The WPBY digital channels 33.1 and 33.2 seem to be routinely off the air during the prime time hours. 33.3 and 33.4 come in fine during that time. The signal strength meter on my tv shows a signal on 33.1 and 33.2 but there is noting being broadcast. Analog Channel 33 is working on my cable connection during prime time. Does anyone know what is happening with that?

Also, although the channel scan on my tv detected the WVPBS stations on 33.1, 33.2, 33.3 and 33.4, I find that I can also manually tune the same stations on 34.3, 34.4, 34.5, and 34.6. The WVPBS website says their digital stations are on Channel 34. Are we "supposed" to use Channel 34 instead of 33 to receive these stations?

Also, although the channel scan on my tv detected the WVPBS stations on 33.1, 33.2, 33.3 and 33.4, I find that I can also manually tune the same stations on 34.3, 34.4, 34.5, and 34.6. The WVPBS website says their digital stations are on Channel 34. Are we "supposed" to use Channel 34 instead of 33 to receive these stations?
The channels are broadcast on Channel 34, however most TV's/HD receivers remap them to 33.x. You can watch either.

What is going on with WCHS OTA?
Mine was completely gone again last night?
I was able to lock in WOWK OTA on Wednesday night so it seems to be working now.

Warriorking...you will be glad you went with D when they roll out the new HD line up next year...something suddenlink will not be able to do.

Warriorking...you will be glad you went with D when they roll out the new HD line up next year...something suddenlink will not be able to do.

I agree.......

I was just up at the Target at Southridge, and they had 2 Playstation 3's.....boy it was tempting.

Saturday night (Christmas Eve Eve) I was at Wal-Mart in Nitro doing some last minute shopping and an employee was walking through the store carrying a 60g with a sign saying "Last One".

I was tempted and if I didn't know I had a BR player under the tree, I would have jumped at it.

question for you direct tv guys. one of my friends bought a 32" westinghouse lcd at best buy a month ago and they had some kind of deal where he got a free direct tv hd box. he has direct tv now but has not upgraded to the hd package. he also has the old sat with only 1 lnb. he is not sure when he plans to upgrade. can he take the card from his current box and put it in the new hd box and still get his regular service? is there anyway he can use the new box without changing his current service package? he plans to eventually upgrade and would like to go ahead and hook the box up.

thnx

Boooooooo to WOWK...

They were in such a hurry to turn off the HD feed at exactly 6:00 yesterday that we missed the most important play and winning play in a very exciting Sun Bowl. Boooooooo...

can he take the card from his current box and put it in the new hd box and still get his regular service? is there anyway he can use the new box without changing his current service package? he plans to eventually upgrade and would like to go ahead and hook the box up.
1) The new HD box should have come with a new card. Sometimes D* will let you move a card and sometimes they won't. He can't just stick his old card in the new box and have it work. He has to activate the new box with D*.

2) Yes, he can keep his current package with the new box. Plus he would get OTA HD if he puts up an antenna.

3) When he activates the new box, he starts a new 2-year commitment. When he calls D* to get a new dish for HD, he will start that commitment over again. He might be better off to do them close together. ie call D* to activate the new box and and ask to be upgraded to the new dish at the same time.

4) If he still has the old single LNB, how does he get local channels?

4) If he still has the old single LNB, how does he get local channels?


i'm not positive he has the single LNB. that's what he told me.

is there anyway to use the new box without extending his contract?
i'm not sure if he wants to keep dtv.

Anyone know if the gator bowl is going to be in HD?

Anyone know if the gator bowl is going to be in HD?

I haven't looked it up, but nearly every bowl game shown last year was in HD. Many of them were on ABC though. :D

Anyone know if the gator bowl is going to be in HD?
According to the EPG on my D* receiver, the game will be in HD.

what's the purpose in having an hd cbs when all the ever show is the f'g bengals in SD...

why can't they have an HD game on this feed and show the bengals/steelers on the regular SD channel like they did earlier this year?

Yea, ticks me off also. Makes me want to watch Dallas/Detroit instead of Bungals.

Got on here just to share about the same thing...

We're honestly watching Lions/Cowboys because the SD feed of Pitt/Cincy looks incredibly awful. I guess it's true, my remote goes where the HD tells me to! :)

They used to, at the beginning of the year show a HD game on the HD channel and a SD on they analog channel why did they stop? I would rather see the Jets game or even TEN/NE game in HD. Watching the DAL/DET game in HD now.

It is exactly for that reason I pay D* for NFLST. It is worth it to not have to watch the Bengals/Steelers every week. Taking a break from the Jets/Raiders and Pats/Titans right now. ;)

Anyone know if the gator bowl is going to be in HD?


Yeah, it'll be in HD

http://www.hdsportsguide.com/cfb.php

:confused: Anyone here just recently have the Direct TV Dish Installed?, I am concerned about the quality of the installation provided in the charleston area...Don't want to have a leaking roof should the install be done there since this dish(5LNB) is larger and heavier than past dishes..is there a specific installer that direct uses in this area ? or does Direct just use someone with the lowest bid...and if the install should require a pole instead of a roof mount is that included in the free installation promotion....I have been reading on the web of some really bad install's and the nightmare of trying to get it resolved (none from WV thus far)......

I just heard a "rumor" that the retransmission consent negotiations between WSAZ and Time Warner have hit a snag and another deadline has been established for removal of the station from the cable system.

Does anyone know if that is true?

From what I have heard on the PS3's you better keep a fan blowing on them so they won't overheat. I have heard from several people of an overheating issue and the plastic melts/meltdown. I do not know how true this is? Or if there is any truth to it? Why waste $499 or $599 for a piece of melted down plastic

I just heard a "rumor" that the retransmission consent negotiations between WSAZ and Time Warner have hit a snag and another deadline has been established for removal of the station from the cable system.

Does anyone know if that is true?


i have not heard this rumor.

i have been wondering why wsaz hd is available on time warner QAM but is not available on my hd-dvr... (the same is also true for wowk)

I am still fairly new to HDTV. I have Time Warner's HD-DVR and an outside antenna on a separate input. What is QAM and how is it used to access the HD signals of the local stations?

Some TV's have a built in QAM tuner. It allows reception of digital cable channels without the use of a set-top box (cable box). In theory, if you have a QAM tuner in your TV, you wouldn't need a cable box. But, I don't think you'd have the ability to do things like Pay-per-view and such.

Some TV's have a built in QAM tuner. It allows reception of digital cable channels without the use of a set-top box (cable box). In theory, if you have a QAM tuner in your TV, you wouldn't need a cable box. But, I don't think you'd have the ability to do things like Pay-per-view and such.

I would add the word 'unencrypted' just before 'digital cable channels'. Many (or perhaps most) cableco's encrypt their digitial channels. Some cablecos provide the local HD's in unencrypted form which the set's QAM tuner can receive. Add a cablecard to the QAM tuner and you eliminate the cable box except for the things you pointed out (ppv, on demand, the dreaded SDV, etc).

Some TV's have a built in QAM tuner. It allows reception of digital cable channels without the use of a set-top box (cable box). In theory, if you have a QAM tuner in your TV, you wouldn't need a cable box. But, I don't think you'd have the ability to do things like Pay-per-view and such.
Thanks for the explanation. My TV has a tuner but I have been using its one RF connection for an OTA antenna. It never occured to me that the cable company would be transmitting unencripted HD signals that the tuner could pick up without a set top box or cable card. I have been using a Time Warner supplied HD DVR with a HDMI connection for the cable stations...

You are using your TV's ATSC tuner to receive the OTA signal. That's different from the QAM tuner. Your TV may not have a QAM tuner. My TV came with an ATSC tuner, but not a QAM.

From what I have heard on the PS3's you better keep a fan blowing on them so they won't overheat. I have heard from several people of an overheating issue and the plastic melts/meltdown. I do not know how true this is? Or if there is any truth to it? Why waste $499 or $599 for a piece of melted down plastic
I've been using a PS3 as a Blu-ray Disc player. It really doesn't seem to have a overheating issue but you must treat where you install it as if it were a PC (perhaps equivalent to a laptop PC in terms of how much heat it puts out). The overheating issue that I have seen reported by some people on the web appears to be for cases where the PS3 had been put into a cabinet without good airflow around the unit (probably including some of the store PS3 display cases that I have seen). The only case where an external fan would be needed would be if you are putting the PS3 into a cabinet without good airflow then an exhaust fan mounted in the cabinet would be useful to prevent heat build-up around the PS3.

Ron Jones

Time Warner offers WSAZ, WOWK, TNT, and Discovery all in HD unenrypted over QAM. If you have a QAM tuner built into your tv you can take your cable straight from the wall and plug into your tv and receive the above channels. I have the HD-DVR and use it with my living room tv. I have a 27" westinghouse in my bedroom with QAM and do not have a box for it.

I know this is way off topic fellas, but I'm still relatively new to the area and had a question:

Aside from the Chop House (she ain't big on steak), where's a nice, relatively elegant/upscale place to take a lady out? I've searched and found nothing. Tidewater Grill was nice, but not exactly a dress/tie kind of place. Suggestions?

Aside from the Chop House (she ain't big on steak), where's a nice, relatively elegant/upscale place to take a lady out? I've searched and found nothing. Tidewater Grill was nice,
The Chop House has many other entree's including some of the fish entrees you can get at Tidewater. (They are owned by the same company.)

Otherwise, there is Laury's over in the old train station. And Aubreys in St. Albans. Aubrey's is one of my favorites. It is small (6/7 tables), but the food and service are outstanding. Nice place for a date.

I know this is way off topic fellas, but I'm still relatively new to the area and had a question:

Aside from the Chop House (she ain't big on steak), where's a nice, relatively elegant/upscale place to take a lady out? I've searched and found nothing. Tidewater Grill was nice, but not exactly a dress/tie kind of place. Suggestions?

The Blossom (on Quarrier St) is one of my favorite places. Laury's (MacCorkle Ave) is also a good place.

The Blossom (on Quarrier St) is one of my favorite places.
I always forget about Blossom since I mainly eat there at lunch. But yes they transform at night and have great food.

Fazio's is a good choice for Italian.

you guys are making me hungry...

Did you hear about LG creating a hybrid player that will work with both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray discs?

http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/01/04/surprise-lg-to-debut-dual-format-blu-ray-and-hd-dvd-player-at-ces/

And Warner Bros is creating a single disc that will work in both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray players.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/01/04/warner-to-unveil-total-hd-hybrid-blu-ray-hd-dvd-discs-at-ces/

I just wish they would settle on one format so I could finally buy one. I'm leaning toward HD-DVD (add-on for the 360). Full Metal Jacket in HD-DVD would be sweet. And I saw Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas on HD-DVD for $20 on amazon.com. But Blu-Ray has the 5th Element.
CES is next week, so there should be all kinds of goodies to make me want to go broke.

I know this is way off topic fellas, but I'm still relatively new to the area and had a question:

Aside from the Chop House (she ain't big on steak), where's a nice, relatively elegant/upscale place to take a lady out? I've searched and found nothing. Tidewater Grill was nice, but not exactly a dress/tie kind of place. Suggestions?
There is also Bridge Road Bistro up is South Hills.

SOHOS in the Capitol Street Market is another good place that hasn't been mentioned.

I have a question about Suddenlink's HD box. My tv accepts both 720p and 1080i. So I assumed that whatever resolution the actual network/station broadcasts in would be displayed. However, my tv and hd box are both telling me that every station is being displayed in 1080i. I'm just wondering why I don't have a choice in the matter, and if this is the case, why isn't it being shown in its original broadcast resolution or even my tv's native resolution, which is 720p?

I was wondering if perhaps Suddenlink takes every signal and makes it 1080i?

Thanks in advance!

^

I have the SA 8000HD box from Suddenlink/Charter. With this box, if you hit the settings button one time on the remote, you then scroll up through the menu and change the output to 780 or whatever you want it to be. I don't know if you can do that with the box you have.

^

I have the SA 8000HD box from Suddenlink/Charter. With this box, if you hit the settings button one time on the remote, you then scroll up through the menu and change the output to 780 or whatever you want it to be. I don't know if you can do that with the box you have.

Herdfan: Is your box a DVR also? I may ask for an upgrade if not. Thx.

Herdfan: Is your box a DVR also? I may ask for an upgrade if not. Thx.

Yes, same here. I definitely do not have that option in my Quick Settings (or even in my Full Settings).

Yes, same here. I definitely do not have that option in my Quick Settings (or even in my Full Settings).

First go to General Settings (menu x2) pick Set: Picture Format, then Fixed. Now go to Quick Settings and you can cycle through whatever formats you selected in the Setup Wizard.

And the setting should be determined by what looks best, not specifically what your TV is. For example, your TV may have a better scaler than the STB, and if so you will want to set the box to NATIVE if available and let the TV scale it.

If there is not a NATIVE. then you can either set it to what looks best, or switch resolutions based on the channel. (ABC, FOX, ESPN are 720p, almost everyone else is 1080i)

You can find the users manual for your specific box online. For my box and I believe it is the same for all suddenlinks HD boxes you have to have the box off and the TV on press guide and info on the box at the same time and it will allow you choose 4:3 TV or 16:9 TV do the 16:9 then to set up the format I did advanced users and it listed it will allow you to enable 480i and 480p narrow and widescreen, 1080i and 720p if the TV accepts these format once your done with that turn you have to go to the general settings got to set picture format set it to pass thru or if you use HDMI set it to AUTO DVI/HDMI and the box will switch the output automatically to the format the channel is in.

(ABCHD, FOXHD, ESPNHD 720p) (CBSHD, NBCHD, DISCOVERYHD, TNTHD 1080i I think the movie HD Channels are all 1080i) (The music channels are 480p widescreen my TV doesn’t switch automatically to widescreen on 480 signals have to change the format on the TV but its just music) the rest are the normal 480i.

I'm not exactly sure what all of that does though.

