Originally posted by lee eiseman
Did anyone notice that WGBH aired "Kiss Me Kate" in HDTV last night?

Their marketing people claim to have no advanced knowledge of when the PBS HDTV feed will transmit actual programming instead of the endless HDTV loop. It was a good show except for dropouts every five minutes. Also. directors need to learn that they can use more long shots in HDTV. We don't need talking and singing heads anymore.


Lee

Yes, "Kiss Me Kate" was very good. Don't worry, the use of "long shots" are increasing [both in theater as in sports] as 35mm expertise is applied to the "small screen."

It is the licensing issues that prevent more "actual programming", so keep supporting PBS.

As for the schedules... (search the HDTV programming thread for websites that list the PBS satellite feed schedule, for a format that you like). I saw in a few listings where "Kiss Me Kate" was listed at 8 and 11 pm.

I did briefly check the WGBH but didn't notice any problems.
(A lot of atmospherics can come into play and cause havoc with both signal strength and multipath. Fortunately, we have a long history on this thread of antenna selecting, positioning, tweaking, etc. as well as the pecularities of the various STBs.) If your STB has some kind of signal quality meter, see how steady it is...that will give a good
indication whether you need more tweaking.

--
I normally opt for the PBS satellite feeds...they are a little sharper (WGBH-HD shares the bandwidth with digital channel 2).

I saw that 2 Sox games are planned in HD on ESPN-HD. Question on audio for Bob on Sox games, will the games be in stereo or Pro Logic surround on UPN 38 (NTSC) this year?

WSBK/WBZ will be airing some of the Sox games this year. We are looking into the possibility of airing at least one game in HD but nothing confirmed at this point. Haven't even thought about the audio yet.

I can't answer the UPN Enterprise question. I'll look into it.

- Bob

Originally posted by mgpt6
I saw that 2 Sox games are planned in HD on ESPN-HD. Question on audio for Bob on Sox games, will the games be in stereo or Pro Logic surround on UPN 38 (NTSC) this year? That's great. Only problem is nobody seems to be carrying ESPN-HD.

I got my Promise Module installed yesterday on my Mits WS65807, and here are some observations. The OTA digital channels come in beautifully, better than on my Hughes receiver. The Boston stations all map to their virtual channels except WHDH-DT which comes in on 42-1. I've tried several channel searches, and 7 refuses to go to 7-1. While I'm not sure I can make a case for spending $1,000 on this module, it does feel like I just got a brand new TV. Note to Bob Hess...please do a Sox game in HD! With my new toy, I can tape the game and keep it for posterity.

Originally posted by Benji
Note to Bob Hess...please do a Sox game in HD! With my new toy, I can tape the game and keep it for posterity.

Make sure you tape a game in April or May---you most likely won't want to keep any from a later date. Damn, I'm cynical already and it's only February.

Did anyone else have a problem with audio dropouts viewing CSI last night? It was very annoying.

Originally posted by elbig
Did anyone else have a problem with audio dropouts viewing CSI last night? It was very annoying. I'll let you know after I watch it. I taped it on my new toys.

Originally posted by Bob Hess
WSBK/WBZ will be airing some of the Sox games this year. We are looking into the possibility of airing at least one game in HD but nothing confirmed at this point. Haven't even thought about the audio yet.

I can't answer the UPN Enterprise question. I'll look into it.

- Bob

Bob,

I really hope you guys are able to get an Red Sox game or two this season in HD. That would be fantastic!

Benji...What new toys? HD PC? I can't wait for HD Tivo! I am so frustrated with audio dropout. I have the Sony sd200 and I hear they have a known problem so I am not sure what the problem is (my equipment or the broadcast). I get it much more on CBS 4.1 than anything else so I am suspicious about their signal.

Originally posted by Benji
The Boston stations all map to their virtual channels except WHDH-DT which comes in on 42-1. I've tried several channel searches, and 7 refuses to go to 7-1.

Your problem seems to be related to my problem, which is that WHDH-DT comes on my Panny TU-HDS20 on 42-1, but also generates a blank carrier on 7-1 with no program information. It is impossible to delete 7-1 without also deleting 42-1. Even more interesting, the station ID on 42-1 is WLVI-DT, which is channel 41-1. It remaps correctly to 56-1 on the Panny but does not remap on the Sammy SIR-T150. Curiouser and curiouser.

Benji- ESPN-HD launches March 31. Tech who put in my 5100 box told me that Comcast is talking about ESPN-HD. I dont know when it may come on,but there is the possibility.

Originally posted by dhg
Your problem seems to be related to my problem, which is that WHDH-DT comes on my Panny TU-HDS20 on 42-1, but also generates a blank carrier on 7-1 with no program information. It is impossible to delete 7-1 without also deleting 42-1. Even more interesting, the station ID on 42-1 is WLVI-DT, which is channel 41-1. It remaps correctly to 56-1 on the Panny but does not remap on the Sammy SIR-T150. Curiouser and curiouser.


I've been trying out several different OTA receivers over the past month, and have seen differences in how they each maps the stations. The Samsung SIR-T165 mapped everything correctly except for 41-1 (WLVI-DT). Overall this unit ended up having too many reception problems where the other receivers were more tolerant. I also ran into the same problem with WHDH-DT as mentioned above with the Panasonic TUDST52. 42-1 would appear, and the box understood that it got remapped to 7-1, but it would never display the picture if tuned to 7-1 (and you couldn't delete it). The Zenith HDV420 seems to work the best of the 3 tried to date. 42-1 sometimes maps to 7-1 and sometimes it doesn't. 41-1 sometimes remaps to 56-1 and sometimes it doesn't.

My short time experience with OTA HDTV has shown me one thing I'd say is a definite trend... WBZ-DT (4-1) is the only local station that has provided quality consistant service and seems to be taking DTV seriously at this point.

Hi lnh,

How did you like the Pann TUDST52? There seems to be a dearth of information available on this model.

Originally posted by elbig
Benji...What new toys? HD PC? I can't wait for HD Tivo! I am so frustrated with audio dropout. I have the Sony sd200 and I hear they have a known problem so I am not sure what the problem is (my equipment or the broadcast). I get it much more on CBS 4.1 than anything else so I am suspicious about their signal.
Other than your comment, I have not had any phone calls or emails about audio dropouts on WBZ (and believe me when I say that based on the phone calls and emails I have received there are a bunch of DTV viewers out there beyond those on this forum. I am surprised at all of the early adopters who have called me and are totally unaware of this forum!). If anything goes wrong many, many viewers let me know about it. I was watching last night and did not notice any problems at my house.

By the way, on another subject, the Panasonic TU-DST52 is a very impressive little package - and I mean "little". In very non-scientific tests, we have found this receiver to be superior to most other receivers for indoor antenna reception. The remote control is small and user friendly. Pictures seem to look fine. The receiver is digital only (no analog channels) and over-the-air or 8VSB cable only (no satellite). Check the hardware section of this forum for more detailed comments.

Bob Hess
Director, Broadcast Operations/Engineering
WBZ-TV, UPN38, UPN28, WBZ-AM

I noticed 3 or 4 times when the picture and sound froze on my taping of CSI mostly during the 2nd half-hour, but it wasn't really too bad. I love the 24-hr. DD 5.1 on WBZ. I hope this is permanent and not just BZ running tests.

Originally posted by jckessler
Hi lnh,

How did you like the Pann TUDST52? There seems to be a dearth of information available on this model.

The picture from the TUDST52 and Zenith were both good, but the Panasonic lacks some features you get on the Zenith at a similar price. Panasonic doesn't have a VGA output, nor can it output at native 720p resolution. The Panasonic seemed to loose all configuration/channel data when unplugged (or from a momentary power failure). This is a pain given the frequency of power outages here in metro-west. Zenith signal meter is a single press of a button on the remote, and it has a OSD while viewing the show. Panasonic requires that you go into the setup menus to see the signal meter and if I remember correctly you don't see the actual broadcast while the signal meter is on. On the plus side, the Panasonic has some setup menus that the Zenith doesn't (e.g. black or grey bars in letterbox mode & setup for 4:3 or 16:9 monitor aspect ratio). The Panasonic also gives a more pleasing letterbox on a 4:3 while the Zenith seems a bit too compressed in the vertical dimension. The Zenith has the antenna pass through which is nice for those times when the DTV signal goes bad on you, and you need to switch to NTSC. Don't really know if the antenna pass through has the same 3.5db signal loss of a splitter. Neither box is perfect, but IMHO the Zenith is a *little* more feature rich and leaves you a little bit more future proof. Really wish someone would make a box which allows the user to "hard-code" channel assignments so you aren't dependent on flakey PSIP data (e.g. 42-1).

with my sony 34xbr2, the psip shuffle on whdh continues. it happens often enough that it is clsoe to the "unwatchable" point. it was particularly bad last night during the george foreman segment on the leno show.

Faux DD 5.1 on WBZ for the Springsteen concert? My receiver says 3/2 but there's nothing coming out of the center, rears and no .1! Ugh.

Bob- If you get a chance to speak to the sound engineer, could you please ask him/her not to do this if the source isn't 5.1? I cannot process the sound to Pro-Logic Surround (or any other surround) if my receiver gets a 5.1 signal. So I'm stuck with 2.0 from the fronts and I assume this is at least Dolby Surround...

It was definitely in stereo, nothing coming from center or surrounds, but the concert looked great.

Bob Hess, maybe a rebroadcast at 5am in DD 5.1? I'll set up my HiPix :)

Jim

Bob H,

There are cetain times when the audio breaks up when commercials change or programs switch to/from commercials, but it doesn't happen all the time. I assume this is some kind of equipment limitation and you are already aware of it, will it be remedied any time soon?

