Originally posted by Benji
I called Comcast to see how much the HD pack would cost, and was told you needed to sub to the basic package for $41/mo. NO THANKS! I could only use it in one of my TVs, my F38310, since my Mits WS65807 has only 1 wideband component input (already used for DIRECTV). I'll wait.

I agree with you however nice it would be to have NESEN it is not worth that kind of cash and I am not even close to dumping D* right now.

Benji is the game in VA tonight? If so it may have to be cancelled.

According to ESPNews, it is still on for 7:45 kickoff. The forecast is for heavy rain and wind, but supposedly not damaging. It's my understanding that the Aggies are already in Blacksburg.

Originally posted by Benji
According to ESPNews, it is still on for 7:45 kickoff. The forecast is for heavy rain and wind, but supposedly not damaging. It's my understanding that the Aggies are already in Blacksburg.

I think the should cancel it why waste a great game on a field that nobody will be able to do anything.

Steve...I just checked the ESPN VT Message Board, and the forecast for the game is rain, heavy at times, winds 20-40 MPH with gusts to 60. They thought about moving the game to Saturday but there was the possibility ESPN couldn't televise it. That's lost revenue to both schools and conferences. They did say if it looked dangerous, safety would be the priority over $$$'s. It's too bad with the conditions, this probably won't be a good test of the strength of either teams.

Its all about the money!!!! What a surprise

Originally posted by JStanton
I got Comcast cable installed yesterday (just the HD package) for the Sox games that they show on NESN-HD/ INHD2 (not sure exactly what that relationship is).

While it was certainly better than the compressed SD that I usually get from my E*, it didn't seem to have that 'pop' that other events (Football, US Open) have. Is this a lighting issue? Are the using real HD cameras or are they upconverting 16:9 SD cameras? Is this going to get progressively better or is what you see what you get.

I have been in the HD trucks that NESN is using -- all cameras (even the overhead camera looking down on home plate) are true HD. All replay devices are also true HD. Fenway just isn't as well lit as most parks -- especially off field. This may be part of what we are all seeing -- dark backgrounds. I'll be interested in how the Fleet Center Looks this winter.

Newbie Question?

Is comcast offering true hdtv? I have heard its not true hdtv.

Yes the offer some of the off air channels, plus ESPN, InHD and HBO/Showtime (if you subscribe to those channels). See

http://www.comcast-ne.com/hdtv.html

The also offer digital cable, which isn't HD, and probably what your thinking of.

etcarey,

You seem to be 'in' with NESN so I'm going to direct this question to you.

Does NESN get anything from Comcast for the HD broadcast?

If they aren't do they expect Comcast to deliver the channel in the clear to people that are already paying for NESN on Comcast?

Thanks,

Dave

Originally posted by D_Doherty
etcarey,

You seem to be 'in' with NESN so I'm going to direct this question to you.

Does NESN get anything from Comcast for the HD broadcast?

If they aren't do they expect Comcast to deliver the channel in the clear to people that are already paying for NESN on Comcast?

Thanks,

Dave

My "in" is only as far as the on-site truck -- I work as a freelance production technician on the Red Sox crew. I don't know what the exact deal is with NESN and Comcast -- except to say the the announcements we run say the HD broadcasts are "brought to you by NESN in partnership with Comcast". There certainly seems to be a very good working relationship between Comcast and NESN.

I am not a Comcast Customer -- but I may be soon!

Soundstage with Wilco tonight on WGBH-DT was broadcast in Dolby5.1 audio. GBH now has DD5.1 Geat audio to go with great video

They've had 5.1 from the beginning, although they don't use it much.

I had some sound issues on the WBZ broadcast of the Patriots game today. Every once and while, the screen would flash a bit and the volume would increase. Then a while later, it would decrease. It happened several times during the game. It wasn't huge... maybe 6db or so, but enough to be annoying.

Did anyone else see (hear) this?

-Steve

Saw it as well. Pretty annoying.

Are there any major shows that come around the Boston area such as CES or any a/v shows with the new 2004 models.

What's up with the Patriots game on WBZ? I thought it was supposed to be HD. Doesn't seem to be right now.

Same here, just crappy standard feed

Just switched over to HD, no announcers audio though

I just called the hotline that Bob Hess had posted... 617-787-7043. They switched it over while I was on the phone.

-Steve

Had the announcers, then just a moment ago it went back to SD. Argh! I just got my TV and have people here to watch the game. This is NOT the way to promote HDTV.

Back to SD, I'd rather have HD with no announcers

God DAMMIT ! Put it back to HD WBZ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'd rather have NO frickin' announcers than Standard Def !!!!!!!! I've got people over that I'm showcasing this to... SUCK !

The announcers are useless.... as is Standard Def.... go back WBZ ! If this continues, I'm ringing that number off the hook.

Yay !


FYI Audio is L/R channels only (Crowd Noise, Official's Mic, CBS SFX/MUSIC). No Center channel for announcers, no surround channels.

Boy! The Pats in HD is REALLY like being there! No announcers!

-JR

Must have been the weekend crew over at BZ. They performed about as well as the Pats!

M-i-c-k-e-y...

Switched to the D* ST feed and it was fine the entire game.

Actually, the video was fine, the audio did have problems.

I missed the game yesterday, but based on the problems with the sound and picture that everyone is talking about, I wonder if it was a CBS problem or the feed coming out of FEDEX Field? The reason I say that is the Giants - Redskins Monday night football opening game had the same exact problems..first it dropped to SD, then back to HD with crowd sounds but no announcers, then back to SD, it took about 10 minutes before everything came back to normal. Since that game was also in Washington, could it have been something with the fiber optic wiring inside the stadium?

Anyone else upset about the Sox starting time on Wed night here is the # for the comissioners office 212-931-7800.

Originally posted by steverobertson
Anyone else upset about the Sox starting time on Wed night here is the # for the comissioners office 212-931-7800. What time?

10pm on Wed and 4pm on Thursday

Originally posted by joeinma
I missed the game yesterday, but based on the problems with the sound and picture that everyone is talking about, I wonder if it was a CBS problem or the feed coming out of FEDEX Field? The reason I say that is the Giants - Redskins Monday night football opening game had the same exact problems..first it dropped to SD, then back to HD with crowd sounds but no announcers, then back to SD, it took about 10 minutes before everything came back to normal. Since that game was also in Washington, could it have been something with the fiber optic wiring inside the stadium? The problem had to be at WBZ. I also had the NFLST telecast from DIRECTV and the audio/video was perfect wire to wire.

I haven't checked the ESPNHD website yet but I guess it's safe to assume the game will only be SD.

Originally posted by steverobertson
Anyone else upset about the Sox starting time on Wed night here is the # for the comissioners office 212-931-7800.

Why are you upset about the start time? They always start at 10:00pm when they play on the West Coast. If they didn't, all the local fans would need to take a day off from work to attend the game.

Another angle: Imagine what it's like for the West Coast on Sundays... football starts at 10:00 am!

10AM is a good thing. When the game is over you still have the rest of the day to whatever you wish.

I am upset because a 10pm start for most people is to late. I understand for some people it is not an issue but I bet for the majority it is. If they had started the game at 9 instead I think it would have appeased people on both coasts.

9:00pm would be better, you're right. It will be a rough day at work on Thursday staying up until the game's done on Wednesday night. Oh well, I'm just happy they're playing ball in October.

I am happy they are playing as well I am just pissed off I won't be able to see the whole game. Bud Selig is a dope and has no idea how to promote baseball. Do you think the NFL would do something like this?

Must be nice to be a Bay Area baseball fan and have 2 playoff games the same day at home. The Sox probably dictated the primetime spot because of their huge national appeal.

Originally posted by steverobertson
Anyone else upset about the Sox starting time on Wed night here is the # for the comissioners office 212-931-7800.

Imagine how aweful it would be if the Sox beat the Giants in Game 7 of the World Series and it started at 10:00 PM EST? I would be livid! ;)

All kidding aside (and I was kidding) I actually prefer 10:00 over 7:00 because I'm spending time with my kids until they go to bed at 9:00 so I usually miss the majority of the game. 9:00 would be ideal for me (for all games) but I can certainly live with 10:00 ... especially if it means we get the chance to see the Sox in the playoffs.

