast will start carrying WPTA HD in Fort Wayne? It would sure be nice if that could happen by the time of the Indy 500.

I am now able to say that HD has finally returned to WANE-DT. We now have our own server to delay HD from CBS. This is a permanent setup, so the summer daylight savings problem will not affect HD on WANE-DT now or in the future.

Thank you for your understanding during the non-HD time.

Excellent timing - just in time for the season finale of CSI. Thanks for all your hard work Mark. Now, if only the other stations could get on board...

Agreed on about the other stations.

add one more to the other stations column and wane gets a pat on the back.

Ditto

If you go by the WISE-TV website, it appears that they have given up on HDTV. Their website previously had a bunch of information about Hi-Def, but now there is no mention of it anywhere! Pretty sad when they won't even publicly acknowledge there is a problem!!

The last few days I've noticed that PBS's signal strengh is jumping all around which results in frequent pixilation. All the other channels that i can receive wpta, wane, and wise all come in perfectly as they have for months. Just in the last week or so, pbs has gone weird. I haven't changed anything on my end when i started noticing it. I tried moving my antenna around and anywhere I could get the signal it would jump around. When it pixilates, it is only for a split second, sometimes the audio will skip as well, but then it goes back to normal for a few more seconds and then it will pixilate again. Sometimes its only just a small corner of the picture. Do any of you have any idea of what is wrong?

Ryan

Any chance that all of the leaves on the trees are now obstructing your antenna's view of the tower? I haven't noticed any problems with my reception and I'm probably about the same distance from the tower as you (22 miles).

Its possible. Its funny that since PBS started acting up, Wane has been comming in better. I used to only get 2 bars for wane, and now it is either at 5 or 6 bars. PBS used to stay consitant at 8 or 9 bars, but now it jumps from 8 or 9 to zero then to 4 then 2.. etc. And at every jump, it pixilates. As long as it is consitant, the picture and sound is perfect. I even tried taking my tuner to my grandmas house that has a roof mount antenna. She lives on the other side of auburn about 1 1/2 miles closer to fort wayne, and using that antenna, I didn't get better reception of any of the stations. PBS still did it funky thing and I couldn't get Wane at all. From what I've read, it sounds like PBS is being messed up by multipath interference where one second it is strong, the next it is nothing. I really don't know how to fix it, as I've tried moving my antenna around without any success at all. I think the silver sensor is usually pretty resistant to mulitpath since it is such a directional antenna, but who knows.

Ryan

Sooooo Disappointing to not be able to watch the Indy 500 in HD this year! :-(

Does anyone know why WPTA is not being carried by Comcast yet? WANE and WISE were picked up pretty quickly after Comcast started offering hi-def.

Seplant,

WPTA has the HD trump card being Monday Night Football. I think they are holding out for more money.

Hopefully if they get more money out of comcast, they will be able to affort an HD delay server for the summer months

Unfortunately the easiest/only way to get WPTA is OTA. They also have the strongest signal of all the stations in Ft. Wayne so it can be received with only rabbit ears.

Wouldn't matter if Comcast picked WPTA up right now anyway, you wouldn't be getting any HD. I know that I have watched a lot of WANE lately, merely because it's shows are in HD.

I know that I have watched a lot of WANE lately, merely because it's shows are in HD.

Same here. I'm kinda impartial to the newscasts, so I started watching wane since they invested in the equipment to rebroadcast HD.

The hockey game last night on wpta looked pretty good in HD. Its a good thing for sports fans that they don't timeshift sports. They should come in HD all the time. The sixth game should be in HD on sat.

Ryan

I believe the NBA finals games will be in HD too on wpta. The hockey did look good but it seemed like the cameras were not focusing very quickly when they would zoom in fast.

Anyone else noticing the problem on WPTA with the NBA finals games where the image becomes blurry like it's losing focus sporadically? From what I've read in the HDTV Programming forum it's a problem with the local affiliates Harris flexicoder's setting being at zero instead of 2 for one of the parameters. Just curious if this the problem that is occuring with WPTA?

I emailed WPTA about the problem as I noticed it on the NHL finals. The email was sent 2 or 3 days ago and I haven't heard back. I referenced a couple of threads here detailing the problem, especially the ones by the engineer at an abc station out west. I'll let you know if I get a response. It might be good if you emailed them as well, so they know that it isn't "just me".

Ryan

I read a complaint about blurry video in NHL finals on ABC in another thread about Buffalo, NY (station is/was co-owned with WPTA)

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3912650#post3912650

Hi everyone, I'm new to HD here in FTW. Just thought I'd chime in and say I've noticed the blurry video on the NBA finals a few times as well. Glad to hear it's not just me.

Welcome to HD cardfan!

Hopefully WPTA will be able to resolve the problem, the blurrieness can be quite annoying.

The bluriness is still there. Grrr. I'll email them again about the problem and the fix that they need. I have a feeling that they will brush me off thinking that how in the world could I possible have a fix to a problem. Anyways, its worth a try.

Ryan

Been watching the game tonight and I haven't noticed the problem to the severity that it has been for the previous games yet. Still seems to be there, but not nearly as bad.

Hello All,

Just got a STB & an antenna to receive OTA HD broadcasts in anticipation for football season(Bears Fan). I e-mailed WFFT this morning regarding HD for the football season and this was their response:

"We are not currently broadcasting any HD programming, and have no immediate plans to do so."

Short, not so sweet, and to the point.

CSAW,

Most likely the only way you'll be able to see Bear's football in HD is if they play on MNF. I can't imagine that WFFT will begin broadcasting HD anytime soon. They currently are broadcasting a digital signal but it's at about the same wattage as a lightbulb, and based on other e-mails that have been sent to them they have no intentions of increasing their signal strength.

I'm personally a Lions fan and watch all of the games from the Sunday Ticket. Directv plans on showing all of the available games in HD from both FOX and CBS. Hopefully I'll get to watch a few of the Lions games in HD this way.

Jason

Originally posted by CSAW
Hello All,

Just got a STB & an antenna to receive OTA HD broadcasts in anticipation for football season(Bears Fan). I e-mailed WFFT this morning regarding HD for the football season and this was their response:

"We are not currently broadcasting any HD programming, and have no immediate plans to do so."

Short, not so sweet, and to the point.

Wow! Just another fine example of how progressive (NOT!) the folks at Nexstar are. Does WFFT-55 actually broadcast programs in color, that new technology that emerged big-time in the mid 60's? Does Nexstar realize that television audio can be broadcast in stereo, which became quite popular by the late 80's? This feature still has not made it to Nexstar's WTWO-2 (NBC), Terre Haute. As long as you can hear something, I guess the added enhancement of stereo doesn't really matter to Nexstar.

It sounds like it will be a long time before these stations in these markets see much improvement towards HDTV.....

http://www.fccinfo.com/CMDProFacLookup.php?tabSearchType=Lice&sLicensee=NEXSTAR%20BROADCASTING,%20INC.

Steve

Jason,

I'm really disappointed in their attitude toward HD. I wondered why I could not pick up 55.1 - now I know. I currently have E* so sunday ticket is out, can't change because of the WAF. Hopefully the Lions & Bears won't be basement dwellers again this year. I'll just have to enjoy watching the Colts in HD on CBS.

