Originally posted by ken34
I'm in NE Queens and I don't know how long it will last, but this week CH 51 from the New Jersey Network has been coming in great. I believe 51 is the DT counterpart of WNJM CH 50 in Montclair. They're multicasting which I guess may compromise the HD portion but I'll take what I can get.

51-1 simulcast of the main analog program
51-4 another non hd program
51-5 PBS HDTV

Ken

Yes, I'm picking up 51-1:5 as well. And happy about it. Since I rotated back towards NYC from Philly it was a bit of an inconvenience to rotate back towards Trenton to pick up a PBS HD channel.

This is better.

:D

I live a few towns over from Montclair and have beening receiving PBS from their around 51%. I noticed last night it was pinned at 100%. I hope it stays like that and they add new programming. I also noticed WNBC-DT is coming in a lot better as well.

Is WCBS-DT down? I'm getting WNYW-DT, WABC-DT but nothing from WCBS-DT.

4 degrees and higher signal strength - very nice
the weather impact on signal is about as predictable as the weather itself

colder and wetter is better? others have posted rain as a positive but some report lower strength with this cold

i cant figure this

Originally posted by sfowler2
Is WCBS-DT down? I'm getting WNYW-DT, WABC-DT but nothing from WCBS-DT.

Nope its up and running.

I just purchased an UHF antenna (RS 2160) today and mounted in the attic --- getting great reception on WCBS-DT, WFOX-DT, WABC-DT ---- but no WNBC-DT - can't figure it out is WNBC-DT just transmitting at an extremely low power?

Note: I tried a 10db amp and a 30db amp

The are at 10kW. You need to be within 20 miles or so to have a chance, and also be in a directionally suited location. Freehold may be too far, but I would try rotating the antenna a few degrees in either direction and see if you pick it up. You need a PRE-amp.

Originally posted by trekkerj
The are at 10kW. You need to be within 20 miles or so to have a chance, and also be in a directionally suited location. Freehold may be too far, but I would try rotating the antenna a few degrees in either direction and see if you pick it up. You need a PRE-amp.

It is too far I have the same problem from where I live.

I can get 4.1 from my location with a rooftop antenna.

Tinton Falls
Asbury Ave.

Originally posted by Scott G
Does anyone know of anyone who can install a rotor for me on Long Island ? You can either answer me here or send me a PM.

Thanks,

Scott

Scott,
If you're still interested there's a company called Variety TV in Massapequa who do really excellent work. A number of the OTA HDTV people in Nassau and Suffolk have used them. Their number is 516-799-8395. Ask for Bob Jr.

- Dan

Thanks, Dan.

Is WPIX still broadcasting a weak signal? This is the one OTA station I care about above all others because of smallville, but its the hardest to get :-(.

yes, 125 watts only. Very difficult to pull in unless you are close. Hopefully, the combiner will get finished in a matter of the next several months or sooner, and they can increase power signficantly as they go back to UHF 33. But, this is what you get for now.

Does anyone know which digital signal is weaker, WPIX or WNBC?

I get WPIX most of the time, but WNBC only comes in with a very weak signal (no picture). I am wondering if I should try to point my antenna differently or just accept the fact that WNBC is even weaker than WPIX.

Thanks,
Joe

Originally posted by JoeCraw
Does anyone know which digital signal is weaker, WPIX or WNBC?

I get WPIX most of the time, but WNBC only comes in with a very weak signal (no picture). I am wondering if I should try to point my antenna differently or just accept the fact that WNBC is even weaker than WPIX.

Thanks,
Joe

Technically WPIX is operating at lower power than WNBC. But asking that question with regard to reception is like "Do you bring your lunch to work, or do you drive?" :D :) ;)

It really depends on where you are with respect to the transmitter. UPN coming from Philly transmits an eliptically, so you can be the same distance as someone else, but you may not be able to pick it up if you are outside the pattern. I BELIEVE the two networks are transmitting from two different locations, so where YOU are with respect to where THEY are will play a part in your reception.

BTW - Ayone hear when WPIX will be moving to UHF at higher power?

Do you know how WNBC is transmitting their signal?

I am located on Long Island, on the Nassau/Suffolk border.

Thanks again,
Joe

Joe,
Good luck getting NBC from that location unless you have a good rooftop antenna and a good pre-amp. No such luck with an RCA powered indoor antenna in my attic from just down the road.

Joe, I am in the same area as you and I can't get it either. I have a big yagi antenna on my roof (I do get around 50% on my receiver, but can't lock most of the time). BTW, how are you getting WPIX? I have had no luck.

Originally posted by sting0r
Joe, I am in the same area as you and I can't get it either. I have a big yagi antenna on my roof (I do get around 50% on my receiver, but can't lock most of the time). BTW, how are you getting WPIX? I have had no luck.

I believe your Yagi is UHF, if I'm not mistaken. Since WPIX is broadcasting on the VHF band, you wouldn't be able to pick it up. :(

Calabs is correct.

WPIX's low power signal is VHF. When they go full power (no anounced date that I know of) they should return to UHF. (I think they were channel 33)

I have a Radio Shack VHF/UHF and a preamp. WPIX comes in between 60 and 70 on my RCA DTC-100. But it does have bad times when it drops below 50.

Joe

NBC 4-1 so far 36 to 45% signal strength and I live in Brentwood, Long Island. So far so good. As for Ch11-1 no signal. On occasions around 5 or 6AM in the morning does the signal jump to 33%.
But after 7AM it drops almost to 11 or lower %

BTW - Variety TV they are ok people. They did my setup. It was easy, quick, and cost effective. Good guys.

>>I am located on Long Island, on the Nassau/Suffolk border.

HEY: skyhawk223 & JoeCraw

I am about the same distance as you guys and I do OK most days with all the NYC channels. AND I have the much maligned Terk TV55 which works if you point it flat side towards the city :) Every day is different but signals have been strong for a few weeks now (even 11)

maybe the broadcast 'pattern' is important (but i don't claim to know)

does anyone else get fast motion breakup?
the picture is great until a complex image comes on, then it pixelates
I have a Samsung 165

If you check past posts on this and WNBC-DT threads, I posted coverage patterns and links to FCC filings that give you that infofor all NYC stations.
GT

Originally posted by JoeCraw
Do you know how WNBC is transmitting their signal?

I am located on Long Island, on the Nassau/Suffolk border.

Thanks again,
Joe
Joe,

I get NBC-DT with a strong signal from a valley in Huntington, so you should be okay. I'm using ChannelMaster 4248 on a Dish 6000. Good luck.

Best regards, Adam Okula.

For the past week or so I am getting WNJN (PBS) in New Jersey. I'm not sure if this is weather related or if they have increased power. I'm in central suffolk. It comes in as 50-1 to 50-5. (50-5 is HD). Anyone else getting WNJN?

They have a new transmitter.

Yes, I've started getting it, too. I'm all the way up in northern Westchester. They've got even more HD programming than my usual NYC PBS station, WNET, Channel 13. This is good.

How can they have more HD programming? It is the same network, PBS.

Regarding NJN Ch 51, as I posted in the previous page, I started getting it great here in NE Queens last week. I'm glad to hear they got a new transmitter and the strong signal is here to stay and not weather related. The signal had been useless for a long time. The analog Ch 50 has always come in strong here.

They multicast. During the week, daytime, they run 4 standard subchannels. At nights and weekends, they run 2 standard subchannels and the PBS HD channel. I believe the HD is being affected by sharing the bandwidth with 2 standard channels but not badly. I'll take what I can get.

Here's the channel allocation:

http://www.njn.net/digital/current.html

Can anyone confirm true 1080i from WNJN? NYC's TWC added WNJN near its other HDTV channels several months back (at cable channel 750, with other H/DTV channels at 701-714). Only tune it occasionally evenings, but have yet to see what looks like real 1080i. Mostly is looks like PBS's 480i widescreen. -- John

Hi John,

This may help:

http://www.pbs.org/digitaltv/dtvsched.htm

This is only the primetime schedule but will give some idea of the shows in HDTV. I'm not sure what goes on outside of primetime but the show repeated at 11pm has been introduced as HD where available when I've checked. This may not be everyday and I haven't found the schedule outside of primetime. Could be part of the PBS Loop.

Another correction. I believe CH 50,51 are WNJM (as in Mary) being from Montclair.

Ken

There is no WNJM. WNJN (as in NANCY) is from Montclair.

Originally posted by trekkerj
How can they have more HD programming? It is the same network, PBS.
You're correct that they're both PBS and have equal access to the same network programming in HD; it's just that WNJN-DT seems to run more of that programming. In other words, when Channel 13 is running some non-HD PBS program, I've found that Channel 50-5 usually has some other PBS programming on that's HD.

Anyway, great addition to an OTA HD-starved market. Now if only WNBC would get themselves a new transmitter or if there was some NJ NBC digital affiliate broadcasting NBC network shows, I'd have a full plate with my pre-existing WCBS-DT and WABC-DT OTA.

Looks like I'll have to try WNJN-DT (750 on my TW cable box) at 11 pm for true 1080i then. As mentioned earlier, I've yet to see any true 1080i there yet. Someone mentioned lots of simulcasting with 1080i from this station, but it's hard to imagine they've drained PBS's 1080i fidelity so much it looks like 480i widescreen (my cable-based system).

I get WNET-DT (PBS, NYC/Newark) on TW cable, and the 1080i fidelity is usually awesome. Believe TW cable has a fiber feed from WNET-DT's NYC broadcast site, which means we could be getting a full-bandwidth 1080i source without the reduction caused by OTA multicasting. Just speculating, but perhaps TWC has an OTA WNJN-DT pickup that's limiting things. Are others tuning in good-fidelity 1080i from WNJN-DT other than 11 pm? -- John

A lot of PBS's programming is listed as LetterBox not HD and looks a little soft.

Originally posted by trekkerj
There is no WNJM. WNJN (as in NANCY) is from Montclair.

I stand corrected after all this time watching Ch 50. :D

Is there any major degradation of any HD they run on 51-5 given that they also run two regular channels on 51-1 and 51-4?