The World Series games would begin around 8:35PM no matter where they are played.

The way they setup this series is crazy i mean a 10 game wed and then 4 thursday. How many people wont be going to work thursday?

I won't but then I'm on vacation.

Can anyone tell me why the football games have been so awful in hdtv this year. I mean the sound is in and out and i lose the picture a couple of times a game.

HiDef...what stations in particular are giving you problems? The problems on yesterday's game were only in the lst quarter. After that WBZ straightened it out. I have had no problems with WCVB, ESPN or HDNet.

well 4-1 always gives me problems in the begining of the game and at the end. Monday night football is the same thing. It drives me crazy when the sound is off. I do agree hdnet is great but it there seems to be alot of bugs you would think they would have it fixed by now.

I have not had the other problems but some of the problems with yesterday's game can be attributed to WBZ while some were CBS's fault. Early on when the game was still SD on 4-1, it was HD and 5.1 on DIRECTV. The audio on 4-1 didn't go to 5.1 I believe until late in the first half. Periodically, after 4-1 went HD, the video kept reverting back to SD. This also happened on DIRECTV.

4-1 audio was out for pretty much the whole 1st half - just the background noise & official's mic. I switched my receiver over to WBCN to catch Gil & Geno (just like the old days), but BCN was a second quicker than the video - just enough to notice. Actually wasn't that bad without the play-by-play...

I can't believe that FOX is not broadcasting the Cubs/Braves game in 480P!! I hate 480P but at least it's 16x9...

-JR

Is anyone else down or near the Cape getting a much weaker signal from wbz 4.1 than before ? I am getting 55-60 now on my dtc100 - I used to get 80-82 consistently. Bob Hess - any changes made recently ? Also does anyone know if we will get any red sox games in hi def ?

John

I can't believe that FOX is not broadcasting the Cubs/Braves game in 480P!! I hate 480P but at least it's 16x9... Yea, hard to believe, isn't it? A playoff game... on national TV. They need a slap upside the head methinks...

And speaking of Fox, does anyone else get the other Boston channels OTA with good signal, but have trouble with Fox? I'm in Shrewsbury and I get every single Boston channel at 100% strength except for Fox, which is usually hovering in the 30-40% range with lots of dropouts (using a Samsung SIR-TS160 receiver and Channel Master 4228 in my attic) . I NEED to get that fixed before the World Series. I mean, they're at least going to show it in 480p 16x9, right? It would be damn criminal if they didn't do at least that much...

-Steve

No 16 x 9 until the World Series on FOX.

Steve O,

Get that 4228 out of your attic! I'm running a Sammy T-151 and an external 4228 over on the west side of Worcester with no problems.

-JR

Yea, I know... it just bugs me that I get every other channel at fantastic strength, but not Fox. Are they broadcasting at much lower power than everyone else? Antenna location slightly different? I'm way up on top of a hill, so I've got that going for me. I'd really prefer to keep the thing in the attic as I really don't have anywhere to put it outside (other than on the tip top of my roof which will look like hell on my little ranch). I've also got trees in the way, which could be an issue (and would also be an issue even if I brought it outside.

-Steve

Have you tried tweaking the antenna a little left and a little right? I believe FOX's tower is a tad north of the other two (so tweak the bore-sight left a tad). You'd be surprised the amount of attenuation you're getting from the roof.

-JR

No, I haven't tweaked it yet... certainly needs to be done. And there's no doubt that the roof is messing me up. But with the digital signal, it's all or nothing (more or less). If I get get a solid enough signal with the stuff in the attic, then there's no need to try and get better that. Hopefully the tweaking will do the trick.

-Steve

The search functionality seems to be pretty unreliable, so I don't know if this has been asked before, but is Comcast showing any signs of getting WB56 HD any time soon? WB have about 7-8 primetime shows in HD this season so that would be a great channel to add to the cable HD lineup.

Fox is coming in around 50 for me last night with alot of dropouts they are so annoying that I stopped watching the game. I believe they are not up to full power can anyone confirm this

Steve...I usually get FOX25 pretty good in late evening to early morning. During the afternoon, my Hughes signal dips to about 30 and it is unwatchable. Currently I'm getting about 55 with a very good steady signal. If the Sox play on 25 in the afternoon I'm screwed. I however can get a half-good signal on ch. 64. But I'd love to see the WS in FOX widescreen if possible.

You would think with the money they just spent on their new studios they could find a few extra bucks to up the power. I hate Fox and only watch when I have to football or Red Sox.

I'm not sure FOX25 has any control over its current digital signal power. I believe the FCC dictates to each station how much power they are allowed to use. FOX25 may be at its maximum allowable power.

That maybe the case but why would all the other stations be running a full power and they ccan't that makes no sense to me. They are just to cheap and don't care about their digital signal it is nothing but a pain for them and the only reason they even have a digital station is because they were forced into it.

From my vantage point in Taunton, the only stations running at full power are WGBH, WBZ, WHDH, WCVB and the HSN station on 52-1. I get a useable signal on WSBK and WGBX, marginal signal on WFXT and a virtually useless signal from WB56.

I am in Andover, and I too have problem with FOX. I have a CM 3021 4-bay bow on top of the roof. No rotator. Signal splitted to three different TVs in the house, with no amp anywhere.

All network channels come in at 100%, except FOX. When I first installed the antenna 6 weeks ago, FOX was around 60-70% on my Hughes E86 with absolutely no dropout. Now, it is 35-50%, with lots of dropouts. All other channels remain at 100%.

I think the antenna may have shifted a little bit. I'll reposition it this weekend, but it seems FOX signal strength will always be weaker than the rest.

If anyone gets FOX at 100% please let me know your location. I'll see if I'll need a pre-amp. No rotator required where I am at.

In Winchester on my HD-5:

FXT 79-86
LVI 72-79

All others 100

I wish I could get signal strength that good on those 2 and I am only 8 miles from the towers go figure.

As usual FXT is un-useable this afternoon. I may have to switch on the Providence locals to get 64 for the playoffs. With all the stations I can get why does baseball have to be on FAUX?

Like I said earlier today Faux is a joke

It might be a blessing in disguise. If the Sox go 3 and out, I won't need FOX.

I read with amazement the posts made by some folks on here, Specifically in this case the one form steverobertson. He obviously has no idea of what he speaks. First off, the power allocations are made by the FCC to supposedly replicate the analog coverage contours of each station. If steve were to look in the power allocation table he would see that all 3 UHF stations in the market 25.38.56 ALL have considerably less power than their VHF counterparts by a factor of almost 10 to 1. Consider for Example FOX...their power allocation is 78KW. Compare that to channel 7's DTV power of 978 KW or to Ch 5 or 4's power both hovering around the 600KW mark. You figure it out. It has nothing to do with "Cheap" or Not Caring or anything else. In fact if you notice WFXT has an application pending currently for a 1 Megawatt power output. So much for that theory of cheap. I don't mind a good discussion but lets at least know the facts before we rant about things that are out of broadcasters hands

My antenna is definitely not pointing in the original direction that I set it up. I am confident I can get FOX back to the 70% range. However, I would like FOX at 100% to give myself some margin during a heavy snow storm.

Problem: How do I boost just channel 31 (25-1 FOX), and not channel 30 (4-1 CBS at 100% strength) and the rest of the UHF spectrum? I do not want to get FOX at 100%, and lose everything else because of signal overloading. Thanks for any advice.

I went to watch Smallville last night and got 0 from the WB 56. I'll admit that it has been a while since I tried to get this channel. Have they been having problems? Are they not broadcasting at full strength etc... I get all the other Boston channels fine. 2,4,5,7,25,38 so what is the diference with 56?

Ben

Originally posted by Cadman58
I read with amazement the posts made by some folks on here, Specifically in this case the one form steverobertson. He obviously has no idea of what he speaks. First off, the power allocations are made by the FCC to supposedly replicate the analog coverage contours of each station. If steve were to look in the power allocation table he would see that all 3 UHF stations in the market 25.38.56 ALL have considerably less power than their VHF counterparts by a factor of almost 10 to 1. Consider for Example FOX...their power allocation is 78KW. Compare that to channel 7's DTV power of 978 KW or to Ch 5 or 4's power both hovering around the 600KW mark. You figure it out. It has nothing to do with "Cheap" or Not Caring or anything else. In fact if you notice WFXT has an application pending currently for a 1 Megawatt power output. So much for that theory of cheap. I don't mind a good discussion but lets at least know the facts before we rant about things that are out of broadcasters hands

Thank you for enlightening me on this but I still hate Faux.