I don't see anything about changing the resolution. I've gone through the Settings to Picture Format many times to try this (though I haven't been home in a few days, so I haven't been able to mess with it lately). I don't understand the difference between Fixed, Pass-through, Upconvert 1, and Upconvert 2. They all tell me that I'm still getting a 1080i display on every channel (including ESPN, Fox, and ABC). I see this by pressing the HD/Zoom button which always reads 1080i Normal/Stretch/Zoom. Whenever I press the Display button on my tv remote control, it also always reads 1080i. I like the 1080i picture, but from my understanding 720p works better with fast motion, such as seen in sports. I was hoping this would make the NFL and NCAA sports look that much better.

You can find the users manual for your specific box online. For my box and I believe it is the same for all suddenlinks HD boxes you have to have the box of and the TV on press guide and info on the box at the same time and it will allow you choose 4:3 TV or 16:9 TV do the 16:9 then to set up the format I did advanced users and it listed it will allow you to enable 480i and 480p narrow and widescreen, 1080i and 720p if the TV accepts these format once your done with that turn you have to go to the general settings got to set picture format set it to pass thru or if you use HDMI set it to AUTO DVI/HDMI and the box will switch the output automatically to the format the channel is in.

(ABCHD, FOXHD, ESPNHD 720p) (CBSHD, NBCHD, DISCOVERYHD, TNTHD 1080i I think the movie HD Channels are all 1080i) (The music channels are 480p widescreen my TV doesn’t switch automatically to widescreen on 480 signals have to change the format on the TV but its just music) the rest are the normal 480i.

Thanks so much for the reply! I'll try this as soon as I get home.

Thanks so much for the reply! I'll try this as soon as I get home.

sorry mispelled a word
The box needs to be off and the TV on then press guide and info on the box at the same time

This will allow you to enable different resolutions to be displayed.

When I got my box 1080i was the default and only one enabled, this was my second HD box, and I knew that after the first one was installed the cable guy did that but didn't rembember how, and the second one the guy didn't know how and had to call his dispatcher.

So whats up with WSAZ? Is the gremblin at the switch dozing off? Seems like the shows I've tried to watch aren't switching to HD untill about half way through.

So whats up with WSAZ? Is the gremblin at the switch dozing off? Seems like the shows I've tried to watch aren't switching to HD untill about half way through.


no kidding. all the shows i tivo'd thurs. night were not in HD either...

anybody having issues with time warner?

my espn hd is now starz hd. the channel guide and data is showing espn but the channel is showing starz hd (and i don't subscribe to starz). the actual starz channel is blocked out as it normally is. i can't find espn hd anywhere.

anybody having issues with time warner?

my espn hd is now starz hd. the channel guide and data is showing espn but the channel is showing starz hd (and i don't subscribe to starz). the actual starz channel is blocked out as it normally is. i can't find espn hd anywhere.

Yeah, I'm having the same issue. ESPN has been problematic the past couple of days, and now it's a completely different channel. Hopefully, they clear this up soon.

Herdfan: Is your box a DVR also? I may ask for an upgrade if not. Thx.

Yes, mine is the DVR.

anybody having issues with time warner?

my espn hd is now starz hd. the channel guide and data is showing espn but the channel is showing starz hd (and i don't subscribe to starz). the actual starz channel is blocked out as it normally is. i can't find espn hd anywhere.
I do subscribe to Starz and ESPN HD is showing on the Starz HD channel. Starz HD is on the ESPN HD channel...

I do subscribe to Starz and ESPN HD is showing on the Starz HD channel. Starz HD is on the ESPN HD channel...


well, at least so far i've got to watch four good movies that aren't on hbo yet...

So whats up with WSAZ? Is the gremblin at the switch dozing off? Seems like the shows I've tried to watch aren't switching to HD untill about half way through.

Call (304) 523-5333 and ask for the control room. Ask them to please flip the switch.

Then send an e-mail to: Aaron.Withrow@wsaz.com explaining the issue.

:) Just got my DirectTV Installed and Hooked up , Installer did a great job, HD looks amazing on my 42inch Phillips Plasma, can't wait till more channels are made available later this year......will be dropping off my old suddenlink cable box after work, :mad: (Good riddance)!!!!

Anybody know why they're no commentators on the WSAZ OTA feed for the Indy game? Its just crowd noise?

Now it's not in HD? What is up with WSAZ?

all is well, now...

wsaz has been screwy all week

I think that the better question is: What is up with this game?

The Chiefs look like a team that shouldn't have even been able to make it to the playoffs in the NFC this year. Hopefully the 8:00 game will be better.

Well, danforth, I was thinking that the Colts would win before the game began. That said, there's over a quarter to play, and anything could happen.

Since it's too late to enter a bracket, here are my Super Super-Novice Predictions for the 2006 NFL Playoffs:

In the AFC wild card games:
Indy beats KC
NE beats NY Jets

In the NFC Wild Card games:
Dallas beats Seattle
NY Giants beat Philly
___________

Dallas and NO in the NFC championship.
Baltimore and NE in the AFC championship.

Baltimore and NO in the Super Bowl.
Baltimore beats NO by double digits
____________

Edit to reflect actual NFL playoff rules re. seeding -- note to self: it's a flexible bracket!

If my NFC wild card picks are correct, I'll take New Orleans over Dallas, and Chicago over the Giants. I still would have New Orleans going to Miami.

If Philly wins tomorrow's game vs. the Giants, then my picks for the NFC championship game (and its victor) are still the same as before.

LG's hybrid Blu-Ray/HD DVD player, $1200.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/01/07/lgs-bh100-hybrid-blu-ray-and-hd-dvd-player-1-199/

Looks good to me, but still a little too pricey.

Well, danforth, I was thinking that the Colts would win before the game began. That said, there's over a quarter to play, and anything could happen.

Since it's too late to enter a bracket, here are my Super Super-Novice Predictions for the 2006 NFL Playoffs:

In the AFC wild card games:
Indy beats KC
NE beats NY Jets

In the NFC Wild Card games:
Dallas beats Seattle
NY Giants beat Philly
___________

Dallas and NO in the NFC championship.
Baltimore and NE in the AFC championship.

Baltimore and NO in the Super Bowl.
Baltimore beats NO by double digits
____________

Edit to reflect actual NFL playoff rules re. seeding -- note to self: it's a flexible bracket!

If my NFC wild card picks are correct, I'll take New Orleans over Dallas, and Chicago over the Giants. I still would have New Orleans going to Miami.

If Philly wins tomorrow's game vs. the Giants, then my picks for the NFC championship game (and its victor) are still the same as before.

Let's hope you are right. Go Ravens!!

thanks for the eatery suggestions all :-)

LOTS of crazy stuff coming out at CES
www.engadget.com
www.engadgethd.com

great coverage

with CES in full swing i'm seeing a lot of talk about the hd-dvd/blue ray wars. most of the stuff i'm reading seems to have blue ray winning. what do you guys think?

(fyi, i have the hd-dvd player for the xbox 360)

most of the stuff i'm reading seems to have blue ray winning.
Because most of it is coming from the BDA :D

I think if HD DVD wants to win, they need to get at a minimum a $299 player ($249 or $229 would be better) into Wal-mart. More HD Dvd players in the market will put pressure on the BR exclusive studios to go neutral.

DIRECTV to Offer 100 National HD Channels in 2007
LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 8, 2007--DIRECTV, the nation's leading satellite television service provider, is hailing 2007 as the "Year of HD" with the planned launch and carriage of 100 national high-definition (HD) channels. With this substantial HD muscle, DIRECTV will offer three-times more HD programming than any other multi-channel distributor, with the majority of these channels launching in Q3.

DIRECTV also announced today that it currently has signed agreements, or agreements in principle, with more than 70 major networks including:

-- A&E -- National Geographic
-- Bravo -- NFL Network
-- Cartoon Network -- SciFi Channel
-- CNN -- Speed
-- Food Network -- TBS
-- FX -- The History Channel
-- HGTV -- The Weather Channel
-- MTV -- USA Network
DIRECTV will also extend its leadership in HD sports programming by offering hundreds of games and other HD programming available from Regional Sports Networks (RSNs) around the country, including YES Network, Comcast Sports Net, New England Sports Network and FOX Sports.

To satisfy the insatiable appetite for a greater number of movies in HD, DIRECTV will offer an expanded line-up of HD programming available from all premium movie channels.

"This is DIRECTV's break-out year for HD," said Chase Carey, president and CEO, DIRECTV, Inc. "The launch of our two new satellites will complete the largest capacity expansion in DIRECTV history, and no other video service will be able to match the sheer volume and quality of our HD programming. With HD adoption now reaching critical mass in the U.S., and 40 million homes projected to have HD-capable TVs this year, DIRECTV will be uniquely positioned as the best choice for HD programming."

With the launch of DIRECTV 10 and DIRECTV 11 satellites in 2007, DIRECTV will have the ability to deliver more than 1,500 local HD and digital channels and 150 national HD channels, in addition to new advanced programming services for customers.

DIRECTV currently offers standard-definition local channels in 142 markets, covering nearly 94 percent of television households in the country, as well as local HD broadcast channels in 49 cities, representing more than 65 percent of U.S. TV households.

About DIRECTV, Inc.

DIRECTV, Inc., the nation's leading satellite television service provider, presents the finest television experience available to more than 15.6 million customers through exclusive content, industry-leading customer service (which has surpassed cable for six years running) and superior technologies. Each day, DIRECTV subscribers enjoy over 250 channels of 100% digital picture and sound; exclusive programming and the most comprehensive collection of sports programming available anywhere including NFL SUNDAY TICKET(TM), and MLB EXTRA INNINGS(TM). DIRECTV (NYSE:DTV) also leads the digital television technology revolution with exclusives such as NFL SUNDAY TICKET SuperFan(TM), US Open Interactive and YES Network Interactive and will soon have the capacity to offer over 150 channels in HD. For the most up-to-date information on the Company, please visit directv.com.

CONTACT: DIRECTV, Inc.
Robert Mercer, 310-726-4683
310-200-3192 (On-site) or
Darris Gringeri, 212-462-5136
917-371-1674 (On-site)

SOURCE: DIRECTV, Inc

^ Networks response to that:
http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/01/10/networks-respond-to-directvs-call-for-100-hd-channels-in-2007/

When these stations are available in HD:
SciFi Channel, Cartoon Network, USA Network, TBS, FX, I will get Direct TV, I will keep the basic cable package due to the number of TV’s in my house.

I just hope that these channels aren't like TNTHD when its 4:3 image and they stretch it because I won't watch something like that. It’s OK to leave it a 4:3 image it still looks a lot better and the sound is better. They just need to leave things in their OAR.

I would rather have cable because it’s more reliable in bad weather. I went skiing last year and the house had a dish and the snow covered it. I had to climb the roof to get to the dish to clean it; luckily it was close to the flat part. And various other experiences cause me to dislike satellite dishes but if they have all those HD channel I will jump on it.



I know TNT is responsible for stretching it sorry I didn't word it better, Turner owns them, Cartoon Network, and TBS so it may be the same.

The stretch is from TNT not Directv......My dish only has problems if we are in a monsoon or a Thunderstorm but comes right back within a couple minutes. Besides, we dont get snow around here anymore.....


Directv calims the new birds will eliminate HD lite...the cable companies cant say the same.....They are maxed out.

Directv calims the new birds will eliminate HD lite...the cable companies cant say the same.....They are maxed out.
Not quite.

They could convert all analog channels except OTA locals to digital-only. Each analog bandwidth swath can handle two HD channels and either SD content, or perhaps Internet communications if there's extra remaining bandwidth in the 6 MHz swath. Remember, one QAM256 stream can work with about 38.5 mbps of video bandwidth, and video must carry audio+PSIP, so actual bitrates may slightly vary from the below examples:

* Two 720p stations at 14 mbps + two 5 mbps SD streams + one-third of a 1.5 mbps Internet uplink = 38.5 mbps
* One 720p station at 14 mbps + one 1080i station at 16.5 mbps + three 2.5 mbps low-motion SD stations (like those home shopping channels) = 38.3 mbps (PSIP data accounts for the rest)
* Two 1080i channels at 16.5 mbps each + one 4 mbps Internet downlink + one 1.5 mbps Internet uplink = 38.5 mbps
* Two 1080i channels at 16.5 mbps each + one 4.8 mbps SD channel + one-third of a 1.5 mbps Internet uplink = 38.5 mbps

If there are 56 analog cable channels, and 50 of them can be moved to digital-only, then there's the room for 100 HD channels right there. More movable analog stations = more HD bandwidth.

In areas without terrestrial high-speed Internet competition (Verizon FiOS?), internet bandwidth can be lowered to add even more HD channels, if needed. Also, MPEG-4 can be (painfully) used for SD and/or HD content if needed. But that one's a last resort.

The point is, there is some more "room" for HD channels on cable without resorting to HD-lite, even though the amount admittedly isn't unlimited. I suspect that if there are another 50 or so HD channels created, then it'll be survival of the fittest with many SD channels.

Also, perhaps D* HD won't be HD Lite soon, but will there still be horrid macroblocking?

The Weather Channel HD and CNNHD should be in 720p. Why they'd want to broadcast in HD I understand, but it's incredibly vain of a reason.

The stretch is from TNT not Directv......My dish only has problems if we are in a monsoon or a Thunderstorm but comes right back within a couple minutes. Besides, we dont get snow around here anymore.....

LOL.....I agree. That must be good news that WV is finally transitioning from Analog to Digital (No more Snow).

I'm quite excited about the announcement from D*, but even if they have the bandwidth to do so, wonder if they will end HDLite?

Time Warner Cable in Ashland has added the high defination feed of WSAZ on Channel 781. This is their first local high defination channel.

They also added MyZ TV on Channel 17. C-Span2 was moved to Channel 68.

I believe these same changes were also made in Ironton.