I agree. How disappointing. I basically watched zero local network TV before I got my STB...just watched E*. Now I find myself watching lots of local OTA stuff just because it's in HD. You'd think lack of HD would start to be noticeable in WFFT's ratings. Heck, I might even tune in if I could get a SD digital signal.

Currently- there is no nielson rating system for digital channels. Although one might expect one would be on the horizon soon.

If WFFT-DT were broadcasting at a higher power we could have been taking advantage of the many programs Fox has been offering in 480p widescreen for quite some time now.

Does WFFT have a delay server, or are they passing along an analog signal for the summer? I'm too far away to test and my e-mail go unanswered.

I'd think its safe to assume that since they are only broadcasting at a wattage more suitable for a light bulb that a delay server would be a complete waste of money.

Stranger things have happened....

I noticed that WPTA is in HD tonight. COOL!!! Seems like they have an HD server in place now. Good job WPTA. WISE, your the only one left...... I don't think you want to be the odd man out, do you?

A.I. is in HD tonight as well. Hopefully this is a permanent thing and not just something they have for a demo. If this is permanent, THANK YOU!!!!

Don't forget about WFFT. Hopefully by fall when FOX rolls out HD nationally they'll boost they're signal and upgrade their equipment to HD.

I agree its great to have ABC in HD! Although I mostly watch NBC so come on WISE - DT!!

WPTA in HD, huh? Us Comcast subscribers wouldn't know anything about that!

C'mon, WPTA! Comcast!! Quit dragging your feet and get your HD signal on cable!!!

Its nice that WPTA is in HD, but there have been a few times where it has clicked back to SD for a while. It looked like the top half of the picture was a grey checkerboard. Shortly after that it clicked to SD. This happened during George Lopez. It also flipped from HD to SD during Pratical Magic as well. At least WPTA is trying for HD.

Hello All,
I have been on AVS for a number of months now and I just thought today to do a search for Fort Wayne and I found this thread. I live in Columbia City. I have just recently built an HTPC and I am using a DVICO fusionhdtv 3 pci card to receive my HD broadcasts. I have the card connected to an OLD rooftop antenna. I receive the PBS and ABC channels perfectly but have not been able to connect to the NBC, CBS, or FOX stations. I get about a 60% signal from both the NBC and CBS stations but only about a 20% signal from FOX. Do you think a new Channel Master antenna on my rooftop would make any difference in my reception? I did read through the thread and I see that the FOX station has a very low quality setup so that is probably why I am only getting 20%. That really stinks since my whole reason for getting the HD card was to watch the Bears games this fall in HD. Well tell me what you think about an antenna upgrade and reception.

Thanks
Jason

Getting FOX may be next to impossible. I haven't heard of anyone receiving it outside of Ft. Wayne. You should however be able to receive WISE fairly easily and WANE can be received if your antenna is aimed correctly. To align your antenna go to antennaweb.org and do a search for your location. It will tell you the direction of the antennas from your house and the distance to them. You can then use a compass to point your antenna directly at the towers. You will also find that pointing your antenna correctly will give you fewer drop outs and basically just lock on to the signal better.

Thats what I would try first before buying a new antenna.

jpesick,

Howdy, I live up by tri lakes and I installed my HDTV two years ago and that was when Fort Wayne wasn't even close to upgrading to HDTV. I upgraded because South Bend was broadcasting in HDTV. At that time all of them were on ther air.

I spent many hours trying to get an antenna to get a good and stable signal. If I remember right, I'm 60 miles from South Bend and 30 miles to Fort Wayne, so I figured I shouldn't need too much to upgrade when Fort Wayne went online. Boy was I wrong, but later on that.

I used antennaweb.org and that was a good start, but they suggested at the first to use a directional antenna, the one that looks like a spear. I tried that but the signal bounced around too much and I would get pixalation too much. I baught Wal-Mart pre-amp and this helped but not enough. Still had signals down in the 50's. Some days it would shot up to the mid 80's so I figured it was the antenna. I swapped out the directional with a singal bowtie and this really helped, but still the signal was in the 60's.

I finally broke down and bought a channel master double bow tie(it looks like two flat bowtie antenna's side by side) and poof, signals from 85-90 consistant. No pixalization with the Wal-Mart pre amp. Now I was waiting on Fort Wayn to Come on board.

The first was WFWA (go PBS, I knew they would come through). The problem was I only had one antenna and no rotor. I wasn't going to miss the HD from South Bend because once you see HDTV, you never will watch analog again. I really didn't want to get a rotor becase I can only get two markets. So I bought another double bowtie and figured since I was twice as close to FortWayne then I wouldn't have any problem getting a signal. Boy was I wrong, I tried the same setup for South Bend and the signals was down in the 60's. I purchased a channle master pre-amp and hooked it up and now the signals are in the mid 80's (accept of course for WFFT and they are in the 20's. They are a dumb mule, some one needs to wop them upside the head with a two-by-four to get there attention). No problem about FOX, I get the South Bend signal at 82, so why would I even watch WFFT. There signal was terrible even when I lived in Fort Wayne.

So therefor my set up is:

Two channel master double bow ties($50), one pointed to South Bend, one pointed to Fort Wayne. Two pre-amps ($50) for each antenna. Two sets of RG6 coax feeding my TV that has two antenna inputs.

Please note that you cannot take both signals and combine them, it won't work. If you must use one set, then use a rotor. I like the conveniance of pressing antenna select button on the remote.

I get: 12, 15, 21, 33, 39, 16, 22, 28, 34, 46, 57 all in HD with out any problem.

I learned a long time ago, never do things the cheap way, cause you will pay for it in the long run.

diehard_1955

I have a weird problem with my HD reception. I only live 20 miles from the towers in Auburn and use a Silver Sensor. ABC and PBS come in at close to 100 percent (9 bars on my Sammy T151). WANE come in at about 70 percent (6 bars on the 151). WISE is the weakest at 40 percent with 3-4 bars. Fox only makes the signal light blink on my receiver. The really weird problem is that during the middle of the night WISE and sometimes WANE goes to crap and I don't receive anything. I don't change anything on my antenna or the wire, but the signal just drops. Sometimes I'll be watching Jay Leno perfectly and then black screen. It stays like this all night, at least until 3 or 4. Then when I get up in the morning, its back, with a perfect, consistant picture. I don't get it.

diehard,
Since you are able to get the South Bend stations, do they delay their programming by an hour in the summer, or does it come through an hour earlier?

jpesick,
I've emailed FOX several times regarding their HD status, but no reply. I also tried the email of the general manager as listed on Nexstar's website, but still no response. As diehard said, they need a good whack upside the head to get them straight on their HD feed. Right now, I doubt that we will have FOX HD this fall, let alone a strong FOX digital signal at all.

Ryan

oryan_dunn

Yes South Bend does have an hour difference in their broadcast. Thats what makes it nice is I can see a program if I miss it. One thing nice about the South Bend market is that the stations up there take HDTV seriously. Most of the time I get 5.1 dolby broadcast from South Bend, but Fort Wayne seams to broadcast mainly in SB

About WFFT FOX, I remember the Fort Wayne newspaper having an article and the Manager of WFFT said they have no intention of boosting their signal. He said they plan on broadcasting at the minimum that the FCC requires. Sure sounds like a great way of shooting themselves in the foot.