Steve...it's a tough morning isn't it? First you only get about 3-4 hrs. of sleep, if that, then you get ripped in AVS Forum. It's gonna be one of those days.

I didn't stay up and watch the game so I am fine but I love getting ripped who cares its only TV. By the way Faux is the only 1 that I have a problem with all the other channels come in fine

I stayed up until the bitter end, and am feeling it now. Since I'm on vaca (2nd of 5 weeks), it's no biggie but I had to get up for a doctors appointment, then I'm on my way to Virginia for the weekend. I think today's game is the last one not on FAUX. If the Sox lose, it probably won't matter much what station they are on.

At least you are on vacation there was no way I was going to stay up. Are you going to the Hokies game

I'll be going to the Hokies game on a 50" TV at my friend's home in Roanoke. Sadly I'll be passing right by the sight of the game (Rutgers) sometime early Friday morning. On the bright side, they have a very strong FAUX station in Roanoke so I will be able to watch the Sox on Fox down there.

Have a good time and tell that Fox station to contact ours and let them know how they do it

P.S. If the Sox lose today, I probably won't have to worry about watching them down there.

They will not lose today just so that I have to watch Faux on Saturday and Sunday

Originally posted by steverobertson
They will not lose today just so that I have to watch Faux on Saturday and Sunday Sounds like you are taking it personally if the Sox win. Anyways they've used up Pedro and Derek now. Who's left?

Wakefield today, Lowe on Saturday.

On a different topic though, what's the deal with PBS? This may have been answered, but why are they multi-casting 2 of the exact same channel (2-1 & 2-10), bringing down the quality of the HD channel (2-2)? Anyone know the answer to this? Do they actually ever show different content on 2-1 and 2-10? IMO, they really need to eliminate 2-10.

I don't know the reason for 2-10 but if you notice, it has an alternate audio, probably WGBH's SAP soundtrack.

Someone already looked in to this. 2-10 is not using much bandwidth at all.

Originally posted by D_Doherty
Someone already looked in to this. 2-10 is not using much bandwidth at all.

Then I guess my question is: Why should it be using any? Why not add the "alternate audio" to 2-1?

Details on 2-10 http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=2130162#post2130162

My understanding was that "alternate audio" wasn't used since it screws up so many receivers. The video stream for 2-1 and 2-10 are the same stream anyway, so using either alternate audio vs. 2-10 should result in roughly the same bandwidth usage.

I was wondering if any a/v shows such as CES ever come to the boston area? I can't wait to see the 2004 products. Thanks for any info?

Originally posted by High Def 03
I was wondering if any a/v shows such as CES ever come to the boston ?

I wish that we could get something that was a fraction of CES...

The only thing I've seen are some sales/demo events put on
by places like Hunt Video and The CameraCompany, usually once a year.

Some of the area Pro AV distributors run display events also, where
they bring in the various factory reps.


--

The SBE Boston Chapter has a broadcast equipment event coming up
at the end of Oct (29th) called BOSCON.

Question to Bob Hess: Is attendence to BOSCON open to anyone
or you need to be employed in the industry to get in?

I haven't repositioned the antenna yet, but 25-1 miraculously jumped to 100% tonight (from the typical 50-55% lately for me), just in time for the Red Sox game. Has anyone else noticed this sudden signal strength surge from FOX? I hope this is not an one-night-stand deal, and that FOX has increased its transmission power for good.

I didn't check out the signal strength but noticed that the volume of the digital signal is finally normal.

I just hope the signal remains strong enough for the World Series. It would be nice to be able to watch the Cubs-Sox series in FAUX high resolution, widescreen!

Originally posted by Benji
I'll be going to the Hokies game on a 50" TV at my friend's home in Roanoke. Sadly I'll be passing right by the sight of the game (Rutgers) sometime early Friday morning. On the bright side, they have a very strong FAUX station in Roanoke so I will be able to watch the Sox on Fox down there.

Which FOX affiliate is this? WJPR-DT is ten times the power of the local ABC and only has about half the coverage area (same tower I think), and WFXR-DT is only on with about 2.97 kW and doesn't appear to be broadcasting anything, plus WJPR/WFXR aren't doing FOX EDTV.

- Trip

Trip...It didn't much matter.My friend doesn't have a digital TV. We were forced to watch the game on Adelphia blurvision.

LOL, OK.

- Trip

NTN1 - I am way down on the cape and usually cannot watch Fox 25.1 for more than 3-4 seconds without a dropout. I was also very pleased to see my signal meter up in the 80's for the game - and hope this is not temporary. Can't wait to see "24" widescreen - with no dropouts !!!

Yes, for me as well Fox suddently got OK just before the game last night. Signal is now steady at 80% (it was around 30% before with lots of breakups). The other Boston stations all come in at 100%, but I can live with 80.

Now if Fox would just broadcast in actual high defintion rather than "Fox Widescreen". I got my first taste of their idea of high-def this weekend during the football game. It was so stunningly mediocre that I forgot who was playing. What a difference between what Fox shows and what CBS, ESPN, and ABC have been showing!

Anyway, I'm glad the signal is better and I'm glad I can get at least what I got. It's a way better signal than DirecTV spits out.

-Steve

Signal strength on 25.1 definitely up, prior to last night was low normal on Zenith HDV420, now in low good range.

Herb

I am also up to 100 I guess the Govt doesn't restrict what power they can broadcast at.

Cowboy Up everyone Go Red Sox

I'm getting a useable signal (about 50) right now but usually during mid-day it drops to about 30 and I lose the lock. It recovers around sundown,so I should be able to watch the game. I had a good signal last night and was able to watch the Cubs-Marlins.

Originally posted by jjk58

The SBE Boston Chapter has a broadcast equipment event coming up
at the end of Oct (29th) called BOSCON.

Question to Bob Hess: Is attendence to BOSCON open to anyone
or you need to be employed in the industry to get in?
BOSCON is open to the public at no charge. Mostly radio and television broadcast equipment, however. The show is for broadcasters and not consumers. I doubt there will be much, if any, consumer HD equipment. Should be lots of commercial HD equipment.

- Bob

After reading this thread, I went to check my signal strenght. Usually it is about 50, and I watch with a fair number of glitches and occasional drop out. Last night's game was perfect, but I didn't check the signal. Tonight the signal is 78 to 80. Did FOX increase it's transmission power?

SMK

Bottom of the 6th inning and I am getting dropouts regularly. Checked my signal meter and I back to 45-55 again. Wonder if the other two nights were atmospheric cooperation or wfxt turning up the power. Wish it would have stayed there :( - the picture from directv sux

Originally posted by jalferes
Bottom of the 6th inning and I am getting dropouts regularly. Checked my signal meter and I back to 45-55 again. Wonder if the other two nights were atmospheric cooperation or wfxt turning up the power. Wish it would have stayed there :( - the picture from directv sux


I agree although I was lucky and it really didn't drop to the point of not being able to watch it. Does anyone else miss the Remdog doing the games these network guys are just plain awful

That was a nice touch putting Brett Boone in the booth (brother of a Yankee-yech!!!). And how could anyone say Walker's HR was foul? I don't know how much clearer it could have been hitting the foul pole (unless the game was in HD). Those guys must be freakin blind!

Miss the Remdog as well.

Buck and McCarver are awful, although NL crew (Lyons and Breenen-whatever) is arguably worse.

Getting real sick of the whining about Manny's supposed "showboating" on the HR two days ago.

I hope FOX gets these playoffs in HD by next year.

I was able to get 25-1 in low normal range on my Zenith 420, but the game was not in wide screen. After the first inning I switched to DTV instead. Weird thing is I thought I caught a second of the pregame show in wide screen?? Did FOX switch to wide screen at a later point?