I have been so happy since dropping Suddenlink for Direct, I have been going through a nightmare just getting Suddenlink to send out a technician to reattach my cable so I can keep my high speed internet package...(Phone lines are to old for any reasonable DSL speeds)... I had 2 no shows, and after demanding to speak to a supervisor was informed none were available and that they would call me back, which no one did of course, finally the next day a tech arrived with no clue what he was there for, he assumed he was there for a disconnect only, after explaining my problem he reattached my cable connection but proceeded to make snide remarks about Direct which of course I ignored..(At least they showed up on time and when they said they would)...after he left I went to the local town center office and turned in my Boxes and spent nearly 20 minuted getting my account cleared up seems they had 4 separate service calls scheduled as well as the HD that I cancelled nearly a week ago...Charter was never this bad....As for direct my first bill was missing the 100.00 credit promised by the sales rep, I called Direct and after speaking to the agent she informed me she was unable to issue the credit, but would tranferred me to a supervisor who would help with my problem(Note I never had to ask to be tranferred she did it on her own)...Immediately the supervisor applied the Discount and even gave a little extra due to the mixup,all in less than 10 minutes, great service as far as I'm concerned, something suddenlink had better remedy...As for me I am enjoying my HD service and awaiting the addition of more channels...

Hey guys i live in cross lanes and want to put an HD antenna. Any suggestions on a model would be greatly appreciated.

Space74: Indoor or outdoor?

I am assuming outdoor to pick up all the locals?

From Cross Lanes at the main intersection, you are going to have about a 25 degree spread between the two tower locations. That is probably too much spread ofr a CM 4228 or DB8, but you should get good reception with a CM 4221 or DB4.

Check out www.solidsignal.com

The 4221 is better than the DB-4 at channel 13 gain. That's important because WOWK-DT will move to channel 13 in 2009.

Thanks guys. Thats cool you marked it from the main intersection bcause i am only about an 1/4 mile from there. I assume you are referring to the CM4221? Also is this available anywhere local and what cable should i use and where is a good place to get a good post for it.

I assume you are referring to the CM4221? Also is this available anywhere local and what cable should i use and where is a good place to get a good post for it.
The post you can get at Home Depot or Lowes. Any good quality RG6 will work fine.

Getting the 4221 locally will be the problem. Wilk's TV in Huntington has had them in the past, but you never know if they will have them in stock or not.

I got my antenna from Solidsignal.com (http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=SCM4221A)

Deleted my post...nevermind. They all suck.

Well i am asking now because if my Colts reach the SB I want to watch it in high def but want to be sure what i use will receive the signal.

The 4221 is better than the DB-4 at channel 13 gain. That's important because WOWK-DT will move to channel 13 in 2009.

Lower frequency channels have less degradation than higher frequency channels. Moving to channel 13 should make it 'easier' to pick up than the UHF channel it resides on now.

Is there anyone in the Elkview/Pinch area using an attenna to receive HD? If so, I was just curious what antenna is being used successfully in the area.

MrWolfinWV,

I live in Big Chimney on Coopers Creek. If you're familiar with the area, you know it's a "holler", and I live right down by the creek. Obviously, terrain is my biggest problem. I have a CM4228 mounted on my house with a CM pre-amp from Lowes (sorry, forgot the model number). I can pick up 8.1 (41) and 11.1 (19) with a rock-solid signal. For a total of about 3 days in the fall, I was able to pick up 3.1 (23), but it was pretty much unwatchable. If you live on top of a hill, I'm sure you'd be able to pull in all 4 networks with no problem. The good thing about our area is that the angle between the two towers is small enough that you shouldn't need a rotator. I recently got an HR20 from DirecTV and their HD package. The HR20 comes with an OTA tuner, so I tried it to see if it picked up better than the one built into my TV.... it wasn't even close. My Toshiba TV (56HM195) was better by far in picking up the signal. Didn't think it would be that big of a difference, but obviously your type of receiver does matter. Good luck!

Jeff

MrWolfinWV,

I live in Big Chimney on Coopers Creek. If you're familiar with the area, you know it's a "holler", and I live right down by the creek. Obviously, terrain is my biggest problem. I have a CM4228 mounted on my house with a CM pre-amp from Lowes (sorry, forgot the model number). I can pick up 8.1 (41) and 11.1 (19) with a rock-solid signal. For a total of about 3 days in the fall, I was able to pick up 3.1 (23), but it was pretty much unwatchable. If you live on top of a hill, I'm sure you'd be able to pull in all 4 networks with no problem. The good thing about our area is that the angle between the two towers is small enough that you shouldn't need a rotator. I recently got an HR20 from DirecTV and their HD package. The HR20 comes with an OTA tuner, so I tried it to see if it picked up better than the one built into my TV.... it wasn't even close. My Toshiba TV (56HM195) was better by far in picking up the signal. Didn't think it would be that big of a difference, but obviously your type of receiver does matter. Good luck!

Jeff

Thanks, I'm in Ridgemont which is on Reunion Road. I am on a hill. The surrounding hills are slightly higher than I am, but I think I still have a good elevation to get a good signal.

Thanks!

I grew up in Hidden Valley, so I know the area well. I'm actually looking to move back out that way eventually. You'll have to report back and let me know how it goes with getting the signal. By the time I move back over that way, DirecTV should have Charleston locals in HD... at least I would HOPE so.

I grew up in Hidden Valley, so I know the area well. I'm actually looking to move back out that way eventually. You'll have to report back and let me know how it goes with getting the signal. By the time I move back over that way, DirecTV should have Charleston locals in HD... at least I would HOPE so.

Is there anywhere to buy the antenna locally or did you have to order it?

By the time I move back over that way, DirecTV should have Charleston locals in HD... at least I would HOPE so.
Probably sometime in 3Q 2007. We missed the first round and even some of the announced markets have been delayed.

Is there anywhere to buy the antenna locally or did you have to order it?

You can try Wilks' TV in Huntington. They sometimes have the 4221. Otherwise you need to order it. i got mine from solidsignal.com

I hear ya herdfan. Hopefully it'll be in place before next football season. It's nice since I can pick up Fox and ABC over the air, but almost all of my games (Steelers) are on CBS, I miss out on the HD. Although, I found something interesting this year. With the Sunday Ticket package through DirecTV, if the game is in HD on the upper 700's channels, they don't black it out. So I did get to catch a few games in HD this year!

I ordered mine through SolidSignal too, Wolf. I may have been the exception to the rule, but I ordered it one morning, and it was at my house the very next day. I was amazed! SolidSignal seems to be really on the ball. I bought the pre-amp, mount and post from Lowes, so I was watching HD the very next day after ordering it.

You can try Wilks' TV in Huntington. They sometimes have the 4221. Otherwise you need to order it. i got mine from solidsignal.com

I used to know Mark Wilks pretty well when I worked at Circuit City down there about 17-18 years ago, they did a lot of repair work for us. I just rarely make it down that way much any more. I guess I'll just order one. Anything wrong with ordering a larger antenna than is needed? Can it cause any problems like ghosting that occurred with NTSC broadcasts? I've been out of the radio signal stuff for so long I'm just not up on this stuff any longer. I understand the antenna can be less effective if placed in the attic, so I'm wondering if you can combat that with a larger antenna.

Anything wrong with ordering a larger antenna than is needed?
Using the Channel Master 4221 and 4228 as examples, Yes you can run into problems.

The 4228 is twice as large as the 4221, but it is also much more directional. So for example, if you have a 20 degree spread between the towers, you might be fine with a 4221, but not so with a 4228.

It really is a crap shoot.

I know there have been several postings over the past few months as to when Directv will be adding the local HDs for the Charleston/Huntington DMA. The following info from Directv was posted in a thread in another forum:

""My apologies. Priorities often change in this business and unfortunately a decision was made to put a hold on all remaining HD local markets until we launch the new satellites mid-year and have adequate capacity. Sorry for the false start. The markets will launch later this year - likely in the Q3 time frame. I hope you'll hang in there with us. Robert

Robert Mercer
Director, Public Relations
DIRECTV, Inc.
(310) 726-4683 "

So it looks like the 2nd half of 2007 is most likely for the HD locals, perhaps about the same time as the large number of new HD national channels start coming on-line with D*.

Ron Jones

It really is a crap shoot.

So are the dish and cable companies :D

I used to know Mark Wilks pretty well when I worked at Circuit City down there about 17-18 years ago, they did a lot of repair work for us. I just rarely make it down that way much any more. I guess I'll just order one. Anything wrong with ordering a larger antenna than is needed? Can it cause any problems like ghosting that occurred with NTSC broadcasts? I've been out of the radio signal stuff for so long I'm just not up on this stuff any longer. I understand the antenna can be less effective if placed in the attic, so I'm wondering if you can combat that with a larger antenna.

To add one thing to what Herdfan stated. Ghosting won't be a problem with Digital Signals. Ghosting is only inherrent to Analog Signals. With a Digital Signal, you either get the signal, or you do not. If you are receiving a week signal, it may come in and out. But, if you are picking up the signal, you got it. Moving the antenna around will help improve the signal strength, but the quality of the signal you are receiving will always be same once you are picking it up.

I'm headed to Wayne to do some work tomorrow after I just said I don't make it down that way much. I think I'll stop and see if Wilk's has an antenna in stock :)

I'm headed to Wayne to do some work tomorrow after I just said I don't make it down that way much. I think I'll stop and see if Wilk's has an antenna in stock :)

Stopped by Wilk's today...they don't carry antennas any longer. :(

where's the HD on fox???

Someone needs to call the Engineer and see if the switch is off. I don't recall the phone number.

they sure picked a good time to "drop the ball"...

Switch has been thrown. Fox is in HD now.

I just stopped by Sears and picked up a Little RCA 24.95 HD Table top Antenna. Hooked it up to my DirectTV Receiver and set it behind my Plasma TV, Here on the Westside on Barton street I am able to pick up FOXHD(WVAH) as well as ABCHD(WCHS) pefectly,although WCHS does pixelate from time to time,FOX stays Rock solid....Just watched the Bears beat the Saints in beautiful HD glory....Seems with the indoor antenna these are the only 2 stations I can see....but later this year all the locals will be available from Direct in HD..until then $25.00 well spent.....

I'm just too far out for an indoor antenna. I've tried a couple and can't pick up anything. I'm tempted to spend the $150 or so on the setup that SolidSignal sent to me designed for my attic. I just hate to spend $150 when something is such a crap shoot. I'd almost rather get DirecTV and have the better quality digital signal until they go HD. The locals on Suddenlink just plain suck.

Has anyone talked to Suddenlink about why they don't send HD signals in the clear for QAM, supposedly violating the FCC ruling on the subject?

If I am not mistaken the rules only apply to over the air networks such as Fox, ABC CBS, NBC, broadcasting in the clear, cable companies who carry these networks are not bound by these rules, I know a couple of cable companies broadcasting the locals in the clear, unfortunately Suddenlink is not one of them..another reason I dumped them......I will make one comment on Directs SD signal, it just plain sucks on my Big screen plasma, cable did look better, but by the end of the year lots of the SD channels will be broadcasting in HD so I'm not to concerned, also once the new SATS are launched and operational Direct may be able to improve its SD signal by not compressing it so much.......

Why did our local CBS station near the end of the Colts/Pats game change off HD to run school closings, HD was off for 5-10 min, then they ran it again 45 min later couldn't they have waited till the game was over or use a white text scroll on the HD picture saying go to their website for school closings.

They better leave the HD feed on during the whole superbowl and comercials.

Why did our local CBS station near the end of the Colts/Pats game change off HD to run school closings, HD was off for 5-10 min, then they ran it again 45 min later couldn't they have waited till the game was over or use a white text scroll on the HD picture saying go to their website for school closings.

They better leave the HD feed on during the whole superbowl and comercials.

I wouldn't be surprised if they did that during the Super Bowl. They never let an opportunity to interrupt your viewing pleasure pass them by.

every local hd channel i've seen showing closings or other info that populates at the bottom of the screen has had to switch from hd to sd in order to show it...

I just stopped by Sears and picked up a Little RCA 24.95 HD Table top Antenna. Hooked it up to my DirectTV Receiver and set it behind my Plasma TV, Here on the Westside on Barton street I am able to pick up FOXHD(WVAH) as well as ABCHD(WCHS) pefectly
That's great -- if you only want the big game in HD NEXT year. Deep down you want HD coverage THIS year. Yeah, indoor antennas are a bit of a crapshoot, but if you go to RadioShack and get a 15-1868 for $21, and run a quad-shielded RG-6 cable to the TV, you might have a shot of WOWK. Because of RadioShack's 30-day return policy, you can always return it if you can't pick WOWK up, but you have two weeks to experiment and get a lock.

Here in the DC area, there's been a problem station of mine, WNVC-DT, channel 57, in Fairfax, VA. For whatever reason, the station broadcasts at only 7,300 watts ERP, and not from that tall of an altitude, either! The point is, I've tried to get that station with at least three different antennas. I couldn't even pick it up with a $50 amplified antenna. I was able to get a secure lock of the station with the 15-1868.

Here are the keys to long-range reception:

1. Antenna placement is EVERYTHING. Have it placed by a window facing the general direction of the desired transmitter, in this case, to the west.
2. Have as few nearby blocking objects as possible. Place the antenna where there isn't a home or lots of trees right in front of the antenna (like, within fifteen feet of the window). Where I am, I have some open space between me and nearby trees and buildings. If that's not possible where you are, then you might as well stop reading this message now. Enjoy ABC and FOX HD programming.
3. Use very good RG-6 cable. With fringe signals, you need as little signal leakage as possible. RadioShack Gold Series cable is about as good as it gets. Buy a "run" of cable as short as possible. Try to keep it at or under 25 feet long. I have a six-foot run, but that's because my TV's located by the antenna :-)
4. The knob is your friend. On the 15-1868, there's a knob on the bottom right that adjusts how the signal is received somehow. I don't know how, but having it in the right position can get you a lock.
5. Be very methodical with your adjustments. Even the placement of the dipoles or RG-6 cable can prevent or assure a lock. Don't extend the VHF dipoles, especially the thinner parts of them, too much, if at all, at least for now (you can experiment after the game). I was only able to lock WNVC with the knob facing the transmitter's direction, though your situation may vary. Every little bit of adjustment can mean the difference between a lock and not. At my place, even cable placement can prevent signal lock.
6. IT MAY TAKE A WHILE to get a lock. Be patient and allow lots of time. I needed a stand that placed the antenna about a foot above where I normally had it. It's now about five feet above the ground.
7. There may be lock issues at times. For example, the solid lock of WNVC went away earlier tonight, but it's back now. So unless the lock issues are occuring just before or during the game, don't get too stressed.