It just happened when 48 hours switched to the Dave Letterman promo. I suspect it happens when you switch from the network feed to your local feed.

Thanks,
-Dave

Originally posted by Bob Hess
...on another subject, the Panasonic TU-DST52 is a very impressive little package - and I mean "little". In very non-scientific tests, we have found this receiver to be superior to most other receivers for indoor antenna reception.

Bob - Boy am I glad to hear this. I just ordered one of these to replce my Panny TU-HDS20. Since I no longer use the dish portion and my Elite 510 doesn't accept 720p or DVI, I figured this is the perfect STB for me. I'm definitely looking forward to having a signal meter since I'm in a fairly tough reception area.

On the DD 5.0 audio for the Springsteen concert last night, I had a similar experience to others. My receiver displayed a "3/2" source but no sound from center or surrounds. I experienced this same phenomenon during the Grammy's. Hopefully this is just a glitch in the stream format and these other channels really are there. If not, I agree with DaveFi who suggested you transmit "2/0" (or "2/1") when the audio is not actually 5.X so those of us with DPLII can engage it.

I just noticed that DirecTV's guide now has information for WLVI-DT. Still no data for WSBK-DT or WGBH-HD 2-2/19-2.

Originally posted by D_Doherty
I just noticed that DirecTV's guide now has information for WLVI-DT. Still no data for WSBK-DT or WGBH-HD 2-2/19-2.

I just noticed that as well. I think the reason is they switched from:

WLVI-DT to WLVIDT.

Bob Hess,

Any chance you could try changing WSBK-DT to WSBKDT? I assume this is PSIP data.

Thanks,
-Dave

I don't think it PSIP data, I think PSIP is real time data and the DirecTV guide goes out for two or three days. Somewhere in DirecTV land one of the gods has to link the digital station to the analog station.

I have called DirecTV a couple of times and the response I get is to check with my equipment manufacturer; this is just slightly better help than, "did you try unplugging your receiver for 30 seconds?"

Just wondering if there is anyone in the South Shore area with a JVC HVHS player?

Anyone in the South Shore having problems recieving channels 4 and 5? I can get them to stay on for 20 - 30 minutes and then it fades out. I am using a 34xbr2 with a UHF/VHF anntenna. Does anyone know how I can boost the reception so that it does not fade in and out. I have been trying a lot of different things to no avail. Any suggestions? I am in the Plymouth Area.

WCVB-DT is still switching into Dolby Digital 5.1 during prime time programing for 2.0 sources.:(

Anyone notice that when WHDH-DT switched to " Americans Dreams" into HD from SD feed, that after the switch there was a slight lip sync problem in HD mode that is not there when in SD mode.
Also, does WCVB-DT broadcast the ABC Test Tape every night at 11? It had some fantastic looking clips tonight.

Can anyone point me to a document or anything that would help me in pointing my antenna correctly to remove the fading in and out of the hdtv signal. I have been looking and looking to no avail. I can get it, I just need to make it a little stronger so I don't drop signal. Anyone have any ideas? I am desperate :)

I am alot further from you and I have great reception on all stations except for 56-1

If you are not using a channel master 4228 with the 7775 amp up on the roof, I suggest you start over - bite the bullet - you will be happy you did. You can go to www.starkelectronic.com for these items.

when you have the right antenna use your signal meter on your hdtv reciever to find the strongest signal on one of the major stations (4,5,7) and lock it down.

Good luck

John

Originally posted by importspeed
Can anyone point me to a document or anything that would help me in pointing my antenna correctly to remove the fading in and out of the hdtv signal. I have been looking and looking to no avail. I can get it, I just need to make it a little stronger so I don't drop signal. Anyone have any ideas? I am desperate :)

Try http://www.antennaweb.org

Originally posted by DaveFi
Faux DD 5.1 on WBZ for the Springsteen concert? My receiver says 3/2 but there's nothing coming out of the center, rears and no .1! Ugh.

Bob- If you get a chance to speak to the sound engineer, could you please ask him/her not to do this if the source isn't 5.1? I cannot process the sound to Pro-Logic Surround (or any other surround) if my receiver gets a 5.1 signal. So I'm stuck with 2.0 from the fronts and I assume this is at least Dolby Surround...
The Springsteen concert was not in 5.1. We are currently configured for 3/2 with audio only on the left and right front channels. It is not easy for us to switch. I understand the problem and will see what we can do about it.

Bob

Bob Hess,
Sorry if this has been answered before, but I was wondering why it is that UPN broadcasts digital OTA in a cropped/zoomed widescreen format? Is there anyway that we could get UPN to broadcast programs in their OAR?

I'd like to second Jakes request. The format was really bad for the friday night baseball game. People's heads were cut off a lot. It really feels like you're watching TV with blinders on.

Thanks Bob- this is really a killer for me. It almost makes the programs unwatchable- stereo for everything, no dialogue from the center speaker. News shows like 60mins especially suffers in this format.

Now I'm watching King of Queens, and DD is on and I'm surprised the dialogue is coming from the center. I didn't think any of the CBS shows were 5.1 yet? I don't hear anything from the rear- is this some type of sound imaging done by WBZ?

Anyone else not receiving 25-1 tonight ? All I'm getting is a searching for signal error, but I'm still receiving every other channel fine, even 56-1 which is notoriously bad for me. Anyone else ? I've never had a problem receiving the 25-1 signal before this.

Add me to the list of people who wish UPN 38 would dump the zoom/crop/stretch thing. The Sox game was virtually unwatchable, and I'd rather let my toshiba do the work than be left with 3/4" of a picture.

It looks like FOX is down, no signal strength on the meter for 31.

-Dave

Looks like 25-1 is back up now.

And low and behold, 38-1 isn't cropped right now, it's in a pillar box format ! Hope this is permanent, it's much better. Mmmmm Mish... http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze3rhnb/drool.gif

Bob Hess,

I assume this was your doing! Thank you so much for not cropping channel 39 anymore. OAR is definitely a good thing.

Yes, Bob Hess, it looks SO much better in OAR, thank you very much.

Jim

Bob Hess...third the motion on WSBK. It looks fantastic now. Now can we do something about the soundtrack on WBZ?

Ask and you shall receive! Thanks a lot for fixing the aspect ratio of UPN 38 Bob. You're the man!

I live in Belmont, MA and for some reason I'm unable to pick up Fox's OTA broadcasts. I'm using a Samsung t151 and a Silver Sensor antenna. I have no problems picking up all the other networks (PBS, CBS, NBC, ABC, UPN, WB). I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this problem and has found a solution.

Thanks in advance for your help!

No problems with FOX in Cambridge; it's my most reliable signal.

jckessler have you found that the Fox antenna is in a different location than the other ones?

I think their signal is coming from the same place as the other Boston towers.

Are not even getting a blip on Channel 31?

No. My 151 memorized the channel but I have never been able to get a picture. Do you think that a different OTA tuner could make a difference?

I am running a 151 here in N Attleboro and get the Fox signal, though I do have audio quality problems.

DooDoo, I live in Reading and get Fox in very seldom.All the others come in though.I've got no answers.

Here's a question someone might be able to answer (maybe even Bob Hess, hint hint)...

I have a Samsung TS160 OTA/Directv HDTV receiver... This unit has a cool function where it borrows the guide data it acquires from the directv satellite and applies it to your OTA stations to give you a complete viewing guide to all your channels. It applies the appropriate network logos to for your OTA's in the guide as well. All but one of the OTA channels get mapped correctly and acquire/utilize the proper guide data in this function. The one channel it does not work for is UPN 38. All of the digital OTA channels are listed in the guide and come up as follows : WGBHDT, WBZDT, WCVBDT, WHDHDT, WFXTDT, WSBK-DT, WLVIDT, WUTFDT. Why does WSBK come up with the (-) dash before DT in the entry, unlinke every other channel ? It would seem that dash in WSBK-DT is preventing my box from registering the proper logo/guide data for UPN 38. All I get in the guide is "DTV Program" and I get no program info.

Is this something that would come from the PSIP data from the UPN signal ? (and is that something that can be corrected to remove that [-] dash in WSBK-DT ?)

Hey guys, for some reason I got Fox perfectly last evening. I made no antenna adjustments whatsoever. I don't really understand whats going on. I also have a related question regarding the channel guides. Do people using the 151 receive the guide information from the local stations? My guide shows the channel but says no info. for all stations except WSBK which says DTV Program.

Does anyone know whats going on?

It's not the 151. None of the Boston area stations are currently sending guide information.

I was getting guide information for about 2 days off channel 7 on my Samsung 160 - sometime in the weeks before Comcast started carrying it on cable. Since I don't have a DirecTV subscription, and don't even have a dish for it, I'm pretty sure it wasn't getting the guide off sat.

But, like I said, it just lasted a couple days, and was gone again. I've been wondering what the deal was with that.

Toots...channel 7 has been doing different experiments with its PSIP data and at times has sent program info, and at times has not. Also, its PSIP data has caused certain makes of tuners to lose its signal all together and others not. Currently they are not sending PSIP program info.

If Enterprise is not going to be available in HD, I would prefer the 14:9 zoom and crop - at least for that show, can it be set by timer?

Hopefully Enterprise will start broadcasting in HD sooner rather than later...

I would also still like to see the WSBK-DT station id changed to WSBKDT to see if Direct-TV will correctly provide program information (see my post from a few days ago). When WLVI changed from WLVI-DT to WLVIDT the program guide started working.