As for the home run call, I am (unfortunately today :( ) a Yankee fan living in Red Sox Nation (hey sue me, I grew up in New Haven, CT!) and even I knew it was a home run. My first thought was how the hell can the home plate up overrule the right field ump when the RF ump was right there, but on replays, either way it was a HR..I think it was still iffy whether it hit the pole or the kid's hand, but his hand was in front of the pole anyway.

Congrats on the game 1 win, Wakefield pitched a great game and Mussina could not find the plate, that was the big difference. Yankees showed no emotion in the game, and the Sox were getting the bounces..Manny's hit off of Mussina's glove prior to Ortiz hitting the HR, the balls just out of Jeter's reach, etc... HOWEVER, don't start celebrating yet, because it ain't over to the fat lady sings, right? You recall 1986 right? 2 outs, 2 strikes..and the ball GOES THROUGH BUCKNERS LEGS!!!:D

FYI - Though I am NY fan, I did say when the playoffs started that it would be Cubs - Sox in the series...I can see the headlines now...HELL FREEZES OVER!!...ARMAGEDDON...etc.! :)

The thing that concerns me about the Yankees is that they were the best road team in baseball this season. Taking that into consideration, I consider tonight's game a must-win for the Sox. Even with Pedro going Saturday, the Sox definately need the 2-game advantage with the Yanks going on the road for 3.

But the Sox are the second best home team (behind our friends the A's) so hopefully that should even things out.

I don't think coming home after a split in the Bronx with Pedro going is the worst thing in the world, but a victory tonight would be sweet.

If the Sox were to split the first two, game 3 with Pedro pitching is not always a lock...while he has pitched great against the Yankees, it seems NY likes to work the count against him which causes him to leave games early and force him into a no-decision. Of course, if he pitches like he did in Game 5 vs Oakland, well that's another story.

This year, Pedro was 1-1, with two no-decisions (which NY won, so Boston was 1-3 in games vs NY when Pedro started this year). In Pedro's 2 ND's he threw 115 pitches in 7 innings and 128 in 6.2. In his loss, he went 4 innings and 87 pitches. In his win, 7 innings and only 94 pitches. So the key for NY is to get Pedro's pitch count up. Of course, Boston's bullpen is not as bad as it was earlier in the year (as long as Kim doesn't pitch).

I will say, you can bet the house on the fact that Enrique Wilson will start for NY vs Pedro, because he's batting .500 vs Pedro this year.

If the Sox win tonight, the Yanks will cash it in and go down 4 straight. There is no way Pedro will lose to Rajah and by the time Burkette takes the mound, the Yanks will already be planning their tee times.

Here we go again - dropout city - back to the crappy directv picture - going anywhere from 0 - 60 on the signal meter - nothing consistent - :(

I am still getting high 70's on FOX with no dropouts tonight.

SMK

Did anyone have a problem with the OTA HD WCVB Channel 5 "Threat Matrix" last night ? I had a weird audio problem. Background soundtrack but *no* dialog.

Yes...ch. 5-1 was sending the audio in Dolby 2.0 with no center channel.

Bob Hess,

It looks like UPN is going HD with Enterprise. Is Boston in for this. Haven't been around recently so the big news may have been posted already.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=311846

Best regards,
Tim

anyone have problems with channel 5, not coming in in Arlington.

Originally posted by alv
anyone have problems with channel 5, not coming in in Arlington.

OK up north...

Originally posted by alv
anyone have problems with channel 5, not coming in in Arlington.

I've been having problems since last night around 9 o'clock or so out here in north central Mass. Usually it comes in at about 95% signal strength, but it barely hits 40% today.

-Mike

They definitely are having problems, I usually get channel 5 at 100%, tonite it is at 27-43% signal and tons of breakups.

Jim

i'm not getting ch. 5 here in cambridge either.

No WCVB-20DT here in northern Rhode Island either. But analog 5 is coming in -- snowy, but coming in (I have no idea if it normally looks like this, never watch the analog)

I just checked on 5-1 (20) again and watched for a minute or so and still
looks ok, no problems noticed. (about 10.06pm)
Sig Strength looks as usual on my samsung 165


I'll need to catch Alias on tivo as my wife was watching another channel...

Something definitely is going on with abc. I have not been able to get it since yesterday. I wanted so bad to tape alias in HD yesterday. No picture at all and hardly no signal. For some reason it actually causes may Accessdtv tuner card to crash and reboot my computer completely. Very strange.

Seems fine here. Signal strength appears a little lower than usual, but it's coming in OK.

Anyone know what are local FOX station (WFXT) is broadcasting at? Is it 720p or 1080i? Thanks.

The best I can get from fox is 480p. That is through the sony sat-hd300.

Bruce

Originally posted by Bacffin
The best I can get from fox is 480p. That is through the sony sat-hd300.

Bruce

Really? I always thought WFXT upconverted everything to either 720p or 1080i.

Whoops...correction, that is through the hd-200. I have the 300 on order. But 480p is it, unless I am doing something wrong. I have tried just about everything to improve the signal, but that is the best I can get. If anyone is getting a better signal, I would appreciate it if they could share how they are configured to get it. I have only been in the "big screen" arena for a few weeks now, so I am still a little green.

When watching the sox, I set the aspect ratio on the TV to 16:9 and the receiver to squeezed to get the best picture possible. It is still a little fuzzy but watchable and is in 4:3 format. I was really disappointed yesterday when I found that the Pats game was on fox. They showed it in wide screen but it was still a 480p signal.

Bruce

Fox only does 480p. They're in the process of upgrading to HD, which is supposed to be online by Fall 2004.

I think WFXT was upconverting their 480p material to 720p last January, but also I remember there were also problems with the widescreen feed for a few weeks around that time (not getting the NFC playoffs in widescreen).

There has been no 720p material on FOX yet...

Just got this notice from HDTV Magazine:

In HDTV UPN to Offer First Time Ever HDTV Broadcasts of "Star Trek: Enterprise" and "Jake 2.0" Beginning October 15

Whoah ! WCVB now has a new sub-channel up... 5-2 WCVB-WX ! It's a live Doppler radar video feed, no audio. This is AWESOME for a directv person like myself who only gets the national weather channel feed without the Local on the 10's. I hope this is a permanent addition. If they were smart they'd add in audio from the National Weather Service weather band audio loop.

I hope they're not stealing too much bandwith from the main channel. :(

during That 70's show 38.1 ran several minutes of enterprise in HD then switched back to That 70's show twice. Must be getting ready for the regular debut this week.

Jay

It kinda sucks that I spent a lot of time installing an attic antena in Arlington last week and then started getting bad receptions... I thought it was the antena and then I read about you guys having issues :) I guess I'll wait until it settles down... my attic isnt that easy to walk in ... :P

I initially had a terk over the dish antena and it worked very well, until it rained... I now have a 4228 (or is it 4218, its the half size one)

Most problems are with 2-2 I get fox great although only at 77 - 79

The weird thing is that pbs at 2-2 shows 93 percent even though it keeps dropping audio... my other channels come in at 93-100 even though my SR-160 keeps taking away my 38-1 (I need to go back an add it everytime)

Hope this settles soon!

Art

that 5.2 subchannel takes minimal bandwidth because the delta between successive frames of that image is minimal... very cool that they have added this 5.2 subchannel!

in southern NH reception news, i have not been able to get 38.1, 56.1, 25.1 since last winter, and i rarely get 7.1 any more. saturday night 7.1 was showing stronger signal than 4.1 however - 4.1 was dropping out. (attic antenna, channelmaster 4248 with uhf preamp).

I asked this question last year and was told there wasn't any consumer option available, but maybe things have changed...

I would like to delay the AM or FM broadcast to sync with DTV. Any suggestions?

I'd like to listen to the Pats/Gil&Gino on Sunday but if I have to listen to McCarver and Boone one more time I may slit my wrists.

WEEI has started to time their radio broadcasts to sync up to the TV. The digital signal is still about a second behind the radio, but it is soooo much better than listing to Buck and McCarver, which also makes me want to kill myself or someone else...

I know a guy who purchased a Lexicon (MPX 200) unit to delay the audio for exactly this purpose, but it costs around $300.

Those idiots are both Yankee shills. I tried listening to WEEI then switched to WPRO from Providence. The WPRO broadcast was slightly behind WEEI and closer to the TV synch.