Ken

Looks just as Hi-Def' to me as other OTA HD programming I'm getting, i.e., WCBS, WABC.

Originally posted by s2silber
Looks just as Hi-Def' to me as other OTA HD programming I'm getting, i.e., WCBS, WABC.

Then s2silber, your situation is unique.
I get a ~Blue Ribbon, Top Notch~ quality on CBS, NBC, ABC and FOX when true high def is delivered, but what I've been watching on 50-5 is a waste of bandwidth.

PBS's 50-5 picture quality is sad. I don't know if it's having it's life sucked out those other PBS channels sharing 50-1 thru 50-4, but I haven't seen true HD yet. Digital yes, but soft and often pixeled. The same programming look better on DirecTV.

I'm just referring to actual HD-taped PBS programming on 50-5, not all the other stuff which is, indeed, soft and inferior.

Maybe I exaggerate by equating it with CBS-HD programming over Channel 56, but actual HD programs on 50-5 do look HD to me.

I brought up the question because I do see artifacts during scenes with a lot of motion, etc. when HD content is on 51-5. I would agree that the two standard channels are taking away some of the bits the HD could be using. It's not as good as CBS, etc. but still very good. It's the only PBS HD I can get at this time so I'll take it. Ken

Well, this in interesting. A digital PBS station seems to be broadcasting so there's a dispute whether it's delivering true 1080i or not. Nationwide, some digital stations haven't gone HD yet. I can only get WNJN via Time Warner Cable in NYC, and I still haven't seen anything that looks remotely like true 1080i--including a look at last night's 11 pm show, which needn't have been HD, of course. Speculated that TWC might have signed with WNJN to only deliver digital, not necessarily HD, versions of programming. (TWC here claims to be out of bandwidth for new HD.)

My setup (3100HD cable converter) upconverts all YPbPr outputs to 1080i, and all 480i original programming has a slightly fuzzy, poor-contrast look as a result. (I use S-video for 480i sources.) The mystery continues. Anyone have a STB or display that registers 1080i for what they feel are true-1080i WNJN broadcasts? -- John

Why doesn't someone just call engineering at WNJN and ask what kind of signal they're sending?

John,

The Zenith HDR230 shows NJN's 50-5 as 1080i.

I often see the motion artifacts that were mentioned in an earlier post. I can't say for sure, but I think that they increased (or started) when NJN began simulcasting two std def channels while broadcasting the national PBS feed. (They used to simulcast only one std def channel before that.)

What resolution does 5-2 broadcast in? If it is just a rebroadcast of an analog signal, does it make a difference? I know it's not 1080 but what if it was? It would still look lousy like it does?

I have to read the Samsung book tonight - there is a switch on the back of the receiver for resolution. Months ago I would use it to see if I could get a better quality picture.

I live in Rockland County and just upgraded to HDTV via DirecTV. Has anyone tried the Channel Master 3010 StealthTenna for OTA HD local channels? Any pointers on its set-up?

Originally posted by seaford
What resolution does 5-2 broadcast in? If it is just a rebroadcast of an analog signal, does it make a difference? I know it's not 1080 but what if it was? It would still look lousy like it does?

I have to read the Samsung book tonight - there is a switch on the back of the receiver for resolution. Months ago I would use it to see if I could get a better quality picture.

5-2 (UPN) is broadcasting in 480i (and a lousy 480i at that). An easy way to check is to see if you're stb can change the aspect ratio of the programming. most of the useless substations can have their aspect ratio changed (perhaps witht he exception fo HD programming on 50-5). The UPN 57 signal coming out of Philly is MILES better.

Originally posted by Alan Malka
The Zenith HDR230 shows NJN's 50-5 as 1080i.

Thanks, Alan. Then it finally dawned on me that if WNJN is beaming out all those digital variations my cable system may only be carrying a 480i digital version instead of 1080i. None of my hardware displays the formats of signals, so it's a guessing game sometimes. Believe a NYC PBS station was beaming out 5 channels from a low-power Brooklyn site a few years back; couldn't detect the signal just across the East River due to shielding buildings. Believe for their very-high-quality 1080i programs, though, they switched most or all of the subchannels down so they'd have up to ~19 Mbps available for PBS's best. -- John

Hi all - Just wondering if TWC here in Manhattan transmits any QAM unscrambled DT or HD?

Originally posted by Remus
I live in Rockland County and just upgraded to HDTV via DirecTV. Has anyone tried the Channel Master 3010 StealthTenna for OTA HD local channels? Any pointers on its set-up?
I tried that antenna across the river in northern Westchester and got only spotty digital reception. Suggest you try the Channel Master 4228 with the CM 7775 amp. I've been using that for a couple of months going through my DirecTV HD tuner and I get WCBS-DT, WNYW (Fox)-DT, WABC-DT, and now, WNJN-DT, as well as several analog UHF stations. The only one I can't pull in is WNBC-DT which is at very low power right now.

The State of the Union in WS? ch 4 WABC-DT looks fantastic!!! It looks HD on some shots. We have come a long way

fmonkey-

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=355015&perpage=30&pagenumber=3

Is anyone getting weird flickering on WABC-DT. The signal strength is at 94% but I am getting this weird flickering every few seconds.... It's really annoying. All the other NYC DT channels are fine

Originally posted by Anthony in NYC
Is anyone getting weird flickering on WABC-DT. The signal strength is at 94% but I am getting this weird flickering every few seconds.... It's really annoying. All the other NYC DT channels are fine

Yes......I am. I'm OTA as well.......Hughes E86. I believe I read about something similar happening last night on ABC-DT during "Meet the Parents" (was over on the programming forum).

Yeah, I flipped over to ABC every so often from CBS and saw it each time. The CBS broadcast was flicker free and looked superb.

It is in HD!! That's why it looked almost hd!! BTW, I checked out all the networks and NBC actually looked the best to me...

Originally posted by feloniousmonkey
The State of the Union in WS? ch 4 WABC-DT looks fantastic!!! It looks HD on some shots. We have come a long way

fmonkey-

Originally posted by Anthony in NYC
Is anyone getting weird flickering on WABC-DT. The signal strength is at 94% but I am getting this weird flickering every few seconds.... It's really annoying. All the other NYC DT channels are fine

Yup, I've seen this for the last couple of nights on WABC DT. Very annoying. I went back to my WTNH feed, much better.

It was the same feed, all from ABC in 720p (other networks had to convert to 1080i). Each year, one network is the "pool' network for the entire broadcast. This year it was ABC, so the cameras were 720p cameras.

Anyone else getting a mangled audio feed from 4-1 (28) right now ???

EVERY one of my other channels is fine........this is so bad I can't even hear Jay talk/monologue.

channel 4 OTA and channel 4 via D* audio seems fine.

:confused:

Haven't checked to see if the sound is fine when a commercial comes out yet.........

Not sure if it came back that way from a commercial or switched right over to it, but went back in and noticed the sound was fine now.......but the picture was 4:3 SD.

Go figure!

Originally posted by Lord British
Hi all - Just wondering if TWC here in Manhattan transmits any QAM unscrambled DT or HD?

yes they have a few things on there, dont recall what, but a coworker has his myHD card hooked to his cable feed and is pulling in some stuff

Originally posted by feloniousmonkey
The State of the Union in WS? ch 4 WABC-DT looks fantastic!!! It looks HD on some shots. We have come a long way

fmonkey-

WCBS as well, DEFINITELY look like HD. You can see every hair out of place on Goergie's head! You just can't do that with SD!

I was getting flickering in ABCDT...... but i watched most of it on NBCDT.


Great to see my prez in HD. But what happened to his eyebrows... he barely has any....


Also...... Ted Kennedy...... looks like a monster...

Also...... Ted Kennedy...... looks like a monster...

LOL...I thought the same thing especially when he rolls his eyes.

Tony

I'm looking for some help receiving OTA DTV signals. I live on the southwest corner of Central Park in a ninth floor apartment that faces north and west. I've tried unsuccessfully to get a decent signal with the Samsung T351 and various antenna connections, but all I was ever able to get was ABC (intermittently--and why was it 4:3 even though the receiver claimed it was an HD signal?) and FOX (maybe twice for about ten seconds each time). I noticed that my signal strength was stronger by day, too--is this commong? I always thought signals traveled further at night...hmm.

Anyway, with my T351, I have tried both the Zenith Silver Sensor and the Radio Shack 15-1870. I have also tried the Silver Sensor with an amplifier (the Radio Shack 15-1109). I tried pointing both antennas in every conceivable direction. No luck. Am I simply screwed due to my apartment configuration? Help! TIA.

Why don't you just get TWC? Don't they have all the locals in Manahattan anyway? Would probably be easier then dealing with all the multipath issues and building blocking you ...

sting0r---i've thought about TWC and may end up with it, but right now i have directv with tivo and love it so much i don't think i could give it up. problem there is that my directv dish is a building-wide dish that doesn't support hd. so do i pay for both directv and TWC? maybe...

gotcha! does your building have an antenna hookup? If not ask them if they will let you put one on the roof, though getting the cable down may be a problem. In manhattan it's hit or miss getting a signal because of multipath. Best bet would be to get TWC with just basic cable package and a hd box. I think that's pretty cheap or just get basic cable and one of the new LG receivers as I think all the network channels are sent in the clear QAM, remember a thread somewhere with someone saying they can get a bunch of channels. Good luck...

On a seperate topic, has anyone notice NBC has been transmitting a stronger signal or is it just me? My signal jumped from being under 50 to consistently getting in the 70's and a strong lock. I was even able to watch the SOTU last night and leno for the past couple of nights? I wonder if they did something or maybe the wind just blew my antenna over a bit :)

Coincidentally, I spoke with a WNBC engineer last night and asked when or if they're going to start pumping a little more juice from the GE Building. The answer was, in a word, "not." So I imagine you're just benefiting from better atmospheric conditions. As for me in northern Westchester, whether I get a little blip of yellow or a somewhat larger blip, it's not nearly strong enough to get even a momentary picture.
The good news is that the combiner is being worked on as we speak and they hope to go live from the Empire State Building in mid to late spring.