-Dave

Do you guys get good reception from WB? It seems to be my weakest signal now that Fox has miraculously straightened itself out. I know there isnt much HD content on there but the picture is still 100x better than cable IMO.

HDorBust, I have to disagree with you on the 14:9 zoom & chop. I would always like to see OAR on all programs.

DooDoo, you don't list your location in your sig so it's difficult to address your reception problems. However, I am in Boston and get excellent reception of WB.

I live in Belmont.

A quick FYI for those not on the WGBH-DT mailing list. I just received the following email and thought it may be of some interest:


Dear _WGBH DT19 & 43 Viewer,

Thank you for your comments, questions and continued interest in WGBH HDTV. We enjoy these opportunities to share our updates with you!

Many of you have asked about the schedule for the PBS loop on WGBH DT19. _We are pleased to say that it is now available at www.ptvdigital.org. _Please keep in mind that this schedule is only for the material on the PBS HD loop, and not for other programming that may be broadcast as we continue our tests of our digital stations.

We hope that you continue to enjoy the programs on WGBH DT19 & 43_as well as those on WGBH 2 & 44.

You can support WGBH by calling us at 800-492-1111 or pledging online at http://www.wgbh.org/pledge . Visit wgbh.org for information about WGBH programs and services and to sign up for our free weekly e-newsletter, @gbh, which includes reminders of upcoming programs on WGBH 2, 44, 89.7, information on your favorite PBS sites, answers to your questions, and the latest WGBH news.

Sincerely,
WGBH Audience and Member Services

WGBH enriches people's lives through programs and services that educate, inspire, and entertain, fostering citizenship and culture, the joy of learning, and the power of diverse perspectives.

I wonder why they would say, "We hope that you continue to enjoy the programs on WGBH DT19 & 43..." when WGBH DT43 isn't even broadcasting a signal? Misleading.

Amen HDorBust, that dash in WSBK-DT is preventing me from getting guide info as well. I wouldn't complain except every other Boston DT station carries the call letter format without the dash (WGBHDT, WBZDT, WCVBDT, WHDHDT, WFXTDT etc). I wish there was a way to get that PSIP data changed to remove the dash....

Originally posted by sha_now
Amen HDorBust, that dash in WSBK-DT is preventing me from getting guide info as well. I wouldn't complain except every other Boston DT station carries the call letter format without the dash (WGBHDT, WBZDT, WCVBDT, WHDHDT, WFXTDT etc). I wish there was a way to get that PSIP data changed to remove the dash....
Calm down, guys....

We're looking into this. We always do. If it is our problem, it will get fixed. I am not going to remove the "dash" unless we are convinced this is the thing to do. We are on the case.

WSBK stays 4x3 for now. We can't switch Enterprise into a 14x9 format. My goal is to get Enterprise to you in honest-to-god HDTV and we're working on it. Not going to happen in the next few weeks, however.

Bob Hess
Director, Broadcast Operations/Engineering
WBZ-TV, WSBK-TV, WLWC-TV, WBZ-AM

Bob Hess...You da man! The Red Sox game looked fantastic (for an SD telecast) in OAR. 4:3 for SD is the only way to go. I am now actually watching programming on UPN38. I could not view the 14:9 blurvision without getting headaches.

Another question for Bob Hess...

Will WBZDT carry the Masters on Thursday & Friday?

Calm down, guys.... We're looking into this. We always do. If it is our problem, it will get fixed. I am not going to remove the "dash" unless we are convinced this is the thing to do. We are on the case.
Sorry Bob, didn't mean to come off as impatient or whiney, just looking for some info. I know your posting/helping here is a benefit, sorry for coming off as demanding. :rolleyes:

With WLVI changing from WLVI-DT to WLVIDT last weekend, WSBK-DT is now the lone local using the 'dash' - I guess I'm more curious than anything since the guide info isn't 100% necessary for my TV enjoyment (but it'd be nice to have it).

Originally posted by Jakes
HDorBust, I have to disagree with you on the 14:9 zoom & chop. I would always like to see OAR on all programs.


You are more than welcome to disagree, but you are disagreeing with yourself. Enterprise is widescreen, so 14:9 zoom and crop is much closer to OAR than 4:3. Bob is going to try to get it HD 16:9, so I can live with it for a while (I think the show is into reruns now anyway).

While I didn't watch the Red Sox game last week, I can understand why they switched back to 4:3. Losing the stats and/or score can be very frustrating.

FYI: SciFi always loses to sports... Fortunately I don't care as much as I used to. Any network SciFi show will ultimately get the shaft, I've come to accept that. But enough of the soap-box...

-Dave

Yay for OAR. (It's not like horseshoes). Now I can get Enterprise w/o losing some of the picture and using the zoom settings I want. Looking forward to more baseball and eventual HD.


Thanks Bob,
Tim

Originally posted by D_Doherty
Another question for Bob Hess...

Will WBZDT carry the Masters on Thursday & Friday?
Yes!

Originally posted by HDorBust
You are more than welcome to disagree, but you are disagreeing with yourself. Enterprise is widescreen, so 14:9 zoom and crop is much closer to OAR than 4:3. Bob is going to try to get it HD 16:9, so I can live with it for a while (I think the show is into reruns now anyway).

While I didn't watch the Red Sox game last week, I can understand why they switched back to 4:3. Losing the stats and/or score can be very frustrating.

FYI: SciFi always loses to sports... Fortunately I don't care as much as I used to. Any network SciFi show will ultimately get the shaft, I've come to accept that. But enough of the soap-box...

-Dave

Dave,
When they do 14:9 to simulate widescreen, your losing picture regardless of weather the OAR is 4:3 or 16:9. Either way it is bad.

Charter Customers - quick update:

FYI: I just spoke with a CSR and Supervisor out of Charter Worcester
(this covers all of eastern MA/NH systems)

They have no plans to offer any HD channels beyond HBOHD and
DISCHD for the rest of the year. aka NO plans to carry local signals

The customer number is 800-634-1008

I'm certainly glad the weather is "starting to break" so I get outside
and start playing with antenna placement...

(plus they are still at about a 1 month++ backorder on HD convertors)

joe

Originally posted by Jakes
I wonder why they would say, "We hope that you continue to enjoy the programs on WGBH DT19 & 43..." when WGBH DT43 isn't even broadcasting a signal? Misleading.

I got the same e-mail and rushed to the forum to see if maybe 43 had started broadcasting again. I gather from your message they haven't!

The Picture Quality (PQ) sill isn't great, and they are only broadcasting SD, but it is no longer B&W like it was earlier this week. When they first started broadcasting last Fall, I spoke to an engineer and they indicated that they simply use an A/D converter to convert their analog signal to digital, hence the poor PQ. They don't have a lot of money to upgrade their studios to digital.

-Dave

Has anyone heard what is up with HD on RCN. I live in Framingham and have talked to a customer service rep who had no idea what I was talking about.

Originally posted by richw
Has anyone heard what is up with HD on RCN. I live in Framingham and have talked to a customer service rep who had no idea what I was talking about.

RCN is in no position at this time to offer it. You'd have to switch back to Comcast (att) to get HD on cable. I just got a mailing on it. They have HBOHD, SHOHD, and I believe channel 5 and 7 HD.

Bob Hess is my hero

Let's not get personal, now. I'm just the messenger, not the hero.

- Bob

Bob Hess...can we go back to Dolby 5.1?

There is no 5.1 to go back to- why do you want them to send out 2.0 in 5.1?

That just screws things up as most people have receivers that don't allow them to process a DD 5.1 signal.

Dave...you make too much sense.

I just poked through most of the thread (well, part 2 anyhow).

I've had my HDTV since August and my antenna on the roof for about the same amount of time. Right now I'm in a bit of a quandry- My TV has an integrated tuner (Mits WS55859) and I really love this TV. I did just get an HD box from Comcast for my 3 effective channels- ch2 (or is that just the national HD loop?) 5, 7. I don;t get HBO or Showtime so I don't care there . I eagerly await ESPN HD and more so NESN HD if they ever offer it.

Being that I'm in SE Mass, and there area series of other stations that are slated to come online in the next 4 or so months (all of Providence and some of the other stations out here like UPN28) and knowing that the bearing to the various transmitters is all over the compass (about 270 degrees from due north to Needham/Boston counterclockwise to channel 28 (160 degrees) I've got a yagi on that is unidirectional, but when I hook it to my analog tuner, I get everything pretty well- meaning that all of the analogs (even VHF) are watchable with minimal interference or distortion of any kind.
Should I consider a frisbee Omni antenna or just go with what I have?

Thatn and I'm awaiting Enterprise in HD too :) Letterboxed is better thatn nothing, but wow!

Tim

Tim...welcome to the Forum neighbor! I can't really recommend an outdoor antenna since I use an indoor that works fairly well for me. Just wondering if you already have an outdoor antenna, why you are using Comcast? You can get a much better deal from either of the satellite companies, and still get the local digital channels OTA.

My total catv bill with internet is under $90 /mo :) so I'm afraid to tinker with my plan right now. That's with the 5100 box. Satellite would make me put at least 1 small dish outside that I'm not prepared to do right now. As I understand it there is a fairly major initial investment in the HD decoder along with a dual LNB dish so I'll stay staus quo. If I don't get it via Comcast, I can get most of what I want OTA.

I would have gone with an indoor antenna, but my wife would not allow... Plus reception is consistiently better with the outdoor. Far fewer dropouts.

Providence seems so far off. I'm guessing that the May dates are optimistic anyhow. At that point i can evaluate the omni antenna idea. At least I have the integrated tuner as a backup plan. It has served me well, and considering that I got this TV for less than one without the tuner (New at Tweeter no less!) I'm not complaining!