Originally posted by tveli

in southern NH reception news, i have not been able to get 38.1, 56.1, 25.1 since last winter, and i rarely get 7.1 any more. saturday night 7.1 was showing stronger signal than 4.1 however - 4.1 was dropping out. (attic antenna, channelmaster 4248 with uhf preamp).

where in sNH?

I get DT on 2,4,5,7,38,50. No 25,56. Occasional 9 and 44 is gone now.
I've had 25 in the past. I'm using a SS (getting a CM one of these days)
in the garage w/ preamp and a samsung t165 tuner.

Receive all the Boston Digitals in SE NH(Kingston). 56.1 is weakest. Using CM 4221 with cm 7775 preamp. Now picking up channel 21 out of Concord, it a Pax station, nothing worth watching. Cannot get channels 59 or 57, would need rotor.

Herb

I am having a problem with my HiPix card on 38-1. The video and audio break up about every 7 seconds.

This does not happen on any other channel: 2-1, 2-2, 2-10, 4-1, 5-1, 7-1, etc.

It does not happen on my Zenith HDS-520, but I think there is something about channel 38 that is not compatible with the HiPix card.

I get a signal strength of between 72 and 78%.

Has anyone else had this problem?

-- Rich

Rich,

I'm seeing the same thing with my HiPix. This showed up about a year ago on either 38 or 7, IIRC. I have some vague memory of it being an encoding problem (wrong value for some marginally important piece of data in the header?). I don't recall there being any consumer fix for this.

Anyone else remember anything?

-Gary

I was just getting ready to post the same problem with 38-1. Video and audio break up every 6-7 seconds. Darn it, they would mess up their signal right before the Enterprise HD premier. Anybody know how to contact UPN to get them to fix it?
Spearse

Hey, I see from the UPN website that Bob Hess is the chief engineer. Bob, anything you can do to fix this? You have been a terrific help and resource for the digital community here.

Spearse

Originally posted by spearse
Hey, I see from the UPN website that Bob Hess is the chief engineer. Bob, anything you can do to fix this? You have been a terrific help and resource for the digital community here.

Spearse
We are not seeing anything at our studio. We use a Sencore receiver with a Channel Master 4228 antenna. I have not noticed anything at home using a DTC-100. We did notice some freezes in the video today while doing signal strength measurements using a Zenith receiver. This may be totally unrelated to the problems mentioned on the forum. We will continue to investigate. If you report the problem on the Forum, please let me know the type of receiver.

By the way, we will have HD on tonight. You will see some lip-sync problems. We're working on it.

Bob

Bob,

Not sure what other forum you are referring to. I posted this using feedback/technical issues at the channel 38 website:

38-1 Digital breaks up every 7 seconds with my HiPix DTV-200 PC based HDTV card.

My signal strength is 72 to 79%. All other digital channels are fine include: 2-1, 2-x, 4-1, 5-1, 7-1, 44-x, etc.

Only 38-1 exhibits the breakup problem. Other users at avsforum.com are also experiencing the problem.

-- Rich

Originally posted by RichB
Bob,

Not sure what other forum you are referring to. I posted this using feedback/technical issues at the channel 38 website:



-- Rich
I am referring to this Forum. I want to know what receivers are affected. I did see your original post. I want reports from other viewers who may be experiencing the same problem.

I am getting breakups on similar Hipix dtv-200 card on 38-1. I will check my Zenith receiver to see if it has same problems.
Spearse

Bob,

I'm having problems here with a Dish 6000 swapping between 38-1 and 39-1 every 2 or 3s so it can't lock into the channel.

Thanks,

-Mike

Bob,

In addition to the HiPix board, I also have a Zenith DTV1080 and HDS520, both do not exhibit the problem.

-- Rich

Well, tonight so far there have been no more dropouts on the Hipix. Maybe whatever it was, was transient last night.
Spearse

Great! I am working now too.

I recorded last weeks Star Trek and had drop-outs.

My signal is up from 72-79% fluctuating, to a solid 81%.

I am ready for Trek!

Thanks,

Rich

Bob,
UPN has a terrific picture for Star Trek HD. Congratulations.

I am getting lipsync problems, but it may be my Hipix mishandling occasional signal drops in this wind.

Enterprise looks phenomenal!
Spearse

Originally posted by Bob Hess


By the way, we will have HD on tonight. You will see some lip-sync problems. We're working on it.

Bob

Picture looks great. Solid on a Sat520. Signal fluctuating but picture & sound solid on MyHD. Lip sync issues definitely there. Thanks for heads up on working to resolve.

Can't wait for Jake 2.0.

Tim (Release Candidate 1) :)

well -- wouldn't you know a local power outage due to wind kept us in Nashua from seeing most of the Trek HD debut! When power returned -- we had trouble holding a steady picture. Break-ups every minute or two -- certainly due to high winds and trees and such. Still -- saw enough to be impressed with how well the alien make-up holds-up in HD -- and how good the special effects stand up. Hopefully -- there'll be no hurricane next week and we'll see more!!

go sox!

I don't know if this is related, but I have much more trouble with 39 than any other channel. Lots of dropouts, and fluctuating singal strength. At times it's annoying; at worst, unwatchable.

Is there a possibility that this is related to adjacent channel interference with 38?


I have a Zenith 420 tuner.

I had a frequent pixellation on Startrek HD last night. Maybe it was the wind? Their was also lip synch probs. Overall I loved the pic. It's funny some of the special effects looked hokey now that I can see everything. Flox's (sp?) makeup looked fake. The shuttle seemed like a simple model lacking realistic details. I think I could see the effects too much. Is this my imagination or did anyone experience this?

Originally posted by Prelude2k
Bob,

I'm having problems here with a Dish 6000 swapping between 38-1 and 39-1 every 2 or 3s so it can't lock into the channel.

Thanks,

-Mike
This one was our problem. There was a problem with our PSIP equipment that generates virtual channel 38.1.

Bob

This has probably been answered here but after looking through many pages, using google and a search here, still have this question:

Where on the net can I find the transmit numbers for local digital channels from Needham. Thanks.

2 (19-1 and 19-2)
4 (30-1)
5 (20-1 and 20-2)
7 (42-1)
25 (31-1)
38 (39-1)
44 (43-1, -2, -3 and -4)
56 (41-1)

Thanks for your info Benji.

Originally posted by Bob Hess
This one was our problem. There was a problem with our PSIP equipment that generates virtual channel 38.1.

Bob

Thanks Bob for the reply, appreciate the info. I look forward to next week then :)

-Mike

Is there something wrong on my end, or does the sound on the Sox game on 25-1 keep cutting out?

-Steve

Bob Hess--

Don't know why but ever since Tuesday have had problems with 4.1 and 38.1 especially. Tried to watch Enterprice and Jake 2.0 but two many dropouts. Last night and tonight no signal on 38.1 on either my HD200 or HD300 here in Framingham. Very frustrating as reception on both has been rock steady for a long period of time.

Jay

Grady " Bleepin" Little in my mind is #1 in Sox disasters

Grady "Bleepin" Little is right.

They can't even have the pleasure of firing him as he does not have a contract. If the Sox bring him back I will not follow them next season. I would think a little league coach would have known to get him out of there in the 8th.

Agreed. If Little is back, I am not.

He screwed the most talented team in MLB at the worst possible time.

Little's decision to keep Pedro in the game was one of the worst freaking decisions ever made. It was obvious to everyone and their mother that Pedro was losing his stuff.

That being said, I think the crucifixtion of Little is certainly premature. I firmly believe that without him in the dugout, the Sox would not have been in the Postseason at all. As important as the big names to the Sox, were the random guys that came in and had career year. I feel that Little, and the way he managed the clubhouse was a big part of that. Unfortunately, the way he managed last night's game left a lot to be desired.

still nary a signal for me on 25.1, although i was looking for it on 32.1 instead of 31.1 :| anyway, i haven't been able to receive it since last winter. i had really wanted to see Pedro lose the game via DTV/upconverted at least. Pedro is talented but he's a nasty punk. after his beanball & Zimmer-toss performance, i have vowed to be a Yankees fan until Pedro is gone from the redsox!

leaves leaves go away so my DTV may return some day! :)

FatNoah,

I agree with you to a point but the bottom line is he also cost them a chance to win it all and to me there is no excuse for what happened. Is Pedro the manager or is it Little I didn't see Torre having a problem pulling Clemens out in the 4th.

well why do we have to blame someone i am devasted like everyone else but blaming grady or pedro not the thing to do. We should say hell we had a great year with this team nobody thought we could go this far in the begining of the year with guys like ortiz,milar,mueller. As far as the yankees they buy there championships lets face it every year there payroll is the highest in the league and thats why they win.