I'm probably missing tips, but you're probably overloaded already. :) Don't worry, it's simple when you actually do it. Good luck.

I was told today by my business rep with Suddenlink today they are looking at 7-10 days for an HD DVR and somewhere around 12 weeks for an HD receiver. This plain sucks.

They have a bunch of idiots down there running that place....Not only do they have the worst signal of all the stations but they always feel propelled to take up 3/4 of your screen with an alert about snow flurries brought to you by Buckeye Hills career center. I am with you, bring back the plain white scroll. I hope they have the gerbils running full speed on the wheel so we can have full power for the superbowl. And you better pray we dont have schools in KY closing down because some board member named Earl saw a snowflake fall.

I stopped by Suddenlink today at the Town Center. They just received an email today stating that starting on March 15 they will be offering the following channels in HD: Food Network, National Geographic, A&E, and HDnet.

This will bump the monthly fee up $2.

I stopped by Suddenlink today at the Town Center. They just received an email today stating that starting on March 15 they will be offering the following channels in HD: Food Network, National Geographic, A&E, and HDnet.

This will bump the monthly fee up $2.

I'm through with SuddenStink. The service will go up $2 for that?? Nice since I won't even be able to get an HD box until a month after that date. I will have to keep them for Internet, but that's about as far as it goes.

I stopped by Suddenlink today at the Town Center. They just received an email today stating that starting on March 15 they will be offering the following channels in HD: Food Network, National Geographic, A&E, and HDnet.

This will bump the monthly fee up $2.

While its nice to have new channels, I don't think I have any interest in those.

I stopped by Suddenlink today at the Town Center. They just received an email today stating that starting on March 15 they will be offering the following channels in HD: Food Network, National Geographic, A&E, and HDnet.

This will bump the monthly fee up $2.


Sweet! I love the nature shows on Discovery HD, but there's a lot of other crap on there I'm not crazy about. I haven't watched National Geographic in a long time, but I will now. I've always wanted HDNet. I've checked out their site before and they've got a bunch of concerts. I'm especially interested in Bikini Destinations. Can't wait for that.
I'm always down for more HD.

I know I will watch HDNet it would have been nice if they included HDNet Movies. A&E has some good things every once and a while. Not sure if I will watch the other two except just to check them out.
I would rather have CW HD, UniversalHD, or ESPN2 HD. I would like to see Smallville and Supernatural in HD considering how bad the analog station is, and UniversalHD has a lot of good things on during the week including multiple movies.

I really want ESPN2 in hd. But if I had to choose 2 new stations to be in hd, it would probably be National Geographic and Food Network. I'm addicted to both of those channels. National Geographic's shows blow Discovery's shows away.

So I'm pretty happy about these new hd channels. Hopefully this means more to come. Hopefully ESPN2 soon enough. They need to add more or lower prices drastically in order to compete with DirecTV once their new satellite launches.

Also, I messed up. I'm pretty sure that they actually told me that it would be HDnet Movies, not HDnet. I had never heard of either before today. I just assumed that it was the same station. Sorry.

Sorry for the double post. I have a question not related to my previous post though.

We got HBO/Cinemax (and HBO/Cinemax HD) free for a year on our latest trip to Suddenlink. Last I had these channels was with Charter. Is On Demand for these 2 channels still free? It would tell you if you were going to be charged before you ordered it, correct?

Also, why are no HD programs available on HBO and Cinemax On Demand? Or am I missing something? It seems strange to me that I can watch Wedding Crashers in HD if I catch it on, but if I want to watch it On Demand at my convenience, I can only get it in 480p. Is there a reason for that? Any word on this changing in the future?

Thanks in advance!

I also wish they would add ESPN2 HD and UniversalHD.

We got HBO/Cinemax (and HBO/Cinemax HD) free for a year on our latest trip to Suddenlink. Last I had these channels was with Charter. Is On Demand for these 2 channels still free? It would tell you if you were going to be charged before you ordered it, correct?

Also, why are no HD programs available on HBO and Cinemax On Demand? Or am I missing something? It seems strange to me that I can watch Wedding Crashers in HD if I catch it on, but if I want to watch it On Demand at my convenience, I can only get it in 480p. Is there a reason for that? Any word on this changing in the future?

Thanks in advance!

My parents have HBO and the On Demand is free. Don't know why they don't offer any HD On Demand. It would be nice.

I know this weekend I will be kicking back and watching JAWS in HD on UniversalHD...will give the movie a whole new prospective....I love my Direct TV.....Glad to know that later on this year Direct will be adding the SciFi Channel in HD so I can watch Battlestar Galactica in all its glory, of course I can watch reruns on TNTHD now which look pretty amazing...

Universal HD and HD net are wastes of bandwidth in my opinion....If you are a Surface fan you will indeed love Universal...alot like TNT and their obsession with LAW and OEDER.

The only channels worth paying for in HD right now are..ESPN, NFL, ESPN2, HBO (Boxing), Fox Sports, skinaMAX, and Starz...

HD net has some decent sports content but the movie channel is lacking.....

IMHO!

Directv / CBS sports agreement


http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/IROL/12/127160/012207.pdf

I am a DISH subscriber and I love Universal HD and HDnet. With the first one, you have access to the entire Universal Studios library of films. And they're commercial free and in 1080i. Plus you have classic TV shows like Northern Exposure and The Equalizer.

HDnet movies has a killer lineup. A much better choice of classic films than HBO or Cinemax offers. Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Apocalypse Now, Serpico, Arthur, The Virgin Suicides, etc.

Again, all uncut, unedited and in HD.

Plus their "Not Available on DVD" series each month with films like Neighbors, The Executioner's Song.

They're both worth the bandwidth in my opinion.

Applejack....I rest my case :D

UniversalHD- Stargate Atlantis, Firefly (really like), movie Twins for the next week that I would like to see. I might watch Surface and the Spacehunter movie I like a lot of movies made in the 80's. They will have Battlestar Galactica and a couple other movies I would watch.

HDNet Movies- Last Action Hero, Addams Family Values, Real Genius (really like) that I would like to see are on over the next week and they will have all the Back to the Future movies.

If any station gets me to watch it for more than 4 hours a week not including sports, I would like to have it. Those stations would be close. The Sci-fi channel is the only one to do this on a consistent basis.

By the way I don't have any of the premium movie channels and I don’t watch sports on a consistent basis unless its football.

Applejack....I rest my case :D

Hey, I love sports too, but variety is the spice of life.

I called Suddenlink and asked about these new HD channels. They said they're adding both HDNet & HD movies, HGTV HD as well as Food Network, A&E, & National Geographic HD which were already mentioned here. 6 new HD channels...I can't wait.

I saw a while back on HDNet's website that they were showing 2001: A Space Odyssey on HD movies. I would totally dig that.

I was told today by my business rep with Suddenlink today they are looking at 7-10 days for an HD DVR and somewhere around 12 weeks for an HD receiver. This plain sucks.

I stopped by there today and asked about upgrading to HD DVR. I was told it would be a month's wait for one to arrive for me. I asked if there was any other way that I could get one sooner, as in calling SuddenLink's main number, or ordering from someone else. The woman working told me that the only way to get one is to wait it out.

I decided to call their toll free number whenever I got home anyway, since no one seems to know much at the Town Center location. Now I'm having one delivered to me on Monday. I'm just trading out my HD box for the HD DVR box. Same price as the HD box for 6 months, after which it raises to its regular price.

If you want any HD (DVR) box from SuddenLink, call their toll free number. Don't contact them in person.

Also, thanks for the new info Zap Branigan (huge Futurama fan). My wife will be excited to learn of HGTV in HD. Did you ask about the date? Is it still set for March 15?

I stopped by there today and asked about upgrading to HD DVR. I was told it would be a month's wait for one to arrive for me. I asked if there was any other way that I could get one sooner, as in calling SuddenLink's main number, or ordering from someone else. The woman working told me that the only way to get one is to wait it out.

I decided to call their toll free number whenever I got home anyway, since no one seems to know much at the Town Center location. Now I'm having one delivered to me on Monday. I'm just trading out my HD box for the HD DVR box. Same price as the HD box for 6 months, after which it raises to its regular price.

If you want any HD (DVR) box from SuddenLink, call their toll free number. Don't contact them in person.

Also, thanks for the new info Zap Branigan (huge Futurama fan). My wife will be excited to learn of HGTV in HD. Did you ask about the date? Is it still set for March 15?

Getting an HD DVR Monday pretty much fits in that time-frame he gave me for the DVR, but I want a receiver only. Keep in mind they scheduled me for one a month ago and called 2 days prior and said they were out. However, I just want the receiver like you have. If you do indeed get the DVR, I wonder if there's a way I can get your HD receiver?

Getting an HD DVR Monday pretty much fits in that time-frame he gave me for the DVR, but I want a receiver only. Keep in mind they scheduled me for one a month ago and called 2 days prior and said they were out. However, I just want the receiver like you have. If you do indeed get the DVR, I wonder if there's a way I can get your HD receiver?

I hope that they come through for me. I'm going to be extremely upset if they call me on Monday to tell me that they're out.

I'd actually try to set something up with SuddenLink to try to get you the HD box after I get my DVR, but I was already told that it isn't possible to do so. Apparently "each time a receiver is returned, it has to be sent back to the warehouse to be cleaned." That's why it's taking so long to get these things out. I still don't know why they don't just order more new ones to fulfill the current orders.

Just curious, though..why don't you just take a DVR? It looks as if it should only take a day or two to get, and it's the same price as the regular HD receiver for the first 6 months. Just keep your name on the list for the HD receiver. As soon as they get one in for you, you could just downgrade to the HD box. That way you'd be able to get some HD content while waiting on your receiver. Just a thought.

The one I would really like to see is FX HD...they show alot of great movies....and many recently released....Some more HD PPV movies will be nice also.

hopefully my TV doesnt blow up before Directv gets going.

The one I would really like to see is FX HD...they show alot of great movies....and many recently released....Some more HD PPV movies will be nice also.

hopefully my TV doesnt blow up before Directv gets going.


Where do you find the HD PPV movies? How much are they?

Also, to SuddenLink HD DVR renters, how well are their DVRs? How many hours can you record of HD programming? How is the quality compared to just a standard HD receiver? Is there a way to hook it up to a pc and save or burn the content?

Thanks in advance!

Also, thanks for the new info Zap Branigan (huge Futurama fan). My wife will be excited to learn of HGTV in HD. Did you ask about the date? Is it still set for March 15?

I can't wait for Futurama to come back next year on Comedy Central. I wonder if it will be in HD......probably not.

Yeah, they said March 15th for the new channels.


Hey, why can't WCHS do what WOWK has done in the past and show something different on their SD & HD feeds? The Cavs are playing the Suns on ABC, but WCHS is instead showing the WVU basketball game (which is great), but that game's not even available in HD. So, what they should do is show WVU on the SD feed, and the NBA on the HD feed.
Anyone have any contacts with WCHS that can suggest this?

is futurama gonna have new episodes?

i watch it every night on adult swim, but have now seen every episode 5x...

is futurama gonna have new episodes?

i watch it every night on adult swim, but have now seen every episode 5x...


YES!! New episodes.

http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/06/22/new-episodes-of-futurama-coming-to-comedy-central-for-real/

AWESOME!

first, family guy, now futurama!

now, if they would just bring back the x-files...

I hope that they come through for me. I'm going to be extremely upset if they call me on Monday to tell me that they're out.

I'd actually try to set something up with SuddenLink to try to get you the HD box after I get my DVR, but I was already told that it isn't possible to do so. Apparently "each time a receiver is returned, it has to be sent back to the warehouse to be cleaned." That's why it's taking so long to get these things out. I still don't know why they don't just order more new ones to fulfill the current orders.

Just curious, though..why don't you just take a DVR? It looks as if it should only take a day or two to get, and it's the same price as the regular HD receiver for the first 6 months. Just keep your name on the list for the HD receiver. As soon as they get one in for you, you could just downgrade to the HD box. That way you'd be able to get some HD content while waiting on your receiver. Just a thought.

Good luck with that. I have determined that DTV, DISH, and Suddenlink all suck the same so there's no motivation for any of them to meet expectations. I do not really like the Suddenlink DVR....just quirky things they do or do not do. I've had ReplayTV for 3-4 years and it's hard to change. IMO, ReplayTV is better than TiVo, although they have now stopped making the hardware units. I'm seriously considering going all PC-based with centralized storage--if I can find the right solution. Right now it looks like you have to piece together different things to get what I ultimately want.

If you're really bored, read this chat transcript from my chat with DISH. Basically, I wanted to bust their balls on how they utilize a dual-tuner HD DVR. They run an RG6 cable from the 2nd tuner to feed another TV in your house with the signal from the 2nd tuner and standard DVR. They always argue that it's a fully digital signal and there is no quality loss. I've been in this way too long, so just HAD to keep at it until they admitted it.

By the way, they also say they have no plans to upgrade HD services and they claim that DirecTV's stance on new satellites is a rumor! On the other hand, DirecTV screwed up and I cancelled their installation and have yet to see my refund although they say it was refunded two weeks ago...can't get anywhere with them, they say all I can do now is write a letter to their billing department.