I kinda figured it was atmospheric conditions, but I was hopening it was they cranked up the juice or my antenna has moved. I don't remember the exact direction it was pointing but for some reason to me it look like the wind had moved it alot! I just hope its not temporary and will last until the combiner project launch. Any word on how that is progressing? Latest I heard was march..

You kow what's funny?......All the time I had my antenna pointed toward Philly, I picked up WCAU 2-3 times tops. I now have my antenna pointed toward NYC, and wouln't you know it, the other night, I was picking up WCAU at 60%! Now that's what I call multipathical tropospherical affects!:eek:

Originally posted by sting0r
I just hope its not temporary and will last until the combiner project launch. Any word on how that is progressing? Latest I heard was march..
Sounded like sometime in April.

Originally posted by sting0r
I just hope its not temporary and will last until the combiner project launch. Any word on how that is progressing? Latest I heard was march..
Sounded like sometime in April.

Is WPIX actually reducing power? :) I haven't been able to get them for about a week. Usually I can put together a crude VHF system to lock in, but not recently. Does cold weather negatively affect signal propagation? Am I going to have to wait until the combiner is done to pick up WPIX-DT again. :(

No, I can assure you WPIX's temporary channel 12 DT operation is at the same power level. However, atmospheric conditions do impact propagation to some degree, and since Morris Plains is probably about the fringe of where you can expect to receive the signal I wouldn't be surprised that your received level might vary somewhat given the recent "funky" weather.

FWIW, I am on the Eastern side of Morris County (about 22 miles due West of ESB) and the signal with rooftop UHF/VHF antenna is very stable. Today I am reading a peak of 94 out of 100 on one receiver's s-meter, almost exactly the same as CBS & FOX-DT. (Admittedly, that is a little unusual!)

Andy

Originally posted by Calabs
You kow what's funny?......All the time I had my antenna pointed toward Philly, I picked up WCAU 2-3 times tops. I now have my antenna pointed toward NYC, and wouln't you know it, the other night, I was picking up WCAU at 60%! Now that's what I call multipathical tropospherical affects!:eek:

Did a scan last night after re-orienting my antennas for my Philly stations and low and behold I picked up WCAU-DT I guess they must have moved to the new tower?? I was only able to pickup the channel once about a year ago on a great tropo night.

I didn’t have to chance to check this morning to see if this still there.

Originally posted by wward
Did a scan last night after re-orienting my antennas for my Philly stations and low and behold I picked up WCAU-DT I guess they must have moved to the new tower?? I was only able to pickup the channel once about a year ago on a great tropo night.

I didn?t have to chance to check this morning to see if this still there.

Yes, please let us know if you're still getting WCAU. I'd move my antenna back toward Philly if WCAU was "reachable" from E.B. I can get WNBC very well from where I am, but WPIX is non-existent.

Checked again last night was able to pick it up the signal strenth was slightly lower but got a lock.

Okay so I took the plunge and got TWC today. HD channels look amazing. One question, though: why do some HD channels show up with sidebars, as if I had a 4:3 tv? I have the aspect ratio set correctly. I suppose the answer is that they are broadcasting it as a 4:3 picture, but why? I thought one of the big advantages of HD was the 16:9 picture. As an aside, will the sidebars cause phosphor burn-in on my new Panna plasma?

Also, and I know this is off-topic but this is a NY area thread, can anyone recommend a technician to calibrate my plasma? I hear it makes quite a difference and I really don't want to muck with the advanced settings myself.


TIA.

Hey stlblufan. First, this is an OTA (over-the-air) thread. You may want to check out the TWC thread for more information about TIme Warner Cable. Second, not every program on a HD channel is broadcast in High Def. Check a listing service like TitanTV.com to see which programs are in HD. You can also take a look at the HDTV Programming board.

stlblufan:

Excessive 4:3 viewing may lead to burn in. However, a mix of viewing should be OK. Check out the Plasma forum here for ISF recommendations. A well calibrated Plasma will help reduce the possibility of burn in.

Regards:

All you really need is AV Essentials DVD (do a search) to do a basic calibration. You don't need to get into the advanced settings. Just keep your contrast down and you won't experience burn in for a long time.

KenA: you are right, wrong forum altogether. Apologies.

Thanks for the advice.

I live in Westchester about 30 miles from the ESB. I'm using an indoor silver sensor with a sammy ts-160 for ota digital. It brought in CBS fine and fox with limited success and frequent drop offs. I fiddled with the antenna's angle and position for hours. I also read every relevant posting on this forum. Anyhow, I took the advice offered here and invested in good pre-amp with FM trap. Bottom line: tremendous improvement in signal strength and stability. Seven stations with 90% or better. Thanks to all.

Samone -

Which brand and model?

Thanks,

Gary

I got a Winegard ap-8275 because it was in stock at the time. Other people apparently have had luck with channel master brand.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by samone
I got a Winegard ap-8275 because it was in stock at the time. Other people apparently have had luck with channel master brand. [/QUOTE

I think any good brand name will work. I've got a Winegard, pulling all majors from NTC (including NBC) with no problem.

Originally posted by stlblufan
Okay so I took the plunge and got TWC today. HD channels look amazing. One question, though: why do some HD channels show up with sidebars, as if I had a 4:3 tv? I have the aspect ratio set correctly. I suppose the answer is that they are broadcasting it as a 4:3 picture, but why? I thought one of the big advantages of HD was the 16:9 picture. As an aside, will the sidebars cause phosphor burn-in on my new Panna plasma?

Also, and I know this is off-topic but this is a NY area thread, can anyone recommend a technician to calibrate my plasma? I hear it makes quite a difference and I really don't want to muck with the advanced settings myself.


TIA. when you get the sidebars means that the signal is up converted to resemble a HD picture as close as possible, the show or program itself is not High Def, some of the sitcoms at night on your local channels are in HD, like CSI, who loves Raymond or whatever it's called, same goes for HBO, SHO,cbs,abc,nbc, fox,CBS has the best HD contend of the local channels, DiscoveryHD is always High Def, as is PBS channel13HD, HBO and SHO have original High Def shows like the Sopranos, Angels in America, Six Feet under, the Larry David show Curb your Enthusiasm, I love that show, most of the movies are up converted to HD, more original HD shows and contend will become the norm a few years from now, but as of today most of it is up converted, any more questions please ask.

I just swapped out a CM pre-amp on my rooftop set up for a Winegard....and I had all the NYC digitals earlier this AM. Just went to view 4-1 and I have a 93 signal strength on my Hughes E86....but no audio/video.

Anyone else?? All my other NYC digitals are functional.

Just want to make sure it's the source and not my setup.

I haven't gotten around to going downstairs to check my other STB/antenna setup.

Color me frozen....and lazy....:p

jaypb,
Same here in Brooklyn. Signal strength at 80%, but no picture. Looks like someone flipped off the switch.

same in brooklyn 11203 lock but no picture no sound.

Originally posted by TAKKL
jaypb,
Same here in Brooklyn. Signal strength at 80%, but no picture. Looks like someone flipped off the switch.

Just came up from the basement and same thing down there.

Just wanted confirmation since I found it odd that I had just gone up on the roof to swap out the pre-amps and then when I checked the digitals 2 hours later WNBC-DT (which is the most finicky station for me) was gone....but had a SS of almost 100

Hi Guys, I could use a little help. I just moved to Port Reading, which I am told is actually part of woodbridge, and I left my rooftop antenna at the old house. Could I get by here with a small(2-3 ft) antenna in my 3rd floor crawlspace? Would one of those powered round omnidirectional ones work?

WNBC-DT is up!!! Just in time for the Golden Globe Awards.

Not in HD.

Originally posted by Rudmeister
Hi Guys, I could use a little help. I just moved to Port Reading, which I am told is actually part of woodbridge, and I left my rooftop antenna at the old house. Could I get by here with a small(2-3 ft) antenna in my 3rd floor crawlspace? Would one of those powered round omnidirectional ones work?

I would not go with the omnidirectional. But you should do fine with a cm 4224 0r 4228. You might need an amp. You never know until you try. But I have a similar setup in metuchen and it works like a charm.

Is anyone getting WNBC-DT? I have no signal. All the other major networks are coming in, however, some other things I normally pull in are very weak. Maybe it's atmospheric. Can someone confirm? Thanks.

NBC-DT coming in fine in Brooklyn.

Never mind, it's my POS amplifier. Bought a simple amp on ebay for $5.00. I already had the channelmaster 7775, but it filtered out VHF and I wanted to try WPIX. This amp does both, but it's a a cheap VCR-type amp. I bought a new 50 ft run since I needed a bit of slack, and now the amp doesn't work. Tried the 7775, and it worked fine. Time to try the 7777.

I recently ordered an LG LST-3510A, to be delivered on the 29th. Is there anyone here getting good reception in Oakland NJ or nearby, and which antenna or equipment are you using?

Thanks for any help or suggestions.

Im in White Plains, NY trying to receive OTA stations - primarily out of NYC. I was hoping to use an indoor antenna like the Zenith Silver Sensor.

Does anyone have any experience near my location? Thoughts or recommendations?

Thanks.

Is the PBS HD coming in with better reception?

Originally posted by lirong
Im in White Plains, NY trying to receive OTA stations - primarily out of NYC. I was hoping to use an indoor antenna like the Zenith Silver Sensor.

Does anyone have any experience near my location? Thoughts or recommendations?

Thanks.
You may be able to pick up WCBS-DT, WNYW-DT and even WABC-DT. I got sporadic reception with the Silver Sensor in Ossining, which is a good 15 miles north of White Plains. I don't know if you're a satellite customer, but the Winegard Sensar which attaches to your dish mount is excellent. I've got one to sell if you're interested.

Originally posted by RAVEN56706
Is the PBS HD coming in with better reception?

Yes, I heard they increased power on 50-1,5 out of Montclair, NJ.

Comes in fine most of the time in Madison, NJ



Originally posted by trekkerj
Is anyone getting WNBC-DT? I have no signal. All the other major networks are coming in, however, some other things I normally pull in are very weak. Maybe it's atmospheric. Can someone confirm? Thanks.

I know, I mentioned it was my preamp. Never mind.