My outlook on HDTV is that it compares to CD's. I remember when they were first introduced, most everyone said they wouldn't catch on, that records will always be around. Sameway with DVD's. I remember a couple of years ago when I got my DVD player, I went to the local video rental and asked the clerk and they told me they would never carry DVD's because they won't catch on. Now they are saying VHS recorders will become obsolete in less than a year. I predict the same will happen with HDTV. Just walk into a Best Buy and the HDTV section has grown 10 times.

diehard_1955

Thanks everyone for your replies.

I think I am going to try and move my antenna around this weekend and point it towards South Bend. Right now with the antenna pointing towards Fort Wayne I am able to pickup two South Bend SD channels so I am hoping when I twist the antenna around I will get all the South Bend channels.

Diehard
I think the only difference between comparing HDTV to DVD is that the government is forcing all the TV stations to be fully digital and no more SD by 2006 I think. We may have to wait another year and a half but at some point WFFT is going to have to turn up there HD signal or they are going to lose all their advertisers. Who knows maybe if enough of us bug the manager at WFFT he might get the picture. I just wish I knew someone at one of their big sponsor because believe me if one of the big advertisers started griping the manager would turn around real fast.

I just wish I knew someone at one of their big sponsor because believe me if one of the big advertisers started griping the manager would turn around real fast.


Very true, which reminds me of a saying my dad always said "money talks and bull $hit walks". But yeah, I'd say email the manager asking about HD. I may even call sometime and talk to him, but I doubt just me will be able to make a difference. If we all emailed and called, then as you said, he might get the picture. Here is a link to nexstars website link (http://nexstar.tv/default_v1024.asp). Both management emails are there, but I don't know if they work, as I've emailed several times with no reply.

Ryan

jpesick, yea I know about the FCC ruling but my thinking is that once people start seeing the differrence in HDTV the popularity would be compared to the introduction of the CD and DVD. IMHO

The topic of WFFT is turning into being comical. I remember when FOX started DTV, they was pretty stubborn and said they were only going to broadcst in 480 instead of the 1080 HD format. They finally broke down and I think they raised there broadcast to 720. Now I see that FOX has added alot of NFL football games to the fall lineup to be broadcast in HD. Now what makes it comical is there affiliats like WFFT are so backward that they can't even get onboard with their main office.

On mass e-mailling WFFT, sounds like they are too stubborn to even let that effect them. But, if it effects the bottom line it might. Unfortunately I work with a bunch of people that are just like WFFT. If they had their way, they would still be buying eight track tapes and watching their black and white TV sets. LOL

diehard_1955

I received a similar response upon emailng WFFT
"We currently are not broadcasting in HD, and have no immediate plans to do so. Unfortunately at this time we simply cannot justify the expenses involved in upgrading to a HD signal. Thanks for the e-mail, sorry I didn't have better news"

All this talk about the Bears(of whom I'm a big fan)...but what about the world series? I can't believe we won't get that in HD...

Straight from the horse’s mouth, or other body part depending on your point of view.

Jason:
thank you for your E-Mail
At this time NEXSTAR BROADCASTING/WFFT TV
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260 433-1288


O well I guess my new goal is to pull in South Bend stations.

I tried something last night just for the hell of it and I was astounded. I pointed my little silver sensor towards South Bend and punched in the digital channels from south bend. I didn't get anything from 58, 35, or 30, but I did get 42. I couldn't believe it. It was perfect with no breakups. I then checked the signal strength, and it was only 1 bar on my T151, but it was steady and thats all that counts. So I watched some conan and carson. Its weird that at night I can get the NBC station half way across the state, but I can't get WISE just 20 miles away.

On another note, have any of you guys noticed WFWA going off air at night? I know most of you arn't up duing the wee hours of the morning, but when they first started, they went off air at night, then they changed and broadcast 24 hours a day, and now it seems that they are back to going dark at night.

Ryan

Originally posted by oryan_dunn
....... Its weird that at night I can get the NBC station half way across the state, but I can't get WISE just 20 miles away.

Ryan

Ryan, it's really not all that weird, especially this time of year. When tropospheric (atmospheric) conditions "enhance" the signal, usually during the overnight hours, TV and FM radio signals can sometimes travel hundreds of miles. Under normal conditions this usually does not happen but under enhanced conditions, it can be very prevalent.

As for your nighttime problem with WISE-DT 19, I have a hunch that there are two factors involved. First, WISE-DT is not very powerful at the present time. The second factor could very likely be that WISE-DT's signal is getting bombed by WTVG-DT 19, Toledo (approx. 90 miles). This station is kicking out 795kW @ 725 feet. I am 186 miles away from this station's tower and under the right tropo conditions I see it quite often.

As for locating another FOX station, does anyone in the Fort Wayne area ever receive WUPW-DT 46 (FOX), Toledo? At 90 miles this is too far for everyday reception but with a very good antenna installation it might be possible to receive it part of the time. WUPW-DT is a sister station to WANE (LIN Broadcasting). It is currently cranking out 110kW @ 1168 feet. The elevation in Toledo is a little lower than Fort Wayne but this very tall tower should help erase some of that difference.

Just my 2 cents........

Steve

Wow, thanks Goldrich for the information. That is very cool to know. I wish I had a big antenna outside that I could point in different directions to see what I could get. That would be lots-o-fun at night. It doesn't bother me much, if the same conditions allow me to get 16 at night. I'd rather watch 16 anyways, because if Jay Leno is on, it would be in HD.

diehard,
I agree with you that once it catches on, peoples credit cards will do the talking and they will want "the new fangled TeeVee sets" (lol). But another thing that would definitly light a fire under WFFT's collective ass would be to have the Neilson ratings for digital. When they don't even show up on the chart, their managment might decide to bump up the power.

Ryan

goldrich,
I know that I can go to antennaweb to find out information on stations local to me, but is there some other resource similar that would show, say the south bend stations in relationship to my address? I'd like to know which way to point my antenna for the distant stations and possibly the mileage as well. If im not careful, i'll get hooked on trying to pull in as many stations as possible.

Thanks,
Ryan

Originally posted by oryan_dunn
goldrich,
I know that I can go to antennaweb to find out information on stations local to me, but is there some other resource similar that would show, say the south bend stations in relationship to my address? I'd like to know which way to point my antenna for the distant stations and possibly the mileage as well. If im not careful, i'll get hooked on trying to pull in as many stations as possible.

Thanks,
Ryan

Ryan,

Doug Swallow, who has numerous posts on AVS Forum, has a great program that will provide everything you are asking for. Just plug in your latitude and longitude. Here's the link... http://www.2150.com/broadcast

Also, you can see a similar list by going to this FCC website, and then scrolling down to the section, "Stations Within A Radius." Here's that link......
http://www.fcc.gov/mb/video/tvq.html

Steve

Originally posted by goldrich
Ryan, it's really not all that weird, especially this time of year. When tropospheric (atmospheric) conditions "enhance" the signal, usually during the overnight hours, TV and FM radio signals can sometimes travel hundreds of miles. Under normal conditions this usually does not happen but under enhanced conditions, it can be very prevalent.