Click here if you are bored (http://www.troyyoung.com/dish.htm)

I got my HD DVR from SuddenLink today. So far, so good. I haven't really had time to mess around with it very much, though. 20 hours of HDTV isn't really that much. I'd love to be able to save and burn some of the content. It seems this can only be done via the firewire ports (though I'm still uncertain of how this works), which my notebook does not have. I've heard that you can't save and burn movies anyway, though, as it is copy protected by HBO and Cinemax. Is this true? I was hoping to get a firewire adapter, but it's not really worth it if I still can't transfer movies to my pc.

You know, I'm not sure about the copy protection stuff on HD. I've read things about it and apparently it's one of the concerns, but for some reason I get the feeling they really haven't done anything about it yet. The bigger issue might be the cost of the DVDs and a burner, though. The files are huge which means you'll need either a Blu-Ray or HD DVD burner. The drives are about $700 and the DVDs are between $15-25 each. Per gig, it's probably cheaper to put together a couple terrabytes of storage and keep them until the prices come down.

I have folded and I'm going to accept the HD DVR from Suddenlink for now. They are scheduled for Wednesday, but my business rep is going to try to get me one tomorrow. I'll drive to Scott Depot if I have to. I'm like a kid at Christmas...I can't wait any longer. Everything is so difficult...they insisted on bringing it to my house and they will not drop it off to my business. I told the lady, "Look, if they bring it to my house it means I have to stay home and besides, they are just going to leave it with me because they aren't going to touch my equipment." She said, "Well, we have to deliver it to your house." I just don't understand why things are so difficult. You'd think they'd take the easy route and drop it off at my office in town....same difference to me and it saves them a drive to Pinch...whatever.

20 hours of HDTV isn't really that much. I'd love to be able to save and burn some of the content. It seems this can only be done via the firewire ports (though I'm still uncertain of how this works), which my notebook does not have.
You can add Firewire functionality. I have a PC Card adapter which has three Firewire ports. One of the other two inputs could be used for a backup hard drive to store videos.

I wasn't sure if I could add a firewire card to a laptop. I've heard that upgrading laptops is a difficult, and sometimes impossible process. That sounds like a great plan, though. Still, it depends on whether or not the movies are copy protected. I suppose that I could hook up my VCR to the box and see. It would technically work the same way, right? If it will copy to my VCR, then it should copy to my computer?

As far as the DVR goes, has anyone had problems with it erasing programs? As soon as I got it, I turned off Auto Erase. I also make sure to always list as "Until I Erase," rather than letting the DVR decide for me. Currently I have my DVR's hdd at 20% full. I recorded Psych last night on USA while I was out. I got in and checked to make sure it had recorded. It did. After getting in today and preparing to watch it, I noticed it had been deleted. It's nowhere to be found. All other shows/movies are still on there. Is this a common problem? Even if I had some of the settings wrong, it should still be on there. At 20% full, and being on there for less than a day, I don't see how it's possible to have been deleted. I didn't accidentally delete it, as I never went into the menu for Psych (only the main DVR menu to make sure that it had been recorded). Any ideas about this?

I wasn't sure if I could add a firewire card to a laptop. I've heard that upgrading laptops is a difficult, and sometimes impossible process. That sounds like a great plan, though. Still, it depends on whether or not the movies are copy protected. I suppose that I could hook up my VCR to the box and see. It would technically work the same way, right? If it will copy to my VCR, then it should copy to my computer?

As far as the DVR goes, has anyone had problems with it erasing programs? As soon as I got it, I turned off Auto Erase. I also make sure to always list as "Until I Erase," rather than letting the DVR decide for me. Currently I have my DVR's hdd at 20% full. I recorded Psych last night on USA while I was out. I got in and checked to make sure it had recorded. It did. After getting in today and preparing to watch it, I noticed it had been deleted. It's nowhere to be found. All other shows/movies are still on there. Is this a common problem? Even if I had some of the settings wrong, it should still be on there. At 20% full, and being on there for less than a day, I don't see how it's possible to have been deleted. I didn't accidentally delete it, as I never went into the menu for Psych (only the main DVR menu to make sure that it had been recorded). Any ideas about this?

Did I mention I didn't really care for the DVR that Suddenlink uses ;) These are the kinds of things I've heard reports of. Another stupid little thing is that when you get to the end of a recorded show it doesn't stop, it goes back to the beginning which is annoying if you want to watch that last scene over again. I guess mine is coming tomorrow....hopefully. It's killing me that I'm missing two nights of HDTV this week!

Did I mention I didn't really care for the DVR that Suddenlink uses ;) These are the kinds of things I've heard reports of. Another stupid little thing is that when you get to the end of a recorded show it doesn't stop, it goes back to the beginning which is annoying if you want to watch that last scene over again. I guess mine is coming tomorrow....hopefully. It's killing me that I'm missing two nights of HDTV this week!

So I take it they wouldn't just deliver it early to you at work or let you pick it up.

What other kinds of problems should I be on the look out for?

I can already tell it isn't exactly as great as it could be. But hopefully I'll fix some things soon enough.

I'm going to try transferring some movies to VHS later tonight to see about the whole copy protection issue. If it works, I guess that I'll start ordering some firewire products and a new hdd.

I wasn't sure if I could add a firewire card to a laptop. I've heard that upgrading laptops is a difficult, and sometimes impossible process. That sounds like a great plan, though. Still, it depends on whether or not the movies are copy protected. I suppose that I could hook up my VCR to the box and see. It would technically work the same way, right? If it will copy to my VCR, then it should copy to my computer?

You can get a low cost firewire card that plugs directly into the laptop's external PCMCIA slot and provides multiple IEEE-1394 inputs/output, such as this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16815104311


Check out the following thread on recording to a PC (requires Windows XP). Encrypted (copy protected) video cannot be recorded.

Ron Jones

Say what you will about Directv....i will hold my judgement until after the 3 rd quarter. By then I hope to be basking in much more content and more potential content than cable.

By the Fall we may hear more chatter of everyone moving to directv....especially when the notices go out to existing customers this spring and summer telling them to upgrade!!!!

So I take it they wouldn't just deliver it early to you at work or let you pick it up.

What other kinds of problems should I be on the look out for?

I can already tell it isn't exactly as great as it could be. But hopefully I'll fix some things soon enough.

I'm going to try transferring some movies to VHS later tonight to see about the whole copy protection issue. If it works, I guess that I'll start ordering some firewire products and a new hdd.

No, I couldn't get it today, so now I have to be here from 1-5pm tomorrow...guess what time he'll show?!? Luckily I have someone else coming by between 1-3pm so it's not a totally lost afternoon...I'm fairly confident the other guy will show...not so sure about Suddenlink.

Not sure exactly about the quirks, I just know that people who have had Tivo or ReplayTV are not happy with them. I think some of the biggest issues are that they are lacking features and they are very plain. I guess I'll find out for sure tomorrow...maybe.

Most recent laptops already have firewire on them. It's usually labeled as "1394" and very similar to the small end of a USB cable that is used to charge or sync a cell phone. See the picture below.

http://www.troyyoung.com/1394.jpg

Otherwise, you could add a firewire PCMCIA card like this one (http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/default.aspx?EDC=676010)

I'm not sure how well this stuff would work on a laptop, mainly because I'm not sure how it works. I know that doing video capture from a Digital8 camcorder through firewire is pretty intense on a PC. USB 2.0 could not handle full resolution DV. I'm just saying that about laptops because if it works as a video capture process, you could run into performance problems because laptops are considerably slower than a PC of the same supposed specs.

Hope that helps.

Actually, the Firewire plug in that pic is in the middle.

Just chiming in on the March 15th HD channels.

Personally, it's no good for me. I have no desire for any of those. I actually had HDNet back in Raleigh and it's good for about a day. Then you realize it's just like HBO & TNT, in other words, re-run central.

But, I put my home up for sale yesterday, as I'm either a) getting transferred or b) going back to school to get an MBA, but either way I'm moving by summer/fall at the latest.

If anyone knows someone looking for a charming 1500 sq. ft. home, 2 car garage, full upstairs/downstairs, 2 bed/2 full bathrooms, deck, and no neighbors in any direction for a good hundred feet in the Knollwood subdivision (off Exit #1 @ Mink Shoals, or you can route through Westmoreland Exit #102, either way you always miss the Highway 64 traffic) -- let me know! :)

Cable is pre-wired throughout the house, as is phone. PM me for more information & pics if anyone's interested. :)

http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/7682/mainoutsidehouseti6.jpg

Unless things have changed recently all you can record from the SA8300HD DVR is standard (4:3) resolution programs. You can transfer HDTV programs, but they are no longer HD. I don't know anything about the firewire connections.

You can add an external HDD via the eSATA port. The instructions are in the SA8300HD manual. You can download the manual from the SA website. The eSATA cable is not the same as a standard SATA cable. I ordered an external drive box with eSATA cable from Tiger Direst and added a WD 320 GB drive to mine. With about 480 GB I can record all the HDTV suitable for my wife. I only watch sports, but seldom record them.

I have never had a tivo or replay, so I can't comment on them. I did have the auto erase problem- make sure your settings are correct. A couple times a program wasn't recorded properly or only partially recorded, otherwise I have been reasonably happy with the DVR. Not so with Suddenlink- they are a want-to-be company and can't deliver.

I appreciate all of the responses.

I considered the eSATA solution, but it seems so expensive for its purpose. If for some reason my box broke and I had to have it replaced, I then lose all of the content on the eSATA drive as well because it is formatted to only work with that particular receiver. Also, at some point after the new satellite goes up, I'd like to switch to DirecTV. Then not only would I lose everything, but if their box doesn't accept my eSATA drive, I'm stuck with an expensive product that serves me no purpose.

Those are my concerns.

That being said, if that is really the only solution, I'll look into it. Does anyone know which eSATA drives are compatible with the 8300? I asked the SuddenLink technician. His response: "I've never heard of anyone using that. I don't know what it does." Pretty much what I've come to expect from SuddenLink.

Actually, the Firewire plug in that pic is in the middle.

There are two. The small plug is what is on a laptop and you have to have a cable that has a smaller end on it. That particular picture shows two usb ports, one regular size firewire and one of the small ones that is like the ones on a laptop. I'm not saying they don't exist, but I have yet to see a laptop with a regular sized firefire port built in, it's always the small one.

anybody having problems with fox/abc ota signal?

over the last 2 days i have gone from a med/strong for both to nothing...

Well, Suddenlink did indeed show up and the guy even had my choice of the DVR or just the receiver. I decided to give the DVR a shot but that was short-lived because it was a bad unit. So, I ended up with the receiver. It's not that big of a deal because I hooked it up in a way I can flip back to standard service and continue to use my ReplayTV just as before. Although it took me quite some time to pull all that nonsense out of the cabinet, hook everything up the way I needed it and then reprogram the Harmony remote so the wife will not call me tomorrow about the "TV not working." ;)

Now for my initial assessment. I'll bulletpoint them below:

1. I wish there was a way they could auto-stretch the non-16:9 format stuff so I wouldn't have to adjust the TV settings. It's just kind of annoying.

2. ESPNHD and DiscoveryHD are friggin incredible. This is the way TV ought to look.

3. I guess the only things on the network stations that are really HD are the main primetime shows, which is what I watch most of the time. The regular shows on the HD channels are still better quality than the standard channels. IMO, if it's not HD and is on standard cable, it should look this way. I guess there's something with however they are modulating the local channels that makes them crappy. I just think the regular stations should be the quality I get on the HD channels for non-HD programming...does that make sense?

4. Being that there is limited programming on the networks for HD, I'm wondering if I'd be just as happy having the very good quality signal from DISH or DTV all the time versus having the HD quality some of the time and slightly lower quality the rest of the time. Especially since it shouldn't be too long before the dish companies have the local stations in HD. Any comments from DISH or DTV subscribers about how the non-HD quality is compared to Suddenlink's HD channels with non-HD programming? I'm assuming that the HD programming is the same quality with all three.

5. As I suspected, the guy from Suddenlink (actually Baker) was pretty clueless. I had to explain to him what an optical audio connection was.

^ Weird question, but are you an NC State alum/fan? the "MrWolf" tag tipped me off...just curious :)

I appreciate all of the responses.

I considered the eSATA solution, but it seems so expensive for its purpose. If for some reason my box broke and I had to have it replaced, I then lose all of the content on the eSATA drive as well because it is formatted to only work with that particular receiver. Also, at some point after the new satellite goes up, I'd like to switch to DirecTV. Then not only would I lose everything, but if their box doesn't accept my eSATA drive, I'm stuck with an expensive product that serves me no purpose.

Those are my concerns.

That being said, if that is really the only solution, I'll look into it. Does anyone know which eSATA drives are compatible with the 8300? I asked the SuddenLink technician. His response: "I've never heard of anyone using that. I don't know what it does." Pretty much what I've come to expect from SuddenLink.

I have used an eSATA external drive with a SA8300HD and it works well. I used a 250GB SATA drive (sold as an internal drive) that I picked up for $60 (after rebate) and used an external eSATA case that included the power supply and eSATA cable that I picked up on sale for $25. You are right that once you connect the external eSATA drive to the SA8300 it is automatically recognized and formatted. It is essentially mated to that specific SA8300 STB and if you need to change your SA8300 everything on the ext. hard drive is lost. There is a thread on the HD recorder area of the AVS forum on the subject of using external SATA drives with the SA8300: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=516559

To build a library of HD programs, for the past couple of years I have been using a D-VHS VCR connected via IEEE-1394 (firewire) to a SA-3250 STB. Even though the SA8300 had a 1394 port that was supposely active, I could never get it to work for recording to my D-VHS, but the SA3250's 1394 port worked just fine. Since my D-VHS supported the required copy protection scheme approved by the FCC for use with cable TV STBs with 1394, I could record premium HD channels such as HBO and Showtime that are encrypted and flagged as "record once." Eventually there should be Blu-ray Disc and HD-DVD recorders with 1394 inputs that will allow recording from cable HD STBs (just like D-VHS already does). Too bad that Directv and Dish Network do not offer 1394 outputs on their HD receivers.