Tim

While it may work, the omnis are generally considered bad for digital reception, which is disrupted by multipath.

Another option would be to get a less directional antenna, like the channel master bowtie antennas. Otherwise, it's probably better to either get a rotor, or hook up a second antenna.

A second antenna will introduce MORE multipath in most systems. I could go with a rotor, but that is a less than optimal solution with the signals as they are here. Nowhere near a fringe area if you know what I mean :) I'm well into the 6th and 48th media markets down here

Out here in Taunton it's really flat so I suspect that we have fewer mutipath isues than those toward the Worcester hills.

I might be able to get away with my exisitng antenna without issues, i just won't know until the others come online later this year.

Tim

Originally posted by DaveFi
That just screws things up as most people have receivers that don't allow them to process a DD 5.1 signal.

I am confused by that statement, can you please clarify?

My receiver is perfectly capable of processing a DD 5.1 signal. Anyone who has invested in an HDTV receiver probably has also invested in a DD 5.1 audio receiver. I am sure that is not what you meant??? I think I know what you are trying to say, but I don't want to put words in your mouth.

-Dave

Bob Hess,

I was wondering if it would be possible for channel 4 and 38 to carry the NCAA'S on your digital stations if and when CBS decides to do war coverage.

I have read where the games will be moved all over the place in the event war breaks out.

Originally posted by HDorBust

Originally posted by DaveFi
That just screws things up as most people have receivers that don't allow them to process a DD 5.1 signal.

I am confused by that statement, can you please clarify?

This issue was discussed in detail several pages back. Basically, 2ch (L+R) audio encoded as DD 5.x cannot be decoded using DPL2, only DD 2.0 or 2ch analog audio can be decoded this way. Frustrating if you have DPL2 which really does wonders making those shows broadcast in DD 2.0 sound as if they're DD 5.x.

On a different note, I got my new TU-DST52 earlier this week and after many hours of side-by-side comparison decided to keep my TU-HDS20. It was a very tough decision, and not one I really wanted to make! The DST52 is superior in every regard, especially the tuning capability, with the exception of an ever so slight advantage to the HDS20 in the PQ department. Since I don't have any real major reception problems, I've decided to try to find a new home for the DST52... :(

Bob Hess,

I second Steve's request. It's clearly technically possible for you to show different feeds on WBZ's analog and digital channels, and if there's any way you can contractually do it, you'd be even more popular around here than you are now. :cool: Since getting Comcast, I've been holding off selling my OTA STB solely because I wanted to watch the tournament in HD. Is there anything you can do, or are your hands tied?

Joe

Maybe we can watch our soldiers march into Bagdad in HD?

Benji,

That would be great but the show won't last long because we will destroy them in about 5 minutes. After that we can watch the NCAA'S in HDTV

Do you think if we drop the MOAB bomb on Saddamm, we might hear it in 5.1 DD?

That is another good point but I think it would sound even better if we heard about 12 of them go off in 1 second intervels

Looks like WHDH-DT finally received their new PSIP gear and got it on-line last night. (Jim Shultis had replied to an email I sent several weeks back indicating they were waiting for new equipment to fix the problem.)

My Panny TU-HDS20 now maps properly again to 7-1.

My promise module is also now mapping to 7-1 as well as showing programming information.

As is the Mits. integrated tuner. Finally! No more 42.1.

Fixed on the Zenith HDV420 as well. No more bouncing between showing up as 42-1 and 7-1. Makes channel surfing much easier...now if channel 41 would also stop the bouncing around, I'd be all set.

I noticed when the commentators were on camera, the lip-sync was slightly off. I almost wonder if it is intentional, because I think the voice is slightly ahead of the video so it makes the commentators slightly clairvoyant! :)

However, it is distracting when the sound of the ball bounce doesn't match the visual cues.

-Dave

Greetings.
Just found this forum.

Great info..two questions though:

Are there any Boston HDTV FAQ?

Does anyone else wish the side bars on Channel 7DT were black when on local feed besids me?

marathon14...I actually like the grey sidebars on ch. 7-1. Black sidebars can be tough on RPTV CRTs, whereas grey sidebars will age that portion of the screen more consistently with the image being shown. Since I still view a fairly substantial portion of 4:3 programming on DIRECTV, I have grown accustomed to the color grey. As for Boston FAQ, I haven't come across such a website. Feel free to ask away in this thread and most posters will enthusiastically try and answer any questions you may have.

Thanks Benji!!
As to the sidebars...that's why they make Vanilla & Chocolate.

I was also wonderiing the following:
Got a 34 XBX800 with HDS200.

Is nothing on 2.1 in HD or is it me?

Getting no signal at all on 44.1. Is that not being broadcast either?

My Tuner found all channels in the right order on the guide. What is this issue about 19, 41, 43 etc? Are these the frequencies really being transmitted on and it is just invisible to me?

Last, I am getting 7 on both 7.1 and 7.2. What could that be about.

Thanks again.

l. 2.1 is strictly SD 480i.

2. 44.1 currently not broadcasting.

3. 19 is not broadcasting at full strength, yet most people within 50 mile radius of Needham seem to have no problem receiving it. 41 as well as 31 are broadcasting at very low power, and very few people can get a useable signal unless you are very nearby. 43 will be back on the air probably late this year or early next year.

4. 7.1 and 7.2 are the same station. Early on 7.2 was used as an SD-only signal but more recently, it went to HD when it is on.

I prefer the silver/gray. Especially if it's "better" for the TV (in my case, RPTV).

OK, I was mistaken. Channel 7 is still bouncing around. It's going between 7-1 and 42-2. So they've changed something, but it's still not quite right....

marathon-

your tuner 'remaps' channels from their broadcast frequency to the analog station number based on data sent out by the station. It is supposed to be invisible to the viewer.

A brief list for Boston

Analog Digital
2 19
4 30
5 20
7 42
25 31
38 39
44 43
56 41

Personally I hate the remapping. It's extremely confusing, gets screwed up by various tuners and stations, makes it difficult for people to figure out if they need a VHF antenna, and unnecessary.

If you're seeing if a station is on the air for the first time, you'll need to use the physical channel number e.g. if you want to check for digital 44, you need to punch in 43 on your receiver. When it comes on, your receiver will remap the channel to 44 and will remember the remapping. Subsequently you'll be able to tune in digital 44 by punching in either 43 or 44.

Thanks, jckessler.
That is what I thought, It is a bit confusing.
Nice though that in boston we have all these HD channels. I do get them all.
What "REAL" channel is 2.2 on?
Any other tips for an HDTV Newbie?

2.2 really is on 19.2.

One last question.
2.2 looks So much better than all other broadcasts in HD Eexcept perhaps HDNet.

I thought4.1 & 7.1 were also 1080i but just don't look as good.
What makes 2.2 so much better?

Also, on 2.2 the "HD" symbol on my hd200 tuner is illuminated on the picture but not so on any other HD channels even though it does switch to 1080i.
Why is that.

Thanks again.

2.2 is video-based material while other Boston digital stations are either film-based or upconverted from 480i. WBZ will be televising the upcoming NCAA basketball tournament in HD, barring any CBS coverage of the Iraq war, and the quality of the video should be as good as 2-2 or HDNet. Also 5-1 is televising the Academy Awards next Sunday night live in HD. Live-based is naturally better than film-based. The only time I see the "HD" icon on my Hughes receiver is on HDNet, even though I pick up 6 other HD stations.

Did anyone watch Frequency on ABC Saturday night? There was a screen shot during the comercials, right before the movie started again, that read ABC Saturday Night Movie. The word Saturday was partly off of the top of the screen. Just wondering if I might have an issue with overscan.

Other than that, the PQ and sound was awsome!

I made the HDTV plunge. I and so far I'm a little disappointed, but hopefully with some tips my opinion will turn around. I have a Hughes E86 with a recoton 3000 antenna mounted in my attic. I live in South Grafton MA, on top of a hill. So far the only digital stations I can receive is 2-2, and 38-1. Should I be receiving more?

lately i've lost reception of a whole bunch of boston DTV channels. 2.1/2.2 has been goofy & unwatchable for a longer time due to their transmitter being a boyscout with a 100mw walkie talkie converted to broadcast ATSC using a non-alkaline 9V battery...

but recently i've entirely lost
25.1 and 56.1 . from the perspective of the signal-strength meter it's as if 25.1 & 56.1 are not
broadcasting at all.

but the 38.1 signal is still wall to wall and treetop tall ...

i'm not sure if this change in signal strength is due to changing atmospheric conditions, changing snow/icepack on the roof, or some change at the transmitter side. have 25.1 & 56.1 converted to the boyscout-100mw-walkie-talkie-ATSC transmitter too?

I haven't noticed any changes as of late, except that my channel 39 reception has improved for some reason. I attribute that to the seasons changing.

Is PBS really still at low power? They do have lic to cover now.

Bob Hess,

Any word yet on the NCAA'S being broadcast on the digital channel if war breaks out which looks like it is.

1 Nuke = No interruptions in NCAAs

I agree however I don't think that is going to happen. I am for covering the war but with the capability now of having different programs on their regular and digital station I hope that we have a choice as to what we watch.

Did anyone have lip synch issues on WBZ's 11 p.m. news?

I am still having low volume on digital audio problems on 25(faux). Anyone else? I have a dish 6000.

Yes, the volume on FOX25 is still approx 20db lower than all other stations. This was never resolved.