Steve

goldrich,

I would agree with you on this but I have lived here now for 10 years and it is the same broadcast all year long. I live 60 miles from South Bend and 25 miles to Fortwaye and I have all ways recieved a better signal and reception from the South Bend stations. Now with the digital signal it is more important since I don't get the pixalization from the Soth Bend stations.

oryan_dunn, what kind of an antenna are you using? I had to upgrade to a channel master double bow tie in order to get any good signal from Fort Wayne. I could use a single bow tie for South Bend stations. Also, are you using any pre-amp? The is a must for either South Bend or Fort Wayne. I'm supprised, you should at least get 16 and 22 from South Bend. My signal strength for both these stations is 80-90.

diehard_1955

Originally posted by diehard_1955
goldrich,

I would agree with you on this but I have lived here now for 10 years and it is the same broadcast all year long. I live 60 miles from South Bend and 25 miles to Fortwaye and I have all ways recieved a better signal and reception from the South Bend stations. Now with the digital signal it is more important since I don't get the pixalization from the Soth Bend stations.

diehard_1955

I'm quite familiar with your reception comments. I grew up in Kokomo and even though Fort Wayne is closer, the South Bend stations almost always provided a better signal. Why? Well, let's take a look at the differences between the two NBC stations, WISE and WNDU........

WISE-33
589kW @ 770 feet

WNDU-16
5000kW @ 1069 feet
(Yes, that's 5,000,000 watts!!!!)

WISE-DT 19
9.9kW @ 770 feet

WNDU-DT 42
310kW @ 584 feet

Keeping in mind that your signal strength is primarily based upon a combination of the station's output power and the height of the station's antenna (line of sight reception), which of these stations do you think would be easier to receive? Of course, the equipment used at the receiving end is important, too. Some factors would include your antenna, the height of your antenna (does it clear the neighbor's house; any big trees in the way; this time of year, tree leaves can even reduce the signal strength of UHF frequencies) and the sensitivity of the tuner in your receiver.

Steve

oryan_dunn, what kind of an antenna are you using? I had to upgrade to a channel master double bow tie in order to get any good signal from Fort Wayne. I could use a single bow tie for South Bend stations. Also, are you using any pre-amp? The is a must for either South Bend or Fort Wayne. I'm supprised, you should at least get 16 and 22 from South Bend. My signal strength for both these stations is 80-90.


I'm just using the indoor Silver Sensor. I don't have any kind preamp or amp on the line. For 80% of the time, WISE comes in fine. Its the early morning ours I have problems. If WISE is haveing problems, then there is a good chance if I turn my antenna, that I'll get WNDU.

Ryan

Does anyone know if WISE will pass along the HD feed for the Olympics, or will we get shafted on that as well?

Hopefully the Olympics will be broadcast live so we won't have to worry about WISE getting a delay server. But it wouldn't surprise me if we got shafted.

Not that WISE will follow suit, but when the decision was made to timeshift by the management types, that it was agreed that sports programming would be aired live.

I know we do that here at WANE and over at 21 that is the case, but seeing that the Olympics are on tape (I think) I wouldn't be surprised to see it time-shifted as well.

Forgot about the time difference, so most will probably be on tape. Could be some live stuff with daytime and weekend programming, but I would guess that the primetime stuff will all be on tape. I guess at best we can hope to see some HD coverage over the weekends.

Oh well. At least we'll have HD football soon. At least on WANE that is, doesn't appear that WFFT will turn up the power until their analog signal is shut off and they may never get HD equipment.

I don't get why if it is on tape already, and won't be lining up with whats on the SD channel anyways (which is why when I called WISE back the day after the time change as to why they couldn't show the HD feed) why can't they just pass the network feed straight through? For a channel that was supposed to be the leader in HD in Fort Wayne when all this started, they seem to be living in the past.

Ryan

Originally posted by oryan_dunn
I don't get why if it is on tape already, and won't be lining up with whats on the SD channel anyways (which is why when I called WISE back the day after the time change as to why they couldn't show the HD feed) why can't they just pass the network feed straight through? For a channel that was supposed to be the leader in HD in Fort Wayne when all this started, they seem to be living in the past.

Ryan

I believe the answer on why WISE (or any other station, for that matter) cannot just pass the network HD feed live is that the newtworks won't allow it.

I understand in normal circumstances that they would want the digital and analog stations to match up, hence why they cannot pass the HD through an hour earlier; but since the programing during the olympics on the HD will not match the analog station anyways, why would it matter if they passed it an hour earlier in HD or delayed it an hour and played in sd? They wont match the analog station either way.

Why won't the SD and HD line up during the Olympics?

I'd assume that WISE is running the analog signal into an upconverter, hence there the programming should all air at the same time.

I don't know how 33 is set up, but that is how it works here.

Of course WISE could render this discussion pointless if they'd announce how they are going to handle it. I can't see them timeshifting the Olympics, or any sports programming, even though the Olympics (at least part of the time) will be on tape.

Why won't the SD and HD line up during the Olympics?

NBC announced that for their HD channel, they would have 8 unique hours of programming a day looped twice for a full 24 hours. They also said that they would be airing different material on the analog channel. I think that they will have some olympics on, but they will also have their reqular programs like news etc. So it wouldn't matter if wise timeshifted or not, it wont be the same thing that is on the analog channel. I sure hope this discussion is moot and wise passes along the HD feed untouched.

Thanks for the info. I didn't realize that NBC had made that announcement.

I agree with you. It would be wise (no pun intended!) for 33 to pass it straight through.

this is a quote from NBC'S web site:

For the first time by a U.S. broadcaster at a Summer Olympics, NBC will provide high definition coverage. NBC's separate, unique HDTV coverage on NBC's digital affiliates, presented by Sony Electronics Inc., will provide HDTV coverage on delay of six sports from the only main Olympic venues provided in high definition by the Olympic host broadcaster. Those sports include swimming, diving, gymnastics, track and field, medal rounds of basketball and the men's soccer gold medal final. The HDTV coverage will total 399 hours and is a completely different production from the standard definition broadcast on the network. NBC has 124 HDTV affiliates with the potential to cover 86 percent of the country.

It would be interesting to see if WISE will offer both coverages?

diehard

also, the following link has the daily schedule:

http://www.nbcolympics.com/tvlistings/5016759/detail.html

Looks like the HDTV is all day coverage

diehard

It would be nice if WISE picks up the digital coverage. Could be some great stuff to see in HD.

I was watching the PGA tournament on CBS this weekend. The on-screen guide said that it should be in HD, but none of the coverage was HD. Does anyone know if this was a network problem or a problem at the local end? I sure hope The PGA Championship coming up will be in HD. Whistling Straits is a beautiful course!

I don't believe it was a local problem. I watched a small portion of it on CBS HD from DirecTV and it was not in HD either.

Hey gang, I got this e-mail today. Sounds like PBS is really taking this HDTV thing serious.

PS, I know this is a Fort Wayne thread, but since I get reception from both I thought it would be nice for everyone to see what other cities are getting not too far away.