Originally posted by High Def 03
well why do we have to blame someone i am devasted like everyone else but blaming grady or pedro not the thing to do. We should say hell we had a great year with this team nobody thought we could go this far in the begining of the year with guys like ortiz,milar,mueller. As far as the yankees they buy there championships lets face it every year there payroll is the highest in the league and thats why they win.

Because that is what Red Sox fans do. I don't blame Pedro at all I blame the so called manager that is supposed to manage not ask his subordinate what he thinks he should do. Grady needs to be shown the door today this is right up there with all the other disasters this team keeps getting themselves into.

Originally posted by High Def 03
As far as the yankees they buy there championships lets face it every year there payroll is the highest in the league and thats why they win.

I'm sick of everyone using the "buying the championship" line.. Yankees had the highest payroll the last two years and did not win the Championship. And yes, they have the highest this year, but the Sox have the 5th highest http://espn.go.com/mlb/news/2003/0721/1583823.html. Yankees did not buy Jeter, Posada, Williams, Rivera, Pettitte and Johnson...1/2 of their starting lineup, the best closer and one of the best lefthanded pitchers in baseball...all home grown. 2 other players, Matsui and Soriano...while they did not come up with NY, have not played for any other major league team as they played outside the US. Any team could have signed them, but they didn't.

Now look at the Sox..in their starting 8 fielders...who came up through the system? Normar, Nixon and Vartitek. How many pitchers do the Sox have that came up with them? Lowe is the only one I can think of.

As for payrolls, one of the only reasons the Sox are 5th and not in the top 3 is because they play at Fenway, thus losing 20,000 seats or more, compared to NY, that they could be making money on...the more money they can make, the higher salaries they can pay. That's why we have seen the monster seats, the VIP front row seats, the opening of Yawkey Way, the opening of the right field area, more ads in the stadium etc...so they can make money. NY has the moeny, so they spend it.

Get over it! :mad:

Joe,

Agree that the "payroll argument " is a bit silly. But the Sox did pull in more money at the gate than the Yankees or anyone else this year. Tickets at Fenway are more expensive and they sell out virtually every game.

The TV rights/revenues is where the Yankees have the huge advantage (a market that's 6x the size).


http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2003/09/05/fenway_forever/

CORRECTION!! After responding to the quote that they Yankees "buy" their championships, I was corrected by a co-worker who reminded me that Lowe and Varitek did not come up through the Sox farm system...so the only home grown player is Nomar. So the Sox have 1, while as I had said, the Yankees have Jeter, Posada, Williams, Rivera, Pettitte and Johnson. So who's buying the more players? Sure, some players are added by trade..but the point is the Yankees have not bought the heart of their team.

Originally posted by jckessler
Joe,

Agree that the "payroll argument " is a bit silly. But the Sox did pull in more money at the gate than the Yankees or anyone else this year. Tickets at Fenway are more expensive and they sell out virtually every game.

The TV rights/revenues is where the Yankees have the huge advantage (a market that's 6x the size).
http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2003/09/05/fenway_forever/

I hear you on that one! :) Since NY has a bigger stadium, they can offer more cheaper seats (in the nosebleed sections) then the Sox can, and the Sox sell almost all their tickets before the season starts because Sox fans don't want to be caught out of the loop when the Sox have a good year like this one. If you didn't buy tickets in December when they went on sale, you would be hard pressed to get tickets in September. NY meanwhile, besides opening day and games vs the Mets or Sox, usually do not sellout all regular season games.

TV revenue is definitely a cash cow of the Boss.

The Sox didn't "buy" Varitek/Lowe ... it was a great trade that only cost them Heathcliff Slocomb! They really didn't pay all that much for Walker, Ortiz, Mueller, Wakefield, Trot Nixon (who they drafted!), or anyone in the bullpen either. Signing free agents is fine as long as they are reasonable contracts distributed throughout the league. Pedro, Manny, and Damon are the only non-Sox draftees we paid a lot of money to. When the season started, the Yankees had huge contracts going to Jeter, Posada, Giambi, Matsui, Bernie, Mondesi, Hitchcock, Mussina, Clemens, Wells, Pettitte, Weaver, and Rivera. That's the difference.

It's not drafting and developing that gives the Yankees an advantage ... it's being able to afford their players after they get good. Otherwise, Clemens likely would have remained a Red Sox (and we would have also have Mo Vaughn ... ugh!).

The Yankees can afford to take on mistakes ($12 million for Hitchcock) and then dump them in trades where they cover a chunk of the salary.

Now, every great player from overseas who want to try out MLB in the USA decides they'll be a Yankee. What did the Yankees end up paying Contreras and Matsui? Quite a bit ... more than other teams could afford to add to their payroll. Until recently the draft helped distribute all new players equally, but players from overseas all want to be Yankees. The Sox put more effort into signing Contreras, but all Georgie had to do was outbid them.

Even regarding the development of drafted players, the Yankees get the advantage because they can afford to pay whatever signing bonus is required.

... and I don't care where the Sox rank in team salary ... teams 2-31 don't matter ... it's the huge gap between teams 1-2 that is most relevent. I actually got a chuckle out of that team salary link that was posted. The ~$75,000,000.00 advantage the Yankees have over the Sox is enough for the Sox to ADD any of the entire following teams and still be less than the Yankees: Baltimore, Chicago White Sox, Minnesota, Cincinnati, Florida, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Detroit, Cleveland, San Diego, Oakland, Kansas City, Millwaukee, Montreal, Tampa Bay. Three of those are playoff teams!

I'm not mad, I'm not biased, and I'm not venting ... but if anyone wants to push Jeter off a cliff, I'd look the other way! ;-)

... and just to stick to the topic, 31-2 came in fine for me in Faux's very un-glorious 4:3 non-HDTV. Next we finally get some widescreen coming and is the same ol team we see almost every year.

I, for one, am somewhat bemused by the notion that absolutely every forum, topic or discussion is really all about baseball.

What any of this has to do with HDTV reception in the Boston area really escapes me. What escapes me even more is that when the WTC was knocked down, people did a better job of sticking to topics, and taking the current events conversation to their own topics. I mean, why was that considered less all-encompassing than some idiot baseball game?

Don't answer that. It'd just make it worse.

Originally posted by JOtteman
Bob Hess--

Don't know why but ever since Tuesday have had problems with 4.1 and 38.1 especially. Tried to watch Enterprice and Jake 2.0 but two many dropouts. Last night and tonight no signal on 38.1 on either my HD200 or HD300 here in Framingham. Very frustrating as reception on both has been rock steady for a long period of time.

Jay
Jay,

I don't know what to tell you. The transmission chain for 4.1 and 38.1 are completely isolated with absolutely nothing in common except for the antenna which is shared with 5.1 and 44. The antenna, I assure you, is just fine. I would blame the effects of the wind, and weather.

Bob

For the last 30+ days, 38.1 is practically unwatchable, my signal meter goes from 100 % down to 50 and back up. None of the other stations that are on the same tower are giving me problems, 44.1 rock stable 100%, 4.1 93%, 5.1 100%, I am giving up on 38.1 and praying that 28 eventually gets on the air soon......

Jim

Channel 20 Chronicle on now

Hi Bob,

I have a problem with my Samsung T-160 and 38-1. I can add it to my channels on my profile and I can see the channel, but after a while, 38-1 dissapears (it does not happen with my other *-1 channels). It may be a bug with the 160s, but I would love to find out what the heck is going on (since it only happens with this channel)

Art

World Series is not is WS. Called Fox25 and they said master control (Network) is not feeding WS. That is pathetic!! Fox is horrible..
Everyone needs to call and complain.
-JR

Reading some other threads it seems that other affiliates have the 16x9 feed. WFXT insists it isnt (called them a 2nd time). Do we have any names or numbers for managers over at WFXT?