Keith

Originally posted by steverobertson
That is another good point but I think it would sound even better if we heard about 12 of them [MOABs] go off in 1 second intervels

If they did that, I'm not sure you'd need a receiver to hear it.

Originally posted by steverobertson
Bob Hess,

Any word yet on the NCAA'S being broadcast on the digital channel if war breaks out which looks like it is.
The Friday HD games from Birmingham will be on WBZ-DT whether or not war coverage is on the analog side.

Bob

Great news thanks Bob. How about the other games any idea on those?

Thanks Bob. Looking forward to tomorrow night!

**FRIDAY, MARCH 21**



FIRST ROUND REGIONAL GAMES AT BIRMINGHAM-JEFFERSON CIVIC CENTER IN BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA

12:00N-5:00PM CNYT/9:00AM-2:00PM CPT (TWO REGIONAL GAMES)

7:00PM-12:00MID CNYT/4:00-9:00PM CPT (TWO REGIONAL GAMES)



12:30PM CNYT/9:30AM CPT TEXAS VS UNC-ASHVILLE

2:50PM CNYT/11:50AM CPT LOUISIANA STATE VS PURDUE

7:20PM CNYT/4:20PM CPT LOUISVILLE VS AUSTIN PEAY

9:40PM CNYT/6:40PM CPT MISSISSIPPI STATE VS BUTLER





**SUNDAY, MARCH 23**



FIRST ROUND REGIONAL GAMES

FROM THE BIRMINGHAM-JEFFERSON CIVIC CENTER IN BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA

12:00N-7:00PM CNYT/9:00AM-4:00PM CPT (TWO REGIONAL GAMES)





**FRIDAY, MARCH 28**



NCAA BASKETBALL REGIONAL SEMI-FINAL GAMES

FROM THE ALAMODOME IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

7:00PM-12:00MID CNYT/4:00-9:00PM CPT (TWO REGIONAL GAMES)





**SUNDAY, MARCH 30**



NCAA BASKETBALL REGIONAL FINAL GAME

FROM THE ALAMODOME IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

2:30-7:00PM CNYT/11:30AM-4:00PM CPT*

(*THE EXACT TIME OF THIS NATIONAL GAME IS TO BE DETERMINED)

Bob, so I guess none of tonight's games are in HD, huh? And I was so excited when I heard Dan Rather announce that the games were going to be showed and interupted only if there was news.

Bob Hess - WBZ DT is showing a standard def game from the Fleet Center rather than the HiDef game from Birmingham you listed. Is this a change in schedule or a mistake? What about the rest of the HiDef schedule you listed?

Originally posted by dhp
Bob Hess - WBZ DT is showing a standard def game from the Fleet Center rather than the HiDef game from Birmingham you listed. Is this a change in schedule or a mistake? What about the rest of the HiDef schedule you listed?
No mistake. HD game starts at 12:30.

Bob

Up to 1230 it was transmitted in SD, right at 1230, it changed over to HD.

Thanks Bob and CBS! I'm sick of war coverage, but Koppel watching the 3rd Mech cross the Border was cool last night.

Tim

Bob Hess,

New to this group & HDTV.

Just got a WORKING (not defective) 34xbr800 & HD200.

Thanks for your info & participation!!!!!!!!!

directv guide info is now on 38-1!

-nate

Congrats to all at CBS that made this happen. The games in HD look (and sound) awesome. I loved at the end of the Louisville game when you could hear both bands playing their school songs from different channels. Just like being there!

Thanks Bob Hess for the 38-1 guide info. Now, in our never ending demand for a just a little bit more, how about some native 1080i programming on UPN38-1!

Bob Hess - thanks for listening pal, the notorious 'dash' is gone from WSBK-DT and it's now the much preferred WSBKDT, and as reported, I'm now enjoying the proper guide info from the bird. Thanks for listening, and helping.

Bob,

Thanks for the HD games last night. WBZ always does such a great job, which I really appreciate after reading about the problems other stations around the country were having.

Bob Hess,

I'd like to add my thanks, I am now seeing the program guide info from Direct TV.

Thanks again!
-Dave

Now if we could only get WGBH to send the correct program info for 2-1 WGBHDT and 2-2 PBS-HD...

-Dave

Is there a problem with CBS hi def tonight? It went out for me around 3:00 pm and is still out I'm getting all other Boston stations using a DTC100.

Seemed to working during the ball games this evening; maybe it was a temporary problem...

Anyone know why we're not getting any HD basketball right now?

hey anyone know why the redsox games are blacked out on nesn (channel 623) on directv? I know todays game was delayed so i couldnt have watched it but other games ive tried to watch are blacked out.

-nate

I don’t want to sound ungrateful to CBS but I am getting quite a few artifacts while watching the NCAA’s.

I realize that doing live broadcasts of sports may probably be the most difficult task in HD encoding but I just wonder is this something that we’ll have to live with for the next 25 years (assuming ATSC lasts only ½ as long as NTSC) or will better and faster encoding machines solve this?

Originally posted by alczervik2
hey anyone know why the redsox games are blacked out on nesn (channel 623) on directv? I know todays game was delayed so i couldnt have watched it but other games ive tried to watch are blacked out.

-nate

Nate,

The games should only be blacked out on 623 when the games are on 38 in the Boston area. NESN gets blacked out in the Boston area, but not in the rest of New England, as all games including the ones on 38 are shown on NESN. This does not happen for the NESN games, only the TV38 ones. DirecTV screwed up the first couple of games this year, but seems to have gotten their act together lately.

Larry

Anyone else not receiving any center channel in the Academy Awards broadcast?

Lee

Yup! Pretty Weak.

Watched on 805-Comcast. Video was good. audio clean but not didnt push surround sound possibilities. Noticed dropouts when switching from network to local feed. Had pops when going to local Dolby 2.0 to network 5.1. A problem early in telecast.

Am I the only one who isn't impressed by ABC's HD quality? I don't know if it's the superior production team at CBS, or if it's a 720p vs. 1080i thing, but CBS consistently looks much better than ABC to me! Recent examples: CBS AFC Playoffs vs. ABC Super Bowl, CBS Grammies vs. ABC Oscars. I don't think anyone would argue that the Super Bowl looked better than the playoffs, or that the Oscars looked better than the Grammies. Does anyone else feel the same way?

CBS's format does seem consistently sharper...sounds better too from 'BZ

Originally posted by rmf
Is there a problem with CBS hi def tonight? It went out for me around 3:00 pm and is still out I'm getting all other Boston stations using a DTC100.
WBZ had a split second outage at about 3:00 PM. I'm not sure why your DTC-100 did not come back. If you still do not have it, do a channel search.

Bob Hess
Director, Broadcast Operations/Engineering
WBZ-TV, WSBK-TV, WLWC-TV, WBZ-AM

Originally posted by Benji
Thanks Bob Hess for the 38-1 guide info. Now, in our never ending demand for a just a little bit more, how about some native 1080i programming on UPN38-1!
We did not do a thing! Everything with 38.1's PSIP is as it always has been. We do not provide the guide information.

Bob

Originally posted by Bob Hess
WBZ had a split second outage at about 3:00 PM. I'm not sure why your DTC-100 did not come back. If you still do not have it, do a channel search.

Bob Hess
Director, Broadcast Operations/Engineering
WBZ-TV, WSBK-TV, WLWC-TV, WBZ-AM

Your outage might have been just enough for rmf's tuner to map to analog 30 in CT. That was one of the main reasons I
had to get rid of my DTC-100 and get another tuner.

I got tired of the constant rescanning (needed mainly at the time, for 19 digital and analog, but sometimes for 30 in the summer.)

Originally posted by Jakes
Am I the only one who isn't impressed by ABC's HD quality? I don't know if it's the superior production team at CBS, or if it's a 720p vs. 1080i thing, but CBS consistently looks much better than ABC to me! Recent examples: CBS AFC Playoffs vs. ABC Super Bowl, CBS Grammies vs. ABC Oscars. I don't think anyone would argue that the Super Bowl looked better than the playoffs, or that the Oscars looked better than the Grammies. Does anyone else feel the same way?

I have to agree. Although the HDTV display of the Oscars was 1000 times better then analog, it doesn't come close to the Grammys. I watched with Comcast HDTV on a Sony HS10, which doesn't accept 720p, so it was upconverted to 1080i. It was a very nice presentation, but just not *as* nice as the grammays in full 1080i.

Hope that Comcast/CBS come to a deal soon so I can compare CBS vs ABC.

I was thinking the same thing watching last night - CBS's 1080I is much nicer than ABC's 720P - but they were both vastly superior to anything via analog or satellite.

Don't forget...your TV may be re-scaling 720p to 1080i or 480p if your TV does not support native 720p and your STB is forcing 1080i or 480p. The extra scaling 'may' degrade the original source.

I taped the Oscars on my Mits DVCR and viewed it this afternoon. I actually thought the PQ was quite good, even in comparison to CBS. The 5.1 sound mix started out poorly but improved as the telecast went on. I was watching it on a Mits WS65807 upconverted to 1080i. I would be very pleased if MNF looks this good in the fall.

I've had some sporadic issues with my outdoor antenna, but now 5 and 7 are consistient- I used to get one or the other, but not both at the same time. Now I do.

Just waiting for Providence an UPN 28 to come online along with teh HD CATV stations (ESPN and the like)

Tim

Originally posted by jckessler
Anyone know why we're not getting any HD basketball right now?
Hi Guys,

I have not posted our HDTV hotline lately.

617-787-7043

Newbies may not know this number. This line rings in our master control room. Operators are busy so do not abuse it. Forum members have been very good about using this number properly. If you suspect a problem like HD basketball is not in HD, call the number. If you think we're off the air, check with other members of the Forum before you call us.