(WPIX, however, is another matter. Haven't been able to get it since December.)

Originally posted by glen1271
I recently ordered an LG LST-3510A, to be delivered on the 29th. Is there anyone here getting good reception in Oakland NJ or nearby, and which antenna or equipment are you using?

Thanks for any help or suggestions.

Glen,

I'm in Mahwah, near Darlington Ave and Ridge Road. I get a lock on CBS and FOX with a small Silver Sensor (indoor - set top) antenna. With a pre-amp, I can lock on NBC and PBS. I have a Sony HD-200 (Directv). I'm sure you will do even better with your LG from Oakland. Try antennaweb.org if you haven't already to get an idea of what you can receive. Post back with any questions once you get your antenna. :D

Hi,

Thanks for your help so far. I picked up a silver sensor at Best Buy last night, so far I'm not getting a signal. After checking antennaweb I think I'm going to have to use an outdoor antenna. I have an outdoor antenna left by the previous owner, but I need to figure out how to get it hooked up to my receiver. Any ideas on what I might need?

Thanks again.

Glen

Before having to mess with the old antenna, try this. With the Silver Sensor, it is very directional. So you should put the signal meter on the tv screen, (if there is one) while you slowly turn the antenna. Try to get it up on a shelf if possible. A little movement even within the same room will effect your signal. If you are hesitant about crawling around in all this ice and snow, go to Radio Shack and pick up a pre-amp first. Might as well get a UHF/VHF combo so you can get WPIX on VHF.(edit: with an antenna other than the UHF only SS). Try the pre-amp and Silver Sensor together. If the pre-amp doesn't work with the SS, then you will need the outdoor type of antenna. Try the old one, prior to returning the pre-amp. That way if the outdoor one receives all the channels without dropouts without the pre-amp you can still return it to Radio Shack. RS will also have everything you need (RG6 cable, etc) to hook it up to your STB. There are a lot of variables with an old antenna that is best left to those better informed than I. You may find the pre-amp and SS is all you need though! I am 23.4 miles to the ESB and it rocks for me! :D

Thanks for the info, I'll pick up a Pre Amp on the way home. I'll let you know how it turns out. Thanks again for your help.

Quick post on my OTA hook-up. I live in Rockland County, about four miles West and 1/2 mile North of the Tappan Zee Bridge. I installed a ChannelMaster Stealthtenna 3010 with the pre-amp a few days back (my escapades on the icy roof are for another day!). It's on the peak of the roof on a five foot mast, so about 40 feet high. I live on a bit of a hill. The OTA HD reception has been SUPERB. All local channels coming in perfectly with no artifacts. Even picking up analog as far away as Hartford (not that I want it). So at least for my area and set-up this inexpensive, easy to install antennae has worked perfectly so far.

I wanted to let everyone know about my reception.

I have a Silver Sensor along with an LG LST3100A. I live on W69th St btwn CPW & Columbus on the south side of the street.

I can receive CBS, NBC, FOX, UPN, ABC & NJN without moving the antenna. If I move the antenna into a different position I can also receive WB.

Time to cancel TWCNYC ?

Nice OTA lineup for NYC, oprig; you're fortunate. I'm near the East River, nearly parallel to all the stations, but can only pick up CBS reliably after tinkering with a Silver Sensor placement.

You might try manual tuning of WNET-DT (PBS), at 61 UHF (?). It's a weak signal beamed from about 39th near the Hudson toward Newark and not many pick it up. You might pick up other N.J. stations, as an antennaweb.org entry would show. If you can get it, it would be interesting to learn how WNET's OTA HD, delivered with a subchannel, compares with TWC's 713 HD-quality-wise. TWC appears to have a fiber link to WNET-DT that should bypass the OTA multicasting bandwidth-limitation problems. -- John

According to antennaweb.org, WNET-DT is broadcasting on frequency 61 -- watching the signal meter on my tuner I never receive ANY signal.

The NJN channels (50-1/2/3/4/5 at various times of the day) that I receive are multi-casted. These channels are not displayed as available when I type my address into antennaweb.org.

50-5 NJN-DT is on air from 8pm to midnight -- during this time 50-2 & 50-3 are not broadcast. The picture looks good although I have only seen one programme -- American Family.

The other channels that antennaweb.org indicates I should receive (WXTV-DT, WRNN-DT, WFUT-DT) get varying levels of signal but nothing high enough to lock on and produce a picture.

Perhaps a pre-amp would help?

Good with the WNET-DT channel correction, I'll fix my post. I've never gotten the faintest signal peep at my location.

Recall some extended discussions here about WNJN image quality because it's multicasting so heavily. Time Warner added it at 750 several months back, but doesn't list it among its HD channels, only as a digital channel (OTA ATSC). Haven't seen any true 1080i from TWC's 750.

Believe there's a preamp version of the SS, although it's hard to locate, and I've spotted threads or posts about adding a preamp to SSs. -- John

If anyone in the New York Metro area needs the Winegard GS2000a antenna and preamp, including hardware for attaching it to a satellite dish, please send me a PM. I used it when I lived in Ossining and got 90%+ signal strength on WCBS-DT, WNYW-DT, etc. (I moved before WABC-DT went back on the air, but I have no doubt it would've picked up that, too.

Originally posted by John Mason
Good with the WNET-DT channel correction, I'll fix my post. I've never gotten the faintest signal peep at my location.

Recall some extended discussions here about WNJN image quality because it's multicasting so heavily. Time Warner added it at 750 several months back, but doesn't list it among its HD channels, only as a digital channel (OTA ATSC). Haven't seen any true 1080i from TWC's 750.

Believe there's a preamp version of the SS, although it's hard to locate, and I've spotted threads or posts about adding a preamp to SSs. -- John

It is my understading that the amplified version of the Silver Sensor is not being sold in the states. It can be special orderd personally I would rather add my own pre-amp.

What pre-amp would be recommended for a SS antenna ?

Originally posted by oprig
What pre-amp would be recommended for a SS antenna ?

Any decent low noise pre-amp will do, look for something with a 20db gain and FM trap.

Update...

As you may recall, I am using a RS 15-2160 in the attic to pull in NYC channels, except NBC-DT. I recently purchased the Winegard AP-4800 pre-amp as well. With my desire to pull in NBC, I decided to go after Philly stations. I purchased another RS 15-2160, went in the attic also, got a Radio Shack splitter/combiner to combine both antennas. Added the AP-4800 to the Philly feed to give it extra boost. At the TV, I am using a 10dB Recoton video amplifier to give it another final boost. Here are my results:

CBS DT (NYC and Philly)
NBC DT (Philly only)
ABC DT (NYC only, Philly is choppy)
FOX DT (Philly only, perhaps NYC issue today?)
UPN DT (Philly only, perhaps NYC issue today?)
WB DT (Philly only)
PBS DT (Trenton only, Newark used to work)

In the end, I'm getting all the channels. I'm just surprised that NYC FOX, UPN and Newark PBS which used to work, no longer do. My guess is that splitter/combiner is putting in too much losses?

I'm happy, but for completeness sake, if someone has an idea on how to further amplify my NYC antenna - can I use another AP-4800? If so, how do I combine using 1 run to the tv?

Originally posted by JGDiablo
Update...

As you may recall, I am using a RS 15-2160 in the attic to pull in NYC channels, except NBC-DT. I recently purchased the Winegard AP-4800 pre-amp as well. With my desire to pull in NBC, I decided to go after Philly stations. I purchased another RS 15-2160, went in the attic also, got a Radio Shack splitter/combiner to combine both antennas. Added the AP-4800 to the Philly feed to give it extra boost. At the TV, I am using a 10dB Recoton video amplifier to give it another final boost. Here are my results:

CBS DT (NYC and Philly)
NBC DT (Philly only)
ABC DT (NYC only, Philly is choppy)
FOX DT (Philly only, perhaps NYC issue today?)
UPN DT (Philly only, perhaps NYC issue today?)
WB DT (Philly only)
PBS DT (Trenton only, Newark used to work)

In the end, I'm getting all the channels. I'm just surprised that NYC FOX, UPN and Newark PBS which used to work, no longer do. My guess is that splitter/combiner is putting in too much losses?

I'm happy, but for completeness sake, if someone has an idea on how to further amplify my NYC antenna - can I use another AP-4800? If so, how do I combine using 1 run to the tv?

It is very important to make sure that the coax running from the antennas to the combiner is low loss and of equal lengths. And that the length of coax coming from the combiner is low loss and as short as possible.

Originally posted by JGDiablo
Update...

<snip>

In the end, I'm getting all the channels. I'm just surprised that NYC FOX, UPN and Newark PBS which used to work, no longer do. My guess is that splitter/combiner is putting in too much losses?

I'm happy, but for completeness sake, if someone has an idea on how to further amplify my NYC antenna - can I use another AP-4800? If so, how do I combine using 1 run to the tv?

You might want to try to get a combiner that gates at specific frequencies so you can send the specific channels from the specific antenna downstream. If you are combining full spectrum from both antennas into one downstream line, you might be introducing noise or weak signal interference (i.e. shadows, echos) from the other antenna that's pointed at Philly to the good signal that's pointed at Newark, resulting in a "sum" bad signal.

Here is a strange one maybe someone can help me with. I have a CM 4228 with a Winegard AP4800 preamp. I receive normally channels 2, 4, 5 and 7. Naturally, channel 4 is lower strength than the others. The past few days I notice channel 4 drops out completely around 9:00am and reappears at its full strength at about 5:00pm. The other channels are not affected at all. It almost seems like when the sun comes up channel 4 goes, and when the sun sets channel 4 reappears and the other channels are not affected at all.

Does anyone have any idea what this could be ? Could it be atmospheric ? Could the sun be causing interference ? I am really baffled why channel 4 seems to be intefered with during these hours, but the other channels are okay. Any ideas ?

Thanks for the help.

Scott

Originally posted by Scott G
Here is a strange one maybe someone can help me with. I have a CM 4228 with a Winegard AP4800 preamp. I receive normally channels 2, 4, 5 and 7. Naturally, channel 4 is lower strength than the others. The past few days I notice channel 4 drops out completely around 9:00am and reappears at its full strength at about 5:00pm. The other channels are not affected at all. It almost seems like when the sun comes up channel 4 goes, and when the sun sets channel 4 reappears and the other channels are not affected at all.