-JR

im getting widescreen now

Ken H called someone and fixed it.

Okay, I'm seeing widescreen on FOX. But, now the score ticker thing at the top of the screen has almost disappeared. During the playoffs, I could usually see enough of it to read (although 8's and 0's were tough to figure out). Can anybody see this thing, or is it just my TV?
--

Looks fine here.

The top is cut off here. Mitsu 46" and Samsung 151.

-JR

Must be an overscan issue. I'm (unfortunately) using a 4:3 TV, so I should get no overscan on the top and bottom. The score bar is not flush the top of the image nor is it cut off.

Bob Hess,

What is with the audio on WBZ, the volume keeps fluctuating? It has changed at least 3 times since about 2:00PM during the Pat's game. Is that the CBS feed or on your end? It just changed again (went soft as I am typing this). I have noticed this on other days as well.

(Way to go Patriots!)

Couldn't notice any audio problems on my Mits HD-5.

Were you listening to the digital audio or analog audio? I was using the digital audio feed from my Toshiba DST-3000.

I heard it too (listening in digital audio). The screen would flicker for a split second and then the audio would change. It happened probably a dozen times, maybe more, during the Pats game.

-Steve

I noticed the same volume change and screen dropouts on WBZ and I was watching the SD version via Charter. It seemed to happen just before and just after the stupid and huge Patriots 5th Quarter banner came on and aquished the game to the top 2/3rds of the screen, so maybe it had something to do with flipping the switch that turned that on.

FYI to everyone Chronicle Tuesday night in HD story on Arcadia National Park

Originally posted by steverobertson
FYI to everyone Chronicle Tuesday night in HD story on Arcadia National Park

I actually watched that program this past weekend... it was some of the best 720p HD that I have seen on my 1080i display.

I didn't realize it was a replay every show that i have seen in HD that Chronicle does is stunning I wish all their shows were HD.

has anyone had problems receiving channel 4 wbz-dt?

I was getting it strong, and now all of a sudden, its gone??? The antenna hasn't moved as far as i can see, plus i can still get 2,5,7. Is the station down? Thanks!

Originally posted by mitsu50
has anyone had problems receiving channel 4 wbz-dt?

I was getting it strong, and now all of a sudden, its gone??? The antenna hasn't moved as far as i can see, plus i can still get 2,5,7. Is the station down? Thanks! I am getting a very strong signal as of 7:37AM.

WBZ was fine last night for Raymond and CSI: Miami

No problems with WBZ last night in Wellesley.

Try to receive it on channel 42, I occasionally lose it on 7.1 and it shows up on 42. Something with PSIP??

Herb

I have the same problem. Also channel 41 (56) exhibits the same issue.

Asserting a problem with PSIP on WBZ is to make an entirely redundant station. Their PSIP is never correct. Used to be the time was always an hour ahead. Never got any adequate explanation for why that station is operating on Atlantic Daylight Time, but apparently they were.

Last time I tuned them with my OTA receiver, the time was completely random. Didn't look like GMT, didn't look like anything in the US.

Apparently, setting the clock is beyond the abilities of the people at WBZ.

any way to "killfile" certain posters so that their postings will never be shown to me? life's too short - please let there
be a way to avoid his 3546 posts without avoiding avsforum altogether! :)

in my own personal complaint department,
i still i get zero picture from 7.1 (42.1), as i have
for many months - i remain baffled as to why i get such a great signal from 4.1/5.1 but zilch from 7.1. the angle subtended between the 7.1 tower & 4.1 tower is supposedly 1 degree or less at my southern-NH distance and i have tried many different antenna directions with nary a signal improvement from 7.1 ... same result with the zenith
HDR230 tuner as with my sony tuner - neither one gets jack squat worth of a signal from 7.1 :( :( :( waaaah!

The Channel 42 transmitter is about 300ft lower than 20 and 30. That may be why you're not getting it.

Earlier today I wasn't receiving the 42-1 signal but it has reappeared and seems to be its usual strength now.

Originally posted by Benji
Earlier today I wasn't receiving the 42-1 signal but it has reappeared and seems to be its usual strength now.

well that's good to hear as I was adjusting the antenna this afternoon
and was going nuts trying to get 42 to come in....

It is there now and I now have Fox and GBX. I'm guessing that the
loss of a lot of leaves over the last 2 days has helped some.

The WS version of the world series game is looking pretty good
(except for the LCS replays).

joe

Any problems with 5.1 tonight? I am not getting widescreen on "According to Jim" (I'm embarrassed to admit I am watching it).

Originally posted by elbig
Any problems with 5.1 tonight? I am not getting widescreen on "According to Jim" (I'm embarrassed to admit I am watching it).

Same problem here. Also, changing channels off of 5.1 or 5.2 has been causing my Sammy SIR-T150 to lockup and reboot far more frequently tonight than other nights.

I also lost 44-2 during 'Nova' for periods tonight and had to switch to 2-1....weird

So you had to mention "Nova" to counterbalance "According to Jim"...nice touch.

well I dont know what happened....:confused:

this antenna stuff is making me crazy. one day i get channels, the next day some dont come in. I wish comcast would get channel 4, so i could dump the antenna all together.

Its weird that the leaves are starting to fall, and now channel 4 doesnt come in anymore.....time to get back on the roof :mad:

Hey guys. Just found this thread I have a few "issues".
4, 5, 7 and 38's HD channels all come in beautifully. Same goes for the PBS HD's.

But for lords sake Fox 25 is literally three blocks from my house, yet the best I can get on it is 40 and that is with perfect antenna alignment.
I can sometimes pull in 56's HD channel, but have had no luck lately.

This is with a Hughes E86.

Any advice?

I know its nota config issue, I would assume they power their towers with a guy riding a stationary bike.

Originally posted by GePapa
Hey guys. Just found this thread I have a few "issues".
4, 5, 7 and 38's HD channels all come in beautifully. Same goes for the PBS HD's.

But for lords sake Fox 25 is literally three blocks from my house, yet the best I can get on it is 40 and that is with perfect antenna alignment.
I can sometimes pull in 56's HD channel, but have had no luck lately.

This is with a Hughes E86.

Any advice?

I know its nota config issue, I would assume they power their towers with a guy riding a stationary bike.

The E86 is a very touchy STB, if it overheats, your reception goes haywire, make sure it stays cool.

It was fine last week, not I am getting dropouts on 38-1 every 6 seconds or so on my HiPix card.

-- Rich

Rich is correct, same thing as before. Only 38-1 has this problem on my Hipix. Dropouts randomly every 2-6 seconds, and again lipsync on Enterprise.
Spearse

So...did Fox forget to throw the WS switch in Boston again for the world series? Time for another phone call...

Happy to finally be able to see Enterprise this week in HD since last week 38 had the PSIP issue. Looks pretty good, video quality isn't quite as good as CSI, but a step in the right direction.

-Mike

I also have dropouts on 38-1 on both my HiDTV computer card, and my Samsung SIR-T150. Lipsynch is off on both as well. 38-1 is currently unwatchable.

Frank

I also have dropouts on 38-1 on both my HiDTV computer card, and my Samsung SIR-T150. Lipsynch is off on both as well. 38-1 is currently unwatchable.

Confirmed, very frequent audio and video dropouts make my recording of Enterprise on MyHD card almost unwatchable and definitely unlistenable. Phew, I thought it was my computer....

Mark H

I saw the same thing in Westboro with dropouts on 38-1. I had assumed it was just a weak signal (38-1 comes in 1-2 bars weaker then the other Needham stations). Everyone else having the problem makes me feel a little better.

On another note, was the West Wing in HD for anyone last night? Both on Charter and OTA had the black bars on four sides on the HD stations. After the teaser I ended up just watching the SD cable zoomed. After, when I check Law and Order it was HD. Did WHDH screw up or was it an NBC problem?

I was getting an 80% signal on 38-1 last night with drop-outs. This only happens on 38-1.

Also, What ever happed the 56-1?