Bob

Thank you Bob, I called that number yesterday afternoon after the Louisville-Bulter game was not in HD. The person who answered was not aware that the game was available in HD, but after some convincing, he corrected the problem.

And tonight no Leno (CH 7) in HD- either OTA or on Comcast.

It seemed that the only games being shown in HD were the ones from Birmingham.

Tim

Originally posted by tcable
And tonight no Leno (CH 7) in HD- either OTA or on Comcast.

It seemed that the only games being shown in HD were the ones from Birmingham.

Tim I believe that NBC has suspended its HDTV programming during the war.

Must be new- Leno was HD last week, as was 'Ed'. I did not pay attention to their other programs.

There's no NBC HDTV for a while; see the thread in the "HDTV programming" forum...

I am experiencing weak signals the last 2 nights - can a member or 2 some distance from the towers tell me if they are seeing the same thing ? How about you Benji ?? any change in signal strength ?? I hope it is not just me cuz my roof is way too high

Originally posted by jalferes
I am experiencing weak signals the last 2 nights - can a member or 2 some distance from the towers tell me if they are seeing the same thing ? How about you Benji ?? any change in signal strength ?? I hope it is not just me cuz my roof is way too high I use an indoor antenna but have not had to make any adjustments for quite a while. I cannot receive 25-1 or 56-1 but everything else continues to be rock solid.

I have no issues with 25 or 56 DT here in East Taunton with an outdoor antenna- at least not on the past few days and nights. MY only issues seem to be with 5 and 7- sometimes I get both, sometimes I get one orthe other. Now that I have an HD CATV box, these are teh two stations that I care least about reception for, as Comcast carries them.

Tim

jalferes,

This happens to me at this time every year. Fog BAD. I doubt it's your setup.

Stan

Still receiving all stations in Warwick, RI with no problems --- using indoor antenna.

Keith

Yes -- In Nashua, had to make my first adjustments in direction in over a month. All the Boston stations have been clear as a bell, but one or two nights ago, was getting break-up on 19(2) and 30(5). Just a few ticks to the southeast had everything strong and clear again. I don't know a lot about such stuff, but could the recent fog and melting snow cover affect signal path or multi-path interference? As said -- just a small adjustment went a long way.

I'm receiving no center channel signal on CSI on WBZ. Other digital channel fine in this regard.

Lee

Originally posted by lee eiseman
I'm receiving no center channel signal on CSI on WBZ. Other digital channel fine in this regard.

Lee

They were having audio problems tonite, I called WBZ and reported no audio so they had to rely on a backup audio signal, so that probably had something to do with it.

Jim

Hi everyone,

I just installed the MyHD card in my PC a couple of days ago and my reception seems to be weak. I'm in the Brighton Center area where it's mostly 2-3 story multi-family homes. I'm on the second floor of a two family home. Reception seems to be in the 30-40% range with ABC, NBC, CBS, WB, and FOX. The antenna being used is a Zenith silver sensor. An outdoor antenna is not an option here. Any ideas on improving reception? Maybe an outdoor antenna such as the CM4221 or Radio Shack 15-2160 that's placed in the corner of the room?

Is there a limit to the length of RG-6 before I need a pre-amp?

Thanks,
Ben

Originally posted by vfrjim
They were having audio problems tonight, I called WBZ and reported no audio so they had to rely on a backup audio signal, so that probably had something to do with it.

Jim
We were operating in Dolby 5.1 but the program on the air was not delivered to us in 5.1. The end result is that, while your decoder thinks it is 5.1 surround sound, we are only feeding the left front and right front speakers only with nothing feeding the other channels. After your call, we switched our encoder into basic Dolby Pro Logic which allows your decoder to go into a matrixed surround sound mode. Hope this makes sense.

Bob

I t does to me! and all I have is a Dolby 2.0 reciever for now :) My reciever had teh same capability for 2 channel audio.

Bob Hess-

Thanks very much for fixing the center channel issue. If you have a moment, I wonder if you could explain why my audio receiver reported that WBZ was transmitting in 3/2 rather than 5.1? I really appreciate your devotion to us early adopters.

Lee

Originally posted by a4tq
Hi everyone,

I just installed the MyHD card in my PC a couple of days ago and my reception seems to be weak. I'm in the Brighton Center area where it's mostly 2-3 story multi-family homes. I'm on the second floor of a two family home. Reception seems to be in the 30-40% range with ABC, NBC, CBS, WB, and FOX. The antenna being used is a Zenith silver sensor. An outdoor antenna is not an option here. Any ideas on improving reception? Maybe an outdoor antenna such as the CM4221 or Radio Shack 15-2160 that's placed in the corner of the room?

Is there a limit to the length of RG-6 before I need a pre-amp?

Thanks,
Ben

I'd try moving the antenna into or near a window, and make sure you raise or take out the screen. My reception is wonderful in the window sill, but the screen has to be removed, otherwise reception quality goes way down.

Change your screen material to nylon.
Sounds like you may have aluminum screeening material.

a4tq:
A pre-amp really only helps a weak signal, as far as I know. RG6 Quad shield should be good for at least 100'. After that a distribution amplifier may be helpful.

I just called the WBZ hotline, as tonights NCAA game is not in HD. They said that tonight there will be no HD, but tomorow both games will be in HD.

It has been pretty spotty this year, not alot of HD during the tournament.

As long as Michigan State (my alma mater) is in HD tomorow I will be happy!

GO GREEN

Jeff Peake

Only Friday (2 games) and Sunday (1 game) are in HD this weekend. Saturday's games are all SD.

You can find this info in either the programming forum, or for CBS info check out:

http://www.cbs.com/info/hdtv/

and click on the NCAA schedule link.

Tonight's (Friday) game on WBZ will begin at 7 PM with upconverted programming until tip-off, at about 7:27 PM, when HDTV game coverage begins. After the first game you will see some upconverted games until we go to the second HD game, which has a tip off time of 9:57 pm.

The games will be presented in Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound.

Bob

Thanks for the heads up Bob you are by far the best in the area if not nation.

Question: How tall are the Needham towers? I'm using topographic software to figure out the line of sight between my house in FRanklin and the Needham towers.

I've searched for this info and I'm stumped. I did learn that the WHDH tower is over 1000' tall and is the tallest free standing (no guy wires) tower in the Boston area.

Got any details on the towers?

A search for "Boston TV Towers" provided this. http://www.bostonradio.org/radio/route-128.html

Originally posted by alpine-al
Question: How tall are the Needham towers? I'm using topographic software to figure out the line of sight between my house in FRanklin and the Needham towers.

Got any details on the towers?

The "Massachusetts Area DTV Stations Status" thread has a post from
JHE that contains all of this info. The most recent was on 3/26

Ma Station Status (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=2032218#post2032218)

Looks like NBC is in HD tonight- at least Law & Order CI is. Maybe we've been heard... It is not upsampled programming either.


Tim

Yesterday, at the beginning of the Mich St/Texas game, there were a few minutes where you could not hear any of the play-by-play/commentators. Did anyone else like it, or is it just me? Without the play by play and the action in HD, it was like being courtside.

Originally posted by jscout
Yesterday, at the beginning of the Mich St/Texas game, there were a few minutes where you could not hear any of the play-by-play/commentators. Did anyone else like it, or is it just me? Without the play by play and the action in HD, it was like being courtside.
This was a screw-up at WBZ.

Bob

Bob,

I called yesterday and who ever answered the phone was very respsonsive and took the time to call me back after it was fixed. In today's world I consider this outstanding service and wish I got his name so that you could give him a raise

I was always able to receive the digital versions of 2, 4, 5, 7, 25, 38, 56 fine until about a month ago, but now I can no longer get 56 (actually 41-1) at all. Is there any reason for this? I'm located in Marblehead, MA, and I'm using an RCA DTC-100 clone (ProScan PSHD-105) with a roof mounted Channel Master antenna.

Bob, thanks for replying. I actually wasn't writing to complain or raise an issue. :) I just thought it was kind of cool to have the announcers silenced. I was wondering if anyone else liked the "courtside" experience. :D Imagine someday being able to choose the audio track.

from reading the posts here i see lots of people who have had reception problems that started when the weather "changed". ground-fog & excess ground-humidity does seem to be bad. but in the past, i get some of the best reception during rainstorms or very rainy days. so i dunno. currently i can no longer watch any of
2.1, 2,2. 7.1, 25.1, 56.1 . 38.1 works sometimes.
4.1 shows some problems. 5.1 never shows a problem.

not sure whether/if/when i'll start adjusting antenna angles... maybe i'll just wait to see if the weather "changes" to something better for HDTV.

law&order CI was in real HD last night?
i watched the beginning with lots of breakups and saw
it was in 4:3 . maybe they hit the switch late... lately
for NBC shows i've been watching/timeshifting via cable, fuzzy NTSC :|

I seem to have my problems when it is windy like last Saturday. I also notice it is just channel 4 and 38 everything else is fine. I put on the meter and watch go from 0-100 and back to 0 within seconds. I to notice it comes in better in bad weather as long as there is no wind.

Originally posted by steverobertson
Bob,

I called yesterday and who ever answered the phone was very respsonsive and took the time to call me back after it was fixed. In today's world I consider this outstanding service and wish I got his name so that you could give him a raise
Steve,

I'll pass your comments on to the operator on duty. Always like to hear those comments from viewers.