Dear Digital Viewers:

WNIT is proud to announce that effective today, August 6, we will begin running our digital operations 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For the moment, 35-2, our simulcast channel, will be going to test signals at our traditional analog sign-off at midnight, returning at 6 AM when our analog
signal returns to the air. 35-1, the high definition channel, will be continuing to feed the PBS high definition program service all around the clock.
We are happy to be able to offer this service extension to our digital viewers. We hope you continue to enjoy the wide variety of programming, both standard-def and high-def, on WNIT-DT!

Sincerely yours,

Brian L. Hoover
Chief Engineer/Director of Broadcast Operations
WNIT/WNIT-DT

By the way, the feed is allmost the same as Fort Waynes PBS feed, just offset an hour.

diehard_1955

The Fort Wayne feed different than the south bend by an hour? Thats odd as I thought the PBS station didn't time shift the HD. Last winter the smart travels I like to watch was on at 7:30 and is now on at 6:30. Is the southbend timeshifted or is the fort wayne feed shifted?

On another note, only a week until the Olymics.

Ryan

Just in case anyone around here might have a DirecTv waiver for NBC DirecTv will be carrying the HD feed for the Olympics on channel 84 starting on the 13th.

Ryan,

Your correct. The PBS programs are not shifted, but the regular broadcast is.

I have Driect TV but I don't subscribe for the locals. Never did see any need when I can get the OTA channels for free.

diehard_1955

It doesn't appear that WPTA is aware that the MNF game tonight is in HD. I was hoping the days of forgetting to pass along the HD feed would be a thing of the past. Let's hope they can get it right in 2 weeks for the next MNF game.

Originally posted by vereekej
It doesn't appear that WPTA is aware that the MNF game tonight is in HD. I was hoping the days of forgetting to pass along the HD feed would be a thing of the past. Let's hope they can get it right in 2 weeks for the next MNF game.


I know what you mean, I was all set in my theater room, beverages at the ready, Z2 fired up & ready to display its first football in HD. What a letdown... I can't stand these backward *ss country f**k local stations. When are they going to get their head out of their butt. (this is of course excepting of WANE)

Last night I contacted an engineer at WPTA and they were definitly aware of the problem. He said that the problem was that the switching equipment wasn't working properly and that since they had been working off of the delay server, they hadn't noticed the problem. He said that they were working on it, but I don't think they got it by the time the game was over.

Ryan

So why hasn't Comcast picked up WPTA in HD yet? I am really disappointed in Comcast. I've had Comcast HD since November, and they have added only ONE channel (WANE) during the entire nine months since then. PATHETIC!!!

Thats more channels than Directv has added since then.

Really? How many HD channels does DirectTV offer?

Discovery HD theater, ESPN HD, HDnet and HDnet movies in the HD pack for 10.99 a month extra. Plus they have the movie channels in HD if you sub to that pack. i.e. HBO, Showtime, etc. But it costs you 12 bucks a month to add a movie channel package.

I get all of my locals OTA so no need for them to be on Directv.

It would be nice if they would add TNT HD soon.

what time are the opening ceremonies supposed to air? I'm expecting them to be in 4:3 SD and if they are in HD, then I'll be happy, instead of being let down. WISE can bet that if it is in SD, i'll maybe tune in once in a while, but if it is in HD, then they can bet that I'll tune into something else once in a while and spend most of my time watching the HD olympics.

Ryan

I had to come out of the shadows to rant a little bit. Here goes:

If you want to watch HD Olympics on NBC and can pick up both WISE and WNDU's digital channels, don't watch WISE. I sent an e-mail to WISE engineering a couple of weeks ago asking if they would send the HD feed of the Olympics. No reply to this day. Today I called up 33 and got patched through to engineering. Voice mail. By the time their business hours were up (5:00 PM), my call wasn't returned. Has anybody else tried contacting them on this?

__________

A couple of months ago, I e-mailed WFFT on their flea-power DTV channel. Here was the response:

"...Our digital transmitter is not powerful enough to give you a good signal in Waterloo. We have no immediate plans to upgrade the signal. I'm sure this isn't the response you wanted, but unfortunately that's just the way things are."
No, your digital transmitter isn't powerful enough to give me A signal at all. This wasn't even engineering that replied to me, it was the guy who runs the countless promotions to try and lure people to the lowest rated commercial station in Fort Wayne. 55, stop giving away trips and Xboxes and use the money saved to upgrade your digital signal!

Don't count on WFFT boosting their power until they're forced to turn off their analog channel. Kinda stinks though with FOX announcing all of the HD programming they'll have this fall and knowing that there is no chance of us receiving it.

Olympics opening ceremonies are listed as starting at 7:00 on my guide. Not listed as being in HD either. Won't be home over the weekend to watch, but not really missing much in my books.

Would like to see some of the track and field events in HD though.

Well folks, the Olympics opening has come and gone. I tuned to Fort wayne and sure enough it was in SD. I tuned to SB and low and behold, it was true HD. They were broadcasting the SD programming on there analog station.

Was kinda interesting, they started at 7pm with previews of the 2002 winter Olympics and this went on for an hour. Finally at 8pm it changed over to the opening ceremonies in HD. Almost the same as what was shown at 7pm on SD. Then they kept repeating, but at it's a start. I have to say, it was awsome.

And about WFFT, oh well better not say anything if I can't say anything nice.

diehard_1955

hey dihard, let us know if the sb station's hd matches the analog for the regular sports. I'm watching swimming right now and it is just in SD, but it matches the programming on the analog station. I thought that the HD feed should be different programming?

Thanks,
Ryan

The HD feed (at least from DirecTV) is a totally separate channel. So far today the only thing that has been on is the Opening Ceremonies from last night in a loop.

Looks DARN good though.....too bad WISE isn't passing this through on a sub channel...

http://www.nbcolympics.com/hd/5036452/detail.html

Don't expect wise to have HD this year for olympics. In fact, I don't really expect them to have HD even in the winter olympics, when in theory they should be able to pass along the HD without the time server, because they'll probably have some contractual agreement that prevents them from passing along the HD. Just my prediction.

What a bummer. The HD feed is stuck in an endless loop of the opening ceramonies. The worse part is they keep running the same SONY commercial.

over and over and over and over and over............................

Finally this morning Sunday they are showing the sports. Just started watching and I hope it isn't a continiuos loop either.

Yes it is different as the standard broadcast. Looks great for now.

My assumption is that this is true HD and from my understanding that takes up all the bandwidth for the channel. That must be why South Bend isn't broadcasting there regular program on the second HD channel.

Funny I followed the link above and NBC shows that WISE should be broadcasting the HD feed. I would assume they do not have the cababilty yet to do that.

diehard_1955

They're not on that list. That's why I posted to show that they probably wont be HD at all this year.

I'm assuming they will show HD when Daylight Savings Time puts us back on Eastern Time. They had HD all last winter, until the time change this spring.

Is it possible to get the HD Olympic channel that E* has added for extra coverage. It has done nothing but show a "blacked out in your area" message. That would at least offer a small consolation. If direct TV if offering that, then I would hope that Dish would follow suit.

I'm pretty much non-HD for the Olympics. Can't get any HD from WISE and can't watch channel 84 on D* for some reason.