Does anyone have any idea what this could be ? Could it be atmospheric ? Could the sun be causing interference ? I am really baffled why channel 4 seems to be intefered with during these hours, but the other channels are okay. Any ideas ?

Thanks for the help.

Scott

Could be atmospheric but may also be work going on at the transmitter site maybe power is being reduced during the day for work?

Originally posted by wward
Could be atmospheric but may also be work going on at the transmitter site maybe power is being reduced during the day for work?

I don't think so because it is happening on Saturday and Sunday, too. It is so strange. The other stations stay at full power and WNBC-DT seems to go down with the sun and come up when the sun goes down.

Scott

It's fine for me 24/7. Not a drop in signal strength at all.

Fine for me too all day every day.

Can anyone recommend OTA installer on Staten Island who is familiar with HDTV.
Thanks

Originally posted by wward
Could be atmospheric but may also be work going on at the transmitter site maybe power is being reduced during the day for work?

Probably atmospheric since they only run 1KW transmitter RF output. Not enough to worry about when working around. Antenna gain boosts it up to 10K ERP. Could also be stupid building A/C system that freezes chiller coils in winter and stops cooling in room. Room temps may well be in excess of 120 degrees. Most solid state equipment doesnt like that. Still doesnt explain constant 9 to 5 signal degradation. Must be the sun.
MHz

Hello all, I just did a re-scan on my integrated mits. I now get 50.1-.4. I never got these before. I am receiving WCBS-DT,WNBC-DT,FOX,UPN analog, WABC-DT & sub + WPIX-DT WB & all it's subs. Is 50.1 PBS? do they have HD prg Like WNET? I don't understand why I would get this suddenly & not PBS from nyc. I wanted to drop CV when I receive *all* the locals in DT but now CV saved there @$$e$ concerning me when they added INHD. peace

fmonkey-

50-5 is broadcast from 8pm to midnight and is PBS HD (during this time 50-2 & 50-3 are not broadcast)

Anyone notice that WABC-DT 7-2 is broadcasting different programming than 7-1.

Looks like Gladiator on 7-1 and Sunday morning public affairs programs on 7-2.

Yeah, I noticed that too. During the 8:00 hour, they were showing ABC World News tonight.

Originally posted by wward
Anyone notice that WABC-DT 7-2 is broadcasting different programming than 7-1.

Looks like Gladiator on 7-1 and Sunday morning public affairs programs on 7-2.

I noticed something similar last week while watching 6-1/2 out of Philly. 6-1 had "The Bachelorette" while 6-2 had on some sort of a national newscast.

There was a time stamp at the bottom right that seemed to be a West Coast time (i.e. it was 9:30 pm but the time stamp said 6:30 or so......)

My last post made mention that I had some luck combining two antenna's to one run to the tv set. I wasn't real happy with that setup anyway, so I think I finally have a solution I can live with. I went to Radio Shack and picked up a coax a/b switch. I ran both antenna leads to the switch, one output to the 28db pre-amp, etc. I took the switch and poked it out of the attic cutout in the closet. In position A i get NYC, in position B, I get Philly. It's not a perfect scenario, since it requires a manual intervention, but, until NBC-DT out of NY comes to full power, if I want to watch NBC out of Philly (WCAU-DT), I just run upstairs, flick the switch and enjoy NBC.

Finally!!!! A solution I can live with.

I just moved to Jersey City near Holland Tunnel. According to 2150.com, I am:
1.3 miles from NBC, ABC, PAX, FOX(38), WPIX
3.3 miles from FOX (44), CBS, etc.

I have:
Silver Sensor without preamp
RS Double Bowtie (not hookup)
MyHD DTC100 (HD OTA computer card)
Pio 503cmx
8th floor of a 41 floors apartment building

But all I can get is about 60-80% strength from FOX(44). I understand Silver Sensor is a directional antenna so I had been pointing and moving it around.

I am not sure, but I might have serious multipath issue. I am getting FOX(44) at ~280deg while antennaweb.org says it is at 60deg. When I watch for ghosting from analog channels, I get about 3 ghosting shadows to the right and they are not too bad. This made me wonder if multipath is really the issue. I can't be getting the direction wrong because antennaweb.org points toward NYC while my current setup is pointing away from NYC. It means I am getting the signal from Phily? But I am less than 3.3 miles from NYC and I am not getting *ANY* signals?

I used to live 15 miles from the towers in Boston and I get all the channels without preamp. Now I am only 3.3 miles away, will a CM7777 help?

Can anyone explain why I am so close to the towers but not getting *ANY* signals? Oh, I am facing south, so pointing to the NYC towers means I point inside my apartment. Is that the problem?

Thanks.

My guess is that pointing it into your apartment is causing WAY too much signal loss. I have an attic installation in Central NJ and the attic alone causes significant losses. You're in an apartment pointing toward steel and concrete.

Get it close as possible to window facing the transmitter. Preamp would make things worse, most likely. Try aiming it up.

Originally posted by aleet2600
I just moved to Jersey City near Holland Tunnel. According to 2150.com, I am:
1.3 miles from NBC, ABC, PAX, FOX(38), WPIX
3.3 miles from FOX (44), CBS, etc.

I have:
Silver Sensor without preamp
RS Double Bowtie (not hookup)
MyHD DTC100 (HD OTA computer card)
Pio 503cmx
8th floor of a 41 floors apartment building

But all I can get is about 60-80% strength from FOX(44). I understand Silver Sensor is a directional antenna so I had been pointing and moving it around.

I am not sure, but I might have serious multipath issue. I am getting FOX(44) at ~280deg while antennaweb.org says it is at 60deg. When I watch for ghosting from analog channels, I get about 3 ghosting shadows to the right and they are not too bad. This made me wonder if multipath is really the issue. I can't be getting the direction wrong because antennaweb.org points toward NYC while my current setup is pointing away from NYC. It means I am getting the signal from Phily? But I am less than 3.3 miles from NYC and I am not getting *ANY* signals?

I used to live 15 miles from the towers in Boston and I get all the channels without preamp. Now I am only 3.3 miles away, will a CM7777 help?

Can anyone explain why I am so close to the towers but not getting *ANY* signals? Oh, I am facing south, so pointing to the NYC towers means I point inside my apartment. Is that the problem?

Thanks.

The FOX signal seems to be on of the weaker signals from ESB I generally get between 57 and 62 which is more than enough for my receiver to work with.

Try tilting the antenna up an placing it with the barral connector down basiclly at 90 degrees, and place it in your window (if possible).

Would a FM trap help in this situation? Those better informed...please chime in!

I was going to buy a Channel Master 7777, but it is back order as usual. So I just went out to buy a RS amp. Will see how it goes. But it really troubles me that I am so close to the stations and not getting anything.

Originally posted by aleet2600
I was going to buy a Channel Master 7777, but it is back order as usual. So I just went out to buy a RS amp. Will see how it goes. But it really troubles me that I am so close to the stations and not getting anything.

Personally, I don't thing a preamp will help your situation. You are already close to the transmitter. If there is something blocking your line of sight, or if multipathing is what's getting you a signal, then a preamp will do no good. From my experience, a preamp will work if you are far away away with a clear line of sight to the transmitter, OR if you have a significant run of cable from the antenna to the TV (over 100 feet). It sounds more like the position of the antenna is more the culprit. :rolleyes:

Originally posted by SteveWinNJ
Would a FM trap help in this situation? Those better informed...please chime in!

Not sure where the question arose from, but the FM frequency falls between 88 and 108 MHz. This is between VHF channels 6 and 7. So if you don't have problems with these channels, a trap may not do anything for you.

Calabs, The Fm trap suggestion came from others posting that an FM trap will help reduce severe multipath, which for 3 miles from the transmitters, I would think to be an issue. Are you're saying that is false? I have a friend who is a "soon to be HDTV watcher" that may have the same problem. Thanks in advance!

I notice many of you quoting a signal strength meter reading. What are you using to measure the signal strength? I route my OTA HD through my DirecTv receiver, the Hughes HTL-HD, then to my TV. So what do you use and where in the signal path do you put it?

Originally posted by Remus
I notice many of you quoting a signal strength meter reading. What are you using to measure the signal strength? I route my OTA HD through my DirecTv receiver, the Hughes HTL-HD, then to my TV. So what do you use and where in the signal path do you put it?

Unfortunately, the HTL-HD does NOT have a signal strength meter. :mad: The SS meter is typcially built into the receiver. I've heard there may some software upgrades to this receiver, but I'm not sure if SS will be part of the upgrade (one, I believe, is Caller ID).

Originally posted by SteveWinNJ
Calabs, The Fm trap suggestion came from others posting that an FM trap will help reduce severe multipath, which for 3 miles from the transmitters, I would think to be an issue. Are you're saying that is false? I have a friend who is a "soon to be HDTV watcher" that may have the same problem. Thanks in advance!

I'm not sure what the reasoning is for using an FM trap for that application. Perhaps someone could explain the technical reason for installing an FM trap to reduce multipathing? :confused:

where can i find a list of all the hd channels broadcasted ota in nyc metro area? i just had digital io hd box installed through cablevision. but i only have cbs and fox (not hd really) as local hd channels.

thinking of getting a hd box and an ota antenna.

would i be able to use the scientific atlantic 4200hd box with an ota antenna and get local hd channels?

thanks.

Originally posted by imajazz
where can i find a list of all the hd channels broadcasted ota in nyc metro area? i just had digital io hd box installed through cablevision. but i only have cbs and fox (not hd really) as local hd channels.

thinking of getting a hd box and an ota antenna.

would i be able to use the scientific atlantic 4200hd box with an ota antenna and get local hd channels?

thanks.

Go to antennaweb.org and type in your zip code to find the HD OTA channels.

Not sure about your second question.

Originally posted by Calabs
Unfortunately, the HTL-HD does NOT have a signal strength meter. :mad: The SS meter is typcially built into the receiver. I've heard there may some software upgrades to this receiver, but I'm not sure if SS will be part of the upgrade (one, I believe, is Caller ID).