Bob

Originally posted by steverobertson
I seem to have my problems when it is windy like last Saturday. I also notice it is just channel 4 and 38 everything else is fine. I put on the meter and watch go from 0-100 and back to 0 within seconds. I to notice it comes in better in bad weather as long as there is no wind.
Steve,

Digital channels 2, 4, 5, 38, and 43 broadcast not only from the same tower, but the same antenna as does analog 44. The antenna is performing well. I would chalk this up to weather's effects on your antenna and the various nearby obstructions (trees, etc.).

Bob

Bob,

that is what I figured but it is real frustrating that the only channel I watch seems to have the most problems. I also wonder if it is the DST 3000 that cause some of the problems

Anyone have a good phone # to WHDH for thier engineering dept because last night thier first HD show (American Dreams) was not in HD for the first 20 minutes,

Also, Bob, is there a different number to WSBK just incase they have a problem (as of now, it only has been audio issues, but ... , the other day thier audio was distorting (too loud) ).

Thanks,

Jim

Originally posted by vfrjim


Also, Bob, is there a different number to WSBK just incase they have a problem (as of now, it only has been audio issues, but ... , the other day thier audio was distorting (too loud) ).

Thanks,

Jim
The same number can be used for WBZ, WSBK, and WLWC.

Bob

Originally posted by vfrjim
Anyone have a good phone # to WHDH for thier engineering dept because last night thier first HD show (American Dreams) was not in HD for the first 20 minutes,

Thanks,

Jim

Jim Shultis is the engineer at WHDH and he's a good guy. Don't expect the service you get from the guys at WBZ though. I think they prefer to keep contact limited to coming through the WHDH website. Bob's crew obviously is not the norm.

The only way I know of to get through is by going through the newsdesk and that takes a while and you may up in voicemail.

Good luck!

Andy

I'm kind of confused, so please take my statements more as... I don't know. Someone who's just confused.

I mean, we've been ramping up this HDTV infrastructure for how long?

So, I turn NBC on for the last couple of nights. Sound's out of sync, and this is after they decided maybe they could broadcast HDTV while there's a war on.

Turned on ABC tonight. For the first couple of minutes of a TV show, it was in SD. What? No one knew that it was supposed to switch over to HD?

The last few times I tried CBS (and it's been a while, since I can't seem to get them OTA for the last few weeks), they've been jammed in 5.1 DD, with 3 of those channels producing nothing, thus locking my receiver into effective stereo, even though the programs themselves have matrix surround sound audio tracks.

It really seems like this whole technology isn't ready for prime time. I mean, I have not had a single night of HD viewing without one station or another making some mistake - either forgetting to switch to HD until after the show's already started, or having broken audio (as with CBS), or just flat deciding not to broadcast in HD.

It makes me wonder about each station's commitment to HD. Given that the whole FCC mandated switchover means that everyone has to spend some number of years paying for two parallel transmitters just to keep the same audience share, I have to wonder if us early adopters aren't seeing a little passive-aggressive resistance to the whole DTV concept. You know - they're cranky about having to do this in the first place, so they don't devote sufficient resources to pull it off.

I'd think that in a market as large as the Boston Metro area, there'd be enough collective expertise to pull off the job of a whole night of prime-time programming without making mistakes like this, but I'm starting to wonder if the station management is really willing to pay for that expertise.

Originally posted by RScogland
I was always able to receive the digital versions of 2, 4, 5, 7, 25, 38, 56 fine until about a month ago, but now I can no longer get 56 (actually 41-1) at all. Is there any reason for this? I'm located in Marblehead, MA, and I'm using an RCA DTC-100 clone (ProScan PSHD-105) with a roof mounted Channel Master antenna.

I have almost the same set-up and have periodically found digital channels "disappearing" for no real reason. I find a re-scan usually solves the problem -- which I can only suspect has something to do with PSIP issues and remapping and stuff. Sometimes it takes a two cycle scan of "don't acquire off-air guides" and then back to "acquire off-air guides" but it almost always works.

Good Luck!

In the FWIW dept:

Telefutura channel 23 is now remapping to 66.

Bump

what does bump mean here?

Originally posted by tveli
what does bump mean here?

A bump will put the thread being bumped at the top of the area, in the case the HDTV Local..... For instance, if you created a topic and nobody replied to you, the thread would eventually move off of the first page. A bump would put it back at the top for more visibility.

In this case not really sure why it was done?

I had trouble finding this thread as it was on page 3 so I bumped it to move it up. Silly I guess.

Originally posted by elbig
I had trouble finding this thread as it was on page 3 so I bumped it to move it up. Silly I guess.

Works for me! :)

First, It was great watching the Sox game on 38-1 last night. I was
flipping back to cable during commercials (scan other channels) and the capability/quality of the digital signal was very obvious. Most improved
was the color content of the picture.


Question: Anyone having an issue with 39 and their receiver?
Specifically with my Samsung T165, 4 of 5 times that I tune into
39, the stb reboots. Half of the time, it reboots twice. After the reboot
I can view the channel. Annoying, but mostly usable...

Thoughts, is it time to call Samsung and yell, sorry, talk with customer
support about service?

Bob H.: Any known issues with Samsung boxes and 39? 4-1 is fine.

thanx
joe

Originally posted by jjk58

Question: Anyone having an issue with 39 and their receiver?
Specifically with my Samsung T165, 4 of 5 times that I tune into
39, the stb reboots. Half of the time, it reboots twice. After the reboot
I can view the channel. Annoying, but mostly usable...

thanx
joe

Yep, same happens with my Samsung T165.

No problems with the Integra 815ST/RCA DTC-100/Dish 6000/Panasonic DST-50.
(There are several outstanding issues against the T165. See the T165 thread in the hardware section.)

Bob Hess,

Can you inform your programming dept. that the info being supplied to Direct TV for The Outer Limits is wrong, and has been wrong for a few weeks. It is scheduled for 12:05AM on Sunday, in reality Hot Ticket airs at that time and The Outer Limits airs at 12:35.

My TIVO recordings have been screwed up for a few weeks now.

Thanks,
-Dave

Attn. Samsung T165 users! WCVB-DT's PSIP still on Standard time.

If you're planning recordings (like me who timeshifts Chronicle), follow the "work-around" proceedures [tune to 5-1, in set-up menu set the clock, set the recording time/date per STANDARD time, set to 5-1 before turning STB off].

I've email'd WCVB, so hopefully it will be fixed real soon.

Hey Bob,

The Masters looked great in HD yesterday!

Still waiting for Enterprise in HD... hint, hint...

-Dave

I get no signal in Lincoln on CH 56. Is it transmitting?
Have not for a while.

Masters WAS great.

Absolutely, the Masters looked awesome, my neighbor came over (never saw my set or HD before) and said "your watching the masters, no YOUR REALLY watching the masters" and I swear his tounge dropped out of his mouth :)

It looked and sounded fantastic!

Jim

Looks fine here in Northborough.

I agree ... is WLVI-56 (41-1) operating at real low power? I used to get it fine for a long time, and now it NEVER comes in, and the signal bounces between 0% and 28% with never any audio or video even for a second. All my other channels are fine (19, 20, 23, 30, 31, 39, 42).

Originally posted by HDorBust
Bob Hess,

Can you inform your programming dept. that the info being supplied to Direct TV for The Outer Limits is wrong, and has been wrong for a few weeks. It is scheduled for 12:05AM on Sunday, in reality Hot Ticket airs at that time and The Outer Limits airs at 12:35.

My TIVO recordings have been screwed up for a few weeks now.

Thanks,
-Dave
A little late, but I have made our Programming Department aware of this.

- Bob

WLVI is better than during the winter now in Lexington.

In the winter it only worked on my Zenith tuner. Now it works with my Samsung tuner as well.

WLVI Must be low power. I used to get it but no longer.

I had the Red Sox on tonight (Ch38 DT)and I noticed that the PQ is horrible- the whole screen including the titles looks blurry, almost over converged and out of focus. It is clearly the Fenway feed, but I thought that the replays looked a bit better, even though the titles were still pretty ugly. I understand that even though the standard is 480i, from watching other programming elsewhere, I know that not all 480 programming is created equal- NBC Golf in particualr has PQ issues like they are really laying on teh compression from the satellite feed. I'd imagine that the local game is wired to the station as opposed to satellite- I'm guessing that it's cheaper, anyhow. Most importantly, it's only the Red Sox, as the other programming is perfect- including the commercials during the game.

Maybe it's compression, maybe I'm just a little nuts. I tend to watch even SD programming on the HD/DTV signals since that feed is so much better than the analog one even over Comcast. The news especially the weather with graphics really comes alive now, even if the content is not so great.

Tim

tcable,

I agree with you i had the same situation horrible picture. I also don't like the graph being used for the balls and strikes etc. Bob Hess do you have any idea why the picture was so blury?

I had annoying pixelation about ten times last night watching 24. Anyone else?

Yeah, except for me it was more like 10 dropouts every 5 minutes. All a function of the windy weather and the low power transmitted by WFXT-DT (only 78kW, or possibly even less.) I know it won't do any good but I'm sending mail about this to WFXT, again....

(I might have to break down and trade up from my CM3021 to the CM4228 big-boy...more gain and better multipath rejection...)

Question about the Rhode Island Towers, is there any news on them? Are they still going to start broadcasting May 1st? They are still listed as starting May 1st. I can't wait because I am in fringe area for boston. I can get CBS and ABC and PBS usually, but not fox or NBC.

This thread is updated periodically with new info for R.I. and others:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=2032218#post2032218

It appears that one station has an extension until 5/26 & others planned for August at the earliest.

Down here on the cape 25.1 has been unwatchable for a few nights. With the wind last night all channels were much weaker than normal.