Ron Jones

I bought the DB8 from solid signal here: http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?main_cat=03&CAT=&PROD=AD-DB8

It measures 29” high by 42” wide once it is assembled.

If you want to see my location with the required aiming azimuths go here: http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/Address.aspx

Type in my address: 105 Batton Drive, Ripley, WV 25271 and choose multiple story housing type with no obstructions.

You also need to choose the street level map.

I attached the bowtie receivers to the rear reflectors and then continued the rest of the assembly once I had it in my attic space.

I used some leftover hardware from my basement drop ceiling installation to hang the array.

Two threaded loop hangers were put into the framing for my roof to support the weight.

A single hanger was placed into the framing that supports the ceiling to hold the bottom stable and keep the array in an upright position.

There is also an extra picture in there showing the wonderful spicing of my ceiling beams (thanks to the idiot contractor that built our house).

I used the thin aluminum (I think) wire between the hangers and the black metal reflectors on the array.

The array weighs 10 pounds; it was a bit heavier than I thought it would be so the threaded loops turned out to be a good idea.

I did not even attempt to aim it.

It is pointing perpendicular to my street which is roughly in the middle of the required azimuths for each tower.

I have a 35’ run of RG6 coax from the antenna – through the ceiling in a second story room – inside a column in the kitchen on the first story – into the basement to a barrel connector.

There is a 20’ run of RG6 coax from the barrel connector to my Dish 811 HD receiver.

I do not have a pre-amp installed; however, if I split this signal I would need one.

Here are the signal results. They were not as strong as I thought they would be.

Winfield tower: Lat. 38^24’28”N Long. 81^54’13”W

WCHS Receiver channel 08-01, OTA channel 41 --82-87%--

WVAH Receiver channel 11-01, OTA channel 19 --82-87%--

Barker Ridge north of Barboursville tower: Lat. 38^30’36”N Long. 82^13’10”W

WSAZ Receiver channel 03-01, OTA channel 23 --77-78%--

WOWK Receiver channel 13-01, OTA channel 47 --77-78%--

I also receive:

WPBY Receiver channel 33-04, OTA channel 20? --62-65%--

PAX Receiver channel 29-01, OTA channel 39 --79-83%--

For some reason my Dish 811 receiver does not like to change channels between these OTA signals.

Perhaps it doesn’t like the high reception signals now, I don’t know.

The cutoff limit for reception signal strength on my 811 is 60 to 61% so I am barely getting WPBY the PBS-HD channel.

The signal is just strong enough to prevent any pixilation.

I believe the power output level is pretty low for this channel.

I plan on doing a hard reset of the unit tonight but I also plan on replacing it with a set-top tuner in the near future.

Here is the link the Samsung DTB-H260F that is in my near future: http://www.samsung.com/Products/DigitalSetTopBox/HDTVTuners/DTB_H260FXAA.asp?page=Specifications

Before I bought this antenna I was using a small amplified indoor antenna from Wal Mart.

The signal strength for WVAH was the same, WSAZ was around 63% but I could not lock it in, and WCHS was 72%.

Only WVAH was an absolute lock for reception all the time. I lost the other two almost every other day.

WOWK was attainable but I had to move my small antenna to the front window of my home in an inconvenient location.

In summary, for me the money was well spent because now I a have all of the available channels locked in solid.


Here is the picture directory:

100_0661 Box and array with bowties attached to rear reflectors before I finished assembly in attic
http://star.walagata.com/w/wvpres/100_0661.JPG

100_0662 Another shot of array
http://star.walagata.com/w/wvpres/100_0662.JPG

100_0663 Mounting location in the attic
http://star.walagata.com/w/wvpres/100_0663.JPG

100_0664 Another shot of location, aiming direction is to the left of photo
http://star.walagata.com/w/wvpres/100_0664.JPG

100_0665 Array assembled in attic
http://star.walagata.com/w/wvpres/100_0665.JPG

100_0666 My wonderful spliced ceiling beams
http://star.walagata.com/w/wvpres/100_0666.JPG

100_0667 Upper threaded loop on left in place in the roof framing
http://star.walagata.com/w/wvpres/100_0667.JPG

100_0668 Upper threaded loop on right with array support wire
http://star.walagata.com/w/wvpres/100_0668.JPG

100_0669 Upper threaded loop on left with array support wire
http://star.walagata.com/w/wvpres/100_0669.JPG

100_0670 Lower threaded loop in ceiling framing for array stabilization
http://star.walagata.com/w/wvpres/100_0670.JPG

100_0671 Array in place
http://star.walagata.com/w/wvpres/100_0671.JPG

100_0672 Array in place with coax connected to combiner
http://star.walagata.com/w/wvpres/100_0672.JPG

100_0673 The cable splice in basement using barrel connector (35’ to 20’)
http://star.walagata.com/w/wvpres/100_0673.JPG

------------------------------------
Addition, I do not like the low audio and guide issues related to programming recordings for the Samsung. If anyone knows of any other good reasonbly priced options for OTA receivers, please PM me. Also, anyone out there who lives close to Fairplain (near Ripley) PM me as well. I am always looking to meet local HT nuts and I know a few in the local area already.

^ Weird question, but are you an NC State alum/fan? the "MrWolf" tag tipped me off...just curious :)

No....ever seen Pulp Fiction?

So it seems my DVR is defective.

It was erasing basic and expanded basic programs for no reason. I had to call SuddenLink so that they could reboot the box and send through some sort of signal, which brought all programs back. However, they would not play. After playing around with it for a while, I discovered that the basic and expanded basic channels would not even pause or rewind. Movie channels are fine.

SuddenLink apologized for the inconvenience and offered to switch out my box next week. I asked for an earlier time, but was told no. I'm so upset with SuddenLink for this situation. Their equipment was defective, but they are in no hurry to get me working equipment. Also, now I must be home from 1-5 again to wait for them. Great customer service.

I'm not sure what to do. I have HD content on there that I don't want to lose, as it isn't coming back on anytime soon.

No....ever seen Pulp Fiction?

"Pretty please, with sugar on top.... clean the effin' car"

lol :D

"English Mother &^%$@#... Do you speak it?!?"

well fox is back with a solid high signal. wchs is still hit or miss. must be the time of year or something. sucks, i had perfect signals from all the networks since sept...

So it seems my DVR is defective.

It was erasing basic and expanded basic programs for no reason. I had to call SuddenLink so that they could reboot the box and send through some sort of signal, which brought all programs back. However, they would not play. After playing around with it for a while, I discovered that the basic and expanded basic channels would not even pause or rewind. Movie channels are fine.

SuddenLink apologized for the inconvenience and offered to switch out my box next week. I asked for an earlier time, but was told no. I'm so upset with SuddenLink for this situation. Their equipment was defective, but they are in no hurry to get me working equipment. Also, now I must be home from 1-5 again to wait for them. Great customer service.

I'm not sure what to do. I have HD content on there that I don't want to lose, as it isn't coming back on anytime soon.

Sorry to hear. At least they figured out mine was bad while they were here and I ended up with a regular box. It rebooted on its own three times while I was programming the remote and setting it all up, but it's been ok since.

The good thing is I got a followup call from DISH a couple days ago following up because I cancelled the install. The guy scheduled a followup call with me today because they had a special starting. Beginning today they are no longer charging for the HD DVR. I get a four room install with the dual tuner HDDVR/Standard DVR box and a standard dual tuner receiver installed for free. Then I'm going to add a couple more when the install happens. DISH gives you 30 days to evaluate and you can remove it for no charge if you aren't happy with it, so I'm going to take advantage.

Now the interesting thing was what the guy said about the local channels so I'm hoping someone on here with DISH can tell me what the real deal is. He said that in his local market DISH does not have the local channels in HD, but when network programming comes on that is HD, he gets it in HD. He said himself he doesn't understand it, but that's what he gets and he didn't want to mislead me about what I might get. I thought it was worth checking out. I can see how they might do this because the the network broadcast content is separate from the local content, but can anyone confirm this is true or not? If this is true, I could give a rat's ass about the local content as long as I can get the network shows in HD.

:D He is feeding you a bunch of crap, the only way you can get the locals in HD is either with the local cable provider or a over the air antenna..Direct as well as Dish do not offer the locals in HD as of yet....I got a response from Direct on the local HD channels and when they would become available, my response was that our local HDs will not be made available until the new Satellites are launched later this year ...seems their bandwith is maxed at this point, so we are probably looking mid summer before they are made available.....providing of course we have no more satallite explosions at launch....

:D He is feeding you a bunch of crap, the only way you can get the locals in HD is either with the local cable provider or a over the air antenna..Direct as well as Dish do not offer the locals in HD as of yet....I got a response from Direct on the local HD channels and when they would become available, my response was that our local HDs will not be made available until the new Satellites are launched later this year ...seems their bandwith is maxed at this point, so we are probably looking mid summer before they are made available.....providing of course we have no more satallite explosions at launch....

HA! I was watching the news the other night and said, "Oh crap...I hope that wasn't the DirecTV sats!"

Now the interesting thing was what the guy said about the local channels so I'm hoping someone on here with DISH can tell me what the real deal is. He said that in his local market DISH does not have the local channels in HD, but when network programming comes on that is HD, he gets it in HD. He said himself he doesn't understand it, but that's what he gets and he didn't want to mislead me about what I might get. I thought it was worth checking out. I can see how they might do this because the the network broadcast content is separate from the local content, but can anyone confirm this is true or not? If this is true, I could give a rat's ass about the local content as long as I can get the network shows in HD.

If your installer lives in a predefined area that can not get local broadcasts then he can get the national feeds in HD. It doesn't matter if your house happens to be in a deep valley and no antenna made will pick up the broadcasts. If you are within a predefined area around the tower, you can't get the national feeds from Dish and Direct. If you are outside that area, you can get the national feeds. No one no where gets the Huntington/Charleston broadcast stations in HD from the satellite providers because they don't yet have these locals in HD.

If your installer lives in a predefined area that can not get local broadcasts then he can get the national feeds in HD. It doesn't matter if your house happens to be in a deep valley and no antenna made will pick up the broadcasts. If you are within a predefined area around the tower, you can't get the national feeds from Dish and Direct. If you are outside that area, you can get the national feeds. No one no where gets the Huntington/Charleston broadcast stations in HD from the satellite providers because they don't yet have these locals in HD.

I know this...I wonder if because he's a DISH employee he gets the national feeds in HD or something. Like I said, he's in sales and I figure he was being honest because he said that he didn't understand himself why it was working. I guess maybe he's even seeing the "HD where available" and he just thinks it's in HD. Who knows.

I had a lot of trouble with flutter/freezing from the Kanawha Airport. The Kanawha airport is between me & the local stations. I get 3.1, 3.2, 8.1, 11.1, 13.1 + several others.

Every time a C-130 took off or landed My HDTV picture & sound froze for several seconds.

I had a CM 4228 & a CM 7775. I purchased a second CM 4228. I built a couple of RG-6 cables 15' long & connected them to the CM 4228 antennas 30' apart. I put a Radio Shack gold cable splitter in reverse between the antennas. Then connected the single output of the cable splitter to the CM 7775 to the tuner.

99% of freeze & flutter are gone & the 1% last about one second.

I think that when one antenna signal is blocked by the airplane reflection the other antenna picks up the solid signal.

I am on the mountain top between Campbells Creek & Mill Creek in Kanawha County.

Does anyone know of any stores in the Barboursville/ huntington area that sell amplifiers?

To build a library of HD programs, for the past couple of years I have been using a D-VHS VCR connected via IEEE-1394 (firewire) to a SA-3250 STB. Even though the SA8300 had a 1394 port that was supposely active, I could never get it to work for recording to my D-VHS, but the SA3250's 1394 port worked just fine. Since my D-VHS supported the required copy protection scheme approved by the FCC for use with cable TV STBs with 1394, I could record premium HD channels such as HBO and Showtime that are encrypted and flagged as "record once."

Ron Jones

Is the 3250 just a standard HD receiver? Is this what usually comes from Suddenlink?

Though expensive to me, I'm considering a D-VHS VCR if I can somehow come up with the money. Already having to swap my DVR makes me not really want an eSATA drive. I'd still end up losing everything by using that method. And already being 54% full, I know that I need more space. I'd hate to get a D-VHS VCR and it not work, though. So I definitely couldn't use the 8300? As long as something from Suddenlink would work, then I'm fine with it. I'll downgrade to just HD (no DVR) if that's what it takes, since it would essentially be the same thing by having a D-VHS VCR.

How do you know which VCRs support the required copy protection schemes set by the FCC? Are these a lot more expensive?

Thanks for all of your help! And sorry for all of the questions.

Does anyone know of any stores in the Barboursville/ huntington area that sell amplifiers?
Lowes carries one of the CM ones.

Though expensive to me, I'm considering a D-VHS VCR if I can somehow come up with the money.
Given that D-VHS is basically a dead technology, you should be able to pick one up fairly cheap on ebay or Audiogon. Circuit City had an open box JVC a while back and I almost bought it since it was cheap.

I bought an amplifier to pull in WOWK;s weak signal and can now get 3 Channel 29's, WPBY HD , WVAH Hd, WSAZ Hd, MY Z, and WCHS Hd without distortion but no crappy WOWK HD...