Thanks Calabs. I wondered what Caller ID was when looking at feature listings of different receivers. Never concluded it as a signal strength meter.

Anyone know of an external signal meter I can hook into the signal path?

WABC-DT is apparently off the air since about 6:45pm. I am getting all other locals strong and I am getting zero on the signal meter for WABC-DT.

Scott

Still down.

How come Whoopi is not in HD on WNBC-DT ?

Scott

I hope it's back up by 10:00 for Line of Fire.

Originally posted by Scott G
WABC-DT is apparently off the air since about 6:45pm. I am getting all other locals strong and I am getting zero on the signal meter for WABC-DT.

Scott Back now (8:30 pm)

Originally posted by oprig
50-5 is broadcast from 8pm to midnight and is PBS HD (during this time 50-2 & 50-3 are not broadcast)

Has anyone here noticed that PBS picture is noticably soft? (out of Montclair anyway) They're broadcasting at a lower bitrate- My Hipix reports 14.6 mbps. Should be closer to 19.

I'm really disappointed, I've been a huge donor.....must be because of darned multicasting, if so, hope it's not permanent. :(
-David

How come none of the NBC shows are in HD tonight on WNBC-DT ? They are supposed to be in HD, yet all of them are in 4:3.

Scott

Originally posted by imajazz
where can i find a list of all the hd channels broadcasted ota in nyc metro area? i just had digital io hd box installed through cablevision. but i only have cbs and fox (not hd really) as local hd channels.

thinking of getting a hd box and an ota antenna.

would i be able to use the scientific atlantic 4200hd box with an ota antenna and get local hd channels?

thanks.

The SA box doesnt have the ability to accept OTA - really bad move on Cablevision and TWC not to pressure SA to include this as there big competitors boxes have this (D* and E*).

Originally posted by Remus
Thanks Calabs. I wondered what Caller ID was when looking at feature listings of different receivers. Never concluded it as a signal strength meter.

Anyone know of an external signal meter I can hook into the signal path?

I think you misunderstood what I said. Caller ID and signal strength are two separate features. Caller ID is essentially.........well............Caller ID. If the receiver is hooked up to a phone line, and you subsribe to caller ID with your phone co., when a phone call comes in while your watching TV, the caller ID info will appear on the screen. I was just saying that these two features (caller ID and SS) are features that are not available on the new Hughes. However, I believe that a new software upgrade may be coming that may upgrade the receiver to have Caller ID.

Is that clear? :p

thanks. so i guess if i want to view ota hd...i'll have to get a different hd box. hmm...more money to spend.

do most of you guys have the same hd boxes? is there a recommended list of hd boxes? i don't need the best. just something that works consistently in a fair price range.

Crystal clear Calabs - thanx again.

Hey people, I need some help or advice. Every time we have adverse weather cond. I loose a few ch. sometimes it is WNBC-DT & WABC-DT. Other times it can be just the WB or FOX. After the storm has passed the ch. sometimes don't come back, I have to re-scan & even that doesn't work. A few hours or sometimes a few days the ch. eventually come back. Does any one have a mits w/integrated tuner that has this prob.? Could it be the networks & not my tv. Thanks for any help you can provide. peace

fmonkey-

Originally posted by dcarl
Has anyone here noticed that PBS picture is noticably soft? (out of Montclair anyway) They're broadcasting at a lower bitrate- My Hipix reports 14.6 mbps. Should be closer to 19.

I'm really disappointed, I've been a huge donor.....must be because of darned multicasting, if so, hope it's not permanent. :(
-David

A lot of their programming is not HD. They list it on theie site as LetterBoxed. I have noticed that when they do show HD it is a little soft compared to the "Loop" we use to get.

WABC-DT has been off the air all day today. I hope this is not the start of some major problems.

Scott

I don't have the WB either. PBS was on yesterday and now it is out too.

fmonkey-

Originally posted by Scott G
WABC-DT has been off the air all day today. I hope this is not the start of some major problems.

Scott

WABC-DT is now back on the air.

Has anyone noticed WNBC-DT has now gone to the 4:3 screen on SD shows. I kind of liked the 14:9 screen they used before.

Scott

Whats wrong with NBC??? I was watching ER tonight and its in 4:3.... I had it in HD format.... whats up with that?

It was SD because of the last second editing of the show.

They had to blur the scene when they were trying to resuscitate the 80-year old mother of the Haitian woman with whooping cough.

I'm suspecting that they didn't have HD equipment to do the same action on the HD tape.

The networks are currently suffering from post breast exposure syndrome.

Fmonkey - I can't speak for NYC but in NJ CBS goes out in bad weather before CBS in Philly (and I'm only 23 air miles from NYC).

I haven't lost CBS for days but it's not unusual for a little precip to knock it off the air.

Rick

That's odd. I'm a little further from you and using an indoor antenna, and have NEVER lost WCBS-DT.

What in the world is going on WABC-DT this morning ? I am showing a signal strength of 95 % on the signal meter yet my receive and integrated TV both show no signal screens and no picture. There seems to be a signal, but yet the TV and decoder both do not see a signal. How weird is that. How is everyone's WABC-DT working this morning ?

Thanks,

Scott

I had similar weird reception last night. Haven't checked yet this morning. They usually resolve these things by prime time.

It is just a little weird when the signal meter shows a strong signal yet the TV and/or decoder says no signal.

Scott

Originally posted by cpto
Fmonkey - I can't speak for NYC but in NJ CBS goes out in bad weather before CBS in Philly (and I'm only 23 air miles from NYC).

I haven't lost CBS for days but it's not unusual for a little precip to knock it off the air.

Rick

Never noticed weather related problems with WCBS-DT however the Fox signals drops off dramatically during heavy rain storms. Last night was one of those instances.

Thanks, cpto. I don't understand if it is me or the networks. A week ago I had 4 PBS-DT ch. They looked great. Now they are all gone. Does any one know if PBS was testing?

fmonkey-

Scratch my prior post. It was the network I would gather b'cause I now have PBS-NJN,PBS-KIDS,PBS-YOU & PBS-DT. These are the ID's my mit's tuner display's. Right now it is great I get ALL DT locals except WOR which is b'casting anaYukkylog. I am receiving a great picture from WCBS-DT,WNBC-DT,WNYW-DT(FOX) & it's sub WOR, WABC-DT & The WB & all it's subs as I mentioned above. Now they have to work on being consistent. peace

fmonkey-

I live in the huntington area of long island about 40 miles east of nyc , can someone tell me if i can recieve ota hdtv from this distance? and if so what kind of antennae should i buy?

You can search the posts there are posts of the best antenna's to use & most members have there location in there profile. Check your line of site, if there is little obstruction you should get reception. 40 miles is not that far & there are other members in your area getting NYC local DT ch. Try mounting as high as you can safely go. good luck

fmonkey-

Originally posted by jackw
I live in the huntington area of long island about 40 miles east of nyc , can someone tell me if i can receive ota hdtv from this distance? and if so what kind of antennae should i buy?

Anyone else notice that there is an OLD western on 7-2 right now while the Lakers game is on 7-1/7???

I'm getting WABC_DT OTA....I only noticed it because I just hooked up a new HD STB today to my Triple LNB and then to my OTA antenna........I guess this is "The Mouse's" Multi-casting type idea eh?
:confused:

Yea, I have noticed this for a week or so, the multi-casting any how. More choices bring in more viewers. Let's hope it does not deteriorate there HD prg when it is on.

fmonkey-

Originally posted by jaypb
Anyone else notice that there is an OLD western on 7-2 right now while the Lakers game is on 7-1/7???

I'm getting WABC_DT OTA....I only noticed it because I just hooked up a new HD STB today to my Triple LNB and then to my OTA antenna........I guess this is "The Mouse's" Multi-casting type idea eh?
:confused:

Now that we are almost to the middle of Feb, is there anyone who could possibly update us on the combiner? Are we still looking at around April first?

Thanks in advance for any new info!

Doug

A perfect example. Right now hockey in HD on WABC-DT 7.01 Looks great here. Meanwhile WABC-DT 7.02 Has a talk show on upconverted SD. It seems okay multi-casting just two 2 ch IMO.

fmonkey-

Has WABC increased their signal strength yet? I remember there was talk of them doubling the kW. Reason I ask is, I am getting a strong signal right now, and i have NO antenna hooked up. Nothing. Just a 50 ft coaxial cable connected to nothing at all. I unhooked my antenna after the 1st period of the NHL all-star game, and to my suprise, I didn't lose the signal. I guess the long cable run is acting as a pseudo-antenna.

I have no idea if they increased there pwer. But they where sporatic here the last couple of days, maybe they where testing. But that is amazing you where still getting reception with just a wire. Can the average joe do that! ;)

fmonkey

Originally posted by trekkerj
Has WABC increased their signal strength yet? I remember there was talk of them doubling the kW. Reason I ask is, I am getting a strong signal right now, and i have NO antenna hooked up. Nothing. Just a 50 ft coaxial cable connected to nothing at all. I unhooked my antenna after the 1st period of the NHL all-star game, and to my suprise, I didn't lose the signal. I guess the long cable run is acting as a pseudo-antenna.

Has anyone noticed any weakening in WABC-DT's signal over the past couple of nights? I'm in northern Westchester and had been getting good, solid signal strength for most of the winter -- especially during those really cold spells. However, the past few nights I've been down in the "Bad" zone, causing frequent break-ups on Sunday and virtually no signal at all last night. What's going on? Is it atmospheric, or what?

Weakening? :) Like I mentioned earlier, I've been getting a solid lock on ABC the past couple of days WITHOUT an antenna connected to my receiver. I'm dumbfounded. I wanted to know if they INCREASED power....

A couple of things -

ABC, at 720P, can get away with multicasting whereas CBS at 1080i can not. It seems they are devoting very little bandwidth to their second channel so there should be no loss in PQ.

Someone from the WB told me that March was out of the question for the combiner project. I am guessing this means early April is also out of the question.