Originally posted by HDTVorBust
Question about the Rhode Island Towers, is there any news on them? Are they still going to start broadcasting May 1st? They are still listed as starting May 1st. I can't wait because I am in fringe area for boston. I can get CBS and ABC and PBS usually, but not fox or NBC.

Don't believe everything you read at TitanTV etc. A lot of listings are overly optimistic.

According to my list (Massachusets Area DTV Stations Status) the RI stations have been delayed again and again, due to tower location zoning troubles, and station ownership changes, plus over optimistic engineering plans. My dates can be wrong, but are based on the data the stations file with the FCC mostly. (Corrections are welcome, if you get some more up to date scoop!)

Currently looks like some should appear around Aug time frame. Channel 54 (FOX) may be later or appear at super low power under some emergency permit like 41 here in Boston, since they don't even have a construction permit yet!

Channel 13 (WPRI-DT) may be earlier, and I still list it for May, but that won't help you much, since you get CBS.

Regarding FOX....

I watched 24 over RCN cable at a friends house and saw three dropouts. I wasn't until the third time that I realized what I was seeing (since I'm used to the occasional OTA dropout).

In an aside...
I just moved from Boston (Beacon Hill, 2nd floor Apt) to Watertown (between Belmont and Mt. Auburn Sts., 1st floor) In Boston, I was able to get all Boston area stations with a RS Double Bow Tie pointed out the window. WSBK and WLVI would occasionally have drop outs, but the others were mostly rock solid.

Now that I've moved, WFXT and WCVB come in rock solid, but I can barely get any of the other channels at all! I've checked antennaweb to find the direction to the towers and have the antenna oriented in the right direction.

Is there anyone in the Watertown area receiving the Boston digital stations OTA with an indoor antenna? Anyone have any advice?

Thanks,
-n

Originally posted by HDTVorBust
Question about the Rhode Island Towers, is there any news on them? Are they still going to start broadcasting May 1st? They are still listed as starting May 1st. I can't wait because I am in fringe area for boston. I can get CBS and ABC and PBS usually, but not fox or NBC.


I live in Grafton, and I get fox, upn, nbc, abc, cbs, and pbs. Occasionally I'll get WB.

Originally posted by steverobertson
tcable,

I agree with you i had the same situation horrible picture. I also don't like the graph being used for the balls and strikes etc. Bob Hess do you have any idea why the picture was so blury?
NESN delivers the feed to us via fiber. It should be pristine. I watched the game on Dish with typical Dish compression artifacts. I did not watch it on my HD set. I'll look into it.

- Bob

The good news.......

Losing Isaiah on WBZ in HDTV.


The bad news......

Saturday April 26th from 5am - 7am.

- Bob

Thanks Bob- I appreciate it.

Tim

Bob Hess...what's up with the 38-1 signal? I'm getting a strong signal on both my Hughes and DTC-100 but no picture or sound, as of 12:27AM.

Originally posted by Benji
Bob Hess...what's up with the 38-1 signal? I'm getting a strong signal on both my Hughes and DTC-100 but no picture or sound, as of 12:27AM.
It broke!

Originally posted by Doug G
Yeah, except for me it was more like 10 dropouts every 5 minutes. All a function of the windy weather and the low power transmitted by WFXT-DT (only 78kW, or possibly even less.) I know it won't do any good but I'm sending mail about this to WFXT, again....

(I might have to break down and trade up from my CM3021 to the CM4228 big-boy...more gain and better multipath rejection...)

Regarding the wind, about all you can do (besides a more directional antenna as you mentioned, or in some situations a less directional one) is get your antenna up well above the trees and make it very stable. More power may or may not help at all. At my house (12 miles from the towers) the wind affects 42 more than all the rest, and it has plenty of power, but I get little 29 which is further and has only 11 kilowatts.

Regarding the need for more power, stations like WFXT and WLVI want more and have requested it. The FCC is the problem and you should for sure complain to them! While you are at it you might ask them to get moving on Bob Hess's other station as well (WLWC-DT) which still seems to be waiting for their first construction permit!

Any status on what 2-10 on WGBH is & why?

Tim

I am having trouble recording WGBHDT with MyHD, it stopped working in v1.53 of the software which is why I took the plunge and upgraded to v1.60. I can see that it is mapping 2-1, 2-2 and 2-10 from physical channel 19... I suspect that 2-10 is causing some kind of problem. Anyone have contact information at WGBH?

BTW, I use the Direct TV program guide information for WENHDT to determine what is on PBSHD (2-2). So far it has been completely accurate.

Yesterday they were showing Avoiding Armegeddon in true HD, whoever turned on the HD switch may have screwed up the PSIP data. Previously in the week Avoiding Armegeddon was an SD signal on 2-2.

HDorBust,

I too use Direct/WENHDT to see what may be on 2-2. Here's another clue, when 2-1 has 'LB' (letter box) in the description that program is usually carried on 2-2 even if 11-1 is off the air.

Dave

FatNoah, I'm in Watertown (just off of Main St about a mile from the square) and have no problems getting all of the stations with the RS Double Bow Tie from the 1st floor. I've found that for some reason I need to have it cocked to the side at about a 30 degree angle, but other than looking a little strange it works great.

2-10 seems to be the same as 2-1, with the exception that they are feeding the BBC as audio, like analog 2 does with the SAP audio...

I don't know why they didn't just add an audio track to 2-1, but maybe this setup is compatible with more receivers. I just hope they're not sucking more bandwidth from 2-2...

Question for everyone out there. Why do I have a 100% signal 38 but channel 4 is all over the place from 0-100. I am completly baffeled.

Thanks in advance

Originally posted by steverobertson
Question for everyone out there. Why do I have a 100% signal 38 but channel 4 is all over the place from 0-100. I am completly baffeled.

Thanks in advance
Steve,

Generally, for folks close to the transmitters, as you are, the antenna is either too directional or you are using a preamp which is being overloaded, or both. I say this based on many viewer calls I have had in the past.

Not sure if we have corresponded privately about this.

Bob

Bob,

No preamp on the antenna. I just find it very frustrating because of all the channels, channel 4 does the best job with HDTV along with CBS. We have talked privately in the past and for awhile it looked like everything was working great up until last week. I know that all the stations are on the same tower and can't understand why all the other ones work great but still have trouble with channel 4. I would think 38 would have the same problem? Could it be the DST 3000?

Did anyone have lip sync issues on Sports Final last night? I seem to have problems every week with this, I think only with the 'in studio' portion.

Eric,

Thanks for the response. I'll try to adjust the antenna position on all axes. I just got Comcast installed today so it's going to be a bit harder to convince my fiancee to keep the Double Bow-Tie around! :)

Hello,

Looking for information regarding channel 4 in HD.

Any idea when this will be available?

Thanks
Pete

Pete,

Welcome to the world of HDTV. Has it met your expectations? I have Directv so I am sorry to say I can't help you.

Good luck and enjoy!!!

Pete...the hangup seems to be between CBS and Comcast. Apparently CBS wants to charge Comcast a high fee to carry its O & O stations (one of which is Ch.4) and Comcast won't agree to this. Get yourself a good indoor set-top antenna and pick Ch. 4 up off the air. You shouldn't have any problem getting a strong signal in Norfolk. I get a 100% signal all the way down in Taunton with an indoor antenna.

Originally posted by steverobertson
Bob,

No preamp on the antenna. I just find it very frustrating because of all the channels, channel 4 does the best job with HDTV along with CBS. We have talked privately in the past and for awhile it looked like everything was working great up until last week. I know that all the stations are on the same tower and can't understand why all the other ones work great but still have trouble with channel 4. I would think 38 would have the same problem? Could it be the DST 3000?
Steve,

Perhaps I can stop by with another receiver to try out. We can discuss off line.

Bob

Originally posted by D_Doherty
Did anyone have lip sync issues on Sports Final last night? I seem to have problems every week with this, I think only with the 'in studio' portion.
Sports Final is upconverted programming. If you see lip sync issues on just the in-studio portion of the show, it should be showing up on the analog side also. I'll check the tape.

Bob

Celtics in HD on Directv ch 198 in 10 mins !

And what on earth is 2-10 WGBH-Dx ? Appears to be the WGBH Video and NPR radio audio.

From looking at the WGBH PSIP, 2.10 is just a remapping of the WGBH-SD program streams with the descriptive video/BBC world service audio stream as the only audio stream.

As you know, from reading this thread, there are some really badly behaving STBs when it comes to selecting audio streams. It's a shame as the ATSC spec has some really neat features that are probably going to never see the light of day as stations have to program to the lowest common denominator.


2.1 WGBH-SD Frequency = 500.3MHz, TSID = 0x054D, Source ID = 2, Program = 2
Channel name = WGBH-SD
PCR PID = 0021
Elem PID = 0021, Video
Elem PID = 0024, AC-3 Audio
Elem PID = 0025, AC-3 Audio

2.2 PBS-HD Frequency = 500.3MHz, TSID = 0x054D, Source ID = 3, Program = 3
Channel name = PBS-HD
PCR PID = 0031
Elem PID = 0031, Video
Elem PID = 0034, AC-3 Audio
Elem PID = 0035, AC-3 Audio

2.10 WGBH-Dx Frequency = 500.3MHz, TSID = 0x054D, Source ID = 4, Program = 4
Channel name = Alternate Audio Service
PCR PID = 0021
Elem PID = 0021, Video
Elem PID = 0025, AC-3 Audio

2.0 WGBH-2 Frequency = 55.2MHz, TSID = 0x054C, Source ID = 1
Channel name = WGBH-2

is 38-1 off the air or is it me?