I have come to my final conclusion aboout them . they use Duracell to power their antenna.

crisis on sb sunday!!

well, not really thanks to time warner carrying wowk on qam

i'm pretty sure my pre-amp has died. i have a cm 747 from lowes do go with my cm 4228 that is in my atic. i'm getting 0 signal from all networks except wsaz which is around 24. i checked my wiring and could not find any issues. i removed the pre-amp and the signals did not change. to double check the wiring i removed the pre-amp and had a straight line from the antenna to the tv. when i disconnect the cable at the antenna the signal drops to 0. we just had a new furnace installed yesterday (the only thing different in my house). i can't remember what kind of signals i was getting before the pre-amp but 24 for wsaz and 0's for the others seems really low even without the amp.

i'm looking at the cm 7775 titan 2 amp from solid signal:
http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=ANC7775

what do you guys think?

resolved!

after realizing that my signal even without an amp was non-existant, i decided to check my wiring more in-depth. i have a section of wire behind a base-board upstairs. i was pulling the board from the wall and i heard the tv come on. i guess the wire was in a bind or bent at too much of an angle. i straightened the wire out and now i have 75+ signal for every channel except wchs. i've been having problems picking it up for the last couple of weeks though.

i wonder if an upgrade to the cm 7775 amp would help me out?

If WCHS is truly experiencing transmission problems, like with PSIP irregularities, you might want to hold on the 7775 as you don't need it. If WCHS is low power, then the 7775 might help until it comes back online. Then it becomes unnecessary. You're already fine with your other digitals, and you can't get a better picture than what you have already with, say, WOWK, so there you go. No need to worry about a preamp today :)

Sorry to get so extremely off topic, but are we really still in a 'boil water alert,' or have they just forgotten to update their site this morning? It was supposed to be cleared up by this morning. It's been over 2 days now.

Did you guys get the mailer from Suddenlink about the new HD Channels?
A&E
National Geographic
Food Network
HD Net
HD Movies
H&G

wheres the Duece at? Didn't they allready promise us that?

Did you guys get the mailer from Suddenlink about the new HD Channels?
A&E
National Geographic
Food Network
HD Net
HD Movies
H&G

wheres the Duece at? Didn't they allready promise us that?

I got that in the mail yesterday also. I'm happy with it, but I would love ESPN2 (assuming that's 'the deuce' -- or I have no idea what it is). It does seem like they'd add that before some of the channels they're giving us.

Someone mentioned that they have bandwidth problems. By adding these new hd channels, is it going to lessen the quality of all hd channels? And does this also mean that we shouldn't be expecting them to add any more hd any time soon?

If they do, the price better not go up a few dollars for each set of new channels we get.

If they do, the price better not go up a few dollars for each set of new channels we get.


SuddenSTINK will jack the prices at every opportunity. They all pretty much do whatever they want. By the time 2009 gets here, they'll have us up to $250/month if the gov't doesn't step in. They'll milk this for everything they can get out of it as long as they can keep saying they are providing a premium service.

I bought an amplifier to pull in WOWK;s weak signal and can now get 3 Channel 29's, WPBY HD , WVAH Hd, WSAZ Hd, MY Z, and WCHS Hd without distortion but no crappy WOWK HD...

I have come to my final conclusion aboout them . they use Duracell to power their antenna.

Read post 2411 by DarrinH. He's in Fairplane and just purchased a DB8 Antenna and placed it in the attic with NO amplifier. He picks up all the Locals, including WOWK. I live in Sissonville and can pick up WOWK with a $20 powered indoor antenna in the basement (about 2' above ground level outside) as LONG as my window is open. I can pick up all the others without the window being opened, just not WOWK.

any idea what (if any) improvement in signal i would get by upgrading from the cm 747 to a cm 7775?

i currently get wsaz and wowk with a signal in the high 80's. wvah i get aroun 60-70. wvah i usually get around 60-70 but lately it has been in the high 40's.

Why I can tget WOWK HD when they are only 5 miles away but I can get both WSAZ's, WPBY, and the others is beyond me...i have installed an amplifier, moved my antenna, and more,,,,, to no avail. It drives me crazy. :eek:

What puzzles me the most is I can get WOWK in the Spring and Summer months but when it turns cold......fugedaboutit.

Why I can tget WOWK HD when they are only 5 miles away but I can get both WSAZ's, WPBY, and the others is beyond me...i have installed an amplifier, moved my antenna, and more,,,,, to no avail. It drives me crazy. :eek:

What puzzles me the most is I can get WOWK in the Spring and Summer months but when it turns cold......fugedaboutit.


when i lived in spring valley i could get all the networks with an indoor terk antenna. wowk was by far the hardest to pick-up. i moved to ashland, and now it is the easiest.

Well, the DISH guys came today...they also left today without installing anything. There was snow/ice on my roof, of course, so they couldn't get up there and they said it was the only place it would work. I'm probably going to cancel the order because I don't want it on that part of the house. Oddly enough, they did tell me that DTV would probably work, but I don't even think I'm going to go that route. I guess I'm stuck with Suddenstink. Perhaps I'll revisit it when DTV gets the locals in HD.

Interesting that the UNC game was blacked out last night on espn. My guess is that WSAZ had the rights to the game, but chose to play the UK game. Anybody know about this?

Interesting that the UNC game was blacked out last night on espn. My guess is that WSAZ had the rights to the game, but chose to play the UK game. Anybody know about this?


it wasn't blacked out on espn hd for me.

i have time warner in ashland, ky

WOWK seems to be having a problem. I have lost them for the last 3 days. I had the signal locked in strong when I put my antenna up last week.
Email Bill Galloway (engineer) and ask him whats going on.
He is a good guy and will answer your questions.
Check their site for the email address.
-------------------------------------
I just placed a call into Bill and got his voice mail. I'll let you know what I find out.

Raycom Sports response to ESPN-HD blackouts:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9723526#post9723526

Why local signals must have exclusivity rights is beyond me, idealistically. What would go wrong if both local affils AND cable channels have no blackouts? Oh that's right, Raycom losing revenue via ESPN having better announcers (a guess) and HD coverage. Excuse me.

From the highdeforum....



scotte992
DTV subscriber since 1994


Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Painted Post NY
Age: 37
Posts: 13

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I just got off the phone with directv and i asked the guy about the new HD channels and he said they were just talking about it last night and they were told they would have at least 13 new HD channels added within the next 2 months

He has to be talking locals. They had to take off one HD channel to add 9 ST games on Sundays.

Darrin,
I got your phone message. Sorry of the late response.
We have been on our low power DTV transmitter for the past three days. Our main DTV transmitter had an issue with the high voltage and it took a couple days to get the part.
The main DT transmitter was put back on the air this morning around 10:30am so you should have our signal back. If not, please let me know...

Bill Galloway
Vice President - Engineering
WV Media
304-781-6003

I have just ordered the HR-20 from DirecTV

I was wondering if it can get the OTA locals now.....

Have they been acrivated yet.

If you mean in High Def then No, only way thus far in with OTA antenna or Suddenlink. locals in HD will become available later this year fom Direct, everything is on hold untill the New Sats launch in june....

If you mean in High Def then No, only way thus far in with OTA antenna. locals in HD will become available later this year fom Direct.....


I was talking about the OTA HDs with an antenna like does it have the tuner enabled

Just attach your Antenna to the HD Tuner run setup and your good to go...

Raycom Sports response to ESPN-HD blackouts:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9723526#post9723526

Why local signals must have exclusivity rights is beyond me, idealistically. What would go wrong if both local affils AND cable channels have no blackouts? Oh that's right, Raycom losing revenue via ESPN having better announcers (a guess) and HD coverage. Excuse me.

Do this even apply to us? Are we in the ACC market? I was under the assumption that WSAZ shows Lincoln Financial games but they are for the SEC. Was there another channel showing the game? If not, why the blackout? I wonder if WSAZ has the rights to both the ACC and SEC and just shows SEC games because of Kentucky.

Darrin,
I got your phone message. Sorry of the late response.
We have been on our low power DTV transmitter for the past three days. Our main DTV transmitter had an issue with the high voltage and it took a couple days to get the part.
The main DT transmitter was put back on the air this morning around 10:30am so you should have our signal back. If not, please let me know...

Bill Galloway
Vice President - Engineering
WV Media
304-781-6003

Funny, that was their response from a few months ago when many lost the signal. If true, they need to spend their money on research as to why their DTV transmitter is having issues with the High Voltage instead of spending money ever few months for the parts.

I was talking about the OTA HDs with an antenna like does it have the tuner enabled
Yes, the OTA tuner was enabled is late December. One nice thing is if you only have one sat line, unlike the HR10, the HR20 will allow use of both OTA tuners with a single sat line.

Do this even apply to us? Are we in the ACC market? I was under the assumption that WSAZ shows Lincoln Financial games but they are for the SEC. Was there another channel showing the game? If not, why the blackout? I wonder if WSAZ has the rights to both the ACC and SEC and just shows SEC games because of Kentucky.

No, the UNC/Duke game was not on anywhere on Suddenlink. I can only assume that because we are in the Lincoln Financial market, any of their games that are also being shown on ESPN will be blacked out. Even though WSAZ decided to show the UK game (an understandable decision), the UNC game was blacked out simply because it could have been shown on WSAZ. WSAZ should have put the UNC/Duke game on another Suddenlink channel (HSN), simply because many of its viewers would have watched it. That was a bad decision.

thanks for the wowk update. i have been scratching my head for the past few days. looks to be running good now.

i am still struggling to pull in wvah and wchs. i have had no problems with these for the last 6 months or so (since i bought the cm 4228). i wonder if they are also having some transmission problems or if it is just the weather?

Yes, the OTA tuner was enabled is late December. One nice thing is if you only have one sat line, unlike the HR10, the HR20 will allow use of both OTA tuners with a single sat line.


Thanks

The CSR was telling me no, but for some reason I think she thought I was asking about the Locals over satellite...

Thats awesme that I will only have to have one line in instead of two

Thanks a bumch, herdfan

Thats awesme that I will only have to have one line in instead of two

Thanks a bumch, herdfan
Your welcome. But keep in mind that with only one satellite line, you will only be able to record one thing off satellite at a time. But 2 OTA's are no problem.

You also might want to visit the HR20 forum at DBSTalk:http://www.dbstalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=112

Your welcome. But keep in mind that with only one satellite line, you will only be able to record one thing off satellite at a time. But 2 OTA's are no problem.

You also might want to visit the HR20 forum at DBSTalk:http://www.dbstalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=112
Do you have the HR20? I still have the HR10 but it has been flakey since the 6.3a upgrade and it won't "take" the 6.3b upgrade (it tries to upgrade everytime I reboot but stays at 6.3a). I've thought about upgrading but it seems that the HR20 has its problems as well. Just wonder what your opinion is?

At the moment I have 1 HR20 in a non-critical location. I am going to install a second one to mirror one of my 2 HR10's sometime within a month or so.

So far I have only had my HR20 lock up or BSOD (black screen of death) on me twice. It also has not missed any recordings. I do have it running on a fairly light load though compared to my HR10's. That is why I am going to mirror one of the HR10's and try to use the HR20 full time knowing I have a reliable backup.

There are things I love about the HR20. The menu is very fast, you can record immediately off guide without having to wait, sorting the prioritizer takes seconds vs. many minutes.

There are some quirks also. It takes 2 presses of the guide to actually bring the guide up. (There is a backdoor using a Harmony remote to eliminate that.) It seems harder to get to the Scheduler and Prioritizer that with the HR10's. And there is no jump back coming out of FF, but that can be somewhat mitigated by using the replay button to come out of FF.

BTW, both my HR10's are still running 3.1.5f as I unplugged my phone line as soon as I read about the 6.3 issues. No reason to plug it back in now.

Overall I am happy with the unit. But there are some users who have constant issues. I believe that many are related to their installs and the quality of the cabling. I am using all high-quality Belden cable and a powered WB616 multiswitch and I persoannly think that helps keep the unit stable.

Thanks for the mini-review.

HOLY CRAP!!

wchsd and wvahd are both on my time warner cable!

i now have wsazd, wchsd, and wvahd available on my hddvr. wowkd is still available using my qam tuner. i wonder how much longer until it is on the regular digital cable...

I suspect, and this is only a guess, that we won't get WOWK HD until their retransmission consent agreement with Time Warner is renewed.

I have no idea when the current agreement expires but I understand that most of them run for three years from the time they are executed...

I suspect, and this is only a guess, that we won't get WOWK HD until their retransmission consent agreement with Time Warner is renewed.

I have no idea when the current agreement expires but I understand that most of them run for three years from the time they are executed...


how is TW able to have wowkd avail on qam but not regular?

I would like to pick up WOWK broadcasts...They offer through the local cable company but do they offer it OTA? I imagine I would need a pretty strong antenna to pick it up as far as they are away but they are the only station that airs my Bengals football every Sunday...

spinksjinx, yes, WOWK-HD is available OTA. However, you don't need to worry about getting Bengals games until August/September, and even then there may be issues due to CBS airing few HD games every week. Next season there may be four HD games a week out of six or seven, and perhaps the Bengals will get the short stack. Fox may get one or two Bengals games, and most of them are available in HD.

So stay warm and inside until the summer, when it'll be easier to put up an antenna.

spinksjinx, yes, WOWK-HD is available OTA. However, you don't need to worry about getting Bengals games until August/September, and even then there may be issues due to CBS airing few HD games every week. Next season there may be four HD games a week out of six or seven, and perhaps the Bengals will get the short stack. Fox may get one or two Bengals games, and most of them are available in HD.

So stay warm and inside until the summer, when it'll be easier to put up an antenna.


Id settle for HD or SD for the Bengals games...We got rid of SuddenLink and switched to Dish Network because way paid out the arse for basically nothing and the HD programming was a joke..Our FOX stations never air a Bengals game since they are in the AFC and if I am not mistaken has a deal to only show NFC games...Same goes for CBS only airing AFC division games...

Anywho, I went to AntennaWeb and it doesnt show I can get WOWK or any CBS for that matter but it doesnt show me I can get the FOX OTA I get either...So is their a more up to date place I can check on the range how far it is to pick it up and stuff like that?

My exact location is Belpre Ohio 45714 right alongisde the Ohio River across the bridge from Parkersburg WV.

spinksjinx:

When an NFC team visits an AFC team, FOX broadcasts the game. When an AFC team visits an NFC team, CBS broadcasts the game.

At your distance, I'd be surprised if you could get ANY FOX or CBS affiliate over the air. I'd have to double-check, though.