I recently heard from a well-placed engineering type that we're looking at June. I'd have thought they'd want to be live by the May sweeps, but I guess the job is just not getting done on time.

June? dammit, this should have been done already. I was hoping to be able to pull in WB without dropouts before the season ended. By June, everything's over anyway, what's the point?

Originally posted by trekkerj
June? dammit, this should have been done already. I was hoping to be able to pull in WB without dropouts before the season ended. By June, everything's over anyway, what's the point?

Can you say Reruns!?!?!

Reruns and Mets games. Whoopee!!!

Originally posted by jackw
I live in the huntington area of long island about 40 miles east of nyc , can someone tell me if i can recieve ota hdtv from this distance? and if so what kind of antennae should i buy?
You should be able to definitely get CBS, FOX, ABC,PBS and possibly NBC
from the Huntington area. The Channel Master 4228 is widely used.
try http://www.antennaweb.org
for more information.
-Dan

According to TitanTV, HD on WWOR-DT is coming on March 1st. Does anyone know if this is real or will it be delayed yet again?

Andy

Pay no attention to the dates on titantv.

Yeah, I heard from a second network affiliate engineer yesterday that June is the most likely implementation of the combiner.

That combiner project is the most delayed thing I have ever heard of. Every three or four months they push it back another three months. Why is is I suspect in June they will say it will happen in September for the falll season ? Then Septmember they will say by year end, etc. etc. etc. That thing is so delayed it is getting ridiculous. I am a little sick of hearing about the combiner and its constant delays.

Scott

I still say it's a race between the combiner completion and the Freedom Tower completion.

As frustrating as the wait has been, it does seem like they are finally moving ahead on this project, and that a June target is achievable. Previously, when dates ranging from last August, to November, to March were being bandied about, the combiner construction hadn't even started. Now, the work really is underway.
Also, I think you've got to give a lot of credit to the engineering staffs at WABC, WNBC and WPIX for erecting temporary digital transmitters that have provided digital reception for a great many, if not all, OTA/HD viewers in metro NYC. I've spoken to these guys and they really are a very friendly, responsive and dedicated group of broadcast professionals.

By any chance if you know the Digital signal for WABC-DT is also coming from ESB. According to the antennaweb.org the compass orientation for CBS, ABC, and WNYW-DT are in the same direction (from my location) but I cannot receive anything from ABC. :confused:

WABC-DT is currently being broadcast from a transmitter tower on top of the Conde Nast building. When the combiner's completed, it will serve as a back-up for WABC. It's only about 10 blocks from the ESB and just a bit west, so whatever point-of-reference antennaweb is using, you should be able to get reception by aiming in the same cirection as WCBS-DT and WNYW-DT. However, it's not quite the same signal strength as those two.

ABC is coming from the 4 times square building.

As for the others, I too applaud WABC and WNBC for the temporary solutions, but wish WPIX would do something to increase their transmission power, like also moving to Times Square. But, it probably doesn't make financial sense. You should see what I have to do just to lock into their signal, which breaks up very often even when I do. Barely watchable. That's what I was looking forward to with this project--getting them back on UHF 33 for reliable reception. Unless you are right near the city or have a outside antenna, it's real tough, if not impossible, to pull them in.

You think you've got trouble, trekkerj?
I'm right in the west side of Manhattan and I've been unable to pick up NBC-DT,
although I do receive all the other local channels including 3 subchannels of WNET.
Anyone else on the westside who can pickup NBC?

If I could, I'd trade you NBC for WPIX. :) NBC's HD is terrible. You're not missing anything. They must use really old equipment, because it's the softest looking 'HD' i've seen. I'd much rather watch Angel without a million breakups of the audio and video.

I'm on the westside (W69 btwn CPW & Columbus) and I get NBC-DT fine -- never had a peak out of WNET-DT on the signal meter.

Originally posted by trumpace
I'm right in the west side of Manhattan and I've been unable to pick up NBC-DT, although I do receive all the other local channels including 3 subchannels of WNET.
Hadn't heard WNET-DT had switched to 3 subchannels, which apparently WNJN PBS in N.J. also transmits. Is WNET-DT attempting "true" 1080i with three subchannels? How is WNET's OTA 1080i fidelity these days? (BTW, can't get NBC-DT, or anything but WCBS-DT, on the eastside parallel to all the stations. -- John

Originally posted by trekkerj
If I could, I'd trade you NBC for WPIX. :) NBC's HD is terrible. You're not missing anything. They must use really old equipment, because it's the softest looking 'HD' i've seen. I'd much rather watch Angel without a million breakups of the audio and video.

I believe the the exciter is pretty new and state of the art. The afterburner is a loaner tho. HD video is actually quite good. Audio is acceptable.
Let's see what everyone on ESB looks like after the big "combiner" is finally completed.
MHz

What I meant was that whatever process the use to transfer film to HD doesn't do a very good job. Stuff like Leno on video is fine, though.

Originally posted by John Mason
Hadn't heard WNET-DT had switched to 3 subchannels, which apparently WNJN PBS in N.J. also transmits. Is WNET-DT attempting "true" 1080i with three subchannels? How is WNET's OTA 1080i fidelity these days? (BTW, can't get NBC-DT, or anything but WCBS-DT, on the eastside parallel to all the stations. -- John

John: Actually WNET-DT has been broadcasting on 3 subchannels for some time.
13-1 seems to be mostly 1080i, the HD loop + some HD shows. 13-2 kids channel (SD)_, 13-3, same as WNET analog.
They've recently added a fourth subchannel, 13-111, no video, contents unknown.

Does anyone know what 13-111 is?

Originally posted by jackw
I live in the huntington area of long island about 40 miles east of nyc , can someone tell me if i can recieve ota hdtv from this distance? and if so what kind of antennae should i buy?

You can definitely receive OTA from that distance. I'm in Huntington Station (right near Jericho Tpke & Rte 110). I'm able to get CBS, NBC, Fox, ABC, PBS (channel 21) all of the time. From time to time, I'm also able to receive WPIX.

I have a Channel Master 3678 UHF/VHF antenna with a rotor. I got this combination so that I could receive ABC via channel 8 in Connecticut before WABC went on the air. I rarely use the rotor anymore, but channel 21 reception is better if I rotate the antenna a little bit.

I'm going to assume that you live north of me. If that's the case, and you want to receive PBS on channel 21, you probably want to get a rotor. If you live south of me, the tower for channel 21 is probably somewhat in line with direction of the Empire State Building. In that case, a rotor is probably not necessary.

I just received my TS360 and will not be setting up the 3LNB dish until next weekend, but I wanted to see what I could get OTA. I had some rabbit ears/loop laying around and I am able to get WCBS on CH56. I live near the top of Mine Hill in Morris Cty and may put up a real antenna soon, but just wanted to see what OTA digital TV would look like.

Last night I tuned into CSI because the CBS site says it is in HD. My picture did not look so great to me ... about comparible to what I see on DirecTV. Any solid backgrounds looked soft, snowy, fuzzy to me ... not what I would expect from an HD broadcast.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I am using the DVI cable to attach to my Sony KP57WV700 ... could that be it? Could it be low signal strength? I had pixellation a couple of times for a second or 2 in a 5 minute stretch. I could just wait the week and see what the DTV feed of CBS looks like but I see so many knowledgeable people here that I thought I would ask if anyone has a tip that could help.

If you are saying that the CSI in HD looked similar to the regular version on DirecTV, then you are doing something wrong.

The trick for me will be to figure out what I am doing wrong. I will need to keep researching ... I was hoping that things would be fairly automatic using the DVI cable.

It didn't look the same as the DirecTV channel 2, but I wouldn't call it much better. I have seen some Discovery HD at a friends house and was blown away by what that looked like ... this was not nearly that good.

Then maybe you're not doing anything wrong. Pretty much all TV shows are shot on film, and then transferred to HD. Don't expect that to look like DiscoveryHD, which uses HD video (same as live sports events). Still, it should look a lot better than your regular SD ch 2 version. Especially on those shots of the strip in Vegas. To maximize the experience, make sure you tv is calibrated either professionally, or by yourself using the Video Essentials or Avia discs. Usually people tend to have the brightness and constrast set WAY too high, which can damage the set and wash out the picture. Make sure the viewing environment is as dark as possible.

When watching any program that purports to be "HD" you're going to see great variance in PQ between, say, a live event in the sunshine using HD cameras, like a football game; HD video productions, ala Discovery Theatre HD; an HD upconversion of an old TV show or movie, e.g., Charlie's Angels; and current TV shows shot on either film or video and upscaled to HD, e.g., CSI, Everybody Loves Raymond, etc. Plus, the indoor shots on a show like CSI are deliberately made to look shadowy and moody. (Funny, since most labs and police headquarters I've ever seen are brightly lit with flourescent lights.)

Sorry, I seem to be repeating the same thing as Trekkerj. I posted my reply before seeing his. What is it they say?.....Great minds think alike?

Currently, I am using an RS Double Bowtie with the Channel Master preamp for OTA HD. I can get CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX with signal strength around the 80's (some lower and some higher) and occassionally I can get 28 (which I think is WILW) and 40 which seems to be some spanish language station, both weakly. I cannot get any PBS reliably and because the RS Double Bowtie is UHF only I can't get WB.

I am going to have to do some work when my HD-Tivo comes to run the extra line from the dish. I am wondering if it's worth the extra effort to put an outdoor antenna up. I was thinking about something like this

http://www.tvantenna.com/products/tvreception/tvantennas/winegard/sensar.html

If I can get 80's indoor I am sure my signal strength roof top would be near 100% for all channels. I'm just not sure it's worth the effort. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

From brooklyn, you should be able to pick up at least a blip from WPIX even with the UHF. If you're not, your preamp is probably UHF and is filtering out the VHF. If so, try connecting the antenna directly to the STB and try VHF ch 12.

For PBS, try ch 50 (WNJN). It's pretty strong. WLIW should be very possible also. I am getting it from NJ using the same set up. Point the antenna toward Eastern Long Island, and tune to ch 22.