I know that about 2 weeks ago I read on NBC's web-site that WISE would be showing the special coverage on their digital channel. Obviously though NBC has no idea of the capabilities of it's affiliates.

To be able to receive the HD feed from D* you must live in an Owned & Operated area (which Ft. Wayne is not) or have a waiver...

Are you sure about the O&O criteria? I'm in Fort Wayne and receive the HD olympic feed on channel 84. I thought you just had to have an HD receiver and probably subscribe to the HD package. Once the olympics are over the channel will turn over to the NBC HD O&O feed.

From D* web-site

" DIRECTV customers with a DIRECTV® HD System and an HDTV who live in the following NBC owned and operated markets will be able to view NBC’s HD coverage of the Olympics: Los Angeles, CA; New York, NY; Chicago, IL; San Francisco, CA; Philadelphia, PA; Dallas, TX; Miami, FL; Washington, DC; San Diego, CA; Hartford, CT; Raleigh, NC; Columbus, OH; Providence, RI; and Birmingham, AL. Other markets are also available - call 1-800-DIRECTV to find out if you qualify to see the Olympics in HD in your area."

I suppose that Ft. Wayne could be in the "other market" but I was not aware of that.

Nice to know that people in Ft Wayne can get it, since WISE isn't passing it..

I think we all need to start acknowledging the decision at WISE to not carry the Olympics or any other programming in HD anymore by referring to them as "unWISE" in all future correspondence!

I'll agree to that one!

Maybe we should write letters to the editor of the local newspapers. Telling what a good job the network NBC has done with the olympics, but that are unWISE will not pass it on.

I tried to call unWISE and ask them why they were not carring the olympics in HD. I could not get them tro give me a reason. I emailed them also but never heard back.

"unWISE" is going to force me to get a bigger antenna and pre-amp so I can get the South Bend stations. Not to mention WFFT helping the campaign as well.

Those of you getting the HD feed of the Olympics on D* must have just gotten lucky. I can't get it, I'm getting the message program not available in your area. Which means it's blacked out for my zip code.

Originally posted by vereekej
"unWISE" is going to force me to get a bigger antenna and pre-amp so I can get the South Bend stations.Just a heads-up, WNDU-DT dropped their 4:3 SD sub-channel for the HD Olympics feed. The PQ and DD 3/2.1 sound during the Opening Ceremonies was greatly enhanced by this full bandwidth and was some of the best HD I've seen OTA.

Unfortunately, WNDU-DT may have to restore the 4:3 SD channel since a number of DTV owners in our area are using DTV to get ghost-free, static-free NBC broadcasting OTA, not for HD. If the HD feed were live and not repeated like it is, these viewers probably wouldn't have a complaint.

Originally posted by bhorrell
Maybe we should write letters to the editor of the local newspapers. Telling what a good job the network NBC has done with the olympics, but that are unWISE will not pass it on.

I tried to call unWISE and ask them why they were not carring the olympics in HD. I could not get them tro give me a reason. I emailed them also but never heard back.
I knew unWISE was avoiding the issue. I noticed they have H.H. Gregg as an Olympic sponsor. unWISE missed a HUGE advertising opportunity - they could have aired the HD feed and had H.H. Gregg sponsor it; Gregg could have used the feed to pimp their HDTVs and maybe sales (and DTV viewership) would have gone up. I wonder if the upcoming unWISE33/21Dead* merger will do anything to the DTV situation.

* To be fair to 21, they've done pretty good with HD.

21Dead? and a merger? Whats that about?

Originally posted by oryan_dunn
21Dead? and a merger? Whats that about?

Granite has applied to the FCC to purchase WISE, and sell 21 to another entity, (the name escapes me at this point, Malara?), but Granite would still offer management services to 21.

In effect, this creates a duopoly. Even though 21 will not be owned by Granite, they would for all intents and purposes be controlled by them.

* To be fair to 21, they've done pretty good with HD.

Except that their HD channel is STILL not carried on cable!

** To be fair, this may be as much Comcast's fault!

Originally posted by oryan_dunn
21Dead? and a merger? Whats that about?
21Dead is just a cheap play-on-words referring to their dull newscasts (although the actual news gathering is better than the others). As for the merger, what jckrac said. Yes, 21's soon-to-be owner is called Malara.

So if granite owned Wise, would we see them get wise's hd act together? And bump up the power a bit? Wise is kinda weak here in auburn.

I wouldn't expect Granite to do much (at first) with WISE's HD situation. Keep in mind (on paper) they will be trading the dominant number 1 news franchise for the perennial last place news organization. I'd say they'd probably concentrate on that for a while.

All they'd have to do is put in a delay server. How much can something like that cost? I mean, I can get a consumer grade HD Tivo that timeshifts HD and can store up to 25 hours for a grand. I know professional grade stuff is lots more, but still, its not that much money for a company.

Ryan

Trust me when I say it is a lot more than a grand:D

It is easy for people to say it that lets say a $10000 HD delay server should be nothing for a company. But those in charge (not the engineers) will argue right now the return on investment just isn't there yet.

Keep in mind guys that it is just more than the server, there is quite a bit of work invovled in getting it to air, along with other pieces of equipment that need to be installed as well. With the home system, it is plug and play. Not so at the broadcast level.

As everyone can already see by WISE's lack of movement in this area, don't expect much, at least until the sale to Granite is finalized. By then of course, time change will be back in effect, and we can all watch the promo's about how they are the leaders in HD in Fort Wayne. :D

we can all watch the promo's about how they are the leaders in HD in Fort Wayne.

LOL :) I know that it would be a lot, but its a one time investment, and you'd think with them being the only one's without HD (not counting fox) that they would feel the pressure. I know the return might not be there, but they should realize that the more people that get HD, it will be a good investment. Maybe they could have HHGregg sponsor their HD and have thier commercial on the HD channel to promote HD. Seems like they could sell an extra tv spot or two to help cover the cost.

If they do bring back thier "Leader in HD" adds, that would be false advertising.

Ryan

If WISE doesn't want to get an HD delay server they can just give me a waiver and I'll take the HD feed from D*. WFFT could do the same for me as well. Since it's not a priority to the guys in charge it shouldn't be that big a loss for me to start watching N.Y. and L.A. feeds.

Unfortunately the reality is that most people can't receive the digital signal, but our numbers are growing by the day. We can all hope that everyone has an HD set at the top of their Christmas list and we can get a big boost in our numbers.

Originally posted by vereekej
Unfortunately the reality is that most people can't receive the digital signal, but our numbers are growing by the day. We can all hope that everyone has an HD set at the top of their Christmas list and we can get a big boost in our numbers.

Hence the quandry in the digital realm! Its is awfully hard to get more people to get an HD setup if they can't get the signal. That whole issue is compounded by the fact we live in a state that doesn't follow the NY time zone feeds in summer, meaning more of an investment.

Its easy to say raise the power. We are working on that for WANE in the very near future. But it takes a lot of time and a lot of money.

Stay tuned!

vereekej, check your PM...

Thanks Matt

Heres hoping early that WPTA will carry the NFL opening game on Thurs Sept. 9th in HD. Colts vs. Patriots, should be a good game.