You might be able to get a waiver for FOX and CBS's national feeds, though I doubt that the supplied affiliates (probably from NYC) will air Bengals games all that often.

I have a 3250 HD box from Suddenlink. On WCHS in HD the sound is slightly ahead of the picture when the local news is on. I'm not sure if it's doing it on other local programming, but it certainly is that way on the news, but not on the network programming.

Anyone else have this issue?

spinksjinx:

When an NFC team visits an AFC team, FOX broadcasts the game. When an AFC team visits an NFC team, CBS broadcasts the game.

At your distance, I'd be surprised if you could get ANY FOX or CBS affiliate over the air. I'd have to double-check, though.

You might be able to get a waiver for FOX and CBS's national feeds, though I doubt that the supplied affiliates (probably from NYC) will air Bengals games all that often.


Every game last year on CBS in my area was a Bengals game if I do recall because I spent less time at my fiances grandfathers house using his DirecTV Season Ticket....

I can get FOX WTAP 15.3 I think it is not sure...The stations i can pick up OTA is WTAP-FOX and NBC and My5....Nothing to spectacular I was hoping for CBS but that obviously isnt going to happen at least not for a long while...Not to shabby with $2.99 rabbit ears bought from big lots. :D

I grew up in Hidden Valley, so I know the area well. I'm actually looking to move back out that way eventually. You'll have to report back and let me know how it goes with getting the signal. By the time I move back over that way, DirecTV should have Charleston locals in HD... at least I would HOPE so.

Well, I sent my info to SolidSignal and they sent me back a list of stuff I would need. One thing I kind of wish I had done was look at the measurements on the antenna I bought...the thing is almost 8' long! It's currently mounted in my attic. They sold me a pre-amp and signal distribution amplifier to go along with it. I can pick up WOWK perfectly. I can get WCHS, but it drops in and out. Nothing on WSAZ at all, though I haven't made any effort on it. The strange thing is that I can't figure out is that I get NOTHING on WVAH. You'd think that since they are the same tower as WCHS it would be the same. Perhaps it's the weather, not sure. The amplifier definitely made a big difference because I get almost nothing without it. It's pretty bad tonight and snowing so I'll check it out again in a couple days after it clears up.

Well, I sent my info to SolidSignal and they sent me back a list of stuff I would need. One thing I kind of wish I had done was look at the measurements on the antenna I bought...the thing is almost 8' long! It's currently mounted in my attic. They sold me a pre-amp and signal distribution amplifier to go along with it. I can pick up WOWK perfectly. I can get WCHS, but it drops in and out. Nothing on WSAZ at all, though I haven't made any effort on it. The strange thing is that I can't figure out is that I get NOTHING on WVAH. You'd think that since they are the same tower as WCHS it would be the same. Perhaps it's the weather, not sure. The amplifier definitely made a big difference because I get almost nothing without it. It's pretty bad tonight and snowing so I'll check it out again in a couple days after it clears up.

It's not really strange if you can get one channel and not the other when they are on the same tower. The higher the frequency, the harder the signal is to pick up. The lower it is on the tower, the more difficult to pick up. What is strange is your results should be the opposite. WVAH channel is 19 and WCHS is 41. WCHS is higher on the tower, so if you can pick up WCHS, you should be able to get WVAH....odd. Unless you are getting an odd frequency bounce on WCHS and is why you are picking it up, and not on WVAH. Most have a more difficult time picking up WCHS because it has a higher frequency and it's lower on the tower. They should be WVAH lower on the tower (since the lower frequency can travel further) and place WCHS higher on the tower. This just explains why you can pick up one and not the other, even though they are on the same tower. But, I have no idea how you are getting WCHS and not WVAH.

In Baltimore, all the networks are on one tower. That sure would be nice.

I just noticed that the new Suddenlink HD channels are now showing up in my guide, but they are not working yet. Anybody getting the same thing?

I just noticed that the new Suddenlink HD channels are now showing up in my guide, but they are not working yet. Anybody getting the same thing?

Yeah, same thing here...says I'm not authorized but it also skips over them if I channel up/down.

It's not really strange if you can get one channel and not the other when they are on the same tower. The higher the frequency, the harder the signal is to pick up. The lower it is on the tower, the more difficult to pick up. What is strange is your results should be the opposite. WVAH channel is 19 and WCHS is 41. WCHS is higher on the tower, so if you can pick up WCHS, you should be able to get WVAH....odd. Unless you are getting an odd frequency bounce on WCHS and is why you are picking it up, and not on WVAH. Most have a more difficult time picking up WCHS because it has a higher frequency and it's lower on the tower. They should be WVAH lower on the tower (since the lower frequency can travel further) and place WCHS higher on the tower. This just explains why you can pick up one and not the other, even though they are on the same tower. But, I have no idea how you are getting WCHS and not WVAH.

In Baltimore, all the networks are on one tower. That sure would be nice.

Yeah, that would be nice. However, if I get this working I should be pretty good because the towers are almost lined up from my position. There is only about 16 degrees difference between the farthest two towers. I did read that mounting an antenna in the attic can reduce signal by as much as 50%. I'm not sure if I want to go outside with it or not...wife might stop that from happening ;)

Yeah I saw they added the channels to the guide but National Geographic HD is not there but PBS HD (WPBY) is.

I can't get them either.

Yeah, that would be nice. However, if I get this working I should be pretty good because the towers are almost lined up from my position. There is only about 16 degrees difference between the farthest two towers. I did read that mounting an antenna in the attic can reduce signal by as much as 50%. I'm not sure if I want to go outside with it or not...wife might stop that from happening ;)


I re-read what I wrote and mispoke. I said WCHS is higher on the tower. I meant to say WVAH is higher on the tower. They should have it reversed since WCHS is a high frequency, meaning more signal degradation over distance, so placing it higher on the tower will help the signal propogate further.

I re-read what I wrote and mispoke. I said WCHS is higher on the tower. I meant to say WVAH is higher on the tower. They should have it reversed since WCHS is a high frequency, meaning more signal degradation over distance, so placing it higher on the tower will help the signal propogate further.

__________________
Tony

TBAK Cinemas

I'm a newbie here but a related question. I'm south of Huntington in a valley and have more trouble with WVAH 11.1 than WCHS 8.1 just over the past few days. They were pretty equal in the past. Is something going on with them or just me?

Thanks.

I just noticed that the new Suddenlink HD channels are now showing up in my guide, but they are not working yet. Anybody getting the same thing?
Yeah, same thing here...says I'm not authorized but it also skips over them if I channel up/down.

Strange..they aren't showing up at all for me.

Strange..they aren't showing up at all for me.

Here today gone tomorrow...they are not listed today...they must have gotten too many calls ;)

I'm a newbie here but a related question. I'm south of Huntington in a valley and have more trouble with WVAH 11.1 than WCHS 8.1 just over the past few days. They were pretty equal in the past. Is something going on with them or just me?

Thanks.

They may be having issues...I just put up an antenna and I thought I would get both if I picked up one, but I can't. I get WCHS...it drops out. I haven't spent a lot of time adjusting the antenna yet, but I get NOTHING on WVAH.

Did anyone have any problems with any of the HD stations when suddenlink had the new ones up? I was watching Leno on NBC and the picture was not fluid it jittered; it did this during the Olympics also and didn't have any problems till that night. Could this have been the local stations problem or some bandwidth problem on suddenlink?

I am not really sure how to describe it the sound worked fine but like the picture pause for less then 1/10th of a second when there was movement. It was most noticeable when the camera panned across the stage and did it multiple times in a row.

Did anyone have any problems with any of the HD stations when suddenlink had the new ones up? I was watching Leno on NBC and the picture was not fluid it jittered; it did this during the Olympics also and didn't have any problems till that night. Could this have been the local stations problem or some bandwidth problem on suddenlink?

I am not really sure how to describe it the sound worked fine but like the picture pause for less then 1/10th of a second when there was movement. It was most noticeable when the camera panned across the stage and did it multiple times in a row.

Yes, mine was dropping out pretty bad. Must have been the beta evening. On the better side, I received my HVR-950's today and I can pick up WOWK, WVAH, and almost WCHS, so I think with a little tweaking I'll have 3 of 4. BeyondTV media server, here I come!

I should mention that I'm pretty excited about getting WVAH because I can't pick it up on my Dell TV's, which are made by Phillips, but the HVR-950 is doing really well with it.

Did anyone have any problems with any of the HD stations when suddenlink had the new ones up? I was watching Leno on NBC and the picture was not fluid it jittered; it did this during the Olympics also and didn't have any problems till that night. Could this have been the local stations problem or some bandwidth problem on suddenlink?

I am not really sure how to describe it the sound worked fine but like the picture pause for less then 1/10th of a second when there was movement. It was most noticeable when the camera panned across the stage and did it multiple times in a row.

I have noticed so freezing on WOWK over the last couple of days. However, this has happened before.

Tony,

WVAH 11-1 problems...

The same goes for me, I live about 70+ miles (Out in the sticks, near Waverly WV) from the Charleston towers. I can pick up 3-1, 3-2, 8-1 and 13-1 all the time, even when the leafs are on. But I really have to work at antenna placement to pick up 11-1 and most of the time it is not watchable. Something else I have noticed is when I pick up 11-1 I have to turn the antenna several degrees from where I pick up 8-1, 3-1, 3-2 and 13-1. Sure is strange....

I've added a couple pics of my Jerrold Delhi VU937SR antenna with the VU-8PZ Power Zoom attached and a Channel Master 7777 preamp. It is aimed towards the Charleston stations, you're looking at 20+ lb. antenna with 19 feet of boom length and 58 feet high.

Edited>> Removed pics for now, they were coming up as clear.gif ( no picture ) avsforum may be having a problem, tried to add pics and was getting an error they were not a valid jpg, I'll try to add them in a day or so...

Tony,

WVAH 11-1 problems...

The same goes for me, I live about 70+ miles (Out in the sticks, near Waverly WV) from the Charleston towers. I can pick up 3-1, 3-2, 8-1 and 13-1 all the time, even when the leafs are on. But I really have to work at antenna placement to pick up 11-1 and most of the time it is not watchable. Something else I have noticed is when I pick up 11-1 I have to turn the antenna several degrees from where I pick up 8-1, 3-1, 3-2 and 13-1. Sure is strange....

I've added a couple pics of my Jerrold Delhi VU937SR antenna with the VU-8PZ Power Zoom attached and a Channel Master 7777 preamp. It is aimed towards the Charleston stations, you're looking at 20+ lb. antenna with 19 feet of boom length and 58 feet high...

My wife would FREAK if I tried to put something like that up! I'd love to have it though... :cool:

Anyone else having problems with Fox today? The race is unwatchable....

Anyone else having problems with Fox today? The race is unwatchable....
Coming in fine OTA.

Getting Fox fine again. Figured out my problem, feel like an idiot.

Have a Channel Plus system that I use to modulate Tivo, VCR, DVD, etc all over the house with IR remotes. Forgot I had HD Receiver hooked up to it and already had something modulated to Channel 20 so I guess that it interfered with channel 19.1 which is the FOX digital...

Hey all you Horror fans, Direct TV just brought the Chiller channel online Today on Channel 257....Also understand that later this year it will be offered in HD.......

I wasn't around an HDTV last night at the end of the Maryland/Duke game.
Did they HD feed also have technical difficulties at the end.

I wasn't around an HDTV last night at the end of the Maryland/Duke game.
Did they HD feed also have technical difficulties at the end.

Yes, lots of breaking up. They eventually switched to the SD feed for the end of the game.

Are any of the Suddenlink PPV movies in HD? I'm assuming that they aren't, but I can't find any info on them, and I'm not going to order one just to see.


And sorry to get extremely off topic here, but if any of you would happen to see any Wiis available when you're out (preferably at a Walmart), would you PLEASE post where they are whenever you get the chance (or PM me)? I would greatly appreciate it. Over 3 months since the release and you still can't find them anywhere.

Thanks in advance!

I noticed National Geographic Channels is in HD on Directv now...

It show it as upcoming on my Guide...any other Directv subscribers getting this...?

I noticed National Geographic Channels is in HD on Directv now...

It show it as upcoming on my Guide...any other Directv subscribers getting this...?
Yes. It is showing up as channel 77. There is a show in the guide starting on 3/6. Must still be on the old satellite (MPEG2) since I'm getting it on my HR10.

Any one know why WSAZ is not televising the Honda Classic in HD. The D* feed is in HD, but neither the Suddenlink or OTA signal is HD. How does this happen? Local station forget to flip the switch again?

Call the number in the phone book and ask for the control room. It needs to be a Huntington number.

I love the new Chiller Channel on channel 257...though it is not in HD (yet)...It is still cool.....Lots of great horror films and old spooky series.. Hopefully it will be in the new HD lineup later this summer....

I know MyZ on suddenlink isn't HD but it is digital over the air on 3.2, I cant get it. I know they have HD content between 8 and 10 is it in HD over the air?

I know MyZ on suddenlink isn't HD but it is digital over the air on 3.2, I cant get it. I know they have HD content between 8 and 10 is it in HD over the air?

Why would you want to watch that crap? Sorry...
I believe that current technology only allows a station to broadcast 1 HD feed OTA at a time.
Here in Parkersburg our local NBC station (WTAP) started multicasting a Fox & My Network feed a while back. OTA you can only get NBC in HD while Fox & My Network come in SD. When they first launched these channels, they explained it all on their website. WTAP says they'll be able to switch off the NBC HD feed and switch on the FOX HD feed for things like the Super Bowl and such. I don't think they've ever done this though.
However, they do provide Suddenlink with both HD feeds simultaneously over cable. I'm not crazy about the picture quality though.

Does anyone know if 8-2 The Tube is still on the air. I haven't been able to ge it for a while now. WCHS 8-1 comes in perfect and I have the guide info and I am able to tune to 8-2, but all I get is a black screen?