I have the Channel Master 7777. Do I have it configuired incorrectly? I have the cable from the RS Double bowtie going into combined jack.

http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=ANC7777&xzoom=zoomA#xview

I am in south Brooklyn & get CBS-DT,WNBC-DT,WNYW-DT It'S analog sub WOR, WABC-DT 7.01&0.2 the WB & all it's subs & PBS & It's 4 or 5 subs. The WB has changed once again. They are on 11.01 & .02 + 12.01 & 0.2 & ch 75.01 all OTA with a dual band vhf/uhf terk antenna on a 2 story with little obstruction heading toward NYC. peace

fmonkey-

The 7777 should be good enough. Even from 30 miles out I get a peep on ch 12 with the RS double bow tie. However, if I want to actually lock in, I need to use a vhf antenna. Try a pair of rabbit ears, open them 1/3 - 1/2 of the way, and see what happens.

Originally posted by offandon
I just received my TS360 and will not be setting up the 3LNB dish until next weekend, but I wanted to see what I could get OTA. ... My picture did not look so great to me ... about comparible to what I see on DirecTV. Any solid backgrounds looked soft, snowy, fuzzy to me ... not what I would expect from an HD broadcast.

It sounds like you have the same setup I had. I have an old single LNB round dish. I got a TS360 and am waiting for the triple LNB to be installed. In the meantime I setup the TS360 to get OTA stations. I then swapped in the TS360 and activated it with Directv. I was surprised to find I now get CBS-HD on channel 80 from Directv even though I have my old round dish.

Consider activating your 360 with Directv while you wait for the dish to be changed.

CBS-HD on channel 80 and OTA look the same. I am using a SS antenna indoors. Doings some A/B tests with the Directv CBS SD channel I see the difference. With some program material it is more obvious then other.

I am using a DVI cable into s Sony 34XBR910. Make sure you have set the preferences in the 360 for your TV to be 16:9 and slide open the bottom of the remote and toggle the format button until you get 16:9 Full while on the CBS HDTV channel.

It seems like many of the 360 defults are not the best for pure HDTV feeds.

Allen

Is anyone having some issues with WABC tonight? I've NEVER had a single problem with them, but tonight, I am getting periodic dropouts of zero signal.

Allen, thanks for the tip. I tuned into JAG for a while and switched back and forth between Ch 2 on DTV and Ch 2-1 OTA. I can see a definite improvement OTA, but I think I may have been expecting a little too much. I can't wait for some sports to watch in HDTV ... I hear it is awesome.

Originally posted by trekkerj
Is anyone having some issues with WABC tonight? I've NEVER had a single problem with them, but tonight, I am getting periodic dropouts of zero signal.

No. I find that I have to adjust my indoor every couple of weeks or so. I am within 12 miles of NYC.

Must be something locally that is causing problems. My indoor is in the same spot, no problems. NBC is fine. Oh well, probably a temporary anomaly.

ABC is doing alot HD testing this morning on the OTA signal. Check it out if your up its around 8:07 am.

tony

Some of the pieces in the test loop should put to rest any doubts about how exceptionally good 720p can look.

Test is still happening at 11:45am.

regarding CBS, DirecTV & offandon,

I get 1080 reception for CBS only via my rooftop. DirecTV CH. 2 is not HD and I would argue that Ch. 80 on D* is HD, it is not 1080. My only test was during the superbowl. My experience in S/E Nassau is that OTA CBS has the strongest signal and best piture at 1080i. YMMV

Thanks for posting about the ABC HD test loop. It's still running at 12:45PM.

I just got a Samsung TS-360 OTA feed running this week to my XBR910 so it was a great demo for me of what HDTV can look like. It's interesting that the test loop looks like it was from Feb 1999. One clip shows the WTC.

I'm ready for HD MNF on ABC in the fall.

Allen

Loop:
Also shows the Met Life Building still under construction. Good Day NY in HD with Diane Sawyer talking about 720p. Monsters Inc looks awesome.

WOW!, NASCAR in HD on WNBC-DT. I just got home from work I had no idea. A loop on WABC-DT, & A SS speaker test. What is this about?
Edited: I just notice where some one posted that this WABC-DT loop is on w/pattern tests & speaker tests. Thanks for the heads up. Does any one know as to why they are doing this just OTA, cablevision has college basketball on CV CBS-DT. WABC-DT looking great & real serious about HD. peace

fmonkey-:D

For the record WABC-DT were also showing the loops today on TWCNYC.

Anyone else using OTA seeing shooting black lines on 7-1's presentation of "The Princess Diaries"???

I'm getting it on all 3 of my E86's OTA from 2 different antennas.

Guess no one is watching this cheesy flick eh? :p

Originally posted by jaypb
Anyone else using OTA seeing shooting black lines on 7-1's presentation of "The Princess Diaries"???

I'm getting it on all 3 of my E86's OTA from 2 different antennas.

Guess no one is watching this cheesy flick eh? :p


For the 5 mins I watched on WABC, the lines were there (except they were shooting white lines for me??). The Phil affiliate, WPVI did not have these lines. WPVI generally has no problems while it seems WABC is still working out the kinks.

Originally posted by jaypb
Anyone else using OTA seeing shooting black lines on 7-1's presentation of "The Princess Diaries"???

I'm getting it on all 3 of my E86's OTA from 2 different antennas.

Guess no one is watching this cheesy flick eh? :p


Unless you have a pre teen daughter or niece, why would you watch it?

Originally posted by dm145
Unless you have a pre teen daughter or niece, why would you watch it?

Because it's in HD or course ;)

Honestly, I'll tool by most anything that I notice is in HD to see how the PQ/transfer looks. I guess no one was tooling by 7-1 last night then. There was a plethora of HD programming on last night.......most notably basketball programming. Which is a GOOD thing.

I'm about 10 miles from the ESB, with a clear line of sight. Will I be able to get WPIX with just an indoor antenna?

Your best bet is to try, I am about 7 miles & get the WB. Try to get a dealer who will give you a refund if it doesn't work for you. If at all possible get an out door antenna, a dual band uhf/vhf that would be your best shot at maximum reception. Good luck

fmonkey-

Originally posted by Unoriginal Nick
I'm about 10 miles from the ESB, with a clear line of sight. Will I be able to get WPIX with just an indoor antenna?

I currently have a Channel Master 4228 with aWinegard AP4800 preamp and get all the locals well except for WPIX-DT. My preamp is UHF only and I would need a VHF/UHF preamp such as the Winegard AP8275 or the Channel Master 7777 to get WPIX-DT. I would love to try one of these preamps, but I would like it to be returnable if I try it and it does not bring in WPIX-DT. Does anyone know of anyone place in the NY area or online I can buy a preamp, and try it where it is returnable if it does not work ? I want to buy one, but keep it only if it works for WPIX-DT.

Thanks for the help.

Scott

Channel 4-1 is either late in presenting the HD version of Shrek or someone is asleep at the wheel.

What's that phone #? My kids are SCREAMING at me now that I told them Shrek would be on in HD!

:mad:

Originally posted by feloniousmonkey
Your best bet is to try, I am about 7 miles & get the WB. Try to get a dealer who will give you a refund if it doesn't work for you. If at all possible get an out door antenna, a dual band uhf/vhf that would be your best shot at maximum reception. Good luck

fmonkey-

Thanks. Unfortunately, an outdoor antenna isn't an option for me. I still haven't decided which HDTV card I'm getting, so I have a little time to research for good antennas.

Scott G

I'm in Westbury and I'm using a Channel Master 7777 with a Channel Master 4248 UHF only antenna and I receive WPIX-DT without any issues. I picked it up at L&L in Syosset. Slightly more than the cheapest online but they had in in stock. Their web site is:

http://www.lnl.com/

I also have a Channel Master 9521A rotator which helps when picking up NBC-DT and WLIR-DT

NBC constantly switches to HD late. ABC has black lines through lower third of screen (a couple of weeks ago it was flashing/flickering). I guess CBS is the only major in the #1 market that knows how to produce HD. Jeers NBC/ABC, cheers CBS.

Originally posted by dm145
I guess CBS is the only major in the #1 market that knows how to produce HD.
Yeah, now if they can only figure out how not to make the commercials so much louder than the programming, to get Dolby Digital 5.1 to work for scripted programming and to avoid audio drop-outs on DD live programming.

Originally posted by dm145
NBC constantly switches to HD late. ABC has black lines through lower third of screen (a couple of weeks ago it was flashing/flickering). I guess CBS is the only major in the #1 market that knows how to produce HD. Jeers NBC/ABC, cheers CBS.

I think this is due to the timeframe these DT stations have been up. Philly's NBC and ABC don't seem to have the same problems that the NYC stations do. I'm sure they'll work out the kinks by the time the combiner goes up.

The NBC late-switching problem is a national issue for NBC, as the programming forum points out. Just take "Shrek" last night which switched to HD 15 minutes in.

Just got my GWIII for valentines day, picked up the $300 OTA Motorola Box from CC ($250 after rebate) and a silver sensor. I had some trouble picking up more than two channels at a time without moving the antenna here in Elmont. Then I tilted the antenna about 75 degrees up in the corner of my room and hit a sweet spot where i pick up NBC, ABC, CBC, FOX, and WLIW-HD in garden city without having to move the thing at all! Wonderful picture and the box was a great deal. Interface is a bit cheesy but I don't care since it does what's advertised.

I've always had difficulty getting a stable signal from WPIX with my Silver Sensor. It was always on the borderline of coming in strong enough because the frequency is too low for the SS. I'm sure this is pretty unconventional, but I clipped on a couple of aluminum clamps (about 3" long) to the ends of the longest dipole and now get a strong signal on PIX without adversely affecting the others. Since PIX is broadcasting in the high VHF range, the SS Antenna isn't designed to pick it up, but with this easy modification to the longest dipole (lowest freq.), CH 12 pulls in. I would think large paper clips would work as well. This will be great until WPIX switches over to UHF.

hi everyone, i'm new to the forum as well as hdtv. just want to thank you all for the info that's in this forum. really helped me out when picking out a hd receiver.

was just wondering if people had problems with CSI last night.. i had so many dropouts that it was unwatchable. i usually get pretty good reception from cbs, was just bad last night.

thanks