Is anyone getting Comcast through their TV's built-in QAM tuner? I tried it the other night and I was able to get ESPN-HD with out the comcast box, but I could find any of the local channels or INHD 1&2. I've heard it's possible, but I don't know the channel numbers

Originally posted by DialItUp
Is anyone getting Comcast through their TV's built-in QAM tuner? I tried it the other night and I was able to get ESPN-HD with out the comcast box, but I could find any of the local channels or INHD 1&2. I've heard it's possible, but I don't know the channel numbers

Can you please explain.

Well, as I undestand it, the cable comes across the coax line in a coded "format" called QAM. The cable boxes are designed to recognize this code and they turn the picture into something your TV can recognize. Newer many o fthe newest HD TVs come with this tuner built-in allowing you to watch digital cable programs without the use of a box. An even newer technology has surfaced as well, with "cable card" TVs, where you get a card from your cable company and instert it into the slot on your TV and you can receive premium channels without requiring a box. I would liken the card to the cards that D* uses.

Anyway, I don't care as much about this anymore. I just received word from Comcast that they are testing out the HD DVR boxes now - they aren't advertising it yet - it's only by request. I am getting mine installed tomorrow. If anyone is interested, I can let you guys know how it works out...

Thumbs up WPTA for getting us tonights MNF game in HD.

PQ is not as good as last year though. Have seen some signs of pixelation. Picture is soft too but that is typical of the 720p broadcasts that ABC does. Probably because of the increased bit rate used for the ABC news simulcast?

Good news for us D* subs today as well as we now get the Bravo HD channel with the HD pack.

I am noticing the same signs of pixelation and softness on MNF.

The softness is nothing new, pretty typical of 720p broadcasts. Also seems a little dim too, kinda like the stadium isn't lit up all that well. This could also contribute to the soft look as well.

The pixelation is all about bit-rate. Unfortunately only WPTA knows how much bandwidth their giving the HD broadcast.

If you had the chance to watch the first few HD games that WANE did you would have seen extreme pixelation, they were really starving the HD channel for bit-rate. They solved the problem though after the first week.

Hopefully WPTA will be able to steal some bits from the simulcast channel and clean up the pixelation a little. Most people shouldn't be concerned with the PQ of the simulcast channel.

DialItUp - Who did you contact to get in on the DVRs? Did you just call the Comcast number and talk to someone locally to request it?

Yeah, I called the regular number about 3 weeks ago and talked to a (surprise) very helpful CSR who took my name and said she'd call when they were ready. She called last Friday and we scheduled the setup for today. They were here before their 1-5 window. Works great. I really wish it had a dual tuner, but at least we're making progress. The install tech was friendly but not real knowledgeable. He informed me that they had some special going on right now where you can get 2 DVRs for free until 2005 or something. I have yet to call and verify it.

vereekej,
I did see the first few games from WANE. I thought I was going to be able to show off awesome HD to my football buddies and I was pretty disappointed with all the pixelization. It was really bad.

i wouldn't think anyone is concerned with the bit rate of the simulcast channel on WPTA. I wish they would just come to an agreement with comcast...

DialItUp - You don't happen to remember the name of your Comcast CSR, do you? I tried calling today, and my CSR told me that they don't have enough boxes to let everyone have one, so she couldn't let me have one. She said they should be available to everyone in about a month. It sounded like she was just guessing. She didn't mention anything about any specials on DVRs.

I wonder which model pvr that they are going to give out. I also wonder about any firewire capabilities.

BTW, it seems Comcast has finally added Discovery HD Theater, channel 172, that was first hinted by Titantv.com. I am very dissapointed to miss the Olympics in HD because of WISE being cheap youknowhats. The opening and closing ceremonies alone would've been worth it.

The state of HD still isn't that good. That night that USC played Virginia Tech, every single HD channel that I get was showing something in HD, with the possible exception of WISE. That was a very rare experience. Not to mention that HD is bringing in a new era of non OAR fullscreen. Damn near all the blockbusters are in widescreen fullscreen, when I know most of those movies are in a wider ratio.

DialItUp,

I just talked to a CSR at Comcast, and she told me that DVRs (single-tuner) are only being offered to satellite customers as part of the buy-back program. Did you sell back your satellite dish and DVR to Comcast?

I talked to Janice originally. She was the one who called me back and set everything up. She also claimed they weren't available to the general public - I didn't get an idea of how many were actually available.

I never heard anything about the buyback. That would've been nice because I'm trying to cancel my DirecTV w/TiVo today and I keep getting a busy signal when they transfer me to a rep. Really p---ing me off.

Model is the 6208. Fire-wire isn't enabled, yet (the ports are on there though), and I am using the DVI port and it works well - after I finally got everything synced. I had to shut off both my TV and Cable box for 10 minutes and when it all came back up, everything was peachy.

When you got your HD DVR from Comcast Fort Wayne what are the fees? Right now I have the Digital Plus fee and the HD pak for $5. So what are the additional fees for having the DVR??
Thanks,

Scott R.

Scott,

In addition to what you already have, they will charge you 9.95/mo and I got installation lowered to 9.95 from 19.95.

By the way, did any of you see the new NFL channel on Comcast? I believe its channel 180 on my box. I don' t think it's HD though...Comcast is trying...

Un-FREAKIN-believable! I called Comcast two days in a row, talked to two different CSRs, got two different answers about the DVRs, but the same result, they wouldn't let me have one. So I figured I would try a third time and ask to talk to Janice, on DialItUp's advice. I got lucky, and Janice answered. Sure enough, she said I could get a DVR (single tuner), so they will be coming out next Tuesday to install it. I was so excited, I didn't even try to get them to lower the install price like DialItUp did! :D

I noticed last night that unWISE just started to broadcast in Dolby Digital 5.0. This is good news for stuff that has surround sound, but for stereo signals, my receiver just locks to surround. I'd rather get Dolby 2.0 and have my receiver apply Dolby ProLogic. Right now, if the signal is 5.0 and it is only a stereo program, sound only comes out of the front speakers. Oh well, maybe this is a sign that they are working on their HD? I could only hope.

Ryan

unWISE probably won't get a delay server until close to the end of October just a few weeks before they won't even need it.

Dolby Digital sound would be nice for HD movies but I don't think NBC shows a whole lot of movies.

Good news Seplant! You'll have to let us know how yours works out. I've been pretty satisfied so far. I get some occasionally choppiness, but if I pause for a couple seconds, everything goes away. Not sure if it's the line coming into my house or my box just not keeping up with live TV.
Recording works great though. Needs a larger hard drive. You'll find it will fill up pretty quickly.

This might be redundant but I had a chat with WFFT regarding upcoming (or lack thereof) HD Broadcasts. The company that owns Fox55 apparently own several stations throughout the country that are required to broadcast DTV by 2005. Fort Wayne isn't required until 2006.

BTW, WFFT is planning on broadcasting all Chicago Bears games throughout the year.

I chose to get the NFL Sunday Ticket for football games. D* will have all of the games each week (5 I believe) from FOX that will be in HD.

Game #1 is Bears vs. Lions. WFFT = fuzzy SD reception D* = HD

Fortunately or Unfortunately for me I'm a Lions fan. Will be nice to see them in HD for the first time this year.