-- Rich

Originally posted by ecopoesis
On another note, was the West Wing in HD for anyone last night? Both on Charter and OTA had the black bars on four sides on the HD stations. After the teaser I ended up just watching the SD cable zoomed. After, when I check Law and Order it was HD. Did WHDH screw up or was it an NBC problem?
On RCN/Boston, at least, it started out with black bars on four sides. About 12 minutes or so after the hour, it shifted to full-screen HD.

Any known issues with 5.1 on 10/23 at 9:30 pm? No signal for me in Charlestown. Other channels fine...

I live in Needham close to the transmitters, and I get all the Boston channels fine except 56-1. With 56-1 the signal meter on my E86 typically jumps all over the place, mostly between 50 and 100, although at times it will stay at or near 100 for a little while. The picture can be ok for short periods of time, but there are frequent breakups and loss of sounds, so that it's not really usable. A few weeks ago I didn't have this problem, but it's been getting gradually worse, until now it's as bad as I just described. I get similar results with an outdoor antenna, and with an indoor Silver Sensor antenna.

People have mentioned heat problems with the E86, but I also have a Panasonic TU-DST52, and it shows similar breakups at the same times. Also, this doesn't seem to me to be a signal strength problem. I'm wondering if it may be adjacent channel interference, with 7-1 on 42 next to 56-1 on 41, especially since 42 has 948kW and 41 has 30kW. Is this a reasonable possibility? I noticed Stark Electronics sells BT single-channel UHF bandpass filters, although they're expensive. Any idea if such a filter would help, or other suggestions?

Anyone else having problems getting 5-2 (the live Doppler radar) with the Dish 6000/8VSB.

It shows a black screen, with the 5-1 audio. Only when I tune away from it, does it display the video for a second before showing the new channel. If try a few times (letting it settle since 5-2 is a low rate), it can come in and be fine until I power down the 6000. Wasn't a problem until the new 6000 firmware revision.

If you have a problem, contact Dish Network's advanced tech support. (There is an open "uncommon trend" report on this.)

Thanks
--Jim

pdicamillo,

Have you tried just a regular attenuator? You could be getting RF overload that's taking out your weakest (powerwise) channel.

Either that, or you have multipath.

Currently having a problem receiving 4-1 on my DTC-100. Signal level is very strong but receiver is not locking on. I do get it on my Hughes receiver but it is about 2 seconds slow in locking on. Bob Hess,what's up?

Benji,

I thought you might have committed suicide after the other night I guess those Hokies aren't that great after all.

Originally posted by steverobertson
Benji,

I thought you might have committed suicide after the other night I guess those Hokies aren't that great after all. Those weren't the Hokies on the field. They were imposters dressed in their halloween costumes, impersonating Hokies.

I see you have also changed to AVS special member instead of Hokie fan I guess you are a fair weather type of guy.

This OTA stuff is a pain in the neck it is so unstable although I have not had any recent problems

Hi all,
New to HD here - I just picked up a sony 34xbr910 and I'm trying to pull down some OTA hd stations. I live in downtown Boston and I am currently using a Terk TV44 antenna which is clipped to my directv dish on my roof (DTC100 receiver). So far, I have only been able to pick up a couple non-hd feeds (and they have a horrible signal). I thought I would get great signals because my roof is one of the highest points in half-mile radius. Do I need a different antenna? Any other suggestions ?

Thanks

Terk antennas are the worst antennas I have ever used. I live in a condo and tried a Terk on my patio (faces WNW), bought it inside and moved it around my living room and could barely get any signal at all. I finally tried a Radio Shack amplified set-top VHF-UHF antenna and I get strong signals on all Boston stations except 25 and 56.

Originally posted by jimg
Anyone else having problems getting 5-2 (the live Doppler radar) with the Dish 6000/8VSB.

It shows a black screen, with the 5-1 audio. Only when I tune away from it, does it display the video for a second before showing the new channel. If try a few times (letting it settle since 5-2 is a low rate), it can come in and be fine until I power down the 6000. Wasn't a problem until the new 6000 firmware revision.

If you have a problem, contact Dish Network's advanced tech support. (There is an open "uncommon trend" report on this.)

Thanks
--Jim

I noticed this starting last week as well, prior to that it worked fine. Sometimes, for some unknown reason if I switch between the display modes (stretch, gray, etc) enough it will work, but not reliably.

-Mike

41 seems to having crazy PSIP issues.

I'm getting it on 56-1, 56-2 and 75-1 now. All three are showing the same video feed. At least the jumping between 56-1 and 41-1 seems to have stopped.

Also, is anyone else having problems with 43 (WGBX-44)? I'm getting a blank screen with good signal strength.

More sound weirdness during the Patriots game today. It would get really loud for a few minutes then go back to normal. It happened maybe 5 or 6 times during the game. Did anyone else hear this? I wonder if it was in the source, all of the broadcasts from the local affiliate, or just the digital broadcast?

-Steve

Maybe it was the weather but I had quite a few brief audio dropouts on Alias last night. Anyone else?

The center channel kept dropping out ... gives the impression that the sound level is fluctuating ... seems to happen alot, even on the ABC feeds (ie Monday night football ....)

Also ... anyone notice a VERY BAD lip-sync problem on 7-1?? Not only the network programming, but the local news and commercials, too ... obviously a station problem ...

Originally posted by jhoppy1
Also ... anyone notice a VERY BAD lip-sync problem on 7-1?? Not only the network programming, but the local news and commercials, too ... obviously a station problem ...

I watched American Dreams and Law and Order on 7.1 and there was no Lip Sync or break up problems with my Hughes E86.

Jim

Originally posted by jckessler
41 seems to having crazy PSIP issues.

I'm getting it on 56-1, 56-2 and 75-1 now. All three are showing the same video feed. At least the jumping between 56-1 and 41-1 seems to have stopped.

Also, is anyone else having problems with 43 (WGBX-44)? I'm getting a blank screen with good signal strength.


WB: If you get ANYTHING from 41-1 (or whatever the PSIP calls it) you're lucky ... I called in an antenna expert on Saturday afternoon and told him to do whatever he could to get me the WB (re-locate, use any antenna, add rotor, add amplifier, etc) and he said there was no chance ... strong signals for all channels, but he asked if 41 was even broadcasting because the signal wasn't there.

PBS (43): I get the same thing you get ... signals in the 80's, but no picture whatsoever. Previously, I got 43-2 fine, but for -3, -4, and -5, I got perfect video and horrible glitchy stuttering audio.


I have officially ended my quest for the WB ... if/when people notice a significant improvement with WB (41) please make a big deal of it in this thread. Thanks,

Yeah, I seem to be almost the only one getting 41. At some point they're supposed to boost power from the current 30kw with a directional antenna to around 550kw, but who knows when that will happen. According to jhe's "Massachusetts DTV" thread their STA ran out on 10/10/03, but it doesn't seems like they've boosted power yet.

I assume that since their city of license is Cambridge, that might have something to do with me being able to receive them, since that's the requirement for most STAs.

I guess the PBS encoder must be on the fritz.

I must be one of the lucky few living in one of the "golden paths" of DTV ... I generally have no problem receiving any of the DTV signals from the Needham towers, including 41 or 43 ..... in fact 41 has been fairly stable for me since they turned power on last year!!

I am now using a Zenith SAT HD520 receiver connected to a Channel Master 4 bay bowtie .. the antenna is resting on the ledge of my front porch about chest high!! About the only tweaking I need to do sometimes is to move the antenna a few feet to the right (25-1 comes in better there ...)

I have been experiencing the same issues as rscogland regarding the multiple 41 signals (56-1, 56-2, and 75-1), but I get picture and sound except for 56-2, which my receiver says is in Spanish but no sound(??)

While I have no problem picking up 43-1, I do not choose to watch it as something on the signal causes the SAT HD520 to shut down and reboot ...

Prior to owning the Zenith STB, I had a Panasonic TU HDS20, and had constant problems recieving OTA: no 25-1, 38-1 ... others were very picky about antenna location and I still had many dropouts (plus the notoriously slow menus and loud fan!!) .... the Zenith STB eliminated 95% of my problems, such that OTA is generally better my Sat C (DirecTV) reception!!:D

Good luck to all!

ps to Dwalsh: congrats on your purchase! hang in there regarding your OTA troubles, BTW DirecTV offers an HDTV package, but you will need to get the oval dish with the triple LNB and a Directv/OTA STB .....