Well, I got my DVR installed by Comcast last night. Pretty awesome! The box looks identical to my previous HD cable box, but has I believe a 20GB hard drive. It can store up to 7 hours of HD content. Seems to work just fine. Programming is almost idiot-proof. It would be nice to have dual tuners and a larger hard drive, but hey, being able to time-shift HD at all is fabulous to me.

DialItUp - I noticed some choppiness at first last night, but didn't notice any tonight. I did notice that it takes longer to tune channels. Just a slight pause, but noticeably longer than my other box. Not a big deal to me.

Fortunately or Unfortunately for me I'm a Lions fan.

No comment on that statement.

I'd like to order Sunday ticket, but the rumor is DTV is going to have Fort Wayne locals at the end of the month anyway. If that's the case, then I don't have to worry about Sunday Ticket. ;-)

seplant,
the choppiness has been better for me since the first day also. I still see it occaisionally though. I haven't noticed much of a difference in channel tuning...

D* with Fort Wayne locals? end of the month? That doesn't mean Fox HD though, does it?

I finally got the opportunity to see WFFT-DT a while ago; 55 on analog cable looks better. Roughly 50% several miles away from the tower on Hillegas Road. I hope they've got enough waivers...

Fort Wayne locals will be SD channels. But will be better picture than 55 analog channel.

For me the Sunday Ticket is a necessity.

Thumbs up WPTA for getting the game tonight in HD.

Looks great!!

Has anyone else noticed the audio clicks that are on CBS when it is time delayed HD? It seems most notable during shows such as Jag that has crisp music at the begining. It usually will be just a little crack every half minute to a few min apart.

The next thing, since unWISE switched to 5.0 sound, usually once every fifteen minutes or so, the audio completely cuts out for a split second or so. This is a different problem than the CBS clicks. The nbc audio completely cuts out and my receiever looses sync, i guess, and then it comes right back. The cbs sound like it is a click in the acutal audio and happens if I use digital or analog audio.

Finally, those tennis matches looked pretty good in HD, and they were on CBS with 5.1 sound and had none of the audio problems that I hear during primetime CBS.

Haven't noticed the clicking sound on CBS or the audio drops on unWISE. Haven't watched much of either of the channels lately.

Just switched to watch some HD tennis though. PQ looks great, you really can tell how close some of the shots are coming to the lines. Definitely an improvement over SD picture. I'm not getting any 5.1 sound though currently. They may have not the settings correct today for the 5.1 to pass through.

I didn't get 5.1 today either on the tennis.

I wrote a letter to the newspaper a while back. It finally got printed today, however they only printed the first half. Here is my whole letter.


CHEERS to the US Olympic team for their performance in Athens. CHEERS also to NBC for a great job covering the Olympic games. With so many different channels carrying the Olympics there was always something for everybody being broadcast.





JEERS to WISE NBC 33 for not showing any Olympic HD(high definition) coverage. And for also being the only major network in Fort Wayne not to show their prime time lineup in HD.

The newspaper must have figured that no one cares about HD. Probably wouldn't print the second half because it was the truth.

Anymore, it seems like truth is the kryponite of the press.

Just got a High Def TV last weekend and was looking forward to watching NBC's primetime shows (and Leno) in high def on Comcast channel 181 (which they label WISE in High Definition.) Tuned into Las Vegas, LAX, and Leno tonight (Monday), and to my dismay, the picture was not high def. even though NBC says they are in high def "where available".

All the other Comcast high def channels come in great.

In reading the posts here, I see that there are many critical comments about WISE and high def. What is the situation? Is WISE broadcasting primetime in high def? If so, why is the Comcast channel 181 signal not in high def? Can I get WISE high def with an antenna (I'm in Aboite township, only a few miles from their station.)

Originally posted by dalemccl
Just got a High Def TV last weekend and was looking forward to watching NBC's primetime shows (and Leno) in high def on Comcast channel 181 (which they label WISE in High Definition.) Tuned into Las Vegas, LAX, and Leno tonight (Monday), and to my dismay, the picture was not high def. even though NBC says they are in high def "where available".

All the other Comcast high def channels come in great.

In reading the posts here, I see that there are many critical comments about WISE and high def. What is the situation? Is WISE broadcasting primetime in high def? If so, why is the Comcast channel 181 signal not in high def? Can I get WISE high def with an antenna (I'm in Aboite township, only a few miles from their station.)

Welcome to HD.

The problem is that primetime is taped delayed 1 hour in the summer. The local ABC and CBS have a HD recorder to tape the shows and then rebroadcast them one hour later. The local CBS is not doing that. Is the event is live i.e. sports then it should be in HD on NBC. However our local NBC decided not to show any olympic coveratge in HD.

This is true for both cable and over the air, so an antenna will not help. Once the time changes at the end of October, you will be able to get NBC in HD.

Hope that explains the problem.

Ben

>>The problem is that primetime is taped delayed 1 hour in the summer. The local ABC and CBS have a HD recorder to tape the shows and then rebroadcast them one hour later. The local CBS is not doing that. Is the event is live i.e. sports then it should be in HD on NBC. However our local NBC decided not to show any olympic coveratge in HD.

This is true for both cable and over the air, so an antenna will not help. Once the time changes at the end of October, you will be able to get NBC in HD.

Hope that explains the problem.

Ben<<
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Thanks, Ben. That does explain it. Makes me wonder what kind of low budget operation WISE is running when they decide not to show primetime HD six months of the year instead of investing in a HD recorder like the other local stations have. Oh, well, in a couple weeks we'll get HD again -- for 6 months anyway.

Your not missing much on NBC anyways.

Most of my HD watching lately has been ESPN-HD.

And now that football is on, that will consume most of my television time.

Originally posted by dalemccl
>> Makes me wonder what kind of low budget operation WISE is running when they decide not to show primetime HD six months of the year instead of investing in a HD recorder like the other local stations have.

...thus our nickname for this station: unWISE!

Makes me wonder what kind of low budget operation WISE is running when they decide not to show primetime HD six months of the year instead of investing in a HD recorder like the other local stations have.
I think it's because they spent all their money on that huge news set they got on eBay a couple of years ago. They're still in last place for news BTW.

Anyone else having problems with CSI on now? On my TV it the audio appears to be switching back and forth with the SAP channel.

VERY annoying!

My problems are that it has little pops of static every once in a while. Maybe those pops are confusing your tv? It sounds like little clicks or static pops. It happens randomly as far as I can tell, but it seems to surface more often during parts with music in the background. I have a feeling that it is because its on a delay server. I've not had a problem with live CBS shows, only ones that are delayed.

That very well could be, I am getting the dialogue the actors are speaking. Then when they are not talking it switches to the SAP channel and has some guy describing the action going on.

Then when the actors speak again, it switches back to their audio.

I've never had this happen before.....

Anyone else have audio problems with the WaneTV broadcast of Saturday night's Florida vs. Tennesee game? The picture was brilliant, but the only audio I had on the Digital broadcast was for the crowd noise and graphics, no announcers or commentary.

Anyone else with similar problems or do I need to check my equipment?

Thanks!!